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Friday, November 7, 2014
Life happens after the war
Water leads a flood of issues in Shawnigan Election 2014: Incorporation, development also high on list of resident concerns
Afghanistan took his legs: Brentwood grad makes inspirational speech to the next wave of students
Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
P
rotecting the Shawnigan Lake watershed surfaced as the main issue during Monday’s all-candidates’ session at Dwight International School. About 100 residents braved heavy rains, and Dwight’s weak sound system, to quiz four of six hopefuls (Robert Arndt and Bill Savage were absent) about water supplies they consider threatened by contaminated-soil treatment, sewage, tree loss, and over-development. A shovelful of other issues included growing Area B’s economy without environmental sacrifices; incorporating Shawnigan into a municipality; being heard at the regional board table; banning wakemaking boats from the lake; tax hikes for Kerry Park Recreation Centre; subdivision rezoning and controlling development; plus consulting Malahat First Nation elders. No interruption-fest, the evening’s questions and answers by citizens and candidates were cordial, and well-timed through moderator Dan Spinner. Candidates seemed to agree most issues raised were pressing, but offered various tactics to tackle them — from forming a municipality (Brent Beach), to constant community consultation (Sonia Furstenau, Lois Morrow), to blunt action (Larry Jorginson). “If we incorporated into a municipality, our council would be the ears and voice of our community,” said Beach, pitching monthly resident meetings. “We’d be governed by our official community plan, and legislation. Everyone would get the right to present their case,” he said, miffed with development processes at the Cowichan Valley Regional District. “No one ever sees the developers’ documents (at the CVRD),” where he claimed staff “massages” proposals for board and public consumption. And Beach touted hiring municipal economicdevelopment officers, and using home-based businesses, not big projects, to boost Area B’s economy. Furstenau’s approach drew on her experience at relationship building, and making sense of reams of documents and data, to help carry 8,000-population Shawnigan forward. Watershed protection, land-use issues and localized economic development were her major planks. “The threat to our watershed ... is a survival issue,” she stressed, calling SIA firm’s permit — under appeal — to treat five-million tonnes of dirty Peter W. Rusland dirt off Stebbings Road “a misguided proposal.” Afghanistan-Iraq war vet and U.S. Marine amputee Daniel Riley after his TEDx speech Life Happens Oct. 17 at more on page 4 Brentwood College.
Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
L
osing two legs and three fingers in the Afghanistan war didn’t stop former U.S. Marine Daniel Riley’s life’s journey. Pictures of Riley running, skiing, and surfing appeared overhead during his recent TEDx Talk at his alma mater, Brentwood College School. Those photos of athletic-amputee Riley starkly contrasted with an image of him being attended by marine medics after he stepped on the IED that permanently shook his life in 2010. But Riley’s recovery rose from his resilient spirit, and realizing life happens amid events — good and bad — outside our control. Wearing shorts and showing his two prosthetic legs, the Colorado-based vet shared how he used courage, and a constructive attitude to steer his post-war fate. The disability that gave him those two artificial legs challenged him to evolve into another person of sorts. “The greatest success only comes from the challenge,” he told Brentwood’s Grade 12 students and guests. “Anything can happen to us. “Things can change during the day — and by the time you wake up.” The Brentonian realized the roadside blast had changed his life when “I saw the sole of my boot sitting on my chest.” But he faced that horror during months of rehab in San Diego, then resuming his life in the years that followed. “You have to take that first step. “You make a reaction. I just wouldn’t let this (disability) define how I live my life.” That’s why his TEDx talk — titled Life Happens — was subtitled How Will You Respond? “The gift for me was actually losing my legs,” Riley stated about proudly working and living beyond that fateful day overseas. “You can’t go back and change it; wake up tomorrow and respond positively,” Riley said. Cowichan salutes its war veterans Tuesday with Remembrance Day ceremonies. Coverage starts on page 16.
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