As Area D has a long list of concerns with the Ministry of Transportation there was progress in today's one hour meeting.
1. The Ministry of Transportation has agreed to a traffic study which will hopefully address the many concerns with Highway 19A. Over the next coming weeks SRD staff will be working with ministry staff to define the scope of this study. SRD and ministry staff are well aware that speed, safety, and active transportation needs to play a critical role in this traffic study. From the sounds of today's meeting this traffic study should be well underway this year, and there will be opportunities for public engagement.
2. The Ministry of Transportation will be approving a grant of $99,000 towards the four bus shelters that area D has requested for this year. All four bus shelters will be installed on the water side of Highway 19A and MOT will be confirming with SRD staff over the coming weeks that they will be installed later this year.
3. Ministry of Transportation has agreed to upgrades of bus stops to include proper pullouts and concrete pads. This will allow bus stops such as the one on the water side of Highway 19A and Engles Rd to be upgraded so a bus shelter can be added next year.
4. Snow removal issues on roads such as York, Henry, Lynwood are well noted and there should be significant improvements seen for this years snowy season.
5. Speeding on internal roads such as York, Craig, Engles, McGimpsey are well noted however they are still considering options. I have been told speed bumps are not an option. In addition the speeding around the parks such as Hagel was well discussed with nothing tangible offered as a solution.
6. Crawford Rd and Highway 19A was well discussed again with nothing tangible offered as a solution. They admit it is a complex problem!
7. Glenmore Rd and Discovery foods was well discussed and while the Ministry of Highways admit they have not addressed the long standing concerns nothing tangible was offered as a solution towards road improvements at this time.
While some progress in the right direction there is still considerable work that needs to be completed.
I would like to thank the staff at SRD for the hard work they do in the background working with Government Ministries such as the Ministry of Highways.
I know many residents in Area D have several questions regarding the announcement of the 2.8 Million dollar grant for a Universal water meter program.
Already there is some misleading information that is being circulated on Social Media that is further causing concerns among residents.
First, this $2.8 million dollar grant is to cover the installation of approx 1,160 water meters for those households that are connected to the Campbell River Water System.
I know some folks are not sure where they get their water from so the easiest is do you pay a flat rate of over $1,100 per year and do you pay your bill to the SRD. If that answer is yes then you are connected to the Campbell River water system. If you are paying your water bill to the Comox Valley Regional District then you are already on a water meter and a different water system they have been using water meters for years.
Since 2018 I am well aware that approx 137 homes have installed water meters.
While I am still working out the details with SRD staff and preparing the required motions for the Boards approval the answer is yes those property owners will be seeing a credit but beyond that, I cannot provide any further details at this time. Again I ask for residents to be patient as there is also a bylaw that needs to be amended which also takes time.
There is concern that the current grant of $2.8 million will not cover the costs and that some homeowners might miss out on this opportunity. The Strathcona Regional District believes that amount is sufficient as this grant is $400,000 more than what previous applications were asking for.
I know there are residents who would like to know when this project starts and what are the timelines for installations. At this time those questions cannot be answered with much detail.
Now that the funding has been secured the Strathcona Regional District will prepare documents for public tender. Once the successful vendor has been chosen more information will be available to the public.
In the meantime, the City of Campbell River Water Department will be doing some prep work to locate all the service connections. This is a big project that will take time to complete. I know many residents are anxious and for good reason so I am asking residents to be patient. It is time to adopt a more fair way of paying for water and water meters are a more fair way to charge for water. Once a water meter is installed households will be billed every quarter. At the current billing for those on water meters, the minimum quarterly charge is approx $ 157 per quarter. Many households that are currently on water meters are saving money when compared to the flat rate method.
More details for water rates can be found at https://srd.ca/services/water/water-rates-faqs/
There is a rumor around Area D that Storey Creek Golf Course is not on a water meter and that some feel they have caused the drastic increase in the flat rate increases that we saw back in 2018. This is not true. Storey Creek Golf Course does not get its water from Area D.
Water meters will be mandatory as there are other reasons for moving in this direction. Currently, Area D has a water infrastructure that is now well beyond its expected lifespan. More than 75% of the water infrastructure is now 50-plus years old and it's time to start doing replacements. Water meters will vastly help in strategic planning to determine where are the worse leaks in the system.
In addition, while the Campbell River Water Shed is very well managed by BC Hydro there is increasing pressure for more conservation due to the changing weather patterns and the lack of rainfall. Last year the Campbell River Watershed was at its lowest in 50 years and it did not start to recover until mid-Nov. The current weather trend is that the Campbell River Water Shed will experience the same stage 4 drought conditions as it did last year. These conditions are making it very difficult to balance water consumption from consumers, balance the need to maintain healthy river flows to maintain fish habitat, and of course, generate the much-needed hydro for the growing Regional District.
While I appreciate your concerns most residents in Area D are thrilled. This is an opportunity to bring the cost of water down to a more affordable price and to play a more active role in how water is being used in the Regional District.
If anyone has concerns or questions please send me an email. My email address is jrice@srd.ca
I would like to thank both Darrell Smale from Chatwin Engineering and Councillor Thomas Smith from Tlowitsis for the very informative tour of Nenagwas, Henry Rd and the surrounding area. This tour was arranged so I could better understand what has been happening with the construction on Nenagwas so I can better answer questions that I receive from Area residents. This was also an oppurtunity for me to get some very technical information from Chatwin Enginnering on items like the sewage treatment plant, the sediment ponds and the work that they have done on Henry Rd.
I know that over the past several months residents have seen the steady heavy truck traffic, the work being done on the Ocean front in connection to the Fibre Internet Landing site and of course the work on Henry Rd to lay the outfall pipe and the boats and divers working in the bay to complete all this work.
While there is still considerable work to be completed before any homes are to be built I have to say that I am very impressed.
While there was a mishap during the heavy rain storms that we all saw last Dec and Jan 2023 which flooded Henry Rd I have been assured that this should not happen again. With the help of Tlowitsis and Uplands Contracting a number of long standing issues on Henry Rd have now been fixed or soon will be and the entrance to Island Hwy South is now probably the best of all the roads in Area D. I know that considerable care has been taken to ensure that those affected driveways are all properly paved.
I would also like to thank the folks on Henry Rd who have been patient and supportive to the work being completed by the Tlowitsis.
I would also like to remind the community that while the construction is still at its early stages I am very optimistic that there will be opportunities coming down the road that will benefit the community.
At a very high level there is an opportunity for Area D to explore with the Oyster River Fire Department and Tlowitsis over the possibility of using their Water Towers on York Rd to refill a tanker truck in emergencies. At the SRD Board I have already been looking into last mile funding opportunities that could see Area D have an alternate internet service that can leverage the fibre landing site that the Tlowitsis have. It would be so nice to see those areas on York and Craig Rd that are currently undeserved for Internet options finally have reliable affordable internet services.
I am also aware that there are rumours and gossip around the community on a variety of topics. Without going into lengthy details I would like to state if anyone has questions or concerns to please contact me via email or a phone call.
I respect that some residents on Finch Rd are quite upset with the thought that there will be development near Area D boundaries and the thought that there will be the potential for increased traffic on Crawford.
I am well aware that the report which was included with the motion was very high level and contained very few details to effectively address residents concerns or provide me with the ability to answer questions that some residents have.
I have reached out to the City of Campbell River Planning department and I have received this information
A further email added the following information
As the above quoted text from the emails I received indicate this will be a lengthy process and there will be “Three Public Hearings”.
Finch Rd residents have expressed considerable concern over the possibility of increased traffic on Finch Rd and of course there is concerns from area residents over increase traffic on Crawford Rd.
At this time there is no information on how traffic will be dealt with. While there is considerable speculation there are no facts that have been released to the public at this time.
I have been told that the developers will need to complete a “Traffic Impact Study” and as the various OCP and Rezoning Public Hearings are being scheduled this “Traffic Impact Study” will become part of the public record and to inform the public in advance of those Public Hearing Dates.
I should also point out that appropriate budget has been allocated for Area D to do a comprehensive traffic however that process will also take time and that study is geared more to the overall traffic concerns in the community.
In closing I would like to point out that
I believe the more prudent step is to stay on top of the public hearing dates and to continue insuring that Area residents are well informed with facts and not assumptions. On that note I will continue gathering facts and sharing them with the community.
As I am able to determine the public hearing dates I will send notices via Canada Post to ensure that all the affected residents are aware of those public hearing dates.
As always I am happy to meet with residents, happy to respond to email questions.
Check my contact page if you are not sure how to reach me.
It has come to my attention that a private facebook group in the community continues to post misleading information with regards to items discussed at the Board Meetings.
These Facebooks posts are being made by the same people that tried in last years election run to disseminate false and misleading information in an effort to discredit me and my efforts.
I encourage everyone to seek factual information.
Facebook is not often the place that contains factual information and I encourage everyone to check
and if you are still in doubt I encourage everyone to visit
https://www.youtube.com/@strathconaregionaldistrict7134
where you can actually view all board meetings.
The 2023 Draft Financial Plan has now been released allowing for public feedback before it is finalized in March 2023.
You can find the draft financial planning document at
https://srd.ca/government/finance/financial-planning/
1. There is a reduction of taxes for the Area D northern water service. I know this has been a very sticky point for many residents on the Northern Water System. Over the years many have complained as to why there are both taxation and yearly water bills. For all the homes that are on the Northern Water System there has been a savings of $150,000 for this year.
2. Feasibility Studies. The budget for this function has been increased for this year. In order to get grants, launch projects most often you need to have completed feasibility studies. Quite frankly as a new Director it was very disappointing to see the lack of an adequate funds in this function. For this year I have bumped this budget up to $75,000 as I would like to get a detailed traffic study in the works for 2023.
3. Community Parks. This function will see an increase in budget this year. As a new Director it is very disappointing to not only watch previous budget meetings from other years, but how this function has continually had its reserves moved to other functions to give the illusion of lower taxes. In addition there have been a number of capital improvement projects and new projects that have been waiting for years to move forward.
For example
Hagel Park has been waiting for years with capital improvements and the Salmon Point Trail Head improvements requested by the public have been waiting for years with no action.
With the increase in budget the vast majority of the capital projects for parks will be moving forward including the Salmon Point Trail improvements as requested by public. There is also budget for a Parks Master Plan that has also been waiting for the last several years.
4. Strathcona Gardens. This function will see a tax increase this year, and further increases next year due to the new construction that has finally been approved by the new Strathcona Gardens Committee. As Area D and the City of Campbell River are the only 2 participants in this function the $73 million project does fall on taxpayers of Area D and The City of Campbell River. As previous mentioned $53 million is for a new pool complex and the remaining $20 million is for improvements to the building and skating rinks.
Other increases can also be noted with
• Campbell River Fire Protection
• Planning - which is needed for OCP and Zoning changes
• Vancouver Island Regional Library
As a new Director working through my first budget I made the decision that completing a status quo budget really does not benefit the community as a whole.
For example
Gas Tax monies have been largely uncommitted despite the growing number of capital projects across a few functions for the last several years. Reserves for many functions like community parks are quite low which makes it difficult to fund capital improvement projects without dipping into gas tax monies. Other functions such as BC Transit have been largely ignored making it difficult to get items such as Bus Shelters and new concrete pads and pullout lanes for Buses.
While it is my aim to balance taxes to the community needs I also recognize that when needed capital improvements remain stagnate for years with no action, it is no wonder many question taxes when they do not see value.
So yes there will be a tax increase this year, and I am confident that the community will recognize that this increase is to start addressing all those capital improvements that have been waiting for years.
As always I welcome constructive feedback.
Disclaimer Notice
Any views expressed on this report are those of the director and do not necessarily reflect those of the corporation or the full board of directors.
As the New Director for Area D I will be working hard to create a good working relationship with our First Nations Neighbours here in Area D.
This means that I will meet our First Nations Neighbours and report back to the community anything information they should know.
There were reports and concerns in Dec 2022 that water was being pumped into Area D ditches and fish bearing creeks. I can appreciate that there was a flooding event Henry Rd at the same time, and I have had the SRD Engineer do further assessments and make suggestions which will be discussed with the Province on Feb 24th 2023 in my meeting with our MLA.
The report I got back from the First Nations was one of their contractors was pumping water from surge pond 2, and as soon as their engineer and environmental person found out they immediately stopped it.
The contractor is working on metering valves for discharge into the local creek. Their engineer reminded them the purpose of the surge ponds, is for suspended dirt etc. settle out before entering the creeks. Bottomline is this won’t happen again.
Nigel Rd.
They will be removing a couple of trees to provide access to complete the work along side the berm. This allows them to put in the culverts in and cover with soil without having to run through the completed work in the property which is quite muddy right now. For the neighbours, we will be replanting trees along the edge of our property as soon as practical.
Thirdly they have been approved for contract 2C which should begin in March this year. This will be the actual development of the housing area, paving of roads, installing underground services. Sidewalks, lamp standards. There will be preliminary lot prep. We have a landscaping architect to assist in planting of trees, shrubs and hydroseed with grass to cover and control any potential run off from the land.
Disclaimer Notice
Any views expressed on this report are those of the director and do not necessarily reflect those of the corporation or the full board of directors.
After years of little action and hesitation from the previous board members the Strathcona Gardens Committee has approved the go ahead on the $73 million upgrade to proceed.
This important project will have a 53 million dollar new pool complex built, and the remaining 20 million will be to update the exercise and skating rink complex. This new pool complex will be a tremendous value to the entire community as it will provide a modern facility that will be used for not only recreation, but will provide opportunities for enhanced wellness such as physiotherapy.
I would like to stress that the previous board members should have approved this project how many years ago when lending rates were at their lowest. Instead they chose to delay this project for the last how many years while they were looking for grants that never came. Now after a two year pandemic that has had a serious impact on important supply chains and has driven up the cost of new construction the “New Strathcona Gardens Committee” had no choice but to approve this project now.
For those that are not aware this facility is on life support and reports from support staff is that it is becoming very difficult to keep the day to day operations running so there was no options to delay this any further.
As some in the community may know, the cost of running the Strathcona Gardens is shared with the City of Campbell River and Area D. Like any recreation facility, revenue hardly meets the yearly operational costs, and that shortfall lands on taxpayers. While many might argue why is only Area D paying and not the other three Electoral Area’s, I have already echoed that same question to the other three Directors. Their response has been that in their view they do not view the Strathcona Gardens as a Regional Asset, nor do they believe that their communities see any benefit in having a vibrant recreational facility for the Strathcona Regional District.
As already mentioned these renovations and new construction will come at a cost to taxpayers. For this year there will be an increase of approx $52 per household and moving forward in 2024 here will be a further increase of 50% or approx $104 per household.
Disclaimer Notice
Any views expressed on this report are those of the director and do not necessarily reflect those of the corporation or the full board of directors.
Recycle Depot Oyster River Feb 2023
For many in the community changes with this recycle depot cannot come fast enough.
I often get the question how come Area D does not have more recycling, and unfortunately the answer is complicated. All the landfills and recycling services is provided by the Comox Strathcona Solid Waste Management. It is a very large board of members that includes representation from
This vast service does require considerable tax requisitions to each of the communities and regional districts in order to function.
And of course the Province does play a considerable role with rules and regulations that must be followed.
So how does this relate to recycling? In order to be recognized as a recycling facility there are a number of regulations that must be followed and unfortunately those same regulations make it difficult to open new facilities.
On a good note the current facility on Regent Rd and the Oyster River is slated for a number of upgrades and expansion this year. This will go along ways to enhancing the service that is currently there.
Disclaimer Notice
Any views expressed on this report are those of the director and do not necessarily reflect those of the corporation or the full board of directors.
For those residents that live in the south portion of Area D and are connected to the Black Creek Oyster Bay Water System there is a new well that will be coming on line this year and should be fully functional by Sept 2023.
The Comox Valley Regional District was able to negotiate with Shelter Point Farms for this new well.
As the new Director for Area D I find it rather concerning that there has always been these large water sources in Area D yet the previous “Director” refused to explore these opportunities. Instead we pay the City of Campbell River or the Comox Valley Regional District for water.
That said, this new well should eliminate the water concerns for many that are connected to this water system, and hopefully will allow expansion in our community.
Disclaimer Notice
Any views expressed on this report are those of the director and do not necessarily reflect those of the corporation or the full board of directors.
Disclaimer Notice
Any views expressed on this website are those of the director and do not necessarily reflect those of the corporation or the full board of directors