An environmental group is going to court over a provincial government plan to give a private company the exclusive right to run guided horse trips in a protected wilderness park. The government of the western province of British Columbia issued a permit to a company called Clayoquot Wilderness Resort to bring guided horse trips into a secluded area of Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island.
The government’s website says “The provincial system of parks is dedicated to the protection of natural environments for the inspiration, use and enjoyment of the public.”
The group, Friends of Strathcona Park says the permit must be withdrawn because application of it would diminish the wilderness area for everyone.
“No government has the right to give away rights in a park if it is not in the public interest,” said Scott Bernstein, the lawyer for Friends of Strathcona, in a statement released on Monday.
“Granting rights that only one business and its high-end clients can enjoy at the expense of the environment is certainly not in the public interest”
The court case is expected to begin this week.
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