Water is life and we desperately need to keep land for nature reserves.

Please lend your support for Hamilton Marsh, the largest wetland between Nanaimo, Cumberland, and Port Alberni – located just minutes from the Town of Qualicum Beach by donating or writing a letter (template provided below).

Hamilton Marsh is 3 kilometers long and half a kilometer wide and is surrounded by second growth forest.

SAMPLE LETTER (with recipient email addresses)

Attention:

Duncan Davies — Mosaic Forest Management: Info@MosaicForests.com;

BCI – BC Pension Fund & Public Sector Investing: communications@bci.ca;

RDN Directors: stuart.mclean@rdn.bc.ca; lauren.melanson@rdn.bc.ca; jessica.stanley@rdn.bc.ca; vanessa.craig@rdn.bc.ca; bob.rogers@rdn.bc.ca; leanne.salter@rdn.bc.ca; lehann.wallace@rdn.bc.ca; leonard.krog@nanaimo.ca; sheryl.armstrong@nanaimo.ca; tyler.brown@nanaimo.ca; mayor@parksville.ca; ben.geselbracht@nanaimo.ca; erin.hemmens@nanaimo.ca; mayor@qualicumbeach.com; mayor.swain@lantzville.ca; paul.manly@nanaimo.ca; janice.perrino@nanaimo.ca; ian.thorpe@nanaimo.ca; councillorwood@parksville.ca;

CC: info@hamiltonwetlands.com; admin@nalt.bc.ca; ray@mabr.ca; Sheila.Malcolmson.mla@leg.bc.ca; George.Anderson.MLA@leg.bc.ca;

To copy and paste:
To: <Info@mosaicforests.com>, <communications@bci.ca>
Cc: <stuart.mclean@rdn.bc.ca>, <lauren.melanson@rdn.bc.ca>, <jessica.stanley@rdn.bc.ca>, <vanessa.craig@rdn.bc.ca>, <bob.rogers@rdn.bc.ca>, <leanne.salter@rdn.bc.ca>, <lehann.wallace@rdn.bc.ca>, <leonard.krog@nanaimo.ca>, <sheryl.armstrong@nanaimo.ca>, <tyler.brown@nanaimo.ca>, <mayor@parksville.ca>, <ben.geselbracht@nanaimo.ca>, <erin.hemmens@nanaimo.ca>, <mayor@qualicumbeach.com>, <mayor.swain@lantzville.ca>, <paul.manly@nanaimo.ca>, <janice.perrino@nanaimo.ca>, <ian.thorpe@nanaimo.ca>, <councillorwood@parksville.ca>, <info@hamiltonwetlands.com>, <admin@nalt.bc.ca>, <ray@mabr.ca>, <Sheila.Malcolmson.mla@leg.bc.ca>, <George.Anderson.MLA@leg.bc.ca>

Re: Hamilton Marsh Conditional Purchase

Dear Mr. Davies, and representatives of Mosaic Forest Management, Regional District of Nanaimo Directors, and BC Investment Management Corporation,

I am writing regarding the proposed conditional purchase of Hamilton Marsh in the Regional District of Nanaimo, British Columbia — a site of immense ecological, hydrological, and public value.

Hamilton Marsh is not simply another parcel of land. It is a rare wetland ecosystem and forested area that plays a critical role in protecting the aquifer that supplies drinking water to residents of Qualicum Beach, French Creek, and Parksville. Its protection is essential to regional water security, biodiversity, and long-term climate resilience. For these reasons alone, Hamilton Marsh should be preserved in perpetuity as a public trust.

Many residents are deeply concerned by the proposed purchase price and terms now being placed before taxpayers. Mosaic Forest Management and Island Timberlands acquired this land more than a decade ago at a fraction of today’s valuation. Yet the Regional District of Nanaimo is now being asked to pay top dollar — not only for the land, but again for the standing trees — effectively asking the public to repurchase assets already acquired with public pension funds in the first place.

This raises several fundamental questions that deserve transparent answers:

Why is Mosaic not availing itself of the Ecological Gifts Program, which exists specifically to enable the permanent protection of lands of high ecological value through donation or partial donation in exchange for tax benefits?

Why are taxpayers being asked to pay again — at a premium — for land that was originally purchased using public service pension funds, funded by the very same taxpayers?

What financial contributions, if any, are being made by corporate executives at Mosaic, Island Timberlands, Timberwest, or by senior executives overseeing public pension investments, toward the protection of Hamilton Marsh?

Mosaic Forest Management’s ultimate ownership structure — through BC Investment Management Corporation — means that this land is held on behalf of federal, provincial, and public sector employees. That relationship carries not only fiduciary obligations, but moral and civic ones as well. Stewardship of public wealth should never be divorced from stewardship of the land and water upon which communities depend.

The broader historical context cannot be ignored. Much of the east coast of Vancouver Island was privatized through the E&N Land Grant of 1887, a decision whose ecological and social consequences are still unfolding today. Island Timberlands, Timberwest, and Mosaic are now among the largest landowners in the region — logging aggressively, replacing diverse forests with monoculture plantations, gating lands, and excluding public access. These practices have already come at a steep cost to biodiversity, recreation, and community trust.

Hamilton Marsh represents a rare opportunity to do something different — to demonstrate genuine corporate citizenship, ecological responsibility, and respect for the public interest.

At minimum, the public deserves a far better deal. Ideally, Hamilton Marsh should be donated outright or transferred at a significantly reduced cost through existing conservation mechanisms. This would still allow for appropriate tax recognition while honoring the principle that lands of this importance should not be treated as profit-maximizing commodities.

RDN taxpayers support conservation. What they do not support is being ripped off while environmentally destructive practices continue elsewhere on Vancouver Island.

I urge Mosaic Forest Management, BC Investment Management Corporation, and regional decision-makers to reconsider the current approach and work collaboratively toward a solution that reflects the true value of Hamilton Marsh — not just in dollars, but in water security, ecological integrity, and public trust.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Community / Organization, if applicable]
[City / Region]