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Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Cowichan River gets a reprieve Concern remains: Province grants permission to hold water in the lake longer, but denies request to store higher volume Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
W Mykle Amon and Madison Gray admire a metal dragonfly created by Justin Von Nes on display at the opening of the annual Cowichan Secondary Art Show on Thursday, May 23.
Andrew Leong
Wet grad party nipped before partiers can get off the bus Chemainus River Park: Remote location, lack of cell service draws RCMP attention to visiting Victoria teens
Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
F
olks at the Cowichan Vally Regional District and North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP offices aren’t too impressed with a group of students from Victoria who organized a wet grad celebration in Chemainus over the weekend. “They didn’t even let them get off the bus,” CVRD manager for inspections and enforcement Brian Duncan said of two busloads plus a couple cars full of students from Victoria bound for their end-of-year celebration at Chemainus River Park. According to Duncan, Shawnigan RCMP detachment’s Sgt. Rob Webb caught wind of the shindig. He notified North Cowichan/Duncan detachment members who then set up a blockade at the entrance to the park. “In my opinion, this activity was not wellthought-out,” said North Cowichan/Duncan Cpl. Jon Stuart. “Although it appears every year
youth have a ‘wet’ grad party, it is not appropriate to encourage this event in a public place.” Stuart confirmed a DJ was brought in, liquor was supplied to the students and they were planning to camp the entire weekend. “There are indications it was supported and endorsed by parents,” he said. “There are many issues with this scenario.” Issues included camping in a day-use only site, supplying liquor to minors, drinking in a public place, and insurance liability, Stuart listed. Duncan said lack of cellphone service and the park’s location — about three miles of gravel road off Hillcrest Road — were concerns he shared with RCMP. “The notion that parents are willingly facilitating a rave in the middle of the bush, where no cell service exists, should be embarrassing,” wrote North Cowichan/Duncan Sgt. Jack McNeill in an email to Duncan. “The idea of an unsupervised rave with youth, drugs, alcohol and no means to call for help is a disaster waiting to
happen, and we all know who is left to pick up the pieces.” Duncan’s hoping to get the word out to folks they’re keeping a watchful eye on the provincial park. “It’s the thorn in the side of the CVRD parks department because it’s out in the middle of nowhere and it’s very easily vandalized,” Duncan said, noting after connecting with the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment this spring, they’ve added much-needed patrols at this site. “Thirty years ago, it was one of the most beautiful places on Earth,” Duncan said. “It was pristine and people went the odd time and used the park but left it the way it was when they came.” Now they’re seeing ATV users chewing it up, campers littering and cutting down trees and even flat deck trucks pulling iron gates out, on top of several bush parties similar to the one the grads had in the works. RCMP investigation is ongoing and no charges have yet to be determined.
ater for fish and the Crofton mill received a provincial reprieve this year with Friday’s nod to delay releasing stored Cowichan River flows until later in July. But local officials remain worried about long-term storage answers to droughts from rising climate change. “With continued low fall flows, something further has to be looked at,” said Gerald Thom of the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society. That solution surrounds a local coalition, seeking a provincial licence to boost river storage — behind Cowichan Lake’s weir — beyond Catalyst Paper’s two existing water licences, provincial staff explained. Seeking more spring river-water storage is basically a provincial and federal responsibility, indicated Rob Hutchins, Cowichan Valley Regional District chairman. He was non-committal about the CVRD seeking that higher-volume permit. “It’s not CVRD reluctance; taking on someone else’s responsibility is a big step,” Hutchins said, expecting debate on the issue during a Cowichan Watershed Board huddle Thursday. Hutchins, and mill manager Rob Belanger, signalled the later water release is a positive step toward protecting fish and habitat. “But with climate change affecting future river flows, we need to look at that storage question,” said Hutchins, “In my opinion,” added Thom, “that (storage-licence) process could take five to 10 years.” But that decade could see more fish die due to drought — as happened last summer — and the mill possibly shutting without adequate water, hinted Thom. more on page 4
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