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Friday, October 3, 2014
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Team pledges students first
Education: six step forward as a school board slate
It’s about the water
Kathy Santini
News Leader Pictorial
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One Cowichan: Community platform survey points to the Cowichan watershed as being community’s most important issue Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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ocal control of Cowichan’s watershed, securing water supplies, parking urban sprawl, creating green jobs, and protecting farmland top political leanings among locals polled by One Cowichan. It’s Community Platform provides survey results from 697 random citizens for discussion with valley candidates stumping for the Nov. 15 civic election. “We believe in holding decision-makers accountable to the strong social and environmental values that join us together as a community, and in celebrating this beautiful place — our home,” One Cowichan’s survey states. This non-scientific “snapshot of
public opinion” — taken in August and September — happened online, at farmers’ markets, and at VIU’s Cowichan campus. One Cowichan members said the dominant theme was conservation of Cowichan “with water issues coming through strongly.” However, spokeswoman Rosalie Sawrie said a surprising result showed many folks happy with Cowichan’s tax levels. That hot-button topic — championed by the Cowichan Tax Busters, and others — saw 41% of respondents say the levies are ‘about right, but I’d like to reprioritize services’; 10% want lower municipal taxes and fewer services. “Otherwise,” she said. “sustainability is a key issue for lots of folks, and I hope to hear candidates speak to that as they get out in the community.
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“Local jobs and water issues came out as the top priorities.” One Cowichan isn’t backing particular candidates, but “we want to make sure the right people are voted in to see to (those top concerns),” Sawrie explained. Meanwhile, the survey gives local leaders some clear directions. Of 18 questions posed to participants, 72% said local leaders need to consult more with citizens, and be accountable for the results. But water issues soaked the stage: 80% of folks wanted higher levels of teamwork, between First Nations and local governments, for more control of valley watersheds. And 83% wanted more work with stakeholders to secure Cowichan’s water supplies by raising Cowichan Lake’s weir, thereby protecting fish habitat, drinking water, and meeting needs of industry, recreation, and farming. The survey also shows 68% of respondents want more farmland-protection policies passed by valley leaders — in-
limited
TIME!
cluding a self-imposed ban on requesting farmland removal from the Agricultural Land Reserve. Stronger measures to stop urban sprawl — by protecting trees, parks, and farmland while developing on disturbed lands — were highly prized by 69% of folks. And 80% of participants want municipal economic-development programs focused on creating jobs fitting Cowichan’s character — while guarding against activities such as contaminatedsoil dumping (as appealed by Shawnigan Lake residents and the regional board). Creating clean energy locally (59%), affordable housing (51%), more bikes lanes and transit (46%), more debate with senior governments about fossil-fuel projects and fracking (57%), improving air quality (48%), scrubbing greenhouse gases (56%), writing zero-waste goals (61%), and more valley control of private forest practices (53%) were also big priorities. more on A8
ix people, including two fired school trustees from the 2011 board have announced their intention to run in this November’s school board election, as a team called Students First. Fired trustees Cathy Schmidt, and Candace Spilsbury, former trustee Barb de Groot, Keith Chicquen, Joanne deLure and Joe Thorne (a Duncan city councillor), are running for Cowichan Valley School Board seats in the Nov. 15 election. “We congratulate the schools for working hard to increase student success levels, but believe we need to continue to strive for even better outcomes,” Schmidt said. “The Students First team will work hard to improve graduation and transition rates, Aboriginal education, special needs at both ends of the spectrum, early learning and earlier intervention for children needing literacy support,” Thorne said. more on A8
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