From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
It’s my sincere hope you’ve managed to stay warm and dry during the recent storms. The weather ‘bomb cyclone’ was certainly impactful! Along with the local power outages and ferry cancellations, the power went out at the Board office and roads to some of the smaller municipalities were closed, resulting in our regularly scheduled Board meeting of Wednesday November 20 being cancelled (and rescheduled for November 27).
Official Community Plan kick-off on Quadra
An Official Community Plan (OCP) outlines the vision, community objectives and long-term goals of the community. An OCP guides growth and change; it is a key document which directs elected officials and community members in future development and conservation initiatives.
Importantly, an OCP is a community-driven document which all community members are invited to participate in creating. SRD staff have begun an Area C OCP review and it’s super important that your voice is included in this process. Quadra Islanders first chance to learn and get involved is Wednesday November 27, 6pm at the Quadra Community Centre.
Quadra Island’s current OCP was developed in 2007 and the Quathiaski Cove Village Plan was added to the OCP in 2012. The Quadra Island OCP includes much more than Quadra Island: all the islands and inlets of Area C other those included in the Desolation Sound Rural Land Use Bylaw are included in the Quadra Island Official Community Plan.
There are certain parameters which must be considered in an OCP, these include housing policies, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmentally sensitive areas. There are many other topics which can be included dependent on the interests and direction of the community. For example, another island’s OCP includes direction for ‘conservation & stewardship of natural resources, especially the surface and groundwater supply’.
Please bring your ideas big and small, about food security, parks & trails, recreation, transportation, infrastructure, environment, land use, housing, climate, and much more, and let’s work towards an OCP which will reflect our social, environmental, and economic interests over the long term.
I look forward to seeing you at this and future meetings! Would you like to learn more or receive e-updates as the OCP process progresses, or read the current OCP? Check out this webpage and subscribe for news as it becomes available: srd.ca/area-c-ocp/.
Regional Recreation continues
At the November 6 Electoral Area Services Committee, it came to light that staff are preparing a further report to examine inclusion of the Electoral Areas in financially supporting Strathcona Gardens. In September, I reported on the regional recreation feasibility study: while the Board did not formally request a further report at that time, there is a further one in the works.
Considering the hundreds of letters on this topic the Board has already received, should the next report recommend Area C for inclusion in annual taxation to support Strathcona Gardens its reasonable to seek the will of the community through referendum prior to a Board decision. I continue to be a strong advocate at the Board for a referendum to truly know the will of the community, and I’m hopeful the Board would support this. I’ll be sure to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Connect
Thanks for taking the time to read this report. You’re welcome to connect with me with questions or concerns, you can email rmawhinney@srd.ca, or call 250.203.2468. If you’d like to meet in person, you can book a meeting at calendly.com/robynmawhinney.
Until next time,
Respectfully,
Director Robyn Mawhinney