58 replies to this topic

[Bingo]

Hay...don't cut that tree down.

 

The cutting down of nearly 5,000 trees in a long-standing greenbelt off Watkiss Way in Saanich is underway as property owner Allen Vandekerkhove prepares to grow hay on the site.

Vandekerkhove first applied to remove the trees in October 2014, but Saanich staff requested verification of the specific areas to be cleared and confirmation that soils there would support agricultural use, said parks director Doug Henderson.

Saanich heard nothing more until last month when a second application that met the conditions was received.

In keeping with Agricultural Land Reserve regulations, the application included a sworn affidavit that the land will be used for hay production.

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.bvfO1MhU.dpuf

 

 

[spanky123]

Hay...don't cut that tree down.

 

No surprise. He bought the land thinking he was going to flip it / lease it for a sewage treatment plant and now he needs to get some money out of it. Funny that on Ian Jessop's show a few months back he claimed people that grew hay weren't farmers!

[Mike K.]

Once it's cleared the case will be made to sell it to a developer.

[spanky123]

Portions of the properties are in the ALR and/or EDPA. Atwell tried (and failed so far) to kill the EDPA but the ALR removal may be a tad bit harder.

Edited by spanky123, 06 November 2015 - 07:21 AM.

[SamCB]

Has anyone looked at the island we live on? No shortage of trees here. Big deal if a landowner wants to cut down trees he owns on his own property. Sick of the Eco-looney brigade crying over tree removal.

[lanforod]

Portions of the properties are in the ALR and/or EDPA. Atwell tried (and failed so far) to kill the EDPA but the ALR removal may be a tad bit harder.

 

I've noticed some signs popping up around town about the EDPA.

 

This website I believe is featured: http://edpa.weebly.com/

Edited by lanforod, 06 November 2015 - 08:04 AM.

[spanky123]

Has anyone looked at the island we live on? No shortage of trees here. Big deal if a landowner wants to cut down trees he owns on his own property. Sick of the Eco-looney brigade crying over tree removal.

 

Don't think that anyone is complaining. All of the reports I have read point out that this is a valid use of land. I was just pointing out the irony of someone criticizing a practice in the media and then turning around and doing it 3 months later.

[spanky123]

I've noticed some signs popping up around town about the EDPA.

 

This website I believe is featured: http://edpa.weebly.com/

 

Atwell was on Jessop's show again yesterday bashing the EDPA. He also suggested that a new bylaw was coming that would require landowners to remove bird poop from EDPA designated lands but then admitted that he hadn't seen the bylaw as it hadn't been presented to council yet.

[nagel]

My understanding is he promised to some of his acolytes that he would either get them out of the EDPA or get the EDPA repealed.  Doesn't look like he's having any luck though.

 

Re: the trees near VGH, I'm not really happy about the removal of the trees, but what are you going to do?  If they're allowed to do it, then c'est un fait accompli j'espere...

[Mike K.]

This is the property, isn't it? It's right on the border of a subdivision and a major mixed-use project is up the street. There's no way this land will be maintain for an extended period to grow hay.

 

[spanky123]

My understanding is he promised to some of his acolytes that he would either get them out of the EDPA or get the EDPA repealed.  Doesn't look like he's having any luck though.

 

Re: the trees near VGH, I'm not really happy about the removal of the trees, but what are you going to do?  If they're allowed to do it, then c'est un fait accompli j'espere...

 

No doubt. One of the callers into CFAX yesterday egg'ed on the Mayor suggesting that failing to remove the bird poop or blackberries would result in a fine of $250 a day. I don't know how the caller came to that determination when apparently even the Mayor hasn't seen the bylaw. The Mayor referred to the website and encourage people to visit it.

 

Bet the domain owner registered anonymously.

Edited by spanky123, 06 November 2015 - 09:03 AM.

[nagel]

No doubt. One of the callers into CFAX yesterday egg'ed on the Mayor suggesting that failing to remove the bird poop or blackberries would result in a fine of $250 a day. I don't know how the caller came to that determination when apparently even the Mayor hasn't seen the bylaw. The Mayor referred to the website and encourage people to visit it.

 

Bet the domain owner registered anonymously.

There is a very small group of people doing their best to take down the EDPA, and they have no issue spreading misinformation to see this happen.  Recently it was a post that you could be fined at minimum $250 each day you don't remove invasive species from EDPA sections on your property.  As far as I can tell, this is completely made up.  There is zero evidence of such a fine.

 

The concerning thing is their actions are starting to influence some of the council members, although I doubt not enough of them to be able to take this down.

[lanforod]

No doubt. One of the callers into CFAX yesterday egg'ed on the Mayor suggesting that failing to remove the bird poop or blackberries would result in a fine of $250 a day. I don't know how the caller came to that determination when apparently even the Mayor hasn't seen the bylaw. The Mayor referred to the website and encourage people to visit it.

 

Bet the domain owner registered anonymously.

 

Since it's a subdomain at weebly, there isn't really any way to check for the domain owner unless you can get weebly to tell you.

[spanky123]

There is a very small group of people doing their best to take down the EDPA, and they have no issue spreading misinformation to see this happen.  Recently it was a post that you could be fined at minimum $250 each day you don't remove invasive species from EDPA sections on your property.  As far as I can tell, this is completely made up.  There is zero evidence of such a fine.

 

The concerning thing is their actions are starting to influence some of the council members, although I doubt not enough of them to be able to take this down.

 

I think that there is support for simplifying the process but not ending it. There are lots of claims being made about property values declining, fines, etc although when you try to find anyone who has had such an experience (other than developers) the list of people putting their names forward is pretty small.

[aastra]

That seems like a pretty good spot for a sewage treatment facility. What are the cons for that site?

[Mike K.]

Our Facebook post relating to this issue has resulted in some strong worded feedback in support of Mr. V and his plans to grow hay. Some folks are very upset that we've alluded to the possibility of the land being redeveloped, but everyone seems to have forgotten that Mr. V had purchased the land to then sell it to the CRD for a sewage treatment plant.
 
Check out some of the commentary:
 

Ron McNeil - VibrantVictoria serious ? interest from development community ? in ALR, in Saanich, ya right, hell if Mr Van can't do it nobody can...

Jan Sutherland - Please... Are journalists just allowed to make stuff up these days? Where is the proof of what you say? Seems like you're tactics are pretty slimey as well. Freak everyone out that skyscrapers will be built on the land??? Seems to me like you have some hidden agenda yourself. This farmer has supplied my riding school horses with hay for years. Are you aware that there is a hay shortage right now? And that predictions are that this is the future for hay farming on the south island. If the climate is changing and we get hay growing weather like we did this year... No rain... Rain we did get was at the wrong time, resulting in no second cut hay. Current hay farmers would have to irrigate to get a second cut (massively expensive and out of the reach of most hay farmers). The only way to solve this problem is to increase land in hay production so that we can harvest more first cut. Thank god that farmers like Mr. Vanderkerkov are willing to endure the kind of crap you are putting out here. Without farmers like him, my horses (and many others) will be going hungry. This guy is a hay farmer... He has grown hay for ever. He actually doesn't need to work... He is far past retirement... He farms hay because he knows that many of us depend on the hay be grows. So really... Go stir up unnecessary panic somewhere else. Seriously...

 

 

Sherri Taylor - Vibrant Victoria, you need to get some of the facts straight before you put information out to the public. The permit has already been issued by Saanich. Well within the landowners rights under the current zoning of the property. The landowner has grown a haycrop for 30+ years on his other farmland beside this property. Trying to have property removed from the ALR is nearly impossible, so development in the foreseeable future will not happen unless Saanich completely revamps the ALR/Urban Containment Boundaries.

 

 

Obviously this issue has struck a chord. I don't get it. The land is nudged up against a subdivision, it's right across the street from a massive hospital compound, and the area's largest commercial shopping centre is nearing completion on an adjacent property, and we're out of line for opining that there's a real likelihood of the land being developed at some point in the future? It was proposed for usage as a sewage treatment plant by the same owner, for crying out loud 

[lanforod]

Our Facebook post relating to this issue has resulted in some strong worded feedback in support of Mr. V and his plans to grow hay. Some folks are very upset that we've alluded to the possibility of the land being redeveloped, but everyone seems to have forgotten that Mr. V had purchased the land to then sell it to the CRD for a sewage treatment plant.
 
Check out some of the commentary:
 

 

 

Obviously this issue has struck a chord. I don't get it. The land is nudged up against a subdivision, it's right across the street from a massive hospital compound, and the area's largest commercial shopping centre is nearing completion on an adjacent property, and we're out of line for opining that there's a real likelihood of the land being developed at some point in the future? It was proposed for usage as a sewage treatment plant by the same owner, for crying out loud 

 

Good farmland is very difficult to remove from the ALR. Don't expect this to happen.

[VicHockeyFan]

Our Facebook post relating to this issue has resulted in some strong worded feedback in support of Mr. V and his plans to grow hay. Some folks are very upset that we've alluded to the possibility of the land being redeveloped, but everyone seems to have forgotten that Mr. V had purchased the land to then sell it to the CRD for a sewage treatment plant.
 
Check out some of the commentary:
 

 

 

Obviously this issue has struck a chord. I don't get it. The land is nudged up against a subdivision, it's right across the street from a massive hospital compound, and the area's largest commercial shopping centre is nearing completion on an adjacent property, and we're out of line for opining that there's a real likelihood of the land being developed at some point in the future? It was proposed for usage as a sewage treatment plant by the same owner, for crying out loud 

 

When did he buy the land, Mike?  You make it seem like a recent purchase.

[Mike K.]

Spanky seems to have more details. Maybe he can weigh in. On the previous post Spanky said the land was purchased with the intent to be flipped to the CRD.

[spanky123]

I don't know Mr. V's intent. I had read in the TC that Mr. V had purchased the land "a couple of years ago".  I speculated that he was hoping to flip it since Mr. V. stated a few months ago "you couldn't grow rocks there today and you couldn't grow rocks there in the future, we have soil reports for that".

 

CHEK has stated (presumably from a quote by Mr. V or his representative) that a year from now there will be hay and buffalo's on the land. Sounds a lot like another Alberg situation to me.

 

Mr. V and his family have generated a lot of goodwill in Victoria over the past 20 years with their charitable efforts. This action could undermine a lot of that goodwill if the intent really is to raise buffalo next to residential housing.

Edited by spanky123, 07 November 2015 - 04:39 PM.