4 Year Election Term as of Nov 15 1 Parks · Asceptic containers - soy milk, soup containers...

[email protected] 250-935-0320 Box 394, Whaletown, BC, V0P 1Z0

Happy Spring Cortes! From your Regional Director – Noba Anderson April 14 2014

Leadership

I have been reflecting on the manner in which I

approach this job representing you to the

Strathcona Regional District (SRD) and how that

compares to some of my colleagues in the news. I

am more of a collaborator and enabler than a front

page podium seeker. Although one might say I have

a more modest reach, my commitment as a Cortes

politician is primarily to Cortes. The more I see of

the larger political world, the more I appreciate

Cortes. In the past couple of years, I have put good

energy into supporting the establishment of Cortes

Island Business and Tourism, the monthly

community meals and the Truth & Reconciliation

Learning Group. I have incubated the conversation

on a renewed trails effort, supported focused

attention on a transportation study, and

encouraged consideration of a Cortes land holding

group. I have taken a back seat on the ferries issue,

which I explain later on, yet have responded swiftly

to the announced closure of the Credit Union.

Although I am dedicated to my work and am

honored to serve Cortes in this way (I wouldn’t do it

for any other community) I am not consumed by it.

Although my heart is in with this service, I also take

time for family, garden, home, & spirit. This balance

has kept me sane and in deep gratitude.

Newsletter Contents:

Leadership 1

4 Year Election Term as of Nov 15 1

Parks & Trails 2

Regional Tourism / Economic Development 3

Grant-In-Aid Applications Due May 9th 4

Expanded Recycling Coming Soon 4

Campbell River Boundary Expansion 4

OCP & Zoning Bylaw 5

Coastal Community Credit Union 6

SRD Budget 6

My Perspective on BC Ferries 7

New Ferry Schedule – Insert – Separate Page

This has been a relatively slow year for Cortes at the

Regional District board. Our regional attention has

been focused instead on the Oyster Bay area,

between a review of their Official Community Plan,

water supply issues, sewerage planning and the

proposed Campbell River boundary expansion.

When staff is not busy with that, they have been

putting considerable effort into the Quathiaski Cove

sewer situation. However, a few small Cortes

projects are being moved forward, including some

key trails work and a new recycling program, both

of which I expand on below.

4 Year Election Term as of Nov 15

The Provincial government recently introduced

legislation “that will support greater transparency

and accountability in local government elections.”

Mostly the bill deals with election campaign

financing rules; not something that will have much

effect on Cortes given the very small costs of local

campaigns. What will affect us is a change from a 3

to a 4 year term of office. Assuming this legislation

passes, which it likely will with a majority

government, whoever is elected from Cortes to the

Regional District on November 15th of this year will

be elected for 4 years of service.

mailto:[email protected]



Parks & Trails

Beach Access I am turning my attention to the Cortes trail system.

The Cortes parks service at the SRD is focusing this

year on developing new beach access trails,

mapping the existing island-wide trail network, and

identifying new proposed cross-island trails. I am

grateful to the Friends of Cortes Island trails group

who has helped prioritize our efforts. There are

many roads that currently terminate at the water

(lake and ocean) and already provide public beach

access. Effort will be taken to map and sign these

sites along with the three beach access trails that

have been open for some years (Moon, Hayes &

Gnat) and the one just completed at the end of

Seascape Road. Check it out!! It features many wide

steps and a sweet ‘creek’ crossing.

Seven more beach accesses have been identified for

further. They are: Seaford Road, Arbutus Road,

Christensen Road, Noth side of Gunflint Lake, Ester

Road off of Plunger Pass Road, Sawmill Road and a

high bank picnic area at the end of Raven Road.

When further information is collected about these

sites, I will come back to the FOCI trails group for

consultation. If you would like to join this working

group, please be in

touch with FOCI. The

SRD will also consult

immediate

neighbours for their

input. Let me know

what you think.

Please let me know.

A map of all the

potential beach

access points is up

for public display in

Manson’s Hall beside

the indoor entrance

to the post office.

New Ferry Park If ever, on one of those hot summer days, when the

ferry is overloaded you would rather be anywhere

than waiting for hours, now you can sit at a seaside

picnic table under a fruit tree, in a lovingly restored

heritage homestead. Yes, beneath the blackberries

and brambles, a few dedicated volunteers have

uncovered a wee little gem! Below the Whaletown

ferry parking lot will now be a sweet little SRD park.

The final paperwork is still pending but I have every

confidence that by the time the ferry is overloaded

again mid-day and the sun is high, there will be a

sweet spot to be. Thanks to BC Ferries and the

Ministry of Highways for their total support this far,

and many thanks to Rick and Deb Peters and Ryan

Harvey who have put so much effort into this soon-

to-be-charming spot and to the FOCI trails group for

their coordination. There will be a few small

bridges, another table, some new fruit trees, and a

fancy trail up to Byers Road to make a short walking

loop. A site sketch below gives an idea of what may

be. Next time you have a few minutes waiting for

the ferry, take a look.

Here is a simple sketch of the site. The ferry dock is

just off the page to the bottom right.




Reef Point Park The ‘Crown’ piece of land that is the very

southernmost tip of the island, identified as one of

the three future parks interests in the Cortes Official

Community Plan, is now getting some attention. I

have begun looking into how to formalize a trail

network on that land, much like Kw’as Park.

Members of the FOCI trails group are writing a

backgrounder on this park interest to present to the

Province and other interested parties.

Regional Tourism / Economic

Development

The Regional District board has identified ‘Tourism’

as an area of regional interest worth investigation.

Although this was not a priority I had identified for

Cortes I respected the regional strategic planning

process and I called together Cortes tourism

operators to ask if there was any interest in more

formal regional tourism collaboration and if they

saw a role for local government. From that meeting

was born Cortes Island Business and Tourism

(CIBAT), now a committee of the Discovery Islands

Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to the Cortes

executive in this first foundational year.

In 2013, the SRD hired a consultant to investigate

the value, viability and costs associated with

forming a regional SRD tourism tax service. At a

very high level, they also explored the various forms

that this service could take and how it might be

delivered. To see the first, very beginnings of the

consultants work, visit the link at the bottom of this

article. Last month, the board asked the consultant

to further investigate an option that would include

providing some of the service in house and some

contracted out. We are now awaiting that final

report. Although my three rural colleagues have

been very clear from the outset that they have no

interest in participating in a regional service, I have

maintained an open and curious mind, although I

still struggle to see the solid advantages to Cortes in

this kind of regional approach. I have consulted with

Cortes Island Business & Tourism, and they have

also expressed curiosity for more information and

see some value in regional collaboration. However,

they too have reservations and questions.

Hornby & Denman Island’s Community Economic Enhancement Model Late last year, a CIBAT member and I participated in

an economic development conference focused on

gulf islands. Of all the various economic

development models, that of Hornby & Denman

strikes me as a good potential fit for Cortes Island.

The Comox-Valley Regional District has an economic

development tax service that, through a 5 year

contract, supports the work of the Hornby Island

Community Economic Enhancement Corporation

and the Denman WORKS! Economic Enhancement

Society. A few words about Hornby from their

website: “HICEEC is a non-profit corporation

established in 1996 to foster a healthy, sustainable

and diversified economy on Hornby Island. HICEEC

administers its own programs and works with

partners towards achieving this goal. The mission of

the HICEEC is to take leadership in developing and

implementing solutions to social and economic

issues facing the citizens of Hornby Island. Our

vision is a healthy, sustainable, resilient and

diversified economy on the island. Securing funding

has allowed us to implement an ongoing cycle of

fund disbursement and establish a physical office.”

I would like to host an economic development

forum here on Cortes later this year to explore

options for a more coordinated community

economic development approach in these sustained

difficult economic times. I see CIBAT as the

beginning of this wide-vision community approach.

http://srdws.strathconard.ca/Agenda_minutes/SRD

Board/BRD/12-Mar-14/20140303-Tourism-

Feasibility-Study---Confirmation-of-Preferred-

Service-Model-COMBINED.PDF


http://srdws.strathconard.ca/Agenda_minutes/SRDBoard/BRD/12-Mar-14/20140303-Tourism-Feasibility-Study---Confirmation-of-Preferred-Service-Model-COMBINED.PDF






Grants-In-Aid Application Due May 9th

Every year in the Regional District budget, we set

aside Cortes Grant-In-Aid funds to assist with local

non-profit work. This year please submit

applications to me by Friday, May 9th using the SRD

Grant-In-Aid form that accompanies this newsletter

electronically, and send applications directly to me.

I encourage applicants with any out-of-the ordinary

project ideas to contact me first to discuss your

concept. Each year I set aside 1/3 of the

approximate $25,000 for a significant community

priority project. Past priorities have included youth,

non-profit fundraising, and business & tourism

assistance. What is our collective priority this year?

Expanded Recycling Coming Soon

Next month, you will all be receiving detailed

information about a new expanded recycling

program (Multi-Materials BC) coming to you!

The program will enable you to recycle new

categories of packaging that are not commonly

included in current recycling programs such as:

Film plastics - plastic bags

Gabletop containers - milk cartons

Aerosol containers

Plant pots

Aluminum foil containers

Asceptic containers - soy milk, soup containers

Plastic clamshell containers - from bakeries & delis

Paper packaging coated with wax or plastic

Hot and cold drink cups

This is a program that the Regional District decided

to adopt and run, so that we could continue to

deliver the great local recycling pick-up service and

recycling centre. I have been saying for years,

‘people should be able to take everything they don’t

want to one place!’ We are moving ever closer to

that goal. Thanks to Dova for all your years at the

Cortes Recycling Centre and welcome Brian! Thanks

also to Henry and his team for the ‘end-of-driveway’

collection service. The pride you all show is truly

admirable!

Campbell River Boundary Expansion

Anyone reading the Campbell River newspapers the

last many months will be aware that the City of

Campbell River has a boundary expansion proposal

that would include a good portion of the residential

area of the Regional District to their south. A

referendum will be conducted to poll those

residents that would be immediately affected. They

get to choose. We recently received a report at the

SRD board that indicated that there would be a

financial impact on taxpayers throughout the SRD

and few identifiable cost savings. It says that the

SRD is relatively small and has limited scalability,

meaning most present roles and functions are

required in order for the organization to function.

Therefore, reduction in service as a primary means

of addressing this shortfall would be a challenge.

Increasing tax levels or other rationalizations would

likely be required to address the shortfall. If this

boundary expansion was to be successful, it is

anticipated that Cortes would need to pay an extra

approximate $8,500 to make up the shortfall in

planning and admin services, which would mean an

extra $10 per year for the average Cortes property

owner. For the full report see:

http://srdws.strathconard.ca/Agenda_minutes/SR

DBoard/BRD/09-Apr-14/20140402-Hotsenpiller-

Campbell-River-Boundary-Adjustment-Service-

Impact-Review.pdf


http://srdws.strathconard.ca/Agenda_minutes/SRDBoard/BRD/09-Apr-14/20140402-Hotsenpiller-Campbell-River-Boundary-Adjustment-Service-Impact-Review.pdf






OCP & Zoning Bylaw

The Cortes Official Community Plan (OCP) was

completed a year ago, yet it is important that all

that good work is kept alive. I will give 3 bound

copies of the OCP to the Cortes library for

circulation, and I have a number of paper copies to

distribute to those of you who would like one for

your reference. Electronically, it can be found at

http://strathconard.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?P

ageID=71 . This document is part of my job

description and marching orders. Here are the

‘Actions & Plans’ outlined at the OCP’s end. These

are items that together we need to make happen!

Cortes OCP Actions & Plans 1. To maintain and revisit the Rural Road Standard Letter of Agreement between the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Regional District to develop an ongoing consultative process in order to ensure a rural road standard is maintained for Cortes Island, and further, to update road classifications as required;

2. To support local food production and processing through:

i. development of a community garden; ii. creation of a “local food growers” cooperative.

3. Develop a comprehensive Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Strategy and a comprehensive long term implementation plan;

4. To establish a Cortes Island Forest Carbon Reserve fund, along with associated community forest land and protection areas, in order to develop an international monetary carbon offsets mechanism;

5. To undertake a comprehensive hydrology study for Cortes Island;

6. To develop a system to dispose of hazardous waste;

7. Development of a Cortes Island evacuation plan;

8. Support the creation of a plan to address liquid waste management issues within the Manson’s Landing area; 9. That a comprehensive planning process be undertaken for Manson’s Landing to address

matters of density, land use, public space and transportation;

10. Development of a groundwater protection plan for Manson’s Landing and the inhabited areas of Hague Lake;

11. That the Regional District apply for map reserve status for Gorge Harbour;

12. That the Cortes Zoning bylaw be updated, including a review of aquaculture definitions and zoning provisions;

13. That a regulatory bylaw to address matters of nuisance and enjoyment of property be developed and adopted;

14. The preparation of performance benchmarks in order to monitor the successful implementation of plan policies and climate change policies;

15. Consultation be initiated the with Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations regarding aquaculture lease locations and consistency with OCP plan policies;

16. The provision of an annual report on the status of the Official Community Plan;

17. That a formal review of the official community plan be undertaken in ten years.

Zoning Bylaw Review Bylaw No. 2455, being the Electoral Area ‘I’ (Cortes Island) Zoning Bylaw, 2002, regulates land use on Cortes Island. The zoning bylaw will require amendments in order to reflect policies that have been developed through the adoption of the Official Community Plan. Due to our small staff at the SRD and the many large regional projects indentified in the intro if this newsletter, the update to the Cortes Zoning Bylaw is now planned to be undertaken in the early part of 2014. Two major issues that will need to be addressed in that review are aquaculture zoning and numbers of permitted dwellings on un-subdivided lots.


http://strathconard.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=71

http://strathconard.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=71



Coastal Community Credit Union

On April 1st, and not as an April Fools joke, the

board of the Coastal Community Credit Union made

the decision to close its three branches and remove

ATMs in Alert Bay, Sointula and on Cortes Island

effective July 5th. I immediately reached out to

leaders in the other two affected communities and

wrote our joint letter that was delivered three

business days after the public announcement. It

was a very strong letter outlining our utter dismay

at their lack of member and community

consultation and requesting information to explain

their decision. The letter can be found at

http://www.cortesisland.com/tideline/show6720a5

s/Letter_to_CCCU_Board__CEO_from_Cortes_Soint

ula__Alert_Bay

Four days later, leaders from Alert Bay, ‘Namgis

First Nation, Sointula and I met in Parksville on

Saturday April 12th with the CEO and Board chair of

the Coastal Community Credit Union. Although they

shared very little concrete information we did get

the clear message, however belatedly, that they do

want to work with us to find ways of continuing to

serve their members and wanted our assistance to

that end. We heard that the Credit Union will take

our concerns back to the board and consider

extending the closure deadline for all three

branches so that they can engage community

leaders and their members to find a solution that

will reduce the level of subsidization while providing

needed service in our communities. We as leaders

committed to working with the Credit Union to find

alternative solutions that are mutually acceptable.

The board chair has told us that the closure of the

credit union branches has been added to the Credit

Union AGM agenda April 16th. We have assurance

from the board chair that we will be contacted in

the very near future for further discussions. We also

informed them that there is a members’ special

resolution petition being circulated among the

communities which will be presented at the AGM

asking for a special meeting on this matter. Please

send me your feedback about how this branch

closure will affect you, what your core service needs

are and any creative work-around thoughts you

might have. I am doing my best to put to the side

my disgust with how this decision was made, and

move into a proactive mode.

SRD Budget

I have made a concerted effort since taking office at

keeping property taxation very stable. The table

below demonstrates this. The 2008 budget was the

last one of Jenny Hiebert’s term. Since that time, I

have increased the grant-in-aid budget which

supports local non-profits, kept stable funding for

planning, fire & emergency services, while

increasing our work in parks without increasing the

tax associated with them. Although the tax rate has

increased, the dollar amount collected has been

very stable to support stable programs.

This is of course the smallest snapshot. I am very

happy to explore in more detail the budget with

anyone that has interest. Please let me know.

Year Total SRD Taxation

from Cortes (not

including library tax)

Tax rate per $1,000

assessed property value

(not including fire &

garbage collection)

2008 $530,527 0.87

2009 $543,156 0.89

2010 $565,904 0.93

2011 $527,996 0.91

2012 $528,613 1.00

2013 $532,110 1.04

2014 $547,996 1.07


http://www.cortesisland.com/tideline/show6720a5s/Letter_to_CCCU_Board__CEO_from_Cortes_Sointula__Alert_Bay





My Perspective on BC Ferries

The reasons that I have been quiet about the whole

BC Ferry issue while active efforts are being made

by elected bodies and coalitions are threefold.

Firstly, people much more passionate about this

issue than I have been empowered to represent us.

Jim Abram is the appointed rep from the Strathcona

Regional District to the Special Committee on BC

Ferries and does a fervent job there on our behalf.

Secondly, I cannot wholeheartedly throw my

support behind an effort to maintain the status quo

in a transportation system that is so car-centric.

Rather than speak out as a minority, I have left this

issue to those who are fighting. Thirdly, I have little

faith that the current Provincial government has

any interest in listening to the public on this matter.

For years, through all the diplomatic channels

available to citizens and local governments, we

have been making the case for stabilization of the

ferry system, yet to no avail. I dearly hope that I am

wrong and that my colleague’s efforts bear fruit.

The present BC Ferries crisis has been decades in

the making due to short-term thinking and chronic

underfunding from the Provincial government.

Today, while the average life expectancy of a BC

Ferry is 40 years, the average age of a ferry is 37.

We have a massive fleet replacement issue that is

not being addressed. What are we going to replace

a 40 year-old fleet with? We cannot possibly

assume that the same kind if boats we use today

will be the best fit 40 years from now.

There is no question that fares have reached a

tipping point and MUST be addressed. BC ferry

users directly pay 100% of all ferry operating costs. I

challenge anyone to find another public

transportation system where its users cover all

operating costs. It doesn’t happen. The remaining

capital costs must be paid by the Province through a

stable funding formula. The government says that it

cannot continue to ‘subsidize’ BC Ferries to the

same extent. Yet they do not use that language for

highways or schools or hospitals. For those services

they say ‘fund’ rather than ‘subsidize.’ My question

is, what will users and the Province be paying for?

What will our ferries and transportation system

look like in the future? What will best serve our

communities in this time of rapid world-wide

economic and ecological change?

In the face of having services we rely on taken from

us without real engagement, even the most

progressive and ecologically minded people become

reactive. It is so much harder to engage people in

creative future thinking when we are in a reactive

mode. This big-picture conversation is not one that

most of my colleagues are prepared to have at this

time given the fight path that communities are on.

This IS the conversation, however, that I have

energy for!

I do not see the current version of our ferry system




as sustainable in any way. It would be politically

astute for me to say otherwise, but it is not my

truth. Today, the Cortes ferry is estimated to

contribute about 10% of our community’s green

house gas emissions on top of the estimated 37%

that is land transportation, and 25% that is

imported goods. This is according to 2009 Cortes

Greenhouse Gas Inventory which does not including

airline travel. Our single-occupancy car dominant

culture has got to change! It is killing life as we

know it on the planet and economically is crushing

us under the infrastructure cost required to support

it – roads, highways, bridges, and yes ferries!

First of all, we need to move people and stuff

around a lot less! We need to stay put more and

source our goods closer to home. However, when

we do need to transport people and stuff, we must

do so in an affordable manner; affordable to the

user, affordable to the government (still our money)

and with less ecological impact. Our current

behemoth ferry system is not the model future

transit system, neither diverse nor resilient.

We need integrated long-term transportation

planning that meets community needs, keeps costs

down and actively supports less car-dependent

transportation methods. This is not an undertaking

that BC Ferries or this Liberal government seems at

all interested in doing. I expect that it will need to

be an initiative at the local government level to

undertake this kind of transportation planning. I

have more energy for this proactive work than for

protesting idiocy by a government that has no

interest in listening to its people.

What I envision within my lifetime, if I dare, is a very

different system. For those of us that are inheriting

the ferries from the generation that built them, and

has left us with the associated global catastrophe, I

envision something new. I anticipate moving people

and goods but fewer cars! I see a transit system that

includes more passenger ferries. I see car sharing

and mini buses. In many cases, people would be

happy to leave their cars at home if they could get

to town easily by foot and get around by transit. For

the times when we need to bring bulky things

home, we would elect to take vehicles, or leave

bulky items to be brought to us by a freight system.

I see a fleet of electric vehicles, electric assist

bicycles, and shared trucks.

I have shared this vision at every opportunity with

BC Ferries and through the Province’s ‘engagement’

processes. When we are ready to have this broad-

minded conversation that includes both BC transit

and BC Ferries at the highest level, with a

progressive Provincial government that has the guts

and vision to be truly creative, I will be there with

all my heart. In the meantime, I expect that

solutions oriented long-term transportation

planning will come from local-government, non-

profit societies and community leaders.

Thank-you for the honor of this office.

In Gratitude, Noba Anderson


4 Year Election Term as of Nov 15 1 Parks · Asceptic containers - soy milk, soup containers...

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