PARKSVILLE – The City of Parksville has added to their park land inventory.
Council has approved the purchase of 36 hectares of land at 790 Hirst Avenue from the Ermineskin Cree Nation at a cost of $1.3 million. The city’s Chief Administrative Officer Debbie Comis says that parcel has been on their radar for a few years but was included in the agriculture land reserve.
“There was a lot of discourse back and forth about how it could be developed in the future and could it be developed,” said Comis. “At the end of the day, I think there was mutual agreement that council was unlikely to ever support the land coming out of the Agriculture Land Reserve.”
The land is well used by hikers, bird watchers and other nature loves and according to Comis, they have wanted council to buy the land for years.
“It’s taken a while to be able to set what is an equitable price both for the Ermineskin Cree nation and also for the City,” she said. “We have managed to do that and have been able to move forward with the purchase the property.”
After discussions with the Ermineskin Cree, it was decided that the best use of the property was for park land to be maintained by the city.