Whitehorse Daily Star

City council adopts its Regional Parks Plan

Planning for each of the city's five regional parks can begin after council adopted a broader park planning document at its meeting Monday night.

By Stephanie Waddell on June 24, 2014

Planning for each of the city's five regional parks can begin after council adopted a broader park planning document at its meeting Monday night.

The Regional Parks Plan will be used as a framework for the planning of the five individual parks at Chadburn Lake, McIntyre Creek, Paddy's Pond/Ice Lake, McLean Lake and Wolf Creek.

Council members voted to adopt the parks plan, despite a call for some changes to the document early during last night's meeting.

Keith Lay of the Active Trails Whitehorse Association argued it's an "excellent plan” for the most part.

However, he added, improvements could be made by having an entire city department dedicated to regional parks, developing a trail classification system within the city, and moving from a definition of "recreation” to "active recreation”.

The plan calls for work on the parks – which, Lay pointed out, makes up 30 per cent of the city's land – to be carried out by various city departments.

As he noted in his written submission to council, which he summarized during last night's presentation: "Offloading such a major responsibility to five other city departments that already have their hands full with other projects is not going to be very effective.

"Doing so will impact on the amount of time and energy spent on their present tasks and will not allow the attention needed to effectively manage our regional parks.

"Obviously, applicable city departments could lend their respective expertise to those heading a new regional parks department.”

Lay noted that while the city has attempted to reduce spending in its operating budget, Active Trails "would expect that the citizens of Whitehorse would support increasing the 2015 budget, in order to establish a new regional parks department.

"This would ensure that such valuable and important assets which have huge potential benefits to our mental and physical well-being are effectively managed.”

Questioned on the new department by Coun. Kirk Cameron after his presentation, Lay emphasized the department wouldn't require a lot of staffing to begin with, but it would ensure there are staff in place to focus on the parks.

He made the argument for the new city department after calling for the trail classification system.

"The current 2007 trail plan tries to do this, but the trail designation terms used in that document have been misconstrued, misinterpreted and misused, resulting in much confusion as to what they actually mean,” Lay stated.

He advised the city look at documents developed in Alberta that could be adopted locally.

Lay also brought forward the idea of looking for a new definition around recreation.

Under the plan, recreation is defined as "all those things that a person or group chooses to do in order to make their leisure time more interesting, more enjoyable and more personally satisfying.”

It's a definition, Lay said, that doesn't relate to the promotion of physical and mental health and wellness benefits that come from outdoor recreation and regional parks.

"Watching television, playing video games or surfing the Net could certainly make one's leisure time more personally satisfying, but the type of recreation we are trying to promote within these parks is active recreation,” Lay said.

He went on to suggest a definition for that from Australia's National Sport and Active Recreation Policy Framework:

"Active recreation activities are those engaged in for the purpose of relaxation, health and well-being or enjoyment with the primary activity requiring physical exertion and the primary focus on human activity.”

After listening to Lay's arguments, council opted to adopt the plan without making any of the proposed changes.

Council members argued there is a need to consider the costs and work within the city's resources.

As Coun. John Streicker pointed out, the plan not only calls for a number of city departments to work together, but also for the city to look for partnerships in implementing the plan.

"I think this is a good start,” deputy mayor Jocelyn Curteanu said, noting the work on the parks won't happen overnight.

Meanwhile, Coun. Betty Irwin emphasized the plan is a high-level document that will be used as the city moves to look at each individual regional park.

"It's a guiding document for us,” she said.

No decision has been made on which of the five regional parks will be focused on first for individual planning, though staff indicated it will likely be one of the larger park areas such as Chadburn Lake.

Coun. Dave Stockdale was absent from last night's meeting.

Streicker and Mayor Dan Curtis attended via conference call from Edmonton, where they are attending the Western Cities Summit.

Comments (17)

Up 5 Down 2

Josey Wales on Jul 5, 2014 at 9:43 am

Hey spud... very valid points you present, thank you.
I however disagree with your claim we are over policed though.
Please do not think I'm a lover of a "police state" so so far from it is I.
What I would like to see is our existing members of M division completely DITCH politically correct policing that panders to our cultural elites.
Whilst so far from the reality our "justice" is alleged to be blind, so too should be the laws enforced equally.
I see walking/staggering NCR up & comers each day creating carnage and doing so with impunity...frankly I'm beyond sick of it...like really sick of it.
If we were "over policed" here as you suggest, why do we have so many dangerous and brain dead drivers, punks hanging out on main selling drugs, I do believe we now have prostitutes strolling that same area, drunks hassling folks trying to have a cup of coffee in our many outdoor areas, and the NEED for our folks here to CCTV their homes, virtually every civic building etc?
I think we need a crew of Mounties going for a "plain clothed" walk about complete with a duffle bag of long zip ties, extra tazer batteries and observe the criminality not so much who but what it is they are doing.
Mind when off to the Kangaroo courthouse on 2nd ave, home of the catch and release program, they would be back trolling as trolls do before the puke is dry on their shirts.
Yes indeed we need to douche this town...and not only of drunken pariahs, but civic malfeasance and cultural bias in enforcing the law of OUR lands....

Up 11 Down 1

spud on Jul 4, 2014 at 12:06 pm

The total Yukon & Whitehorse is over regulated and policed now.
City taxes are already too high, far too high. Seniors/pensioners are struggling to remain in their homes of many years, partially due to city taxes which every year increase very much more than our OAS. Not all by far have the fancy elitist teacher pensions.
DO THIS WITH CURRENT STAFF AND BUDGETS ONLY.
I already had to acquire an ATV with blade so us neighbours can break a trail in the snow for street access to our home and now to the central mail boxes.--And I do not ride recreationally--licence plates, insurance and fuel too expensive.

Up 11 Down 2

PJT on Jul 3, 2014 at 4:59 pm

Really the only people that seem to matter in this city is a bike rider. Keith has no problems raising taxes but I do. The city can only see more tax increases. We already pay enough and can't get the snow off streets. Now a more parks = tax increase I can not vote for that. Too many special interest groups are planning the city.

I agree with Josey Wales - go back 30 years when one could ride an Atv or snowmobile with a tax grab for the city.

Up 2 Down 3

Carrena on Jun 30, 2014 at 10:30 pm

Kudos! What a neat way of thinnikg about it.

Up 24 Down 13

Just Say'in on Jun 28, 2014 at 1:58 pm

The problem is, listening to a bunch of retired School teachers that have never done anything value added in their lives. "Those who can, do." Those who can't, Teach." Has never been more prevalent.

Beware, the Active Trails group are only in it for themselves, and no matter what your use, they will be against it. Oh and while collecting their pension. Why not start collecting butterflies or bird watching or some other valuable hobby Keith and leave the rest of us alone.

Up 21 Down 3

Not in a hurry on Jun 27, 2014 at 3:33 pm

There is a simple explanation for this madness in this (not so great and not so "wilderness" anymore) city:

Too many of our city executives / managers are getting "great ideas" from down south or far east (don't think about the city's travel budget)!

Do they work up here: Some probably, but not all of them.

But what they all have in common:

They cost a lot of money and who has to pay for it? We as citizens and taxpayers!

Maybe time for another Facebook page:

"The little would be Vancouver and the city council's fairy tales and useless money pits"...

Up 17 Down 1

Wayne on Jun 27, 2014 at 5:40 am

Tax increase? Fittingly, to quote Betty Boop, "No! No! A thousand times no!"

Up 25 Down 2

Max Mack on Jun 26, 2014 at 9:52 am

Tax increases, again?

What part of NO do these ape-headed bureaucrats and councilors not understand?

Are they all cognitively challenged?

Up 26 Down 19

Mike on Jun 26, 2014 at 6:11 am

I am supportive of having a parks department created and my tax dollars spend to protect these areas and provide meaningful park development.

Get out and look around. There are lots of beautiful trails all around Whitehorse but they are being threatened by misuse. Even the pedestrian bridge over the river where I purchased a plank may be turned into a motorized lane. This is crazy! How can the city take my money and federal money and change my favourite trail into a ATV trail.

Nature is very slow to recover here, so why is YTG and the city so willing to allow so many special areas to be destroyed. I did not vote for this and I hope any councillor who is stupid enough to allow our new parks to be given away to one user group will be voted out. This is a wilderness city so lets reflect that in our parks.

Thanks Keith for trying to keep the city honest and modern. It must be a very difficult struggle. Just like the mining issue on the Dome Road in Dawson I would bet the city has already met behind closed doors to discuss how they are going to give away our new city parks.

Up 25 Down 6

Joel on Jun 25, 2014 at 5:31 pm

I am not interested in having a trail labeling department created and/or my taxes rising to do so.

Get out and look around. There are lots of beautiful trails all around Whitehorse and the Yukon for that matter that don't need a fleet of people to label or maintain them. That is one of the great things about nature, it maintains and labels itself.

It would be nice if one of these petitioners was promoting people to do whatever they enjoy and not pushing their own enjoyment on the population

Up 13 Down 16

north of 60 on Jun 25, 2014 at 11:03 am

I'm in favor of the wilderness areas within city limits be classified park so that any additional mining in the undisturbed areas surrounding residential neighborhoods is prohibited.

Up 28 Down 8

Salar on Jun 25, 2014 at 8:21 am

Yeah, great idea, let's make up more rules that say where the ATVers can't go, where the walkers can't go, where the bikers can't go, where the skiers can't go, where the snowmachiners can't go.....and then some good old fashioned disagreements on values and ideals could be gauged by the rules.

Or....we don't make up any rules and continue to disagree for free.

Aren't there better things to spend time and money on?

Up 24 Down 5

Local Drifter on Jun 25, 2014 at 8:05 am

"Lay noted that while the city has attempted to reduce spending in its operating budget, Active Trails would expect that the citizens of Whitehorse would support increasing the 2015 budget"

Sorry Keith, your expectations completely missed the mark. I expect a majority of citizens wish to pay moderate taxes and receive a fairly basic set of services, that's it.

Up 17 Down 33

Ant Josey Whales on Jun 25, 2014 at 6:11 am

I disagree with that Josey Whales

"4…and most probable, extreme arse kissing pandering to greenie zealots at the expense of everyone, classic civic style."

The city is actually pandering to motorized zealots who want access for their skidoos and ATVs from their homes. This means goodbye to our City's wilderness and many very special areas.

"5…The latest in micro managing how we may be permitted to enjoy the alleged "wilderness city”. Everyday this place is shifting closer to a Banff or Jasper playground for the elites with an expansion daily as the Universe…goes

the bureaucracy that "over sees” it all."

Josey, I want our city to be like Banff and Jasper. Bring in all the well healed southerners and foreign tourists and out with the heavy drinking destructive lifestyle which is not fitting for a northern city this size. The city has changed, time for the corpulent old guard to stay on the coach and stop being so destructive.

"As a broken record…...where did my town go? Seems more SNAFU than "wilderness city”. I say, damn parkification."

Josey, I say Parkification for Whitehorse Parks and Wilderness is like Thoreau's Wilderness is the Preservation of the World. The problem is not greenies or southerners; it's the old guard and a new generation of motorheads which have a misguided entitlement. What's needed is protection and curtailed use that benefits the majority of residents. What's not needed is a plan our city employees and elected officials put aside for the entitlement of the minority.

The old town has disappeared and its time to plan for 21st century parkification and the future. Lets stop blaming others and talking about the good days Josey, lets make this city a better place to live.

Up 28 Down 5

Great idea and parks on Jun 25, 2014 at 3:41 am

COW is not Alberta. Alberta has lots of money and ability to raise money from their resource revenues they receive every year. But their is a group in the Yukon who do not want any development but want the parks. The COW has to focus on primary services first and then secondary services and then tertiary. The COW needs to change its tax structure to where primary services comes first and if other services are wanted then a new method of financing them has to be developed. The COW is taking on too many costs that are tertiary. If the Yukon developed is natural resources and other opportunities such as hydro then we would have the revenues to support programs such as the parks. We have to talk reality.

Up 32 Down 13

Francis Pillman on Jun 24, 2014 at 1:36 pm

Here's an idea. Just stop messing with everything. We don't need committees to label trails for petes sake. More garbage from the southerners. Getting tired of all the hippies who want everything wrapped with bubble wrap and a photo to enjoy it. Because it's off limits now.

Up 31 Down 18

Josey Wales on Jun 24, 2014 at 11:56 am

Here we go...again, my interpretation of this latest "plan".

1...Less land for mere citizens to ever acquire.

2...Heaps more trail engineer specialists at 25-28/hr to groom and plant flowers.

Heaps more to install signage reminding us what we dare not ever do...anymore.

Well in general ya know damn well many more city hires will be needed for more genius planners.

3...Land turned park is always a financial liability as taxes happen not, but usage permits will as costs escalate to levels of lunacy the likes of which we have yet too see.

4...and most probable, extreme arse kissing pandering to greenie zealots at the expense of everyone, classic civic style.

5...The latest in micro managing how we may be permitted to enjoy the alleged "wilderness city".

Everyday this place is shifting closer to a Banff or Jasper playground for the elites with an expansion daily as the Universe...goes the bureaucracy that "over sees" it all.

As a broken record......where did my town go? Seems more SNAFU than "wilderness city".

I say, damn parkification.

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