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This article appeared in
the Victoria News in October 2002
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| photo contributed |
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The Land Conservancy
of B.C. wants the Sooke Hills region to be given
protected land status, so mining activity will
be prohibited on the future park
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By Mark Browne
The province has rejected a request from The Land Conservancy
of B.C. (TLC) to give protected status for land in the Sooke
Hills slated to become a regional park.
The TLC has received a letter from the Ministry of Energy and
Mines stating that a request for a number of properties in the
Sooke Hills be given reserve status — which would prevent
the land from being mined — has been turned down.
“The final outcome, however, is that the minister has decided
not to approve your request. Due to this fact, we will not be
pursuing this issue,” stated Claudia Fleming, reserves
coordinator for the Ministry of Energy and Mines, in the letter.
That response doesn’t sit well with TLC.
“What we were asking for was that a reserve be placed on
all of those properties,” says Ian Fawcett, deputy executive
director for TLC.
He says if the province was to establish reserve status on the
land, no mining activity would be permitted on the properties,
which will eventually become a Capital Regional District (CRD)
park.
The CRD controls the Sooke Hills properties through a binding
purchase agreement. The land was purchased at a cost of roughly
$6 million, with the CRD contributing $3 million, Ottawa kicking
in $2 million and the provincial government $200,000. TLC raised
the balance through donations.
“The property in question is our property and has been
purchased for park purposes,” argues Fawcett.
He notes that it could take several years before the properties
actually become designated park land. Fawcett says it is important
that the land gain reserve status to prevent environmentally
detrimental activity from occurring in the interim.
He says TLC has not been given a reason why the request was
turned down. Fawcett notes TLC has written to Energy and Mines
Minister Richard Neufeld and is waiting for an explanation.
“We’ve written back to the minister saying that we
were surprised and upset that that decision had been made.”
Victoria Coun. Denise Savoie, who sits on the CRD environment
committee, says the province’s decision not to grant reserve
status for the land is particularly frustrating, considering
that a referendum question the CRD posed to Greater Victoria
residents previously revealed strong support for a parks levy
to help purchase and protect local environmentally sensitive
properties locally.
The levy has since made it possible for the CRD to buy land
such as the Sooke Hills properties to convert into park land.
“It’s like building a puzzle,” says Savoie. “We
bought, collectively, one parcel after another to make up the
Sooke Hills Park.”
She says the “old and outdated” Mining Act makes it
easy for individuals and companies to obtain permits to mine
on land just about anywhere.
Savoie says she’s not happy that the issue of the letter
from the province to TLC wasn’t raised at the last CRD
board meeting. She’s confident that most CRD directors
would support a motion asking the province address the matter
in the legislature.
Attempts were made to get an explanation why the Ministry of
Energy and Mines rejected the TLC request, but calls to the
ministry were not returned by the Weekend Edition’s deadline.
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© Copyright 2002 Victoria
News
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