Feb 3

Vancouver Island snowpack in bad shape, but not in uncharted waters yet

The most recent provincewide snowpack bulletin shows the whole of B.C. in dire straits, with Vancouver Island worse off than almost anywhere else.

But River Forecast Centre hydrologist Jonathan Boyd says it isn’t time to panic just yet, and the current state of the Island’s snowpack isn’t that uncommon.

“But yeah, it’s not a great situation,” he said in an interview.

Vancouver Island currently has just 30 per cent of its usual snowpack as B.C. hosts 61 per cent of its normal level. This is measured at five stations around the Island, with three of them currently showing no snow at all.

While this sounds extreme, it’s not totally unheard of for those stations to have zero snow. Boyd said it has happened several times before, which is why he values the results at the other two stations more.

“If they had been at their record low, it would have been more meaningful,” he said.

Considering all that, Boyd said the Island is at about a 10-year low, with the last similar year being 2015. That year had less of a snowpack at the start of February than we do now, and never really bounced back. The result was extreme fire danger and extended watering bans.

Still, similar snowpacks have been seen in February and eventually recovered. Boyd pointed to 2014 when the Feb. 1 snowpack was worse than what it is now, though by May 1 it was at a near-normal level.

“There still is time for improvement and recovery,” he said.

That being said, Boyd conceded the El Nino pattern this year makes a rebound less likely. Low snowpack and warm temperatures in 2015 were also linked to El Nino-influenced weather patterns.

“We are getting these warmer winters and springs with El Niño,” Boyd said.

Compounding the issues, the Island experienced an extended drought last year due to early snowmelt and hot summer.

“My fear is that we might end up in a situation where we melt even earlier than last year,” Boyd said.

The Feb. 8 bulletin — which was based on the levels as of Feb. 1 — does say the low snowpack is expected to persist across the province, noting that Environment and Climate Change Canada predicts there is a 60 to 100 per cent chance of the above average temperatures continuing through April.

Boyd said the amount of snow that falls on the Island can also vary widely depending on very small temperature changes. This was abundantly clear in January, as Vancouver Island got hit with plentiful moisture, but little of that fell as snow.

Because it is already generally a warmer and rainier climate, the snowpack should ultimately have less of an effect on the southern portion of the island, and Boyd says the Sooke Lake Reservoir is currently full after January’s atmospheric rivers.

“Victoria is quite unique, where it doesn’t necessarily rely on the snowpack because it’s a fairly low elevation watershed,” Boyd said. “It’s really the fall and winter rains that replenish that particular area.”

But the impact could be felt up Island if things don’t change.

“The systems that rely on that snowpack are going to have more of a challenge potentially, if we don’t catch up,” Boyd said.

He expects this to mean a difficult wildfire season across the province, though there is a bit more uncertainty on the Island as the rainforest can be a bit more resilient to dry spells.

“Drought and wildfire tend to go hand in hand,” Boyd said.

Another potential impact is the effect on salmon-bearing streams. The fish must be able to safely reach spawning grounds in smaller creeks to reproduce.

“It’s not necessarily just the low levels of the creeks that are the concern, it becomes the temperature of the creeks,” Boyd said. “It can get so warm that it’s fatal for the fish.”

Because the low snowpack is linked to the El Nino weather patterns, it is hard for Boyd to say if the culprit is climate change.

Long-term, it may not always mean a low snowpack, but might cause earlier and earlier melt.

“And having snow melt maybe in April or early May on a more consistent basis,” he said.

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Feb 2

B.C. minister says land act changes don’t give First Nations veto power

B.C.’s Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen has accused critics of pending First Nations-related legislation governing about 95 per cent of provincial land of fear-mongering.

Cullen said these critics hope to turn back the clock to 1950s, adding that resource industry leaders themselves are asking for the kind of certainty in resource dealings with First Nations that the legislation is intended to provide.

“My worry is that for some of the political actors here on the right, this is an element of dog-whistle politics,” Cullen said, adding that deliberate misinformation around the issue is hurting B.C.’s reputation.

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He made these comments as the provincial government continues to receive submissions on proposed amendments to the Land Act until March 31, while facing criticism for both the substance and the process.

Central to the issue are agreements under Section 6 and 7 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which establishes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the basis for reconciliation.

Agreements under those sections allow the provincial government to enter “agreements with a broader range of Indigenous governments and to exercise statutory decision-making authority together” and government is now seeking to bring the Land Act in line.

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Critics are accusing the government of not only downplaying the consultation process to avoid attention, but have also raised concerns that government is planning to give First Nations veto power over land decisions.

Perhaps the important document making that point is a commentary from Vancouver-based law firm McMillan LLP.

“(Make) no mistake – the subject matter of the consultation is unprecedented and of profound importance to any company that requires authorization to use Crown land in (B.C.),” it reads. “These include things like grazing leases, mining leases, licenses of occupation, dock permits, rights of way (and so on). “

Up until now, these decisions have always been made by the minister responsible for the act, it reads.

“Under the amendments being proposed by the (provincial) government, changes will be made to enable agreements with Indigenous groups such that they will be provided a veto power over decision-making about Crown land tenures and / or have ‘joint’ decision making power with the (minister),” it reads. “Where such agreements apply, the Crown alone will no longer have the power to make the decisions about Crown land that it considers to be in the public interest.”

This commentary has been cited by various critics, but other legal analysts have also pointed out that B.C. is implementing First Nations rights under Canada’s constitution as found in S. 35. .

Cullen, for his part, said critics have it wrong.

“There is no veto in these amendments,” Cullen said. “The First Nation Leadership Council confirmed the same thing.”

Cullen said the government has “reset” the consultation process.

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“So we have lengthened it, we have deepened it, we are taking all requests,” he said. “I just did five hours in a meeting with the adventure tourism interests in this province, answering every question they have, and I will do more. I will do as many as it takes.”

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Cullen promised his ministry would not start drafting changes until after March 31 and pledged ample for legislators to review the changes.

“It would be surprising if there (are) a lot of amendments, it is not a lot of material,” he said. “But it has obviously elicited a strong response in some quarters, positive and negative, so I’ve got be respectful of the legislature as well.”

Pointing to two current Section 7 agreements with the Tahltan Nation in northwestern B.C., Cullen said these agreements “greatly” enhance the predictability of permits and the ability to raise money, because the fear of litigation or conflict “go way down.”

Cullen said he has spoken to at least one company, who wants to strike an agreement like it now.

“Capital likes to reduce their risk and this dramatically reduces that risk, while at the same time not affecting the existing access to land of all British Columbians,” he said. “It doesn’t affect the 40,000 permits that they we have, it doesn’t affect renewals.”

Cullen also questioned claims that the agreements bypass the legislature.

“If we look at the two examples that we have, the ability to land these agreements requires us to get a mandate from cabinet with an exhaustive consultation process,” he said.

“It requires first of all to have an alignment between the provincial interest, the First Nation, and those cases, the mining company. Then we get a mandate to negotiate, then we do an exhaustive consultation process, then we go back to cabinet to confirm the agreement and the agreement connects the First Nation to the (provincial) government and elevates us both to the same legal standard of judicial oversight and administrative fairness.”

When it was pointed out that cabinet is not the legislature, Cullen said the ability to sign these agreements are part of DRIPA, which “unanimously” passed the legislature before becoming provincial law in November 2019.

“The legislature said, acts of B.C. would have to be changed,” he said. “We have done it five times already. I didn’t hear the outcry when we did this to forestry and child and family and emergency acts.”

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Jan 29

Vancouver Island doctor says healthcare crisis is getting worse

As more Canadians struggle with the healthcare system, one Vancouver Island doctor says it’s getting worse.

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Dr. Alex Nataros is the Medical Director of the North Island Community Health Centre in Port Hardy, which serves patients living on North Vancouver Island.

While the centre has served over 6,000 patients since opening in August last year, Nataros says we are seeing a crisis.

“Outside of our North Island region, we see this in the Comox Valley and Campbell River. I practiced in the Valley for 5 years and saw every day the impact of patients not having family doctors,” said Nataros.

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This comes as a recent Leger poll shows 70 percent of Canadians are worried about not being able to receive good-quality medical attention if they need it, with the top three words that people say when thinking about the healthcare system being “long waits, stressed, and failing.”

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While the province has launched an at-home screening program for cervical cancer, cancer care is still a big concern, according to Nataros.

“We’ve seen and heard the stories about the government now sending cancer patients to Bellingham, to Washington state to get basic radiation treatment, and there is concern that the care is not going to be there when they need it,” said Nataros.

“I see it every day in terms of anxiety of patients who aren’t sure if they can get the care needed for advanced cancer care, and our oncologists are working day and night, moving mountains to do what they can in delivering care.”

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With cancer being one of the leading causes of death, Nataros says that there needs to be an increase in cancer care resources, increase the number of radiation and medical oncologists, and radiation technicians.

Physician assistants are also needed, with Nataros adding that they would help deliver more care if implemented.

“We need to empower family doctors, cancer doctors, specialists to lead our healthcare system and lead the delivery of the resources.”

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Jan 28

Island's snowpack particularly low; could signal bad fire season

A particularly low snowpack on the Island and across the province could mean B.C. is in for another difficult fire season.

A lack of snow means fuels such as trees and deadfall will likely dry out earlier, which typically leads to fires earlier in the year, said Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada.

The provincial snowpack is “extremely low,” averaging just 56 per cent of normal as of the start of the year, according to the province’s Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin.

Vancouver Island had 39 per cent of normal snowpack as of Jan. 1. The low snow levels raise the risk that the province could see another fire season like last summer’s, which kicked off with “extremely warm” weather in May and an unrelenting fire season “with very little precedent,” Castellan said.

A bad fire season is not a guarantee, however, he said. In 2019, after one of the warmest and driest springs on record, officials worried in June that the province was on the brink of large-scale fires, but rain for most of July quashed those fears, Castellan said.

“Right now, I think everybody has their fingers crossed,” he said.

The low snowpack comes with some good news. There’s a reduced risk of flooding of the severity that led to a state of emergency in Cache Creek, near Kamloops, last spring, Castellan said.

Snow forms a seasonal store of water, and lack of it affects some water reservoirs, particularly up-Island, said Alan Gilchrist, a professor of geography at Vancouver Island University.

The melting snowpack refills reservoirs during the summer as municipalities draw from them. With reduced snow melt, a reservoir is limited to what it can hold, as it won’t be replenished as it normally would, he said.

“I’m guessing water managers in the central part of the Island are probably getting a little bit uneasy,” Gilchrist said.

The low snowpack could lead to water rationing in the summer, he said, and individuals should think about how they can reduce their water use. Cutting back on watering the lawn has one of the biggest impacts on reducing use, he said.

Lack of snow is affecting B.C. ski resorts, including Mount Washington, which saw heavy rain on a 56-centimetre snowbase on Monday. The resort closed its Sunrise chairlift and said on its website that some runs might close over the next few days.

Snow and below-freezing temperatures are in the forecast this week. Monday saw a high of 5 C, but temperatures are expected to drop to –1 C on Thursday.

Castellan, who volunteers as a youth coach for the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club based at Mount Washington, said this winter is the worst he’s seen for snow since he moved to Victoria in 2016.

Over the weekend, as Castellan skied cross-country trails at Mount Washington, staff were closing sections of trails so quickly, it seemed every time he completed a lap, a new section closed.

He could see the snow melting on top as rain fell and from rivers flowing under the snow, which created sinkholes.

“Parts were impassable. You pretty much had to take your skis off,” Castellan said.

Jan 25

Drug poisoning advisory issued for Campbell River: Island Health

Another drug poisoning advisory has been issued for Campbell River, and Island Health says there is an increased risk for friends, family and community members using opioids.

Island Health says you should visit your local overdose prevention site at 1330 Dogwood St. between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. and get your drugs checked.

They add you should also carry naloxone, use one substance at a time, know your tolerance and start low, go slow.

If using alone, Island Health says you should let someone know and ask them to check in on you, download Connect by Lifeguard, and call the National Overdose Response Service.

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Jan 22

New guide aims to help workers after Myra Falls shuttered

The City of Campbell River wants to help mine workers affected by the closure of Myra Falls deal with job loss through a new guide.

The Path Forward: navigating unexpected job loss is designed to assist them deal with unexpectedly finding themselves unemployed.

The city says the guide is a response to the Myra Falls mine shutting down operations in December.

City mayor Kermit Dahl says the city is eager to share the guide to the workers who need it.

“In the face of change, I am confident that the Campbell River community will carry forward the resilience and ingenuity it has demonstrated in the past to forge new opportunities for the workers and families affected,” said Dahl.

The guide will have five sections, including how to pay the bills, looking for a new job, retirement, how the job loss affects children, and how to look after yourself.

For the guide, click here.

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Jan 20

Good fishing for some coho, Chinook stocks forecast for this season

It’s looking to be another good, but not great, year for salmon fishing around Vancouver Island, according to DFO’s seasonal forecast.

Ken Franzen with the BC Wildlife Federation took part in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s 2024 “Preliminary Salmon Outlook” conference this week. He says it’s a mixed bag of some good and bad news.

“The problem that comes, of course, is trying to fish around the stocks that aren’t doing well,” he says. “You end up in some cases only being able to keep adipose fin-clipped fish, or they start the season for Chinook late to let Fraser fish go by.”

For example, Chinook on the Island’s West Coast look promising, and Vancouver Island coho runs are expected to be excellent. However, Chinook and coho elsewhere are expected to be poor, and so are chum and most sockeye.

Pink salmon are also expected to have poor returns, as it’s an even-numbered year. Pink returns are typically strongest in odd-numbered years.

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Jan 15

Village of Gold River Job Opportunity

The Village of Gold River has an opening for a Utility Labourer. The incumbent Labourer will perform general labour duties and assist in the operation of sewer and water construction, repair, maintenance and operations. Will perform all such other duties as may be required from time to time and may be scheduled to work in other municipal operations such as Solid Waste/Recycling, Streets & Sidewalks, Parks, etc.

This is a training position and the successful candidate must complete the Waste Water Treatment Level 1 and Water Distribution Level 1 courses under the B.C. Environmental Operators Certification Program.

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Jan 15

Island-based major crime unit pitched by province to deal with increasing homicides

RCMP want to create an Island-based major crime unit, to better investigate increasing homicides and save money on escalating policing costs.

Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth sent out letters to Island municipalities just before the new year pitching the idea. He says early this year RCMP and the provincial Policing and Security Branch will be meeting with municipal leaders to discuss options.

Farnworth says plans are being driven by a steady increase in homicides in BC, along with increasing costs involved in getting a case from investigation to prosecution. He says a single Island-based major crime unit will make sure there are enough trained and skilled officers on-island to solve local homicides, and provide better police service overall.

The province will be leading the consultation process.

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Jan 12

Vancouver Island drinking habits changing, reasons are complex

Public attitudes around drinking have shifted and this has meant fewer people around Greater Victoria consuming alcohol, said Jeff Guignard, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees.

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The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction announced that Canadians are healthier if they limit consumption to two standard drinks a week. But Guignard said that this shift happened before new guidelines were publicized.

“It’s interesting because Health Canada’s guidance has stayed the same. Certainly, the public consciousness around all this has shifted — as well as the media campaigns and the number of articles. The discussion is much more active than it ever has been. What is the long-term impact going to be? We have no idea. Still, we’ve already been noticing customers shifting. Some of it involved the pandemic when people were locked up in their homes. People drank a lot,” said Guignard.

Even though there was a massive consumption of alcohol amid pandemic restrictions, these increases have mostly disappeared and are starting to resemble standard drinking patterns, he said.

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The most significant change in consumption has been with Generation Z and younger millennials, as cannabis has become more frequent and accepted in mainstream society. Guignard said young people prefer to smoke a joint rather than drink a pint of beer.

“We’ve done a pretty successful job over the past several decades, making people understand the harms associated with excess consumption and that you must responsibly consume whatever you consume. Additionally, in 2018, we legalized recreational cannabis, and in some cases, they’re substitution goods where some younger consumers will choose to smoke or vape cannabis instead of going to a bar.”

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The new healthy drinking guidelines have had no material effect on how people in Victoria consume alcohol when dining out, says Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of BC Restaurant Association.

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Alcohol sales make up around 35 to 40 per cent of the revenue that restaurants make, with food sales being where the bulk of their business is done, said Tostenson.

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“It’s an important part of our business but not the main business. So, if we have some shifts in consumption, we tend not to feel it as much as a bar,” he said.

According to Tostenson, there has been a shift in young millennials and Generation Z, who are consuming alcohol less than previous generations, resulting in Metro Vancouver’s opening that does not serve alcohol at all, with none currently operating in Victoria.

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Guignard said that despite new innovations in the hospitality sector, the industry still needs to recover from COVID-19 lockdowns and has seen many bars and pubs get into a spiral of debt they cannot get out of.

“One person I was talking to last night said, ‘It’s been two years of going up and down his credit line. You know, it goes down from, you know, $50,000 into debt to $5,000, and then the slow period goes back down to $50,000 and back up to five’ like you can’t get ahead.”

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Jan 10

Island man petitioning federal government to restore rail service

The last time a passenger train ran along the E&N line between Victoria and Courtenay was in 2011.

That’s when service was suspended indefinitely because of the poor state of track conditions, but the debate has raged on ever since about the viability of restarting it.

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Now, a Shawnigan Lake man has a House of Commons petition he hopes will garner national attention.

“A House of Commons petition with a motion gets read in the House of Commons, and they will have to respond within 45 days to everybody that signed the petition, so it’s going to raise what’s happening out here in the House of Commons to the Members of Parliament,” said Warren Skaalrud, who started the petition.

The petition is endorsed by Cowichan—Malahat—Langford MP Alistair MacGregor and, among other things, calls for the creation of a $1 billion fund using federal and provincial money and to guarantee funding for the Island Corridor Foundation to create a modern freight and passenger service on Vancouver Island.

“The Island is going to develop whether we want it to or not, and people are going to move here whether we want them to or not,” said Skaalrud. “It’s about how do we create our transportation system.”

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The Island Corridor Foundation says it will cost $431 million for the construction and acquisition of rail equipment in order to restore the 290-km rail line to Courtenay and Port Alberni.

However, the petition is calling for double that amount for possible First Nation accommodations.

“The accommodations are going to cost extra money on top of the $431 million, and I kind of wanted to prove to everybody that a billion dollars, I mean for the government, they deal in billion-dollar projects all the time,” he added.

But there is opposition.

Former three-term MP Denise Savoie is a director with Friends of Rails to Trails Vancouver Island.

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She’s seen similar petitions and says the current population on the Island of roughly 864,000 people isn’t high enough.

“You know, if you look at Montreal and Toronto where they’re scrambling for transportation dollars, and this is a petition to the federal government, and they have to look at needs across Canada, well, even one million wouldn’t cut it,” Savoie told CHEK News.

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The group wants to see the inactive Island Rail Corridor turned into a multi-use trail that connects the Island.

“We’re not against trains. I take trains all the time in Toronto and Montreal. It’s just not the right time right now,” Savoie added.

“The right of way was built in the 1800s before development, and it’s not suitable today. There are over 200 road crossings, so the train goes too slow, bridges need to be fixed, and there isn’t enough population.”

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The Province of B.C. has been studying the future of the Island Rail Corridor since March 2023 and says 15 meetings have been held with First Nations and regional districts. Sub-working groups have been set up to focus on different portions: Victoria to Langford, Langford to Parksville, Parksville to Port Alberni and Parksville to Courtenay.

The petition can be found online here, and the deadline to sign it is Jan. 11 at 10:25 a.m

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Jan 10

The Tsow Tun Le Lum Healing House has opened the doors to its new Cowichan facility.

The decades-old organization deals with substance use and trauma treatment for Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit people from across BC and Yukon.

Their programs are structured with set intake and outtake times for each stream and focus on the healing of intergenerational wounds that Indigenous people grapple with.

“Our people, because of colonization and all of the impacts and effects of that, suffer from trauma,” says Tsow Tun Le Lum Executive Director Nola Jeffery. “People react to trauma in certain ways. I really believe that people use substances to cope with the pain.”

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The society has done work for years, previously based north of Nanaimo. Their new $19 million facility just south of Duncan was needed after the lease on their previous property and the landowners chose not to renew the lease.

“Did I want to move? Absolutely not,” says Jeffery. “I didn’t think we would have to move, so no I didn’t want to.”

But the decision was made for their organization, and so the process began for a new home. Jeffery credits the First Nations Health Authority for their help, and for securing funding for the federal and provincial governments. She also sourced private donors who wanted to help bring their dream to reality.  The board looked through other locations in Port Alberni and Nanaimo, before settling on the Cowichan site.

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The new facility is located on Miller Road, in a wooded area just south of Duncan. The society is planning to be there for quite a while, with a 50-year lease on the land and two 25-year extensions possible.

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Jan 7

Want To Be A Lifeguard?

If you would like to become a Lifeguard and you are not a student at the highschool, Please contact Dorothy King at dking@goldriver.ca or call 250-283-2251.

This Program has a series of courses that will be conducted at the Anne Fiddick Aquatic Centre.

Approximate course hours are:

Bronze Medallion (20 Hours)

Bronze Cross (20 Hours)

Standard First Aid with CPR C/AED (16 hours)

National Lifeguard -Pool (40 Hours)

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Jan 6

Village of Gold River

Regular Council Meetings of the Village of Gold River are held on the first and third Mondays of each month, except for the months of January, July, August and December (or on Tuesday if Monday is a statutory holiday) in Council Chambers, at the Village Office located at 499 Muchalat Drive, Gold River, BC.

Regular Council Meetings – 7:00 p.m.Monday,

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Jan 4

Why is there no bridge or tunnel connecting Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland?

Here's a little video clip as to why this has never been done, from our friends at CBC. Click here to watch the 2 minute clip

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Jan 1

Island Health still recovering from pandemic-caused shortages, looking ahead for 2024

More beds and doctors are coming to Island communities in the New Year, after a challenging 2023 for health care.

In a year-end letter, Leah Hollins, chair of Island Health’s board of directors, says the health authority is still dealing with ripple effects from the pandemic. Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals are still not back to full surgical capacity, and hospitals up to Port Hardy are struggling with retaining and recruiting doctors.

However, there’s some good news for the new year.

North Island doctors opened their own community health clinic this fall. Island Health will work with them in the New Year to reduce doctor shortages and hospital closures, and has also added a mobile CT scanner to service North Island communities.

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Next year Island Health will build more than 750 long-term care homes for seniors in Campbell River, Lantzville and Colwood. The Campbell River project will create 153 new beds at a cost of around $1 million per bed.

An expanded Nanaimo Intensive Care Unit began accepting patients, and next year construction of the new Cowichan District Hospital will continue, as well as planning for the new Nanaimo BC Cancer centre.

Island Health has also added new payment models and increased Primary Care Network investments to attract more physicians to B.C. and help attach patients who are not fully supported today.

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Dec 26

Anglers hope salmon repeat surprise returns again next year

It was a banner year for pink and coho salmon returns, leaving scientists and anglers hopeful next year will see a repeat.It was the best year for coho in the Strait of Georgia in three decades, with a surprise return of millions. Researcher Will Duguid with the Pacific Salmon Foundation says coho patterns are still poorly understood, and scientists are trying to figure out what prompted this year’s numbers.

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Pink salmon also had an incredible year, with around 10.5 million returning to the Fraser River this fall, almost double what managers were expecting.

Duguid says researchers need to spend more time monitoring salmon in the ocean, where they spend most of their lives growing and feeding.

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Dec 25

Lower gas prices on Vancouver Island may be due to mild weather

Experts believe that the low gas prices on Vancouver Island may be due to the mild winter weather.

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Department of economics professor Moshe Lander from Concordia University believes the lack for household heating and lower demand for air travel is the reason for the drop in price at the pump this year.

“When you have that milder weather you know everybody is not reaching for the thermostat in the same way, and so that’s going to be reflected in lower prices for all energy, including gasoline,” said Lander.

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According to the gas price analysis website GasBuddy, the relatively low prices the Island is seeing are close to what drivers saw at the pump two years ago during the COVID pandemic.

Gas prices in Victoria dipped to an average of 1.62 cents a litre on Wednesday, which is the closest it’s been to the COVID-19 pandemic prices of 149.9 cents a litre exactly two years ago.

However, Lander doesn’t think we will hit the historic low prices that were seen during the pandemic and anticipates prices will go back up sometime in the new year.

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“I don’t know that we are going to see lows that we saw, for example, during COVID when nobody was travelling, but I don’t know that we are necessarily going to see the highs that we saw just before COVID when we were talking about some pretty crazy prices per litre,” he said.

Ladner added that due to inflation, people wanting to make budget cuts will often try to reduce their transportation cost. This trend can impact the demand for fuel during the holidays, which can then lower the price per litre.

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Dec 19

Vancouver Island's Myra Falls mine shuts down

The Myra Falls polymetallic mine on Vancouver Island is shutting down again, and the mine’s owners are seeking creditor protection.

The Myra Falls underground mine produces copper, lead and zinc, and is located in the very heart of B.C.’s oldest provincial park — Strathcona — in a special exclusion zone. It employs roughly 300 miners.

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The mine was shut down in 2015 by the previous owner, Switzerland’s Nyrstar, but restarted in 2017. It was sold in 2020 to Trafigura Mining Group.

Trafigura today announced it is placing the mine in care and maintenance, and has applied to the BC Supreme Court for creditor protection while it restructures.

“Since 2019, Myra Falls Mine has made significant investments to modernize the Myra Falls mining and milling operation,” Trafigura said in a news release. “Unfortunately increased operating costs and depressed metal prices over a sustained period of time mean the operation is no longer financially viable and the mine will be placed on long-term care and maintenance from Monday December 18, 2023.” 

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"We recognize that this decision will be difficult news for our employees and other stakeholders and is in no way a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our people in recent years,” said Myra Falls Mine manager Hein Frey.

“Myra Falls Mine will now undergo a period of restructuring with the aim of returning to active operations in the future when market conditions allow."

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Dec 19

Vancouver Island-based Netflix series ‘Island of the Sea Wolves’ wins four Emmys

It was a big win for all of Vancouver Island at the 2023 Daytime Emmys!

Amid the talk shows, soap operas and reality shows, a locally-made, hit nature series starring the Vancouver Island’s famous sea wolves brought four Emmys home to the island.

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This is all due to the work of renowned nature cinematographer, Maxwel Hohn. 

Hohn is based out of Comox Valley and he took home the Emmy for best cinematography for his work on Island of the Sea Wolves. 

The three-part docu-series which follows the sea wolves through the seasons was nominated for a total of seven Emmys and was successful in winning four of them. 

Aside from the outstanding cinematography category win that Hohn took home, it also won outstanding single camera editing, outstanding sound mixing and outstanding writing team for a daytime non-fiction program.

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“It’s an absolute dream come true,” Hohn said in a statement about his win. 

“It was an incredible team to be part of and having the opportunity to spend almost a year filming wildlife that surrounds my home on Vancouver Island was an amazing experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

“A huge thank you to the team at River Road Films and Wild Space Productions for bringing me onto the series and a massive congratulations to the entire team for their hard work and dedication,” he added.

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Dec 18

Magnitude 4.9 earthquake felt by Comox Valley and Campbell River residents

Numerous coastal B.C. communities felt the shock wave of a magnitude 4.9 earthquake Sunday afternoon (Dec. 17).

The epicentre was located 137 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and hit at 3:23 p.m, according to Earthquakes Canada.

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The earthquake alert service reported that the effect of the geological event could be felt “on northern and central Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and many parts of Greater Vancouver.”

Regarded as a light to moderate earthquake on the moment magnitude scale, many residents across the province took to social media to share their experiences.

Among them were Comox Valley residents Lia Lavoie-Bartlett and Jessica Labbe.

“It really wasn’t much,” Courtenay resident Lia Lavoie-Bartlett said. “My daughter had fallen asleep on me on the couch and I felt a low rumble. I have felt other earthquakes in the past and this was very mild. I wondered if it was something going on in the lower units of my apartment but then saw the Facebook post!”

“We were at home and heard our cupboards rattling a bit,” Comox resident Jessica Labbe said. “I was sitting down at the time and felt a slight back and forward movement. It was fairly short.”

For more details, visit earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca

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Dec 17

Electric trucks are innovative, but not yet practical for Vancouver Island

Walmart is now using electric semi trucks to stock some BC stores, but Vancouver Island will have to continue relying on fossil fuels.

Walmart Canada has added three electric Freightliner trucks to its BC fleet, the first in Canada. They will be based at the Surrey distribution centre.

But while electric vehicles are advancing quickly, for the transportation sector, they are at least a decade away from being practical, says the head of the BC Trucking Association. President Dave Earle says battery-powered trucks will be useful for short hauls but long-haul trucking will still rely on traditional diesel engines.

He says realistic ranges for the trucks are around 250 kilometres, and they require a lot of infrastructure to be practical which does not yet exist.

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Manufactured by transport industry titan Freightliner, their manufacturing specs say they can travel up to 400 kilometres on a single charge. The Cascadia electric system they use can be 80% recharged in about 90 minutes, and they are capable of hauling the heaviest loads allowed on BC highways.

Walmart anticipates the trucks will travel more than 100 thousand kilometres annually. Walmart Canada director of transportation says this is the first step towards meeting the company’s goal of having its fleet 100% powered by green energy.

Dec 14

 A Drug Poisoning/Overdose Advisory has been issued for Campbell River. & Area

There are options for safer use:

- For harm reduction services and information, including naloxone programs, visit Toward the Heart at https://ow.ly/Nlzv50PLkLO

- To tell us about a toxic drug event/poisoning text OD to 253787.

- If you’re using alone, try the Lifeguard App at https://ow.ly/183a50PLkLN or the Brave App at https://ow.ly/rbxN50PLkLG, or call the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-6677

- Check out Island Health’s Overdose Prevention Services page at https://ow.ly/FgyS50PLkLF to find information on overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites, drug-checking services and more

- For Indigenous-specific information, visit the First Nations Health Authority’s Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction pages at https://ow.ly/ktA450PLkNW

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Dec 11

Worker dies at Gold River log sort, investigation underway

A worker at a log sort near Gold River died on the job Friday morning.

United Steelworkers Union Local 1-1937 issued a notification Friday evening about the worker’s death. It happened at the Nesook [neh-suhk] dry-land log sort, west of Gold River.

RCMP, Worksafe BC, the employer and union representatives attended the site and the investigation is ongoing.

The union offers its deepest condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of the deceased worker. Out of respect for the family, no other information will be shared until after the weekend.

Dec 09

2024 Gold River Council Meeting Schedule

Regular Council Meetings of the Village of Gold River are held on the first and third Mondays of each month, except for the months of January, July, August and December (or on Tuesday if Monday is a statutory holiday) in Council Chambers, at the Village Office located at 499 Muchalat Drive, Gold River, BC.

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Regular Council Meetings – 7:00 p.m.

Monday, January 8Monday, June 17

Monday, January 22Tuesday, July 2

Monday, February 5Tuesday, August 6

Tuesday, February 20Tuesday, September 3

Monday, March 4Monday, September 23

Monday, March 18Monday, October 7

Tuesday, April 2Monday, October 21

Monday, April 15Monday, November 4

Monday, May 6Monday, November 18

Tuesday, May 21Monday, December 2

Monday, June 3 

Public notice of any changes to the regular schedule of meetings and notice of Special Council Meetings will continue to be posted on the Public Notice Board at the Village Office and on the municipal website.

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Dec 1

Island Health’s first mobile CT scanner has arrived in Port Hardy

After being announced back in January, Island Health’s first mobile computed tomography (CT) finally arrived in Port Hardy on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

“Our teams will now begin the process of installation, testing, accreditation and staff training,” stated Island Health in a social media post. “It’s hoped the first patient scans will take place in December.”

CT scanners use a combination of x-rays and computer technology to take images of the inside of the human body.

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Previously, patients would have had to travel all the way to Campbell River to have access to a CT scanner.

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Dec 1

Campbell River to Gold River Road Trip Guide: 12+ Beautiful Places to Stop

Travel from Vancouver Island’s east coast to west through its mountainous core, alongside huge lakes and waterfalls on a Campbell River to Gold River road trip.

While bearing similarities to the renowned Tofino route, this lesser-travelled version offers a delightfully uncrowded experience. This is one road trip in which the journey really is the destination.

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The 100km drive to the terminus of Highway 28 beckons adventurous travellers to disconnect and revel in the beauty of nature, with no phone signal or Wi-Fi in sight.

For the full story click here

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Nov 30

Feds provide $10m funding for salmon enhancement projects around Island

First Nations and environmental groups are getting nearly 10 million dollars to restore salmon habitat around Vancouver Island.

The funding comes through Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund. The largest chunk, 5 million, is going to the Nature Trust of BC to restore estuaries and fish habitat in the Salish Sea and around the North Island.

The Tha’amin Nation in Powell River is getting nearly $1.7 million to restore salmon populations around Unwin Lake . They will also work with the BC Conservation Foundation on a million-dollar kelp forests project along the Sunshine Coast, in the hopes of restoring 67,000 square metres at 25 sites.

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The Comox Valley’s Project Watershed Society is getting one point five million to restore crucial salmon habitat along the coastline, including tidal marshes, eelgrass beds and kelp forests.

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Nov 25

BC Ferries looking to replace six outgoing vessels with hybrid-electric ferries in 2029

BC Ferries says they are in the first of a lengthy process that will eventually see six vessels replaced with seven diesel-hybrid electric boats.

In an emailed statement, public affairs executive director Deborah Marshall says the New Major Vessels program is the largest part of a capital plan to modernize and transform ferry experiences.

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Marshall adds the hope is to provide a better customer experience, improve reliability and reduce the environmental impact. Marshall adds the boats will be ready for plug-in shore charging and run fully electric once the infrastructure exists.

BC Ferries has put out a request for expression of interest out to shipbuilders to build the seven new vessels. The request closes in December, and they will issue a request for supplier qualification in early 2024.

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Marshall adds the bidding process is open to local, national and international companies. The first of the new ferries is expected to be operational in 2029.

BC Ferries says they will not say what the budget is right now because that would compromise the competitive bidding process.

More details will follow as they move through the process, according to BC Ferries.

Nov 24

New Indigenous forestry deal will benefit entire region, SRD board hears

Island First Nations are looking forward to finalizing a deal with Western Forest Products that will give them more say over logging activities in their territories.

Earlier this year the Nanwakolas Council, which represents nations from the Comox Valley to Campbell River and north, signed an historic deal with the forestry company to gain a 34% interest in a new partnership. It will create and oversee a new tree farm licence in the Campbell River-Sayward region, providing annual production of more than 900,000 cubic metres of wood.

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Ted Nash with Nanwakolas says the new deal will benefit everyone.

“We’re in a partnership on both sides: developing the future forest management regime, and benefitting economic development in the area,” he said. “We think through doing that we’re going to create significant stability on a go-forward basis.”

Nash was part of a presentation to the Strathcona Regional District board last week, who heard the new partnership will be finalized sometime next spring.

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NOv 20

Strathcona Regional District launches new emergency program

The Strathcona Regional District has announced the launch of a new emergency preparedness program.

Called the Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program Guide, it will be used to provide tools and direction for communities in the district to be prepared, in case of a disaster.

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Board chair Mark Baker says the program is an important step towards building more resilient communities.

“With these updates, we’re hoping to create self-reliant communities where neighbours are checking on each other and making sure we’re all ready to handle whatever disaster may come our way,” said Baker.

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The district says while the program focuses on emergency preparedness, you are encouraged to use the program’s structure for community safety, food security, and FireSmart. You can find more info on the district’s website.

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Nov 20

Island Health unveils improved Indigenous health care system

Island Health says they will be implementing a new voluntary Indigenous self-identity program (ISI) at all health facilities to tailor patient health needs according to their culture. 

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According to Island Health board chair Leah Hollins the ISI program is expected to be rolled out over the next few months, and patients will be asked if they identify as First Nations, Metis, or Inuit.  

She says this will enable Island Health and Indigenous partners and communities the opportunity to close gaps in health and social disparities for Indigenous people.  

“The information provided will help our staff connect Indigenous patients with Indigenous-specific services available in their community,” Hollins says. “Patients can identify if they have Indigenous ancestry and is completely voluntary to do so. 

“The information provided will be used for the sole purpose of providing the best care.” 

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 According to a media release, once someone uses the ISI program the information is stored and shared throughout healthcare facilities, ensuring the patient’s rights, and culture, is respected. 

Vice president of Indigenous Health and Diversity Dawn Thomas says putting the self-identity program in place is one way Island Health is working towards equality and reconciliation.  

“We know Indigenous people face inequities in health care access and experience a higher rate of chronic disease and injury,” Thomas says. “The ISI will help us in closing the gap and addressing accessibility through improved patient care.” 

The ISI program launched yesterday at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, with a regional rollout expected to happen in the spring of 2024. 

Nov 20

BC Ferries wants your thoughts on ferry system

BC Ferries looks to turn the tide on their current operational issues with a new survey.

The Charting the course survey will focus on defining what is needed to keep customers, goods, and services in coastal communities connected moving forward.

They hope that the survey will help them build a more sustainable ferry system, with the ferry-line adding they are looking for your long-term priorities for the system.

The survey is part of an ongoing project called Charting the Course, which will see workshops, and an engagement summary report, with the goal of putting together a final vision by the summer next year.

The survey is open until November 28.

A link to the survey can be found on BC Ferries website.

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Nov 15

The Strathcona Regional District wants to set up a regional housing service to help create more affordable homes.

This past week the board moved ahead with plans to borrow 10 million dollars to set up a housing service, to be used only where there is a need and demonstrated public benefit.

If established, the service would allow the regional district to make agreements with housing societies and other organizations to develop custom housing.

Board chair Mark Baker says communities in the regional district are facing a multitude of housing challenges that can’t be easily solved by traditional private market solutions.

The board’s borrowing bylaw is now out for the alternative approval process, meaning it will go ahead unless a certain number of people formally comment against it. Deadline for comments is January 2.

Nov 15

SRD launches Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program & Guides

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is delighted to announce the soft launch of its refreshed and simplified Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP) Guide. This program and guide will provide important tools and direction to ensure SRD communities are prepared in case of a disaster.

“The Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program is an important step forward in building resilient communities and supporting each other after a disaster or public emergency,” says SRD Board Chair Mark Baker. “With these updates, we’re hoping to create self-reliant communities where neighbours are checking on each other and making sure we’re all ready to handle whatever disaster may come our way. I extend my gratitude to the NEPP volunteers who put in hundreds of hours throughout this project.”

NEPP plans are designed by neighbourhood teams to be as basic or detailed as your community would like. Simple tasks such as a list of your neighbours, their contact information, and a map of your neighbourhood can bring a community closer and make a big difference when a disaster strikes,” says SRD Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman “Most initial disaster relief is provided not by formal organizations, but by residents of the impacted area and surrounding communities.

Although the NEPP focuses on disaster preparedness, communities are encouraged to use the NEPP structure to enhance other important neighbourhood-driven initiatives such as community safety, food security, and FireSmart.

NEPP Highlights:

• NEPP fosters social connections and mutual assistance within a neighbourhood setting.

• For several days after a major disaster, help from neighbours may be the only help available. It's important to build those relationships beforehand so everyone is prepared, should a disaster occur.

• Research shows that in a disaster, people working together have a better chance of survival than individuals acting alone. They also recover much faster emotionally.

• It is important to be prepared to be self-sufficient during emergency situations with emergency kits and water and have proper plans in place for family and pets. Visit www.srd.ca/emergency-preparedness for more information.

To learn more about SRD’s Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP) and guidelines for establishing an NEPP in your area, please visit www.srd.ca/nepp.

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Nov 10

Gold River Village Council - Nov 6, 2023

Suzanne Trevis

Present at this weeks council meeting were Mayor Michael Lott, Councillors Allison Pringle, Peter Wehmeier, Nikki Pichert and Henry Fossen, and CAO Michael Roy. There were seven members of the public in the gallery as well as the press and zoom was available.

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Mayor Lott welcomed everyone, then called the meeting to order. Two late items were added to the agenda and then it was approved. Minutes from the October 16th meeting were adopted and as there were no Hearings or Unfinished Business we moved straight into Delegations.

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Connie Chan brought forward the idea of a concrete circle that could be used for shot put and discus throwing. She was suggesting the area next to the track where the tot lot used to be. She had an awesome presentation showing all the benefits etc, but was unclear how to proceed. Councillor Fossen asked if there was somewhere on school property it could be located. Ms Chan explained the field was where they practiced and is close to the school. The terrain, lots of sand, is also ideal for what they want to do and it means they are not damaging other areas, like the field, for example. Councillor Wehmeier mentioned the planned amalgamation of the schools and asked if it was wise to invest in the area when the high school will be moving up to the elementary school within the next few years.

For a few minutes the discussion moved to the necessity for everyone to speak with the school board to find out what their plans are with regards to the school location and use of facilities, as neither side seemed to know anything about what is going on. The Village currently has a joint use agreement with SD84 for the use of the track and other facilities at the sports field, but there are no plans to renew it when it runs out. In the end council received the report for information.

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Jeremy Davis came with a presentation for a Dog Park. It was more of a general ‘how do we do this’ than a proposal, but it got the conversation going. Councillor Fossen advised that this is an issue that has been identified in councils Strategic Priorities, and will be discussed during budget talks, starting soon. Mayor Lott agreed and the item was received for information.

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The next item was a Waterfront Strategic Plan that had been put together for council by Urban Systems Ltd. It included a great deal of research from engagement with stakeholders and community residents, demographics of the area, a tourism overview and what the Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation has planned. They included information from previous studies (lessons learned) and offered some examples from other areas. Most of the council members commented on what a great report it was, but didn’t have much to add. Mayor Lott mentioned that council had committed $550,000 to upgrade the warehouse and dock this year and stated there was a lot of potential for the village.

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Council received the report for information and agreed to send a copy to the MMFN for their information and comment.

Meeting schedules for the upcoming year were discussed. Councillor Wehmeier suggested moving the January meetings of 2 & 15 to 8 & 22. The schedule was amended and then passed. As was the schedule for Deputy Mayor alternates.

Council appointments to committees and agencies was next, and that prompted a few changes.

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Councillor Fossen asked that Broom Busters be removed from the list as he felt it was not a good one to keep and ‘staff deal with anything on village property’. The rest of council agreed and the motion to remove was passed.

Councillor Wehmeier asked that he and councillor Fossen be switched on the Chamber of Commerce appointment, so he would be the lead and Councillor Fossen would be the alternate. Councillor Fossen agreed to the change but added he had been advised that the Chamber didn’t need a village rep unless they (the village) had something to bring. The change was made and Councillor Wehmeier is now the village rep for the Chamber of Commerce.

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The next item was the Third Quarter Financial report. Mayor Lott talked quite a bit about how well they were doing, pointing out that the council had mandated staff last year to find ways to save money. He specifically pointed out how much under budget they were, seeing that we are ¾ of the way through our budget year. The report was received for information.

Under Reports from Council, Councillor Pichert reported on a video that had aired in October of Premier David Eby discussing rural issues at a town hall meeting in Osoyoos. In it the premier outlined the province's vision and plans to support rural communities in BC. She felt many of the issues they discussed were issues we are dealing with ourselves and encouraged everyone to watch. Council received her report for information.

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Under Information Items was a table titled ‘Work in Progress’. There were two items listed under ‘Action Item/Resolution’: water staging/water bylaw update, and Grant in Aid update, but there was no other information to indicate what this was for. Council received it for information.

There were no Committee Reports or Bylaw changes.

Correspondence was received as a block and included:

City of Surry Police Transition - a letter from Brenda Locke, Mayor of Surry asking all communities to look at the changes the province is making with regards to the Police Act. Mayor Lott asked staff to do this and see if there was anything that would impact us.

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Ministry of Children & Family Development - a letter asking to acknowledge Adoption Awareness Month.

This brought us to Question Period. The press had a number of questions.

What is the Work in Progress list?

The Mayor advised it was a way for council to keep track of items they had asked staff to look into.

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Financial Report - a number of operating expenditures appear to be well under budget, is this because some items have not been done?

The Mayor started explaining how budgets work, items get estimated at the highest expectation, we are only ¾ of the way through the year etc. He told us staff had been mandated to find savings wherever they could. I asked why we had budgeted almost $1.6 million dollars to Capital Projects this year and only $106 thousand has been spent. Thats not savings, is there a reason these projects have not gone forward?

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As the Mayor tried to come up with an answer, the CAO pointed out that most of these questions were answered in the report itself. So we moved on.

The Mayor had mentioned that the village had budgeted over half a million dollars to upgrade things at the wharf, so in light of questions that had been raised at the last council meeting, I asked where the dock got its drinking water from. The Mayor advised that Air Nootka and Nootka Sound Services get their water from a well on IR#12. I asked what happens to sewage at the dock and he initially told me there were port-a-potties. When I specifically asked what they used in the warehouse, he admitted the sewage from there goes straight into the ocean, under the dock.

With regards to council appointments I went through each committee and asked the councillors how many meetings they had attended, and what was going on with that group. Each committee has an appointed person and an alternate. If a councillor can not make a meeting, they are to advise their alternate, who should attend in their place.

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Fossen/Pringle - Vancouver Island Library Board. Councillor Fossen advised that he had attended all of the meetings but when asked whether the budget for Gold River had gone up or down this year, he claimed he did not have the figures in front of him. There has not been a library report recorded in the minutes since February.

Fossen/Wehmeier - Chamber of Commerce. Councillor Wehmeier stated that he had been to three meetings. When asked about the tourist season this year he reported that it had been a bit of a struggle with one of our hotels being out of operation all summer. There have been no reports on chamber activities recorded at all this year.

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Pichert/Wehmeier - Fisheries and Watershed. Councillor Pichert advised that she has attended all of the watershed meetings. She then went on to give a very comprehensive report on watershed activities. Broodstock went out to a number of rivers in the area earlier this year, and despite drought conditions this summer, numbers are still looking good. She mentioned that there were some big grant opportunities coming up that would allow some major projects to move forward. She reported very positive news from the hatchery at Conuma. She also attended 3 other meetings with regards to moving net pen operations from water to land based operations.

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Pringle/Lott - Restorative Justice. Mayor Lott said he had been told they would be advised when needed. Councillor Pringle said she had given them her email but had not received any notifications of meetings. Neither of them has attended a meeting.

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I then asked the Mayor how many Strathcona Regional District meetings he has attended in the last year. He claimed he has been at all of them, but minutes from the SRD meeting show he has been at 10 out of 15. No word on why his alternate did not attend in his place when he was unable to go.

I then asked him how many SRD Hospital Board meetings the village has attended this year. The answer was none.

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I asked how many SRD Regional Waste Management board meetings the village has attended this year. The answer was none.

I asked if there were plans for council to attend the AVICC this year (Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities) one of two conferences that take place each year for municipalities. The Mayor said no immediately, but Councillor Wehmeier interrupted and pointed out that he had something regarding this coming up on the agenda. He also stated that in the past council has usually sent three members to each conference, two councillors and the mayor. The village did not attend AVICC in 2023.

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At this point we moved on to New Business where the two new items had been added to the agenda. Councillor Wehmeier brought up the Christmas Tree lighting and Staff Social, as last year, their first, had happened in a bit of a rush. There was a lot of discussion, but Council finally agreed on Dec 7th for the Tree Lighting, 8th for the Free Skate and 9th for the Free Swim. They also agreed to Appys and Trivia at Sea & Field on the 9th for the Village Staff Christmas Party.

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Under Notice of Motion Councillor Wehmeier advised that at the next meeting he will be bringing forward the 2024 AVICC Call for Resolutions, and an Amendment to Council Procedure Bylaw No. 733 that would allow names to be attached to votes in council when members do not agree, rather than the current practice of just recording ‘carried’ or ‘defeated’.

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At this point council motioned to adjourn to an in-camera session pursuant to the Community Charter Section 90(1)(c) Labour relations or other employee relations.

The next council meeting will take place Monday, Nov 20 at 7pm.