The Anglican Diocese of B.C. announced Thursday a deal to sell its Camp Columbia property on Thetis Island, where it ran a summer camp for more than six decades.
Peter Daniel, asset manager for the diocese, said the 70 acres of land, including a beach on a warm-water swimming area, sold for $2.5 million. The sale closes in about one month.
The name of the buyer is being withheld, but Daniel said the purchaser has indicated no plans to develop the property.
The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia includes 44 parishes on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Kingcome Inlet.
Daniel said selling the camp was a tough decision for the diocese. It is a place of happy memories for many Anglican families and others.
The camp was in operation from 1947 to 2011, but the diocese had been subsidizing its operation since the 1980s.
He also added that the resident population of Thetis Island and local services have been reduced in recent years, making it more difficult to properly maintain the campsite and keep up with various regulations.
“It’s been a terribly hard decision for the diocese,” Daniel said. “We have done study after study after study to see what we could do with it.”
