Last week Parks Canada (PC) was supposed to unveil their Preliminary Park Concept for a National Park (NP) on Bowen. Unfortunately, when the public meeting arrived the Concept Plan was nowhere to be seen. So what happened?
Tagged National ParkUntil recently I really thought that there was a chance that there would be a National Park (NP) on Bowen. Now I’m pretty sure that there won’t be. The Parks Canada (PC) people seem to be trying to talk us out of the deal. Some of the information that I have is second hand so [...]
Tagged Ferry, National ParkIt’s getting harder to take this place for granted. When the idea of a national park on Bowen first appeared I was pretty sceptical. My first response was that we didn’t really have anything special enough to warrant thousands of visitors. Since then I’ve joined my wife on many walks into the hinterlands of the [...]
Tagged Island Life“Waiting to exhale.” That’s how we’re ending this year. I know that many of you would argue that pretty much describes how we feel at the end of every year but this is different. There are so many things so close to actually happening that we would really have to outdo ourselves for nothing to [...]
Tagged Municipal Hall, Municipal Politics, National Park, OCP, Snug CoveIt’s becoming obvious that Parks Canada would like to turn 5,000 acres of Crown Land on Bowen into a national park. While the details of their proposal are far from being worked out, the numbers being thrown around are pretty impressive. The economic boost that it would give the island would put us in an [...]
Tagged Island Life, Municipal Politics, National ParkThe new regulations regarding drinking and driving have cast a very noticeable chill over the restaurant and pub businesses on the island. In the rest of the province, the public reaction to the new penalties has prompted Rich Coleman, the Solicitor General to ask the police to use more discretion while doing their duties. It [...]
Tagged Island LifePermissive property tax exemptions, now there’s a bylaw debate that is sure to get your heart racing. It’s one of those goofy esoteric subjects that you probably don’t want to know about. Our Municipal Council has been trying to develop a policy to guide them through this issue since the municipality was established and they’re [...]
Tagged Island Life, Municipal HallThe National park debate has pretty well eclipsed every other subject surrounding island politics. For those of you who are wondering when we will see something concrete, here is what you can expect over the next few months. Next Wednesday evening, November 3 Parks Canada will unveil a draft of their “Vision for National Park [...]
Tagged Municipal Hall, National ParkHaving a National Park on Bowen would be a great idea, if only we could figure out how to make it work. To paraphrase our mayor, “Imagine how it could work for us. Don’t be shy about asking for what we need to make it work.” This is where the rubber meets the road. How [...]
Tagged National ParkA couple of weeks ago our Municipal Council gave first reading to a new Noise Control bylaw. In most places this would be a simple housekeeping matter but not on Bowen. Our bylaw seeks to redefine our social responsibilities towards our neighbours. Or, more to the point, seeks to impose penalties on us if we [...]
Tagged Island Life, Municipal Politics