Comox Valley Record, April 04, 2013

Page 1

THURSDAY April 4, 2013 Vol. 28 • No. 28 ••• $1.25 inc. G.S.T.

COMOX VALLEY

ARTS

SPORTS

All the way from Europe, Alice Francis and Goldielocks are coming to the Waverley Hotel. page B1

Strathcona Nordics racers bring hardware back to the Island from the Cross-country Ski Nationals. page B7

RECORD

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Australian medal for firefighting Erin Haluschak Record Staff

ROADS AND TRAILS in the Stotan Falls area now are forbidden to the public by the property owner.

PHOTO BY SCOTT STANFIELD

Public banned from Stotan Falls area Scott Stanfield Record Staff

Motorists are unable to pass through Comox Logging Road for the time being because a gate is closed on the roadway that provides a shortcut from town to the Inland Island Highway and Forbidden Plateau. The gate is located near Stotan Falls where a developer wants to a create a riverfront community. The Nanaimo-based 3L Developments hopes to construct homes and develop trails at the confluence of the Puntledge and Browns rivers, but the Comox Valley Regional District says the project is not in synch with the Regional

Growth Strategy. 3L owns 385 acres, a portion of which was to be dedicated as parkland or greenspace upon project completion. The plan includes 618 lots for single-family homes, nine acres for patio homes tailored for seniors, nine additional kilometres of trails, links to public bus routes and a commercial centre. 3L purchased the property from Comox Timber and Hancock Forest Management. 3L claims it offered to donate the land to the CVRD. In January, the company offered to sell the land to the district for $9 million, with 3L “carrying a portion of the purchase price,” as stated in a letter. The offer

included Stotan Falls and Bull Island. The CVRD board declined the conditional offer following an in-camera presentation last month from 3L president David Dutcyvich. Although the offer carried the benefit of securing public access to Stotan Falls, the proposal is inconsistent with the principles and direction in the governmentmandated RGS, which guides growth in the Valley over the next 20 years. The board is concerned about impacts the development would have on surrounding resource lands and agricultural areas. In a letter to Dutcyvich, Grieve also notes public opposition to urban

residential development in the area. “The CVRD does not have the funds to purchase the proposed approximately 81 hectares,” Grieve states. The property is designated a Rural Settlement Area. 3L could apply to subdivide under existing zoning into 20 hectare parcels. Another option is to apply for a zoning amendment to permit subdivision in accordance with RGS policies. The company could request zoning for lots as small as four hectares, in which case an Official Community Plan amendment is not required. A third option is to apply for an RGS ... see NATURE LOVER ■ A2

These days, Comox Valley resident Kelly Bedford serves people their favourite beverages, but yesterday Bedford was served with one of the highest medals a civilian can receive from the Australian government. Making the event even more special, Bedford received his award in Vancouver on Wednesday from Quentin Bryce, Australia’s governor-general. “I’m totally overwhelmed,” he said on Monday of the Australian National Emergency Medal. “I got an e-mail (entitled Isn’t life interesting) telling me that I was going to get the award....” Bedford, a former woodland firefighter in Alberta who now works as a bartender at the Whistle Stop Pub in Courtenay, was recognized for his exceptional volunteerism during the 2009 Australian (Victorian) bush fires. Trained in both firefighting and in emergency services, Bedford didn’t expect to be co-ordinating an evacuation and rescue centre on his trip Down Under, but said he can’t imagine doing anything else. “I was living in Toronto and left Canada to travel the Pacific, but got stuck in Australia,” he explained. “I came as a tourist checking things out, but just absolutely fell in love with the community.” Bedford remembers the date — Feb. 7, 2009 — when that morning, he saw the initial column of smoke. “It was full on, and I was right ... see BRUSHFIRES ■ A3

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