Elizabeth May calls for seizure of North Saanich property used by Royals
OWNED BY RUSSIAN OLIGARCH
Posted: Apr. 20, 2022
CHEK
North Saanich Gulf Islands Green Party MP Elizabeth May is calling for the seizure of an $18-million North Saanich property that was briefly the home to Prince Harry, his wife Megan, and baby Archie in 2020.
Over two years later, there’s no evidence anyone is living here, although a gardener is working on the landscape.
According to an investigation by the CBC, Russian oligarch Yuri Milner bought the property back in 2013 and May says she wants to see action taken.
“Since Vladimir Putin sought fit to put me on a list of people banned in Russia, I’d like to make sure there are no Russian oligarchs in my riding. We know Mr. Milner is Russian, Russian born and now a billionaire. Got his early investments that got him on the track to being a billionaire from Kremlin-friendly sources in Russia.”
May says she hopes Ottawa will act, and if necessary, seize the property.
“Let’s look into his property. If he meets the standards for the kind of Russian billionaire who meets the standard of an oligarch, we should seize the assets, absolutely.”
With a net worth estimated at $7 billion, the Kremlin backed Milner’s early business ventures.
He’s exactly the type of owner that needs to be exposed, according to Sasha Caldera, Campaign Manager for Beneficial Ownership Transparency at Publish What You Pay Canada — an advocacy group that is calling for a public registry of owners like Milner.
“The more transparency we have in this regard, the better off we’re going to be as a society and a community because we will have an understanding of who ultimately has control of assets in their neighbourhood.”
As for May, she wants to ensure that anyone potentially associated with the war in Ukraine should have to pay the consequences, and she feels they should not be able own a luxury property in North Saanich fit for royalty like Prince Harry and his family.
Posted: Apr. 20, 2022
CHEK
North Saanich Gulf Islands Green Party MP Elizabeth May is calling for the seizure of an $18-million North Saanich property that was briefly the home to Prince Harry, his wife Megan, and baby Archie in 2020.
Over two years later, there’s no evidence anyone is living here, although a gardener is working on the landscape.
According to an investigation by the CBC, Russian oligarch Yuri Milner bought the property back in 2013 and May says she wants to see action taken.
“Since Vladimir Putin sought fit to put me on a list of people banned in Russia, I’d like to make sure there are no Russian oligarchs in my riding. We know Mr. Milner is Russian, Russian born and now a billionaire. Got his early investments that got him on the track to being a billionaire from Kremlin-friendly sources in Russia.”
May says she hopes Ottawa will act, and if necessary, seize the property.
“Let’s look into his property. If he meets the standards for the kind of Russian billionaire who meets the standard of an oligarch, we should seize the assets, absolutely.”
With a net worth estimated at $7 billion, the Kremlin backed Milner’s early business ventures.
He’s exactly the type of owner that needs to be exposed, according to Sasha Caldera, Campaign Manager for Beneficial Ownership Transparency at Publish What You Pay Canada — an advocacy group that is calling for a public registry of owners like Milner.
“The more transparency we have in this regard, the better off we’re going to be as a society and a community because we will have an understanding of who ultimately has control of assets in their neighbourhood.”
As for May, she wants to ensure that anyone potentially associated with the war in Ukraine should have to pay the consequences, and she feels they should not be able own a luxury property in North Saanich fit for royalty like Prince Harry and his family.
As Russia's unrelenting war on Ukraine continues, a B.C. Member of Parliament questions whether real estate ownership rules allow Canada to fully sanction Russian oligarchs, and she is pointing to a sprawling property in her riding as an example. (CTV)
Bhinder Sajan
Multi-media journalist, CTV News Vancouver
Updated April 20, 2022
As Russia's unrelenting war on Ukraine continues, a B.C. Member of Parliament questions whether real estate ownership rules allow Canada to fully sanction Russian oligarchs, and she is pointing to a sprawling property in her riding as an example.
The Mille Fleurs mansion rose to fame in January 2020. It was also shrouded in mystery, not just because of who was staying there – former royals Harry and Meghan and son Archie - but also because no one knew who the owner was.
Speaking to CTV News, Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May said layers of ownership make it incredibly difficult to know who owns what.
"Canada has one of the lowest levels of transparency anywhere in the world in terms of who's buying a property," said May.
As Russia's unprovoked attack continues, the West is focused on crippling the country economically.
B.C. took action to end hidden ownership through a new registry. Ottawa promised to do the same.
A CBC news report – using leaked documents – linked the North Saanich property to Russian billionaire Yuri Milner.
"Who is Yuri Milner?" continued May. "Is he the beneficial owner of this house? He is a Russian citizen. He's also an Israeli citizen. He is a billionaire. His early investment funds came from Kremlin-cozy sources. "
Milner's website doesn't deny that, but appears to distance him from that funding, saying less than 3 per cent of early investments came from a Russian bank, and it was all repaid by 2014.
On March 30, Milner tweeted about the war in Ukraine. The message read, in part: “It is heart-breaking to watch the horror of civilians suffering from Russian shells and rockets.”
It's uncertain if Milner is an oligarch. Still, May believes there may be more assets in Canada that can't be traced back to oligarchs.
May – who, like many other MPs, is banned from Russia – called on the Prime Minister's Office to investigate and take action, if appropriate.
A request to the PMO was directed to Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP. Neither of those agencies replied by deadline.
"I think we should leave no opportunity unexplored for how to bring the pressure on Putin to stop the war," added May.
That, she said, is being made much harder due to Canada's murky rules around property ownership.
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