EDiotorial Witzicisms

RCMP Request Staff Increases in the Comox Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia Zirkwitz) — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 06:48:00 +0000

Pink is the new black! The @BCRCMP are proud to show our support for
@Pinkshirtday by wearing our #PinkShirtDay shirts! @comoxvalleyrcmp on Twitter

In February RCMP Inspector Tim Walton for Comox Valley called for increasing staff by four constables and one support person.

Reasons given included: last increase was in 2011, Courtenay constables have the fifth highest workload per RCMP for municipalities of its size in B.C. Courtenay's policing costs are among the he cheapest per person in the province and there are increased calls for service since 2007.

By region a rural taxpayer pays about $ 50 per year, in Comox $ 94 and in Courtenay over $ 200.

Generally in BC using the RCMP is cheaper than a city having their own police service. Annual per capita costs in Vancouver are $ 422, who have their own police, and Mission (contract for RCMP) $ 274 and North Vancouver (RCMP) $ 185.

Factors such as employment and poverty are important in determining crime levels. Also, what is the level of trust and confidence by the community towards the police? These are less specific in assessing how effective the local policing is. Community support and involvement can make the policing more effective. RCMP contracts include federal funding/subsidization to over hundreds of municipalities and smaller communities that are 10 per cent and 30 per cent if under 15,000 population. If part of the local request for additional officers can be allocated to rural communities the cost will be more attractive.

Given the above I suggest the Regional District as well as Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland give consideration to the additional staff request but phase it in over a 4 year period: a support staff and officer in the first year plus one additional officer in each of the following three years. By phasing it in this way it will be easier on the taxpayer.

A NO Vote for the 2016 Sewage System Proposal on June 18, 2016 Could Bring Forward New Ideas!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia Zirkwitz) — Sun, 19 Jun 2016 19:29:00 +0000

Much effort and money it seems has gone into coming up with a proposal for Royston/Union Bay sewer. To help me make sense of the Royston/Union Bay South Sewer Project, I decided to review the 2005 proposal (which passed in a 2006 referendum) plus the 2009 update of that proposal.

For 2005/2009, 1,362 parcels were included but only about 950 parcels are included for the June 2016 referendum.

The 2009 cost of $34,684,000+GST prorated to 950 homes would be about $24 million. Allowing for three per cent inflation per year, in 2019 dollars that would be $31 million. Why is the cost about $56 million now?

In 2009, the failure rate from Fraser Road to Trent River was estimated to be 10 per cent, but higher in the Union Bay area (up to 50 per cent). The cost to physically connect, from your house to the actual sewer line, will be thousands of dollars, especially if you need to have a pump installed. So, to pay for the system proposed ($22,000-$25,000) plus the cost of physically connecting from your house and dealing with your old septic system could raise the cost to $25,000-30,000. I want a sewer system because it would be more reliable than septic (and someone else takes care of the maintenance) and environmentally friendly, but not at these costs.

Assuming a ‘no’ vote that will allow for the opportunity to look at ways to bring the costs down, include more parcels and to secure more funding. It is easy enough to ask for grant extensions. Also, the new federal government is interested in the environment and infrastructure, so that may be a source of funding.

I cannot see the implementation of septic system police just for the Royston/Union Bay area. Politically, if such a draconian idea were raised it would need to cover the entire regional district including Hornby and Denman Islands.

I look forward to a much better proposal sometime in the future.

Posted in the Letters to the Editor of The Comox Valley Record on June 13, 2016

The Ongoing News Swirl from Maple Pool

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 18:02:00 +0000

I am responding to recent media reports concerning Maple Pool Campsite which is located at 4685 Headquarters Road in Courtenay.

Controversy has been brewing since the devastating flood that peaked on November 16, 2009. News reports from various sources that day (Nov.16.09) included the following:

" A state of emergency was declared in Courtenay. Courtenay Mayor Greg Phelps issued the warning because of high water levels in the Puntledge, Courtenay, Tsolum and Browns Rivers. The Courtenay Engineering Department evacuated 54 people around Maple Pool Campsite and surrounding homes on Headquarters Road. More residences were on evacuation alert. A major frontal weather system moving through B.C.'s south coast caused multiple power outages and floods. Some parts of the Island recorded a couple hundred millimeters of rain over the past day and a half."

'Meanwhile, BC Hydro is closely monitoring the situation at its Comox Lake dam and controlling flows into the Puntledge River system. The Hydro reservoir rose by 1 metre over 18 hours yesterday. Since yesterday, the inflows in the Comox Lake Reservoir have been around 400 cubic metres per second. BC Hydro had been spilling water all weekend and as of last night, has been spilling 200 m3/s from the dam - the full capacity of the two spillway gates. We have been backing off a bit with ocean high tides. "

The day following the above reports, I visited the campsite to see for myself the damage (I knew someone who lived there). What I saw were several trailers/motor homes that had water at least 3 feet above the top step leading into them. Also, at slighter higher ground elevation levels I could see the high water marks along the bottom portions of many trailers and these are trailers that are, by and large, still on their current pad locations today. Later I found out that several trailers/motor homes were basically totally destroyed or uninhabitable (i.e., contaminated with mould and so forth).

For the “Friends of Maple Pool” to support statements that it was entirely the fault of BC Hydro or that it was just inconvenient and messy is not consistent with the news reports or my own observations.

Altitude.nu or “Google maps find altitude” are two of several websites which will provide elevation levels. According to these websites, 5-10 feet of leeway stands between winter Tsolum River water levels and the nearest trailer ground elevations.

The campsite is designated a flood zone for good reason. As one looks at weather conditions in recent years in various parts of North America, it is no longer reasonable to conclude that the 2009 flood is a once- in-100-years event. High water levels in the Maple Pool Campsite area also occurred in January 2010 and again in 2011.

I believe it is incumbent for parties on both sides of this debate and dispute to use common sense (which isn't necessarily that common). The issue is that residents of Maple Pool campsite are at-risk. The campground owners (along with their "Friends") need to see what it takes to comply with City bylaw requirements and the City needs to provide the needed information (if that is the case).

However, a barrier or protective wall around the at-risk portion of the campsite may need to be as high as 10 feet and one that will withstand strong and fast moving waters-- no doubt an expensive undertaking and one that needs to be properly done (meeting engineering specs).

As things now stand, each side seems to have given up on the idea of seeing the other's point of view. Fighting using lawyers in a court forum is one that reasonable people normally view as a last resort. If this last resort continues, then the money that could have been used to rectify the situation will be lining the pockets of lawyers. It seems to me that both sides are not willing to move enough to consider what might be in the best interests of the residents of Maple Pool Campsite. If the City "wins" these residents may end up being evicted.

Save the BC Ferries: Cut Employee Costs

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 04:37:00 +0000

Dear editor,

It was probably no surprise to most people that B.C. Transportation Minister Stone announced that the service cuts would go ahead for BC Ferries, totally ignoring passenger and resident concerns.

Making seniors pay half of the passenger fare will not save as much as they forecast because some seniors will cut back on how often they travel.

Talking about seniors, will these fare increases and service cuts reduce seniors from the Prairies who may have been planning to retire on Vancouver Island or the nearby smaller islands?

Of course there are obvious solutions.

Having over 600 hundred mangers (including 12 vice-presidents) and administrative staff is excessive, very inefficient and unnecessary, particularly when compared to Washington State ferries.

Washington ferries have one manager for every 40 workers. B.C. has one manager for every eight workers.

In 2010, about half of BC Ferries’ 4,200 workers earned over $75,000. (More recent figures are hard to come by).

Eliminating half of those managers/admin staff could produce $30 million in savings. Also, eliminating free employee and retiree passes — another $9 million.

What about the union workers with a 100-per-cent fully funded benefits plan? A gift shop cashier earns $24.49 per hour, ticket attendant at boarding booth, $24.85 per hour, coffee shop attendant, $23.35 per hour, and a third cook $27.51 per hour, with pay raises coming April 1, 2014, and April 1, 2015.

No doubt with so many employees, a number of union positions could be cut as well.

BC Ferries has lost ridership of some one million passengers and half a million vehicles, compared to about three years ago, in a period when the economy and population has been recovering and growing.

Properly managing employee costs would result in reduced future fare increases and reinstating some of the service cuts recently announced and reverse the decline in ridership.

Ed Zirkwitz,

posted Feb 26, 2014 at 10:00 AM - Comox Valley Record

http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opinion/letters/247292511.html

Passengers won't come just because BC Ferries builds things

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 06:04:00 +0000

Dear editor,

Gord Macatee, BC Ferries commissioner, delivered his review of the Coastal Ferry Act in January 2012.

The report contained 24 major recommendations for government, BC Ferries, ferry users and other stakeholders, all intended to better balance the interests of ferry users with the financial sustainability of BC Ferries.

The review clearly indicated that all of the principle stakeholders will need to be part of the solution to achieve a ferry system that is both affordable and financially sustainable.

One area I want to focus on here is the decline in ridership statistics, which I gleaned from the BC Ferries website. The fiscal year ends on March 31.

For the 2010 fiscal year, total vehicles (on the entire BC Ferries system) was 8,252,489 and total passengers was 21,037,169. For 2011: 8,119,546 and 20,746,222; for 2012: 7,837,919 and 20,169,977 and for 2013: 7,748,743 vehicles and 19,919,096 passengers.

This is all occurring during a time of overall improvements in the economy. The obvious conclusion is that there is a problem with the strategies, management and running of BC Ferries.

The model that BC Ferries seems to be using seems is something along the line of, "If we build and upgrade the ferries and terminals, they will come."

Well, wake up, BC Ferries — they are not coming but actually leaving in droves — half a million vehicles and over million passengers from some four years ago.

The current BC Ferries was created in 2003 but it is a monopoly in the true sense of the word. For example, with BC Hydro, we can find alternative sources of electricity: solar, generators or save/conserve electricity through various means.

The B.C. government fully subsidizes 14 inland (non-BC Ferries) routes and with some of those routes there are alternate routes people can choose to drive instead. However, with BC Ferries the only reasonable options (outside of flying) is to take the ferry and pay the ever-increasing prices or not to.

High ferry rates have reduced ridership. Rates are high because of the Cadillac service BC Ferries wants to provide. Management's past policies and decisions have resulted in taking on unsustainable debt.

That is the basic reason for the planned massive service cuts and expected to continue future rate increases.

They have no one to blame but themselves. If BC Ferries truly was providing a good service coupled with reasonable ferry rates, then the ridership should be going up, not down.

Ed Zirkwitz,

Royston

Published December 18, 2013 Comox Valley Record.

Those other Ottawa Senators...

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:45:00 +0000

From the Parliament of Canada Senate home page I discovered the following: Senators’ main jobs are to examine bills proposed by the Government. Bills in the Senate go through a similar process of debate as in the House of Commons, and a bill must pass the Senate before it can become law. Any senator may take part in the debate on a bill and propose amendments. In addition, senators may propose their own bills and initiate debates in the Chamber. Senators also work in committees, that is, groups of 5 to 15 senators who focus on a specific policy area.

Not included in the job description on their website is any reference to “an alternate source of entertainment to the other Ottawa Senators—that hockey team”. In airport lounges and sports bars patrons may now flip channels to see which is the most exciting. Whether it is in the House of Commons, the ‘red chamber’ or on the ice, the play is similar: who is on defence, who is taking shots, who is on thin ice or who is checking whom against the boards? But, alas, it appears nobody has been checking anybody. The whole affair reminds me of what Sir Walter Scott said: “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”

Now that three senators are up against the boards--possibly facing multiple game suspensions-- they are fighting back. So the question becomes: who is telling the truth and how much of the truth? Should the Prime Minister’s Office seemingly have such power over the Senate, a separate body in a democratic country? I think not. It is sad to see that our government leaders, in both Houses, involved in corruption and cover-up. The shenanigans in the US Congress may have to take a back seat to us when this is all over. Now is the time for us citizens of Canada to express our outrage to our Members of Parliament.

This kind of entertainment comes at a cost. The credibility of our leaders is in question. They have been entrusted with so much responsibility, power and proper spending of taxpayers’ money. History has shown us that when the citizenry of a country become complacent that, in a way we get what we deserve. We deserve honest, credible, responsive government willing to serve the people. IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU DESERVE HONEST, CREDIBLE, RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT, TAKE UP YOUR PEN AND PAPER, DRAFT AN EMAIL, OR COMPOSE A TWEET TO YOUR MP AND PRIME MINISTER. DEMAND CHANGES THAT WILL BRING BACK OUR RESPECT FOR THOSE IN GOVERNMENT. ARE YOU WILLING TO ?

At last, the job Senators are supposed to be doing revealed - Comox Valley Record November 5, 2013 http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opinion/letters/230557331.html … via @BlackPressMedia

Not Yet Ready for the Smart Meter

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:45:00 +0000

Dear editor,

Recently I was visited at home by a Corix contractor/employee because I have so far refused to have a smart meter installed at our residence.

This BC Hydro representative asked if I had any questions about smart meters and also to inform me regarding smart meters. To me it sounded more like a sales job to convince me to get one installed.

He told me things such as: Europe has had them for over 10 years, California installed three different ones and the one BC Hydro chose was the best of the bunch and this Itron model had no problems in California.

Of course, he did not inform me of negative stuff until I brought that up. He agreed with me that there have been wiring problems and fires here in B.C. but that all of them have been repaired at no cost to the home owner.

What about the electrical overcharges? Yes, those meters have been replaced and some of those higher charges are seasonal fluctuations.

Will we get higher evening rates such as exist in Ontario? No, because Ontario has to purchase extra electricity during peak times at higher rates.

What about the B.C. government and BC Hydro agreeing to pass legislation that bypassed public scrutiny (e.g. BC Utilities Commission)? Well, that’s politics.

He told me that I could not opt out of the installation initiative. I explained that recently B.C. politicians made it sound like we would not be forced to have one installed.

He told me that an election is coming. I told him that I would not accept a smart meter to be installed in my home until the BC Utilities Commission gives a positive review of the process and the safety of the meters.
>>>published March 13, 2013 in the Comox Valley Record<<<

Can We Change 137 Years of Bad History?

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:41:00 +0000

Although the ‘Idle No More” movement seems now to be idle, it sparked nationwide debate and awareness recently regarding the plight of First Nations citizens as well as the difficulties that governments find themselves in, politically and financially. A month or so ago the promised conflict resolution rhetoric was forefront but where is it now? Most news stories last about 3 or so weeks and then it is time to move on to something new. Now that it is no longer in the news are things back to square one?

Since the onset of the 1876 Indian Act Aboriginals and governments have been shackled into an often dysfunctional relationship, a relationship of government largesse, administrative abuse and a not so benevolent overseer. For Aboriginals this has resulted in dependency, complacency and confusion. Both sides are locked into the blame game without coming up with any answers and actions. On the Aboriginal side with so many ‘players in the field’ (over 600 reserves) the Idle No More catalyst into nationwide debates has revealed that not everyone can agree on many of the issues and resolutions except on perhaps two--- the Indian Act has to go and economic prosperity for Aboriginals would certainly go a long way. On the government side certain leaders have voiced in similar tones. The Indian Act has marginalized over half a million Canadians into second-class citizens and will limit the economic growth of Canada. Estimates of $ 500 billion of future resource related projects may hang in the balance.

Over the next ten years some 400,000 aboriginals will be ready to enter the work place but today there is no evidence that a meaningful number of them can and will be trained to take advantage of the forecast chronic skills shortage. To meet that need there is currently a strong focus to look outside the country, to immigrants for much of that skill set. It would be a shame not to take advantage of this opportunity now to start to undo 137 years of bad history.

(Published in the Comox Valley Record at http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opinion/letters/192391011.html )

College Students Will Appreciate Sound of Sirens

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 02:18:00 +0000

(published in the Comox Valley Record, December 4, 2012)

Dear editor,

I was recently at a neighbourhood Christmas party and the dinner topic turned to ‘the best location for the new hospital.’

Dave said that he wrote a letter to the editor stating that the latest location was bad but they wouldn't print his letter. I asked why not?

He said it was because he called the decision-makers ‘dumb asses.’

As I later reflected on what others at the table described as better locations, I then realized that the location next to NIC is in fact a great location.

Dave stated that Ryan Road and Lerwick will no doubt become the busiest and most dangerous traffic intersection locally. Hey, Dave, they won’t have far to go to get emergency care.

And with such a busy intersection the police will be able to give out many tickets without having to travel to more remote areas. A more congested North Island College (NIC) campus will mean more parking spots. You know, all those trees have become such an eyesore, so it will be nice to see them gone along with the odd cougar, bear and locals walking their dogs.

Getting rid of the neighbouring playing field is a good idea — better to spend more time driving to a distant one. Helicopters flying in with patients will provide a pleasant distraction.

What about this idea that not enough land will be available for the new hospital? No problem, they just have to build more underground. We don’t get that much sunlight here in the winter so what is the big deal?

The students will come to appreciate the sounds of sirens to supply that needed break from their studies or paying attention in class. Those living near the hospital, every time they hear a siren, will be happy to say: "I’m glad that’s not me in that ambulance.”

And for those who are getting tired of that small town feeling they thought they were catching by living in that local area: Don’t worry; it will soon be gone.

Not Needing Oil Has Cost for BC

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 20:56:00 +0000

The following was published October 19, 2012 in the Comox Valley Record.

PREMIER CHRISTY CLARK's stance toward Premier Alison Redford of Alberta (right) comes with a cost, notes Ed Zirkwitz of Royston. (appeared in Comox Valley Record October 19, 2012) -Black Press

It seems that our Premier, Christy Clark, as of late, is going around the province bragging how great our provincial economy is.

  Is that a great thing to do when she in effect has prorogued the fall sitting of the BC Legislature?

Recently in Nanaimo, she addressed a Vancouver Island economic summit.  According to the Edmonton Journal: “…Premier Christy Clark took aim at Alberta Tuesday in an election-style speech where she boasted her province doesn't need oil to be the country's top economic generator… She drew mild applause from the business crowd when she said B.C.'s job creation numbers are currently tops in Canada, ahead of Alberta, and B.C. has done it without oil revenues.“

  I thought I would check the facts.

  According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers BC produces about one per cent of the oil produced in Canada.  However, BC produces almost 25 per cent of Canadian natural gas, according to the NEB.

  Then there are plans for 8 new mines and upgrades to 9. Hey, we may even get the Raven coal mine here in our own back yard.

Apparently there could be more coal extracted from there to exceed ALL the coal ever previously mined on all of Vancouver Island.  Yes, we may not need oil so our premier is able to tell Premier Alison Redford to shove it.

But this wonderfully rosy picture rests strongly on natural resources.  Also, don’t forget the forestry and the fisheries.

So what if we are still hewers of wood and drawers of water you might ask?

I suppose it is important for the economic pundits to tell us to strike while the iron is hot.  After all there are more seniors and up and coming seniors to support.

Educate the younger workers to work in the resources and constructions sectors.  That will allow more seniors down the road to work in the service sector.

Who doesn't want to flip burgers at McDonalds in their retirement years?  Now wouldn’t that be grand?

Happy New Year Comox Valley!

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

The late Jack Layton, Canada's 2011 Newsmaker, in Courtenay

With 2012 upon us there are many predictions floating about. Although 2011 was a much more globally eventful year-- no doubt than most people could have predicted -- what can we expect in 2012? This island life of ours has been a relative safe haven on the world scale and even on the Canadian scale. We have been cushioned from earthquakes, major storms, famines and flash floods or widespread pestilences. No terrorists lurking in our back yards. We have survived strikes at Air Canada and Canada Post.

My close friend just canceled a trip to Christchurch, New Zealand because in the last few months Christchurch has had over 6,000 earthquakes. Our son and his family are on their way home from the Philippines where they have experienced some of the strongest out-of-season typhoons in recorded history.

Financial chaos, for the most part, has not crossed our paths. So what is there to complain about? Of course there are our politicians. But no Arab Spring in our country. And then there are our neighbours to the south digging themselves into a hole. We can, I suppose, take the position that with things so bad around the world things can only get better. That, naturally, depends on how we define 'better'. Most events in life seem beyond our immediate control or sphere of influence. And even though our world is groaning -- but not really so much locally-- we are in some ways affected by circumstances beyond our invisible borders. Mark Twain said that history does not repeat itself but that it rhymes. Perhaps we can latch onto Biblical prophecy that predicts a world that is going to keep on getting worse. However, if that will be the case, even in our own neck of the woods, within that scenario, as long as persons within a society care for a better world and step forward, there will be bright spots within the supposed gloom and doom. Happy New Year.

How To Build a Good Homeless Shelter in the Right Location in the Comox Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:32:00 +0000

"Homeless and Hungry" 1869, by Samuel Luke Fildes

Dear Editor:

On Thursday July 7, 30 elected officials, downtown merchants, Chamber of Commerce members, charity and non-profit members visited two homeless and transitional housing projects in Nanaimo and Duncan. Did they actually learn something from this trip more than that it was a good photo op? I wonder how knowledgeable, informed and experienced are those that are spending the taxpayers dollars and leading out in the building of a shelter? Since there is a thrust to have a shelter, let’s have one set up so that it makes a difference. Make sure that what we get will be better than what we have now.

It appears it was another example of how our local representatives do things backwards. This fact finding journey of discovery should have come before the land was purchased for a proposed homeless shelter. Get all of your ducks in a row first.

Our provincial government has produced several in depth studies on the Causes and Effects of Homelessness in BC with titles such as: “The Relationship between Homelessness and the Health, Social Services and Criminal Justice Systems; The Costs of Homelessness; A Profile, Policy Review and Analysis of Homelessness”.

These and other studies and experiences from providers of shelters show that about 70 per cent of homelessness is due to drug addiction and mental illness. Drug addicts tend to support their habits with property crime. Perhaps City Hall employees won’t mind their cars being broken into. If you want to reduce homelessness then prove that you have found effective methods to deal with drug addiction and mental illness.

Other factors include availability and affordability of housing, the local unemployment rate, the ability of individuals to either have gainful employment or other means of income or financial means and the individual’s attitudes as to being a responsible tenant.

Homeless shelters don’t necessarily have to be built close to support services that many of the residents may need. Successful examples show that required professional services can be provided in house or on premises. Also, there are means of transportation such as the bus, using a bicycle, walking, sharing a ride or volunteers driving them.

The reasons to support the purchase of property near City Hall on Cliffe Avenue are not necessarily good or strong ones. Given the flawed process that has taken place so far and the $ 400,000+ price tag for what seems to be a small piece of property in a location that is opposed by many, I suggest that we should start over from scratch and do it right this time. Those in charge and involved, do your homework first, get trained and informed so that you know what you are doing.

(This Letter to the Editor appeared in the Comox Valley Record and The Echo on July 14, 2011)

Losing Access to Stotan Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 04:55:00 +0000

As recently reported in the newspaper, 3L Developments Inc. (LeMare Lake Logging) is planning to close, on January 15, a portion of Duncan Bay Main which would affect access to Stotan Falls, from Forbidden Plateau Road and of course traffic along Duncan Bay Main between Forbidden Plateau Road and Comox Logging Road.

On their website, 3ldevelopments.com names this project “Riverwood”. It is described as proposing about half or 215 acres of proposed development to become parkland/green space. Development includes 618 lots for single family homes, 9 acres for patio homes, walking, hiking and biking trails, river access for kayaking, canoeing, swimming and fishing. There is also reference to sustainable practices to be incorporated.

There are certainly concerns with this size of development and its location beside Stotan Falls and where the Browns and the Puntledge rivers meet.

Will the intention be that where there now is “public access” to some of this area, will this access be cut off? Will certain enjoyment of this area be available only to individuals living in the new-to-be developed residential area?

On their website they state that they are protecting fish spawning channels and hiking trails. Will that really be the case? Under private ownership what obligations do they really have and for whose benefit?

A partial way to deal with these concerns would be for the owners of the property to donate enough property bordering the Browns and Puntledge Rivers for public use. This donated land could become a park perhaps along the lines of Roy Morrison Nature Park. Also, this donation could take place in the not too distant future.

Developers can turn essentially cheaply acquired (i.e. low cost) raw land into very valuable real estate through rezoning and development applications. Our local elected officials often are more than eager to make this possibility a reality.

In a little less than a year there will be local elections. Now is the time for locally registered voters to start thinking about who will be best to serve them at the start of the next term. There seems to be more interest shown in making the Comox Valley more sustainable in the future. Perhaps a coordinating group of various environmental organizations should form, call themselves the “Sustainability Coalition” and endorse future candidates that meet the appropriate sustainability guidelines?

Read more at their site: http://www.3ldevelopments.com

Courtenay Traffic de-Congestion Suggestions

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:28:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor:
Now that most of Courtenay's 17th Street bridge traffic flow improvements are nearing completion, consideration needs to be given to tackling the growing traffic congestion downtown. This became very evident by the long delays and lineups when Cliffe Avenue was confined to less than the normally available three or four lanes.

Whatever the historical reasons are, we are now in a situation where much of the the regional traffic (that needs to go from one side of the Courtenay River to the other) finds itself crossing one of the two bridges. Now, the 5th Street bridge seems as busy as ever. For practical purposes those are the only two options:

Adding additional lanes to the 17th Street bridge

building another bridge in downtown Courtenay

Building another bridge will just encourage more traffic in the downtown or city centre area with all its related problems and at price tag that could easily exceed $ 10 million.

We need to look at ways to divert traffic away from the downtown Courtenay area. I am talking about traffic that is "just passing through."

For example, an environmentally-sensitive causeway or tunnel could be built connecting the Courtenay Connector (29 th street) to Comox Road and with a road extending up to MacDonald.

Also, there is no easy means to by-pass downtown Courtenay in the area north of the city. For example, consider the Inland highway exit at Strathcona Parkway to Mt. Washington and Dove Creek Road or the Piercy road exit. There a bridge could be built over the Tsolum River giving good traffic flow east-west linking Merville and area to both of these exits.

Most growing urban areas allow traffic to bypass their core areas because a good portion of the traffic has no intention of stopping and that is the case with Courtenay: otherwise there would need to be many more parking spaces built. More traffic congestion results in more fuel being burned, higher risk of accidents, more time wasted. Emergency vehicles would have more difficulty responding. Public transport, cyclists, electric bikes would all be affected too.

Thus it becomes an environmental issue as well.

Another Dilemma for Courtenay Homeless?

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:14:00 +0000

Recent action by Courtenay city council to threaten to enforce Maple Pool Campground to abide by their zoning restriction of not allowing year round permanent residents, is passing the buck: the Province no longer wants to continue to pay flood victim temporary relocation costs.

However, flooding is usually viewed as a condition beyond most residents' control, regardless of zoning laws. Who can reasonably predict flooding and the extent of it?

First of all, for Maple Pool management, to expose residents at lower levels to be at risk of getting flooded out suggests they should bear some responsibility in the event of flooding. Do they require the residents to sign a waiver in the event of flooding or supply some kind of warning of this possibility?

What of BC Hydro last winter? Did they give proper and adequate warning prior to release of water and take proactive action in coordinating that process? Not just Maple Pool was flooded.

Can the shoreline of the Tsolum River be built up in the flood prone areas sufficiently to provide some prevention and who should pay for that?

Are some areas of the Maple Pool campground sufficiently high enough to allow rezoning for some permanent residents but allow the lower levels to remain zoned just for temporary residents?

Recent political processes suggest that local governments are interested in addressing the aspect of homelessness but the decision of Courtenay Council, by being confrontative in the way they have done, suggests the opposite. Thus, we are faced with the question: 'In this situation, who will bell the cat?'

Here are some clips of last year's flood:

Letter to the Editor published in
The Comox Valley Record Buck Being Passed Re Maple Pool Campground
The Comox Valley Echo: Passing the Buck

The Comox Valley Echo Here is an item from Maple Pool Owners.

What is Sage Hills Really Up To?

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:45:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor,

I read with interest Kip Keylock’s letter to the editor September 24 in a local paper regarding growth in the Comox Valley and Sage Hills. On page 5 of the document entitled “Regional Growth Strategies” published by the BC Government is a list of 14 provincial goals for RGS. In other words a regional governmental growth strategy is expected to conform to this list.

Let us see what Sage Hills themselves and Kip Keylock are saying about some of Sage Hills goals. On page 5 and page 20 of their (Sage Hills) December 16, 2009 to the RGS is the following statement: "Sage Hills is planned to open with 700 full-time (“permanent”) jobs, many of which are skilled/professional positions, placing Sage Hills as the 5 th largest employer in the Valley. As such Sage Hills will function as a significant employment and settlement node, and not just a residential development or subdivision." Kip states that "the initial estimates for student enrollment are 500-600 students". How is it possible for only 500-600 students to financially support the initial 700 (most likely high paying) skilled/professional jobs, pay off the huge capital it will take to build a university with all its infrastructure and housing units from scratch plus pay off the investors (it is a private for-profit undertaking)?

Kip states that Sage Hills “has modeled itself in part, after a successful Sports Academy in Bradenton, Florida.” That appears to be IMG Academies, a multi-billion dollar facility. One of Sage Hills' management team includes Peter Johnson, who “worked with Mark McCormack for 30 years to build IMG into the global sports business it is today.” I am not aware that any of the management team live close by. Also, their listed “project team of specialists” are based in Vancouver, Toronto and various cities in the United States.

Kip says “decisions must be made in order to keep any momentum going.” Who is the momentum for? There is plenty of momentum already going on elsewhere: Trilogy, Kensington Island Properties, Harbour View Landing, 300 new proposed homes on 73 acres between Fraser and Buckstone Roads, a 143 residential lot project at Saratoga Beach, Longlands and other smaller ones of course. Kip states that Sage Hills will “contribute greatly to our economy.” Translation: this will be a large project.

Will Sage Hills (or for that matter these other projects coming on stream) meet the Provincial goals for RGS: avoiding urban sprawl; settlement patterns that minimize the use of automobiles; the efficient movement of goods and people; protecting environmentally sensitive areas; maintaining the integrity of a secure and productive resource base; economic development that supports the unique character of communities; reducing and preventing air, land and water pollution; adequate, affordable and appropriate housing; adequate inventories of suitable land and resources for future settlement; protecting the quality and quantity of ground water and surface water; settlement patterns that minimize the risks associated with natural hazards; preserving, creating and linking urban and rural open space including parks and recreations areas; planning for energy supply and promoting efficient use, conversion and alternative forms of energy; and good stewardship of land, sites and structures with cultural heritage?

The bulk of the population at Sage Hills will be made up of international students and some short term contract personnel that will “turn over” and have no vested interest in being part of our community but will be of a somewhat transitional nature. Many of the jobs, because of the specialized nature of the facility, will be filled by outsiders.

The 2083 acres owned by Sage Hills near Royston currently are basically raw undeveloped land not zoned for such a large project. IMG academies only has about 400 acres in Bradenton, Florida for their large facility. North Island College, here in Courtenay, has over 5,000 registered students but only needs a few acres of land in which to accomplish that.

Why does Sage Hills need such a large tract of land? Will this be like having an American city created in our back yard?

*published in the Comox Valley Echo September 28, 2010 under "Opinions" and with the header of "Sage Hills: American City?"

Please see the preceding editorial: The Fools on Sage Hills

The Fools on Sage Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:30:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor:

Sage Hills Development, (a wholly- owned subsidiary of IAC Independ- ent Academ- ies Canada Inc.) made a submission to the CVRD (Regional Growth Strategy) dated December 16, 2009 in order to persuade the committee to reclassify their project as “Compact Nodal Growth with New Settlement Areas.” Sage Hills took issue that the RGS consultants had classified Sage Hills as only “Compact Nodal Growth”.

There are several issues concerning the Sage Hills plans. The shear size of the project should be raising a number of concerns. They own 2,083 acres in the Royston area by the Trent River and the Inland Highway. From page 5 of their proposal: “Sage Hills is planned to open with 700 full time jobs.” On their website is mention of “3500 housing units.” These figures suggest a student population of 5,000-10,000. This suggests a community maybe more than twice the size of Cumberland or approaching the size of Comox or approaching half the size of Courtenay.

The development is planned for land that is currently undeveloped. There is no infrastructure in place. Imagine starting from scratch to build a city a little smaller than the size of Comox out of the ‘Sage Hills desert.’ On the subject of water, from their proposal: “Sage Hills takes the view that connections to existing systems and/or support for new, proposed systems is preferable.” However, just obtaining a permit to tie into the Cumberland water system has become a rare occurrence recently. Also, try to image where all the sewage and garbage will go in such a highly concentrated population.

There are 14 provincial goals for RGS including: “Avoiding urban sprawl and ensuring that development takes place where adequate facilities exist or can be provided in a timely, economic and efficient manner.” Currently there are other large projects that will be competing for currently scarce infrastructure resources: Trilogy, Kensington, the possibility of one at Longlands, each of which individually may build out 1,500 to 2,000 housing units (so times three) let alone other ongoing housing that will normally be built. Recently the number of housing units being built in the entire Comox Valley has been averaging about 500 per year. Now imagine what this will do with the already poorly designed traffic flows we now have--too much traffic funnels over the two bridges in Courtenay.

As an economic model Sage Hills doesn’t make a lot of sense either. >From their website: “Sage Hills is proposing the world’s only community destination integrating education and sports with a healthy balanced approach to living.” Becoming the only one-of-a-kind in the world suggests that it is unproven. Dr. David Strong, a former President of University of Victoria, founded Canada West University in Victoria as the first private, for-profit university in British Columbia. He is on the Development Team for Sage Hills. After a few years, in 2009, the Vancouver Sun reported that University Canada West had been losing $300,000 per month and was sold by David Strong to Eminata Group, who owns small colleges in Vancouver.

Also, the amount of money to be raised to build the housing, the facilities and infrastructure will be enormous. Just to build 3500 housing units, at, say, $ 125,000 each, would require $ 437 million-- and the available labour force, service and trades contractors will be very limited given all the other plans for proposed projects.

From the point of view of sustainability Sage Hills is a poor candidate. It is the “white elephant in the room.” There is no room for Sage Hills in the sustainability room. From an economic point of view it does not seem viable. How will the Comox Valley look both physically and politically, should a project of this size begin and not get finished?

Read the Follow-Up Editorial: What is Sage Hills Really Up To?

**image from http://www.imgacademies.com/all-about-us/around-the-world/vancouver-island/

**published in the Comox Valley Record on September 16, 2010 http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/opinion/letters/103103584.html

Another Modest Proposal

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor:

There has been much discussion and criticism of the BC HST (a.k.a. ‘hated sales tax’). Most of the criticism is directed toward the Provincial government having misled the citizens as to the fact the it made a 180 degree turn in deciding to bring it in, especially so soon after having won the previous election and previously expressing that it wasn’t considering the HST. A second area of criticism is that there are about 25 % more items now taxed that weren’t taxed by the former PST. Other areas of concern include the unevenness of the application of the HST: lower income earners will receive an HST rebate that higher income earners will not receive; depending on spending habits some will be affected more than others; through the input tax credit aspect businesses, as a group, will save about $ 2 billion in costs; certain businesses will now have to charge a higher tax on revenue (previously it may have been zero or just 5 %, as in the case of restaurants) and this may negatively impact those businesses.

The option to rescind the tax and to go back to what we had (i.e. the PST) unfortunately, is not as simple as it sounds: The Federal Government is supporting the new HST to the tune of $ 1.6 billion; businesses have incurred a variety of expenses in switching over and it would be unfair to have them switch back; refunding HST already paid would be very difficult and expensive to do; the government is currently saving costs in not administering a PST division.

However, I have a modest proposal. The first step would be to totally eliminate the HST and not go back to the former PST tax system. This, I am sure would make many happy. However, we need to replace the taxes somehow. Well, the good news is that there are segments of society that currently do not pay taxes and we can learn on how to make them pay from what is done in other parts of the world.

Illegal drugs in BC are big business. The State of Tennessee taxes the possession of illegal drugs. According to CNN, “you have 48 hours to report to the Department of Revenue and pay your tax” on any illegal substance you purchase in Tennessee, after which you will get “stamps to affix to your illegal substance” which “serve as evidence you paid the tax on the illegal product.” Tennessee does not require any identification whatsoever to get the stamps, and “it’s illegal for revenue employees to rat you out.”

Taxes on cow flatulence have been proposed in several European countries in recent years, including Ireland and Denmark. The outcries for these taxes came on the heels of a U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization study claiming that 18% of the greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming can be traced back to the unsavory “byproducts” of livestock. The Danish Tax Commission took it even further, estimating that “a cow will emit four tons of methane a year in burps and flatulence” while an average car emits just 2.7 tons of carbon dioxide during the same period.

Alternatively, perhaps a more practical way to satisfy the general taxpayer in BC is to lower the HST from 12 % to 10 %. The lower rate would offset those many extra items that we are now paying the extra 7 % on. Those businesses that have to charge higher sales taxes will see less of a negative impact. The BC government is touting the HST will create more jobs in the business community so a lower HST (i.e. lower tax revenue) will be made up by a more healthy economy generating more taxes in general.

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Published as: Why not lower the HST or abolish it altogether? Ed Zirkwitz, The Nanaimo Daily News Published: Saturday, September 04, 2010

in the Victoria Times Colonist, August 30, 2010

WHO says? WHO says Canada is way down the List...

noreply@blogger.com (Fit at 60 and Beyond) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:43:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor:

The headline for August 24, 2010 in a local newspaper read “Morale plunges at hospital say nurses.” Reading the details of the article left me unclear as to what “low morale” really means. How many nurses are demoralized and to what degree? Does that mean nurses are unable to provide good care because they are demoralized? Is this affecting other employees at the hospital? Are the patients suffering because of this?

We as patients and consumers pay through our taxes (about 40 % of the total provincial budget in BC) for what is becoming a very expensive and less than adequate system. In 2000 The World Health Organization ranked Canada as 30th among 191 member countries.

Last year Dr. Brian Crowley, the Founder and President of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, described the Canadian healthcare system this way:

“Canadian Medicare operates in an unregulated, tax-financed, pay-as-you-go model. Our provincial governments are our monopoly provider. They not only pay for necessary care, but they also govern, administer, and evaluate the services that they themselves provide. They define what we call “medically necessary services” and pay for 99% of all physician services. They also forbid the use of private insurance for medically necessary services. They set the budgets for nominally private healthcare institutions. They appoint the majority of their board members and have explicit power to override management decisions. Under these circumstances, no hospital or hospital administrator can be expected to take any responsibility or initiative because decisions will always be second-guessed by those in political power.”

Several years ago the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the healthcare system violates Quebec’s charter of rights because it collects taxes, promises healthcare in return, forbids competing suppliers and then often doesn’t deliver the care. The justices summarized the situation this way: “A place in a queue is not healthcare.”

WHO ranked France as number one. For starters, the French system is not what most Americans imagine, says historian Paul Dutton at Northern Arizona University, author of Differential Diagnoses: A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France. "Americans assume that if it's in Europe, which France is, that it's socialized medicine," he says. "The French don't consider their system socialized. In fact, they detest socialized medicine. For the French, that's the British, that's the Canadians. It's not the French system."

Don’t get me wrong. I am strongly in favour of the idea of a publically funded health care system. The problem we have in Canada is in the delivery and the accountability. We by and large have a monopoly that doesn’t and hasn’t responded to the needs of those it professes to serve for a long time.

I wouldn’t go as far as wanting the French or American versions. The fact remains that much of the health care delivery and services are done privately (naturopaths, acupuncturists, dentists, message therapists and many other practitioners). Health food stores are flourishing. Drug stores are selling many health products as well. This is an illustration that our publically funded system often treats the symptom (e.g. prescribing drugs) and and not often enough the cause. More focus on treating the cause would make us a healthier nation.

The infighting at our local hospital is the symptom. Maybe both sides can get at treating the cause.

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Published by the Comox Valley Record as Health monopoly ineffective August 31-2010