Stop Suburban Sprawl West of Victoria!

Stop Suburban Sprawl West of Victoria!

Monday, January 28th make your voice heard at the Public Hearing!

In early 2007, BC's Minister of Forests, Rich Coleman approved more than
28,000 hectares of Western Forest Product's (WFP) forest lands on Vancouver
Island to be removed from Tree Farm Licenses (TFL) 25, 6, and 19 which
previously regulated these private lands. By removing the lands from their
TFL's, it eliminated forest practices regulations, cut control regulations,
ungulate wintering ranges, restrictions on raw log exports, and
prohibitions against selling off the land for housing developments.

Western Forest Products is now looking to sell off 2500 hectares of these
forest lands west of Victoria to a Vancouver developer, including lands by
the Sooke Potholes (highly ecologically significant dry maritime forests)
and Jordan River (heavily by surfers).

On Monday January 28th, the Capital Regional District (CRD) will hold a
public hearing on two environmentally-progressive bylaws for parts of the
Juan de Fuca Electoral Area that would halt suburban sprawl on these
lands: Bylaws 3495 and 3500

The two bylaws go hand-in-hand. Bylaw 3495 would increase the minimum
parcel size for subdivision purposes in the Forestry Zone to 120 hectares
(296.5 acres); Bylaw 3500 would add a land use component to regulate the
density of housing to one one-family dwelling unit per parcel for these lands.

So far these two bylaws have passed through 2 readings, and they need to
pass through a third reading to come into effect.

More information will be available at the public hearing. You can also view
details on the CRD website here:

http://www.crd.bc.ca/jdf/documents/3495and3500_3rdversion_revisedforwebsite.pdf

It is key to fill the hall with concerned citizens at this hearing if we
are to stop suburban sprawl west of Victoria. Please come out to make your
voice heard! Also, be sure to bring a brief written and/or oral submission!

Date: Monday, January 28, 2008 Time: 7:00pm Location: Otter Point Fire Hall
3727 Otter Point Road, Sooke

If you can't make it to the meeting, please make sure you email or write in
by Monday, January 28, to let the CRD know if you support Bylaws 3495 and 3500:

c/o Marian Brown, Sr. Admin Secretary

-by email from the CRD website: (follow this link)

http://www.crd.bc.ca/contact_/email.aspx?id=570

All submissions must be received prior to 4:30 p.m. on the date of the
Public Hearing (Jan.28) or be submitted at the Public Hearing itself.

------------------- Join 70 000 Canadians and become a member or donate to
the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Canada's largest grassroots,
membership-based wilderness protection organization. Donate online on the
left side of our website www.wcwcvictoria.org

Western Canada Wilderness Committee Victoria Office and Rainforest Store
651 Johnson St., Victoria, BC V8W 1M7 250-388-9292 (phone)
wc2vic@island.net (email) www.wcwcvictoria.org (Victoria)

www.wildernesscommittee.org (Vancouver)