Ministry of Environment

The District of Langford has conserved parts of sensitive ecosystems through the creation of new parkland at Goldstream Meadows and on Selwyn Road.

A proposed 42-townhouse development for the Songhees Retirement Village, just north of the Trans-Canada Highway in Langford, included a terrestrial herbaceous ecosystem (HT:ro) with several Garry oaks. After a site visit confirmed its value, Council agreed to modify the proposal to include 28 townhouses, setting aside the Garry oak area as parkland. Public access will be permitted along a proposed trail, and planner Rob Buchan notes that it will be important to locate and manage the trail to prevent ecosystem impacts.

Staff and Council have also negotiated the protection of an SEI-identified wetland at Goldstream Meadows, creating 35 acres of parkland as part of a comprehensive development proposal.

Langford have also prepared bylaws to implement Bill 25 (Fish Protection Act) and Bill 26 (Local Government Amendment Act.) This will allow the creation of new DPAs based on SEI data, riparian zones and undeveloped greenfield sites. Using the new authority in Bill 26, the new bylaw will enable staff to require impact studies on traffic, stormwater and other environmental matters.

For further information please contact Rob Buchan, Municipal Planner for the District of Langford, (250) 474-6919.

• on the SEI project, change forms and groundtruthing:

  Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
  Conservation Data Centre
  Jan Kirkby
  Ph. (250) 387-0732
  Fax: (250) 387-2733
  e-mail: Jan.Kirkby@gems9.gov.bc.ca

• on the SEI project and digital data:

  Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service
  Peggy Ward
  Ph. and fax: (250) 752-9611
  e-mail: Peggy.Ward@ec.gc.ca

To order maps, please contact:

Clover Point Cartographics
Ph.: (250) 384-3537
Fax: (250) 384-2679

• on the SEI project and consultants:

  Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
  Vancouver Island Region, Nanaimo
  Marlene Caskey, Trudy Chatwin or Peter Law
  Ph: (250) 751-3100
  Fax: (250) 751-3103
  e-mail: mcaskey@nanaimo.env.
  gov.bc.ca
  tachatwn@nanaimo.env.
  gov.bc.ca