NANAIMO REGION
Police officer rescues dog from hot vehicle Local RCMP are applauding the city for amending a bylaw to fine owners who leave dogs in hot cars. A3
ENTERTAINMENT
Big games
Bill Cosby trial puts drug back in spotlight
The Nanaimo Buccaneers rs are set to host B.C. AAA A baseball championships
Quaaludes, the popular but dangerous party drug from the 1970s, are back in the public eye. A9
Sports, B2
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Wednesday, July 22, 2015 WATER
Neighbours turning each other in City staff members field large volume of calls from residents complaining about violations SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
Heightened water restrictions have seen the city’s public works and engineering department flooded with calls from residents complaining about alleged watering violations from neighbours and other residents. The city is also fielding a large volume of calls from residents who are confused or have questions on what water restrictions are in place in Nanaimo compared to other jurisdictions, said the department’s director Geoff Goodall. Goodall said the city has been receiving roughly a dozen calls
“We’re getting a lot of calls on this, this is a lot more than normal.“ Geoff Goodall, city engineering director
a day for the past three weeks to the point where the department has had to create a formal letter with help from the bylaw department to send to people who have been accused of not abiding by water restrictions. The city’s Level 2 restrictions limit garden and lawn watering to two days a week, with an all-
out ban on washing driveways and parking lots, with only limited times where vehicle or boat washing is allowed. Goodall said the city seeks voluntary compliance with bylaws as a first measure. If further complaints are received, the city would normally follow up by making direct contact with someone accused of breaking city rules. “But what we found was we just couldn’t respond to all the calls that way,” Goodall said. He said city staff noticed an uptick in call volumes when the province moved to Level 4 drought conditions, which is not
linked to Nanaimo’s own Level 2 watering restrictions. The Regional District of Nanaimo’s own watering restrictions, now at Level 4, are also administered separately and don’t apply to the city. But Goodall said some residents have been confused which rules apply to them. He added the city has been trying “to get the message out” to avoid that confusion. “We’re getting a lot of calls on this, this is a lot more than normal,” he said. Randy Churchill, manager of bylaw services for the city, also said the city is getting “inundated” with calls over watering
restrictions. Churchill said his department is currently investigating five complaints related to watering restrictions. “At this point, we haven’t written a ticket yet . . .” he said. The fine for disregarding watering restrictions in the city is $100. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to letters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
» Colliery dams RCMP turn stolen parrot case over to the SPCA Two birds were taken from the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs and after an Oceanside RCMP investigation, the SPCA will take over. » Nanaimo Region, A3
First Nation turns to Texas for cleanup help The Okanagan Indian Band is sending members for training in order to safely clean up buried bullets and bombs from the reserve’s land, where military training once took place. » British Columbia, A6
Mid-Island Co-op will offer new cardlock station The co-operative recently broke ground on its latest expansion project, a new eight-pump cardlock station on Northfield Road. » Business Notes, A5
» Use your smartphone to jump to our website for updates on these stories or the latest breaking news.
Cloudy, sunny breaks High 21, Low 13 Details A2
Unanimous council vote could signal end to controversial saga SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
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anaimo city staff members are working on a construction plan and design for the addition of an auxiliary spillway at the lower Colliery dam, after a surprise unanimous vote from council Monday night. The decision puts the city on track to meet a deadline from the B.C. water comptroller to submit the planning and design documents to the province this Friday, avoiding the possibility of large fines or other action being taken against the municipality. The vote Monday also signals the closing of a chapter in city politics that first opened in October 2012, when the previous council voted to remove the lower and middle dam due to safety concerns, sparking public outcry. However, a resolution to the issue has been stymied by dissatisfaction with the process, skepticism of the engineering information and opposition to construction work on the dams and disruption — or “destruction,” as some have called it — of the park. Just last week, a majority of council voted against constructing a new spillway on the lower dam. They argued there was insufficient evidence to suggest the proposed modifications to the structure were necessary — despite repeated warnings from the province. But it appears the threat of action against the city from the province was enough to sway opposition to the plan.
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Swimmers enjoy cooling off at the Colliery dams. [JULIE CHADWICK/DAILY NEWS]
Our View, A4 Coun. Bill Bestwick, one of the council members who voted to defy the provincial order last week, said: “Quite frankly we were left with no option.” He cited “continuous threats” by the province to penalize the city as one of the factors in his decision. “A classic case of the senior levels of government justifying a wasteful expenditure of taxpayers’ dollars on speculation,” Bestwick said in an email. Coun. Gord Fuller said he changed his mind because he had contacts who told him the province was prepared to cancel
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the city’s water licence for the structure. “We could have been used as an example,” Fuller said, adding he did not make the decision lightly. “In the past, I have said I would be willing to chain myself to a tree,” he said. Resident Dave Cutts told council Monday he had 40 people “recruited and trained” who were ready to camp out in the park to prevent work to go ahead. Other community members have expressed disappointment with the decision. Jeff Solomon, founder of the Colliery Dams Park Preservation Society, declined an interview and
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referred to comments he made on Facebook. “Like many others, I feel confused and torn about the motion that was passed unanimously last night at council,” he wrote. “For me the forced choosing of an option for remediation without first securing the necessary information required is abhorrent.” Mayor Bill McKay said he was “ecstatic” with the decision, calling the issue one of the most “controversial and divisive issues” the city has faced. Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255
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