South Campbell Heights and the Unravelling of DRIPA

A few weeks ago I told you about 600 acres of ecologically- and archaeologically-sensitive land known as South Campbell Heights, situated near the Surrey-Langley border in South Surrey. Currently, South Campbell Heights sits just outside Surrey’s urban containment border and is zoned as rural. The City of Surrey is proposing much of that land be zoned for business employment instead (i.e. turned into warehouses). To do so, the City of Surrey needs the Metro Vancouver Board to approve their proposal and agree to an amendment of the Regional Growth Strategy.

Unfortunately the City of Surrey got that approval at a recent Metro Vancouver board meeting. Approval despite the concerns of many, including the following from Semiahmoo FIrst Nation Chief Harley Chappell when asked about archaeological concerns for the area:

…This site, this proposed project, is right within the territory of our village site named Tatalu. Yet again unfortunately we haven’t engaged in those conversations. So it’s kinda hard for me to say at present moment what the impacts of that are…I think this is part of the unravelling of our DRIPA legislation here in the province…

Langley Township Councillor Kim Richter’s comments, made prior to the ill-fated vote, echoed many of my own sentiments:

…This vote today will definitely reveal how much this Metro Board truly embraces its values around climate protection, truth and reconciliation, environmental sustainability and its livable region strategy. At risk here, by this application, is a red-coded salmon bearing river, the Brookswood aquifer, vulnerable species like owls and swallows, toads, frogs and the Salish Sucker, as well as reconciliation with the First Nations…

Unfortunately, these comments from Chief Chappell and Councillor Richter were largely ignored. Instead many, including Langley Township Mayor Jack Froese, voted for warehouses - warehouses over clean drinking water, over a livable climate, over a dozen species at risk, and over truth and reconciliation.

Shame.