CLAD > Policy Briefs > Free Crown Grants & Nominal Rent Tenures

Policy Briefs

Free Crown Grants and Nominal Rent Tenures

Government has historically provided Crown land for public purposes, to local governments and public service organizations at less than market value to support public purposes. This has been accomplished through either a Free Crown Grant or a Nominal Rent Tenure. This promotes economic and social development through providing access to Crown land for public facilities and community infrastructure

In April 2004 Cabinet approved a new program that incorporates new standardized selection criteria and clear accounting processes for this category of future Crown land dispositions. The new program requires all new Free Crown Grant applications and new Nominal Rent Tenure applications with a concessionary value greater than $100,000 to:

be sponsored by a provincial ministry, to ensure that the application is meeting government’s strategic priorities; and

be recorded against an annual budget in the Crown Land Special Account to ensure that the process is fiscally accountable.

The Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (MSRM) will continue to be the lead on strategic policy for the Free Crown Grant/Nominal Rent Tenure Program. Land and Water BC is the lead on operational policy and is responsible for program delivery.