Garden City Lands Conservation Society
Garden City and CONCEPT 2014
Staff are working on the plans for the Garden City lands and I have been advocating to include stakeholders like the Garden City lands Conservation society in the discussions.
The future of the GCL depends on you, so please write to the City of Richmond and tell them what you want to see on these legacy lands.
Carol Day
City of Richmond City Councilor
How Carol Day is involved with the Garden City Lands Conservation society.
The Garden City Lands are now 136 acres of green space in the centre of Richmond. With the former garden city Lands Coalition, I worked hard to save that agricultural land from dense development. I remain on gaurd against threat s to it ALR status while working to ensure that “Richmond’s Stanely Park ” as I have called it for years is is protected for the best agricultural, ecological, and open-land park uses and for community wellness. My contribution has included donating signs, banners, and a full media display to inform the public so they can understand the choices. I’ve helped organize fundraisers done several media interviews and debates, and participated in open houses, community events and outreach efforts. As an active member and former director of what has become the Garden Cuty Conservation Society, I have helped ensure that the citizens’ voices are heard, especially by the agricultural land commission, which rejected applications to remove the lands from the ALR for high density development. Richmond was one of only three cities in the world to receive the Interbational Eco-Safety demonstrationive City Award as the World Eco Safety Assembly in phnon Penh, Cambodia and citizen participation exemplified by the Garden City lands Coalition was cited as a pronciple reason why Richmond is a model for the world. I hope to bring my community service experie4nce with the Garden City Conservation Society to my future roles in the City of Richmond www.gardencitylands.ca
About the Garden City Lands Coalition
Coalition goal: To keep the Garden City lands green in the Agricultural Land Reserve and to steward their natural treasure for agricultural, ecological and open-land park uses for community wellness. The coalition is a community of people who cooperate toward that goal as a public service for the citizens of Richmond, as well as the region, the province, and the world.
The coalition is led by the board of directors of the Garden City Lands Coalition Society. The annual gathering of the society was on Wednesday, June 29, 2011, and it went very well.
Our Garden City Lands – brief background
- BC’s Agricultural Land Commission was asked to exclude the Garden City Lands, 140 acres of prime farmland in Richmond City Centre from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) so that over half the property could become high density development.
- Good alternatives had been proposed to keep the Lands as green open space in the ALR. The massive public input, evident in the ALC’s Garden City Lands section, overwhelmingly opposed the application.
- The federal Minister of Agriculture indicated in a letter to the Garden City Lands Coalition that his department will consider using the lands for a program need if they become available.
- A key agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2008, after Richmond council refused (by a 6-3 vote) to take drastic means to extend it.
- On Feb. 12, 2009, the Garden City Lands panel of B.C.’s Agricultural Land Commission (ALC)REJECTED the application to remove the Lands from the ALR. Here’s what we told the commission in a thorough analysis, and here’s the commission’s decision.
- Under the basic Garden City Lands memorandum of agreement (MOU), which has no expiry date, the City of Richmond renegotiated with Canada Lands Company and the Musqueam Indian Band to determine the future of the Lands. There could also have been occasion for the federal government to become involved.
- Along with unified strategic action by Richmond council, community action on this issue remains very important. Visit the Action page.
- Many defenders of the Garden City Lands wrote to Canada Lands Company, and the Garden City Lands Coalition has couriered a large (about two hundred pages), organized (in a binder with seventeen tabbed dividers), and highly informed presentation. It is also available here on this website. It is called Save Garden City: An urgent request to Canada Lands Company.
- The City of Richmond purchased the Garden City Land on March 31, 2010. The Musqueam Indian Band sued the City of Richmond, making various claims on the premise that it sold its interest to the city under duress, in a writ dated April 9, 2010.
Reminder: Visit the Richmond’s Garden City Lands blog for current in-depth insights.
To keep the Garden City lands green in the Agricultural Land Reserve and to steward their natural treasure for agricultural, ecological and open-land park uses for community wellness.