Friends,

Last Wednesday the Capital Regional District (CRD) board took an important step to stand up for the future liveability, sustainability and viability of our communities.

The board passed a motion requesting that CRD staff bring forward additional reports on a grouping of controversial developments in Central Saanich, and how they may or may not violate the Regional Growth Strategy (RGS).

Over the four hour meeting, 45 delegations of concerned citizens -- climate activists, environmentalists, farmers and hikers -- presented to the board and stressed the importance of protecting the future of our region, most notably our forests and our farms. The presenters, almost unanimously, called on the CRD to take immediate action to reject the proposed development on the lands adjacent to the Juan de Fuca Trail and to uphold the RGS and local Official Community Plan (OCP).

Given the number of speakers last Wednesday, the board was unable to address the proposed Marine Trail Holdings rezoning application. This is the second time they have had to postpone the reading of the motion and have moved to read the remainder of the agenda during their next scheduled meeting on July 13, 2011. If Land Use Committee A reads and passes the motion on the 13th it will be sent to a public meeting for comment in either late July or early August, before returning to Committee A in either August or September.

Making the right decision on the Juan de Fuca forestlands is imperative to protecting Vancouver Island’s wild places and standing up for our communities. We commend the board in their pursuit of clarification around the supposed RGS violations in Saanich, and ask them to give the same consideration to the proposed development in the Juan de Fuca forestlands. Numerous planners and lawyers have already identified serious inconsistencies between the RGS and the proposed Marine Trail Holdings development, which could replicate the situation now witnessed in Central Saanich.

Please write the CRD board today and thank them for taking action to seek clarity around the RGS and remind them of its significance to our island’s communities and valuable ecosystems. Please stress the importance of protecting our wild places, such as the Juan de Fuca forestlands and ask that they seek further counsel and aid from the Province to rezone the lands as a Provincial Park.

Please stay tuned for campaign updates over the coming weeks and remember to write your letter to the board today.

Cam Gray
Vancouver Island Public Outreach Coordinator