Supreme Court case challenges Langford development
Last Updated (Thursday, 25 March 2010 03:57) Written by VIC FAN Wednesday, 17 March 2010 16:59
Environmental group's Supreme Court case challenges Langford development
Vancouver Island -- More than a year after the mayor of Langford "berated, bullied and browbeat" speakers at a public hearing, the BC Supreme Court will hear a petition for Judicial Review of the South Skirt Mountain development bylaw.
The petition asks the Supreme Court to quash the bylaw for violations of the Local Government Act, on the grounds that Langford city councilors betrayed the public trust by inadequately performing public consultation and failing to disclose documents to the public.
Forest Action Network charges Langford City Council with multiple abuses of the public trust, including:
1) Non-disclosure of documents related to the development's environmental impacts, heritage values, and infrastructure requirements.
2) Public hearings tainted by verbal abuse and interruptions by the mayor, councillors, and developers.
3) Suppression of information about the Spencer Road Interchange (also known as the Bear Mountain Interchange).
This is the latest in a controversy that has been raging for years over the cities' decision to support the development of Skirt Mountain which is home to abundant wildlife, rare ecosystems, wildflower meadows, seasonal creeks and indigenous cultural sites. The South Skirt Mountain properties are bounded by Bear Mountain Resort to the north, the TransCanada Highway and the half-built Spencer Interchange to the south, Goldstream Provincial Park to the west, and Florence Lake to the east.
The hearings will take place at the BC Supreme Courthouse in downtown Victoria the week of March 22nd. For more information concerning this case or any other Forest Action Network projects please visit: http://forestaction.ca