Joe Burnett Re-Elected

Local residents elected Joe Burnett to a second threeyear term as Regional Director for Area A in local elections on November 15, 2008. As an RDN Board member Director Burnett will also chair the Area 'A' OCP Review Citizens Committee, the Area 'A' Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission, and the Agriculture Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Sustainability Select Committee, the Hospital Select Committee, the Transit Select Committee, and the Liquid Waste Advisory Committee.

Fire Protection Update

Fire response times for parts of Yellowpoint have improved with recent changes to local fire protection boundaries. On January 1, 2009, the North Cedar Fire Department began providing fire protection and emergency response in Yellowpoint and South Cedar. Prior to that date, the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s North Oyster Volunteer Fire Department had provided the service. While North Oyster provided excellent fire protection and emergency response for more than 30 years, its fire hall was further than the standard maximum distance of eight kilometres from some parts of Yellowpoint. This extra distance meant the insurance industry considered some properties a greater risk. The change places all affected properties well within eight kilometres of a servicing fire hall, resulting in lower property insurance rates, and shorter emergency response times. The RDN Board recommended transferring responsibility for the Yellowpoint-Waterloo Area to fire departments operated by the North Cedar Improvement District (NCID) and Cranberry Improvement District (CFD) following a review of fire protection boundaries in 2007. The Yellowpoint-Waterloo Area includes parts of Cedar, Yellowpoint, and Cassidy, in Electoral Areas A and C.

The RDN asked local residents to approve permanent fire protection boundary changes for the Yellowpoint- Waterloo area in a November 15, 2008 referendum. Cedar and Yellowpoint residents voted in favor of the changes, but Cassidy residents did not support them.

On January 1, 2009 the NCID took responsibility for fire protection in the South Cedar and Yellowpoint areas, under a contract with the RDN. The approved North Cedar boundary expansion into South Cedar and Yellowpoint is before the Province of BC for ratification, expected after the spring election. Once provincial ratification is received, the contract will terminate, and the NCID will be entirely responsible for fire protection and emergency response in virtually all of the Cedar area.

As an alternative to a permanent boundary change in Cassidy, the RDN negotiated a two-year emergency response agreement with the CFD, effective January 1, 2009. The RDN also purchased a new fire truck which is stationed at the Hallberg Road fire hall in Cassidy. That fire hall acts as a secondary response point for the CFD to reach properties in Cassidy, and along Spruston and Timberlands Roads. More information on the fire protection changes is available at www.rdn.bc.ca.

A Shared Community Vision

Local residents are developing solutions for many emerging issues in community growth as part of the Area A Official Community Plan Review, initiated in May, 2008. Issues such as climate change, food security, and affordable housing will be addressed in a revised Area A OCP, to be completed in 2010, which will replace the original 2001 document.

The revised OCP will be a five to ten year plan for growth in all Area A neighborhoods, including Cassidy, South Wellington, Cedar, Yellow Point, Cedar-by-the-Sea, and Boat Harbour. It will outline how residential and commercial growth should occur, while preserving the local environment and rural character and promoting new economic and cultural opportunities. The OCP will also be based on Sustainability Principles,with input from the community.

Residents have worked closely with RDN staff and the Area Director throughout the Review. The process began with a community forum in May, 2008, and has since included three open houses, three mapping sessions, and six public workshops. Seventeen local residents have also joined a citizen’s committee formed by the RDN, which meets once per month to share ideas on the OCP and speak with experts on local services and growth issues.

The meetings are part of a busy schedule of additional RDN projects related to the OCP Review. The RDN is also developing a local Active Transportation Plan, studying options for water and sewer service in Cassidy and Cedar, and continuing a study of groundwater resources in the area, which builds on the recent Vancouver Island Water Resource Vulnerability Mapping Project coordinated by Vancouver Island University. These projects will help ensure that the revised OCP addresses a broad range of emerging issues for community growth. More information on the Area A OCP Review is available at www.ASharedCommunityVision.ca.

Search and Rescue Funding

Local residents and the RDN will do more in 2009 to help ensure search and rescue volunteers have the facility and equipment needed for their jobs. In 2008 the RDN Board approved a new Southern Community Search and Rescue Service, which will contribute $27,000 per year of tax-collected funds for Nanaimo Search and Rescue operations in Electoral Areas A, B, and C, and Nanaimo and Lantzville.

The funding will cover rental costs for NSAR at its new base in Harewood Fire Hall in Nanaimo, and support vehicle operations and other equipment. NSAR volunteers had previously been without a facility or ongoing funding, using their homes to store equipment.

In addition to its rescue services, NSAR was a vital partner in the Februrary 11, 2009 full-scale regional emergency exercise, Operation Dry Timber. During the exercise NSAR members went doorto- door throughout the community of Extension in Electoral Area C to deliver a simulated evacuation notice and provide residents with advice on emergency preparedness.

Food Waste Collection Pilot Project

Cedar residents have a head start in the Regional Zero Waste strategy as part of the Residential Food Waste Collection Pilot Project. Since October, 2007, 765 homes on collection route 52 in Cedar have diverted more than 55 per cent of their household waste from the Regional Landfill every week by placing compostable organics on the curb in green bins for collection. Between October, 2007 and October, 2008 that diversion rate added up to more than 72 tonnes of food waste kept out of the Landfill. The area is well on its way to achieving the RDN’s goal of 75 per cent waste diversion from the Regional Landfill by 2010. Weekly food waste collection on Route 52 is provided alongside bi-weekly garbage and recycling collection.

The efforts of Cedar residents on Route 52, along with project participants in Qualicum Beach and Nanaimo, have shown the benefits and feasibility of introducing a region-wide program, planned for launch in 2010. A new RDN tender for garbage and recycling service includes food waste collection, to accommodate a regional expansion of the project.

All organics collected through the Pilot Project are shipped to a composting facility in South Nanaimo, and used to create nutrient rich fertilizers.

To ensure continuity for pilot project participants following the initial pilot period of October, 2007 to October, 2008, the Regional Board has extended collection of household organics in Cedar, as staff prepares to introduce the program across the region. More information on the project is available at www.rdnfoodwaste.ca.

Agricultural Advisory Committee

Food security will play a larger role on the regional agenda this year with the establishment of a regional Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC). The RDN Board approved the ten-person committee in June, 2008, and received applications for membership over the winter. The committee will include two residents from School District 68, two residents from District 69, two members of agricultural organizations, one member of a shellfish aquaculture organization, two RDN electoral area directors, and one RDN municipal director.

Communities throughout BC are establishing AACs as global food prices continue to rise, and support for local food production becomes more important. As of January there were 36 AACs in BC. The provincial government has been supportive, enabling AACs to work closely with the BC Agricultural Land Commission to address the needs of local farms inside and outside the Agricultural Land Reserve.

The AAC will hold regular public meetings and provide valuable input to the Regional Board on agriculture issues as they apply to land management, water drainage and groundwater protection, expanded use of ALR lands, and zoning regulations. Watch for more information on the AAC in local newspapers and at www.rdn.bc.ca as meetings begin this year.