This is our first update since the March 15th update when we notified you that the now seven-member SD61 Board of Trustees disappointingly voted 4 to 3 to sell the Lansdowne Middle School south campus land on March 14th.
Our focus is now on the Minister of Education who has to approve the sale in order for the sale to go through. Please assist our efforts by writing to the Minister and your respective MLA to express your concerns regarding the sale. See contact information below.
Meanwhile, the judicial review to investigate the controversial suspension of two School Board Trustees has been delayed due to COVID. The suspension in February changed the outcome of the March 14th vote and raises questions around the legitimacy of the School Board decision.
Lastly, some wonderful news: in January 28,000 salmon chum eggs were planted in Bowker Creek as part of the restoration work on the creek, and on March 30th the first chum fry were seen swimming in the creek - the first since the 1930s. The sale of the Lansdowne School land severely hampers the restoration work and we ask for your help to send this clear message to our decision-makers.
To whom to direct your letters:
- Write the Minister of Education, the Honourable Jennifer Whiteside, directly at educ.minister@gov.bc.ca and cc. the Deputy Minister at DM.education@gov.bc.ca
- Contact your MLA - talk with them, write them, tell them how you feel about this pending sale
- Murray Rankin is MLA Oak Bay-Gordon Head (Murray.Rankin.mla@leg.bc.ca)
- Rob Fleming is MLA Victoria-Swan Lake (Rob.Fleming.mla@leg.bc.ca)
- Find your MLA here - Write a letter to the editor:
- Times Colonist
- Saanich News
- Oak Bay News
Please continue to share the petition to help us keep growing the petition numbers and keep visible the community's opposition
Thank you.