British Columbia: Timber West’s plan to turn 11% of Vancouver island into Real Estate

TimberWest and Rennie Marketing Systems have formed a partnership
called Couverdon, to diversify a company that is trying to expand
beyond the struggling forest industry. Rennie doesn’t pretend it will
be easy. At a news conference in Victoria, Rennie summed up
Couverdon’s approach as “standing here naked and saying we’re not
quite sure what to do. We’re going to listen. It fits this new
economy.”

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They represent 11 per cent of the Island’s total area. And the 55,000
hectares identified as having development potential virtually surround
communities such as Campbell River and the Cowichan Valley.
TimberWest’s land is a legacy of the E&N Railway land grant more than
a century ago, which ushered in the era of industrial logging and
mining.

Environmentalist Vicky Husband, a critic of developments such as the
Bear Mountain golf and housing project outside Victoria, said she is
encouraged by Rennie’s assurance that no such aggressive plans are
contemplated by Couverdon.

“Any landowner who owns outright 11 per cent of Vancouver Island, we
would hope that they would take a position of real responsibility to
communities,” she said. “Yes, to consult, but also they’re in a
position to be able to donate some land for the betterment of the
people on Vancouver Island, in return perhaps for more intensive
development in certain areas.”

She cites the Muir Creek watershed near Sooke Potholes provincial park as a candidate. Rennie and Couverdon vice-president John Hendry say they recognize that developing community support is a long-term task and the economic slump is a good time to do that. That means attracting full-time residents who will work in their communities and support businesses.

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