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One official to decide fate of Jordan River
Highways Ministry officer mulling merits of controversial proposal
Apr 25, 2008
By Judith Lavoie
<jlavoie@tc.canwest.com>
Political debates, community campaigns and lawsuits are continuing to swirl around the future of Vancouver Island's wild west coast.
But the next major decision on the shape of development around Jordan River, Shirley and Otter Point rests with one person. Bob Wylie, Highways Ministry provincial approving officer, has sole responsibility for deciding whether an application by Western Forest Products for 319 subdivisions will get the go-ahead.
In the strange world of governance for unincorporated electoral areas, Wylie will consult with interested parties and then make his decision, even though the Capital Regional District enacted bylaws this week which limit lot sizes to a minimum of 120 hectares.
The twist is that WFP applied for the subdivisions during the hiatus between the CRD vote and approval from the Community Services Ministry. That gives WFP one year to complete subdivision servicing under the old rules.
For Wylie, it's a matter of developing tunnel vision.
"I know people are frustrated with the process, but it's well beyond my mandate to comment on something that has gone before. All I can do is review the subdivision as presented today," he said.
"I am the sole sign-off, but I gather all the information from everyone else."
That means asking for input from agencies such as the CRD and Health Ministry, and gathering information about water, geotechnical and archaeological issues and flood-proofing -- a potential problem in Jordan River. The process can take from months to years, Wylie said.
"It all depends on the complexity."
That complexity is the next wrinkle in the process. WFP has only 12 months' grace, meaning they can spend millions of dollars drilling wells and putting in roads for subdivisions which may never be approved, or cross their fingers and hope a decision comes in time.
Meanwhile, opponents of the development have switched their attention from the CRD to Wylie.
"We are asking people to write letters to Bob Wylie," said Maurita Prato of the Dogwood Initiative.
"He has to pay attention to the public interest and it's clear that these subdivisions are not in the public interest," she said.
"That explains the 50 or 60 e-mails this morning," Wylie said.
The CRD bylaws were introduced after the province gave WFP permission to withdraw private land from tree farm licences and 2,500 hectares, stretching from Sooke Potholes to just outside Port Renfrew, were sold to developer Ender Ilkay.
The new bylaws could end Ilkay's hopes of building a new town at Jordan River, although he has not yet pulled out of the deal to buy the land.
Ilkay's plans call for 1,190 hectares of parkland, including the Jordan River waterfront. The WFP plans do not include parkland or waterfront access.
But the next major decision on the shape of development around Jordan River, Shirley and Otter Point rests with one person. Bob Wylie, Highways Ministry provincial approving officer, has sole responsibility for deciding whether an application by Western Forest Products for 319 subdivisions will get the go-ahead.
In the strange world of governance for unincorporated electoral areas, Wylie will consult with interested parties and then make his decision, even though the Capital Regional District enacted bylaws this week which limit lot sizes to a minimum of 120 hectares.
The twist is that WFP applied for the subdivisions during the hiatus between the CRD vote and approval from the Community Services Ministry. That gives WFP one year to complete subdivision servicing under the old rules.
For Wylie, it's a matter of developing tunnel vision.
"I know people are frustrated with the process, but it's well beyond my mandate to comment on something that has gone before. All I can do is review the subdivision as presented today," he said.
"I am the sole sign-off, but I gather all the information from everyone else."
That means asking for input from agencies such as the CRD and Health Ministry, and gathering information about water, geotechnical and archaeological issues and flood-proofing -- a potential problem in Jordan River. The process can take from months to years, Wylie said.
"It all depends on the complexity."
That complexity is the next wrinkle in the process. WFP has only 12 months' grace, meaning they can spend millions of dollars drilling wells and putting in roads for subdivisions which may never be approved, or cross their fingers and hope a decision comes in time.
Meanwhile, opponents of the development have switched their attention from the CRD to Wylie.
"We are asking people to write letters to Bob Wylie," said Maurita Prato of the Dogwood Initiative.
"He has to pay attention to the public interest and it's clear that these subdivisions are not in the public interest," she said.
"That explains the 50 or 60 e-mails this morning," Wylie said.
The CRD bylaws were introduced after the province gave WFP permission to withdraw private land from tree farm licences and 2,500 hectares, stretching from Sooke Potholes to just outside Port Renfrew, were sold to developer Ender Ilkay.
The new bylaws could end Ilkay's hopes of building a new town at Jordan River, although he has not yet pulled out of the deal to buy the land.
Ilkay's plans call for 1,190 hectares of parkland, including the Jordan River waterfront. The WFP plans do not include parkland or waterfront access.
