Council met for about seven hours during our Special Council meeting (3pm), Regular Council meeting (5pm) and Public Hearing (7pm) on November 19, 2025.
During my Mayor’s Report, I shared the following:
- North Cowichan staff and I met with Island Health’s recruitment team, who are working to attract international health-care professionals – especially from the U.S. West Coast. With the Urgent and Primary Care Centre now open in Duncan, and the new Quw’utsun Valley Hospital coming in 2027, we can support Island Health’s efforts by collaborating through our communications team to help recruit needed doctors, nurses, and allied staff.
- Thank you to the Maple Bay Rowing Club for welcoming me on a recent morning row – my first time in a shell and a great way to experience the sport. For 50 years, the club has grown rowing in Maple Bay and on Quamichan Lake, offering year-round programs for teens and adults from its oceanfront clubhouse.
- I attended Abbeyfield Duncan’s 25th anniversary celebration along with Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Jeff Kibble. Located near Quamichan Lake, Abbeyfield Duncan provides affordable, safe, and secure housing for seniors from across the Cowichan region. North Cowichan recently supported the home’s transition from a gas furnace to a heat pump, improving comfort, reducing energy use, and lowering operating costs.
- For Remembrance Day, I attended the ceremony held at the Chemainus Cenotaph. It was heartening to see so many people gathered to honour those who have served and those who continue to serve our country. Thank you to the Chemainus Legion Branch 191 and all participants, including veterans, community groups, and residents who laid wreaths and paid their respects.
Sulsimutstun Chief James Thomas of Halalt First Nation and Cheri Ayers from Waters Edge Biological Consultants presented on the Chemainus Watershed Initiative. The initiative, led by Halalt First Nation, began following two significant flooding events in 2020 and 2021 and is focused on restoring the Chemainus River and estuary and improve watershed health. Since 2023, the project team and a multi-sector Technical Working Group have completed key studies, including a Lower Chemainus Watershed Flood Management Plan, riverscape and sediment assessments, environmental flow needs, and riparian evaluations. Subcommittees are now focused on drought mitigation, sediment management, and lower river and estuary restoration. Upcoming work includes finalizing an Indigenous-led restoration plan, establishing a watershed governance framework, implementing priority restoration projects, and securing long-term funding.
A draft Official Community Plan (OCP) amendment bylaw was presented that proposed minor amendments to the OCP text in relation to housing targets, population projections and infrastructure. This reflected the recent Bill 44 zoning changes permitting up to four housing units per residential lot inside the urban containment boundary. Council deferred consideration of the bylaw and instead resolved to write to the Province expressing concerns about inconsistencies in their approach to projection population increases and defining housing needs, and to seek further clarification and guidance.
Council received a staff report on the options and implications regarding their new strategic priority on the resumption of logging in the Municipal Forest Reserve. After the discussion, Council reaffirmed their support to develop a co-management plan with the Quw’utsun Nation and to complete that framework for the municipal forest before any consideration of forest harvesting in the future.
- Read the news release issued following this decision.
A number of recommendations that came from the November 12, 2025 Committee of the Whole meeting were adopted as part of the consent agenda:
- 2026 Grant-in-Aid amounts for a total of $249,700 were allocated:
- B.C. Forest Discovery Centre - BC Forest Museum $25,000
- Chemainus & District Chamber of Commerce $30,000
- Chemainus Valley Historical Society $8,500
- Cowichan Historical Society $5,500
- Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce $34,000
- Cowichan Neighbourhood House Association $38,600
- Chemainus Business Improvement Association - Flower Baskets $24,000
- Chemainus Theatre Festival Society $20,000
- Chemainus Cemetery (St. Michael’s and All Angels Church) $1,000 to offset water and garbage fees
- Chemainus Communities in Bloom $11,500
- BC Conservation Foundation $4,000
- Cowichan Agricultural Society and Farmers' Institute $7,000, to be taken from the Agricultural Reserve Fund
- Cowichan Family Caregivers Support Society $2,500
- Cowichan Valley Youth Services $7,500
- Foster Kritters Feral Cat Rescue Society $1,500
- Cowichan - Bring Back Bluebirds $2,000
- Nourish Cowichan Society $5,000
- Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society $700
- Cowichan Historical Society $3,000
- Chemainus Rotary Club $700
- Cowichan Valley Arts Council $1,000
- Maple Bay Community Association $2,200
- Somenos Community Association $5,000
- Vimy Community Club (Hall) $3,000
- Cowichan Rugby Club $5,000
- Take-a-Hike Foundation $1,500
- As well a number of additions and changes to the 2026 budget were made:
- reduce Council travel by 50% (in the 2026 budget only)
- increase business license fees from $100 to $150
- introduce a $2.00 paper fee for utility bills starting in 2026
- increase rental rates for municipally owned properties annually, where applicable
- $50,000 to conduct a procurement review
- increase the capital allocation for the Fire Department from $120,000 to $180,000
- $100,000 for a live fire training building
- increase the fire equipment reserve by $325,000
- $25,000 to conduct a business license review
- reallocate $200,000 from the Richard's Trail parking lot capital project into a dedicated reserve preparing for turf replacement at Sherman Road soccer field
- $110,000 for a full-time carpenter
- $450,000 for the Maple Bay Rowing Club roof replacement, from the Growing Communities Fund interest
- $25,000 for a new Public Works Yard washdown area
- $40,000 for paving at Crofton Boat launch
- $2,000,000 for the Maple Bay Wharf replacement, using funds from the wharf replacement reserve, and the rest from short-term borrowing
- $42,000 for First Nation, veteran and pride crosswalks within North Cowichan
- $100,000 in the capital budget for the Chemainus salt shed
- Council also directed staff to prepare a number of reports related to the 2026 budget that include:
- reallocating the contribution to the Climate Action Energy Plan reserve fund to fund wildfire preparedness initiatives, including the development of a community wildfire preparedness strategy
- research on increasing building inspection fees relative to other jurisdictions
- detailing the costs and expected revenue generated from the hiring of a Digital Media Field Technician (RCMP) for $95,000 and $200,000 for software costs and implementation
- budgeting for the position for a FireSmart Coordinator
Norman Radcliffe and others from the Ryall Road Residents Association presented their concerns regarding speed limits and visibility at the intersection of Sherman Road and Ryall Road. Council directed that staff review safety and prepare a report.
John Horn, Director of Social Planning, presented an implementation plan of North Cowichan’s response to homelessness, mental health and addictions. Council approved $265,000 in additional funding to increase the public space custodians from part-time to full-time and for costs associated with refuse removal, a public portable toilet program, and to support administrative needs for a new safety and solutions advisory group. The request to fund two additional bylaw officers was not approved. Other initiatives are either already funded and will continue, involving advocacy or partnerships with other organizations, or will be brought forward as part of the budget process.
Council adopted the Revitalization Tax Exemption bylaw, designed to encourage industrial investment, create jobs, and strengthen the local economy. Under this program, qualifying industrial projects valued at $2 million or more may receive a 100% exemption on the improvement portion of municipal property taxes for up to 5 years, followed by a 50% exemption for the next five years. The bylaw applies to new construction or major renovations valued at $2 million or more, across all industrial-zoned lands in North Cowichan (excluding the Benchlands in Chemainus).
- Read the news release on this and other economic development initiatives underway
Council received a report confirming that the counter-petition for the Donnay Drive land acquisition Local Area Service was successful and subsequently voted to abandon the bylaw that would have enabled the purchase of the land for park purposes. Community feedback indicated opposition to funding park acquisition through a Local Area Service, which would place costs solely on nearby property owners. Council acknowledged concerns with this funding model and directed that discussion on property purchase priorities be referred to a future Council meeting.
Staff presented the budget implications as part of Council’s strategic priority to fund asset management. Asset management is an approach to building, maintaining, replacing and repairing publicly-owned infrastructure, like roads, water pipes and recreational facilities. For municipalities, this means developing a full inventory of all assets and creating a schedule for their replacement. North Cowichan faces a $27.3M backlog in water and sewer mains alone. Council converted the temporary asset management manager to a permanent role. Additional funding to support the purchase and implementation of software will be determined in 2026 when the outcome from a federal grant is known, and the addition of a 1% annual tax increase under general taxation to contribute to the Infrastructure Renewal Reserve will be considered as part of the 2027 budget process.
Council supported a grant application for Emergency Management Cowichan to the Union of BC Municipalities. If successful, the $150,000 grant would support volunteer recruitment, mental health support kits for responders, emergency cots and sleeping bags, reception centre supplies to support evacuees, and weather-resistant updates to mobile emergency support service units.
Council approved a grant-in-aid for the Community Land Trust Foundation of BC for a 92-unit co-op housing development at 3181 Sherman Road. The grant provides 50% of the Development Cost Charges and building permit fees in the amount of $61,880, and is covered through provincial funding provided in 2023 that Council previously committed to this project.
Councillor Christopher Justice’s notice of motion for a comparative analysis of residential tax levels between North Cowichan and similar-sized municipalities was discussed and staff will be providing a report in the near future.
At 7pm, a public hearing opened for OCP amendments for the Bell McKinnon Future Growth Area in order to expand the urban containment boundary to lands north of Herd Road. Following the public hearing, Council adopted the bylaws.
The next Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 3 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