After more than four decades as a training site for local RCMP, cadets and more, Penticton's shooting range is regaining support as it tries to get out of the federal government's line of fire.
The land the firing range sits on, along with a neighbouring parcel, is held by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Summerland Research and Development Centre. In 2023, the agriculture minister confirmed the parcels would be divested, since they weren't being used to support the centre's work.
The two parcels of land, which combined cover about 10.7 hectares of the 345.8 belonging to the centre, were then sent to Treasury Board for the divestment process two years ago 鈥� a process that is quickly coming to a close, according to the Penticton Shooting Sports Association (PSSA), which runs the range.
According to the PSSA, the range will have to clear out all of its structures and gear by the end of the year if a stop isn't put to the process.
"Our structures include a large clubhouse with indoor range, concrete trap machine houses and indoor trap range clubhouse, outdoor rifle range with gallery and indoor clubhouse, outdoor pistol range with covered gallery, outdoor .22 rifle range, and a large mobile home for facility caretaker/security," the PSSA wrote on their website. "The value of these assets built by volunteers easily exceeds a million dollars and cannot be moved. This represents unaffordable loss to our Club. Locating alternate land, likely impossible."
The PSSA says that in addition to providing training and gun safety courses for aspiring hunters and sport shooters, the range is used by the local Air Force Cadets, RCMP and Sheriffs.
The loss of that training space has raised the issue up to local elected officials, with MPs Dan Albas and Helena Konanz both speaking up and calling for the range to stay open.
Albas will also be presenting a House of Commons petition calling on the government to halt the divestment process in the fall. The petition has reached 4,757 signatures so far and is open for more until September.
Following the PSSA's plea for support from the public, and Albas' endorsement of the petition in opposing the federal government's decision to divest the property, the local RCMP has also weighed in.
"The Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional RCMP Detachment utilize the space at the PSSA for training that surrounds all of our use of force continuum training," said Staff Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck, non-commissioned officer in charge of operations at the detachment, in a letter to the PSSA.
"The PSOSR Det. harbors over 100 regular members of the RCMP that MUST take this training. The PSSA is a facility that not only has the exact specifications we require to facilitate this mandated training, (but also) it is secluded from the public."
The petition to the House of Commons is available for signing at .
