Press conference: Monday, March 22, 1:00 pm
BC Supreme Court, 850 Burdett St, Victoria
Hearing will last two to three days starting Monday.
Environmental group's Supreme Court case challenges Langford development
"This case is not just about challenging the destruction of natural heritage," says Zoe Blunt, VIC FAN director. "We're challenging how they go about doing it – the tactics and strategies they use. This case is about putting a stop to these abuses of power."
Blunt asks, "Why does Langford want to build more developments, when they can't even finish the ones they've started? Whose interests are being served here?"
More than a year after the mayor of Langford "berated, bullied and browbeat" speakers at a public hearing, the BC Supreme Court will hear a petition for Judicial Review of the South Skirt Mountain development bylaw. The petition asks the Supreme Court to quash the bylaw for violations of the Local Government Act. The hearing is expected to last two to three days beginning March 22.
Forest Action Network charges Langford City Council with multiple abuses of the public trust, including:
1) Non-disclosure of documents related to the development's environmental impacts, heritage values, and infrastructure
requirements.
2) Public hearings tainted by verbal abuse and interruptions by the mayor, councillors, and pro-development onlookers.
3) Suppression of information about the Spencer Road Interchange (also known as the Bear Mountain Interchange).
Featuring:
THE PETITIONERS -- Vancouver Island Community Forest Action Network (VIC FAN) and Zoe Blunt (using my "real" non-pen-name, Tracie Park.)
THE RESPONDENTS -- City of Langford, Totangi Properties, Goldstream Heights Properties, Bear Mountain Parkway Estates, South Skirt Mountain Village, and Clara Kramer (intervenor)
THE LAND -- Skirt Mountain (also known as SPAET Mountain) home to abundant wildlife, rare ecosystems, wildflower meadows, seasonal creeks and indigenous cultural sites. The South Skirt Mountain properties are bounded by Bear Mountain Resort to the north, the TransCanada Highway and the half-built Spencer Interchange to the south, Goldstream Provincial Park to the west, and Florence Lake to the east.
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