A development permit has been approved for a 6-storey, 102-unit residential building at 3400 Barrington Road, immediately upslope from a sensitive pine swamp ecosystem in Linley Valley, Snuneymuxw Territory (Nanaimo, BC). This swamp is more urgently threatened— but it's not too late to ensure this ecosystem receives proper independent scientific review and protection.

The project would require significant blasting and excavation of steep rocky terrain directly above a groundwater-fed wetland system. Residents, biologists, and provincial experts are concerned this work could alter shallow groundwater pathways and seasonal water flow that sustain the wetland ecosystem.

This rare wetland and surrounding forest support Pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla), North American beaver (Castor canadensis), garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis), barred owls (Strix varia), lodgepole pine ecosystems (Pinus contorta subsp. contorta), bats, wetland birds, and the SARA-listed Northern red-legged frogs (Rana aurora).

The most celebrated wetlands in BC, Burns Bog and the Pine Bog trail in the Pacific Rim National Park are pine wetlands, but this is even more rare and special. Pine swamps are rated S1 ecosystems: critically imperil and red listed. These are among the most rare ecosystems in BC and there may not be another mapped ecosystem like this in all of British Columbia. Community observations continue to document species using the area, many of which were not fully represented in earlier environmental assessments.

Local residents are documenting the site, organizing community outreach, speaking at public hearings, meeting with environmental organizations, contacting government agencies, meetings with lawyers, and building a growing body of evidence about the ecological importance of this area.

Despite these concerns, key questions remain unresolved:

• How could blasting and excavation affect groundwater flow to the wetland?

• Were all seasonal watercourses and hydrological features properly assessed?

• Were the ecological impacts fully understood before approvals were granted?

• Should a project of this scale adjacent to a sensitive wetland have been approved through delegated authority without broader public review?

We are now seeking community support to help fund independent expert review and potential legal consultation.

Funds raised would help support:

Independent Hydrological Assessment

Professional review of groundwater flow, seasonal watercourses, blasting impacts, and potential effects on the wetland and watershed system.

Independent Biological / Ecological Assessment

Additional expert review of wetland ecology, amphibian habitat, biodiversity, and species observations documented by the community.

⚖️ Legal Consultation and Injunction Exploration

Initial legal advice regarding environmental protections, regulatory compliance, and possible legal options should urgent action become necessary.

Public Awareness and Records Requests

Freedom of Information requests, educational materials, signage, printing, and community outreach efforts.

This campaign is not anti-housing.

We recognize the need for housing in Nanaimo. But housing and environmental stewardship must coexist responsibly. Sensitive wetlands and watershed systems deserve rigorous science-based review before irreversible changes are made.

Our goal is simple:

To ensure this ecosystem receives the independent scientific scrutiny and public transparency it deserves before damage is done.

If additional legal or scientific work becomes necessary, fundraising goals may be adjusted in the future based on expert recommendations and community support.

Thank you for helping protect one of Nanaimo’s hidden ecosystems.

To know it is to love it.

Visit the wetland

iNaturalist citizen science project

Sign the petition

Join the movement on Facebook

Email Mayor and Council of the City of Nanaimo: mayor . council @ nanaimo . ca