Town Of Comox To BC Supreme Court Over Hamilton Mack Laing Trust

The Town of Comox is off to the British Columbia Supreme Court.

The Town of Comox is off to the British Columbia Supreme Court.

The town is requesting a variation of the trust that applies to money given by Hamilton Mack Laing in his will.

The proposed variation will allow the money to be used to construct a viewing platform in Mack Laing Nature Park.

The Town’s application is scheduled to be heard by the Court starting Friday, September 9, 2022.

Mack Laing trusted his land and home to the Town of Comox in 1973 to be used as a nature park, while some money was also gifted for the establishment of a natural history museum on the park lands.

It was soon realized that the money wouldn't be enough to establish and operate a museum, and the project remained idle.

The idea of a viewing platform first surfaced in 2015 after years of planning, public input, and consultation with K’ómoks First Nation.

Council identified the construction of a viewing platform with interpretive panels as the best use of the Trust Funds, to provide the public with natural history information, as well as more about Mack Laing and local First Nations history.

The Town is also proposing the establishment of a $25,000 reserve fund to ensure funds for the future repairs of the viewing platform.

The estimated cost of the project is $328,000.

The Town currently holds approximately $275,000 in trust.

If the Town is permitted by the court to use these funds to construct the viewing platform, the remaining costs will be paid through the Town’s capital budget.

The Attorney General has expressed his consent to the proposed variation, subject to certain conditions.