FRIDAY MAR 17, 2016 VOL. 43, NO. 10
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
0.36 Hectares
Detached Secondary Suite Bylaw gets a revision
Going electric
Travel Log
The scoop on the first zero-emissions municipal vehicle
Islanders’ notes from the road
Car2Go cancels service in Horseshoe Bay MERIBETH DEEN
EDITOR
March in, Newfoundland or Snug Cove? This year, it has been hard to see the difference.
Haig Farris, photo
Bowen awarded close to $4 million for water treatment system MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Last Friday, the Federal and Provincial governments announced funding for 26 new infrastructure projects across British Columbia. Bowen Island will receive $1,945,183 from the Federal government and $1,945,183 for the Provincial government to help build the Cove Bay Water Treatment plant, the Municipality will have to cover the other third of the cost. Mayor Murray Skeels noted the significance of this announcement in a letter posted on the municipality’s website. “This is a very important milestone for us. Our current water treatment for the Cove Bay area consists of adding chlorinated salts. While this has made our water safe to drink, it has been far from ideal.” Grafton Lake is the source for the water in the Cove Bay system, and about 600 users in Snug Cove, Deep Bay, Miller’s Landing, Scarborough, Cates Hill, Valhalla and Queen Charlotte Heights. In 2014, Vancouver Coastal Health sent a letter to the municipality asking for a number of upgrades to the system including: ozone treatment, uv treatment and the reducing the cloudiness of the water.
In an interview with Skeels, the mayor explained that the preferred system of water treatment for Cove Bay has switched from one that would use gas to push sediment to the top and skim it off to a system that would filter the water directly. “We are 90% sure the system we are currently looking at will work,” he says. “But we are hoping to get a pilot plant here so we can test whether they system works with our water chemistry. Josephine Lake an example of the water not working with the system, which leads to much higher operating costs down the road.” Skeels also says that it the way the municipality will cover its share of the plant’s construction costs is yet to be determined. “We do have a lot of reserve funds,” says the Mayor. “The Grafton Lake Lands rezoning will come before council again soon, and this might give us the land we need for the plant and a spot for wastewater disposal. This will make a big difference on our costs. Also, if that new development hooks into the system, we will likely get more money to fund the project.” In the meantime, Mayor Skeels says the Municipal CAO Kathy Lalonde has signed the funding agreements with both the provincial and federal governments and the municipality is keen to move forward on the project.
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On Monday morning, Car2Go sent users on Bowen Island a message informing them that the company has decided to discontinue service at Horseshoe Bay as of Thursday March 31. The reason for their decision, as stated in the press release, is a lack of balance in trips to and from the ferry terminal resulting in the cars sitting unused for extended periods of time. Bowen commuters reacted swiftly to the news, writing to Car2Go and commenting on social media with proposed solutions to keep the service running. Lindsey Tourand says that without some kind of car sharing system that is accessible from Horseshoe Bay, his family may have to consider purchasing a second vehicle. “I immediately wrote to Car2Go explaining how vital their service is to me,” said Tourand. “It allows me to catch earlier flights for business, to work late and attend functions in Vancouver. It fills in the gaps when other transportation methods fail. I told them I would be willing to pay a drop-off fee in Horseshoe Bay if it meant the service could continue.” Ken Simpson said he would also be willing to pay an increased drop-off fee of $20 on Fridays (the current Friday drop-off fee is $10). “I use Car2Go several times per week as it allows me to get home on the 2:25 ferry,” says Simpson. “Without Car2Go, I will probably end up bringing my car over to the mainland during weekdays. My parking costs will likely be $300 - $350 per month, which is far more than what I am currently paying to Car2Go.” Simpson adds that two years ago, when he was a member of the Bowen Island Municipal Transportation Advisory Committee (BIMTAC) he had a conversation with a representative from Car2Go who said that there was no way the service would come to Bowen, as it was already a stretch to have it in Horseshoe Bay. “I feel really frustrated right now, because they never came back to us users to ask for suggestions about how to make the service work better, they just cancelled it,” says Simpson. “I really hope they get flooded with good ideas, and re-consider their decision.” On Monday evening, members of council discussed ways of advocating for commuters facing this disruption. It was noted that showing support for a private business is a conflict of interest to the municipality, and that as a private business, Car2Go is under no obligation to hold public consultations. Still, council did decide to write a letter to the company highlighting the importance of the service to Bowen and concerns about its discontinuation.
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