Crime prevention and community justice programs are important to our community. As your Regional District of Nanaimo representative for Electoral Area F, 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. If you are in support of this change, there is no need to fill out an Elector Response Form.
Again, if you would like more information about this process, feel free to contact the RDN Administrative offices.
Lou Biggemann, Director
Electoral Area F
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, 954-3798, or toll free at 1-877-607-4111, or the Ministry of Environment at (250) 751-3100.
Recreation Services
Master Plan
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| Cathedral Grove |
The RDN has retained Professional Environmental Recreational Consultants Ltd., to shape and direct this process. Currently, PERC is conducting a regionwide 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. For more information about the Recreation Services Master Plan, please contact the Recreation and Parks Department at 248-3252.
In Brief
The Regional District has supported a request from the Provincial Emergency Program to extend the rescue services boundary for the Coombs-Hilliers Fire Department, so that the parking lot area at Cathedral Grove is now contained within this boundary. I am pleased about this change, as the Fire Department can now attend and take immediate action if a problem occurs.
I am continuing to work with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways with the hope of gaining a highway access for Little Qualicum River Estates and Little Qualicum Village. In an emergency situation this alternate route will be extremely important for the 388 residents of this area.
Board appointments to the 2006 Regional District of Nanaimo committees are now complete. In addition to the regular Board and Committee of the Whole meetings, I chair the RDN Emergency Planning Standing Committee, and have been appointed to the Regional Waste Advisory Committee, the Electoral Area Planning Committee and the Climate Change Select Committee, as well as standing committees for the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation and the Vancouver Island Biosphere Centre. I am the alternate director appointed to the District 69 Recreation Commission, and will attend these meetings in Area H Director David Bartram’s absence.
Alternate Director Isaac Neden has retired from the position, and I would like to publicly thank him for his efforts. When I was unable to attend meetings, Isaac did an excellent job representing Electoral Area F at the RDN Board table. Your new Alternate Director is Dale Niwa of rrington, and he and I will continue to ensure that this area is well-represented at the regional level.
