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'Visionary' Deal Preserves Jordan River Gem
Capital Regional District protects surf beach and some forest, but thousands of hectares not included.
Jordan River beach, west of Sooke.
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Part of CRD's land purchase likely to be re-sold: board chair
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How Island Elk Range Was Stripped of Protection
Province excused forest firm from preserving key habitat.
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Forest Minister's Brother High in Firm Granted Tree Farm Deal
WFP's Stan Coleman: 'no involvement' with brother Rich's move to help his company.
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Ida Chong's New Ears
Minister ducked opposition to Jordan River development, say protesters.
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Surfers versus Suburb
As Coleman's land deal is probed, a wave of anger builds.
The Capital Regional District (CRD) announced late last week that it has agreed to buy the most contentious pieces of property that Western Forest Products (WFP) has for sale west of Victoria on southern Vancouver Island.
For some, the purchase ends a bitter battle that began with a decision the provincial government made three years ago. For others, it's a welcome decision, but just a start on repairing that damage.
For $18.8 million the CRD, with the help of The Land Conservancy, will buy 2,350 hectares of WFP's lands that were previously managed under the province's tree farm license system. They include 3.5 kilometres of shoreline from Jordan River to Sandcut Beach, as well as lands adjacent to Sooke Potholes Regional Park and close to the regional water supply.
The areas, shown on a CRD map, include a surf beach, popular trails and forests. They also include areas like the Jordan River town site that the CRD will likely sell to help recoup some of the cost.
The Sooke News Mirror quoted Mike Hicks, the regional director most credited as the architect of the deal, sounding like the file is closed. "Mission accomplished," he said. "I'm looking forward to having a sauna in the surfer's sauna."
Campaigners looking for more
Conservationists who have pushed to protect the areas from development and to return them to public management gave full credit to the CRD board of directors who approved the purchase, but said they are not finished yet.
"I think the CRD showed absolutely visionary leadership and they made a great decision representing the interests of all the people on this island," said the Dogwood Initiative's Vancouver Island campaigner Gordon O'Connor.
However, the purchase covers just eight percent of the 28,000 hectares of WFP land the province allowed out of public management three years ago, he said.
WFP's private lands were managed under the TFL as part of a long-term arrangement that allowed the company access to publicly owned timber on Crown land. A 2007 decision made by Forest Minister Rich Coleman allowed the change to be made as a way to help the company financially, but failed to gain any benefit for the public in return.
The Tyee reported in 2008 that the province even failed to follow through on a promise to protect prime elk habitat on WFP's land.
"We're still looking to the province to pony up and do a little more to resolve this situation," O'Connor said.
"The CRD has really stepped into the breach here," said Vicky Husband, adding the purchase goes part way to repairing the damage the province caused.
She is a spokesperson for the Jordan River Steering Committee, an umbrella group whose members include local property owners, surfers and environmentalists. People are "ecstatic" with the decision, she said. "I see it as a bold leadership move by the CRD to look after the public interest."
Now the province has to act to protect the rest of the lands from development, she said. Had the province been looking out for the public interest three years ago, these properties could have been taken for free as part of the negotiation to remove them from the TFL, she said. "We should not be having to pay for this."
UBC, T'Souke First Nations interested in land
There are various proposals for the other properties that came out of the TFLs. The T'Souke First Nation has said some could be used to settle land claims and the University of British Columbia has been negotiating with WFP to buy land for a research forest.
Stephen Owen, who as vice president of external, legal and community relations for UBC has been leading the institution's bid, was unavailable by press time. An earlier bid by UBC to buy the lands failed because the school couldn't meet WFP's price.
Dogwood's O'Connor said he believes UBC is still interested in the land and that the CRD's purchase of the most expensive properties has made the school's involvement more possible. The institution needs a loan from the province to make it happen, he said.
"We still have a pretty serious threat to this community," O'Connor said. "We're going to push really hard in the next three weeks and try to get that loan given to UBC. It feels like it's within grasp. It feels like we can do it."
The amount of money UBC would need to borrow would require an approval from the provincial government.
The CRD is also still hopeful the provincial government will contribute to the purchase it announced. The amount is a stretch for the CRD, board chair Geoff Young said, adding that it uses all the money available for parks acquisition for the next five years.
Asked if there was any reluctance to step in and fix a mess the province has created, Young chose his words carefully. "There's always a temptation to reflect on how we got into this situation," he said. "The board recognizes that we have to work in the situation that we're in."
There was talk Friday that the province was close to announcing a donation to The Land Conservancy to help with their $5 million share of the bill, but the announcement didn't come.
"It's not a simple thing and it doesn't happen overnight," said Community and Rural Development Minister Bill Bennett on Friday. There are hundred, if not thousands, of demands on the province's limited resources, he said -- adding that he hopes there will be an announcement soon "but we're not there yet."
A cheque to help with the CRD's acquisition will be a good start, said O'Connor. But he, Husband and others will still be looking to the province to help find a solution for the remaining land. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
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15
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freebear
2 years ago
How nice
The CRD is creating parks for all the development to take place!
Sustainable what?
Van Isle
2 years ago
Don't worry, a few people
Don't worry, a few people are going to get really rich out of this deal, now and further on down the road. This is the norm when Government and corporations do business like this.
KWD
2 years ago
sustainable?
The only sustainable activity in WFP's TFL land at the moment is environmnetal destruction.
Almost all of the land in question has been logged once ... some twice. Of the three major watersheds ... Jordan River, Muir Crk and Sooke River ... only the Sooke has measurable returns of anadromous fish. Past logging and mining practices destroyed what little there was in the other two.
Construction aggregate mines ... gravel pits ... are popping up everywhere.
Creating parks does nothing to alter what has happened, and continues to happen on some parcels but, regardless of future unsustainable activity, at least some will be kept out of the hands of developers.
And with a little luck, perhaps UBC will find a way of buying parts of the remainder.
Iwannajob
2 years ago
UBC Research Forest?
Another research forest for UBC? You must be kidding! Every TFL on the coast is a "research" forest for the university. The miserable state of our forests is a direct consequence of the training foresters are getting at UBC. They are strictly industrial foresters which means their practices are for the betterment of the corporation not the forest! If the government is going to throw money into the pot it should not be filtered through the hands of UBC under the guise of research. That is the same sleight of hand the Japanese use to continue whaling, its for research purposes only! Right!
kootenay
2 years ago
"We should not be having to pay for this."
If Western Forest Products was done logging on their tree farm licence, than the licence should be returned to the government and granted to the next forest company who has a viable logging plan.
Western Forest Products should never have been allowed to sell 'their' tree farm licence. All they ever owned was the licence, not the land. A Danny Williams/Abitibi arrangement would have been the correct response to Western Forest Products.
Can't get much more brazzen than stealing land from the public with the governments blessing and assistance in plain view of everyone.
freebear
2 years ago
Look forward to the golf courses!
Sustainable madness is what it is!
RickW
2 years ago
kootenay
yes....just HOW DID a management licence turn into a bill of sale?
JSoet
2 years ago
TFL
TFL means Tree Farm License for anyone else who was confused.
sdgreen
2 years ago
More Taxation Too
The goal of the CRD is commendable, but I really have to object to the way it was done. CRD announcements included prior to this purchase included large increases to water rates because they did not budget for the conservation of water factor. Now we hear that the CRD is moving some $3million from the water budget. The CRD then said well let us double the Parks levy to allow maintenance of existing parks and other acquisitions. The CRD Directors lied to the people, they held their negotiations in secret, they did NOT seek public approval for expenditures or consult anyone else other than their elitist friends. No matter how good this purchase might be, the autocratic nature of the CRD and its ability to levy taxes or borrow money without public approval is inappropriate. Local government activities into social services, into addressing the homeless issue or providing housing is a duplication of what the Provincial Government is supposed to do. Local taxes are becoming problematic for home owners and small business. The Province has failed in its mandate.
greengreen
2 years ago
REALLY!!!!
Kootenay and Rick W....yes, how did this happen? Is it even legal? Is this a "one-off"? Are other tree licences up for sale? Why did this one company that was in financial difficulty get such a gift from the government? What abut other companies in such distress?
Did Coleman have the legal right to do this???
freebear
2 years ago
Visionary!
More of the same with some swales and retention ponds thrown in to 'green' the devlopments!
Its the only game people know-the land devlopment engine!
That is why no municipality can imagine not growing!
We could imagine and do better, but that would mean that the realtors, land developer, plumbers, politicians, citizens, elctricians, planners, engineers, etc. would have to unlearn their assumptions and learn new ones.
Too hard...
Too much work....
We know this way so its easier.....
Even though 'we' know it can't last!
We get what we deserve!
freebear
2 years ago
And our kids...
And their kids.....
And?
kootenay
2 years ago
This Link tells all
http://dogwoodinitiative.org/publications/submissions-and-recommendations/colemans-rationale-doesnt-stand-up.pdf.pdf
I think this link should answer most of your questions. The short answer is, Rich Coleman was just trying to help out a poor logging company and the sale of this land would generate more jobs...
No wonder he gets paid the big bucks!
fernwoodguy
2 years ago
Land was private, but...
To clear up confusion, the lands are owned by WFP. They are part of the enormous 1800's land grant given to another corrupt politician, Robert Dunsmuir, in exchange for building the E&N Railroad.
WFP basically lent the land to the province, to include it in a larger TFL, all managed by the province, and logged by WFP. There are/were many cases of this in the province, mostly on Vancouver Island.
Before the Liberals changed the law (backed by hefty political donations from the logging companies)removal of private land from a TFL included public consultation and negotiation of lands to be made into a park, etc. first. Basically as pay for having been given a larger TFL.
This entire situation is yet another example of poor public policy created to benefit large corporate political donors...it seems any law or policy created or changed by the Liberals benefits one or more of their big donors.
cosh_jraig
2 years ago
We'll see
WFP still gets its deal. If anything, property values will be higher in the remainder due to their proximity to new parks. It will be interesting to see if this deal does anything to secure the forestry industry on the island. Doubtful, despite Coleman's claims. I'd have a (tiny) bit more faith if WFP made similar claims, but I haven't heard of that. Anyone?