Editor:
It's been three-and-a-half years. The Tsawwassen First Nation ratified its treaty, exited Delta, hired talent and set about creating wealth by leasing land for development.
We were told to expect port-related warehouses, container storage, a truck service station and an incinerator to burn the region's trash. The future, it was said, holds 4,100 new homes, or 1,864, or 800, or is it 24? And most importantly, there will be malls; glorious malls, two of them, and they shall be "mega!"
So ... how're they doing? They've built roads and buried utilities in preparation for industrial development, but I've seen no tenants announced. Two model homes are being built on land owned by members, not by TFN, but TFN has sewer capacity for only 24.
Since 2011 they have been doing "due diligence" with mall developers in anticipation of leasing land.
But there are obstacles. The TFN apparently assumed Delta's sewer would accommodate its needs, but didn't check. It won't. Investors planning to finance construction of the first mega-mall report online they anticipate "completion of due diligence/waiver of final conditions" in October 2012, and the "closing of land lease transaction" in November.
Will new leadership overcome these obstacles, or does Chief Kim Baird's replacement suggest a loss of members' interest in projects she championed?
Will these dates be met or extended? Will projects be abandoned?
These decisions are critical and not just for TFN's future. Developments on the massive scale TFN announced profoundly impact its neighbours.
Delta council, when presented with TFN's traffic projections and the resulting impact on Delta's streets, declared: "This is insanity!"
Compounding "insanity" with uncertainty is an added impediment to cooperation. Delta cannot responsibly plan Tsawwassen's future without knowing what to expect from TFN.
It seems TFN failed to extend Delta the courtesy of consultation before announcing its planned developments. It's time to mend fences.
Will TFN proceed with its announced developments, or do the obstacles encountered and change of leadership foretell a new direction? If so, what will it be? We need to know.
Ed Ries
