The Qualicum Beach Resident’s Association hosted an All Candidates Meeting on Zoom on May 1st for the May 15th by-election. Rev. Philip Spencer moderated the meeting.

The moderator opened the meeting with introductory remarks and asked each candidate to introduce themselves. After the preliminary statements, Rev. Spencer asked each candidate to respond to previously submitted questions from the public.
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The moderator then asked the audience to submit questions, and each of the candidates was asked to respond.

Finally, each candidate summed up, and the meeting concluded.

Some citizens could not attend, and the moderator recorded the meeting and placed a video clip on YouTube. 

Link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_FwVjLhfFY

Doug MacKay-Dunn,
President QBRA

Dear Ms. Osborne,

I am writing to you today because I (and thousands of other area residents) have serious concerns about what is going on with Town Council and town hall staff in Qualicum Beach.

Since the election of Councillor Adam Walker to the provincial legislature and the medical leave of absence of Councillor Robert Filmer, the three remaining council members have been ramming through development proposals, at least one of which will require changes to our Official Community Plan.  There has been a great outcry, especially over the latter situation, with a petition containing 6,000-plus signatures opposing this desecration of our OCP. But last week council gave second reading to said proposal, which will go to public hearing and, no doubt, get third reading, in February.

I am asking you to please put a halt to all council actions until the town’s residents are once again represented by a full council of five  members.  Although Adam Walker was elected to the provincial legislature in October the township has yet to appoint an electoral officer to organize a by-election.  My understanding is that your department has instructed that an electoral officer not be appointed now until the future of Robert Filmer is settled.  While I certainly understand the sense in trying to minimize cost and effort when it comes to a by-election it should be noted that Councillor Filmer did not announce his leave until fairly recently.  Many town residents feel that the by-election should have been called long before Councillor Filmer’s impending absence was announced.

Finally, there is great concern here at the number of in-camera meetings being called by Council.  In the past week there has been one regular public meeting and two in-camera meetings.  Tomorrow another in-camera meeting is scheduled.  We know for a fact that this council is not averse to doing public business behind closed doors.  I cite their in-camera decision in late October to demolish a beloved local heritage landmark.  Only five long days of protests by hundreds of supporters, extensive lobbying and letter writing managed to turn around the situation regarding St. Andrews Lodge. If Adam Walker had not given local citizens the heads up regarding the impending demolition the lodge would now be nothing more than a pile of rubble.

I know that as someone who comes from an area that treasures its beautiful environment and its history, you will understand all too well the concern of the thousands of local residents who are appalled that their lovely small town’s ambiance is on the brink of desecration.  I beseech you to please suspend all council actions until we have a full and fair by-election and are fully represented on Council. 
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Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Shirley Culpin

On Jan. 8, 2021 the QBRA president sent a letter to Mayor Wiese and the Town Councillors on behalf of our association and several concerned citizens. The letter asks for an explanation from the Town about how the recent issue of encroachment on Town land was handled. We have many questions and concerns about how the Town communicated with those involved and how it arrived at several of their decisions.

Click on the link below to download the letter.

The RDN is presenting an extensive free Zoom webinar on all aspects of owning a well which will help "private well owners protect the quality and supply of their drinking water." For more information or to register use this link: rdn.bc.ca/wellsmart
Note: It's This Thursday!

If you would like to send a letter of support for Qualicum Beach Becoming a Blue Community, here is the template provided by the Arrowsmith GroundWater Alliance:
 
Dear Mayor Wiese and Council,
 
I am writing in favour of Qualicum Beach declaring itself a Blue Community. I strongly encourage the Qualicum Beach Town Council to pass the following resolutions to:

1. Recognize water and sanitation as human rights,
2. Ban or phase out the use of bottled water in municipal facilities and at municipal events, and 
3. Promote publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater facilities.

 
By adopting these three simple tenets, our Town can contribute to the protection and preservation of a priceless and increasingly vulnerable resource—water!
 
Without water, we cannot survive. Without sanitation, we are vulnerable to pollution and disease. In fact, our town has shown that it already values and protects water for our community,so let us take the next steps.  Passing the first resolution would officially confirm and acknowledge publicly that water and sanitation are human rights. In doing so, we will raise awareness in our own community and in Canada as a whole.
 
Passing the second resolution would recognize and promote the value of our local water, renowned for its good taste. Our Town would no longer offer more expensive and wasteful individual-use drinking water in plastic bottles in Town buildings and events. Instead, we can provide our own local water and encourage multiple-use containers that can be filled from our taps.
 
Finally, passing the third resolution would helppromoteawareness of our excellent municipal water and sanitation services and the need to protect and maintain water as a public resource for us now, our children, and future generations.
 
We urge you to make it possible for Qualicum Beach to join the seventy communities in Canada that have already become Blue Communities. It is a status for the Town of Qualicum Beach we can all be proud of.
 
Sincerely, 
 
Name:
 
 
Address: (Please put your full address, or, your town and postal code)

​His Worship the Mayor and Council,

545 Nenzel Road Re-zoning Amendment
August 19, 2020


There are questions and concerns for Council to consider about the re-zoning of 545 Nenzel Road.

Mr. Sales responded to my question as to why this re-zoning amendment was not being processed as an OCP amendment. The answer wasn’t entirely clear and the reason for not processing the application as an OCP amendment was based on a number of various factors without explanation. Is Council also questioning why this rural 5 acre parcel  outside the Urban Containment Boundary (UCB) is being processed simply as a re-zoning? Is Council planning on adjusting the UCB to accommodate the development? And if not, why not? The re-zoning for 850 Eaglecrest Drive is also a rural property outside the the UCB, but is being processed as an OCP amendment. Why are these two re-zoning applications going through  different amendment processes?

Regarding this development’s OCP non-compliance and conflicting OCP policies, planning’s August 19, 2020 memorandum states, “As a result, policies specifying no growth in this area must be weighed against policies that support innovative approaches to housing.” Depending on one’s view point, objectives and values, deciding which of the aforesaid conflicting policies should take precedence is a subjective choice. Policies related to housing are simple and  straight forward. If one considers housing  a priority a simple and immediate solution is to build more houses. Policies around land use, growth and environmental stewardship are complex.  The broader issues of growth and land use have meaningful consequences now and in the future that can be either beneficial or harmful depending on how they are managed and implemented. I disagree with planning that the conflicting OCP policies related to Nenzel Road proposal are of equal ‘weight’.

Another consideration that has broader and longer term consequences is the direction this development proposal is leading Qualicum Beach. The future of Qualicum Beach, the future of people living here and future generations are dependant on the decisions and choices made today by  their  elected representatives. It is vital that our Council looks at this proposal from an holistic perspective and not solely as increasing housing stock. Residents hope that Council takes into account  land use OCP policies, the environment, location, and the long term consequences of land use changes.   We are told that Nenzel development would result in 6 rental houses, but there is more to this development than that single element. If Council votes in favour of the development, will there be a covenant attached to the development permit to ensure that the new homes remain as rental properties in perpetuity? It is not uncommon for a development permit to be awarded, but the final development ends up quite different from original plans. The applicant told the APC that he prefers to stratify the development.

When development occurs on the Island it normally entails tree removal, 634 Rye Road is an  example. In the past we accepted this as normal and moved on. However, we have reached a point in time both locally and globally that we  notice  the impacts  to our lives, environment and natural assets like clean water when altering land. These observations have compelled government, scientists and academics to look critically at how we use land. Unfortunately, our decisions are often short sighted resulting in profound affects on climate, natural resources, wildlife  and people’s health.

As part of the process and decisions around development of rural land  Council must consider the cumulative impacts on Qualicum Beach’s natural assets.

Since Planning is attempting to avoid an OCP amendment and a change to the UCB for 545 Nenzel Road application, the memorandum to Council neglects to include OCP policy 6 Section 2.1.1 where it lists the supporting documentation for any UCB expansion. One of the six documents is an environmental impact assessment that identifies environmentally sensitive areas. The memorandum did acknowledge that some of the property was within Ecological Development Permit Area of Aquatic Habitat Greenway.  Plannings response to this is that the development itself is outside the boundary of the DPA. Properties in this area are within Beach Creek watershed. Aside from Beach Creek there is abundant wildlife in the area around Nenzel Road. An environmental assessment must be a necessary requirement as part of the application process.


If Council chooses not to consider how much the community values the natural environment as expressed in the OCP and the community’s desire to protect rural land, and instead chooses to re-zone rural parcels for subdivision such as Nenzel Road and 850 Eaglecrest Drive, then we only need  look at the urban sprawl of  our neighbours in Parksville for a clear image of what Qualicum Beach would be like if we go down that road of up zoning rural parcels. The decision to go ahead with processing 850 Eaglecrest Drive proposal has already set a precedent with Council’s action to  undertake a Comprehensive  Plan for the Estate Residential Lands in the future. It is highly likely that Nenzel Road development will set a similar precedent if that is the intention of this Council. 

Another disturbing aspect of Council’s support for re-zoning rural land outside the UCB is the contradiction to  Council’s proclamation over a year ago, that OCP policies related to UCB and rural land would be respected and that residents need not worry about urban sprawl into rural areas.  The public is entitled to know Council’s true intentions when it comes to rural land and the  UCB.

How much  has it cost the taxpayers to extend  water main infrastructure  to Nenzel Road for 545 Nenzel and Pheasant Glen?

In summary, in terms of transparency, collaborative community planning and public interest, I would expect Council to be eager to engage and include the public  in these major decisions involving rezoning of rural land and diverging from the OCP before this application is moved further along in the process. 

Sincerely, 
C. Macfie
578 Maple Street
Qualicum Beach

August 12, 2020

Dear Mayor and Council,

I am writing you on behalf of the Friends of the Qualicum Beach Forest(FQBF) a group formed last spring. We are a community movement committed to protecting, restoring, enhancing, and maintaining our urban trees and forest on public and private lands in the Town of Qualicum Beach. We have as a primary goal the engagement of our community for a joint collaboration with the Town on the design and implementation of a Tree and Vegetation Management Plan, with the associated bylaws. 

This is an exciting time for us as the Town begins to consider the long awaited draft Tree and Vegetation Management Plan prepared by Jeremy Gye. I would like to make four recommendations as follows:

First, FQBF recommends that the name Tree and Vegetation Management Plan be changed to the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP). This would signify it is more than a tree and vegetation management plan (trees are vegetation). Rather the use of this term (UFMP) speaks to the urban forest, public and private, in a holistic sense as interconnected with all the benefits an urban forest provides. This is illustrated on page 8 of the draft plan by Gye. We recommend that the Town consider our trees as Municipal Natural Infrastructure Assets. In a submission to the mayor and council of Campbell River in November 2018 Greenways Land Trust put it this way: 

Trees provide essential municipal infrastructure functions in storm water management, air quality improvement, energy savings, property value increase, and carbon sequestration, in addition to their inherent habitat value and aesthetic for the community. Whether the tree is on City property or private property has no impact on the value of that tree.
This holistic view of an urban forest is consistent as well with the definition of the urban forest from the British Columbia Toolkit: “The total collection of trees and associated plants growing in a city or Town. It includes trees in parks and yards, along roadways and paths, and in other areas, both on public and private lands.” [1]

Use of the term UFMP would put the plan at the same level of other strategic and holistic town plans including the Official Community Plan, the Sustainability Plan, and the Waterfront Master Plan. It is noteworthy that page 40 the Town Community Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2020 explicitly states that “Qualicum Beach has not adopted an Urban Forest Master Plan.” The expectation is and has been that Qualicum Beach have an Urban Forest Master Plan explicitly so named. 

Second, the relation of the Community Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2020 to the UFMP needs to be made more explicit.  The CCCAP has nine overarching areas of focus, six of which are goals of the OCP and the UFMP including the wild/urban interface for fire, natural asset management, urban forest resilience, watershed management, invasive species and climate change integration. The UFMP needs to make explicit reference to the CCCAP which is highly supportive of the necessity of a UFMP. For example, the task force recommendations of the CCCAP noted above should be considered as part of the UFMP. 

Third, given that the Town is undergoing an update of their “Asset Management Strategy” as outlined in a document of February 5, 2020 this would be an opportunity to include our trees and urban forest as natural infrastructure assets. According to the “ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability” a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development, “A healthy urban forest is one of the only municipal capital investments that will appreciate in value over time.” [2]Trees have value. We must value our trees.
Fourth, and key to our group, is the need for the Town to clearly articulate how citizens may be engaged in the design and implementation of a UFMP and accompanying bylaws. It is the historical norm and expectation of the citizens of Qualicum Beach that in plans of this magnitude that they be involved. While we are in a Pandemic critical social functions have not been discontinued and many businesses have managed to adapt and continue their activity. We all recognize that education is a priority and we must ensure it happens even in a Pandemic. The same goes for democracy and citizen engagement. Engagement of citizens in the design of the UFMP is essential and where there is a will there must be a way.

Finally, we urge that design and approval of the Urban Forest Master Plan and the accompanying bylaws be done at the same time. Indeed, Gye’s draft plan already has significant elements of both. There is ample research on bylaws in other BC municipalities that we are willing to bring to your attention if it would facilitate the process.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that the Friends of the Qualicum Beach Forest sees itself as constructively engaging with the town to ensure that we get the best Urban Forest Management Plan and set of bylaws possible.   

Yours,

Jay Smith, PhD
Spokesperson for the Friends of the Qualicum Beach Forest
587 Spruce Street
Qualicum Beach
V9K 1J1
250-738-1147
 
Cc:
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Arrowsmith Parks and Land Use Council
Brown Property Preservation Society
Chartwell Residents Association
Communities Protecting Our Coast
Eaglecrest Residents Association
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region
Qualicum Beach Residents Association
Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers Society
Qualicum Nature Preservation Society
Qualicum Woods Residents Association

1 http://www.toolkit.bc.ca/sites/default/files/Urbanforests_Adaptation_Guide_2012_0.pdf
2 https://www.iclei.org/  Please note that the ICLEI played a key role in the preparation of the Adaptation Plan.

This COVID-19 crisis has brought out the best in many of us.  The picture above shows Doreen, our Membership Chair, delivering some groceries to people in self isolation.  If you are able to safely go to shop, ask around and some of your neighbours are in self-isolation because they were travelling, were exposed to someone who became ill or are at prime risk for complications if they catch the disease.  Thank you Doreen for setting an example for all of us.