For Immediate Release Monday, October 27, 2008

But fate of mega-development to be determined after election

Vancouver, BC – In yet another bizarre twist in the decade long saga of GENSTARs attempt to double the population of Mission with their huge Silverdale luxury housing project, Mission mayor and council recessed the public hearing process until after the municipal election.

"With over 1000 attendees at the 6 day long public hearing process, including 208 who signed up to make formal presentations to Mayor and Council, and 90% opposition from hearing attendees, Mayor and Council should cancel this destructive project once and for all," said Wilderness Committee staff scientist Andy Miller.

"At the public hearings, there was overwhelming opposition to GENSTAR, including from departments of the federal and provincial governments. Mayor and council should have terminated the mega-development as per the clear wishes of the overwhelming majority of attendees at the public hearing. Opposition to GENSTAR is so strong in Mission that during the final 3 days of public hearings, spanning 12 hours of meetings, only one citizen spoke in favour of the development," Miller added.

"The overwhelming opposition to GENSTAR by hearing attendees speaks to the beauty of the Silverdale region and the importance citizens of Mission place on maintaining the rural flavour of this area. Silverdale is a beautiful and fragile region characterized by wilderness, farms, vast acreages and numerous fragile subsurface streams feeding a critically important salmon estuary. The opposition from both the federal and provincial government is rare, and speaks volumes about the sensitivity of this site," said Miller. "This is the first I have ever heard of both levels of government opposing a project like this."

The most stunning revelation of the hearings however has been the nature of the Phased Development Agreement (PDA) process between the City of Mission and GENSTAR. "This PDA," said Miller, "is the first since the BC government passed the enabling legislation last year, is twice as long (20 years) as the maximum recommended, and now features a weakening of GENSTARs financial commitment to the citizens of Mission."

PDAs are a component of the BC governments new Bill 11, the BC Community Services and Statutes Amendment Act of 2008. PDAs are long term legal contracts between developers, municipalities, and the BC government. Missions PDA with GENSTAR would be a 20 year long legal contract, restricting citizens of Mission from future GENSTAR development decision making for 7 municipal election cycles.

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For more information contact Andy Miller @ 604-992-3099 or Nick Cuff @ 604-716-4756