Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[chris gadsden]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/little-bc-fishing-club-takes-on-us-billionaire/article16919365/

[Riverman]

Still think the Magna Carta is a useless and outdated piece of legislation?Bring bumbering to Canada!

[RyanB]

Globe and Mail did a terrible job of explaining the point of view of both sides. 

Better article:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-fishermen-challenge-billionaire-ranchers-for-lake-access-1.1250903

[clarki]

Very interesting arguments. Be interesting to see how plays out it, but it won't be resolved in the courts any time soon.

I'd be curious to know how this is any different than Corbett Lake which is surrounded by private land, and is private access, even with a very public road adjacent to the lake.

I have never driven this public road through the ranch. Unless the road's shoulder is along the lake shore, I expect you would have to cross private land to reach the lake.

Curious if there were rainbow in Minnie and Stoney before they were flooded and managed.

If I recall this isn't the first time the ranch has had to deal with poachers. Many years ago, wasn't a local FN band netting the spawning trout at one of the lakes.

[RyanB]

Curious if there were rainbow in Minnie and Stoney before they were flooded and managed.

"Ranch manager Joe Gardner says the lakes are surrounded by private property and only the middle of the lake is public because the once tiny body of water has been enlarged, spilling onto private land.  "

Basically they surrounded public property to prevent the public from accessing it.  Then they block the road because the public can't reach the public property without crossing private property so therefore they have the right to block the public road.  Then they use the public lake as a private business.

[Tenz85]

"Ranch manager Joe Gardner says the lakes are surrounded by private property and only the middle of the lake is public because the once tiny body of water has been enlarged, spilling onto private land.  "

Basically they surrounded public property to prevent the public from accessing it.  Then they block the road because the public can't reach the public property without crossing private property so therefore they have the right to block the public road.  Then they use the public lake as a private business.

X2

And then a new mcdonalds is created.

[clarki]

"Ranch manager Joe Gardner says the lakes are surrounded by private property and only the middle of the lake is public because the once tiny body of water has been enlarged, spilling onto private land.  "

Basically they surrounded public property to prevent the public from accessing it.  Then they block the road because the public can't reach the public property without crossing private property so therefore they have the right to block the public road.  Then they use the public lake as a private business.

But your quote and your specualtion didn't answer my curiousity    

[typhoon]

All lakes are public as far as I know. The only question is regarding access via public or private property.

I've never been there but let me see if I have this straight.
The lake had public access - i.e. a public road that ran to or by the lake.
The surrounding landowner enlarged the lake and now it has no public access.
I really don't see how this is possible. If there was public access and the lake is enlarged it can only still have public access (simple physics).
What am I missing?

[banx]

greed typhoon, your missing greed.

[Trout_Bum]

I used to fish Minnie and Stoney 30 years ago. They had a reputation for large fish then as now. In those days there was no issue with access, and I believe there was a campground on the east shore of the lake. We used to pull our trailer in there and camp. Those were the days when Chunky Woodward was the owner and before the Minnie Lake lodge was built. The argument that the fish in the lakes are the property of Douglas Lake is a bit rich considering the past history of fish in the lakes....probably stocked by the provincial gov't (don't know for sure).

[salmonlover]

whatever money this fishing club raises they should put it to good use cleaning up lakes or rivers. They are not going to win in court... 25,000 is not going to cut it....especially since they are taking on a billionaire. Im all for fighting as long as its a fair fight, but when you're going to court nothing is guaranteed and money certainly talks. heres a quote thats fitting..."if you want justice go to a wh*re house, and if you want to get screwed go to court".

[Sandman]

The club members are being charged with trespassing, so they are going to court whether they want to or not.  I keep hearing the terms "private" land surrounding these lakes but I believe it is a grazing rights lease they own, not the land itself (it is still crown land).  They claim to be protecting both their commercial interests in the lake and their financial interests in the grasslands (they fear fishermen/sportsmen will trample the fragile grasslands if access is granted to the public).  While I would grant them the later (we can all imagine the worse case scenario of back country campers abusing the surroundings), however, their claims to the lake are bogus.  You cannot just take a public lake, dam it and stock it, and then block access claiming that allowing public access would damage your interests in it since no one is going to pay $350/night to fish it if they can fish it for free.  They can keep the lake access open and use existing fencing to keep fishermen off the surrounding grasslands, have the government ban camping except at their lodge and charge a more reasonable fee to use their lodging.  However, that would be admitting that money cannot buy you whatever you want, even if it is a publicly owned lake.

[chris gadsden]

TV coverage of this issue.

http://cfjctv.com/story.php?id=18202

[TacoChris]

Has the government ever paid for the road maintenance?

It does not seem like they have been charged with anything. The globe and mail story said the ranch is bringing civil action after the club petitioned the court to have the gates unlocked. Legal action is often dropped after one side agrees to withdraw the original motion.

I think most if us would not want more of our lakes to be isolated by private land with no public access. I am not sure how strong a case the club will have given the amount of time that has passed. If the ranch has been locking the gates since the mid 80's as the TV coverage indicated it would have been better if legal action was taken then. Unless they are getting some free legal help they will not come close to having enough money.