Some Developers are Predators and Destroy the Communities They Target – Union Bay Stopped being “The Friendly Port” when KIP Divided the Community with Empty Promises and Outright Lies.

VOTE YES for conversion

General Voting day set for Saturday, Nov. 28. Voting time from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Union Bay Community Hall.

Get the facts. UBID Conversion Study. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18ACMKEZt4RUsnW9wu6K-Qn5TvXVX-GyB/view

Kensington Island Properties knew it was easy to manipulate people if you pat them on their heads and tell them how smart they are. KIP convinced a group of landowners to support the development and get elected on the UBID board years ago. None of the individuals had the expertise or basic knowledge of what was involved with such a huge development. KIP first convinced UBID trustees that the promises made to the community would actually materialize which resulted in years passing without any action by UBID planning for future projects because they believed KIP would be paying for everything.

The community supported the development in March 2006 when Bob Long, CAO advised Langley Lake would not be considered as a water source and 14 conditions must be met by KIP.

In Oct. of the same year the community faced a referendum on becoming a Municipality. Those cosy with KIP declared “we would be in the drivers seat” negotiating directly with KIP and getting rid of the pesky Regional District being involved. The Union Bay Residents’ Association put out false and misleading information all the while planning on changing the water source if the outcome was a YES to municipality status. Brian McMahon was a member and aware of this plan by unelected landowners to overturn what the community was promised mere months earlier.

This is where the rot started in the community by landowners who believed they knew what was best for Union Bay. Susan Hargreaves and Ruth McVeigh, founders of the Union Bay Residents’ Association became the mouthpiece for KIP and spread the bullshit and the rot of dividing the community took hold.

As a member of the UBRA, I questioned their actions and was told to do something to myself which was physically impossible and promptly removed from their fake association. UBRA eventually was dissolved as they only abided by the rules of a society the first year to give them cover for their undemocratic actions.

KIP ran a full page ad encouraging Municipality status knowing if a YES was the outcome he would be able to manipulate a mayor and council made up of those he has groomed.

This letter to the editor from Oct. 2006 questions McMahon’s actions with the full page ad.

NOTE: All the promises – this was 2006 – what has materialized since then? How come we were all so ignorant? Why didn’t anyone challenge this developer on some of the statements like raising the dam. We don’t own the land around Langley Lake and can’t raise the dam. Why didn’t anyone question the $17.4 Million dollars for the water supply alone? We now know when KIP stated $17.4 Million development costs, they meant the Capital Expense Charges paid for each lot to UBID which is presently around $8,900. KIP was never going to give the community anything. KIP was dictating what these CEC’s would be spent on. KIP believes the CEC’s is “giving” to Union Bay. So you folks who purchased lots to build your home and paid the $8,900. to UBID – we should thank you for your “gift”.

Here’s an article from the Record Oct. 2006, UBID stating KIP would pay $17 Million. Misinformation from elected officials regarding KIP has been the diet of Union Bay. It’s been one ignorant mistake after another because people may have good intentions – we simply do not have the expertise required. Emphasis added by me.

This from Sept. 1, 2016: “We were upgrading their water system at our cost,” McMahon said. “We have $1.2 million that’s been set aside that is in our lawyer’s trust account for the upgrades…” Wait a second – wasn’t it an interest free loan that caused those 424 landowners to sign the petition demanding KIP be given an extension? McMahon knew the agreement was dead but had his flunkies convince people it wasn’t.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that his trustees chose to ignore a petition from over 400 landowners to become a service area of the CVRD in Nov. 2016 since he obviously was against it according to the article below. That’s why the trustees were never able to answer questions – they didn’t know why they were making the decisions – just that they were supposed to make them.

Kensington Island Properties ruined Union Bay by pitting those who wanted to believe against those who dared to ask questions. This developer is not your friend – it is a predator. This developer know it’s harder to bullshit experts he may face at the CVRD. Remember he did say it’s not exactly dealing with Wall St. referring to the UBID Board.