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Sportsplex about investing in the future

This facility will be central to our area hosting the BC Summer Games next year

In spite of the disappointing lack of buy-in from too many areas in the Cowichan Valley, we’re pleased to note that upgrades to the Cowichan Sportsplex will be getting underway this summer.

This facility will be central to our area hosting the BC Summer Games next year, and some of its facilities, including the track, have been in need of significant work for some time. It’s now at the end of its lifespan.

The BC Summer Games will be a big deal for the Cowichan Valley.

Not only will we get to see some of our very own athletes compete for provincial prizes, and get to host people from all over our province, we will see a significant economic return from all of those people gathering here.

And it doesn’t stop when the Games are done. We have no doubt that once people have been to Cowichan they will want to come back in the years to come.

But we can’t do it unless we have the facilities. These include facilities that have been bones of contention in the Valley for decades, including the Sportsplex and the Aquatic Centre.

Getting the Aquatic Centre off the ground, then getting it supported, even in a small way, by most of the areas of the Cowichan Valley was a monumental task that took years.

The Sportsplex hasn’t even been that lucky, with far too many areas, in our opinion, refusing to pony up for the good of the community as a whole.

There’s always been resentment that the facility is located in Duncan, with many of the naysayers declaring since it’s not in their backyard they shouldn’t have to foot any of the financial bill. This in spite of the fact that being able to attract significant sports tourism events like the BC Summer Games has a tangible benefit for us collectively.

There are areas of dubious spending at every level of government, but this certainly isn’t one of them. We applaud the Municipality of North Cowichan for coming through with $150,000 for the upgrades. This is about investing in our community for its long-term future. We hope the CVRD and City of Duncan join North Cowichan with the smaller amount of money that’s being requested of them.

We wish more people could see that and put aside their ingrained regional biases.



Andrea Rondeau

About the Author: Andrea Rondeau

I returned to B.C. and found myself at the Cowichan Valley Citizen.
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