We dodged a bullet on amalgamation
The referendum over, we have dodged a bullet. That this was no accident is made clear by the fact that those who voted against amalgamation are all residents of neighbourhoods who have a sense of community with distinct identities.
Duncan itself, together with Crofton and Chemainus, voted decisively against the proposed mash-up.
We are left, though, with the problem of what to do now? Duncan needs desperately to expand its boundaries, its population and its tax base to enable it to take control of its future through coherent planning and development. It is, after all, a city and a regional service centre.
North Cowichan is essentially a small-town-rural community with very different identities and needs. In the future can we count on a council in North Cowichan with both the imagination and above all the courage to cede its urban borderlands to Duncan? Let us dream.
Tom Masters
Chemainus