Before you read this, if you happen to be American I strongly recommend that you read James Rawles information on retreat land over at Survival Blog [click here] as the information on my blog is based on terms related to Canada. Even if your a Canuck like myself, I must note this is my Canadian answer to James' post, so you might want to read the post first.
I am actually have a problem looking for land from a distance, and really wish James' sister site [http://www.survivalrealty.com/] had Canadian listings. I've noticed that a lot of listings on MLS.ca do not include their legal status as freehold, or otherwise, and never mention the zoning even if the listing is under agriculture. (Note: www.mls.ca is about to change it's URL to www.realtor.ca)
As I mentioned in a previous post about 'The Farm', there was one area I was interested in because there was the possibility of getting a second piece of what is referred to as junk land. I decided to take a closer look at CONUS, and see how this would translate to the Great White North. (Now with a knod to James I introduce CAFIC)
Choosing A Farm In Canada:
James made an important point that what you consider to be your version of “worst case scenario”, will reflex on what you consider to be the best place and set up. My version of WSHTF, has a lot to do with what I've seen already. I believe that there will not be a single event that rips apart our modern society, instead I think it is far more likely that a chain reaction of events will end the world as we know it.
Let me put it another way, there have been several major disasters and events from 9/11 to the West Coast Black Out that have shaken us all to our core and altered the course of things to come. If they had all happened closer together within the time line of events, they would have compounded the problem and created new ones, even the sub-prime mortgage crisis could be included in the scenario. In fact, I'm not to sure if we can take any more, or if any more are even needed to start our descent into modern purgatory. It's the little things that are going to bite us in the ass, not a nuclear war, Steven King Pandemic, IMHO.
I believe the break down of this Roman Empire is likely to start with the food chain, or rather the lack of a food chain would be more accurate. It is a common belief that there is only three days supply of food at any given time, and that our food sources are so centralized that a break down of any of the transportation system that effects all supplies evenly would spell disaster. How accurate that belief is is mote point since most people believe it to be true, they will panic. To understand what I mean by this, one only has to look back a couple months at the rice shortage, the shelves were bare folks. (I still have rice left that I bought up weeks before the crisis, lesson learned, don't over stock.) As I write this, China is facing a milk crisis, and Canada has just passed by a meat crisis with Maple Leaf Foods. If events happen to fast for society to cope with, the shit will hit the fan.
James also goes on to mention that he is a Christian, and I take it from the way he refers to it, that he is a 'born-again' Christian. I don't knock him for that, and a lot of my friends who know me in real life, also know that I was raised with those same beliefs, and that I now claim to be an atheist. So it might come as a bit of a shock to my readers that I am going to encourage you to listen to James. Before you go looking for land, pray.
There is a book, if I remember the title correctly, called “The Celebration of Discipline” by Foster, Richard J. (ISBN: 0340500077) which ever Christian, and non-Christian should read, it is the basis of the way I meditate. Prayer for Christians clears the mind, and puts things in perspective, your going to need that for this search.
Basic Criteria:
Water, this is always first on the list. Where the water comes from beyond the property line is equally important. When I was searching properties in the interior of British Columbia the sources of water had to be traced to the North end of BC, almost all were glacier fed, and in the age of Global Warming not really a safe bet. Surface water is easier to use to water the garden, but is also more likely to be polluted, property should have both surface water, and a source below ground. A grade to the land away from your underground source is also a good thing to look for, provided that the septic tank is on the lower end. Knowing the depth of the water table will let you know how deep you would have to dig a well.
Up here in the Great White North, the length of the the growing season is vital in considering where to buy land, it was one of the main factors that brought me to British Columbia since the area on the sunshine coast near Half Moon Bay has the longest growing season in Canada. Exposure to the sun is also a factor as well, you reduce you solar power availability when you on the north side of a mountain here to the point that I always skip looking at property in those cases. Being aware of the sun, the climate your in is needed in planning your your layout for the land. Winter with snow can be an asset, compared to constant rain which has turned out to be depressing in my case. The average frost level should also be a consideration, give more points to the areas which have it closer to the surface.
Flood plains, dry belts, and earthquake zones are negatives. You might also consider the history of the areas your looking at, does it have a history for tornadoes, hail, and freak storms? You never going to find a place that has no risks, you have figure out which risks you can handle, and knowing which ones are most likely to occur can help you prepare.
James makes mention of line of sight to a major road, or taking the high ground. My suggestion is to consider how you play chess. Chess has two main possible forms of play, attack, or defense. If you play chess in such a way that your always on the attack, you should consider the high ground approach to placing your house on the land, the way you play chess will reflect on how you react to events WSHTF. By contrast if your a defense player in chess, you want your home out of the line of sight of a major road. In my case, I'm a defense player, and I plan to have not just a wind break on the land, but a thorn break as well.
Continuing with a Canadian reply to James' CONUS, the local economy comes next in his list of basics. A healthy economy is not a consideration for me, mainly because a sick one reduces the price of the land, and Ontario is being hit hard so there are deals to be made. However, a diverse economy is more important then anything else anyway. The more variety of businesses, and resources for businesses, allows for a bounce back, and sustainability. Also along this train of thought is consider what you can not do, if you plan to try to take care of all your needs, you will fall short of everything if your honest with yourself, so consider which business in the area can provide you and your family with materials, and supplies you can not acquire your self. Salt is high on the list here, it is used to tan hides, preserve food, and host of other things. A supply of salt is something to consider, but not only for yourself, ask yourself if there will be enough for the entire community, you will not need the competition with your neighbors.
I don't know about the terms for the USA, but in Canada you want “Freehold” title to the land. DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT LAND WITHOUT IT. I've already written about this in a past post, so I won't get into it here. but another legal aspect to consider about buying real estate for CAFIC is zoning, and protected land status. No zoning at all, usually means that you don't need to get permission to build on the land. I have only found non-zoned land in the far north, so check with a professional agent to understand what the applications mean for your area. Definitions are provincial controlled so don't trust your knowledge if your buying out of area. ALP (Agricultural Land Preserve) status means your protected from commercial development for the most part, this is not the same thing as “Alternative Land Use”. Property taxes are about 1% of the value of the land at last assessment, but there are provincial regulations that reduce that for “active” farms. An active farm is a farm which makes a minimum amount of sales per year by the dollar value, usually around $1,200 last time I checked. One way around this is to barter with other farmers, and sign receipts for 'tax purposes', it is common practice, and is legal as long you write the receipt out with the real cash value. You swap $300 whole of lamb meat for $300 worth of beef etc.
Before you buy, assuming it has buildings on it, put out the money to get it inspected. A new tile roof can cost you over $10,000, not something you want to be surprised with. Don't trust yourself to know everything, or remember all the details that you want to consider when buying a house, get professional help. If the property doesn't have buildings on it already consider getting the actual area on the land you plan to build the house on inspected, sandy loom soil will takes a long time to settle with a new foundation on it before you can build.
One of my considerations is the distance from hunting areas. I would ideally like it within walking distance, with a low surrounding population. When humans were just hunter gathers, it took an average of one square mile per person to sustain the community. I'm not saying you will need the same, however if your within a two day walk to a population of four million, it might be something to keep in mind. your primary threat to survival in the best of times is competition with others.
East or West and the US Border:
James suggests staying clear of the Mexican Border by about 150 miles for his readers in the states. The reasons are limited to the possible turmoil that could result in Mexico as a result of WSHTF. The same could be said for the US and Canada border. But not because I fear an influx of illegal Americans, but rather an evacuee of human zoos. Most of Canada's population runs along the US/Canada border, all our major cities, in fact all the largest ones, are literally walking distance to the US border. Canada has during it's development as a country become dependent on the US for exports and imports, and as a result our populations have moved to where the jobs are. Over fifty percent of all humans on this planet now live in cities, and the planning departments of those cities have gone with eco-density, that means more people backed into larger buildings. Imagine what would happen if Toronto had to be evacuated if the Pickering Power Plant was about to melt down? You wouldn't even be able to walk past the corner of Younge and Bloor, it would be just to packed. Get out of the Cities, get out of the cities ...
Moving to Ontario, or staying in British Columbia has been a sore spot in my life for awhile now. Although there are also personal reasons why I consider the move to the east, they are not controlling factors. The land in BC is primarily rocky sand loom soil. It is not ideal for mixed use farming. The prairie provinces, are to dependent on the glacier fed water sources to be safe with the current lack of re-freezing. Southern Ontario is really polluted, and the Mari-times are to dam cold for me in the winter. I love Quebec personally, but the cultural differences between the French and the English is just something I'd rather not deal with. That's all of Canada, folks. Problems can be seen every where, and what you have to deal with should be limited to what you can deal with. James states very clearly to go west young man (my translation), mainly due to population density. In Canada, I would say go north for the same reasons.
Because the Provinces are so vast compared to US states, I would have to list out individual counties within those provinces to be a true comparison between James' CONUS and my CAFIC. I have not included 'Gun Laws' in my assessment of counties of Canada as they are federally regulated, and don't change much between provinces. I will compare 'Gun Crime Rates' although I wouldn't place to much trust in those rates as a factor. Like the USA most violent crimes take place between people that know each other. Unlike the USA, the percentage of violent crimes between people that know each other is much higher then the USA. What this means to me is that you can not trust the mass media, or Census Canada to give a fair risk level to a person encountering a stranger who means to do them harm.
I have also eliminated any county which does not have a reliable water supply, is to close to a nuclear power plant, or has a high population density per square mile. Other factors I considered worthy of elimination were earthquake zones, down stream of large dams, and the types of common soils which make mixed use farming difficult. One factor I did ignore in these lists was minor crimes. The only reason I ignored something I considered important was to due to the fact that the amount of minor crimes being committed change constantly due to a number of factors. With the current election close at hand, and I am predicting a Tory majority, I see a change coming to Canada's “Young Offenders Act”, and this will effect those types of crime rates. The Mayor of New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, enacted a Graffiti Free campaign to reduce crime. The premise was simple, a nicer place to live helped people care about where they lived, and it seems to have worked for the most part. I could have used this assumption, that minor crimes such as graffiti reflect on how the area is for other crimes that would effect you, but due to the current shift that will effect the results, I'm ignoring them for now.
“Canada is divided into ten provinces and three territories. Each of these entities may have different types of subdivision, used for various purposes.
Statistics Canada, the Canadian census organization, has created a Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). The SGC is a hierarchical set of regional divisions. Provinces and territories are top-level divisions, and have two-digit codes. On the second level are census divisions, also with two-digit codes. Census subdivisions, with three-digit codes, are on the third (lowest) level. To identify an area completely, the hierarchical codes are concatenated from left to right. For example, 35 09 021 represents the census subdivision of Perth, Ontario. The 35 identifies Ontario, the 09 identifies Lanark county, and the 021 specifies Perth.” - http://www.statoids.com/yca.html
There are two hundred and ninety four counties in Canada by this measure, there are a few issues concerning the Yukon, and the NWT divisions I will ignore. I also have a 'Freeze My Butt Off Line' which will eliminate any counties that are north of it (46° North).
If you want to do your own list, and send me the results I'd be happy to post them here.
Taking a look at only Ontario, and British Columbia, and removing the ones for issues i remember from heart (re: above) I am left with 26 choices as follows: (Alphabetical)
1: Alberni-Clayoquot British Columbia
2: Bruce County Ontario
3: Columbia-Shuswap British Columbia
4: Comox Valley British Columbia
5: Dufferin County Ontario
6: Frontenac County Ontario
7: Grey County Ontario
8: Haliburton County Ontario
9: Hastings County Ontario
10: Huron County Ontario
11: Lambton County Ontario
12: Lanark County Ontario
13: Leeds and Grenville United Counties Ontario
14: Perth County Ontario
15: Central Okanagan British Columbia
16: Kootenay Boundary British Columbia
17: Mount Waddington British Columbia
18: Nanaimo British Columbia
19: Renfrew County Ontario
20: Simcoe County Ontario
21: Skeena-Queen Charlotte British Columbia
22: Squamish-Lillooet Regional Distric British Columbia
23: Strathcona British Columbia
24: Sunshine Coast British Columbia
25: Thompson-Nicola British Columbia
26: Wellington County Ontario
The eliminations are by no means complete as most of these names I am not familiar with, and had to use google maps to look them up.
More to come ...
-Wolfe
Checking out Ontario
Written by Wolfe
Monday, 22 September 2008 16:48
Although I'm not totally finished with looking for land in British Columbia, and there are a few things that could either force me to stay here, or encourage me to do so, I have to take a look at Ontario. There are two main reasons for considering Ontario as a place to buy the farm.
First, Ontario is a rich resource for farm land, it has the right kinds of soil, and plenty of 'fresh water' compared to all provinces west of it. The other consideration is a little personal, it has to do with the fact that we left Ontario to get away from 'Big Brother' if you will, now that not only enough time has past, we are also on the verge of a win against 'those that I dare not name ... yet'. And this give us a margin of safety and allows me to hopefully rebuild a relationship with my family who are still there.
All that aside, there is yet another reason to consider Ontario, real estate is crashing big time there. There are good odds at getting a better deal for farm land as far as the buying power of a buck is concerned anyway, but with the added fall in the markets, even more so.
I saw this coming, and I must admit I'm concerned about my accuracy. I am by no means an expert on anything, but I believe I've been able to pick up some good guessing habits as a result of being an information broker for almost 20 years. What this means to me is this, since the recent crash in the not only the stock markets, and the real estate markets, (not mention the fact that the USA is making EXACTLY the same mistake as they did in the 30's) I suspect that we are heading nose first into a global depression. This isn't even counting the fact that we are in peak oil, no matter which of the three definitions of peak oil you use.
As James Rawles over at survivalblog.com points out... “The time to get ready was yesterday.”
We are almost completely packed up and ready to move, legal papers are in the mail, and we await word on the settlement. We have a few details to work out, and time is the one of those details. We need to move from where we are, almost immediately, to where we are going, and the time between when we leave this rental to the farm is limited in order to avoid some penalties, that reduces our time to choose a farm to, get this, 30-60 days when the final paper work is received. In English, one day I'll be going about the same as always, 9-5 working etc, the next day we could get something in the mail, and then we will have less then 60 days to finish packing, choosing Ontario or British Columbia once and for all, buy the farm, and move in, literally. I have my Bug Out Bag all ready packed.
Moving after getting notice that your land lord has sold the place you are renting within 30 days is hard enough, that's how we ended up in this house. Moving across country within 30 is another matter all together. We can take our phone with us, so we don't need to disconnect it etc, (It's VOIP remember). And that is about our only monthly bill we will care about, so canceling newspapers etc isn't a problem, what is, is that I'm not exactly sure where to look for land in Ontario, and with the current situation, not only in my own house, but globally as well, I'm out of time.
In the basement of this house we have stacks of boxes filled with stuff we are taking with us to the farm, neatly packed and labeled sitting on top of crates to help keep them dry in the event of a minor flood in the basement. Above them on the wall is a map of Ontario I look at ever time I am down there sorting through old copies of “Mother Earth News”, or some other thing I am debating coming with us. The map has a huge red circle on it, which has it's center the Pickering Power plant, we are not allowing ourselves to move into the red circle. There are/will be other circles and marks on it that outline danger zones, most of which are environmental, some are crime stats, etc. mostly however is list of communities which have good water, and good soil for farming, and that's where my search begins.
In my first post on this subject I compared farms for sale in Ontario to British Columbia, the differences between the two lists blew my mind. I have no option open to me to do the same thing again comparing farm land between two different areas of Ontario, they are pretty much the same all over due to how the lower half of the province was formed during the end of the last ice age. Therefore I will center my options by comparing factors not directly related to farming. There are four areas in Ontario that draw my attention, each for different reasons.
1: Perth – Primary reason; 'culturally rich'. It is not enough to survive, I want to thrive. This is the reason it is at the top at my list so far.
2: The Bruce Peninsula – Primary reason; 'nature' enough said.
3: Kawartha Lakes – Primary reason, 'hunting and fishing resources'
4: Muskoka – Primary reason; a little of all of the above - in addition to access to other things if WTSHTF doesn't happen, (equally a draw back too).
If I had to choose today with out further investigation I'd choose Muskoka, mainly because I know of another survivalist that has moved into that area that has not only more knowledge then me, but also some of the same concerns. He has an acting career like my oldest son, and younger children which need access to the same things that my youngest kids need. It's a fair bet that he had the resources to choose better then me, and as an added bonus, it's not to far from my own family back east. It also holds true that not only is there reasonably price farm land in the area, there is also cheap junk land nearby as well, this allows for a second property within our budget for hunting purposes and a hidden cache of survival supplies off site.
This leaves one last thing, how to pull it all off in the time limit we have.
There are two options for us on the “how”. First, buy a storage trailer, and truck (we will need the truck for the farm anyway), and pack up, and then drive out as fast as we can to start the in area search. Not to smart if you ask me, besides I don't like the idea of being stuck in a hotel for weeks when we get there. Second option, get one of those “U-PAK-IT” boxes and ship out out stuff to Toronto Storage for pick up at the other end at a later date, and take the plane after setting up appointments to visit farms for sale from this end. Takes less time, contains less stress, and hiring a professional has it's merits. Problem, it costs more and we still don't know the full measure of our budget, (one of those things that might get us to stay here). The other problem is that I really don't want to be in a hotel in Ontario for even one night.
More things to think about.
- Wolfe
Tax Sales
Written by Wolfe
Saturday, 26 April 2008 19:29
So I finally have domain just for this blog. I know I've jumped around a bit on the net, but this is the last time I swear!
I've been real busy the last couple of weeks with the move of not only this site, but several others. Well for the most part everything is backed up, and moved, we do have a little problem with not only greenmilitia.com but also the auto post bot for that site (we're improving it anyway).
It's also tax season up here in the great white north, and although it shouldn't be to much of a headache, I've lost a couple of papers I need... so that'll have to come first.
Now onto the Farm news... we've been given a huge lead towards something that interests me very much. It turns out that although there is no such thing as a 'Homesteading Act' in British Columbia anymore, there are mineral rights. (Ceramics!) There is also a tax sale thing happening up here as well. Now there are two catches to each, so listen carefully if your thinking of going this route.
First, mineral rights will only get you what is below the surface, that mean you cannot grow food on the land, build a house, etc unless it is directly involved in getting what ever it is that you have a mineral claim too. That being said, if you happen to be a ceramic artist like myself, look for getting mineral rights on 'white quartz' and encompass that with all the regular items you need for ceramics like terracotta clay, feldspar etc. the reason you want white quartz is because if the land has it, it has everything else you need as well. (Ah, the benefits of a college )
Second, tax sales either are sold for just the owed back taxes, which means the former owner can take it back within two years, (I've heard of some areas allowing the former owner to make a claim within seven ask a lawyer in the area!), and are not always “FREEHOLD”, or sold at aution where the starting bids are close to market value.
Freehold means you own everything, including the mineral rights, lumber rights, and sometimes even water rights, hydro right etc. What it also means is that if you can find out about a piece of land under a tax sale, that is not freehold as well, you can likely get all those other rights to the land before you try to get the surface rights as well. Why, you ask, would you want to do that? Cheaper! Tax sales tend to goto auction at market value, nobody would want to buy at auction a piece of land that is being mined by someone else for the next thirty years, except the guy whose mining it! they can't cut down the trees to build their dream house or development without permission of the guy holding the lumber rights (Activist PAY ATTENTION HERE!) Get the picture?
The question is, if you own ALL the rights to a piece of land (The same as Freehold) could you convert the title to freehold? I'll have to ask a lawyer.
-wolfe
New Twist?
Written by Wolfe
Friday, 04 April 2008 21:37
I will have to apologize for the nature of these posts, they tend to jump around a bit, it's a work in progress that get interrupted by work, life, and so on.
That being said there is something new, at least to me, that is passing around the survivalist blog sphere on the topic of 'junk land'. [1] [2] [3]
First off, I wish the the reader to note that I am by no means an expert, in fact one of the main reasons I post this is so that others might learn from what I do wrong, of which I'm sure is going to be plenty.
My approach to buying land has been to try and get the land to choose me rather then the other way around. I take into account the source of water, the type of soil, and other growing conditions that should leave me with a few, rather then lot, of choices. The problem with this approach is the cost involved. I'm not rich, no where near it, and I intend to cover the issue of the cost involved in buying land as I get nearer to actually doing it, real life verses theory that is.
That all being said I was wondering what Junk Land would look like here in the great white north, so I looked up one for an example. The following example was taken from British Columbia only, entire province. (The charts assume no money down.)
Price: $25,000 (The cheapest I could find in BC that wasn't just a lot)
MLS NUMBER: N180445
Real Estate Type : Vacant Land
Land Size : 5.34 ac
Title : Freehold
Location : Burns Lake, BC
General Description: Level, treed 5 acre lot with a few grass areas. It is within the Burns Lake Rural Fire Protection area. Fenced with 4 strands of barbed wire. Culvert and access to lot is in place. Zoned H1 for single family dwelling, two family dwelling, agriculture, horticulture, nursery, greenhouse, silvi-culture, kennel and veterinary clinic, home occupation, and buildings and structures accessory to the permitted uses.
Mortgage Costs: (approx.) per month
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
7.0%
8.0%
9.0%
5 years
$460.04
$471.19
$482.46
$493.85
$505.35
$516.97
10 years
$252.72
$264.54
$276.63
$288.98
$301.60
$314.47
25 years
$131.51
$145.40
$159.95
$175.10
$190.80
$206.99
Minimum Income Needed Compared: (approx.)
income
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
7.0%
8.0%
9.0%
$5,000 yearly
$19,961
$18,053
$16,411
$14,991
$13,757
$12,681
$10,000 yearly
$45,000
$41,000
$37,250
$34,027
$31,227
$28,785
$15,000 yearly
$70,656
$63,903
$58,090
$53,063
$48,697
$44,888
$20,000 yearly
$96,003
$86,828
$78,930
$72,100
$66,167
$60,992
Yes, it's that low, it still surprises the hell out of me that people bought up houses in the sub-prime market. The ideal situation would be to reduce the amount you have to borrow to nothing, and still have enough to get a trailer.
Personally, I've gone that root already, will not do it again. There are many problems with this attempt at getting off the grid, the first one being the trailer.
RV Trailers loose value the second they transfer over to a new owner, it's a bad investment. However, the land itself is a good one, it's hard to go wrong with buying raw land strictly as an investment, for a homestead, there are many wrong things I think you could do, but at least with raw land you still have what you started with.
The cost of an RV compared to 'junk land' is a killing fact as well, even if you buy a crap RV you can't help but notice that the percentage you pay for the RV compared to the junk land equals more land you could have got. This gets me thinking that buying a cargo container to convert might be a better idea, in Vancouver you can buy one for under a thousand or two near the knight street bridge (that's all the info you need to find the place).
The problem I see is the actual growing of food, you might get away with certain plants with sandy/clay like soil in a warmer climate, you might think it's worth the risk to have a questionable source of water, but I can't see myself risking it. There is also the issue of being able to continue to pay those payments each month, if you can't pay it outright. Not to mention property tax, etc. Being on land that doesn't produce at the start, even with a crash crop, there's no point. But the real reason I wouldn't buy this property right now is, to f*&% cold up there. Even so, I was surprised to find one property under the $30k mark within BC for 5 acres.
Maybe there is something to this 'junk land' after all.
- wolfe
Second Part of Concerning Water
Written by Wolfe
Sunday, 23 March 2008 15:06
In my last post I left out all of Ontario, this was due to time, not because the whole province is off the list. There are many areas in Ontario that have good water supplies, but I want to finish off the issue of water in British Columbia.
Besides the islands, left to last by purpose, there are still Rock Creek, Sayward, Trial Rural, and Westbridge. I am also interested in other areas of British Columbia that didn't make it to the search list, in the event something turns up in the future.
The first thing I came across while searching for information on Rock Creek via Google, was the actual Water Act for British Columbia. An important quote from which follows:
1.1 (1)Subject to a regulation under subsection (2), Part 2 [Licensing, Diversion and Use of Water and Related Matters] and Part 3 [Water Users' Communities] of this Act do not apply to ground water.
(2)The Lieutenant Governor in Council may, by regulation, fix a day on and from which some or all of Parts 2 and 3 of this Act apply to ground water in British Columbia or in an area of British Columbia the Lieutenant Governor in Council designates in the regulation.
(3)A regulation under subsection (2) may
(a)describe the area that it designates by any delineation of the area that adequately describes it including, for example, name, map, plan, legal description, reference to a stream, reference to an aquifer or other geological formation or part of one, depth or other dimension, or by any combination of methods, and
(b)modify or add to any provision of the Act or regulations as the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers necessary or advisable for the purpose of making some or all of Parts 2 and 3 effectively applicable to ground water.
What this amounts to is that the Act does not apply to ground water, but does apply to everything else, unless the Lieutenant Governor that is currently in power changes his mind. Scary shit. It is phrases like “modify or add to any provision ... considers necessary or advisable” that prove that British Columbia is under British Common Law instead of Civil Law. However, in practice water rights are not closely monitored in British Columbia.
Rock Creek is locate in what is called Boundary Country, in the southern coast mountains of British Columbia, it is mostly small grassland areas around the Kettle river. Even though Rock Creek is really close to Grand Forks, they don't seem to share the same water table, (gotta love Google satellite images). My first concern had little to due with water, but rather how close Rock Creek was to the United States border, besides the whole lower mainland being 30 miles from a nuclear strike zone, I question the ability of Canada's finest and it's politicians to maintain our sovereignty in the best of times. But it turns out that water and the USA is a concern, and has been for some time, especially from a farmers point of view.
I'm not 100% convinced that if Grand Forks stays on the list, Rock Creek would too. I'll keep you posted.
20 November 2008
MLS