Saanich turns to Victoria, Oak Bay for help with purchasing urban green space
The Mayor of Saanich has written letters to the mayors and councils of neighbouring Victoria and Oak Bay to help fund the preservation of Kings Park.
Saanich purchased the property from BC Hydro in 2019 for $5.5 million with the goal that it be maintained as a green space in perpetuity. The green space is bordered by all three municipalities in an area not far from the Royal Jubilee Hospital.
“I wrote the letter to the Mayor of Oak Bay, the council of Oak Bay, Mayor and council of Victoria, to ask for their help to acquire this green space for the benefit of their residents and future generations,” said Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes on Monday. “It was an important piece of the process to identify where the community funding is going to go.”
Haynes says the district used $1.7 million that was raised by the sale of a Capital Regional District (CRD) property in the Wallace Drive area to purchase the BC Hydro property. Kings Park is considered by the CRD to be a sub-regional park and therefore was not considered for funding by the regional district’s parks acquisition fund.
“The collective understanding at the CRD board was that Kings (Park) helps Oak Bay, Victoria and Saanich,” said Haynes. “We paid $5.5 million and we said at council, 'can the community raise half?' and the community said it would try.”
Haynes says once the pandemic hit in March 2020, it brought community fundraising activities for the green space to a halt. Due to COVID-19, the community has only been able to raise $36,000 of the $2.75 million required for the land.
With the deadline to raise the required funds set to expire, Saanich Council voted that it be extended to April 2022. Council also voted to ask its neighbouring municipalities for a commitment to fund a portion of the purchase of the park space.
“We said, let's get confirmation from Victoria and Oak Bay on precisely what they can contribute,” said Haynes. “We’re asking for $60-to $90,000 from Oak Bay and $250-to $400,000 from Victoria.”
Haynes says with the park funded by the three municipalities jointly, there is an opportunity to create a greenway that begins at the mouth of Bowker Creek in Oak Bay through Victoria and Saanich that connects with the Galloping Goose regional trail.
“Once it's confirmed how much Victoria and Oak Bay can contribute, (Saanich) council will then reconsider the opportunity to take that money together with the money raised (through the Wallace Drive property sale) and see how much is left (to raise),” said Haynes. “We may find there is only $500,000 to raise over the next year.”
Haynes says that while Saanich has not yet received a commitment from either Oak Bay or Victoria for funding, there was a commitment that Saanich could request funding from the municipalities for the Kings Park green space.
“It's a critical letter to ask Oak Bay and Victoria if they are going to help preserve this green space in the interest of their residents as well as ours,” said Haynes. “We need to raise $2.75 million, which is half of the $5.5 million purchase price.”
In his letters to the neighbouring municipalities, Haynes has asked for the opportunity to meet with Oak Bay and Victoria councils to answer questions about the funding request. He says he hopes to have the meetings before the end of July.
“This is consistent with the decade of environmental restoration, consistent with climate change and consistent with looking two generations down the road, to say 'What’s the best use of that land?'” said Haynes. “I hope Victoria and Oak Bay support the purchase of this green space for their residents.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.