Crime prevention and community justice programs are important to our community, and as I mentioned in my February 2006 article in the Beacon, the programs currently operating in Electoral Area H and the rest of the Regional District of Nanaimo are all severely underfunded. As your RDN representative I encourage participation in and support for these local programs, and I want to ensure that they are able to operate effectively.

Currently, Electoral Areas E (Nanoose Bay), F (Errington, Coombs and Hilliers), G (San Pareil, Surfside, French Creek and Dashwood) and H (Shaw Hill, Qualicum Bay, Bowser and Deep Bay) and the municipalities of Parksville and Qualicum Beach are considering a new method of funding Victim Services and Restorative Justice. A new bylaw, “Regional District of Nanaimo Community Justice Support Service Bylaw No. 1479, 2006” is being proposed to raise funds for these services.

The new service will have an annual budget of $55,000. This amount would be collected by a parcel tax estimated at $2.30 per parcel throughout Oceanside. (This tax cannot be applied in 2006 due to timing, and if approved, will be applied at a rate of $4.60 in 2007. After 2007 the tax will fall to approximately $2.30.)

If residents support this bylaw, then funding for this initiative will be overseen by a new Community Justice and Safety Support Services Select Committee, with representation from myself and the other Board members participating in this function. The service funds will be distributed in consultation with the RCMP, who oversee the Victim Services and Restorative Justice Programs.

The Regional District will also be raising funds to support local community safety initiatives. Parksville, Qualicum Beach and the four Electoral Areas will each individually raise $1500 annually to support community safety initiatives such as Speed Watch and Citizens on Patrol.

Electors in Electoral Areas E, F, G & H wishing to oppose the adoption of Bylaw 1479 are required to submit Electoral Response Forms on or before April 3, 2006. If you support this bylaw no response is necessary. If less than 10 percent of electors (1692) in Areas E, F, G and H fill out these forms, the bylaw may be approved by the Board. If 10 percent or more of the population oppose the bylaw then it may proceed to referendum.

The deadline to submit your Elector Response Form is April 3, 2006. Forms and a full copy of the bylaw are available online at www.rdn.bc.ca or at the RDN Administrative Offices at 6300 Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo. Again, if you are in support of this change, there is no need to fill out an Elector Response Form.

If you would like more information about this process, feel free to contact the RDN Administrative offices.

Dave Bartram, Director
Electoral Area H

Manufactured Home
Park Tenancy

I have received numerous phone calls from residents of the Costa Lotta Resort and Manufactured Home Park since the landlord of this property gave notice that the resort is going to be closed and redeveloped. RDN planning staff have also received many calls about this issue. The current legislation outlined in the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act reveals that the RDN has no jurisdiction to intervene in this situation.

The RDN Board understands the hardship this created for residents, and the Board has asked the Province to investigate the adequacy of compensation that is currently provided for in the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act when tenancy is terminated for residents of these parks. I asked the Board for support in forwarding a resolution on this issue to the 2006 Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Annual General Meeting, and the Board is in full support of this. The RDN resolution requests the Province to investigate the adequacy of the compensation provided for in the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act, and asks that such an investigation include consultation with mobile home owners’ associations. This resolution will be discussed at the AVICC meeting in April.

E&N Pest Management
Plan Update

As most Electoral Area H residents are aware, Minister of Environment Barry Penner refused the request from the RDN and other local governments to reject the 2005 Pest Management Plan for the E&N Railway. This means that the RDN is not permitted to regulate the use of pesticides on the E&N right–ofway, despite our concerns about the potential impact of these pesticides on our drinking water. There are many aquifers and drainage courses near the right-of-way that may be contaminated from the chemical sprays that are planned to be used to control vegetation in this area.

At the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Annual General meeting in April, the RDN will be asking other municipalities and Regional Districts to support a resolution opposing the Pest Management Plan. The resolution, if passed, will advise the Province that the AVICC opposes pesticide use along the E&N Railway. Ownership of the E&N corridor has recently been transferred to the Island Corridor Foundation, which is made up of First Nations and Regional Districts including the Regional District of Nanaimo. Given the parties participating in this Foundation, I am optimistic that there will be support for creating a new pest management plan for the corridor.

Riparian Areas Regulation

New legislation designed to protect the features, functions, and conditions that support fish processes in riparian areas will take effect on March 31. The Provincial Ministry of Environment has enacted this legislation, the Riparian Areas Regulation, in cooperation with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This new legislation was enacted under Section 12 of the Provincial Fish Protection Act in July of 2004.

The Riparian Areas Regulation applies to all new residential, commercial, and industrial developments and does not apply to reconstruction or repair of existing structures, farm uses on agricultural lands, or lands subject to the Forest Act or Private Managed Forest Land Act.

As of March 31, 2006, the Regional District of Nanaimo can not approve any proposed development located within 30 metres of any body of water that provides fish habitat until notification that an assessment report prepared by a qualified environmental professional has been accepted by the Ministry of Environment. The qualified environmental professional report is used to determine how far a development must be located from a watercourse and what must be done to preserve the riparian area within this buffer area for the purpose of fish protection.

The RDN cannot allow development in watercourse areas to proceed without an assessment report. This includes development near any ditch, spring, pond, lake, or wetland that supports fish habitat. As a result, the Regional District is in the process of amending its Watercourse Protection Development Permit Areas in each Official Community Plan to conform to the provincial directive to implement the Riparian Areas regulation.

For further information about the Riparian Areas Regulation, please contact the Regional District Planning Department at (250) 390-6510, 9543798, or toll free at 1-877-607-4111, or the Ministry of Environment at (250) 751-3100.

Recreation Services
Master Plan

The Regional District of Nanaimo Recreation and Parks Department is now developing a new Recreation Services Master Plan for District 69. The current plan was completed in 1995. This Plan will be based on the community’s vision for recreation services in our area, so I encourage all residents to take part in this process to identify our recreation needs. Once completed, the Recreation Services Master Plan will guide the direction of the Recreation and Parks Department for the years 2007-2016.

The RDN has retained Professional Environmental Recreational Consultants Ltd., to shape and direct this process. Currently, PERC is conducting a region-wide consultation process, which will include a survey of Oceanside-area residents, public open houses in the late spring, and in-depth interviews with more than 60 community groups, sports and recreation organizations, residents' associations and other stakeholders. The proposed Recreation Services Master Plan will be presented to the RDN Board in July 2006.

Throughout the consultation period, residents will have access to all relevant information about the planning process, and all public input collected by the RDN and PERC will be available for review. It’s important for residents and organized groups in Electoral Area H to pass on their thoughts about recreation and parks needs to me or to Patty Biro, Electoral Area H Representative on the D69 Recreation Commission. This will ensure that we can represent your views throughout this process. For more information about the Recreation Services Master Plan, please contact the Recreation and Parks Department at 248-3252.

This flyer is intended for residents in RDN Electoral Area H. Overlapping postal routes could result in some adjacent electoral area residents receiving this newsletter. We hope you find the content of interest.