Retaining Riverview Lands

WHEREAS the Riverview Lands are significant to British Columbias heritage and history, in that the Lands were set aside over 100 years ago to be a sanctuary and residential treatment facility for the mentally ill and to be the site for a provincial botanical garden; AND WHEREAS the Riverview Lands are valued throughout the province as the home to British Columbias primary mental health care facility, as an important heritage site, as a treasured botanical gardenarboretum and as a sanctuary for all; AND WHEREAS they represent an unique opportunity for economic development, that will benefit all citizens, through undertaking initiatives which are congruent with the original long-term vision for the property e.g., a campus focussed on research and development concerning physical and mental health and welfare; AND WHEREAS by working together, there are tremendous opportunities to create a future plan for Riverview that reflects the goals and priorities of local residents, the region, and numerous interest groups from across the province: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities urge the provincial government to retain the Riverview Lands in public ownership, that its ongoing use as a mental health facility be respected, that they be managed in a manner that is consistent with the original long-term vision for the property and not as a site for market housing, and that the heritage buildings, landscapes, and arboretum be protected and preserved for the benefit of all British Columbians.