COAPCOAP + THE WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / TOPIC COLLECTION
Cowichan council motions, votes & decisions
Read archived coverage of council and board motions, votes and decisions, and the arguments people made around them.
46 matching archived articles · Page 2 of 2 · Articles retain their original dates.
WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
Council Watch - April
Duncan: April 2024 Within the CAO report it was stated that the White Rd. “supportive housing” project which was delayed due to the original builder filing bankruptcy, will now be taken over by Knappett Projects Inc. to be finished late 202…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
City Of Duncan Reviews Policies On Greased Pigs?
Duncan will be passing a motion to repeal some old bylaws on April 15th. Duncan Days is gonna be off the hook this year! One bylaw they will be repealing is the “Greased Pig Prohibited Performance Bylaw”. At first read it seems as if this w…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
North Cowichan Council Confronted By Unexpected Estuary Dilemma
As the story of the Cowichan Bay Estuary and the Dinsdale Farm continues to peel apart like an onion, each layer exposing the deeper story, we will continue to cover this saga until the day there is some sort of ‘ending’. As we have written…
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
Track and Trade World For The Global Inventory Program: Your Garbage Is Next?
Have you noticed the growing intrusion of tracking and tracing in your daily life? Loyalty cards monitor purchases, debit cards track dining habits, Smart Meter technology, and now, even your garbage might be under surveillance. The recent …
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-02-26
CVRD's Immigration Discussion Shines Light on Mayor Douglas's Leadership
During a recent Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) meeting, on February 14th, the spotlight was not only on Amanda Vance's compelling presentation from the Cowichan Intercultural Society but also on Mayor Rob Douglas's swift move to s…
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 / 2024-02-10
CVRD squeezes through a 19.33% tax hit to residents
Squeezing Today for Tomorrow's Green: The Cowichan Valley Conundrum In the latest episode of "How to Squeeze a Stone," the CVRD directors took to the stage with a performance that left many of us in the audience scratching our heads. After …
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 / 2024-01-21
Win against a Telecom Giant
On December 20th, North Cowichan Council faced a pivotal decision prompted by a staff recommendation to accept a lease from Rogers Cellular for the installation of six 5G antennas on a water tower in the densely populated Eagle View Place n…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-12-14
Cowichan Valley's Council Conundrum
The North Cowichan Council meeting on November 1st resonated with the kind of deliberation that reverberates far beyond the council chambers. It wasn’t just about who gets to sit where or represent whom; it was about the very essence of rep…
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
Community Input Undervalued
North Cowichan steams full-bore ahead on its climate agenda, public input appears to be a point of contention. As another council meeting went underway, Mayor Rob Douglas of North Cowichan decided to go off-script from the Mayor’s report, d…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-11-08
Green Policies Have Homeowners Seeing Red
Following North Cowichan’s decision to expedite the adoption of building step code 6 years earlier than the Province, with a vote of 4-3, we’ve contacted other communities to determine whether they are aligned with these so-called “local” i…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-10-10
Tale of Dinsdale Farm
In the heart of Cowichan Bay, amidst the lush farmland and tranquil landscapes, a storm of controversy was brewing. Whispers and rumours swept through the community like wildfire, all centred on the contentious flooding of 70 hectares of pr…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-10-10
Cowichan Updates Step Code for Construction
Step Code changes for construction Recently, North Cowichan voted to bring in Step Code 4 from the B.C. Building Step Code efficiency plan on their own volition even though it clearly states this on their website: “The BC Energy Step Code i…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-10-10
Tax-Exemptions Held Hostage
North Cowichan Council, led by Councillors Istace, Toporowski, and Justice, with Mayor Douglas as the tie-breaker, rejected the tax exemption for The House of Grace pregnancy center. While generously granting tax breaks to multimillion-doll…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2023-08-31
North Cowichan & The climate emergency
Last month a letter was sent asking to clarify the Climate Emergency, this is their response Good morning COAP team, Here are responses to your queries, in bold text: 1: We requested documentation and supporting information from North Cowic…
Read the historical article →COAP / 2023-08-21
North Cowichan - NGO's, WEF, UN
It's not often we get to hear or see some of these terms hitting our local council. We can't wait to see how the comments are spun online. In the meantime take a listen for yourself as Adrienne speaks on behalf of our concerned community, a…
Read the historical article →COAP / 2023-08-03
17% Tax Hike for North Cowichan Residents
Councillor Findlay expresses concern over the tax rate and suggests anything he can think of to give residents a break. Meanwhile, councillor Istace wants to approve the tax hike but also expresses his financial hardship and shuts down the …
Read the historical article →COAP / 2023-07-24
FOI North Cowichan OCP & Climate Caucus
FOI Request - Kate Marsh - Page 63 “Hello Alex, I am attaching a link to our new draft OCP process, including the OCP itself. It is based on Donut Economics a book by Kate Raworth. Nanaimo is the other Canadian City I am aware of that is us…
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