Tag Archives: Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities

Politics

Mark Vonesch Removed; Susan Sinnott New Vice-Chair of the SRD

Mark Vonesch was removed from his position as Vice-Chair of the SRD through a non-confidence vote, and Campbell River Director Susan Sinnott was elected in his place.

The voting followed what is becoming a familiar pattern: the five Campbell River Directors and their allies voted to remove Vonesch, while the Directors from Gold River, Tahsis, and Electoral Areas A, B, and C supported him.

The Alleged Plot

The vote was preceded by a roughly two-hour in-camera session, after which Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl addressed the public meeting.

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Forests

Long-awaited changes to BC’s private forests not coming, government confirms

 Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

Local governments on Vancouver Island are frustrated after finally receiving a long-awaited answer to when legislative changes are coming to the law governing how some forest lands are managed in BC.

The answer: with the trade war targeting BC lumber, the priority is protecting forestry jobs. In short, after years of fighting, change is not coming.

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Cost of Climate Change

When climate’s on B.C. communities’ agenda, fossil fuels firms turn up the heat

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Oil and gas companies are still major sponsors at an annual municipal leaders conference even as B.C. reels from a provincewide drought and a fire season driven by climate change.

It’s a contradiction that dismays many municipal and political leaders attending the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) annual convention this week in Vancouver. 

Climate change is one of the top issues at the gathering, with local leaders slated to attend a host of workshops and provincial policy sessions on managing the risks and health impacts of wildfires, emergency disaster response and creating climate-resilient communities. 

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Politics

How the EASC Committee is working together 

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One of the biggest stories coming out of the SRD may be the way the new Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) seems to be working together. It has only been a little more than five months since the election, but the deep personal divisions that were so apparent in the previous EASC are not there, at least not yet. Cortes Currents asked our two local Discovery Island Directors about this.

Mark Vonesch, Regional Director of Cortes Island, said, “I wasn’t involved  in the last administration, but there is a lot of teamwork between the Rural Directors. We talk a lot. We don’t agree on everything, but we have relationships where we feel comfortable sharing our ideas and our thoughts and reflecting on each other’s ideas.  Generally there’s a lot of cohesiveness  and support  for getting things done in our own communities.”

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Forests

Clearcutting The Walbran’s Thousand-Year-Old Trees

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By Roy L Hales

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It has been a year since the Wilderness Committee drew our attention to the planned logging of old growth trees in the central Walbran Valley. So far, the controversial heli-block 4424 has remained untouched. Since last November, Teal Jones has been logging 6 or 7 cutblocks in the more easily accessible areas south of the river.  They are already clearcutting the Walbran’s thousand-year-old trees.

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