The province is selling off large areas of Crown land through Land and Water B.C., but there has been little or no public discussion of the process, says Barry Reid, chair of the Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake.
“If the public doesn’t know about it, the only people who will benefit will be the real estate developers,” he said.
Last year the Crown corporation sold $50 million worth of Crown land, and the goal is to sell over $65 million this year, according to Reid.
“It’s going on, but no one in B.C. has had a discussion about whether Crown land in the province should be privatized … I don’t think it’s a good idea. This is the heritage of our children and grandchildren. It shouldn’t be a way for government to put money into its treasury.”
The process of deciding which Crown land is surplus and who makes the decision is vague, he said. This leads to the danger of inappropriate use, he said.
Reid first became aware of Lands and Water B.C.’s plans a few months ago when he saw an ad about the Eagle Island development at Lac des Roches.
The proposal would involve 228 strata properties, large and small, near the lake.
The ambiance of the lake would be destroyed if the proposal went ahead, he felt.
Public meetings have been held at Little Fort and Interlakes, but the impression the people who attended were left with was there was nothing they could do about the development.
Interestingly, the proposal has had to be modified because part of the lake is in Cariboo Regional District, with the remainder in Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
The CRD has classified the lake as sensitive, while according to the TNRD it is a development lake. Because of the CRD lake regulations, all the development now would be restricted to the TNRD portion, Reid reported.
Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake plan a meeting on the topic at Bridge Lake Community School on Nov. 24, starting at 7 p.m.