Citizens Organize Public Forum to Oppose Loss of Farmland

Monday March 22, 2010 - A group of Tsawwassen citizens concerned about the potential loss of agricultural land have organized a public forum on Monday, March 22 at the South Delta Secondary School Auditorium to allow local residents the opportunity to voice opinions, concerns and ideas.

Tsawwassen is currently in the process of preparing a new area plan which, among other issues, includes the future of an area of land commonly known as the “Southlands”. This 538 acre property is currently designated agricultural but is owned by Century Holdings Ltd., who hope to change the designation to allow for a 1900-unit residential development to be placed on the land.

A survey collected at an earlier public forum showed that 65% of attendees would not support residential development on the Southlands, even if a portion remained agricultural. However the draft policy “Ideas” document from these forums still suggests alternate uses for farmland as a possible policy direction. “In a democratic process, the Ideas document should be a reflection of the majority public opinion, which is clearly against development of farmland,” said Dana Maslovat, one of the organizers of next week's forum.

Maslovat also said one of the purposes of the meeting is to try and get the next round of Tsawwassen Area Plan public information meetings to be an open mic format to allow the public the chance to speak and listen to other members of the community. Information will also be presented on the impact a change of designation may have in areas such as flooding, sustainability, wildlife conservation, and traffic. There will also be open-mic time to allow others with concerns about the possibility of a change in designation to be heard.