Update 2011

Barred Owl in the Whaletown Commons

The Strathcona Regional District has been in negotiations with the current owner, Island Timberlands to acquire the Whaletown Commons property as a park for the community.

These negotiations have been 'in-camera,' so no specifics as to numbers could be released to the public.

Regional Director Anderson was able to tell us though, that IT didn't agree to the initial offer made by the SRD, despite the fact that it was arrived at by careful valuation of current property and timber market conditions.

After thirteen years of effort by the Cortes Island community and *three* regional directors, it seems we have to wait a little longer to realize our objective. The good news is that raw land prices on Cortes Island are on the decline, which bodes well for the affordability of the parcel in the future. This is a great opportunity for Island Timberlands to show Cortes it wants to be a good corporate neighbour. We'll keep you posted!