Jericho Lands sale worries Vancouver residents
Department of Defence in talks with Musqueam on business venture
Residents are worried about what will become of the Jericho Lands, now the federal government has approved the sale of the 52-acre green space in one of Canada's most expensive neighbourhoods.
"People don't even know what has been discussed in terms of the kind of development that's going to go in there," said David Eby, MLA for the Vancouver-Point Grey riding.
The sprawling property on the west side of Vancouver includes a mix of trees, historic buildings, a military base and childcare facility.
It was managed by the Department of National Defence (DND) for decades, but has now been declared surplus land and approved for sale to the Canada Lands Company for "strategic disposal".
Eby says there hasn't been any consultation with the public on what any future developments might look like.
"The government is leaving some key people out of this discussion, and that's the people who live around the military base," he said.
The DND says it plans to enter negotiations with the Musqueam First Nations for a business venture on the land in September.