Bill Dumont is a professional forester with a keen eye for local government expenditures. The issue of excessive CVRD management salaries has particularly riled him and in this commentary piece he makes that crystal clear. Bill Dumont-Financial Watchdog Nobody should be surprised that the CVRD board and staff want to
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Cowichan Conversations: CVRD Is Setting New Records For Idiocy and Obstruction
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger We have all seen some pretty amazing stunts from the brain trust at the CVRD but this latest manoeuvre takes the cake. Following the Boards refusal to back the Balme’s efforts to move to full processing at their proposed gravel pit on the Cobble Hill-Cowichan Bay border
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Shawnigan’s Fight Against Contaminated Soil“ This is Crazy!”
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Shawnigan resident Sonia Furstenau has been following the South Island Aggregates (SIA) efforts to import 5 million tonnes of contaminated soils to their Stebbings Road property in the Shawnigan Watershed from the outset. She attended the Ministry of Environment-Environmental Appeal Board hearings and has written this account
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The Cowichan River is in trouble once again.
Cowichan Coversations Contributor With the low snowpack and unusually dry weather, Cowichan Lake is 40 cm lower than it should be at this time of year, while the river flow is down to 5 cubic metres per second and well below typical July levels. If the situation does not improve,
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: When is a Community Plan NOT a Community Plan?
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Paul Kamill is a relative newcomer to the Cowichan Valley. He bought a small acreage bordering on the proposed Balme family gravel pit on the Cowichan Bay-Cobble dividing line. Little did he know that the ‘Black is White’ crowd controlled the local government. He was recently treated
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The CVRD Is The BC Government Authorized Body To Deal With Solid Waste. The Cowichan Tribes Must Be Included As Full Partners and Participants
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger As a CVRD Director (1993-2002 ) I recall vividly when we had to shut down the incinerators and existing landfill. We were tasked with finding and establishing a new landfill under BC Government guidelines. The guidelines dictated by MOE made it pretty much impossible to find an
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD and Cowichan Tribes Politicians Discuss Plans For an Incinerator to be Built in Glenora-Residents Kept in the Dark!
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger The CVRD and the Cowichan Tribes and the Khowutzun Development Corporation (KDC) have been dealing with this matter in secret sessions rather than being out front and accountable. Garbage incineration is contrary to any level of environmental common sense. It just creates a garbage dump in the
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Cowichan River Could Dry Up As We Face Drought Conditions
Cowichan Weir-Photo by Brian Hoole The Cowichan River is being challenged by a very dry spring, no remaining relief from melting snowpacks and the outlook for the balance of the summer and fall is for very dry drought conditions. The Catalyst Pulp Mill uses vast amounts of water from the
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD Being Sued by David Leitch for Wrongful Dismissal – Update with Correction
Former CVRD Water Manager David Leitch was fired back when CAO Warren Jones was still in charge and then reinstated when it appeared that they did not have grounds for dismissal that would stand up. When Frank Raimondo took over after the Board he fired Jones for a second time in
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD Acting CAO Raimondo’s Oral Report About Legal Opinion On Balme Gravel Application
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Exclusive audio report that the CVRD did not want you to hear. Cowichan media coverage of local government affairs is scanty, when covered at all. Both the Cowichan News Leader and the Cowichan Citizen corporate owners have stripped proper staff complements, especially in the newsrooms. Shaw Cable
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Cowichan Bay Residents Win Battle Over Gravel Processing-Director Gerry Giles 100 Percent Wrong!
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Acting CAO Frank Raimondo told the Board of Directors yesterday afternoon that he had received a requested legal opinion that made it clear that they (Directors Giles, Walker, Chair Rob Hutchins and Frank Raimondo) were 100 percent wrong. They had argued that Oliver and Shelley Balme should
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Frank Raimondo is a Master of Interpretation and Manipulation of Legal Rules and Regulations
Don Maroc-Political Blogger At the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) board meeting June 11, temporary Chief Administrator (CAO) Frank Raimondo stopped the proceedings with a suggestion that the issue about to be considered should be sent back to staff for a legal opinion. Seasoned by many years of experience the
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Cowichan Tribes Chief Chip Seymour Supports A Grass Roots Approach
Rob Douglas Cowichan Conversations Contributor When William (Chip) Seymour was elected Chief of Cowichan Tribes last year, he took a grassroots approach, stressing the need to improve the relationship between Cowichan leaders and band members. “One of the biggest concerns I heard during the last election was that there is
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Posts Regarding CVRD Shenanigans Delayed Temporarily
Richard Hughes- Political Blogger There has been considerable buzz throughout the community regarding recent gravelly matters and the disappointing conduct of the CVRD, Acting CAO Raimondo and the CVRD insiders that have controlled the political agenda for some time. There needs to be a restructuring of the CVRD all right,
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD Finally Approves Increased Compostables For The Fisher Road Recycling Facility
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes- Recycled, Reliable, Rejuvinated Cowichan Citizen Editor Andrea Rondeau’s front page story in Friday’s Citizen regarding Fisher Road Recycling (FRR) being allowed increased capacity to accept feedstock may or may not mark the end of a long drawn out struggle between Owner Dave Laing and CVRD’s Cobble Hill
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Would You Move to the Cowichan Valley for $100,000 a Year?
Would You Move to the Cowichan Valley for $100,000 a Year?By Blaise Salmon Blaise Salmon Here’s the deal: a salary of $100,000 a year, a secure government job with full benefits, and a gold-plated pension plan. One imagines there would be no shortage of good applicants for such a plum job. Unfortunately, the elected board
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: South Island Aggregates Shuts Down Pit. Is This The End Or Just A Ploy?
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger SIA has apparently shut down their operations and may be out of business. At first look this is encouraging news to residents justifiably worried about SIA’s government approved plans to bring in 5 million tonnes of contaminated soil to their Stebbings Road operation into the Shawnigan Watershed.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD Recycling and Waste Manager Bob McDonald Has Been Dismissed
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Longtime CVRD Recycling Manager Bob McDonald has been dismissed as the restructuring shakeup at the CVRD continues. Restructuring seems to be well underway. The CVRD Chair and Directors must share the blame for allowing the organizations rampant growth and high management salaries that brought the CVRD much
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: No Guarantee P3 Financing For Community Centre Will Save Money
Rob Douglas Built almost 40 years ago, the Cowichan Community Centre (now known as the Island Savings Centre) provides Cowichan residents with a swimming pool, hockey arena, gymnasium, library, art gallery, and a performing arts theatre. Local officials anticipate the facility will require significant renovations or replacement within the next
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