How our local government works
Regional Director Jim Abram pushed through an early hearing date for the Quadra Island Golf Club (Quadra Links) rezoning proposal against the applicants wishes, as well as the recommendation of Strathcona Regional District (SRD) staff and the advice of six of his fellow directors.
Quadra Links wishes to rezone a portion of their property so they can develop a 30 spot RV park, but requested that the meeting be delayed until the Fall. Strathcona Regional District (SRD) staff recommended the hearing be scheduled for Wednesday, November 23, 2022. The SRD Chair and a number of Campbell River directors voiced their support, but cannot vote in rural matters.
Only rural directors can vote and most of them supported Abram. So the public hearing will be at 7 PM on May 18, 2022 at the Quadra Community Centre.
This segment of the April 13 SRD Board meeting began with receipt of a staff report suggesting the public hearing be rescheduled to November.
Abram said, “I’d like to change where it says rescheduled and put in rescheduled to May 18 at 7:00 PM, in person, at the Quadra Island Community Centre.”
Regional Director Gerald Whalley seconded this motion.
Noba Anderson, Regional Director for Cortes Island, asked, “I would just like to know if this date works for staff. I trust Director Abram has cleared it with the community centre. Just any kind of context about why this date is being proposed, please?”
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) David Leitch pointed out that would have to come from Abram:
“We had a request from the applicant that they were not ready to hold their public hearing prior to October of this year. Therefore we brought that request to the board. The board endorsed bringing a staff report back with some dates after October and Director Abram had a subsequent date that he has just brought forward to the board. He can give you the substance of why the date has changed. It did not come from staff, or the applicant.”
Jim Abram, the Regional Director for Quadra Island, pointed out that the public hearing was originally scheduled for January 18 and (at his request) the meeting was deferred until April.
“We postponed, and we basically got dragged through the mud on this one, and another large proposal that’s happening, for postponing and delaying development et cetera. So we rescheduled it for April. Then we went to April and then, I believe, there was a request to move it until after October.”
Abram said he was unwilling to have the people drag his name through the mud again, ‘for not dealing with an application that has been in for many, many months.’
“It was ready to go to public hearing clear back in January, and then again in April. So now I’m saying let’s go to May, giving a little more time. The reason I don’t want to wait any longer is because we’re going to get back into where we could possibly have another COVID situation.”
He pointed out the new variant strain is moving west and could bring a further round of restrictions.
“So I would like to get on with this. You know, we’re ready to go and staff are ready to go and the community hall is all open and booked and whatever.”
Anderson responded, “In general, I completely support what director Abram’s saying. I’d love to see this move forward. My only caution is that the applicant advised us that they weren’t ready and I don’t know what they weren’t ready about, or for, and I wouldn’t want to push them if indeed they’re want to amend or pull their application in some way.”
She asked if either staff or Abram had any updated information.
“If not, I don’t think it’s right to override the applicant,” said Anderson.
Abram said, “Well, I would say just looking at the words printed in front of you: ‘We want to be able to analyze and respond to some of the technical issues that have been raised in public submissions.’ There is no reason why that can’t be done after a public hearing.”
He emphasized, “You have no idea, not being the Quadra Island director, the amount of daily flack that comes via Facebook, emails, phone call and news articles and editorials in newspapers about how the regional district is dragging its heels on development on Quadra Island. ‘Let’s get on with it’ is the political tone that is out there. So this proposal was ready then (in January), and I don’t know why it wouldn’t be ready now. So let’s find out. Go to the public hearing and see what views may need to be analyzed, including all the ones that may come from the public.”
This speech prompted a series of responses from the Campbell River directors.
“Here we have a situation where the developer is saying they’re not ready for the public hearing until after October and the whole point of having a public hearing is to deal with the developer in a fair and reasonable manner. This is the antithesis of dealing with the developer in a fair and reasonable manner. They are the ones who are saying, they’re not ready. In my view, and again I know I don’t get a vote, I would say it is outrageous for the director to push this forward in such a manner,” said Claire Moglove.
Mayor Andy Adams added, “I appreciate that director Abram may be hearing some controversy about delays in public hearings, but it has been the director that has postponed multiple development application and public hearings going on through either COVID or other reasons. This one, when you look at the nature of a golf course, their peak season is spring and summer and fall, I think it is completely reasonable for the electoral area directors to take into consideration the applicant’s request to defer this. It’s pretty rare when we get an applicant that is asking for a delay and there are reasons for it. I would urge you to consider those.”
Charlie Cornfield agreed with Moglove and Adams, “I know what’s involved in running a golf course and, yeah, they get very busy during the season. I would urge the directors that do vote to support the applicant’s request.”
Colleen Evans said, “This feels so arbitrary to good governance and processes. I’m really surprised that we would have this correspondence that we’re looking at right now with requests from the proponent giving a reason to delay and then arbitrarily making a decision that we would intervene and suggesting an earlier date.”
Regional Director Brenda Leigh suggested, “We should reschedule to May 18 and then put a subject to the developers being agreeable to the earlier date – because we don’t know why they’re wanting it later.”
Leitch pointed out, “We’re looking at correspondence from the applicant on the screen that says they can’t make it before October. So, I’m not sure why we would go back and ask them if they can, when they’ve already told us they can’t.”
Director Abram made a number of statements in his defence:
“I have not been the one to throw up arbitrary roadblocks to these developments …”
“This is something that has been on the table for analysis and response to technical issues since before January …”
“So, going with the comments from Director Adams about, you know, golfing season coming up in the summertime, et cetera, et cetera, by going to this public hearing and getting through the process, it would allow for this proposal to be used during the golfing season.”
Then he gave the bottom line, “This really is an electoral area director vote, as to whether or not we move to the date that I requested.”
As he closed the discussion, SRD Chair Brad Unger added, “I will say too, in good governance, I don’t understand why you will go against the applicant’s wishes. Anyway, with that, I’m going to call question to the electoral directors only: is anyone opposed?
Only one of the four regional directors replied: “Anderson opposed.”
A moment of silence followed, then Unger said, “Hearing none other, motion passed.”
(There is more in the podcast above; watch YouTube video of meeting at https://youtu.be/EMP6gv7kVVI)
Top photo credit: Getting out of a sand trap Photo by Peter Drew on Unsplash
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