URGENT CALL TO ACTION
On November 22nd, Saanich Council will vote to determine the ultimate fate of the King’s Community Nature Space.
mayor@saanich.ca
zac.devries@saanich.ca
rebecca.mersereau@saanich.ca
colin.plant@saanich.ca
karen.harper@saanich.ca
nathalie.chambers@saanich.ca
judy.brownoff@saanich.ca
ned.taylor@saanich.ca
susan.brice@saanich.ca
Background
For nearly 70 years, the citizens of Saanich, Oak Bay, and Victoria, have enjoyed walking, playing, biking, bird watching, and resting in Kings Community Nature Space – a 5-acre escape at the center of South Saanich’s rapidly densifying metropolitan area. Treasured by the community, the property has become a symbol of health, well-being and urban wildlife protection in Greater Victoria. As such, citizens have been fighting to protect Kings Nature Space as pressures to sell and develop continue to intensify.
The Shelbourne Valley has a significant greenspace deficit. As the last remaining natural space in the area for shared community use providing climate change mitigation and adaptation, urban wildlife habitat, ecosystem services and human physical and mental health, Kings Community Nature Space must be protected for the well-being of current and future generations.
In addition to providing vital access to nature, the property has significant ecological value, serving as urban refuge for wildlife and essential staging habitat for migratory birds. It also provides numerous ecosystem services and has important regional climate mitigation and adaptation benefits, flood abatement , as well as enhanced reduction of noise pollution for this rapidly densifying local area.
Despite years of fundraising and lobbying efforts by the community and promises made by Saanich council, $1.75M of CRD funds are still in limbo.
In 2018, the Saanich Council encouraged citizens advocating for the protection of the Kings Nature Space to submit an official request for funding through the CRD Land Acquisition Fund. Since that time, the group has educated and petitioned the CRD for its support. Although the CRD recognized the value and importance of the Kings Community Nature Space to human health, ecological services and urban wildlife, in 2020 it determined that the mandate of the Land Acquisition Fund did not include protecting urban nature spaces (and instead only large areas of rural nature space). Thus, an alternative arrangement was reached whereby the CRD transferred funds to Saanich in exchange for a parcel of land, with the intent that Saanich could then direct the $1.75M to the protection of the Kings Community Nature Space.
Several members of Council requested that the community first seek funding support from Oak Bay and Victoria before the CRD funds were applied. Honouring these wishes, Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes, supported by the community, successfully obtained funding commitments from both Victoria ($250k) and Oak Bay ($75k) in July, 2021. Still some council members have voiced their opposition to applying the CRD funds. Without an affirmative vote by council to apply the CRD’s $1.75M on November 22nd, 2021, Kings community Nature Space will be subject to sale and development.
Community Fundraising to Date (2018-2021)
From public engagement events and marketing to grassroots advocacy, the Kings Space Community has gone to great lengths to demonstrate its desire to forever protect the Nature Space. In addition to organizing and promoting the project, community members have exhausted immeasurable time and energy striving to raise the funds demanded by the Saanich Council to officially conserve the property in perpetuity.
With minimal professional experience or education in fundraising, grant writing, or political advocacy, citizens involved with the project have collaborated with the Mayor’s Standing Committee, attended numerous council meetings, and exhaustively delivered presentations to municipal leaders across Greater Victoria. The group created a Sponsorship Brochure and Letter, along with multiple canvasing documents and campaign materials.
In addition to these formal meetings, the Community has conducted extensive grant research, organized and attended Fundraising Committee meetings and local focus groups, created a GoFundMe page, corresponded with donors, and approached more than 150 businesses with sponsorship requests. As a result of their efforts, the Community has raised $40K from private sources, in addition to the funds raised from the City of Victoria (250k) and Oak Bay (75k), for a grand total of 365K.
However, due to the nature of the current ownership structure (Saanich currently owns the land and has asked the community to fundraise to pay for its purchase) the land is ineligible for land acquisition grants. Despite the community’s best efforts to secure government and/or foundation funding, private donations and other opportunities, a $635,000 deficit will remain – if and after the 1.75M is allocated.
Financial Summary
Once allocated, the total amount fundraised to date will be $2,115,000.
Remaining funds necessary = $635,000 (per Saanich’s request to the community to fundraise for the purpose of protecting the park).
Private donations: 40K
Victoria: 250K
Oak Bay: 75K
CRD: 1.75M
Requiring community members to raise $2.75M in order to save a space so essential to the citizens health and well-being is unreasonable and unprecedented..
Hoping to establish a fundraising partnership in 2018, the Kings Road Community approached the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT), an established NGO with years of organizational experience in fundraising for the purpose of acquiring lands for conservation uses. Despite their expertise, HAT did not then, nor do they today have the capacity to take on such a fundraising project of this size:
“It is HAT’s considered opinion that asking the community to raise funds of this magnitude to guarantee the permanent success of this project is not a realistic expectation.
“In our view, it is unrealistic to expect volunteer community members to have the organizational expertise, monetary capacity, and time to devote to raising nearly $3 million for this cause.”
Katie Blake, Executive Director, Habitat Acquisition Trust
Tasking citizens with funding municipal greenspace that is so critical to human and ecological health and well-being was far-fetched from the beginning. Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenge, the community has repeatedly organized and rallied in an attempt to achieve this fundraising goal. Raising $2.75M has become an increasingly unrealistic challenge given the onset of a global pandemic, realities of ineligibility for grant funding, inability to collect DCC (Development Cost Charge) contributions, and other compounding barriers. In addition to these complications, the property and its protection have become a political labyrinth that the community never expected to navigate.
HAT continues to voice their support for full protection of the Kings Road Nature Space and has suggested that Saanich significantly reduce the community’s fundraising burden.
Enough is enough. It’s time that Saanich Councillors do what they committed to do – protect the Kings Community Nature space once and for all.
“You know, people have literally been advocating to save this piece of property since before I was born, and people are still showing up to the CRD building, showing up at our council chambers, advocating for this piece of property to be protected. So, now, finally we have the opportunity to do that.”
Councillor Ned Taylor
In 2018, 8 of 9 Saanich Councillors committed to protecting the Kings Community Nature Space (quotes taken directly from this Lead Now petition signature page):
“My pledge to secure the full acquisition and preservation of this essential green space is stated in the public record in writing (my platform) and in video as a public record, and I have been working closely with this group since the spring and will continue to work with them to ensure this natural space community asset is here for current and future generations.”
Fred Haynes
“Recognizing that a) green space will be increasingly important to maintain the high quality of life in this region due to densification and population growth and b) this area of Saanich is under-served by green space relative to Saanich’s policy objectives and c) this space has a host of ecological, recreational and community-building potential, I support the acquisition of the BC Hydro GreenSpace on Kings Road and it’s preservation as a municipal park.”
Rebecca Mersereau
“I support Saanich acquiring the Hydro green space and preserving it as a Park.”
Susan Brice
“Yes I support acquiring the Hydro Greenspace.”
Karen Harper
“I fully support the acquisition of the lands informally known as Kings Park and to preserve it all as a Saanich Park.”
Colin Plant
“I completely support your efforts. Thank you for the hard work you’re doing!”
Ned Taylor
“I, Nathalie Chambers 100% the acquisition, and protection in perpetuity of Kings Road\Bowker Creek watershed park.”
Nathalie Chambers
“We need to protect the greenspace, parks and farms that we have, and actively seek to expand these spaces; I will ensure Kings Park is acquired by Saanich and protected as a park! “
Zac de Vries
Conclusion:
In 2021, amidst a climate crisis, unprecedented and rapid infill and densification, deteriorating physical and mental health statuses, we do not pave our last remaining urban nature spaces.
Instead, progressive, responsible cities meet their housing needs through infill and densification of existing building lots, and protect large urban greenspaces for shared community and urban wildlife use.
We have the opportunity to walk the talk, show leadership and create a legacy for generations to come by fully protecting in perpetuity the Kings Community Nature Space.
Please call or email Saanich Council before it’s too late –> Ask that 1.75M CRD sourced funds be applied to finally Save Kings Community Nature Space.
mayor@saanich.ca
zac.devries@saanich.ca
rebecca.mersereau@saanich.ca
colin.plant@saanich.ca
karen.harper@saanich.ca
nathalie.chambers@saanich.ca
judy.brownoff@saanich.ca
ned.taylor@saanich.ca
susan.brice@saanich.ca