Offer to Purchase Southlands a Public Relations Stunt

On the morning of 10 March 2011, Peter Cummings, a representative from the BC Ecological Agricultural Trust Society (BC EATS), announced on CBC Radio 1 that an ‘offer’ of $205 Million was made to Century Group for the purchase of the 536 acre property in Tsawwassen, BC, known as Southlands. The story was also repeated on BC’s CKNW News throughout that day.

The purported offer was delivered by e-mail from BC EATS representative Rob Johnson to Sean Hodgins of Century Group on Monday, 07 March 2011.

The ‘offer’ appears to be a public relations stunt as it does not represent a commercially reasonable offer to purchase. Further, Century Group does not publicly negotiate the sale of property over broadcast radio.

Among the deficiencies in the offer:
• There is no cash deposit
• The purported purchaser does not show financial capacity to purchase
• The proposition that other environmental organizations will fund the purchase indicates that other undisclosed organizations besides BC EATS would own Southlands
• There is no indication that BC EATS is an eligible recipient for consideration of a federal Ecological Gifts Fund, nor is the society listed on Environment Canada’s website
• There is no specified date for removal of the conditions of the agreement
• There is no completion date for sale, and
• An authorized signatory of BC EATS has not executed the offer, if such an authorized signatory even exists.

Century Group believes this document is no more than a public relations stunt designed to co-opt media attention in order to bring attention to the unknown BC EATS organization. By involving Century Group, the ‘offer’ is also designed to embarrass the company by forcing a considered response.

Century Group condemns this blatant manipulation of CBC and CKNW listeners, and most of all the residents of our local Tsawwassen community. Any ploy that disregards accepted commercial practice, aims to derail local government hearings, and attests to represent Federal monies, must be disregarded as a non-substantive scheme.

For more information, contact Sean Hodgins, President, Century Group Lands Corporation.
Office: 604 943-2203
Email: HodginsS@CenturyGroup.ca