CAMP COMPASSION at WOODWYNN FARMS ANNOUNCEMENT

VICTORIA, BC- Richard Leblanc, founder of the Creating Homefulness Society-Woodwynn Farms invites you to attend at Woodwynn Farms for the announcement of the next phase in our quest to help the homeless, called "Camp Compassion"

The announcement will be made at Saturday, July 7th, 2pm, at our farm at 7789 W. Saanich Rd, Victoria, BC

The Woodwynn Farms Therapeutic Community for the homeless had partially suspended client operations July 2011, pending regulatory permits (rezoning) and funding.

In April 2012, the BC Agricultural Land Commission denied Woodwynn's application to implement the Therapeutic Community program on our farmland.

The next announcement is in direct response to the growing need for significantly impactful solutions to homelessness in our communities and the lack of government support to date.

See: www.woodwynnfarms.org

Pissed

Is encouraging breaking the law part of the mandate of this board of directors. Can directors be levied with the fines of up to $10,000 or are just the victims they are encouraging to break the law?
- Potentierd
  
  Get a grip on reality! What laws have been broken? An owner of private property has invited 12 people to come to the 200 acre farm to camp out, and get out of the parks and vehicles that they live in. What business is it of the government or neig hbours to determine who and when a property owner invites someone to their property? As long as the noise, safety and activities do not disturbe the neighbours.
  - Brian Losie
    
    It seems that the ‘guests’ have 30 days, legally, to camp out. What then, the original 12 leave and 12 more cycle in?
    If there are legal implications down the road, it will be the Board of Directors that get the fines, not necessarily the ED. I am sure the board is aware of their legal responsibilities.
    - Pissed
      
      Are they? Have a look at the land use by laws on Central Saanich web site. This camping if for Agritourism and requires paying campers and noe more than 10 sites. No platforms can be built. From the news coverage platforms are being built, the use is not Argitourism and the number exceeds 10.
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Pissed

Potnetierd – it is called zoning / and they do not have a permit for the land use they are utilizing the land for. Perhaps you might want to read the zoning by laws
rob G

The municipal council of central saanich is typical of upper middle class people the world over who talk about helping the poor and disenfranchised yet do not want anyone who is not like them in their neighbourhood. Shame on them. Wake up people, there are problems in this world and everyone can help.
uucluelet

One individual has decided that he is right. He will use other people’s money to his own ends. Basically, he paid over 6 million dollars for what is a viable 4 million dollar agricultural enterprise. Silly man, but it wasn’t his money. Furthermore, he admits he knows little about farming , no equipment, no stewardship of the land. He has not respected laws or by-laws and expects everyone to dance to his tune. This is a property that has absolutely no services for urban use. No transit, no water, no sewer, actually a true agricultural property.

This property has yielded up to four hay cuts and under the current management is now struggling to take off one. The buildings are in disrepair and Woodwynn, through no fault of the land is a sorry sight.

I would give not one charitable cent to this debacle. I support what the city is doing around the motel conversions, and I think that Central Saanich residents are willing to make the city core better. There are great things that can be done within the core and urban agriculture.

Everything about Woodwynn right now is appalling. So sad to see the manipulations . I wish you a future so much better, Woodwynn
- Vicki
  
  Mr. Leblanc has respected the laws and for four years and has done everything by the book. The buildings are in better shape than when the farm was purchased by Creating Homefulness a registered charitable non-profit organization. Mr. Leblanc has had over a 70% success rate with his YEP program, farm managers can be hired, successful insightful visionaries cannot.
  What a therapeutic community does is give a hand up and offer a solution rather than a quick fix. While I support the efforts that the city of Victoria are doing to house those in need, housing does not help someone who is trying to recover from drug addiction. A therapeutic community does address a solution.Great things being done with agriculture in Central Saanich?? How can this be when over 70% of the farm land there produces nothing more than hay? A true great thing would be seeing farm land farmed, producing food.
  I personally find that everything about Woodwynn Farms at this time is heroic and indeed inspiring. The community at Woodwynn truly cares about helping those who are in need and looking to change their lives.
  
  As the Woodwynn motto goes “Believe in people until they are ready to believe in themselves”
  - Pissed
    
    If he had respect for the laws than he would have a permit for the land use. He does not – so he is breaking the law…….not to take away from all the great things he has done in the past.
    
    P.S. Hay is considered a crop. It is an important one as well as it produces food for the animals that live and work on farms.
    
    Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could obtain land that is already zoned for a theraputic facility to fulfil this wonderful vision. Sadly this land is ARL land and the ARL is not willing to rezone it.
    
    5% of the provinces land is in the ALR. Check out their site and see the hisory of the ARL land and use. What they do is very important to ensure farm land remains farmland.
- Pissed
  
  clearly you are some one who gets it. I concure they have bought the land with the wrong zoning and what they are doing right now should concern the 16,000 residents of Central Saanich who live and play by the zoning rules of the area.
  
  It should also concern their directors and their donors.
Pissed

Rob G – please note the painting the council of Central Saannich with one brush is very wrong. It might come as a surprise that they are not all typical upper middle class people as you state – we have homeless in Central Saanich as well – this is not just a problem in Victoria. People of Central Saanich are compassionate about the trials of the homeless and are very generous in their support of numberous causes that assist. The real problem is that this land was zoned ARL when it was bought and ARL land doesn’t allow this activity on this land. ALR is a provincial entity and they were the ones who turned down the applicataion and have the juristiction to do so. Perhaps better home work should have been done prior to purchase as the ARL land and uses are clearly defined for anyone who contemplates buying ARL land. Go to their website – it is very clear.