The National Park debate is heating up very quickly. And an excellent debate it is. People whom you would think would be horrified at the prospect of Bowen becoming a tourist destination are in favour of the idea and business people who would prosper with the growth are lamenting the potential destruction of our lifestyle. [...]
Also tagged Municipal Politics, National ParkThis 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 [...]
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 [...]
Also tagged Ferry, Housing, Surplus LandsOur OCP Update Committee has released a draft of our new Official Community Plan and in most respects I think that it captures our collective aspirations quite well. The committee working on the Plan spent a lot of time consulting with community groups about what should be included in the update and they included a [...]
Also tagged Municipal Politics, OCPIf Bowen Island was a business we would be having some pretty serious meetings right now. The business climate is changing and we’re stuck with too much inventory. In last week’s real estate paper there were over 70 houses listed for sale.
Also tagged Housing, Island LifeSeparating issues from distractions is sometimes necessary, particularly when dealing with Bowen politics. This week I’m trying to sort out a few of them.
Also tagged Island Life, OCP, Surplus Lands, waterLast Monday night Municipal Council considered a proposal, prepared by staff, which outlined how we could provide the $712,000 that our municipality will have to invest in the Snug Cove sewer upgrade. Of course council didn’t approve it. They deferred their decision until after more community consultation. But this time the good old deferral trick [...]
Also tagged Municipal Politics, Surplus LandsWhat Does it Mean to be “Green” on Bowen?
In the spring of 2008 fourteen islanders, selected by Council, sat around tables in Municipal Hall and began to answer this question. They came from a variety of backgrounds, with expertise in climate change solutions, social justice, green buildings, affordability, waste reduction and ecosystem protection – approaches [...]
As we move along with the updating of our Official Community Plan (OCP) it is probably worthwhile to look back on how well the plan has served us to date and what we might to do to make it more usable in the future. The first thing that we have to acknowledge is that there [...]
Also tagged Housing, Municipal Politics, OCPIn a world where more and more places are looking just like each other it’s nice to come home to Bowen and notice how distinctive our community looks. Looking from side to side as the ferry docks,
Also tagged Island Life, Municipal Hall