Garnet Valley Agri-Tourism Association

06/10/2026

GVATA Member Highlight:

Join Us for a fun night of dinner music laughter and all proceeds goes to Stars Piggly Wigglys Sanctuary
Here is the link
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/a-night-for-snouts-and-second-chances

06/03/2026

We’re loving the new Summerland's Bottleneck Drive signage on Garnet Valley Rd!

Solvero Wines
Garnet Valley Ranch Winery
Destination Summerland

05/07/2026

📢 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The District has been informed by the Province of BC that Garnet Valley Gravel Pit located at 27600 Garnet Valley Road is under reconsideration. The previous authorization for the mine was quashed by the BC Supreme Court.

Ministry staff have informed the District that no broad public notice is being undertaken (i.e. newspaper, website, etc) but that any comments submitted will be considered. For this reason, we are making the community aware of this process and encourage any interested party to share comments with:

Ms. Nicole Jones, P.Eng
Senior Inspector of Mines - Permitting
South West Region
Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals
Kamloops, BC
Email: [email protected]

Ms. Jones has also indicated that the information provided to the District can be provided to any party that requests it by reaching out to her directly.

Interested parties may also wish to copy the Honourable Jagrup Brar, Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals ([email protected]) and the local MLA ([email protected]) for their awareness as well.

📷 Aaron Hemens/Penticton Herald

05/07/2026

*Garnet Valley Gravel Pit Reconsideration*

On Friday, May 1, the Ministry contacted three parties: myself(Doug Raftery), Steve Lornie (GVATA), and the District of Summerland. To the best of our knowledge, we were the only groups notified. The Ministry confirmed that the Garnet Valley gravel pit is now under formal reconsideration, as required by the recent Supreme Court decision.

This was not totally unexpected. Since then, myself and the GVATA have met with the District and legal counsel to determine how we will respond. The Ministry has provided materials and asked us to submit comments as part of this process.

To be clear: *this is a reconsideration of the original application.*
It is *not* an appeal.
It is *not* a new application.
All information from the 2023 application remains part of the review.
This is the Ministry carrying out the Court’s order.

We are in ongoing communication with the Ministry and the permitting officer and are working through the material they’ve provided.

*What a reconsideration means:*
The Ministry must *re‑make the original decision* using the same application and the *same project footprint.* The Court found the original decision lacked adequate support, so the Ministry must now address those gaps and issue a new decision that clearly explains its reasoning. Any new information can only be used to *clarify* the original record — it cannot change or redesign the project.

In short: the Ministry must attempt to redo the decision properly, transparently, and based on the actual record, *or conclude that the project cannot be approved on that record.* It’s a big mountain for them to climb.

*We want you to know we’re on top of this file and will keep the community informed as information becomes available.*

~Doug Raftery & the GVATA

05/04/2026

❓Garnet Valley Pit Mine Refuses to Die❓

The original permit has been quashed by the Supreme Court of BC. The time frame to appeal has passed. Yet on May 1st we received an email from the Senior Inspector of Mines, Nicole Jones (Yes, the same permitting officer that approved the quashed permit), informing us that the Notice of Work is under reconsideration.

Members of GVATA have contacted Nicole Jones, and we are woking together with District of Summerland to oppose any chance of re-issuing the permit for Garnet Valley Pit Mine. We will keep you informed as we gain more information.

⭐️For full transparence, here is the email from Nicole Jones, her contact info, and the links to view the additional information that was submitted by the applicant⭐️

"Good morning,
Following the decision of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Garnet Valley Agri‑Tourism v. British Columbia (Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals), 2026 BCSC 302 (Koturbash J., February 26, 2026), the Notice of Work for the Garnet Valley Pit, located at 27600 Garnet Valley Road, is under reconsideration in accordance with the Court’s decision.
Additional information has been submitted by the applicant in response to permit conditions identified during the previous review process. We respectfully request that you review the attached materials and provide any comments related to the submitted documentation.
Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me. Responses are requested within 30 days of the date of this correspondence
Regards,
Nicole Jones, P.Eng
Senior Inspector of Mines - Permitting"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VpsWEAfehwhN_7B5N3kWUKn3_kMMESJ0/view?usp=share_link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14ghSO49zufHJ7QOu9gD771jH1ZmWt7YY/view?usp=share_link

05/02/2026

04/25/2026

🎉Tomorrow is the big day!! Come and celebrate with us!!🎉

Dear Friend of Garnet Valley,
The GVATA is celebrating our legal victory. With the generous help of our Summerland community, and others in the Okanagan, we succeeded in getting the Garnet Valley Gravel Pit permit rescinded.
On Sunday April 26th, 1:00 to 5:00, at Garnet Valley Ranch, we are marking this victory with a celebratory get-together for all friends and supporters.
Even with the generosity of all our supporters, we are still a few dollars short of our final legal bills, so the net proceeds from this event should put us over the top.
A hot dog and a glass of Summerland's best (courtesy of Solvero Wines or Haywire Winery) is on the menu, plus a chance to experience the great outdoors as Spring sunshine brings Garnet Valley alive.
Sit around the campfire, or go for a stroll. Everyone welcome.
Here's the link to get your tickets:

We did it! The Garnet Valley Agri-Tourism Association successfully fought the BC Mines Ministry and put a halt to industrial gravel extraction in Garnet Valley. The incredible energy and teamwork of our small but mighty community made this victory possible. Join us in celebrating this important lega...

04/21/2026

⭐️Less than a week til the event! Get your tickets now!!⭐️

Dear Friend of Garnet Valley,
The GVATA is celebrating our legal victory. With the generous help of our Summerland community, and others in the Okanagan, we succeeded in getting the Garnet Valley Gravel Pit permit rescinded.
On Sunday April 26th, 1:00 to 5:00, at Garnet Valley Ranch, we are marking this victory with a celebratory get-together for all friends and supporters.
Even with the generosity of all our supporters, we are still a few dollars short of our final legal bills, so the net proceeds from this event should put us over the top.
A hot dog and a glass of Summerland's best (courtesy of Solvero Wines or Haywire Winery) is on the menu, plus a chance to experience the great outdoors as Spring sunshine brings Garnet Valley alive.
Sit around the campfire, or go for a stroll. Everyone welcome.
Here's the link to get your tickets: https://www.exploretock.com/okanagan-crush-pad-summerland/event/603952/

Hope to see you there!

04/14/2026

We did it, together.

Thanks to the passion and dedication of our community, the Garnet Valley Agri-Tourism Association has successfully put a stop to industrial gravel extraction in Garnet Valley.

Join us for a celebration and fundraiser at Garnet Valley Ranch on Sunday, April 26 from 1–5 PM. An afternoon with neighbours, friends, and something worth raising a glass to.

Tickets include a BBQ hotdog and a glass of local wine, with proceeds supporting GVATA’s remaining legal fees.

Reserve your spot here: https://www.exploretock.com/okanagan-crush-pad-summerland/event/603952/

04/11/2026

Member Highlight:

Join us for “A Night for Snouts & Second Chances” 🐷—an evening supporting rescued pigs at Stars Piggly Wigglys Sanctuary. Your registration helps provide safe shelter, nutritious food, and vital medical care for pigs who had nowhere else to go.During this event, you’ll hear real rescu...