On the evening of Wednesday January 11, over 350 people filled the Presbyterian Church at 9296 East Saanich Rd to show their support for the proposed rezoning/gifting of 95 acres of ALR land that is currently known as the Sandown Racetrack, or Sandown Farm.

Panellists included Elizabeth May, Green Party MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands; Robert Maxwell, a well-known farmer on the Saanich peninsula for 20 years; Bernadette Green, a four generation North Saanich farmer; and Bob Peer, a biologist and North Saanich resident for 15 years, who is currently a public advisor of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. They gathered to show their support for the proposal and to answer questions from the large group of people who were in attendance.

The owner of Sandown, William Randall, approached North Saanich Mayor Alice Finall and her councillors on May 25, 2011 with a proposal for his land that would ultimately gift 83 of the 95 acres that currently sits as the Sandown Racetrack, zoned as ALR land, provided 12 of the current 95 acres be rezoned as commercial land.

This “gift,” worth approximately $6 million in assets, is something that the Saanich peninsula – well known for its agricultural initiatives – could use to great advantage.  However, after the Agricultural Land Commission completed a positive assessment on the Land on November 21, 2011, stating that the land was indeed a viable agricultural resource, a vote was put forth to North Saanich Council members which came back as a 3 - 4 split against moving forward with the proposal.

Members of the North Saanich community, as well as those living in the Greater Victoria area, gathered on the evening of January 11 to voice a resounding ‘Yes, please!’ that council move ahead with the proposed project.  

Owner William Randall has been both patient and generous, offering to not only donate 83 of the 95 acres of land in return for a commercial rezoning of 12 of those acres, but also offering to provide the residents of North Saanich with an additional $100,000 in commercial revenue in order to cover some of the potential costs associated with the rezoning process, as well as future funds from the commercial parcel once it is operational.  However, as patient as Randell might be, this process has become lengthy and drawn out, and the prospect of North Saanich council voting against this proposal once again could force Randall to sell off his land in eight separate parcels of estate property – something that could have tremendously negative impacts on both Saanich and the Greater Victoria Area.

While many people attending the Sandown public hearing were in full support of a motion to move ahead with the project from Council, there were a few naysayers in the room who questioned the cost, viability, and the actual value of the land, were it to be approved and rezoned.  Dave Friend, aka Mr. Organic, a past certified organic grower in North Saanich, a well-known and respected public speaker and educator on Food Security, and now the founding chair of "Growing Young Farmers" (GYF) stated:

"Sandown offers, in conjunction with other viable opportunities, a realistic opportunity for substantially more students to become involved in the already very popular GYF School Program. The program teaches school-age students EVERY WEEK, and predominantly in a hands-on manner, how to grow health-friendly 'organic' food.  Consequently, and within a structured and supervised program, literally hundreds of students from schools in the immediate [and surrounding] area[s] would be visiting Sandown to grow and produce a substantial amount of health-friendly food - EVERY WEEK!" 

An opportunity such as the Sandown proposal would offer Saanich, and Vancouver Island farmers, the opportunity to teach our children both the importance and the vital necessity of Island agriculture.  

Furthermore, Lana Popham, NDP Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, stood up to speak towards the need and responsibility that we all have to hold on to our remaining farm land. Speaking from her experience fighting for small parcels of farm land in such places as Langley BC, she explained that the agricultural land in both BC and on Vancouver Island is being quickly and unnecessarily paved over in order to make way for parking lots, strip malls, and other commercial endeavours.  As an economy based on the exchange of money and the creation of profit overtakes a society that was once founded on the basis of agriculture, farming, and community, what little viably agricultural land we currently have left is being threatened every moment that proposals such as the Sandown proposal are not approved immediately.

While the general feeling of the public hearing was positive, there are still many questions that need to be answered.  Some members of North Saanich Council were present during the meeting, and were able to experience firsthand the huge amount of support coming from the community in favour of this proposal being approved.  Hopefully this will have some impact on the decision that will be made in the very near future, when North Saanich Council comes together once again to vote on the Sandown proposal.

For more information on the Sandown Racetrack Proposal, or to get involved and show your support for its approval, please contact Tria Donaldson, West Coast Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, Victoria Chapter, at 250-388-9292 or tria@wildernesscommittee.org.

The entire meeting is also available for viewing online here.