Cooperation and Communication at the Heart of a Sustainable Relationship With Dockside Green
Cooperation and Communication at the Heart of a Sustainable Relationship With Dockside Green
Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation And Dockside Green Ltd. Sign Memorandum of Understanding
Victoria, BC, October 23, 2006—Over 75 people were on hand at the Dockside Green site today, to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) on Cooperation and Communication by the Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation and Dockside Green Ltd.
The award winning community of Dockside Green is being created on a 15-acre brownfield in the heart of Victoria, and resides in the traditional territories of the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation. The signing of this MOU is the first step in the development of a strong, sustainable working relationship.
The Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation have explained to the developers of Dockside Green that their historic relationship with the land and resources in their traditional territories is integral to the maintenance of each nation’s society, governance an economy. Dockside Green’s co-developers, Vancity and Windmill Developments, respect and acknowledge this historical relationship.
A number of mutual objectives are outlined in the MOU, including the establishment of a training and employment program, which will involve the Songhees and Esquimalt nations, Dockside Green, the Wilnux Committee, Coast Salish Employment and Training Society ( CSETS), the BC Construction Association and other organizations as needed.
“We established from the beginning that we wanted to honour our First Nation partners as we created this community,” says Joe Van Belleghem, of Windmill Developments. “ This MOU is just the first step in promoting understanding of the interests of the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation in Dockside Green.”
Other objectives include working together to create a signage program that will focus on local aboriginal heritage and the creation of a public art strategy for Phase 1 of Dockside Green. To ensure these objectives are met, a joint working group will be established to review the joint initiatives and projects, as well as general progress on its goals and objectives.
About Dockside Green
The vision for Dockside Green is for a socially vibrant, ecologically restorative, economically sound and just community.
Windmill Developments, (a recognized North American leader in green building), and Vancity, (Canada’s largest credit union whose community efforts are well-known throughout North America), shared a vision to turn the site into a into a world-class sustainable mixed-use development comprised of one million square feet of mixed-use buildings with an onus on ecological, social and economic responsibility, or, in developers’ terms, a ‘triple bottom line’ (TBL) philosophy.
Once complete, Dockside Green will be a community for approximately 2,500 people incorporating the very highest in environmental standards saving residents energy and water costs. It is a multi-million dollar project that includes residential, live/work, hotel, retail, office, light industrial uses and numerous public amenities. It will comprise of 26 buildings totalling 1.3 million square feet, and will be built over 10 -12 years. To date, Dockside Green has been honoured with awards from the Canadian Urban Institute, the Planning Institute of BC, the Canadian Institute of Planners, Canadian Architect magazine and SmartGrowth BC.
For more information people may go to www.docksidegreen.com or visit the Dockside Green Presentation Centre at 1107 Wharf Street, open daily from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding Fridays.
MOU ReleaseMedia inquiries, please contact:
Christine Gleed, Tartan Group
250.592.3838 or 250.896.3844 (cell)