A piece of land on the Saanich Peninsula is back with its original owners after over 150 years of changing hands.
The Tsartlip First Nation officially took possession of the former Woodwynn Farm property on Wednesday following the signing of an agreement between the Nation and the provincial government.
“I know the history and place names and culture of this territory we call Máwueć,” said Paul Sam (Telaxten), Tsartlip Councillor and Elder.
“Sir James Douglas signed a treaty with our leadership at Pkols, Mount Douglas. But the treaty was not honoured, and our reserve got smaller and smaller.”
That treaty, signed in 1852, ceded control of the area to the Hudson’s Bay Company for the modern-day equivalent of just $7,743.17.
Since then, the property has seen various owners, first being named Woodwynn Farm by former Lieutenant Governor William Culham Woodward as a mix between his name and that of his wife, Ruth Wynn Woodward (née Johnson).
In 2018, the province acquired the land with an eye to using it under BC Housing. They ultimately leased the land to a local farmer to help maintain the property.
Now, the 78-hectare property, which was originally used by the Tsartlip First Nation for hunting, farming and traditional practices, will return to its first owners.
“With the history of colonization in the Saanich Peninsula, Tsartlip people lost much of our land base, our traditional communities,” said Tsartlip First Nation Chief Don Tom.
“We recognize the importance of stewardship to ensure the environment of this land is sustainable.”
Tom also said that the land will be useful to the community for a rapidly growing population.
The 78-hectare property is directly adjacent to Tsartlip First Nation’s only reserve and with over 1,000 members Tom says they have need of space for housing, recreational, and cultural needs.
“Tsartlip is one of the fastest-growing communities in southern Vancouver Island, and land is scarce so close to the city,” said Tom.
“Acquiring this property almost doubles the amount of land we currently have, so we can begin to plan for current and future generations to support our growing population.”
The purchase was made possible through a $7.77 million grant from the Province. Tsartlip First Nation has extended the lease to the farmer who is currently on the land until September 2021, while they consult with their membership on how best to utilize the land.
“The land at Máwueć, Woodwynn Farm, used to be hunting territory and cedar tree forest, where our Elders and ancestors would harvest medicines,” said Joe Seward, Tsartlip Councillor.
“It is very meaningful to our people to have this land returned to our Nation, physically and spiritually, land that was taken away. We want to reawaken the land, heal the land and bring the sacredness back.”
Tsartlip First Nation is planning a ceremony to celebrate the return of Máwueć to the community once COVID-19 restrictions permit them to do so and safety can be assured.
A timeline of Máwueć (Woodwynn Farms)
- 1852 Douglas Treaties — South Saanich is bought by Hudson Bay Company for £41 13 shillings 4 pence (£4,481 in 2020), North Saanich is bought for an unknown amount (the amount is missing from the original document), including the land known as Máwueć, meaning “honoured grandfather.”
- 1854 — Hudson’s Bay Company employee Angus MacPhail builds a cabin on the land.
- Early 1940’s — Lieutenant Governor William Culham Woodward and his wife Ruth Wynn Johnson purchase the land for farming, renaming it “Woodwynn” as a combination of their names.
- 1946 — Woodward declines a second term as Lieutenant Governor to spend more time on Woodwynn Farms.
- 1957 — William Culham Woodward passes away, while Ruth Wynn Woodward (née Johnson) continues to raise cattle on the farm.
- 1972 — Ruth Wynn Woodward passes away.
- 1988 — John Arnaud purchases Woodwynn Farm.
- 2007 — Arnaud lists Woodwynn Farm for $6.9 million.
- 2008 — Two competing groups vie to purchase Woodwynn Farm – the Creating Homefulness Society and the Farmlands Trust Society. Richard Leblanc, acting on behalf of the Creating Homefulness Society, wants to rezone the land to house up to 96 homeless people to live and work at the site. Local residents voice strong disapproval of housing homeless people on the land.
- May 2009 — The Creating Homefulness Society purchases Woodwynn Farms for $4.65 million.
- July 2009 — Volunteers under the leadership of Woodwynn Farms executive director Richard LeBlanc undertake a cleanup as the first step in a six-year plan to transform the property into a working farm and therapeutic community for Victoria’s homeless population.
- 2011 — The Creating Homefulness Society applies first to the District of Central Saanich and then to the Agricultural Land Commission to re-zone the property to house over 100 people. In both cases, their applications are denied.
- 2013 to 2017 — a series of incidents paint a sour relationship between Woodwynn Farms and Central Saanich. These include:
- a $200 fine issued by Central Saanich in 2013 which Leblanc called “harassment”
- a civil claim filed by Central Saanich in 2014 to shut down operations at Woodwynn
- no-occupancy notices posted by Central Saanich in 2017, citing electrical issues and a fire hazard
- December 2017 — a former volunteer at Woodwynn Farms pleads for support from Premier John Horgan in an open letter
- January 2018 — Woodwynn Farms issues a statement that they will shut down operations and sell off the land after the Agricultural Land Commission denied a request for additional housing, leading financial backers to pull out.
- July 2018 — the BC Government purchases Woodwynn Farms, intending to turn management of the land over to BC Housing.
- October 2018 — approximately 10 homeless campers are forcibly evicted by police after they are found to be illegally occupying the land at Woodwynn Farms.
- 2018 to 2019 — the Province leases Woodwynn Farms to a local farmer who grows hay and other produce, in the hopes that this will help maintain the property, which has fallen into disrepair.
- December 2020 — Woodwynn Farms is returned to Tsartlip First Nation over 150 years after the Douglas Treaties. Tsartlip First Nation extends the farmer’s lease until Sept. 2021 while they consult with members about how best to use the land.
