This page contains annotated news stories and press releases with commentary about land reform and the democratic process in British Columbia. Our comments are shown in red.
All of the heartache, frustrations and outrage regarding the future of these lands, has grown out of the root of one decision. It all comes back to Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests and Range, and his decision to grant Western Forest Products there Tree Farm Licence deletions.
His decision has led to splits in the communities and threats of zero parks by WFP's Duncan Kerr.
The provinicial Liberals contiue to smear the will of the communities, with there decisions and delays.
We must contiue to write letters of our distain, for this decision and what has come out of it.
Make sure to write a and letter to Bob Wylie the Provincial approving officer, who works in the Ministry of Trasportation, and has the authority to sign off, or squash Western Forest Products subdivision applications.
His e-mail address is Bob.Wylie@gov.bc.ca.
Or send him a letter directly at:
3rd Floor,
V9T 6E9
Phone #: 250-751-3268.
CC Rich Coleman, Gordan Campbell, Ida Chong, and Kevin Falcon.
Go to BC4sale.org and sign our petiton demanding Rich Coleman's resignation!
Forest land deals betray our region.
Apr 18, 2008Editorial: Forest land deals betray our region. Add your comments
Times Colonist
Published: Friday, April 18, 2008
The provincial government and Community Services Minister Ida Chong have looked after the interests of Western Forest Products and large landowners along the Island's southwest coast over the last 14 months.
But they have ignored the concerns and interests of Capital Regional District residents. Government has enriched the forest company's shareholders while obtaining no public benefit. It has sabotaged community-based regional planning, damaging the interests of south Islanders.
Forest Minister Rich Coleman set things in motion early last year. He agreed to remove 28,000 hectares of land owned by Western Forest Products from the company's tree farm licences, an area about four times the size of Saanich.
It was a great gift to the company. Under the tree farm licences, Western Forest Products had to manage the property as if it was Crown land. That meant higher forest sustainability and environmental standards and permanent limits on raw-log exports. The licences also required the land to be maintained as forest, protecting the future of the industry and blocking development.
The company, or its predecessors, had been compensated handsomely for including the land in the tree farm licences. But Coleman negotiated nothing in return for releasing the land -- no compensation for taxpayers, no parks or community consultation.
His only explanation has been that WFP asked for financial help and he delivered. He has yet to release any economic or community impact studies.
First Nations say they weren't consulted about the change in land use. Communities certainly weren't.
Overnight, they learned that vast tracts of land that had been protected as forest were now open for residential development. The property included land adjacent to Sooke Potholes Provincial Park that had been considered part of the greenbelt and five kilometres of oceanfront.
Western Forest Products moved quickly to start selling property. The Capital Regional District, fearing uncontrolled, unplanned development and sprawl, moved to change its land-use bylaws to address the new reality. Its aim was to ensure time to rework its planning in light of the dramatic land-use changes made by the province. (The government had cited that option in defending its gift to the company.)
The CRD passed its new zoning bylaws in February and sent them to Chong for approval. But her ministry -- without any clear explanation -- took more than six weeks before approving them this week.
That gave Western Forest Products time to apply to the province under the old rules for 319 subdivisions, including permission to develop Jordan River waterfront that has been used by surfers, tourists and families.
Instead of being bound by the CRD bylaw requiring one home per 120-hectare property, the company can sell the land to be developed as two- to five-hectare lots. Hundreds of homes -- entire communities -- could be dropped into rural areas with no proper planning.
Chong told the legislature she delayed approving the CRD bylaw because she needed time to consult with stakeholders, including landowners who might be affected.
But there was no consultation with communities and local governments before the land was removed from the tree-farm licence. Where were Chong and Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell when the interests of regional residents were being abandoned?
The auditor general is investigating the release of the land from the tree farm licences. The government's handling of the CRD's zoning changes should be part of his review.