Karen Deck is running for the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s seat for Youbou/Meade Creek, Electoral Area I, in next month’s municipal elections.
Deck said she moved to Youbou in 2017 after a deeply rewarding career teaching young children with extra needs in Calgary, Alberta.
She said the children taught her a lot about unconditional love, hope and determination.
“Not long after, I made the commitment to serve the residents of Youbou and Meade Creek when TimberWest announced their plans to log the forest above our community,” Deck said.
“I will never forget those who spoke so passionately about the risk of damaging [land]slides, habitat destruction and the protection of watersheds. It wasn’t just about how it would affect them personally; people cared about the bigger picture, about the environment and wider community. I was moved and inspired.”
Deck said that as president of Save Our Holmes, she worked every day to convince Mosaic Forestry that logging the watershed on the steep hills above her community was too big a risk to take.
“Some people said we were wasting our time, but this community was determined, and we won,” she said.
“Mosaic is deferring 1,000 hectares of the forest from logging for at least 25 years. In their words, ‘We listened to your concerns’.”
Deck said watersheds and forests remain vulnerable and the climate emergency is deepening.
“But we can make a difference at the local level; we can create systems to keep food waste out of landfills, make more walkable communities, make public transportation more convenient, and promote the use of clean electricity to heat and cool new buildings,” she said.
“If elected as a director in Electoral Area I, I will listen to your concerns, communicate openly and consistently, and work tirelessly to make sure your voice is heard at the CVRD.”