Council seeks public’s patience amidst ‘uncharted territory’ North Cowichan councillor Debra Toporowski has disqualified herself from a vote on consultation with First Nations on the Municipal Forest Reserve on the grounds she also sits Read more… The post North Cowichan councillor who sits on Cowichan Tribes disqualifies herself from vote
Continue readingAuthor: Larry Pynn
Cowichan Conversations: Evidence of Mount Sicker’s boom-and-bust mining past still awaits history buffs
First in an occasional feature series on the Six Mountains Originally published by https://www.sixmountains.ca TW Paterson leads me around a locked yellow gate and along a gravel logging road atop Mount Sicker while explaining why Read more… The post Evidence of Mount Sicker’s boom-and-bust mining past still awaits history buffs
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: North Cowichan lacks ‘depth of experience’ at engagement, says First Nations consultant
Originally published by https://www.sixmountains.ca The president of a consulting firm that provided early advice on North Cowichan’s engagement with First Nations on the Municipal Forest Reserve says the municipality lacks experience in the area.“The Read more… The post North Cowichan lacks ‘depth of experience’ at engagement, says First Nations consultant
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Municipal documents expose shameful plan to keep citizens in the dark on public consultation on forest reserve
Freedom-of-information documents reveal that the Municipality of North Cowichan deliberately withheld important information on reasons for a 60-day pause in public consultation on the future of the Municipal Forest Reserve. Documents obtained by sixmountains.ca Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Endangered landscape at further risk because of North Cowichan logging British Columbia’s most endangered landscape
Endangered landscape at further risk because of North Cowichan logging British Columbia’s most endangered landscape is at risk from logging. But don’t look to a heartless profit-driven private corporation as the culprit. The Municipality of Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Back to the Future: 1992 study reveals recreation, ecology, viewscapes trump logging in Municipal Forest Reserve
Almost three decades ago, North Cowichan’s Forest Advisory Committee retained a consultant to review municipal logging on Maple Mountain and to ask people and organizations to fill out a questionnaire on what they value Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Public shut out of consultations on Municipal Forest Reserve
Council focus is now on First Nations Citizens of North Cowichan — whatever their position on management of our Municipal Forest Reserve — should be concerned with Mayor Al Siebring’s written statement posted on the Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Six Mountains-The Unseen Forest
Larry Pynn’s ‘Drone Powered Video’ reveals the real story of North Cowchan’s logging practices. Originally published on https://www.sixmountains.ca Clearcutting by North Cowichan municipality revealed You won’t see the images from this video on the Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Municipal logging program generates minimal profits, ships raw logs offshore
Originally published by sixmountains.ca More than six out of 10 trees harvested in North Cowichan’s Municipal Forest Reserve last year were exported as raw logs, the 2019 Forestry Report reveals. Raw-log exports totalled 63 per Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Is the Secrecy Train of public consultation on a one-way track?
The Secrecy Train came to town the other day, with a virtual stop in the Municipality of North Cowichan. The 16-member citizens’ Working Group guiding the public consultation process into management of the 5,000-hectare Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Public engagement on North Cowichan’s Municipal Forest Reserve under scrutiny
PlaceSpeak — an on-line platform widely panned by members of North Cowichan council as being confusing — will continue to be used for the public consultation process into interim management of the 5,000-hectare Municipal Forest Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Freedom-of-information request provides insight into stakeholder involvement in the Municipal Forest Reserve consultation
Originally published by https://sixmountains.ca. For the second time, I’ve had to resort to a freedom-of-information request to the Municipality of North Cowichan to find out more about the consultation process for the 5,000-hectare Municipal Forest Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: BC must act now to stop old-growth logging on Vancouver Island, says prominent forester
Originally published by sixmountains.ca A prominent B.C. professional forester is asking the provincial government to immediately “stop all old-growth logging” on Vancouver Island. “By every measure, and in every ecosystem, the situation is dire Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Lucky Lager: the Island’s working-class beer thrives despite craft craze
Originally published by beermebc.com Lucky Lager: the Island’s working-class beer thrives despite craft craze – Beer Me British Columbia by Larry Pynn Guest contributor Larry Pynn is a longtime Vancouver Sun writer who became Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Logging creates few jobs, leaves unsightly legacy in Municipal Forest Reserve
Originally published by sixmountains.ca. Logging in the 5,000-hectare Municipal Forest Reserve created as few as 10 full-time jobs — two of those municipal staffers — last year, according to North Cowichan estimates provided to sixmountains.ca. Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Tek Manhas Efforts To Resume Logging In the Municipal Forest-What Short sighted Nonsense
Originally published by https://www.sixmountains.ca North Cowichan council on Wednesday rejected a dubious motion by councillor Tek Manhas that would have resumed logging in the Municipal Forest Reserve despite the fact that a public consultation process Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: BC closes all provincial parks, diverting more visitors to local recreation areas
The BC government decision today to close all provincial parks due to spread of COVID-19 will put even more pressure on regional and municipal parks in the Cowichan Valley — as well as North Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Public shut out of Working Group meetings on forest reserve consultation ‘to avoid potential disruption and increase productivity,’ minutes reveal
It took a freedom-of-information request to North Cowichan, but sixmountains.ca has finally obtained the official minutes of the first meeting of the citizens’ Working Group that is helping to guide public consultation on the Municipal Read more…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Cowichan Tribes has ‘no objection’ to keeping public informed on Municipal Forest Reserve consultations
Chief William Seymour: “Our first thought is, well, give it back to us….” Originally published by sixmountains.ca. Cowichan Tribes Chief William Seymour says he supports The Municipality of North Cowichan keeping its citizens generally informed Read more…
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