CVRD Board Advocates for Regional Issues at Union of BC Municipalities Conference
Duncan, BC – From September 25 to 29, members of the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) Board are attending the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Conference in Vancouver, where they are meeting with municipal and provincial leaders as well as working to address some key regional issues.
“Our time at UBCM has given us the opportunity to meet with several Ministers in the new government,” explains Chair Jon Lefebure. “We have been well-received by them and can expect to work together productively on the many important issues we face.”
CVRD Directors and staff attended meetings with seven cabinet ministers to discuss the following topics:
- Minister of Health – the need for a new Cowichan District Hospital
- Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure – rural road cycling and pedestrian pathways, Subdivision Approving Officer authority for the CVRD
- Minister of Environment and Climate Change– impacts of soil dumping in south Cowichan electoral areas, Cobble Hill aquifer water quality monitoring, use of the Professional Reliance Model
- Minister of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources – CVRD soil deposit bylaw and contaminated soil landfills, use of Professional Reliance Model
- Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development – Cobble Hill aquifer water quality monitoring, riparian area regulation enforcement, Cowichan Lake/River water use planning
- Mental Health and Addictions – need for mental health and addiction services in the Cowichan Valley
- Public Safety and Solicitor General – Shawnigan Lake RCMP detachment building replacement
Electoral Area Directors also met with ministry staff to address issues specific to their Electoral Areas.
“I'm sensing real change in attitudes in the Provincial Government at this UBCM convention,” states Director Ian Morrison who chairs the Electoral Area Services Committee. “Meetings with Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and senior staff suggests the concerns and needs of people in electoral areas are important to this government."
CVRD Board members attended a variety of workshops and clinics. They also participated in the consideration of numerous resolutions with particular attention to resolutions affecting the CVRD and the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities including performance of highway maintenance contracts and a national strategy for derelict vessels.
The CVRD received provincial recognition for its efforts this year with the presentation of a Community Excellence Award for its collaborative approach to launching PlaceSpeak in the Cowichan Valley with its member municipalities.