Keeping in touch
Welcome to the second issue of Electoral Area A Update.
I have recently been working with the Director for Area C, RDN staff and the Cowichan Valley RegionalDistrict, to coordinate efforts to introduce a bylaw to control fires during fire season in the neighbourhoods of Yellow Point/Cedar and Cassidy/Spruston Road. Fire protection in these areas is provided through a contract with the Cowichan Valley Regional District and their North Oyster Fire Department. The Cowichan Valley Regional District has a fire season bylaw to help the North Oyster department manage burning during severe climatic conditions. The intent is to introduce a similarly worded bylaw for the fire protected area in the RDN, so that the North Oyster department can manage fire hazards in a consistent manner. The events in the interior this past year have made everyone acutely aware of how vulnerable we are to wildfire, especially during the dry summer season. The fact is that outside of the North Cedar Improvement District boundaries, there is very little that can be done at the present time if someone persists in having a fire when safety and common sense says otherwise. The RDN, working with the CVRD and the North Oyster
Fire Department, is seeking public input on this vital issue. A public meeting will be held at the North Oyster School on January 21 at 7 p.m. to discuss introducing a fire season burning bylaw. I encourage all residents in the affected neighbourhoods to attend. If there is support for this proposal, the RDN anticipates introducing a burning management bylaw for these neighbourhoods prior to the next fire season.
I welcome your opinions and comments about any community matter either by phone or email. My contact information appears on the back of this newsletter. I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
Henrik Kreiberg,
Director, Electoral Area A
RDN Reviews Draft Airport Master Plan
The RDN continues to participate in a review of the draft master plan prepared by the Nanaimo Airport Commission. The master plan is a long term guide or roadmap for development over the next 20 or 30 years. It looks at the entire infrastructure of the airport, including requirements for runway extensions, taxiways, aprons, service facilities, the air terminal building, highway access and internal roadways, and identifies areas that should be set aside for future commercial development. Many of these issues are also addressed in the Official Community Plan for Electoral Area A and have been discussed as part of the community planning process for other nearby communities. Therefore, it is important that airport planning and community planning objectives are compatible.
The existing Electoral A Official Community Plan recognizes and supports the importance of the Airport as an economic and transportation hub for the RDN and Vancouver Island. Residents in both Electoral Areas A and C have had opportunities to provide input on the airport master plan at several open houses organized by the Nanaimo Airport Commission. The most recent public meeting was held on October 30 in Ladysmith. Everyone hopes that the master plan, once finalized early next year, will reflect the desires and needs of the community. In order to implement the master plan, the Nanaimo Airport Commission is requesting some amendments to the Electoral Area A Official Community Plan and zoning regulations for the airport. The RDN has also agreed to work with the Airport Commission to establish Airport Approach Path protection regulations to protect aircraft manoeuvre areas from encroachment, and to ensure that overflight and straying issues are addressed for surrounding neighbours.
Before any official community plan and zoning changes take place, the RDN will initiate a public consultation process to receive input from residents in Electoral Areas A and C. Your comments are very important to the process. Details about upcoming public meetings will be advertised in local newspapers and on the RDN website at www.rdn.bc.ca.
Residents in Electoral Area A took part in a streamside walk around Hemer Lake with RDN staff to talk about local watersheds and discuss the value of streams/watercourses for fish, wildlife and people. |
In December, 2001, the Regional District of Nanaimo ‘Electoral Area A Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1240, 2001’ (OCP) was adopted following an extensive public consultation process. As part of this OCP, some lands have been designated as development permit areas. Development permit areas may be established for a number of reasons including the protection of the natural environment, its ecosystems and biological diversity and to protect development from hazardous conditions. The result is that a more extensive review is required for proposed changes to land within a development permit area.
The provisions concerning the categories outlined above are detailed in the “Streams, Nesting Trees and Nanaimo River Floodplain Development Permit Area No. 5.” Following public consultation, the implementation of this development permit area was delayed for two years from the date of adoption of the OCP. As of December 12, 2003, the requirements for this development permit area will come into effect.
The development permit guidelines and Map No. 5 of the OCP, which shows the extent of the development permit area, may be viewed on the RDN website at www.rdn.bc.ca or copies are available for a charge at the RDN Administration Offices at 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo.
The implementation of this development permit area means that where there is a proposal to alter the land, commence a subdivision, construct or alter a building or structure within the Development Permit Area, a development permit is required. There are some exemption provisions from requiring a development permit, which are detailed in the OCP.
Please contact the RDN Planning Department at (250) 390-6510 if you have any questions or if you are proposing to work within the Streams, Nesting Trees and Nanaimo River Floodplain Development Permit Area No. 5.
RDN 2004 Annual Budget
The Regional District of Nanaimo’s 2004 Annual Budget and five year Financial Plan (2004 to 2009) must be adopted by March 31. The requirement to prepare a five year Financial Plan reflects changes in the Local Government Act that took effect January 2003. The RDN Board will review the proposed Annual Budget at a meeting on January 6, and the five year Financial Plan at meetings scheduled on February 17 and March 2, 2004. These meetings will be held at 7 p.m. in the Boardroom at the RDN Administration Building at 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Open houses regarding the Annual Budget and Financial Plan are scheduled for March 4 (District 68) and March 11 (District 69), 2004. Locations will be advertised in community newspapers and on the RDN website at a future date.
Community Policing Costs Deferred
The Provincial Solicitor General Ministry, responsible for policing, has deferred the issue of additional policing costs for residents in unincorporated areas and municipalities under 5,000 until the year 2007. The RDN remains opposed to the proposal in its current form because it would significantly increase taxes in an unfair and inequitable manner. Under the provincial plan, rural areas and municipalities under 5,000 would contribute an average of 50 percent towards the cost of rural policing. The formula is based on a Province wide assessment, which would result in RDN residents in the unincorporated areas paying 86 percent of our policing costs. The RDN has prepared a position paper that states that any formula implemented to recover policing costs should be established on the principle of fairness and equity, in which all regional districts pay their share based upon service provided to their area. The RDN will continue to advocate its position to the Province.
A Burning Issue: Reduce Wood Stove Smoke
Cold winter weather means more people are using woodstoves. Wood smoke has become a serious kind of air pollution in B.C. That’s because it contains fine particulates. Exposure to high levels of fine particulates can cause respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema. To reduce wood stove smoke, pay attention to what you burn and how you operate your wood stove. A few simple steps can make wood stoves much more efficient.
