It has been an honour to serve on North Cowichan council for the past two terms. As a former two-term school trustee, facilitator, grandmother, volunteer, citizen, I am deeply engaged and connected to building the best community possible.
This term, council accomplished many things — too many to list — in spite of challenges we met along the way:
• we rezoned for secondary suites — 2,400 mortgage helpers and affordable rentals, an additional 2,000 new units, conventional, smaller homes, townhouses and supportive housing; and we created a Parks and Trails master plan, completed the diking project, improved our communications, and hired the right CAO for the work we need to accomplish.
In this next term, with your help, council will update the Official Community Plan. We have significant work to do to build a resilient community. Soaring property values have reduced rental opportunities and made it harder to purchase for locals, and the opioid and homelessness crisis have rocked us to our core. This summer’s fire on Maple Mountain was a wake-up call for the work we need to do to adapt to climate change. We need to focus on smart growth, growth we can support and where ecosystems can handle it. The kind of development that connects us to one another and protects the environment. Let’s work together to make our official community plan as forward-thinking, inclusive, and culturally sensitive as possible.
Building a good plan is all about relationships. As your councillor, my work has gone beyond roads, sewers and waste. I have worked with many local organizations working the front lines of pressing social issues, and through reconciliation work, I have built relationships with First Nations.
I offer stability and vision as a community leader. I am asking for your support to help me to continue building these bridges, these relationships, and our community.
Please vote for Kate Marsh, on Oct. 20.