Blaise Salmon said the real work for him is just beginning.
That’s when Salmon, who was acclaimed as the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s new director of Electoral Area A (Mill Bay/Malahat) in the municipal elections on Oct. 20, was sworn in with the rest of the new board of directors at the CVRD.
Salmon, a financial advisor who is the husband of Sonia Furstenau, the MLA for the Cowichan Valley, ran unopposed to be the director for Mill Bay/Malahat after Shane Ryan pulled out of the race in August.
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“Shane didn’t know I was considering running for the director’s seat when he put his name forward so, because he works full time in Victoria and he knows there’s a lot involved in the position, he decided to withdraw from the election and now he will be my alternate for Mill Bay/Malahat,” Salmon said.
Salmon said one of the big challenges he will focus on is ensuring the electoral area is well served with water going into the future.
He said that with the ongoing impacts of climate change, water issues are a big concern in Mill Bay/Malahat, the rest of the CVRD and around the globe.
“I’ve already had a meeting with the Mill Bay Waterworks District, which provides most of the water for residents in the electoral area to determine the status of our water service,” Salmon said.
“The CVRD’s water referendum passed in the referendum on Oct. 20, but we’re still in the early days of trying to deal with our water issues and there’s lots of work ahead.”
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Salmon said he also intends to make sure the sensitive ecosystem that exists along the shoreline in Mill Bay is protected.
He said the area is a “world-class” inlet and he wants to ensure that any development that is planned there is managed properly.
“The federal government is discussing creating a natural marine conservation area that would include that shoreline and that would be great to raise the profile and awareness of that area,” he said.
“That designation wouldn’t raise to the level of a national park with all the protections that it would provide, but it would certainly be a step up.”
Another priority for Salmon is to build on the relationship with the Malahat First Nation.
“I’m impressed with the approach the CVRD has had with the Malahat First Nation, even though the district has no say in their lands,” he said.
“If we build on that partnership, then everyone will benefit.”
Salmon said that having Furstenau, who served as the CVRD’s director for Shawnigan Lake before she was elected MLA, as his wife has given him a useful background in numerous issues facing the area that he can bring to his role as director for Mill Bay/Malahat.
“I was involved in the contaminated soil and water protection issues, and many others, that Sonia championed, and it never hurts to bring that experience to my new role as a director,” he said.
“Now that the election is over, the real work begins.”
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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