COAPCOAP + THE WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / TOPIC COLLECTION
North Cowichan council & community policy
Follow the local debates about North Cowichan council, community planning, taxes and the practical effects of municipal decisions.
Follow the North Cowichan OCP documentary →
119 matching archived articles · Page 2 of 5 · Articles retain their original dates.
COAP / 2024-08-18
North Cowichan's Climate Emergency: What's Really Going On?
The results of our Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Municipality of North Cowichan revealed a lot about how our local government is handling the so-called "climate emergency." After asking for documentation and data that would ju…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-21
The National Holiday No One Wants to Celebrate
Did you know that Canadians celebrate a unique kind of holiday on June 13th every year? It's called Tax Freedom Day, the day when the average Canadian has finally earned enough to pay off their total tax bill for the year to all levels of g…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
Edition 013 - July
View PDF version here Looking to advertise with WWIND? For sales and a rate sheet contact us at sales@wwind.caIf you’d like to submit an article for our next edition, contact us at editor@wwind.caView available packages and sizes here. Arti…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
The Backward March Toward an Electric Future: BC’s Power Infrastructure Dilemma
British Columbia (BC) is grappling with an outdated energy plan that has experts and former officials ringing alarm bells. Barry Penner, a former BC Minister of Environment, Aboriginal Relations, and Attorney General, now chair of the Energ…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
$47 million dollar master transportation plan for North Cowichan
On June 4th North Cowichan passed its Master Transportation plan. The North Cowichan Master Transportation Plan outlines several priorities and demographic details: Demographic Summary: Population: 31,990 (2021), a 50% increase since 1991. …
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
Council Watch - July
Duncan: June 3 CAO: “Staff are reviewing the timing of the scramble crosswalk” Canada – Ingram Scramble Crossing Replacement with Protected Southbound Left Turn Signal. That Council direct staff to amend the Financial Plan to re-allocate th…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
LtE: Who Will Address the Sewage Crisis Threatening Cowichan Bay's Heritage and Sea Life?
Dear WWIND, WHO is best to ask the Challenging question? WHAT about the Cowichan Bay sewage outfall that is destroying Cowichan Bay sea life in the HERITAGE Cowichan River? JUB (Joint Utility Board) Sewage Lagoons are located off Trunk / Tz…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
Electrification of all vehicles, is it actually possible?
In December 2022, Justin Trudeau’s government announced that 100% of all new vehicles sold in Canada by 2035 must be zero-emission electric vehicles, and Joe Biden’s government introduced the Inflation Reduction Act, which set the same requ…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-07-10
CVRD’s Secret Data Mining for United Nations Revealed
After weeks of waiting for a reply from CVRD (Cowichan Valley Regional District) staff about their membership in ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), we finally received a response: “Good morning, Our sincere a…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-05-24
Clean up V9L
ASK THEM WHY! For possibly the first time in recorded history, three levels of government in British Columbia have banded together with our court system to systematically destroy social cohesion. The obvious effects of government-sponsored …
Read the historical article →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
Council Watch - May
April: - Rails to Trails’ spokesperson David Slade stated that federal and provincial funds were available for active transportation infrastructure, such as converting the railroad track into walking/biking paths, but not for reviving the r…
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 / 2024-05-24
Losing Energy Independence
As many local citizens increasingly become frustrated with local government’s narrow strategies for governing, by putting all policy through a “Climate lens”. It seems that local bureaucrats just double down, and completely ignore any possi…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-05-24
Port Side Reflections: Town Hall Committee
The Port Alberni town hall (PATH) committee 2024 was pleased with the turnout, especially as they had to compete with a Bulldog’s hockey night game against the Canucks. The Bulldog’s are a prominent group in this town, hence, to see 100 peo…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-05-24
The Slow Creep To Censorship- All levels of Government
At the CVRD meeting May 1st, there was discussion about adding a fine of $50k for undefined “extreme” circumstances where people do not report to the altering of their buildings on their land. They also added more divisions within the CVRD …
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
Bus Shelters To be Removed Amidst Public Safety Concerns
The CVRD board of directors appeared distressed and frustrated while voting to remove two bus shelters, one on James St. and the other next to London Drugs at the Village Green Mall in Duncan, during the CVRD meeting on March 27th. During t…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-04-18
Who Is the Municipality of North Cowichan Working For?
In 2013 North Cowichan passed a motion to join the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) initiative in partnership with ICLEI, a UN creation to monitor and steer local policy. The CVRD also beca…
Read the historical article →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
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 / 2024-04-18
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 / 2024-03-26
Safety and Space: The Cowichan Aquatic Center Incident Ignites Concern for Children and Women's Rights
Updated report here: New Perspectives Emerge in Cowichan Aquatic Center Incident, Highlighting Concerns for Children's Safety Local 26 March 2024 A recent incident at the Cowichan Aquatic Center has sparked a heated debate on social media a…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-26
North Cowichan Community Rallies for Safety and Inclusivity in Public Spaces
Community Rally Highlights Urgent Call for Safe Spaces in North Cowichan In a powerful display of community unity and concern, residents of North Cowichan gathered to address recent safety and privacy concerns at the Cowichan Aquatic Center…
Read the historical article →WESTWARD INDEPENDENT / 2024-03-18
North Cowichan Offers Moonlighting As A Bylaw Enforcement Officer
Has North Cowichan been taking cues from the Federal playbook, or has George Orwell decided to make a splash in our quaint little town? In an unexpected plot twist that might have the famed dystopian author nodding in grim acknowledgment, i…
Read the historical article →