Controversial plan to hand over UBC golf course finalized

A deal has been reached that will see the Musqueam First Nation Band given the University Golf Course, millions of dollars and a portion of Pacific Spirit Park, CBC News has learned.

The deal includes the 50-hectare University Golf Course, located on University of British Columbia endowment lands, 14 hectares of land from Pacific Spirit Park, which is adjacent to the current Musqueam location, plus millions in cash, sources said Wednesday night.

In return, the Musqueam have agreed to keep the course open for up to 40 years.

Bob Hindmarch, a member of a group called Save the Course, which hasbeen trying to stop any deal that would see the golf course change hands, said he's disappointed by the agreement.

"I think the entrance to the University of British Columbia is fantastic with that golf course, and that's what the whole thing was about in the first place, preserving the green space," he said.

Hindmarch said his group wanted the golf course out of the deal entirely and the province to hand over a portion of Pacific Spirit Park.

Shelagh Dodd, of Friends of Pacific Spirit Park, said the fact that the park suddenly got tangled in the controversy caught people by surprise.

"They were supposed to talk only about the golf course," Dodd said. "For them to reach an agreement with the golf course and they were instructed to do that, but I'm not sure how the park even came into it."

The Musqueam band and the provincial government will make an official announcement at a news conference scheduled Friday.