The next free eco-tours of the Garden City Lands park will celebrate International Biodiversity Day. (This year the UN's theme is "Water and Biodiversity.") We are celebrating with a pair of free tours on Wednesday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 at 12:00 noon. It is very important that as many citizens as possible are informed by firsthand experience with the park before participating in the City of Richmond's event and online feedback about enhancing the park. At this time, please click here to read the the eco-tours information.

Please visit the Richmond's Garden City Conservation blog for current in-depth insights.

This website is largely a site that reflects the history of the Garden City Lands as an issue.

Our traditional goal: To keep the Garden City lands green in the Agricultural Land Reserve and to steward their natural legacy for agricultural, ecological and open-land park uses for community wellness. The coalition is a community of people who cooperate toward that goal and to all Garden City conservation needs (as resources permit) as a public service for the people of Richmond, as well as the region, the province, and the world.

We are led by the board of directors of the Garden City Conservation Society. Last year's annual gathering of the society was on Monday, June 18, 2012. Once again, it was interactive and interesting. The gathering considered major renewal of our purposes, including an updated name. Subject to approval by the Registrar of Companies, the name of the society will become Garden City Conservation Society. This year's gathering is tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 17, 2013.

Visit the Future page for the PARC concept, the coalition approach to listening and conservation.

If you support our goal, you may wish to receive the Garden City News, a brief newsletter emailed to the Friends of Garden City about twice a month. To subscribe, simply send this subscribe email.

The "Why keep the lands green in the ALR?" PDF answers a key question.

The Garden City Lands, shown at top, are mapped with details here. The main entrance is shown here.

Above, Chak Au shows the IESCO award for International Eco-Safety Demonstrative City to Michael Wolfe and Carol Day. Richmond was one of just three cities in the world to be honoured with this award. Chak gave a lot of credit for the award to the Garden City Lands Coalition Society, in which Michael and Carol had leadership roles. Richmond School District won a similar award, and Chak brought both plaques back from the recent World Eco-Safety Assembly in Phonm Penh, Cambodia. The plaques are large (16" X 24") and solidly heavy, and someone had asked how he ever got them back. He said "I just opened my suitcase and threw out all my clothes and. . . ." On a happy occasion like this one, a little joke is worth a good laugh. For the whole story, see this blog post.

Election results: Eight of the nine candidates elected to Richmond council for the 2011-2014 term are Friends of Garden City who share the coalition goal. Coun. Chak Au is a welcome new addition to council.

A few examples of our activities:

• We have recently had success in getting the Garden City Lands designated appropriately enough in the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy after the Lands started out being called "General Urban," which means residential. There are  Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy posts on our blog.
• In 2010, the coalition presented Strengthen and improve the ALR together to the Agricultural Land Commission of British Columbia. It is subtitled Input for ALC Chair Richard Bullock for the 2010 ALR Review from the Garden City Lands Coalition Society, Richmond, BC. It is expected that the ALR Review will be a milestone in wise and effective conservation of BC’s scarce agricultural land. The coalition has much to offer, and we have reasonable grounds for optimism that all input is being heeded.
• Besides free eco-tours of the Garden City Lands, we have had a free agri-tour of Cherry Lane Farm, where visitors could see urban farming, organic farming practices, and more diversity in action.

The Garden City Lands is active at local events like this one at King George Park.

Our Garden City Lands - brief background

• BC's Agricultural Land Commission was asked to exclude the Garden City Lands, 140 acres of prime farmland in Richmond City Centre from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) so that over half the property could become high density development.
• Good alternatives had been proposed to keep the Lands as green open space in the ALR. The massive public input, evident in the ALC's Garden City Lands section, overwhelmingly opposed the application.
• The federal Minister of Agriculture indicated in a letter to the Garden City Lands Coalition that his department will consider using the lands for a program need if they become available.
• A key agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2008, after Richmond council refused (by a 6-3 vote) to take drastic means to extend it.
• On Feb. 12, 2009, the Garden City Lands panel of B.C.'s Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) REJECTED the application to remove the Lands from the ALR. Here's what we told the commission in a thorough analysis, and here's the commission's decision.
• Under the basic Garden City Lands memorandum of agreement (MOU), which has no expiry date, the City of Richmond renegotiated with Canada Lands Company and the Musqueam Indian Band to determine the future of the Lands. There could also have been occasion for the federal government to become involved.
• Along with unified strategic action by Richmond council, community action on this issue remains very important. Visit the Action page.

•  Many defenders of the Garden City Lands wrote to Canada Lands Company, and the Garden City Lands Coalition couriered a large (about two hundred pages), organized (in a binder with seventeen tabbed dividers), and highly informed presentation. It is also available here on this website. It is called Save Garden City: An urgent request to Canada Lands Company. The value of that work may have been lost because of the city step listed next.

• The City of Richmond purchased the Garden City Land on March 31, 2010. The Musqueam Indian Band sued the City of Richmond, making various claims on the premise that it sold its interest to the city under duress, in a writ dated April 9, 2010.

• Note re "The facts disagree with Richmond Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt." Evelina Halsey-Brandt wrote an unfortunate letter about the president of the Garden City Lands Coalition Society in the Richmond Review. His response with this title was on this page. It is now on the Richmond's Garden City Lands blog. Click here to read it there.

  We mourn the loss of our dear colleague Mary Gazetas on April 17, 2012.

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Reminder: Visit the Richmond's Garden City Lands blog for other current in-depth insights.

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