North Cowichan is proposing to acquire two parcels of forested land adjacent to Donnay Drive that have long been used informally by residents as park space. These lands, previously owned by Providence Farm Housing Society, are now listed for sale. The community has expressed strong interest in preserving this green space. A community delegation appeared before Council in March requesting that North Cowichan purchase the land.

If acquired, the land and trail networks would be preserved. The acquisition would be funded through a Local Area Service (LAS), meaning only property owners within the defined LAS boundary would contribute financially via annual property tax charges over 20 years.

Property owners within the LAS who DO NOT support the land acquisition can submit a petition indicating they are not support. Details on this process is below.

What Is a Local Area Service?

A Local Area Service (LAS) is a mechanism that allows municipalities to fund infrastructure or services that benefit a specific area. In this case, the LAS would fund the acquisition of the Donnay Drive lands for nature conservation and the development and preservation of an existing trail network.

Key points:

  • Only properties within the LAS boundary are financially responsible.
  • The estimated cost is approximately $130/year per property for 20 years.
    • see below for more detailed information about the cost per property
  • Property owners have the right to oppose the initiative through a petition process.

Who can participate?

Participation is limited to property owners within the LAS boundary, which includes approximately 662 properties. These owners will receive a formal notice by mail, with instructions on submitting an opposition petition.

The boundary represents homes within an approximate 10-minute walk to the lands.

Others, such as residents outside the LAS or general park users, are welcome to follow the project, ask questions, and share ideas about future park use, but they do not participate in the petition process.

How to participate

If you're a property owner within the LAS boundary, you can:

  • Submit a petition opposing the acquisition. If 50% or more of owners (representing 50% of assessed value) sign, the acquisition will not proceed.
  • If fewer than 50% oppose, the acquisition may move forward and the LAS is established.

If you support the land acquisition as part of the Local Area Service, you do not need to do anything.

The petition period runs from October 1 to October 31, 2025. Completed petitions must be received by 4:00 PM on October 31.

Cost details

When a municipality pays upfront for a Local Area Service - like buying land or building infrastructure - it lets property owners pay back their share over time instead of all at once. But by doing this, the municipality misses out on earning interest it could have made if it had invested that money. To make up for that, interest is added to the repayment, similar to a loan.

So instead of dividing the total cost evenly like this:

$1,163,000 ÷ 662 properties = $1,756.80 per property over 20 years

The municipality uses an amortization formula to spread the cost plus interest over 20 years. That works out to:

$128.66 per year × 20 years = $2,573.20 per property

The difference - $816.40 - is the interest, which reflects the earnings the municipality would have made if it hadn’t waited for repayment.

Property owners will have the option to pay the entire amount at once, if preferred.

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Join the conversation

This is a space for community discussion about the Donnay Drive Lands. Share your ideas and explore future possibilities for the land and trails with other community members. Everyone’s voice matters so please keep the conversation respectful.
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