DEBATES OF LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (Hansard), Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - Two Minute Statement

I rise today to pay tribute to the people of the capital regional district who for the past three years have been working to raise awareness about the importance of former forest lands west of Sooke in my constituency of Juan de Fuca.

For over a thousand days individuals like free radicals Vicky Husband and Terry Alcock and organizations like the Jordan River Steering Committee, the Dogwood Initiative, the Sea to Sea Greenbelt and the Surfrider Foundation have worked tirelessly to protect the most important lands in the region from development.

Visionary leaders like Chief Gordon Planes of the T'Sou-ke Nation have advocated to have some of these lands put aside for treaty settlements with the three local First Nations.

Week after week, month after month, year after year, diverse groups of individuals and organizations worked relentlessly to pursue a common purpose, protecting some very special places. Last week, as these lands were about to go on the open market, the capital regional district made a bold and decisive move and offered to purchase 2,300 hectares of land from Western Forest Products.

The property includes the Jordan River surf beach and four kilometres of waterfront from the mouth of the river to Sandcut Creek as well as parcels around the world-famous Sooke Potholes. I want to thank the CRD for making these lands available to the public to enjoy for generations.

While many have worked behind the scenes on this file, I would like to acknowledge three people without whose support this would not have been possible: Oak Bay Mayor Chris Causton, the chair of the CRD parks committee; Victoria councillor Geoff Young, the CRD chair; and lastly and absolutely most importantly, my friend Mike Hicks, the electoral representative for the Juan de Fuca area.

I said to Mike this morning that he's taken on rock star proportions in our region, and that's well deserved. His commitment and candour and his dedication to the people that we both have the honour to represent is heartening to watch.

While I'm delighted by this positive turn of events, there's much more work to do, starting with First Nations land settlements. As for the money, the Land Conservancy is assisting the CRD in deferring costs. I encourage the public and all members of this House to find some money to donate to the TLC. Once we secure this land, there's going to be one heck of a beach party. If the Minister of Finance ponies up, he's welcome to come.