Join the Forest Action Network, The Wilderness Committee, The Dogwood Initiative, Elders of the Pacheedaht First Nation, the Jordan River Steering committee and many other groups in opposing Ender Ilkay’s proposal for a 250+ vacation home and resort that will seriously impact the Juan de Fuca Trail. The Council of Canadians stands in solidarity with them and will help raise awareness on this issue.

SPRAWL AND UNPLANNED DEVELOPMENT

Ender Ilkay, a Vancouver developer, is proposing to build a nearly 300 vacation home development on land that has only recently been removed from a tree farm licence. Full details on the proposal can be found at the CRD website for this project.

The proposal to build a huge resort with hundreds of cabins, roads, and septic fields alongside the Juan de Fuca trail has a lot of people seeing red. Large parts of land already zoned for development are sitting idle in Jordan River and local communities. These areas have the infrastructure to absorb development. This resort will require completely new infrastructure, roads, fire and rescue commitments in an area already short on resources. Why new sprawl when existing areas can still be developed?

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
What should we do? Here’s some ways to push back, courtesy of Zoe Blunt of the Forest Action Network

• Come to the Rally for the Juan de Fuca Trail this WEDNESDAY, Feb 23 at Centennial Square at noon. Check it out on Facebook 600 people have already signed up! It’s the perfect opportunity to show the CRD that we care about the Juan de Fuca trail and about land use issues.
• Bring all your friends to the next public information session, 7 pm March 3 at Edward Milne school in Sooke. Help organize ride-shares.
• Join a weekend trip to the Marine Trail properties. We’ve been scouting and photographing the property boundaries and survey markers, and we’ve already forced the developer to concede parts of the trail. RSVP to Zoe@WildCoast.ca
• Arrange a meetup with your friends, neighbours, and fellow nature-lovers. I’ll bring the latest info, and we can split the cost of a hall if needed.
• Everyone can write a letter to the land-use decision-makers. The Wilderness Committee has created a great page to send your concerns to the people who need to hear it.
• Send a copy to the Victoria Times Colonist and the Vancouver Sun. Letters@tc.canwest.com and sunletters@vancouversun.com.
• Finally, sign Forest Action Network’s online petition and take their survey:  They will be making a report to the CRD on values and grievances about land use.

Thank you. Remember that in the absence of public input on development decisions, private profits will often trump long term public benefit.

Image courtesy wikimedia used under a Creative Commons Licence.