Southlands the Facts Wins Award for Best Community Activists’ Group

Photograph by : Les Bazso, PNG

On Thursday, the South Delta Leader Newspaper revealed the Award Winners in their Annual “Best of South Delta” Competition. Local residents voted in a variety of categories and Southlands the Facts won for best community activists’ group while co-founder Dana Maslovat was runner-up for best community leader. In addition, the Southlands was voted best green space in South Delta.

“We are honoured to have received such strong support from the community,” stated Dana Maslovat, one of the organizers of Southlands the Facts, “it speaks to the passion that the residents of South Delta have to ensure the community’s valuable green space is maintained.”

Southlands The Facts is a community based grass-roots organization, which was formed earlier this year in order to provide all citizens with the facts regarding Southlands development. It is made up of a number of volunteers from Tsawwassen who strongly believe in ensuring a fair democratic process is used to guide the future of the community.

Tsawwassen has currently been undergoing a review of their Area Plan, which involves the future of the highly controversial piece of land known as the Southlands. A recent Ipsos Reid poll of the community showed clear majority support (62%) for no development on the Southlands and the maintenance of the agricultural designation.

This piece of farmland was the cause of the longest public hearing in Commonwealth history and a resident run plebiscite in 1989, which prevented a 2000 unit development that was proposed for the same property.