Protect our municipality with your vote
This coming election is probably one of the most critical in the history of the North Cowichan municipality, for it will set the nature and tone of the environment in which we live for decades to come. Whilst the recently approved Official Community Plan (OCP) does not provide everything for everybody, it does provide a well thought out balance between necessary development for the community and the maintenance of the rural lifestyle enjoyed by so many of us living here. Indeed this is why we settled here.
There is however a certain segment of the population for whom the flat out development of our rural area is all important and this group is very vociferous and indeed hostile as was evidenced at the recent public meeting to consider the OCP. These people seek to completely oust the incumbent members of council, who worked so diligently for several years formulating the OCP and would replace them with their own nominees, all pro development. If they succeed they will build full steam ahead, a mass of people will descend upon the community from the outside and take up occupancy, and yes those developers will make a lot of money; but at whose expense? Ours, those of us left behind when they have moved on!
Their publicity is full of platitudes as to the good community they want to build. It reminds me of the old saying “beware the wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing!”.
So the choice fellow citizens is ours. Do we want to preserve our rural way of living, balanced with appropriate development, in the urban parts of our municipality, e.g. affordable housing near to existing facilities, or do we want to see urban sprawl developing in every available nook and cranny until it becomes another Langford. I urge everyone to reflect soberly on this choice, and decide when you vote whether you want to have elected those people who built the OCP and are committed to its implementation or turn it loose into the hands of the unknown, the untested, to those who support mass development in pursuit of the mighty dollar. The choice is ours. If we give it away we cannot get it back, and we will have to live with it. If ever there was a need for the silent majority to get out and vote this is it, before it is too late.
Michael Porter
Duncan