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Settlement reached for delayed School District 8 property sale

Michael Sawyer and the district confirmed they have agreed to terms
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This former School District 8 property between New Denver and Kaslo was at the centre of a legal dispute that has since reached a settlement. Photo: Submitted

School District 8 has reached a settlement with a man who said he paid for land before the district sought approval for the sale from the education ministry.

Michael Sawyer filed a civil claim through the Supreme Court of B.C. after he purchased a two-acre property east of New Denver in October 2020 for $40,000.

Sawyer alleged he wasn’t allowed to take possession of the property even after paying for it because the district had not already sought approval for the sale from the Ministry of Education. The district, in turn, disputed the allegation.

Sawyer and district secretary-treasurer Michael McLellan each confirmed the parties had reached a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed.

The property Sawyer purchased was set aside for a school in the early 1900s when it was thought a mining community might be built at the location between New Denver and Kaslo. That never happened, and the property has sat empty ever since.

READ MORE: RDCK directors vote against tech company’s zoning proposal for former School District 8 land

@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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Tyler Harper

About the Author: Tyler Harper

I’m editor-reporter at the Nelson Star, where I’ve worked since 2015.
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