Province cancels building permits on property in Marpole
Posted September 28, 2012 7:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) -The province has decided to halt all development on a contentious piece of property in Marpole.
That decision has angered the developer, the Century Group.
They were ready to build a five-story building near the Arthur Laing Bridge, but stopped work when human remains were found. That was the beginning of a stalemate between the developer, the Musqueam Indian Band and the province.
The Musqueam Indian Band considers that land sacred. The Marpole Midden contains remnants of an ancient aboriginal settlement.
Century’s Bob Ransford says when all the planning and archeological work plus the value of the land is added up, the company stands to lose millions of dollars.
“The province has basically expropriated the property without compensation. There’s nothing we can do on the property, or do with it now, and they are not offering any compensation what so ever, and I find that unconscionable.”
He says they’ve also been asked to do more work on the site.
“They’re asking us to re-bury remains that were exposed and to restore the property to pre-archeological investigation conditions. Remember, they issued the permits requiring us to do the archeological work.”
He says they were in the process of negotiating with the Musqueam band to purchase of the property.
When asked if the company will be taking the province to court, Ransford says they are looking at their options.
He says the province’s decision sends an ominous signal to other developers. “I think all private property owners should worry about this.”
The Musqueam band is pleased with the province’s decision, pointing out the disturbance done to the land caused great anguish to the community. In a statement, it says the proposed development would have desecrated an ancient and sacred burial place and destroyed a site precious not only to the Musqueam but to all British Columbians.
