Protect Juan de Fuca Park

Thanks to the commitment of thousands of citizens of the Capital Region, the Juan de Fuca Park is safe from a sprawling resort being built on its fringe - for now. But what about next time? Take action.

: Photo: Colin Campbell

Thanks to the commitment of thousands of citizens of the Capital Region, the Juan de Fuca Park is safe from a sprawling resort being built on its fringe - for now. But what about next time?

In September, the Capital Regional District voted to turn down a proposal for a massive resort development stretching along 16 kilometres of the renowned Juan de Fuca wilderness trail. A year-long process involving thousands of pages of submissions and countless hours of citizen time culminated with a three-day public hearing. This protracted battle should not have to be repeated every time there is a development proposal on the table.

This beloved regional trail, which every year attracts thousands of visitors from Canada and all over the world, deserves to be permanently protected from encroachment by expanding the narrow buffer zone. Write a letter to Premier Christy Clark and ask her to take immediate steps – on the 100^th anniversary of the B.C. parks system – to expand Juan de Fuca park including the former Tree Farm Licence 25 lands, from the ocean to Highway 14.

Your letter will be sent to the following people:

Minister Steve Thomson
Premier Christy Clark
Minister Terry Lake
Minister Ida Chong

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Please act immediately to protect our world-famous Juan de Fuca provincial park in perpetuity. Just recently, the Capital Regional District rejected a development proposal right next to the marine trail - after thousands of pages of submissions from citizens and a marathon public hearing.

This could easily happen again. The park is used by more than 30,000 people annually from across B.C. and Canada. It is internationally renowned, and many people come from all over the world specifically to hike the Juan de Fuca trail, thereby contributing to tourism and associated industries in the nearby communities of Sooke and Port Renfrew.

When the park was created, the lands around it were recognised as a buffer zone for the park. Those lands were removed from a Tree Farm License in 2007, a decision that B.C.’s Auditor General later criticized as having failed to protect the public interest, since no compensation for the public was sought.

Please take immediate steps to protect and expand Juan de Fuca provincial park by including the former Tree Farm Licence 25 lands, from the ocean to Highway 14. Expanding a globally-significant park that includes the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail would be especially timely this year, on the 100th anniversary of the B.C. parks system.

The protracted and exhausting process that resulted in the ultimate rejection of the development proposal - which I applaud - has also shown that the voting structure of the Capital Regional District is no longer adequate. It needs to be updated to give our elected representatives from all municipalities and electoral areas - the whole CRD Board - a voice in matters that affect the whole region.

Sincerely,

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