At least two Conservative MPs say they're prepared to bring the fight to Ottawa this fall to help save the Penticton Shooting Sports Association (PSSA), which has been given until the end of the year by the federal government to shut down due to land lease changes.
Similkameen鈥擲outh Okanagan鈥擶est Kootenay MP Helena Konanz and Dane Lloyd, MP for the Parkland riding in Alberta, hosted a town hall attended by around 50 people to discuss the future of the club on Aug. 13.
"I think we're gonna win this fight in the House of Commons," Lloyd said.
The 42-year-old PSSA, a non-profit organization, sits on land owned by the Summerland Research and Development Centre. Earlier this summer, when confirming its intent not to renew its lease with the firing range, the federal government declared the land "surplus."
More than 9,000 people have since signed a petition urging Ottawa to reconsider its decision.
Residents of the area and PSSA members alike gathered for the tense town hall event to vehemently reject the federal government's plan for "divesting of land" in the area. The looming closure of the club, which also serves as a training site for the police officers across the region, has also sparked concern from the RCMP, local cadets organizations, and Okanagan Lake West鈥擲outh Kelowna MP Dan Albas.
Several people at Wednesday's event spoke out against losing firearms safety training for youth, hunting education, and a sense of community. Others pointed to a potentially vacant land with no PSSA being a wildfire hazard.
Konanz, who recently penned an open letter to Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald urging the federal government to reconsider its plan, called PSSA a safe space for family-oriented competitive shooting sports.
"In my 10 years on city council and regional district, I never heard a complaint (about the range)," Konanz said. "I know that this is the ultimate good neighbour business here."
The office for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada did not immediately respond to Black Press Media when asked if it is weighing renewing its lease with PSSA at the site in response to local pushback.
PSSA president Christian Scott, meanwhile, said the association remains in limbo. The club has even stopped accepting members as it fights for its future, he added.
"We don't know where we stand for certain, but we do have a lot of support," Scott said, noting that it would be unlikely for the club to have a new home in the region, even if the federal government gave it a "sufficient" amount of time.
Konanz and Lloyd both expressed confidence in bringing a successful fight to Ottawa, as the start of Parliament's fall sitting on Sept. 15 inches closer.
The latter, who serves as Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness and Community Resilience, said he's had a productive working relationship with MacDonald, a federal Liberal, in the past, despite sitting on opposite ends of the political aisle.
"Our job is to make this into an issue (in Ottawa), and we have some other great caucus members that want to jump on this, " Lloyd said. "At the end of the day, I think the Liberals are going to decide it's not worth the fight, because there doesn't seem to be any compelling arguments to shut down this range.
"I'm hoping for a really good outcome as early as we can this fall."
PSSA, although open to buying the land outright, has remained steadfast in wanting the federal government to renew the lease.
"I don't particularly see the need for us to own it, if we have a proper lease," Scott said. "Our first choice would be for us to continue a proper, 99-year federal lease."
PSSA is located at 1797 on Highway 97, between Penticton and Summerland.
The petition to the House of Commons in support of the range, launched by Chris Pequin of West Kelowna, can be found .
