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North Saanich narrowly approves $125K annual contribution to Sandown centre

Council approved the motion 4-3 despite concerns about accountability, progress so far
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The District of North Saanich will be providing $125,000 in annual funding to the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture until 2026 after council approved a Committee of the Whole recommendation. (Black Press Media file photo)

The Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture will officially receive $125,000 per year from the District of North Saanich until 2026 after council narrowly ratified a resolution Monday (March 22).

The approval came with the same 4-3 split on council as the committee of the whole resolution passed on March 13. Mayor Peter Jones and Couns. Irene McConkey, Celia Stock and Sanjiv Shrivastava voted in favour of the motion, while Couns. Phil DiBattista, Jack McClintock, and Brett Smyth voted against it.

As with previous funding provided by the district to the centre, the new annual funding will come from the district’s Agricultural Reserve Fund, which receives around $129,000 each year from commercial tax revenue generated on property adjacent to the Sandown lands.

During discussion, council debated many of the same concerns raised during the COW meeting, which were focused largely on whether enough progress had been made on the centre’s goals of rehabilitating the Sandown lands, which previously hosted a race track. Council also debated whether there had been enough accountability for what taxpayer funds were being used for and if it was appropriate for the district to use the vast majority of its Agricultural Reserve Funds for one organization.

READ MORE: North Saanich signals tentative approval of $125K in annual funding for Sandown centre

Stock, one of the centre’s staunchest defenders at the council table and someone who has been involved with the project as a councillor since 2011, argued the centre and the reserve fund were linked together from the moment the land was given to the district in a deal that saw the former owners retain a section of it for commercial development - which funds the reserve - and placed a covenant on the remaining Sandown land that it be used exclusively for agriculture in perpetuity.

She also argued the district acquired the land specifically for the centre to do exactly what they are doing with it now, and the district was responsible for providing continued support.

McClintock defended his opposition not on the use of the land, or even the centre’s work in general, but on what he felt was a lack of a realistic business model which demonstrates to council municipal funds are being used effectively.

Smyth, who said he generally felt the work the centre is doing is both important and deserving of support from the district, said he had concerns about so much of the reserve fund going to one organization in the community.

More importantly, he felt it was not right for council to be making a decision on such long-term financial support when there had yet to be discussions by council and staff around other interests in the land.

“Where I have a problem right now is that we have had interest in the property and for us to move ahead with a decision on this right now is problematic because it raises all kinds of concerns,” said Smyth during the meeting. “Our new council, along with staff, have not had sufficient engagement time with a local first nation regarding this property. I think based on this, our funding decisions for the next four years might be a bit premature.”

READ MORE: Operator of North Saanich’s Sandown lands praised for progress so far


@JSamanski
justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com

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