Back in November of 2003, Ian Sutherland made a bold move. As the mayor of Squamish, Sutherland negotiated the purchase of the Nexen lands, estimated to be worth $35 million at the time.
Squamish got the land for a buck.
We’re more than 10 years on now and since the B.C. government washed its hands of the former chemical plant property, nothing significant has been built on the Nexen lands. The inaction on the property isn’t from lack of effort and lack of spending.
Three councils have now wrangled over the lands, but little appears to have been done because each time we’ve come close to finalizing a plan, the plan gets interrupted.
This is what happens when governments try to act like businesses. Decision-making by committee, in this case, has crippled progress.
In 2006, the District of Squamish (DOS) and a Vancouver development company called Qualex-Landmark hammered out a development deal. Qualex walked away from the opportunity after council made an 11th hour major change to the plan. It was a good idea that is part of the current development deal, but it scared Qualex right out of town.
Developers need certainty and Squamish basically proclaimed that major changes in direction are acceptable, and surprising your partner is just how we roll.
The future plans for the lands went back to the drawing board while millions were spent to continue cleaning up the lands. The Squamish Chief kept us posted on what was happening as 150,000 tonnes of mercury-laden soils were shipped to Edmonton.
We don’t know what the lands would look like now if the Qualex deal had progressed under the original agreement.
We do know that zero development has taken place.
Railing against the current agreement between the DOS and developers Matthews Southwest and Bethel Lands is reckless. If this deal fails, Squamish is going to be in big trouble. The developer is going to pay the DOS $15 million for the privilege to then invest millions more just to get the land prepared for development.
We need to trust the people stick handling this issue on our behalf because the SODC has a huge debt that needs to be repaid.
If the non-believers with their conspiracy theories and suggestions that shady deals are being struck behind closed doors get their wish and this deal doesn’t go through, the next council will be burdened with going back to square one for a third time in an economic climate still under the clouds lingering from the 2008 international economic slump.
We’re basically upside down on this land. No development professional will touch the Nexen lands if twice we’ve started into a development deal then shifted the vision.
The only deal we have is the one in front of us right now in the hands of the people we voted into office. The death of this deal would leave our community in a hole that will be very difficult from which to climb out.
