A recent letter from Maple Bay resident Rob Fullerton has raised the pause in North Cowichan forests as an election issue. He wants voters to elect a council which will permit the committee to finish its work.
He is a member of the committee. He was a member of the group who convinced the present council that the municipal forest was a disaster (guided by five foresters with a commercial interest) and required alteration and the always popular transparency. This was over three years ago.
The result was this review committee who reports irregularly. Their report is always no progress. They got into some partnership with some forestry people from UBC with no commercial interest. They hired a company, whose website focus is graveyard consultancy, to determine what people want. The survey of North Cowichan citizens says we want the long standing forest program back. (Apparently some distant people, including Mill Bay, want it turned into a charity).
All the while the municipal treasury has been depleted by more than $2 million. The millions in carbon offset money promised is nowhere to be seen.
Other programs that could have been funded – housing assistance, EV stations, pensions for council alumni, go without.
Let’s stop these costly studies or reviews – we all know the recent expensive OCP process was to window dress the downzoning of Maple Bay Road property, and elect a council that has financial acumen and axes this forest review.
Glen Ridgway,
North Cowichan