A fundraising campaign has been launched to re-open Camp Byng even as the storied camp remains mired in a legal dispute involving competing claims about property ownership.
Scout Properties (B.C./Yukon) created a GoFundMe page Dec. 11 with the stated goal of raising $75,000 to re-open the camp this year and “offset the usual camp expenses, such as utilities, groundskeeping, insurance, repairs, security, and maintenance,” according to the fundraising page.
Keith Martin, director and former chair of the board of Scout Properties told Coast Reporter the charity plans to re-open Camp Byng in 2023 regardless of whether the fundraising goal is achieved.
Scout Properties, whose stated mandate is to purchase, own and hold real estate and property for Scouts Canada and similar groups, has taken the unprecedented step of attempting to assume operational control of the property after it claims to have ended Scout Canada’s tenancy on Dec. 9 - which Scout Canada disputes.
Martin said the camp’s ongoing operational closure due in part to maintenance costs, and the departure of a longstanding resident caretaker with no apparent planned replacement, factored into the “very difficult decision” to take on the role of camp operator and shut out Scouts Canada.
“Facilities of any type like this, they need to be used, they need to be maintained, they need to run,” said Martin. “We just can’t allow it to lie fallow, and to be unmanaged and be unsupervised.”
However, in a statement to Coast Reporter, Scouts Canada claims it is “the sole beneficial owner of Camp Byng.”
“We have communicated directly with the Directors of Scouts Properties (BC/Yukon) and advised that their current conduct is both inappropriate and constitutes trespass.”
It denies the existence of a tenant relationship: "There has never been a tenancy arrangement between Scouts Canada and Scout Properties."
Also, according to the statement, a new camp warden has been hired for the site, with an expected start date of Jan. 9.
In a follow-up interview, Martin told Coast Reporter Scout Properties is aware a camp warden has been hired for the camp “but they have not communicated that factual information to us directly.”
As for the tenancy, Martin said “all agreements we have with Scouts Canada are historic and are oral in nature.”
Martin added that subsequent to the hiring notice, Scout Properties has “surmised [Scouts Canada] had rethought their position on Byng and closing it, and we have communicated an offer to them, with certain conditions, to allow them to resume their operational role at Camp Byng.”
The offer letter was sent Dec. 28 and as of Dec. 30 Scout Properties has not received a response.
The toll of maintenance costs was one subject the two sides agreed on.
In its statement, Scouts Canada acknowledged the camp “has been struggling with declining use and significant maintenance requirements over the course of many years.”
Because of that, “the use of Camp Byng will only be approved when the camp is safe and sustainable as determined by the Scouts Canada Properties Team in partnership with Scouts Canada Council Leadership in British Columbia,” said the Scouts Canada statement.
It also said a town hall was held Dec. 19 “to engage Scouting stakeholders” about the camp and that it’s committed to ongoing dialogue. “This engagement will inform decisions about Camp Byng and the role the camp can play in Scouting’s future.”
Martin said camps under its ownership are provisioned to tenant operators “essentially free of charge” and that if Scouts Canada wishes to resume its tenancy at a later date, Scout Properties would “very much like to have that conversation.”
Martin said the decision to terminate the apparent tenancy is “antithetical to the spirit of which we hope to operate in, but we have stewardship responsibilities as the owners of the property.”
The Scout Properties’ GoFundMe Page contains a link to a land title search document, with Scout Properties listed as registered owner.
According to Scouts Canada’s most recent audited financial statements, the charity faced camp operations expenses of approximately $2.1 million.
Martin described the Roberts Creek camp as “one of the premier properties that we have in our portfolio.”
The property, which opened in 1922, comprises more than 80 hectares, including 1,200 metres of foreshore, with a BC Assessment value of $16.1 million. Amenities include commercial kitchens, dormitories, a spiritual centre, low-ropes course, archery range and basketball courts.
Complicating matters is the fact that Camp Byng is one of several properties listed in a real estate dispute between Scouts Canada and Scout Properties (B.C./Yukon).
Scout Properties is the defendant in a civil claim initiated by Scouts Canada in 2018 and currently before the Supreme Court of BC.
According to a claim summary filed by Scouts Canada, Scout Properties put a storefront property on West Broadway in Vancouver up for sale “without the consent or authorization” of Scouts Canada. The property’s assessed value as of July 1, 2021 is $8.6 million. It was sold in 2020.
Scouts Canada is seeking the proceeds of the sale and “declarations regarding ownership and transfer of legal title of the fee simple and leasehold interest in the other properties,” including Camp Byng, among other relief sought, according to the claim.
An amended notice of civil claim from March 2021 includes a list of dozens of halls and properties owned or leased by Scout Properties. According to that list, Scout Properties is the registered owner of Camp Byng.
In its response, Scout Properties denied the allegations and describes itself as the legal and beneficial owner of all interests in properties where it’s listed as an owner or occupier or lessee.
Scout Canada also claims the properties owned by Scout Properties are held in trust as a bare trustee “for the use and benefit of Scouts Canada,” which Scout Properties denies.
In November, Scouts Canada said it closed Camp Byng indefinitely while the organization works on an “operational plan” amidst issues with maintenance and declining use.
As for its decision to re-open the camp as operators, Martin said, “At the end of the day, we want to ensure that our actions now help ensure that the camp remains a viable, treasured place for the community and for youth around the province of British Columbia for generations to come. And that is our singular and sole motivation for doing this.”
Martin also reiterated the charity does not intend to sell the property.
