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Alternative Approval Process now closed Lindsay Chung THE CHRONICLE
About 30-40 people showed up at Ladysmith City Hall Friday, March 14 at 2 p.m. to deliver a box full of signed Elector Response Forms before the deadline in the Town’s Alternative Approval Process (AAP) for the Couverdon boundary expansion process. Mary Marcotte, the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) director for Area H (North Oyster/Diamond), addressed the crowd before going inside City Hall with Ladysmith resident Carol Henderson and a box with more than 1,300 signed forms, which indicate that the eligible elector is opposed to the boundary expansion. “It is my very great honour to be able present these petitions to the Town of Ladysmith on behalf of the concerned citizens who’ve gone out and campaigned and who have made the democratic process work,” Marcotte said, standing on the steps of City Hall. “It was a real grassroots community agenda here to ensure that we have a say in what happens to the future of Ladysmith. At first, it felt like a real David and Goliath kind of thing, a real midget trying to take on a giant, but I found pretty soon, I had a ton of giants, and they were all standing there beside me working together, and, in fact, they were standing in front of me. “It’s not something that was driven by anybody. There were concerns, very legitimate concerns, and I think that we’re ensuring that democracy takes its place.” Ladysmith council has accepted an application from TimberWest/Couverdon Real Estate — the real estate business of TimberWest — to extend the Town of Ladysmith boundary to take in 700 acres (283 hectares) of lands owned by TimberWest/Couverdon. The lands lie to the west of the Town boundary, stretching from north of Grouhel Road to Malone Road, and are undeveloped.
About 30-40 people gathered outside Ladysmith City Hall to deliver signed Elector Response Forms March 14. In front are CVRD Area H Director Mary Marcotte (left) and Ladysmith resident Carol Henderson, who delivered the box of forms to Town staff. LINDSAY CHUNG This idea was first introduced to the outside the Town’s boundaries in CVRD community in 2008. Electoral Area G (Saltair). Council has three key criteria for its • Viewscape protection of the forested consideration of the proposal: hills behind Ladysmith. These lands are • Acquisition of approximately 500 not part of the boundary extension area. acres of watershed lands (both Stock• The future development of the bounding Lake and Holland lake) to protect ary extension lands must be consistent the drinking water that supplies the with Provincial Smart Growth Practices Town, the Diamond and Saltair and the and supportive of the Town’s Sustainproposed service to Stz’uminus First Na- ability Vision. tion. These watershed lands are not part Couverdon’s application was accepted of the lands being considered for the by council Jan. 8, triggering the AAP. boundary extension area; they would be Through the AAP process, if less than owned by the Town, but would remain 10 per cent of municipal electors submit
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an Elector Response Form — in Ladysmith’s case, that would be 623 — the boundary extension request will be deemed to have the approval of the electors, and the proposal may proceed to the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development for consideration. If the application does not get elector approval, council will then decide whether to take the question to the Town’s voters in a referendum. For the purpose of conducting the AAP, the number of electors was calculated as 6,226.