Bowen Bulletin

Having 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 do you accommodate ever-growing numbers of tourists without destroying the tranquility of the tranquil island that they have come to visit? You’re being asked to figure out what would work for you personally. So you may well be asking why you would waste your time when you know from past experience that nothing this big has any chance of being approved on this island. Here’s why. Continue reading ›

Let the bells ring out

I never thought that I’d be able to say this but… (drum roll please)… B.C. Ferries made money on the Bowen Island run last year. I remember when the ferry fares hit $1 million and BC Ferries told us that it cost them $2 million to run the boat. Continue reading ›

This could be one of those personality tests “which position most closely matches yours?”

Position #1) Snug Cove is an embarrassment. It should be upgraded to look like the entrance to a prosperous community.

Position #2) Snug Cove is great. In a world where every small town feels the need to make itself over into a model village it’s nice to live someplace that refuses to turn it’s back on the past. Continue reading ›

Now that the OCP (Official Community Plan) Update has moved into the realm of things too boring to try to explain it’s time to look at the next $100,000 that we’re going to spend on consultant’s fees. The new project is supposed to be the “Snug Cove Village Implementation Plan” (SCVIP). It’s not only one of the things that the OCP Update requires the Municipality to do it’s also a perfect vehicle for ensuring that nothing ever gets done in Snug Cove. Continue reading ›

This week’s column is a summary of a submission I made to the OCP Update Steering Committee

This letter hopes to challenge some of the basic assumptions surrounding OCP density, density trading and future zoning.

The first assumption is that our OCP is our vision, as a community, of where we wish to go. Continue reading ›