Make Sandown a Community Farm!

The owners of the Sandown racetrack are proposing to make an outright gift of 83 acres to the municipality of North Saanich for agricultural purposes, in exchange for rezoning 12 acres for various commercial uses. This visionary and creative proposal is a $6 million gift to the people of our region, one that will protect farmland in perpetuity for benefit to the residents and also increase revenue to North Saanich through the creation of a business zone. Learn more about the proposal.

The deal, which has been approved by the Agricultural Land Commission, would involve the addition of another 12 acres of district-owned land to the new farm, which would be protected in perpetuity by a covenant. The Victoria airport has offered to donate topsoil to improve the fertility of the land, which would then be leased to existing farmers or offered as allotments to new farmers, community gardens and farmers markets.

Unfortunately, a strong naysaying faction in the North Saanich Council is threatening to scupper the deal - in which case the land would be simply sold for estate lots.

Your voice is crucial! Please come to a Public Information Meeting on the Sandown proposal and make a strong statement of support for food security in our region.

When: Wednesday, January 11, at 7pm
Where: Presbyterian Church at 9296 East Saanich Rd (click here for map) Free parking in the church lot.

Panelists include Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands; Robert Maxwell, a well-known Saanich peninsula farmer; and a third speaker TBA. The discussion will be moderated by Vicky Husband, long-time B.C. environmentalist and champion of many of the province's most iconic places. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of Sandown Community Farm.

Time is of the essence. The North Saanich Council may vote on this issue as early as January 16. Your voice is crucial to build a landswell of support for this important acquisition for farming and food security