Freedom of Information Request Filed with BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

On April 14, 2026, the Columbia and Windermere Valley Property Owners Society submitted a formal Request for Access to Information to the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship through the provincial government's webform. The full text of the request is reproduced below.

Request for Access to Information

This is the text provided via webform to the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship:

All records in the possession or control of the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship relating to the letter dated June 23, 2025 from the ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation (previously known as the Akisqnuk First Nation) addressed to the Honourable Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, requesting the immediate suspension of all new and currently proposed development in and on the shorelines of Lake Windermere and Columbia Lake (the "ʔakisq̓nuk Letter").

This request includes, but is not limited to:

1. All correspondence, including emails, letters, and memoranda, sent or received by the Ministry in response to or regarding the ʔakisq̓nuk Letter;

2. All internal briefing notes, decision notes, and recommendations prepared for the Minister or senior officials regarding the ʔakisq̓nuk Letter or the requests contained therein;

3. All records of any formal or informal decisions made by the Ministry in response to the ʔakisq̓nuk Letter, including any decisions to implement, consider, or decline to implement a moratorium on development activities; and

4. All records documenting the reasons for any such decisions.

Background

This Freedom of Information request follows the Society's March 6, 2026 letter to Minister Randene Neill, in which the Society raised concerns about the lack of public communication from the Ministry regarding the ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation's June 23, 2025 request for an immediate moratorium on development at Lake Windermere and Columbia Lake.

The Society will share the Ministry's response and any released records with members as soon as they become available.