UPDATE An order by the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development that went into effect Tuesday will prohibit new applications for private moorage within the southern Gulf Islands and the southeast shoreline of Vancouver Island for the next two years.
The order by Forests Minister Katrine Conroy, signed on Monday, went into immediate effect the following day and covers the period from Aug. 24, 2021 to Aug. 23, 2023.
A what? A Foreshore Leases. What is a foreshore lease? and why do I need one if I want to put in a dock in front of my Salt Spring waterfront home?
Here is the definition;
Crown foreshore is, in basic terms, all land covered by either saltwater or freshwater. Almost all foreshore in British Columbia is owned by the province and can be tenured by way of Licence of Occupation, Lease, or Right of Way (tenures).
This document goes into a detailed explanation of the foreshore ownership;
Basically in BC if you have a Salt Spring waterfront home you own the land to the high tide mark everything after that is owned by the Queen.
How do you get a foreshore lease? You muddle through the process on your own or you hire an expert. Such as Adam Thomsen from All Tides Consulting. This is what he does. Here is a short podcast that was recorded at TJ Beans coffee house in Ganges on a rather noisy but sunny deck.
If you want more information on how to get a foreshore lease, for your Salt Spring waterfront home, you can contact Adam directly at alltidesconsulting at gmail dot com. Web site www.alltidesconsulting.com
Please note you would also need a foreshore lease if you want to install a geothermal heat exchanger.
Cheers,
Scott & June Simmons
The Salt Spring Team
