COAPCOAP + THE WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / TOPIC COLLECTION
Cowichan budgets, taxes & public spending
Find historical reporting and commentary about budgets, taxes, infrastructure and the public spending discussed in Cowichan communities.
52 matching archived articles · Page 2 of 3 · Articles retain their original dates.
WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-05-24
LtE: Concerns Over RCMP Building and Park Planning
To the Mayor and Council of North Cowichan, I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the recent developments surrounding the new RCMP building and parks on Drinkwater/Paddle Rd. Upon inquiry about the park in front of the new RCMP…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-05-24
Citizens Challenge UN Integration in Local Policies
As we see municipalities, cities, and Regional Districts sign on to United Nations declarations, in fact the new Duncan OCP has integrated it right into it as policy, councils start feeling pushback all over the country from regular concern…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-05-24
North Cowichan's Forest Future
North Cowichan (N.C.) stands out among municipalities due to its ownership of 5000 hectares of forest. Over the past 30 years, N.C. has successfully managed this forest, generating approximately $1 million annually while allocating approx $…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
CVRD Considers Removing Public Input From Committee Meetings
Absurdity of “Safe Spaces” for Elected Officials in the Cowichan Valley. In the midst of an affordability crisis, the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) has become a focal point of intense public scrutiny over proposed tax hikes and t…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
From Conspiracy to Open Advocacy By Local Governments
As we witness local policies being rammed down the throats of locals, coupled with technological advancements, and global agendas, a disquieting reality unfolds—one meticulously crafted to surveil, control, and confine. What was once dismis…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-14
LtE: CVRD Taxes and Burdens
Dear WWIND, Cowichan Valley residents came out en masse, in the middle of a cold, windy, wet afternoon, to make it known that they are at their limits, many even beyond them. Constituents are struggling in ways that I think were not fully g…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-14
Marina Sapozhnikov - Conservative Candidate: NDP's Provincial Debt
THE NDP’S PROVINCIAL DEBT AND A COMMON-SENSE PLAN TO FIX IT In 2023, the NDP government in BC achieved a new record for the highest provincial budget deficit in history. The money spent in 2023 was even greater than in 2021 through the Covi…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-14
Council Watch - March
Duncan: Feb/March 2024 Duncan council met to reconsider their scramble crosswalk. Concerns noted about traffic backing up along Canada Ave. Protected left turns are now being considered as they accomplish the same goal of “protecting pedest…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-14
North Cowichan Rejects New Development Near Hospital, Despite Community Support
West Vista Terrace: A Case Study in North Cowichan’s Development Challenges Nestled just minutes from North Cowichan’s municipal heartbeat, a stone’s throw away from the new hospital, the West Vista Terrace project emerged in 2020, promisin…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-14
Crisis in the Water: The Battle for Survival Of Fishing on Vancouver Island
Will provincial mandates shut down fishing in BC? Part One: Reason one to shut down recreational and food fishing in B.C. In part one of a three part series we look at a global trend squeezing farmers that has now reached our fishermen, and…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-29
Cowichan Valley Stands United: The Turning Point Against Incremental Impositions
Our close-knit community faced a watershed moment at the CVRD board meeting on February 28, 2024. A seemingly minor proposal to add a 3.39% tax for parkland acquisition into an overall 19.33% tax increase became the tipping point. This wasn…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-27
Rising Tides of Concern: Cowichan Valley Residents Rally for Fiscal Responsibility
On February 28th, as the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) convenes to deliberate on a proposed nearly 20% overall tax increase, the streets outside the CVRD office on Ingram Street, Duncan BC, will witness a testament to community e…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-26
Millions Spent on 'Affordability' Retreats While Canadians Pinch Pennies
Canadians continue to find themselves grappling with soaring living costs, from unreachable home prices to climbing grocery bills. Amid these trying times, faith in public officials dwindles as their priorities seem misaligned with the popu…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-18
Good Neighbours thrift store - Call to action
The North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP is currently investigating a suspicious fire in a commercial area. Just before 1:00 a.m., on February 10, 2024 the North Cowichan Duncan RCMP responded to a report of a structure fire in the 5000 block of York…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-18
Parks or Pockets, Green Space and Dwindling Bank Accounts
Parks or Pockets: Cowichan Valley’s Quest to Grow Trees and Shrink Wallets Amidst a whopping 19.33% increase in taxes, residents plan to protest outside the CVRD building on Ingram St, Duncan, February 28th, 1:30PM. The spotlight on the str…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-18
Council Watch - Feb
North Cowichan February 2024: North Cowichan wrapped up their budget debates and got a taste of Bill 44 The 2024 budget was accepted with Cllr. Findlay, and Cllr. Manhas in opposition to the 5.18% increase. Cllr Manhas opposed the budget fr…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-18
Bill 44 overrides local governments
In November, the BC NDP swiftly advanced three pivotal bills: Bill 44, 46, and 47. These legislative measures marked a significant transfer of local powers to the province, superseding established Official Community Plans (OCP). Among the s…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-11
"New Greenopolis," where the air is clean, but the cupboards are bare.
Unpacking the Middle-Class Divide and the Silent Struggle The recent considered 15 to 19% tax hike by the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD), predominantly for parks acquisition, has sparked a debate that cuts to the core of community…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-01-21
Demonizing single-family homes
After reading all of the local ‘plans’, from the OCP, the whole transportation plan, and the Climate Action and Energy Plan, it is clear what North Cowichan has in store for us until 2050. Many of these plans entail drastic changes to our l…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-01-21
Council Watch - Jan2024
December was filled with more 2024 Budget reviews and cell antenna concerns. The Budget included much more additional staff being hired, additional taxpayer money to be used for the now depleted forest reserve fund since logging stopped in …
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-12-14
Rethinking Climate Narrative: Expert Dissent
Have you ever heard the term “Trust The Experts”? This is where we find ourselves, listening to so-called experts that depend on grant money and acceptance into peer-reviewed papers as long as they go along with the narrative mostly based o…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-12-14
Council Watch: December 2023
February 2023 Budget debate Cllr. Findlay brought forward an idea for councillors to forego their cost of living raise of ($175 per month) to be a good example to the constituents, especially when they were discussing a 17% increase in muni…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-11-08
Preservation of Elkington House
Maple Bay, North Cowichan - Elkington House, a historic gem dating back to 1894, holds the distinction of being North Cowichan’s only designated heritage house. Its preservation has become a matter of concern for the Oak Park Heritage Prese…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-11-08
Climate Action and Global Responsibility
North Cowichan has recently utilized its ‘climate action and energy fund’ reserve to procure a fleet of electric vehicles, including an electric garbage truck. This decision has ignited much debate, prompting residents to question the fund’…
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