Council met for just under two hours during our Regular Council meeting on June 7, 2023. Here are some highlights from the meeting.
My Mayor’s Report included the following updates:
- Along with Councillors Caljouw, Justice and Manhas, I joined more than 1,000 other elected officials from across the country for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference in Toronto, where we connected with people from both smaller rural communities and larger urban centres to discuss the common challenges we are all facing, from tackling the housing crisis and addressing homelessness, to replacing aging infrastructure and building resilience to climate change.
- Councillor Toporowski and I were invited to attend the Island Elders Luncheon hosted by Cowichan Tribes at the Si’em Lelum Gym. Thanks to Cowichan Elder Ed Elliot for welcoming us to this event and inviting us to say a few words on behalf of North Cowichan. It was a pleasure to meet and share food with Elders from Cowichan Tribes and First Nations across Vancouver Island.
- During the Mayor’s Report, Councillor Toporowski described the Land Cleansing Ceremony that we attended, which began at the Overdose Prevention Site and concluded at White Bridge. Organized by leadership from Cowichan Tribes and the Shaker Church, this event was held to honor and cleanse the land where individuals in our community have lost their lives.
- Later this month, municipal staff and I will be holding a workshop for Council to comprehensively examine what approaches we can take to respond to the growing challenges related to homelessness, mental health, addictions and street disorder. We anticipate any solutions will be complex, costly, depend on strong partnerships, and require balancing increased enforcement with advocacy for expanded health services.
Three zoning amendment bylaws received first two readings and will now move to a public hearing:
- 8025 Berridge Street (Crofton Childcare Centre) and the adjacent streets (Dyke Road and a portion of Berridge Street) from the Rural Residential zone (R1) to the Public Use (PU) zone to allow a childcare centre.
- 1211 Barnes Road, to permit a detached accessory dwelling unit.
- 7325 Osborne Bay Road, to permit a detached accessory dwelling unit.
Development variance permits were authorized for the following:
- 8100 Bertha Street to reduce the minimum side yard setback for a hot tub enclosure/storage room and a storage shed.
- 6125 Lakeview Drive to reduce the minimum front yard setback for a principal residential dwelling from 5.0 metres to 4.3 metres to facilitate a future subdivision.
- Two strata lots at 2019 and 2021 Otter Close and at 6467 and 6469 Marine Crescent to decrease the minimum required side yard setbacks to facilitate the creation of separate strata titles for the two existing duplexes (both subject to the registration of a covenant on each new strata lot limiting the density to one dwelling unit).
Council passed several motions to address concerns related to recreational vehicle (RV) parking along Croft Street in Chemainus and Duncan Street in the South End, including directing staff to:
- Amend the Traffic Bylaw to limit the parking limitation to four hours.
- Enter into an agreement with at least one towing company, and set the terms and conditions for towing, impounding, and return/disposal of RVs.
- Amend the Fees and Charges bylaw to update towing-related charges.
Councillor Manhas introduced a motion regarding a Safe Public Places bylaw, which will be discussed at the next Council meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, June 21, at 5pm.
Thank you for reading and staying informed!
Rob Douglas, Mayor
Municipality of North Cowichan
T 250.746.3117
E rob.douglas@northcowichan.ca