Hamilton Marsh Conditional Purchase

credit to Arrowsmith Media

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and Mosaic Forest Management are pleased to announce that a conditional Contract of Purchase and Sale (CPS) has been signed and completed, for approximately 360 hectares (ha) of land known as Hamilton Marsh. Originally, an offer of $30 million was accepted and in February 2026, Mosaic Forest Management agreed to revise the purchase terms to $28 million in their efforts to help the RDN preserve the site.

Acquiring Hamilton Marsh as a regional park and conservation area has been a priority for the RDN, lands trusts and conservation organizations for many years. The sale was completed on March 27, 2026, and the official opening was celebrated April 7, 2026.

About Hamilton Marsh

Hamilton Marsh is located south of the Town of Qualicum Beach. Most of the land is within RDN Electoral Area F and a segment falls within Electoral Area G. The site is bounded by Hilliers Road on the north and west sides, Memorial Avenue on the east side, and the Island Corridor Foundation rail corridor on the south side.

The marsh itself is approximately 36 hectares and with the surrounding forest, the property totals approximately 360 hectares. It forms part of the French Creek watershed and connects with Beach and Grandon Creek in the Town of Qualicum Beach. It is formed through a combination of several wetland habitats including a prolific waterfowl brood marsh. Many species of wildlife that use the marsh and surrounding mature, second-growth forest are listed by the Conservation Data Centre as species of concern or at risk.

The acquisition site contains many priority West Coast Region environmental values including an extensive stand of mature forest. This ecologically significant wetland and mature forest is located within the Coastal Douglas-fir moist maritime biogeoclimatic subzone. In the absence of a stand-altering disturbance the 100-year old mature forest will be classified as old-growth within 150 years; the area represents an important recruitment site for this rare type of old forest within the province.

For More Information and to Get Involved

  • Stay informed by clicking on subscribe to leave your email address and receive email updates
  • Explore this webpage to find out more about the agreement to purchase the property, the property and next steps in the Background Documents and Important Links
  • Check out the photos and videos of this impressive land
  • Visit the FAQ's, which answer common questions, more will be added to along the way based on what we are hearing
  • Ask a question and we will do our best to answer it and share the information with everyone

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and Mosaic Forest Management are pleased to announce that a conditional Contract of Purchase and Sale (CPS) has been signed and completed, for approximately 360 hectares (ha) of land known as Hamilton Marsh. Originally, an offer of $30 million was accepted and in February 2026, Mosaic Forest Management agreed to revise the purchase terms to $28 million in their efforts to help the RDN preserve the site.

Acquiring Hamilton Marsh as a regional park and conservation area has been a priority for the RDN, lands trusts and conservation organizations for many years. The sale was completed on March 27, 2026, and the official opening was celebrated April 7, 2026.

About Hamilton Marsh

Hamilton Marsh is located south of the Town of Qualicum Beach. Most of the land is within RDN Electoral Area F and a segment falls within Electoral Area G. The site is bounded by Hilliers Road on the north and west sides, Memorial Avenue on the east side, and the Island Corridor Foundation rail corridor on the south side.

The marsh itself is approximately 36 hectares and with the surrounding forest, the property totals approximately 360 hectares. It forms part of the French Creek watershed and connects with Beach and Grandon Creek in the Town of Qualicum Beach. It is formed through a combination of several wetland habitats including a prolific waterfowl brood marsh. Many species of wildlife that use the marsh and surrounding mature, second-growth forest are listed by the Conservation Data Centre as species of concern or at risk.

The acquisition site contains many priority West Coast Region environmental values including an extensive stand of mature forest. This ecologically significant wetland and mature forest is located within the Coastal Douglas-fir moist maritime biogeoclimatic subzone. In the absence of a stand-altering disturbance the 100-year old mature forest will be classified as old-growth within 150 years; the area represents an important recruitment site for this rare type of old forest within the province.

For More Information and to Get Involved

  • Stay informed by clicking on subscribe to leave your email address and receive email updates
  • Explore this webpage to find out more about the agreement to purchase the property, the property and next steps in the Background Documents and Important Links
  • Check out the photos and videos of this impressive land
  • Visit the FAQ's, which answer common questions, more will be added to along the way based on what we are hearing
  • Ask a question and we will do our best to answer it and share the information with everyone

Ask a Question

If you have any questions about the process or project, please add them here and the answer will be shared with you and on the page. We ask that only questions related to this project are asked here. Unrelated information provided here will not be shared with the RDN Board of Directors. 

To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include any information that could identify you or another person. Identifying information could include a person’s name, address, email or phone number. Questions that contain personal information will not be published.


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  • The RDN has stated that they are adding an additional $4 million dollars, taken from reserves, to satisfy the conditions of purchase. I have been told , by the CFO, that all reserves have a bylaw attached. My question is what reserve bylaws were used to come up with the extra $4 million dollars.

    bradmcarthur asked about 2 months ago

    The bylaws that relate to the reserve funds used in the purchase of Hamilton Marsh are “Regional Parks and Trails Service Reserve Fund Bylaw No. 1477, 2007” and “Regional Parks Development Service Area Reserve Fund Establishment Bylaw No. 1670, 2012”.

     If you would like to obtain a copy of these bylaws, please contact the Administration Office at 250-390-4111 or Toll Free at 1-877-607-4111.

  • The purchase agreement for the marsh as a condition of purchase of $7.5 million to be raised by others. Has this amount been changed? If so when was it changed?

    bradmcarthur asked 3 months ago

    After reviewing the confirmed contributions of over $2.7 million and considering Mosaic’s offer to reduce the purchase price by $2 million, the RDN Board approved the release of the buyers condition for satisfactory fundraising and approved the use of Regional Parks and Trails reserve funds to complete the purchase at an In Camera RDN Board meeting in February.

  • You did not answer my last question from Feb 11th and it somehow got deleted from this form. So here it is again, I would appreciate a response. You asked: 'The RDN has disclosed all the details of other sources of funding and has made all the amounts and participants public knowledge with the exception of the following; $1,250,000 in other pledges that are contingent on the purchase being completed. • $996,000 in other land conservation sources. I would like to know the details on who pledged $1.25 million. I would like to know the details of who donated the $996 million from other sources. I seem no reason to not disclose all the details, just like you have already done with NALT etc... Your news release on Jan 27th identifying most of the third party participants and clearly put this information into the public domain. Thanks, Brad ' We will get back to you as soon as possible with a response. Dated Feb 11th

    bradmcarthur asked 2 months ago

    Thank you for your patience while the RDN worked through finalizing the contribution agreements with our funding partners. We can now announce that the RDN has secured agreements with The Province, in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Parks Canada, Nature Trust of BC, through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and The Sitka Foundation. A news release and What’s New update have been shared on the Get Involved RDN webpage at getinvolved.rdn.ca/hamilton-marsh-conditional-purchase/news_feed/completion-of-fundraising.

  • Condition of sale was to secure 7.5 million not including funds From the RDN borrowing 21 plus million if $ 2.51 million from Donations , the RDN is shy of 5 million to complete this purchase By January 31 2026. For the Hamilton Marsh, Where do the taxpayers stand please reply

    kenabowerman asked 3 months ago

    Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and Mosaic Forest Management (Mosaic) are continuing positive conversations in efforts to secure Hamilton Marsh lands as a regional park and conservation area. Mosaic has agreed to revise the purchase terms to $28 million from $30 million, subject to Board approval. The RDN is optimistic that an agreement can be concluded to secure this critical forest and wetland area and that no further borrowing, beyond the $21.2 million already approved, is required. The generosity from the community has been overwhelming and the RDN is grateful for the support from the community and the groups involved in the fundraising campaign. For reference, the financial implications of the $21.2 million borrowing have been updated with the 2026 BC Assessment data on the Get Involved RDN webpage.

  • In the RDN news release on Jan 27th the following was stated The $2.5 million raised to date by funding partners includes: • $250,000 in donations raised by Nanaimo & Area Land Trust (NALT). • $103,000 in pledges secured by Mt. Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) and Hamilton Wetlands and Forest Preservation Society that are contingent on the purchase being completed. • $1,250,000 in other pledges that are contingent on the purchase being completed. • $996,000 in other land conservation sources. I would like to know the details on who pledged $1.25 million. I would like to know the details of who donated the $996 million from other sources. Thanks, Brad

    bradmcarthur asked 3 months ago

    The RDN is unable to disclose the details of the funding sources currently as staff are actively working with funding partners to finalize contribution agreements. Once the agreements have been approved by the RDN Board and signed off by all parties, the RDN will issue a news release and share the information on the Get Involved project webpage.

  • When the Hamilton Marsh gets subdivided will the zoning for all the land change from managed forest to something else? If so what else?

    bradmcarthur asked 5 months ago

    The subdivision application does not automatically change the land use zoning. The property will remain under its existing zoning designation until a formal rezoning process is initiated. The Regional District of Nanaimo’s intent is to acquire the property as a Regional Park and Conservation Area. No change in zoning is required for this purpose, as parks are a permitted use in every zone under the current zoning bylaw.

  • I would like to the the Hamilton marsh purchase agreement, Where or how can I see it?

    bradmcarthur asked 5 months ago

    The Contract of Purchase and Sale is in-camera and, pursuant to the Community Charter, is considered confidential and not available for public distribution.

  • I can barely afford my property taxes now. How is purchasing a $30 million Marsh going to affect my taxes? Thank you.

    Blueshurler asked 5 months ago

    The purchase price would be funded through $7.5 million of external fundraising, $1.3 million of reserve contributions and $21.2 million of long-term debt. The long-term debt would result in an increased cost to the Regional Parks and Trails Service. To understand how the debt repayment would impact property taxes for your area, please visit our FAQ section. More detailed information about the entire Regional Parks and Trails Service can be found in the preliminary 2026-2030 Financial Plan shared on our website.

  • Has the First Nations been consulted or involved with the Hamilton Marsh purchase process?

    bradmcarthur asked 6 months ago

    Yes, the RDN engaged at an early stage with area First Nations to invite their comments and insight on the potential purchase.

  • Why are my questions not being shared with everyone as you stated you would do?

    bradmcarthur asked 6 months ago

    All the questions asked through the Q&A function of the Get Involved website have been answered publicly and are available to be viewed by anyone. Here is the link the Q&A section getinvolved.rdn.ca/hamilton-marsh-conditional-purchase?tool=qanda#tool_tab. You can also navigate to it be scrolling to the start of the "What's New" section of the Get Involved website, you should see a title beside "What's New" labeled "Questions", if you click on the word Questions it will show a list of the questions posed by members of the community and the answers the RDN has provided. Please note, questions only appear on this list after an answer has been provided.

Page last updated: 08 Apr 2026, 05:10 PM