Victoria Hospice bowing out of controversial land purchase
The Victoria Hospice has cancelled controversial plans to buy and develop a parcel of land from the Greater Victoria School District.
The half-hectare site lies beside Bowker Creek, a former salmon-bearing stream that community members have been working to restore.
A section of Bowker Creek, 1.5 kilometres downstream from the school land. Community members and ecologists have been working for years to rehabilitate the creek, and help salmon return. (Mike McArthur/CBC)
The plan had been to build a new hospice, and a small subdivision, on the site just off Richmond Road in Saanich.
But Trudi Brown, Victoria Hospice board chair, said those plans no longer worked.
"After a lot of research and after listening to a lot of people in our community, we decided that it's probably not the best place for the hospice or for the rest of the community," Brown told CBC Victoria's On the Island.
The Victoria Hospice had been planning to buy the portion of land in the bottom left corner of the map, labelled "Landsdowne Middle School South Playfield." (Google Maps )
The research included consultation with biologists, architects, and planners, as well as the broader community.
Brown said the adjustments they would have to make to protect the creek meant the plans were no longer feasible.
The Friends of Bowker Creek Society have long argued that the land, which is currently an open grassy field beside the tree-lined creek, should be left undeveloped.
They argue it's an important tool for flood mitigation, and should be used for education.
Ian Graeme, director of the society, said his plan for the property has always been to "meander" the creek: giving it more space to move, and to overflow where there is empty space, to prevent flooding in areas where there is infrastructure.
He said it's also a great opportunity to create an outdoor space where students can learn about watersheds and human impact.
"Many of the problems that the creek experiences, they're problems that we need to next generation to help solve," Graeme said, adding it's a constructive way to prepare for increased urbanization.
Potential as an outdoor classroom
With the hospice plan off the table, the Greater Victoria School Board says the property is off the market.
The district says it will work with community partners — including Friends of Bowker Creek — to come up with a plan for the land.
"Our district and board continue to support land-based learning opportunities such as an outdoor classroom in partnership with the school community," board chair Nicole Duncan said in a written statement.
What does this mean for the future of the hospice?
The current hospice, which offers end-of-life care, is on the campus of Royal Jubilee Hospital.
Brown said the fact that it looks like a hospital is one of the reasons it's not an ideal hospice.
The current site of the Victoria Hospice, seen from Richmond Road. The building is one of the oldest on the campus of Royal Jubilee Hospital. (Google Street View )
It doesn't have space for a garden, and at nearly 80 years old it is not suitable for redevelopment.
But Brown said the current building works in the meantime, and that it's more important to come up with a new site that works for both the hospice and the community.
She said they'll continue to work with partner Island Health to find a new location.
