Serving the communities of
Qualicum Beach, Dashwood, Qualicum Bay, Bowser, Deep Bay & Fanny Bay

The Future's In Our Hands

By Lisa Verbicky

Thinking about what you really want and focusing on it…the benefits of
visualization have been touted for years by scientists, philosophers and psychologists
alike as the key to success for anyone – from athletes, to business people, cancer patients, and parents. In todays busy world, at best, most of us reserve dreams for the home we want, the career, the income, the ideal spouse…but, what about the community in which we live these dreams? What could that look like? How does the community you live in affect your ability to live the life you want? With development closing in on all sides, is it time for the residents of Lighthouse Country (Area H) to revisit the vision of ‘what they want where they live’?

According to residents of Union Bay who now sit with a development project to
include 1,000 homes, a marina, hotel and golf courses half-way into their community
foyer, open public dialogue is the key to making sure it’s a comfortable fit.
“Public process that is fair and open can be risky and lengthy but is the most important
step for a community in determining how to guide development…it’s best to start
thinking about that now,” says Cliff Boldt, member of the Union Bay Ratepayers Association.

Public discussion over the Kensington Island Properties’ development in Union Bay officially began after the developers held their first series of open houses in June
2005, although informal dialogue began some ten or more years earlier under its
former name, Weldwood. Soon after the application was made in 2005, the Comox
Strathcona Regional District (CSRD) held its own public meetings on issues including
planning, zoning, water and sewer. There were also meetings held by concerned
citizens groups. The public also attended the 1st and 2nd readings of the Kensington
proposal, and were invited to share their comments at a 3rd public hearing in-person,
by email, letter or fax. According to Area A Baynes Sound Regional Director, Suzanne
Murray, who was instrumental in facilitating this public process, the only part of the
debate that was not public was the 4th reading, or the legal proceedings between
the developer and the CSRD.

“As an Area Director, you can’t expect to make decisions for 5,000 or more people
without hearing from them,” says Murray. After two years of open public debate, the
Kensington project was given the go ahead, but was then stalled after confusion over
the conditions of density bonusing in return for affordable housing, as well as a legal
challenge by a Baynes Sound community group, and the project is now back at the 3rd
reading stage.

“You have to have an open mind, and educate yourself as much as possible in
order to make sure that the process unfolds as it should and so that decisions made are educated ones,” says Murray, who walks a fine line between her constituents and
developers. Murray also holds casual open meetings twice a year to ensure ongoing
dialogue on a variety of issues, giving her constituents yet another opportunity to speak to the issues. “There are many ways to get informed but it’s up to constituents to take advantage of these opportunities, otherwise they are subject to decisions made by those who do. Shaping a community is everyone’s responsibility.”

So when is the best time to start opening the channels of communication? In today’s
informational context, many citizens are often well-informed or even more informed than their municipal and regional governments, and demand for input into community development is growing.

This means that, even without an obvious development issue on the horizon like
Kensington, people are already talking and looking for someone to listen. The
Town of Qualicum Beach recently held an independently facilitated open public
meeting that served as an example of the type of dialogue that can happen now.
“This was really a look at how a public meeting could be structured in a neutral
manner where the public is able to voice their opinions in a non-judgemental
atmosphere where council members are actively listening and observing. The result
is that we take a proactive approach in identifying community values and issues.
We heard views that hadn’t been considered before,” says Qualicum Town Councillor,
Wendy Maurer.

Maurer goes on to say that neutral public meetings should be part of a more
comprehensive community building communications plan that could include
electronic, published, and other means.

So if dialogue should be happening “the sooner the better”, as
Maurer puts it, then what are some of the things we could be talking
about?

“We are going to be looking at the Village Plan for Bowser in the New Year. The areas to be looked at are numerous and require considerable background, vision and expertise. Village nodes, environmental concerns, transportation, affordable housing,
commercial areas…these are all practical ideas to be looked at in terms of a community’s development. For Bowser, I look forward to having the public come out and help shape a village node that is both affordable and sustainable, as well as one that maintains our values as a rural community,” says RDN Area H Director, Dave
Bartram.

In the case of the Kensington project, environmental concerns, as well as the impact on current taxpayers of increased infrastructure were at the forefront of debate – issues which have been addressed with varying satisfaction. However, although environmental standards and tax dollars are a given in today’s development debate, they are simply pieces of a bigger picture of a sustainable community. When discussing an official community plan for example, the question of what truly makes a sustainable community needs to be addressed, including sections on how the area plans to structure itself towards a sustainable local economy, incorporate affordable housing and alternative transportation, accommodate a diverse population, and build social and cultural heritage. In light of the much highlighted issue of greenhouse gas emissions, for example, ignoring the bigger picture is to offset any gains made through holding developers accountable to environmental standards, by increasing the carbon footprint of residents who can’t work and live in the same community. The point is, the environmental, economic, social, and cultural issues are all interconnected…you can’t forsake one for the other. Blanket statements over developments like Kensington that state “this will boost our economy” and “this will keep our young people from leaving our community” are unfounded when the reality is that the “environmentally sound” development is primarily high-end homes
for newcomers who will then be serviced by a number of minimum wage earning commuters.

To broaden that picture further, a community is not located in a bubble, and the decisions we make spill out into the surrounding region. For example, the results of the Comox Airport expansion, did not take into account the number of people moving to the region and the subsequent strain on infrastructure across the mid-Island,
including hospitals, roads, water, etc. When planning a community it also must be done in a regional context.

There is a lot to talk about, and the sooner we begin discussion the better, whether it’s over coffee at the Bean Counter, at our dinner tables, through the regional directors, via internet, library services, telephone, fax, or by attending public meetings. Maurer
recommends that people begin by getting acquainted with their local OCP.

“A public discussion over the Regional Growth Strategy will be happening in the future, and I highly recommend the public attend,” says Area H Director, Dave Bartram.

It’s your community – join your neighbours in future forums to ‘bring about what you think about’. ~