Dear editor,

With reference to the renaming of the four acre forested area 鈥淭he Stan Hagen Nature Park鈥� there is another way that the City of Courtenay and Crown Isle could honour the memory of Stan Hagen.

About 20 years ago, while he served as the provincial minister responsible for Crown land, Mr. Hagen sold the 40-acre property, previously known as Lannan Forest, to the owners of the Crown Isle Resort. This was a highly controversial deal which he explained 鈥渨as to stimulate economic development in the Comox Valley.鈥� The Lannan Forest land, which is adjoining Crown Isle, has been logged but otherwise remains undeveloped. Crown Isle has done very well out of this sale. The property was bought for about $1.2 million but is now assessed at over $13.4 million.

There is an acute shortage of available land in the Valley to build affordable housing so I am appealing to the owners of Crown Isle, with support from the City of Courtenay and the provincial government, to dedicate this undeveloped 40-acre property for affordable housing in the memory of Mr. Hagen. This would be wonderful philanthropic gesture and would go a long way to solve the desperate need for affordable housing in the Comox Valley.

Terry Fright,

Comox Valley