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Too many things don’t add up about RCMP building

Hefty price tag all around and North Cowichan should not foot the bill for regional services
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North Cowichan Municipality decides to go ahead with the building of a new police facility on Ford Road at Drinkwater Road directly behind Walmart.

Transparency?? Loan $48 million plus interest in millions.

Capital Budget - $49,050,000 + land – $2.2 million five acres = $51,250,000.

Biggest question of all is – Why is North Cowichan Municipality taking on the major responsibility, borrowing and costs of what has become a regional RCMP detachment?? Expanded to cover Cowichan Valley Regional District Areas A, B, C – Shawnigan Lake, Mill Bay, Cobble Hill – in addition to CVRD Areas D & E – Cowichan Bay, Sahtlam, Glenora, Cowichan Station, Duncan, Cowichan Tribes and Halalt Band – referred to now as Indigenous Policing.

To now include Forensic Identification Services and South Island Traffic! These are regional services!

North Cowichan is only a smaller portion and should pay proportionately, accordingly and not be expected to carry the costs, construction with triple the size and parking requirements as well as the potential risk and liability of an Integrated Project Delivery with required bonds, insurance, cost overruns.

MNC supplying the land is an excessive cost – five acres for $2.2 M = $440,000 per acre?

There will likely be a cost not a dollar benefit from the existing detachment on Canada Avenue.

Why can’t the RCMP detachment be located on CVRD or Reserve Land? Sited along the Trans Canada Highway instead of congested Highway/Drinkwater Road – 80 km speed zone access?

North Cowichan claims as a priority to promote public engagement and yet with the recent Alternate Approval Process which is equal to negative billing in the private sector, the real facts were not made available. The previous target of AAPs as being five per cent with 1,364 forms to 2,692 required was reached except for the discounting of some forms which is questionable, i.e. sent in too early. Really?

RCMP should be a regional responsibility – not the purview of North Cowichan.

Joyce Behnsen,

North Cowichan