WATERSHED UPDATE – November 21st, 2007
Recently there have been a couple of positive developments regarding the “land give away” that the Minister of Forests announced earlier in the year, whereby WFP was allowed to take back their portion of privately held land contained within a Government tree farm license operated by WFP.
The Auditor General for the Province has decided to review the Government’s decision and hopefully the real truth will come out about the circumstances surrounding this land transaction.
Please find below more detailed information regarding the nature of the review and the public outcry demanding that a review be initiated, etc.
Sea-To-Sea Greenbelt Society
1252 Montrose Avenue, Victoria, BC V8T 2K4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Auditor General to Investigate Land Giveaway
Victoria, BC –
BC’s Auditor General responded Monday to Sea-to-Sea Greenbelt Society’s request for an audit by announcing he will review the provincial government’s decision to remove over 28,000 hectares of private lands from three Vancouver Island Tree Farm Licenses held by Western Forest Products. The lands include large portions of the wild coast currently accessible to residents of southern Vancouver Island.
“The lands released in the Capital Regional District (CRD) alone represent an area five times larger than the City of Victoria,” says Ray Zimmerman of the Sea-to-Sea Greenbelt Society. “To change their status overnight from tree farm license to residential real estate could ignite an explosion of urban sprawl.”
Zimmerman is particularly concerned about the first potential real estate deal resulting from the January 2007 deletions. The pending sale represents an area of land larger than the City of Victoria but is spread out over a distance of 50 kilometers along southern Vancouver Island. Zimmerman says this move threatens the goals of the Regional Growth Strategy Plan to use best practices in planning and land development.
“The patterns of use that we lay down on the earth are difficult to reverse, especially the pattern of urbanization,” says Zimmerman. “Given the importance of forests for climate stabilization and the need to limit urban sprawl as recognized in the Regional Growth Strategy, the minister’s decision puts our descendents at a disadvantage. To give our descendents the consideration they deserve, these forest lands must remain as forest.”
Minister Rich Coleman’s decision to delete the lands without compensation or consultation shocked many and led to a variety of groups, including First Nations, local residents, forest sector unions, environmentalists, surfers and even the Capital Regional District, to support Sea-to-Sea’s audit request, which was submitted to the Auditor General by the Environmental Law Centre in October.
“We believe this audit will determine whether government failed in its duty to protect the public interest,” says Zimmerman. “We hope this audit will help us protect both the environment and the quality of life for all who live on southern Vancouver Island.”
Contact and Information:
Ray Zimmerman (250) 386-6505
OR:
Environmental Law Centre Clinic
Chris Tollefson, Executive Director (250) 721-8170
Calvin Sandborn, Legal Director (250) 472-5248
Melinda Skeels, Articled Student (250) 853-3194
The following is a copy of the NDP press release with comments from MLA John Horgan, Malahat – Juan de Fuca, regarding the public outcry over the land transaction.
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MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
November 19, 2007
AG’s decision a victory for the public, Horgan says
VICTORIA – The decision by the province’s Auditor General to investigate the release of Tree Farm License lands around Shirley and Jordan River is a victory for everyone who has been fighting to protect the public interest, New Democrat MLA John Horgan said today.
Horgan, the NDP MLA for Malahat – Juan de Fuca, said thousands of British Columbians have been attending meetings and rallies, writing letters and signing petitions to try to convince the Campbell government to reverse their decision to release lands from Tree Farm Licenses on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Today, Auditor General John Doyle announced he will look into the release of 28,000 hectares from TFLs controlled by Western Forest Products.
“This is a huge victory for people who use the land for work and recreation, and for everyone who fought so hard to raise awareness of this issue,” said Horgan. “The Forest Minister has repeatedly refused to re-examine his decision to release these lands, so the Auditor General’s announcement means we’ll be able to see who really benefited when the government ignored the public interest and released those lands.
“No reasonable explanation of how the public interest was served has been forthcoming from the Minister. So far it looks like the only beneficiary has been Western Forest Products, who just happen to be a big donor to the B.C. Liberal Party.”
Opposition Leader Carole James – along with the UVic Environmental Law Centre and numerous other groups and individuals – has called on the Auditor General to examine the release of lands from TFLs on Vancouver Island.
“My office has been inundated with calls and emails asking ‘what can I do to stop this deal?’” said Horgan. “By helping keep this issue in the forefront, by speaking out at meetings and in the press, every one of those individuals has helped bring about this investigation.”
Contact: Tim Renneberg
250 356 0592 (office)
250 361 6314 (mobile)
Also I caught the tail end of question period the other day where NDP opposition was questioning the Minister of Forests regarding the land transfer and I had the impression that the Capital Regional District was in the process of 1st or 2nd reading of a zoning bylaw for the private lands that were removed from the TFL license held by WFP.
The idea behind the zoning was to change the tax classification on the private land such that any development would at least generate significant tax dollars for the regional district.
Also perhaps another effect of the re-zoning would be to discourage “rampant” development and sale of waterfront lots by WFP.
Lets hope the review by the Auditor General comes out in favor of the BC Taxpayer this time around
Regards
John Bebbington