Dear editor,

Town of Comox issued a news release about an online information hub (The Record, Aug. 9) for residents 鈥渢o learn more about the Mack Laing property and its history.鈥�

The information on this 鈥渉ub鈥� about the property and its history is minimal. The suggestion that 鈥渦pdates on the plans for Mack Laing Nature Park鈥� are coming this fall in response to public questions, is difficult to interpret.

The public has raised questions for years about the plans for the park, with little response from the mayor and council. The timing indicates that this is mostly to justify the Town鈥檚 controversial decision to have the terms of the Mack Laing Trust altered by the B.C. Supreme Court.

The 鈥渧ariance鈥� sought by Comox is in fact an overturning of the trust. A favourable decision will result in the destruction of Shakesides, the house Mack Laing built in 1949. Laing expressly stated that his home, and his land, were both to be made available to the public for their enjoyment and education.

Shakesides was never made available to the public. It was rented out from 1982 to 2014 鈥� with the proceeds going into general revenue. From 2014, Shakesides was left vacant and unsecured, encouraging vandalism.

After protestations, it was boarded up in 2016, and a security fence erected at the beginning of 2018. Comox鈥檚 neglect of Shakesides, like that of Baybrook (Laing鈥檚 first home, demolished in 2015), violated the terms of the Trust which call for a natural history museum or nature house in modern parlance - not a viewing platform.

For years, Comox claimed that the money left to the Town by Laing was not sufficient to restore Shakesides.

However, that $50,000 would have bought a house in 1982. Comox confesses that the trust has amounted to over $250,000.

Professional restoration estimates done for the Mack Laing Heritage Society demonstrate that there are savings to be made with donated labour and materials.

Without even considering the design, labour, and materials for the proposed viewing platform, the financial burden to the Town of restoring Shakesides is much less than they have spent to date on legal bills to avoid restoring it. The Mack Laing Heritage Society has applied for standing Supreme Court.

A court decision favourable to the Town is by no means assured in early October.

MLHS believes that this may be a good time for the Town to change course and negotiate a settlement that really 鈥渉onours the conservation and educational goals laid out by Mack Laing.鈥�

- The Mack Laing Heritage Society of the Comox Valley