From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
The March 25 SRD Board meeting was certainly memorable, with between 80-100 residents of Quadra Island and Area C crowding into the boardroom’s public gallery and overflowing into the foyer. They were there to observe as the Board considered a report regarding adding Quadra Island (or all of Area C) as annual tax paying participants of the Strathcona Gardens Recreation Service. That topic is what this report focuses on.
Originally published in the Bird’s Eye
Did I set out to write a two-page article this week? Nope. Did I anyway? Yup. This is a big deal for our island — and it’s still early in the series. So yes, I’m running the longest two pages in Bird’s Eye history. Sorry, not sorry. Enjoy!
By Melissa McKinney, editor/owner of the Bird’s Eye.
On March 25, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) board voted on whether to add Quadra Island to the Strathcona Gardens recreation service area. Around 80 Area C residents showed up to watch — enough to fill the boardroom, spill out through the open double doors into the lobby, where even standing room was tight. The SRD livestreams their board meetings on YouTube, so small groups of residents huddled around phones watching their own local government meeting from the parking lot outside. Inside the lobby, the meeting’s audio played from multiple phones on a slight delay, making it difficult to follow unless you were actually in the boardroom.
Continue reading A $943,000 Question: Quadra and the Strathcona Gardens Vote
In a 7–6 vote, on March 25th the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board moved to have a bylaw prepared that would add Quadra Island to the catchment area for the Strathcona Gardens Recreational Facility. If the bylaw proceeds, Quadra residents could face an additional $558 in property taxes—slightly more than the $526 Campbell River residents pay for their facility. One SRD director was not present when the vote was taken, which raises the possibility that the proposal could be defeated in a 7–7 tie when all 14 directors are present.
The board faces fierce opposition from Quadra Island residents. Among the 90 or so Quadra residents who crowded the SRD Boardroom and adjoining lobby for the May 25 board meeting, were some of the 1,226 area C residents who signed a petition opposing inclusion in the Strathcona Gardens catchment. Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney of Area C noted that this number represents about 44% of the adult population of her area.
Continue reading Must Quadra Island taxpayers pay for Strathcona Gardens?From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
This report is stacked with news on wharves and the recycling depot, plus a Friends of Area C petition accepted by the Board. Let’s get to it…
There’s big news about the Surge Narrows and Owen Bay wharves of Area C: the Board has approved a contract to repair the wharves, and the work will begin in the 2025 ‘fall fish window’. This seemingly simple statement has been more than a decade coming, and will be welcome news to many wharf users, especially folks in the Outer Discovery Islands.
Continue reading Area C Director’s Report: wharf works going ahead, recycle depot update & petition presented to the Board
It is only two weeks until President Donald Trump decides whether to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. There is some question whether he will follow through. Trump was initially going to impose the tariffs on February 4, but the previous day Wall Street’s three main indices fell sharply over concerns about the global economy. The stock market recovered that afternoon, after Trump announced he would postpone the tariffs for a month. However Canadians are preparing for the worst and, on the local level, one of the topics discussed at yesterday’s Strathcona Gardens Commission meeting is the impact Trump’s proposed tariffs could have on Campbell River’s $130 million REC-reate Strathcona Gardens project.
Continue reading Minimizing the impact Trump’s tariffs could have on the $130 million REC-reate Strathcona Garden project
