On Monday, the Town of Lake Cowichan hosted its second of two annual public meetings in which area residents are invited to discuss questions, concerns or comments with their local representatives and fellow community members. The town comes with no set agenda or discussion points, relying on conversations generated by those in attendance. Topics ranged from final resting places to infrastructure projects to bylaws and how they’re enforced.
The Gazette will explore some of these topics in greater depth in future editions. For now, here are some of the highlights from Monday’s meeting.
• Mayor Ross Forrest answered questions about the proposed columbarium, which is a memorial place that contains cremated remains. He said the town would not be making a profit off such a project, that the fees for interment basically just cover the cost of a columbarium’s construction and upkeep. The town has not settled on the size or design of a columbarium but would likely start with a 36-niche structure and gauge how quickly spaces are filled. Columbaria of that size can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000, and the price to inter a family member would likely be around $1,000. The town purchased the park-like strip of land on the east side of the Greendale Trestle with this express purpose in mind.
“In fairness to the people who do spread their ashes illegally in their favourite place or whatever, they haven’t had an option here. This option might help with that as well,” said Forrest. He also said the town had not considered whether or not pet owners would be allowed to store the cremated remains of dead pets at a columbarium, but perhaps a smaller columbarium for pets might be a consideration.
• Coun. Tim McGonigle reminded attendees that the public is welcome to attend the town’s budget discussions. Dates will be posted on the town’s website soon.
• Community member Rocky Wise raised concerns about whether the town’s new water treatment facilities will be able to withstand a pollution crisis in Cowichan Lake, like those experienced in places like Quamichan Lake or Shawnigan Lake. He said the town should have a secondary or tertiary plan to obtain water by drilling or drawing from Meade Creek. Nagy Rizk, the town’s superintendent of public works and engineering services, said drilling for water sources outside the town’s boundary would be difficult but there’s still a chance they could look to the Meade Creek aquifer in the future.
“But for the algae, regarding the pollution of the lake, the filtration plan will be designed to handle that. To what extent, I’m leaving it to the designers to deal with. But we can handle an algae bloom in the filtration system, to a certain extent,” Rizk said.
• Wise and other ex-loggers in attendance spoke up about private logging practices around the lake and the potential negative impacts on the local watershed. One man characterized the cutting practices currently seen along South Shore Road as “rape and pillage.” Coun. McGonigle, an ex-logger too, spoke up to say it’s important not to lump all forms of logging together.
“We have to be really clear as to what surrounds us in Lake Cowichan,” he said. “It’s not Crown forest lands, it’s private forest lands who have different parameters of legislation than public lands. If you were to do that on public lands you would be fined… So unfortunately the private landowners association are getting a bad name for exactly what you said.”
McGonigle also pointed to positive initiatives, such as TimberWest’s recent firewood program and community donations.
• One woman, who asked not to be identified because she feared retaliation from neighbours, expressed frustration with the town’s bylaw enforcement as it pertains to dogs. She described an incident last year in which her dog was attacked and injured by a neighbour’s pit pull. She suggested a bylaw banning pit bulls. Coun. McGonigle said he feels such legislation would be unfair, acknowledging he is himself the owner of a pit bull. The woman agreed with McGonigle when he said it’s not the animals that are the problem, but rather their owners.
• There was also discussion of how the town’s bylaw enforcement officer handles off-leash dogs, which is against the rules but a frequent problem in Lake Cowichan. Cara Smith asked if the town is considering creating an off-leash dog park. Mayor Forrest said council has had a number of discussions about off-leash dog parks. “We are looking for a good location. Once again, it’s got to be budgeted for,” he said. “A dog park for a community is almost a necessity for a community now.”
• Rocky Wise also took issue with the Catalyst weir, saying the taxpayers of Lake Cowichan should not be on the hook for its raising or redevelopment. He also raised concerns about the Centennial Park redesign, stating that according to the plans, which were on display, the two fields will not be official baseball and softball sizes respectively.
• Pedestrian safety concerns on MacDonald Street were raised by one attendee who said the Co-op gas station on the west side of the street and a parking area (by the gazebo) on the east side leave pedestrians with no safe place to walk on their way to South Shore Road.
Forrest said the town has a long term plan to put sidewalks in on MacDonald Street, but is waiting until developments at the gas station are complete.
• Council and staff shared some details about the new town hall, and had designs printed and available for attendees to look at. Staff estimated the project likely won’t go to tender until about February 2017, but by this time next year, the new building should be complete.
