CumberlandMatters

Taking out A Trail - No More Shock Therapy in the Community Forest

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Village of Cumberland) — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:21:47 GMT

The Village of Cumberland along with a trail specialist from the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), local park stakeholders, the United Riders of Cumberland and the Cumberland Community Forest Society will be decommissioning the lower section of the Shock Therapy trail in the Cumberland Community Forest later this month. Shock Therapy, located in the western section of the park adjacent to the Dodge City Down Hill trail, was built in violation of the conservation covenant on the park and has negatively impacted the ecology and historic values of the area.

This cooperative approach to trail management reflects the multi-use nature of the Village's extensive trail network. "There are a lot of different groups that use and have an interest in our trail network," said Kevin McPhedran, Parks and Outdoor Recreation Coordinator with the Village of Cumberland. "By working together with the various stakeholders we are able to move toward our goal of effective park management and stewardship."

What's Up? - Council Meeting on May 13th, 2013

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Nick Ward) — Sat, 11 May 2013 23:25:51 GMT

Here's what's on the agenda for Monday's meeting. You can read the full papers at this link. 5:30pm in Council Chambers.

Whether to support the Comox Lake Watershed Sustainable Use Area and work to develop, implement and monitor a watershed management plan for the watershed.
Street closure requests for Dunsmuir - BC Bike Race June 30th, CV Classic Car Cruisers, July 27th, Motorcycle Roundup, August 10th and 11th
Use of local roads for the CV Cycle Race on June 16th and CV Prenancy Care Centre Fundraising Walk on May 20th
Delaying the Parks and Cemetaries Select Committee until at least Spring 2014 given that the Outdoor Recreation Coordinator's role covers many of the functions of a committee.
Development of a standards manual for park signage, with a $6,000 consulting budget.
Application for a develoment permit for light industrial office and workshop space on Cumberland Road, next to the existing industrial lots.
Update on the OCP review status
Recommendation to approve an outdoor patio at the back of the Waverley Hotel
Update on the status of the Comox Lake Road and an estimate of between $0.5m and $1.2m for stabilising the failing slope area
A report on Backyard Chickens, asking for Council direction to either:
- increase flexibility for residents to legally raise chickens
- Wait for the OCP Review to complete and rewrite the zoning law according to the food security section of the OCP
- Perform a specific community survey about backyard chickens
Reports for staff departments

What Happened? - Village Hall Meeting on May 6th

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Nick Ward) — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:02:38 GMT

Over 50 people attended the Village Hall Meeting on Monday, and the main topic that brought them was Backyard Chickens. In an interesting and respectful meeting, many points of view were put forward. Five people spoke against the idea, raising concerns about wildlife attractant, enforcement costs and effects on property values, and reiterating points made in the report by Village staff.

Many other people spoke in favour, either already owning chickens, having neighbours who do or having kept chickens on small lots in the past. They presented many examples of successful backyard husbandry and challenged many of the assertions made in the Village's staff report.

Provincial All Candidates Meeting - Tuesday 7th May, 7pm

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Cumbelrand Chamber of Commerce) — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:23:21 GMT

Join all 4 candidates for Comox Valley MLA (Conservative, Green, Liberal and NDP) for an all candidates meeting on Tuesday May 7th at 7 pm at the Cumberland Cultural Centre. Doors open at 6:30.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions from the floor. Names can be submitted when you arrive and will be drawn at random for the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates.

This all candidates meeting is being presented by the Cumberland Chamber of Commerce. Venue is being provided by the Village of Cumberland free of charge. Moderator is Nick Ward.

Cumberlanders historically have a very high voter turn out rate - lets keep that tradition alive - and hey - maybe have the best turn out in the whole Comox Valley!

The Chicken Meeting - 7pm, Monday May 6th

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Nick Ward) — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:08:06 GMT

Monday evening at 7pm in Council Chambers for the next Village Hall meeting - the topic is Backyard Chickens.

In a Flap About Chickens

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Nick Ward) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:49:07 GMT

There are many chickens in the backyards of Cumberland, and have been for many years. Whilst not strictly legal, a blind eye has been turned whilst towns and cities all over the world have caught up to what Cumberland has known for so long - backyard chickens have many benefits and few issues.

But the blind eye is being opened, and enforcement of Cumberland's animal bylaw is now beginning to happen. If you are one of Cumberland's quiet chicken keepers, you need to come speak at the Village Hall meeting on May 6th, otherwise there is the ever increasing chance that death may come a-knocking for those chickens.

Council has a petition with over 400 signatures supporting chickens on village lots. However, the other side of the argument is embodied in a staff report that firmly recommends against chickens. This website feels strongly that chickens are a welcome addition to backyards and that the Village's report needs to be looked at carefully and challenged on the basis of the available evidence.

The Village report can be read here and concludes:

"Though there are a few notable benefits to allowing backyard chickens, the risk of conflict from dangerous animals, health issues, enforcement issues and nuisance complaints seem to outweigh these advantages. Cities that allow for chickens do not allow them on smaller lots."

There are now many examples of cities worldwide that allow chickens. A survey of these is useful for understanding how they have dealt with the issues raised, but what really needs to be considered is an example of a small village with nearby predator habitat, as arguments about bears and cougars are less relevant in large downtowns. The best example is probably Rossland, BC, a city in the Kootenay Region with about 3,500 residents, which allowed chickens in 2011 and now has an active backyard chicken community sharing knowledge and understanding (and doubtless sharing eggs too). Our nearby neighbour Gibsons, BC, allows chickens and has no bylaws relating to them. It is a non-issue. Nanaimo has allowed them since 2010.

Council Considers UROC, Comox Lake Watershed Protection, Carlisle Lane Development and More

evets_nagrom@yahoo.com (Steve Morgan) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:46:05 GMT

Regular Council Meeting

April 22nd, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

Proposal for a Comox Lake Watershed Sustainable Use Recreation Area.

The Comox Lake watershed consists of the lake and the land containing the streams and rivers that feed into the lake. This huge area bordering Strathcona park is presently privately owned and under threat. Forty five threats, actually, the largest of which is industrial logging. Jack Minard and David Stapley, both of the Comox Valley Conservation Society presented a proposal to create a single governing body for the Comox Lake watershed, asking council for a letter of support for the project. Protecting the watershed is important, as it supplies the water for Comox Lake and hence the drinking water for much of the Comox Valley. The area also provides recreational opportunities and contains important habitat. For more information see http://www.cvconservationstrategy.org/news-and-events/news/proposal-for-a-comox-lake-watershed-sustainable-use-recreation-area/

Working in Partnership with the United Riders of Cumberland

UROC (United Riders of Cumberland) is a bicycling advocacy group in Cumberland. They have asked Council for their support in negotiating a formal agreement with timber companies for cycling access to land surrounding the village. This request was unanimously approved by council after clarification of the village resource commitment, which will be minimal. An agreement would allow Cumberland to formally advertise that these lands are accessible to bicyclists.

What's Up? For Monday 22 April 2013

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Nick Ward) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:39:20 GMT

Here's what's on the Council Agenda for Monday 22 April. You can read the full agenda papers here.

A delegation from the CV Conservation Strategy Community Partnership proposing a sustainable use recreation area for Comox Lake
A Memorandum of Understanding with the United Riders of Cumberland to pursue land access and trail maintenance agreements in private forest lands.
Rezoning application for the old Medical Building next to the Elementary School, as a proposed new home for Harmonic Arts Botanical Dispensary
A report on traffic calming in the Coal Valley Estates area, recommending no further actions apart from posting information to the website.
A process for citizens approval of the Water Improvements Loan Authorisation Bylaw.
First and Second reading of the OCP Amendment and Phased Development Agreement bylaws for the Carlisle Lane development.
Second and Third reading of the budget and property tax bylaws
An in camera meeting for receipt of legal advice

OCP 2013 Feedback

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Richard Drake) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:40:48 GMT

Richard Drake writes...I have been a resident in the village of Cumberland for approximately 10 years. One of the reasons I came here was because of the inclusive nature of the last OCP, which was just wrapping up when I arrived.

The word got out around the province that Cumberland was not only an interesting place to live, but unlike many other places, cared about its heritage enough to be one of the few remaining intact historical towns/villages in BC. This was partly a function of what was contained in the OCP. In fact, out of the many young families who have been moving here, a number of them chose to come here, not because we had fantastic employment opportunities, but because we have a very good quality of life. For instance although many of us to drive, maybe too much, I can walk downtown, and get just about any thing I want from municipal services, businesses, entertainment, medical care, library, and just about anything else I might want.

I am very glad you included "Quality of Life" in one of the measurements of our new draft OCP. A livable community attracts people who want to contribute to where they live. A good quality of life goes hand-in-hand with a vibrant economic climate. There are minimal drains on social services, police etc. You could do well to draw on a significant work done through the Livable Communities organizations that came into being all over BC in the early 1990s. Mayor Ashley of Campbell River made a substantial contribution to this. Although this movement is long gone, we could study their conclusions, objectives, and those things that were implemented, without reinventing the wheel.

What Happened - Council Meeting 8 April 2013

nick@tydewi.co.uk (Mike Tymchuck) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:28:27 GMT

Here's what was discussed at Council on Monday. Strong opposition to paying the Airport board members, interest in the CVEDS review process and a staff report recommending against backyard chickens.

Meeting began at 5:30 p.m.

Agenda approved and minutes adopted with small change by Gwen Sproule.

4.1: Further to the Blue Initiative, council has recommended that staff move towards the elimination of sale of single use water in any village owned or administrated concessions, vending machines or public facilities where access to municipal tap water exists.

4.2: Mason Bee Project: Councillor Copeman gave a presentation and council adopted all four recommendations which ultimately included staff installing nesting blocks in No. 6 Mine Park.

5.1: Comox Valley Airport Commission: Council had strong opposition to the interest of the CVAC to provide remuneration to volunteer board members. Councillor Kishi was particularly concerned about the precedence setting nature of this proposed action and Councillor Greening pointed out that volunteer boards are generally not paid. Council agreed to send a letter expressing their opposition to this proposal to the CVAC board.