There’s a lot happening in North Cowichan’s council chamber this Wednesday, with a closed special council meeting at 1 p.m. (a section of the meeting will be open to the public at 3 p.m.), a regular council meeting at 5 p.m. and a public and statutory meeting at 7 p.m.
The portion beginning at 3 p.m. will hear an update from Chief James Thomas of Halalt First Nation on the progress of the Chemainus Watershed Initiative.
Next, council will hear a staff report outlining three strategic options for resuming harvesting in the municipal forest reserve — something critics warned could jeopardise years of work with the Quw'utsun Nation on a forest co-management framework.
The three options include:
Continue with development of a co-management framework.
Continue with development of a co-management framework while also investigating the feasibility of an independent forest management plan.
Withdraw from the co-management framework development and the Memorandum of Understanding with Quw'utsun Nation and develop an independent forest management plan.
Staff recommends council choose the first option and continue developing the co-management framework before reconsidering forest harvesting as a strategic priority.
According to the report, work on the co-management framework was suspended in August following concerns raised by Quw'utsun Nation members in response to council's decision to make logging a strategic priority.
“Proceeding without meaningful collaboration carries the risk of eroding trust, and it may be perceived as inconsistent with council’s stated commitments to reconciliation,” the report reads.
Staff found that significantly increasing revenue would require expanding any harvesting activities beyond historical levels, which would require logging to take place in less accessible terrain and within high-use recreational areas.
If council decides to pursue an independent forest management plan, staff recommend a “robust public engagement process,” including consultation with the general public and Quw’utsun Nation, along with transparent integration of feedback.
The report estimates the cost of developing a new forest management plan at $500,000.
Read more about the report at sixmountains.ca.
At the regular 5 p.m. meeting, council will hear a staff report on a plan to address homelessness, mental health and addictions in North Cowichan.
Council will also review the results of the Local Area Service petition to acquire a parcel of land off Donnay Drive for nature conservation and to preserve an existing trail system. The municipality received 456 counter-petitions, meeting the threshold to block the land acquisition. Staff recommend that council abandons the proposal.
Finally, at 7 p.m., the public and statutory hearing will see council debate an Official Community Plan amendment bylaw that looks to expand the Urban Containment Boundary (UCB).
According to reporting by sixmountains.ca, staff have warned that expanding the UCB would create an “administrative nightmare” and increase costs for taxpayers.
The UCB has also been a hot topic among residents of Maple Bay who opposed a recent zoning amendment to the Hand of Man Museum, which would allow for increased density of commercial development in a rural neighbourhood well outside of the UCB.
Watch the full meetings livestreamed online, or in person at North Cowichan Municipal Hall at, 7030 Trans-Canada Highway.
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