brought to you by: Friends of Saanich Inlet

Exercise your democratic right

Vote;                                      every vote counts

Saturday, November 19, 2011

8:00am to 8:00pm



Electoral AREA

Address of the location to vote

Mill Bay / Malahat;

Area - A

George Bonner Middle School

3060 Cobble Hill Road, Mill Bay

Shawnigan Lake;

Area - B

Shawnigan Lake Community Centre

2804 Shawnigan Lake Road, Shawnigan Lake

Cobble Hill;

Area - C

Cobble Hill Community Hall

3650 Watson Road, Cobble Hill

Cowichan Bay;

Area - D

Bench Elementary School

1501 Cowichan Bay Road, Cowichan Bay

Youbou/Meade Creek;

Area - I

Youbou Community Hall

8550 Hemlock Street, Youbou

    PUBLIC HEARING;
    Electoral area residents in Mill Bay /Malahat (Area A); Shawnigan Lake (Area B) and Cobble Hill (Area C);
    Other areas are welcome to attend.
    Date: Monday, June 27, 2011
    Time:  7:00 pm

Place: Kerry Park Recreation Centre - Ice Arena

What: South Cowichan Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 3510.

       Official Community Plan (OCP) for three (3) southern electoral areas
       Mill Bay/Malahat, Shawnigan Lake and Cobble Hill (Areas A, B and C respectively);
      Now,

1. Is South Cowichan a legal entity?

2.       Who concocted “South Cowichan”?

3.       Is this OCP exercise a step towards INCORPORATION?

4.       Where does the CVRD Board’s ECO-DEPOT INITIATIVE fit in all this?

        To read the so called "Combined OCP" follow link (Courtesy: CVRD);
        http://bc-cowichanvalley.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=1337

      Why is Area-A - Mill Bay/Malahat OCP being reviewed suddenly?
            "It was a project for just Shawnigan Lake and Cobble Hill for quite a while and now, since last summer, the regional board has asked us to include Mill Bay/Malahat"
             Courtesy: Cowichan News Leader Pictorial Page 5; Mike D'Amour article "Ideas wanted for south end's future"; Comment from: Katy Tompkins (CVRD)
      How does this fit in with the southern electoral area directors' plans for "Urbanization"?

      Why the HURRY/RUSH?

     Does this tie in with the BC Ministry EXEMPTIONS (read below)?


   British Columbia MINISTRY BLANKET APPROVAL / EXEMPTION ( VIEW )
   for OCP Bylaws and four (4) types of LAND USE DEVELOPMENT BYLAWS
   at the request of Gerry Giles -- request initiated December 17, 2010
·   Does this give the present Directors' free reign to approve rezoning of large developments without provincial oversight?

·   Are the Directors' up to the task?

·   Could this be a dangerous initiative?

·   Why now?

·   When was the resolution made to allow such a request to the ministry?

·   Who authorized the resolution?

· Is this an effort to circumvent lack of BI-PARTISAN POLITICAL SUPPORT?

        Ever wondered how the Chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional District BOARD
        went to achieve this waiver from the BC ministry?


·         Did we let the CHAIR go behind our back? Or, did the CHAIR make the effort to go behind our backs? You decide; and

·         What four (4) types of LAND USE DEVELOPMENT BYLAWS?

   TIMELINES has the answer.


    Re: CVRD Eco-Depot
    Is eco-depot a FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE decision?

  FOSI web site content continues below; read further down.

Do you enjoy the SAANICH INLET, a fjord on Vancouver Island in British Columbia ?

Photograph: The scenic shores of beautiful Saanich Inlet and area; Quiet and peaceful with its rural surroundings (Courtesy: Friends of Saanich Inlet - 2009, British Columbia, Canada)

Are you prepared for your quality of life to be changed forever...?

...and.... pay THEM to take it?

Where does your water come from? How much is there?	Do you drive to Victoria or Duncan? Do you drive from Victoria or Duncan?	~~Do you need a pool for $30 Million?~~ Ready to accommodate 30,000 NEW RESIDENTS in your neighbourhood? How much are you paying in taxes and what services are you receiving for the same? Are you prepared for a possible 35% increase in taxes?
No one knows!	It will get much worse!	Can you afford?

Is this what the community has requested?

Is this POOL referendum their trial balloon?

In these troubled economic times, the directors of the three electoral Areas-Shawnigan Lake (Ken Cossey), Cobble Hill (Gerry Giles)
and Mill Bay/Malahat (Brian Harrison) are bent on “URBANIZING” our RURAL South Cowichan electoral areas.

(Courtesy: The Mill Bay Messenger issue #195, November 2009)

The grand plan (?):

First the POOL at Kerry Park referendum for the stated $25 Million tab;
Next in line is INCORPORATION Study Phase-2 exercise; and
Then follow Mega developments – 30, 000 NEW RESIDENTS in electoral Area-A alone!

“Municipal status is the best way to plan the large-scale development we will experience (potentially over 11,000 new dwellings.) The CVRD system does not provide an appropriate way to manage the changes and challenges Mill Bay will face.”

(Courtesy: CVRD sponsored South Cowichan Services and Governance Study 2009 Technical Report by Sussex Consultants Ltd., page 68 that were published in June this year.)

Preserve our RURAL quality of life in Cowichan Valley.

story.html?id=871a1ad6-9391-4e16-92e5-a1a46b7db589

Free bi-weekly newspapers went "missing" because
of this article!

Thousands not part of the process

Paul Devoe, The Citizen: Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Dear Editor:

Re: Incorporation a public idea; David Towner (Chair), South Cowichan Governance and Services Study Committee; Publish date: Wednesday, Jan. 20.

It was good of Mr. Towner to trace the chronology of events leading to phase two of incorporation. A close scrutiny of his account reveals forces behind this exercise in the name of public good and idea. Is this the same group that attempted to impose a pool at Kerry Park through the south end referendum not too long ago?

According to his account, the Mill Bay Incorporation Study Committee met twice in 2007 to inform the public. It is ironic that at both times that there were only 40-plus attendees. Did they have the very same audience both times?

Where did they meet? Do 40 in attendance mean that all those people (in attendance) were in favour of "incorporation exercise" as proposed? What was really proposed in these meetings? Is that a marketing ploy to split this exercise into multiple phases? Why did the Mill Bay Community League choose to endorse this particular group? Who was the chair of the community league back then in 2007?

Is it ironic among other things that both CVRD directors (Mike Walker and Brian Harrison) belong to the same Mill Bay Community League; the incorporation program continues in spite of the changing of the guard after 2008 municipal elections; and the Mill Bay Incorporation Study Committee is co-chaired by David Towner (himself; ex Director -- Shawnigan Lake) and Roger Burgess (present Alternate Director for Mill Bay/Malahat with director Brian Harrison and also the former APC chair under director Mike Walker; Area A).

These 40-plus attendees pursuing the incorporation exercises (who intend to make South Cowichan into a municipality) hardly represent the people of Mill Bay/Malahat, Shawnigan Lake and Cobble Hill -- makes the concept of calling it a grass-roots community based initiative hard to digest. Thousands of South Cowichan citizens are not adequately represented here.

This incorporation exercise quite likely will meet the same fate as the recently concluded Kerry Park swimming pool referendum. Given the tax implications, the current economic challenges and responsibilities associated with being a municipality, we don't see a bright future for this exercise.

And, by the way, please note:

Those 40 in attendance (2007 Mill Bay Incorporation Committee Study presentation meetings at the Mill Bay Community League) include the significant David Towner, Mike Walker, Mark Wyatt, Brian Harrison, Ross Tennant and then insignificant Balu Tatachari.

No hidden agendas, fellow citizens; just for the good of our community!

Friends of Saanich Inlet

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