Sign In Subscribe Now North Cowichan council began taking steps at its meeting on March 19 to meet the challenges related to the fact that the municipality is having trouble keeping up with infrastructure requirements as development applications skyrocket Council decided to amend a number of bylaws to mitigate any potential legal risk posed to North Cowichan from requests to connect new developments to the municipality’s water and sanitary sewer systems in locations told council that as urban areas in the municipality grow it is necessary to expand infrastructure capacity to accommodate new growth he said if growth demand arrives before infrastructure capacity has been expanded there is a danger of exceeding the available capacity of the existing water and sewer networks “Development approvals must only be granted once sufficient servicing capacity is available,” Osborne said “The implications of not proceeding with these bylaw amendments are significant If staff are in a position of being obligated to issue a permit or allow a connection due to unclear bylaw wording despite not having sufficient capacity then the risk of exceeding a given system’s capacity arises.” Osborne said the recommended changes to the bylaws would provide clear legal language to enable the municipality to deny a connection or a building permit to ensure that development is not brought online prematurely before capacity is available CAO Ted Swabey told council that there are more than 370 development applications in progress in North Cowichan at this time representing more than 10,000 new housing units he said the municipality currently has the capacity to service only 4,200 new units and that the estimated total upgrade of all North Cowichan’s servicing systems that will be needed to meet future development needs has been estimated at approximately $359 million have limited means to raise capital for new infrastructure “Other municipalities that didn’t catch this issue early enough are now facing legal challenges,” Swabey said at the time Chris Istace put a positive spin on North Cowichan’s infrastructure challenges while this is a major obstacle that council and staff have to overcome he thinks it’s a positive development that North Cowichan has received applications for 10,000 new homes from people who want to do business in North Cowichan as well as build here and move to the municipality “Our estimation for the next three years is a 300 per cent activity level increase and nobody expects that kind of demand in North Cowichan,” Istace said “It is a beautiful area and we have the amenities services and organizations that people want to be here so while it’s going to be really challenging and extremely difficult with hard decisions for us to make We’re a victim of everybody wanting to be here.” Council also directed staff at the meeting to update North Cowichan’s design standards for its water and sewer systems to accommodate new growth Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines Resource Works is an independent public interest group that looks at the natural resource legacies of British Columbia North Cowichan is facing familiar pressures of population growth and exploration of economic options – just like every other municipality Here’s how Resource Works tackled the realities and aspirations of a community with abundant forestry options in front of it: Is your municipality or First Nations government interested in hearing more about local opportunities that stem from the future of forestry Then drop us a line at info@resourceworks.com or contact Stewart Muir directly at stewart@resourceworks.com fact-based content that helps Canadians engage in meaningful conversations about natural resource development and its impacts on our economy website designed and developed by Harvest Moon Marketing North Cowichan is excited to announce that a new child care facility is being developed on municipally owned property adjacent to Maple Bay Elementary at the intersection of Donnay Drive and Kingsview Road This facility will serve as a permanent home for an established child care operator ensuring continued access to quality early learning and care for local families You are invited to learn more about the project through an open house event and online engagement opportunities The new facility will replace the one operated by Parkside Academy Society at the former Somenos school site on Sprott Road Learn more © Municipality of North Cowichan 2025 The mayors of North Cowichan and Nanaimo are urging the province to increase the amount of timber that can be harvested annually in the province In a letter to Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas and Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said that despite its recent struggles the forest industry continues to be a major part of the local economies of both municipalities providing high-paying jobs while contributing millions of dollars in taxes every year that help pay for municipal services and build critical infrastructure the Domtar pulp mill in Crofton and the Western Forest Products sawmills and remanufacturing plant in Cowichan Bay and Chemainus employ 655 workers and contribute $7.7 million per year in property taxes while Nanaimo’s Harmac Pacific mill has 350 employees and contributed more than $2.3 million in property taxes in 2024 But they said that in the face of softwood lumber duties and the declining annual-allowable cut in the amount of timber that is permitted to be harvested in B.C. they are increasingly concerned about these companies' ability to continue operating The mayors point out that while softwood-lumber duties and tariffs are beyond Parmar’s ability to control setting the annual allowable harvest is a responsibility of his ministry They said the province’s budget for 2025 projects that only 30 million cubic metres of timber will be allowed to be harvested on Crown land this year further declining to 29 million cubic metres by 2027 while more than 60 million cubic metres were allowed to be harvested in 2024 Douglas said the effects of the fibre shortage are already being felt in North Cowichan where Western Forests Products has announced a two-week shutdown in March and April due to a lack of timber “Your mandate letter from Premier David Eby includes as a priority to ‘work with all partners toward ensuring a sustainable land base to enable harvest of 45-million cubic metres per year while fulfilling our commitment to protect old growth’,” the mayors said to Parmar “We want the government to commit to the promised allowable cut of 45 million cubic metres for 2025 and maintain these levels for future years We anticipate a continued decline in volume harvested compounded with softwood lumber duties and U.S will potentially devastate the forest industry and result in the closure of more mills meaning communities like ours will lose family-supporting jobs and major taxpayers exacerbating the already high cost of living that our residents are facing.” The mayors also said they want to see the province’s permit and regulatory processes for timber harvesting streamlined “Your government has made commitments to fast-track approvals for the housing and mining sectors and we would like to see a similar approach to timber harvesting with metrics to allow the government and industry to measure success,” they said to Parmar “The backlog of cutting permits and the performance of BC Timber Sales are major concerns These issues reduce the overall wood availability for sawmills and impact the supply of residual chips which are vital for the operations of our pulp and paper mills Prompt resolution of these issues is critical for maintaining a steady log flow.” This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Mayor Rob Douglas offered condolences on behalf of Council Mayor Rob Douglas said: “Tom left a tremendous legacy in North Cowichan He worked tirelessly to serve the people of North Cowichan first as councillor His passion and knowledge about forestry was a catalyst for significant changes to the way North Cowichan managed its forests including the formation of the Forest Advisory Committee The Tom Walker Forest Legacy Bursary Scholarship was renamed in his honour in 2018 His keen interest in community and municipal affairs remained until his passing “I want to extend my condolences to Tom’s family Tom was elected to North Cowichan Council in 1991 and served 17 years as a councillor (1991to 2004 and 2014 to 2018) and three years as mayor of North Cowichan (2008 to 2011) During this time Tom was chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional District Board for three terms Tom was also chair on the Forestry Advisory Committee and one of the six founding members of the Forestry Committee in the early 1980s the Forest Legacy and Bursary Scholarship was renamed the Tom Walker Forest Legacy Bursary Scholarship The $1,200 scholarship and two $600 bursaries are awarded annually to North Cowichan secondary school graduates who are enrolled in post-secondary in science related studies such as forestry Tom’s career spanned 35 years working for the BC Forest Service and in 1980 Tom was appointed the District Manager of the Duncan Forest District headquartered in the Cowichan Valley This district covered southern Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands complete with a complex variety of forestry and environmental issues and challenges Tom was appointed by the province to protect the public interest as a Lay Councillor on the Association of BC Professional Foresters the governing body responsible for registering and regulating professional foresters Tom served two terms in that role from 2013 to 2018 a director or a member in many community organizations including past president of Cowichan Valley Crimestoppers BC Forest Discovery Centre and Duncan Rotary Club; former director of Cowichan Valley Basket Society and Clement Center Society as well as founding member and past president of the Cowichan Valley Probus Club In 2023 he sat on North Cowichan’s 150th anniversary celebration committee Flags at North Cowichan civic facilities have been lowered to half mast in Tom’s honour is pleased to announce that mailing addresses previously within the municipality and listed as Duncan will now be recognized as North Cowichan This change reflects our community identity and aligns with long-standing efforts to distinguish North Cowichan in postal records “This change is an important step in strengthening North Cowichan’s identity and ensuring our community is recognized appropriately residents and businesses – as well as many past Councils -- have expressed a desire to have their mailing address reflect where they truly live and we’re pleased that Canada Post has now made this possible,” said Mayor Rob Douglas “I want to recognize everyone’s patience as we move forward together.” Some other addresses may see housekeeping changes as North Cowichan took this opportunity to update land database As well some addresses have been identified as not valid Those properties will receive a letter from Canada Post with further details and information to contact North Cowichan staff to discuss options to rectify their addressing For more information, visit northcowichan.ca/canadapost New carts to be used for garbage and kitchen/yard waste collection will be rolled out to homes across North Cowichan beginning April 7 The wheeled carts are required for the autocart collection service that will see new trucks use mechanical arms to lift and empty bins The trucks using the new carts will begin operating during the week of June 2 While you may have two sets of carts for a while use your current bins until the end of May.  and they will be left at or near the end of driveways If there is more than one house off a driveway Visit connectnorthcowichan.ca/autocarts to find the latest information about cart delivery and the new service North Cowichan's second season of 3-on-3 co-ed hockey league will be full of action Games will be played on the full ice surface and each team will have 3 players and 1 goalie on the ice at a time Games will have a referee and volunteer coaches The league will operate from April 1 – May 23 There are four age divisions (same as minor hockey divisions); U9 Players will get a chance to develop skills Players will need their own equipment (full gear) and should have some experience in hockey All games will take place at Fuller Lake Arena Games will take place between April 1 – May 23 Wednesday or Thursdays between 5:00pm - 9:00pm Game schedules are dependent on league registration players/parents will be emailed their team schedules Each age division will have 4-6 teams and is guaranteed 8 games depending on the number of registered players per age division.  Registration closes on March 12 at 4:00pm.  Skaters $199 Goalies $109 At Fuller Lake Arena or Cowichan Aquatic Centre All players will be split into divisions based on age Players will register as individuals with a self-rank of skill level during the registration process Teams will be made as equal as possible and may be switched during the season participants will be contacted regarding team placement and liability waivers the week of March 17.  Teams will have a maximum of 10 players (9 skaters and 1 goalie) Refunds will not be granted due to players missing games Refund requests need to be emailed to recreation@northcowichan.ca We are hiring BC Hockey-qualified Referees for this new 3-on-3 youth hockey league Referees are to enforce the gameplay rules which will be provided during a training session before the league begins To apply email recreation@northcowichan.ca including your name and refereeing experience.  A criminal record check will be a requirement of the referee position We are looking for volunteer coaches for this new 3-on-3 youth hockey league No coaching experience or special certifications are needed; anyone can coach a team Coaches have to be willing to help organize your team and have some fun A criminal record check will be a requirement of the coaching position How should North Cowichan approach new development in the municipality New development should be approached in a thoughtful and careful manner following the official community plan as closely as possible Municipal staff inform that 4,200 housing units can be accommodated at present can meet 85 per cent of our housing needs for the next 20 years if we stick to a plan that was constructed with vision we need to address the issue of growth in general Do we invite unlimited migration from the Lower Mainland and points beyond (Alberta) Tough questions that need careful deliberation What should North Cowichan do to address climate change there is a Climate Action Energy Plan in place When I was attending Royal Roads (2002-2004) doing my Masters in Leadership I noted that all campus vehicles were electric 20 years ago Backyard burning must stop; end of discussion 72 per cent of emissions are from private vehicles so we need to encourage more ride-share programs We need to pressure BC Transit to convert to electric buses and need to provide incentives to increase ridership as many routes are not at capacity Perhaps a “Ride Free for a Month” offering to entice new riders We also need to explore what is happening in other areas of the world concerning carbon capture initiatives How should North Cowichan be dealing with social issues particularly the social disorder in the highway corridor area Social issues are a huge and complex set of problems with no easy solutions but one thing of which I am convinced is that problems of mental health and crime as a result of poverty cannot be fixed while people are on the streets There can be no recovery until people have secure shelter Uses for the old hospital have been discussed as a joint venture for North Cowichan it will cost money; in the long run it will save taxpayers What should North Cowichan do to see more affordable housing provided in the municipality we need a common definition of affordable housing The average house price in North Cowichan is $750,000 and apartment rent can soar up to $2,800 the federal government stepped up to provide returning veterans with low-cost houses called Victory Houses the federal government stepped away from the housing market and basically handed all housing over to the private sector What we see now is partially a result of that abdication of responsibility We need both the provincial and federal government to become involved with housing for low to middle-income earners but many of our residents need that leg up for any kind of residency but not if housing is left completely up to developers What would you like to see done to keep property tax increases as low as possible the earliest year for which I could obtain data residential taxes made up 48 per cent of the total tax base and heavy and light industry accounted for 42 per cent residential taxes make up 68 per cent and industry accounts for 17.6 per cent We need to attract both heavy and light industry to the Valley to reverse this crippling trend They have attracted both a film studio and a battery factory for electric cars I would advocate for a town hall meeting for North Cowichan residents but to bring ideas of their own to be explored or sports leader who deserves to be recognized The nomination deadline for the Sports Wall of Fame has been extended to Friday Nominate someone The North Cowichan/Duncan Sports Wall of Fame honours individuals and teams that have attained high achievement and made significant contributions to sports – whether here in the Cowichan Valley or on the world stage The Sports Wall of Fame is located in the lobby of the Cowichan Aquatic Centre and is administered by the Sports Wall of Fame Committee New inductees will be announced and honoured at a ceremony in November 2025 2024 Year-in-Review – A Message from Mayor Rob Douglas 2024 has been a year to remember in North Cowichan we continued to focus our energies on delivering high-quality services to residents and businesses and investing in critical public infrastructure while also responding to emerging issues and planning for the long-term future of our community Here are some of the major events and milestones from the past year: As we reflect on these accomplishments over the past year I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to North Cowichan staff professionalism and hard work are a big reason why our community is such a great place to live and why our municipality has such a strong reputation for delivering excellent services I also want to recognize the North Cowichan residents who serve on our advisory committees actively participate in our public engagement efforts and volunteer for our local community groups We are all better off because of your contributions to our municipality.  this will be another eventful year for North Cowichan as we continue to focus on our core responsibilities as a municipality while also responding to growing challenges affecting our community including homelessness and the opioid crisis continued downloading from the federal and provincial governments and uncertainty with the future our major industrial taxpayers We will work hard as a municipality to aggressively advocate to the senior levels of government to provide the necessary support for these and other issues than cannot be solved at the municipal level.  I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays this continues to be one of the most beautiful places in the world to live Below is the official Declaration of Election by Voting signed by the Chief Election Officer on March 17 A new 158-space child care facility is being constructed on land owned by North Cowichan adjacent to Maple Bay Elementary at the intersection of Donnay Drive and Kingsview Road North Cowichan received an $18,047,000 grant from the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to support a new 158-space child care facility that will serve as a permanent home for an established child care operator The new facility will replace the one operated by Parkside Academy Child-Care Society at the former Somenos school site on Sprott Road and the society will also operate the new centre The funding agreement with the province specifies that North Cowichan ensures that the new child-care operation continues for a minimum of 35 years In conjunction with Parkside Academy Society North Cowichan staff had developed plans for a new child-care centre in 2021 that would have replaced the society’s facility on Sprott Road and applied for funding for phase one of the project from B.C.’s New Spaces Fund to help build it But that application was denied in 2022 for a number of reasons including the inability of the applicants to secure funding for phase two of the project and other issues with the proposal the province released an updated New Spaces Fund grant program that relaxed some of the criteria including removing the maximum funding availability for each application and applications for funding for the facility in North Cowichan were made again and were successful North Cowichan and the province endorsed a change of location for the new child care facility from Sprott Road to Donnay Drive due to contamination of the original site The 15,000-square foot facility will include eight activity rooms plus outdoor play space to accommodate 158 children The public is invited to learn more about the project to provide 158 new child care spaces in North Cowichan through an upcoming open house and online engagement opportunities The open house will be held on April 8 at Maple Bay Elementary School For information on the project and to provide input online, visit connectnorthcowichan.ca/kingsview-child-care for project details North Cowichan CAO Ted Swabey said the challenge the municipality is facing to meet the infrastructure demands of upcoming development is one of the most pressing issues he has seen during his eight years working in North Cowichan He said the large number of applications for development North Cowichan is currently dealing with partly the result of the province’s Bill 44 which was implemented last March and requires local governments to update their zoning bylaws to allow for more housing units and higher densities are required and funding sources must be identified to move them forward Swabey said there are more than 370 development applications in progress in North Cowichan at this time representing more than 10,000 new housing units which would double the number of households in the municipality we currently have the capacity to service only 4,200 new units and these 4,200 units represents 20 years of growth based on historical patterns,” he said “It also means that we can’t advance the additional 6,000-plus units and many other properties that are zoned for development in the community.” Swabey said there’s an expectation in the development community that once a development application moves through North Cowichan’s approval process the municipality must be clear with developers and investors that their projects can’t proceed unless they are willing to fund the necessary infrastructure to service their developments since we can’t predict when the pace of development or where it occurs we do have a legal obligation to ensure that the servicing is in place,” he said “Other municipalities that didn’t catch this issue early enough are now facing legal challenges The reality is that we have now reached the point where all of our servicing capacity has been maximized and we now need to find viable solutions and a way forward Swabey said the estimated total upgrade of all North Cowichan’s servicing systems that will be needed to meet future development needs has been estimated at approximately $359 million He said that without solutions and a plan of action it could mean a local landowner or developer wanting to build even a modest amount of housing for their family could face several millions of dollars in infrastructure costs to fund costly pump stations making their projects economically unfeasible “It could mean that a major industrial or commercial employer looking to relocate in our industrial areas would have to look elsewhere due to our lack of servicing capacity,” Swabey said “It could mean a loss of economic benefits including local employment opportunities in construction property tax revenues to help address budgetary challenges and community amenities such as parks that won’t get realized.” Swabey said staff have developed a robust strategy to manage this issue which includes transparent and early communications with development applicants about servicing challenges and the infrastructure requirements proposed bylaw amendments to limit North Cowichan’s municipal liability and a review of all development applications to determine if some can be deferred to free up servicing capacity He said the next step in efforts to deal with the issue is for staff to return to council in a future meeting and seek direction on where North Cowichan should focus its efforts recognizing that all the major growth areas identified in the municipality’s official community plan are impacted by the infrastructure requirements to a varying degree “Difficult decisions will need to be made by council as there is only three sources of funding for infrastructure; grants from higher levels of government developers and the local taxpayers who are already facing financial pressures,” Swabey said “We’re already hearing from all three groups that they can’t bear to pay for the infrastructure unprecedented economic uncertainty is growing internationally with trade tariffs Swabey said North Cowichan’s application for $16.4 million from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund that would have helped pay for infrastructure costs the province is projecting a $10.9 billion deficit in the 2025 budget and did not provide relief for local governments not to mention all the other challenges faced by local governments,” he said “This makes it very difficult to predict what will happen locally here in North Cowichan and this means we must prepare to tackle this problem on our own for the foreseeable future There are many decision for council to make moving forward.” Mayor Rob Douglas acknowledged North Cowichan is obviously in a tough spot right now as a municipality “But if we’re going to make the right decisions moving forward we need to be informed of what our options are and the analysis that staff are providing us is going to ensure we’re on the right path,” he said “I’m looking forward to discussing this further in future meetings around this table.” North Cowichan council has cut the tax increase for 2025 to 7.83 per cent Council gave the first three readings to the budget at its meeting on March 5 after deciding to defer the paid-on-call pilot project for the South End fire department that was budgeted for the year cutting the projected tax increase for the year from 8.87 per cent to 7.83 per cent North Cowichan staff had advised council that an 8.4 per cent tax increase would be necessary in 2025 just to maintain core services and replace critical infrastructure That’s partly the result of a wide variety of pressures that are out of North Cowichan’s ability to change increased policing costs and the downloading of the financing of E-Comm 911 services to the municipality After many meetings and discussions on how to move forward with the budget council decided to defer a number of enhanced additions to the budget recommended by staff and cut others in efforts to bring the tax increase down But some council members still don’t agree with the 7.83 per cent tax hike Bruce Findlay acknowledged that council had been successful with some mitigation efforts to lower the tax increase especially with some upcoming concerns with respect to the international situation,” he said Tek Manhas agreed and pointed to the forecast in the municipality’s five-year financial plan projecting a 1.56 per cent tax increase in 2027 and 1.4 per cent tax increase in 2028 “I know we have to file a five-year plan with the province but I think we need to be more realistic,” he said Chris Istace said he doesn’t think the tax increase is high enough “We need to understand how many infrastructure repair projects we are not doing this year that were recommended by staff as needed,” he said “These are not new or pet projects and include infrastructure repairs of existing facilities and amenities including the Maple Bay wharf and the replacement of the roof at the Maple Bay Rowing Club which we still didn’t approve this year I think we're not doing enough and are continuing to kick the ball down the field.” Mike Caljouw said it has been a tough tax year and council has worked hard to do what it could to keep the tax increase as low as possible “We all know the tax increase is too high and we all want to lower it but what are the concrete solutions and options to get it lower?" he asked.“It’s easy to say we want to lower the tax increase but I believe this is what needs to be done to maintain the services needed to keep our community safe.” Mayor Rob Douglas also said he’s not comfortable with the tax increase He said council knows many of North Cowichan’s residents including seniors on fixed incomes and young families trying to get started “My hope had been to that we could keep the tax increase to the three to five per cent range but that’s not how the budgeting process has worked out in terms of some of the cost pressures were facing,” he said Five candidates signed up by the deadline March 7 to run for the vacant seat at the Municipality of North Cowichan’s council table in a byelection that will be held on April 12 a former teacher who worked in the Cowichan Valley School District and at Vancouver Island University; Raymon Farmere a computer technician and English as a second-language instructor; small business owner Becky Hogg; David Bellis a retired teacher and administrator; and Johanne Kemmler a former trustee for the Cowichan Valley School District The byelection was called after North Cowichan Coun Debra Toporowski resigned her seat after winning as the NDP candidate for the Cowichan Valley in the provincial election that was held in October advance voting opportunities will take place on April 2 and April 8 Mayor Rob Douglas said it's great to see so much interest from North Cowichan residents to become a member of council "I look forward to working with whoever wins the seat," he said "This council has accomplished a lot so far this term and I'm hoping the new member of council will play an important part during the rest of this council's mandate." The Municipality of North Cowichan is looking for ways to respond to the new U.S With a large Canadian flag prominently displayed behind the council table at its meeting on March 5 Mayor Rob Douglas said he has had some early discussions with staff about how North Cowichan’s procurement policies could be changed as a means of answering the tariffs combined with [Trump’s] comments about making Canada the 51st state are a threat to our sovereignty and it’s important now that we come together as Canadians in the face of this threat,” he said the board at the Cowichan Valley Regional District unanimously voted for the district to explore options to buy products and services from Canadian sources and/or other nations instead of from the U.S the City of Duncan decided to look to Canadian sources to provide the municipality with new collection carts for garbage recycling and organics for when the new fully automated-garbage collection begins this spring instead of American manufacturers citing the fiscal uncertainty caused by the tariffs it would have been unthinkable that Canada’s closest ally and trading partner would launch a trade war against Canada “We’re all feeling anxious about what these tariffs will mean for the Canadian and B.C with many predicting that we’re heading for a recession,” he said “We don’t yet know how this is going to play out at the local level but we should expect to see impacts here in the municipality.” Douglas said North Cowichan has businesses and major employers markets and are bracing for what the future is going to look like He said he recently met with officials at Western Forest Products which operates two sawmills and a remanufacturing plant in the municipality to discuss the company’s current challenges and what North Cowichan can do to advocate for them at the provincial level Douglas pointed out that WFP is one of North Cowichan’s biggest taxpayers and one of its largest employers “They are concerned about the continuing impacts of the softwood lumber dispute and these new tariffs and what this means for their future,” he said “I’m also going to meet Paper Excellence [owner of the Crofton mill] to discuss their challenges as well and what we can do to support them I’ve reached out to the province for a meeting to discuss these issues.” North Cowichan is considering spending more for its plans to electrify all of its transit and municipal fleet by 2030 as infrastructure costs increase The municipality’s committee of the whole decided at its meeting on Jan 7 to recommend increasing the budget for the project after staff reported that the required electrical-charging infrastructure at the municipal hall and public works is now estimated at more than $1 million That’s significantly more than the $375,000 that council had originally authorized in 2022 for the infrastructure at the municipal hall and public works Council planned to pay for the $375,000 from its Climate Action and Energy Plan reserves and funding from the province’s Local Government Climate Action Program staff recommended that the additional money for the increased infrastructure come from more funding from CAEP ($53,000) more than $200,000 from grants from BC Hydro and the province and the remaining $340,000 would be raised through short-term borrowing from the Municipal Finance Authority North Cowichan’s general manager of planning what the consequences of not moving forward with the electrification program would be Farkas replied that the first consequence would be that the municipality would not be able to realize the objectives of its climate He said there are some pretty aggressive green-gas reduction targets that council has committed to and the program will help council achieve those objectives “Another consequence is that we do have an electric garbage truck scheduled to arrive in June and not receiving direction soon puts us in a position where we won’t have the infrastructure in place by this summer that allows us to utilize that vehicle to help implement the automated-collection process which starts this summer as well,” Farkas said Chris Istace said it’s a tough issue dealing with escalating costs “I don’t think this would be an issue if we weren’t dealing with the tax year we’re facing but the initial costs of putting the infrastructure together to support the electrification of our fleet are one-time costs,” he said all these investments now will pay for themselves.” Bruce Findlay said the infrastructure cost of $1.08 million is almost three per cent of any tax increases in North Cowichan “While some money is coming from potential grants we’re clearing out a bunch of reserve funds in order to do this “It’s still between 2.5 and three per cent on our taxes spread out over time and I have a problem with that.” Mayor Rob Douglas pointed out that the electrical infrastructure costs are being funded almost entirely by reserve funds grants and borrowing and will not be increasing property taxes by 2.5 to three per cent in the 2025 budget "Analysis from North Cowichan staff showed a strong business case for replacing some of the existing light-duty vehicles with electric vehicles and also purchasing a new electric garbage truck with annual operating savings of nearly $60,000," he said electric vehicles are less expensive than conventional vehicles over the life of the asset due to the fuel cost savings and lower maintenance costs." Christopher Justice agreed that nobody likes the idea of increased costs even despite our CAEP goals that I’m pretty dedicated to it might make sense to limit our infrastructure expansion by somehow postponing the adoption of the electric-garbage collection but I think what I’ve heard from staff is that postponing the infrastructure upgrades don’t make much financial sense,” he said “I think we’re too far down the road to reverse course on this.” Tek Manhas said he often hears that such costs amount to just a cup of coffee a day and we’re looking at a 9.1 per cent tax increase this year,” he said The motion to recommend that council fund the increased costs of the electrical infrastructure passed a former teacher who worked in the Cowichan Valley School District and Vancouver Island University wants to fill the vacant seat at North Cowichan’s council table Lord said she is committed to ensuring North Cowichan remains a vibrant inclusive community with a focus on affordability and creating opportunities for people to live and thrive as outlined in the official community plan She said teaching at VIU’s Cowichan campus combined with years of experience in elected union positions and working on boards gives her a solid understanding of governance and experience navigating and negotiating at all levels of government said that as a life-long resident of the Cowichan Valley where she is married with three grown boys she’s committed to being a strong voice for the community She said she’s focused on ensuring safer streets with more bylaw officers and a comprehensive community safety plan and she’d advocate for the provincial government to establish an involuntary treatment centre on Vancouver Island I believe speeding up building permits is crucial because we can’t have projects left at a standstill for multiple months on end,” Hogg said “I will work to improve accountability in spending taxpayers’ dollars and explore ways to generate revenue for North Cowichan that will help offset the rising property taxes Unnecessary spending must stop because our community can’t sustain constant tax increases Let’s prioritize fiscal responsibility and work together to create a safe sustainable future for all our residents.” Sign up below for unlimited digital access for 30 days receive our daily news alerts & breaking news citizens and municipal councillors in the Cowichan Valley are partnering with an established drug and alcohol addiction recovery society to open a 20-bed recovery and treatment centre for men in North Cowichan on Bell McKinnon Road The group is called CleanUp V9L (V9L is part of the postal code for much of the Cowichan Valley) known as Together We Can Drug & Alcohol Recovery & Education Society (TWC) has been operating in the Lower Mainland since 1993 and currently has 400 beds spread throughout dozens of homes in those communities The TWC said that by utilizing a proven recovery model the society strives to ensure that each participant coming through their treatment centres is ready to re-integrate into society as a recovered and reinvented person a Duncan city councillor and a founding member of V9L said that as a group of concerned citizens members of V9L are frustrated with the lack of movement towards recovery and treatment in the Cowichan Valley “Teaming up with local business people and several other municipal councillors we held two community meetings and came up with a plan for a recovery centre here in the Valley,” Bruce said we came up with a localized plan and secured a location that will work perfectly for a 20-bed facility for men in North Cowichan.“ North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said the announcement of the new centre represents a welcome step toward expanding access to addictions treatment and recovery to help individuals and families recover and thrive.  He said it's well known that this service is desperately needed in the Cowichan region as so many people continue to struggle with addictions Douglas said council members and staff have toured several treatment and recovery centres on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland including the Together We Can facility in Vancouver North Cowichan staff has been working with the non-profit organization to secure a site for a new treatment and recovery centre in the community there are regulatory processes in place to ensure the facility is safe for residents and the use is permitted through zoning," he said "The property being considered is zoned to allow a 10-bed treatment facility we understand Together We Can would like to expand this to allow up to 20 beds This would be subject to a rezoning application and public hearing which will allow for transparent community dialogue and informed decision making." V9L’s Facebook page said the mission of the group is to “foster collaboration among diverse groups and individuals compelling governments to prioritize the safety of local children as they commute to school or visit friends ensuring that every resident feels secure and takes pride in calling the Valley their home” “We are committed to revitalizing our business community liberating it from the persistent concerns of graffiti and the cleanup of hazardous materials like needles and waste,” V9L’s Facebook page said we aim to help provide essential support to individuals struggling with addiction guaranteeing that those in need receive the assistance they require.” TWC’s director of planning and development said V9L reached out to the society with their ideas for a Cowichan Valley-based treatment centre and TWC was encouraged by the group's commitment for recovery focused on local addicted and homeless people "TWC has been working with the Municipality of North Cowichan and the community for over a year," she said “We are so happy to partner with V9L and open the first recovery and treatment centre in North Cowichan in years Everybody in the region has been very supportive." V9L is planning another community event in the near future to discuss TWC's plans for a women's treatment centre and aftercare sober housing and the group encourages people to follow its Facebook page for more information our focus will be on a women’s treatment centre and a separate aftercare and sober house in conjunction with TWC,” said North Cowichan councillor Tek Manhas “While the province and our local governments continue to write unworkable plans The North Cowichan TWC treatment centre shows that like-minded business people and citizens can get things done while governments can’t.” Enjoying Reading The Cowichan Valley Citizen Enter your email to connect to 30 more days worth of stories by journalists living & working in the Cowichan Valley Thank you for supporting local journalism North Cowichan is in a difficult financial situation as it prepares its budget for 2025 over the next few months Swabey pointed out to council at its meeting on Jan 15 that an 8.4 per cent tax increase for the year would only maintain current service levels in the municipality and does not ensure the sustainability of North Cowichan’s operations and services into the future He said North Cowichan manages more than $2 billion in aging assets and infrastructure that have significant backlogs in maintenance and repairs as well as approximately 1,000 pending implementation issues from the many plans that the municipality has adopted that require attention “The organization also continues to face staffing shortages in key areas that are essential to the delivery of support services which compounds the challenges of meeting expectations,” Swabey said I must acknowledge that the situation is not just difficult; it’s dire many of us on staff feel that this is a pivotal year one where we need to seriously reassess our service priorities and start planning a recovery strategy for the next five years.” Swabey said the proposed status-quo tax increase of 8.4 per cent in 2025 covers a wide variety of financial pressures that are out of North Cowichan’s ability to change “I feel for council because this year has these cost levers that we are not in control of which include a two per cent increase for our 911 services a 2.14 per cent increase in RCMP costs and then an additional 4.26 per cent to account for inflationary pressures and increases in operational costs we’re getting hit from all areas in terms of this year’s budget Swabey said if North Cowichan were to lower the proposed tax increase to below 8.4 per cent it’s his belief that the municipality must be prepared to consider reductions or elimination of some of its services North Cowichan has managed to keep tax increases equal or lower to other jurisdictions and that has had short-term benefits for the community including in 2020 during the pandemic when the municipality kept the tax increase at just 1.4 per cent this approach has left us with a growing backlog of asset management needs and significant long-term financial challenges,” Swabey said “It is my opinion that if we don’t start to address these issues now they will only become more costly in the future for our citizens It is essential to understand that we are at a critical crossroads We need a sustained effort over the next five to 10 years to address the critical needs of our organization.” Swabey said that the cost of implementing all of the requests for enhancements from the various departments in North Cowichan in the draft budget for 2025 equates to an approximately 10 per cent tax increase in addition to the 8.4 per cent increase to maintain a status-quo budget that’s up to the direction we receive from council.” he said “I remind you again that anything below an 8.4 per cent increase is going to I think between a 15 to 20 per cent increase is the number that we should be looking at this year.” The tax increase in 2024 was 5.18 per cent No One Else Covers Duncan Like The Cowichan Valley Citizen Don’t miss out on reading the latest local provincial and national news. Join our community and receive daily news alerts & breaking news North Cowichan council has whittled the projected tax increase for 2025 down to 8.87 per cent after a four-hour budget meeting on Feb a number of items brought forward by Mayor Rob Douglas and unanimously approved by council were integral in shaving approximately $700,000 from the budget for the year Douglas said it was decided that a number of items and projects upgrades at the Crofton outdoor pool and major culvert work planned in the municipality this year will be paid for by reserve funds rather than property taxes Join thousands of other like-minded readers and sign up below to gain immediate & unlimited access to our news for the next 30 days – plus start receiving our newsletters said she has lived in the Cowichan Valley for more than 50 years and has dedicated much of her time to serving the community With 25 years as an elementary school secretary and a strong background in union leadership she said she has spent her career advocating for people and making sure their voices are heard The nomination period for candidates interested in replacing new MLA Debra Toporowski on North Cowichan council started on Tuesday Toporowski (Qwulti'stunaat) announced she was stepping down from her role as councillor after being elected to represent the Cowichan Valley as an MLA "Candidates must be nominated by at least two eligible electors from the election area where the candidate is seeking to be elected," according to the municipality's byelection guidelines Some North Cowichan council members balked at the possibility of a big tax hike in 2025 just to maintain a status-quo budget at a meeting on Jan council decided to recommend additions to the draft budget that could see the tax increase rise even higher than the 8.4 per cent  hike that would only maintain current service levels The votes have been tallied and preliminary results have Becky Hogg winning the empty seat on North Cowichan council Hogg said she was overjoyed when her support team cheered when the results were posted "While it’s a short term with many learning curves I’m ready for the challenge and will keep to my word with my platform I'm looking forward to working alongside Christopher Justice The municipality held a byelection on Saturday April 12 to fill a seat left vacant in the fall of 2024 when Debra Toporowski won the MLA race in the Cowichan Valley riding Advance voting took place on April 2 and 8 Five candidates were vying for the spot including Hogg A total of only 4,866 people cast ballots in the byelection out of approximately 28,684 eligible voters Official results will be declared on April 16 "Thank you to everyone that took the time to vote and to the many people who worked at polling stations," said North Cowichan Saturday night Encourage mixed-use developments in the Urban Containment Boundary, but the Official Community Plan shouldn’t be carved in stone if there are developments that make sense for our city