Council met for two-and-a-half hours during our Regular Council meeting on August 19, 2026.
During my Mayor’s Report, I shared the following updates:
- Councillor Istace and I attended the March for the Children in Chemainus, which was organized by the Penelakut Tribe to honour the residential school survivors and remember those who did not come home, with many community members coming out to show their support.
- In early August, I joined Councillors Findlay and Manhas for Crofton Day, which was organized by the Crofton Community Centre, Warmland Church and local volunteers to celebrate this hidden gem in our municipality, with a range of family-friendly activities.
- This year’s Craft Beer and Food Festival was another major success, which I attended with Councillors Istace and Findlay. Thanks to the Chemainus Business Improvement Association and the many local vendors who organized this event that helped bring more than 2,200 visitors to Chemainus.
- The Mill Closure Working Group, which I established earlier this year with representatives from industry, labour, our MP and MLA, continues to advocate for workers affected by the ongoing disruptions in the forestry sector. We are currently working with local union leaders to connect affected workers with employment opportunities in mining and forestry through a new provincial program that subsidizes wages and training costs.
- Along with the RCMP, I recently attended a neighbourhood meeting organized by residents in the Kingsview area, where they shared their concerns with road safety, issues with Seablush Park, wildfire risk, and growth and development in the surrounding area. The RCMP and North Cowichan staff are now following up on the issues raised.
- Parrot's feather, an invasive plant, has spread throughout Somenos Creek over the past decade, creating significant problems for fish populations. Earlier this month, I joined the team from the Somenos Marsh Society in their ongoing efforts to remove Parrot’s feather, where we spent the morning filling 12 totes of this plant. In recent years, their dedication and hard work have allowed us to keep a 2-4 metre channel clear between Somenos Lake and the Tzouhalem Road bridge.
Two local organizations made presentations to Council:
- Lauren Bosch and John Morton of the Cowichan Valley Cooperative Marketplace (Cow-Op) provided an update on Cow-op’s work supporting local farmers, food distribution, and regional food security. They also discussed their future plans and potential opportunities for partnership with North Cowichan. Cow-op is an “online farmers market” representing local food producers from across the Cowichan region. Order food and related products online for local delivery or pick up at their food hub in Duncan.
- Henry Wikkerink, Executive Director and Alan Brakefield, Board Chair of the Cowichan Valley Basket Society provided an update on the society's programs and services, and plans to build a new warehouse and distribution facility. The organization provides monthly food hampers and serves hot meals six days a week, with more than 1,600 people collecting food hampers per month and more than 200 people receiving meals daily. The organization works with local businesses such as grocery stores and restaurants to recover and redirect food that may otherwise go to waste.
Council deferred a discussion on developer donations and disclosure of developer meetings to the September 2 meeting, in order to ensure all members of Council were on hand.
An amendment to the Council and Committee Procedures Bylaw was adopted. The amendments align with municipal best practices, legislative requirements, and legal advice, including:
- update Council and Committee meeting scheduling and cancellation procedures;
- update public hearing, public input, and question period provisions;
- update procedures for public hearings, right-to-be-heard matters, development applicants, and reconsideration requests;
- clarify delegation and petition requirements;
- distinguish between applications requiring a public hearing, applications where public hearings are prohibited, and applications requiring statutory notice only;
- streamline public engagement processes for certain development applications, including Temporary Use Permit and Development Variance Permit applications;
- update definitions, references, titles, and administrative provisions; and
- make housekeeping, clarification, and consistency amendments throughout the bylaw.
Three bylaws were adopted:
- A zoning amendment that reclassifies 8291 Bonsall Road from Commercial Recreational Zone (C4) to Rural Zone (A2).
- A zoning amendment that rezones 1438 and 1448 Adelaide Street from ‘Urban Residential Rural Zone’ (R1-U) to ‘Adelaide Street Comprehensive Development Zone’ (CD28) to support an 18-lot multi-family subdivision.
- The Road Name Bylaw to name a new road in a subdivision on Herd Road at the Trans-Canada Highway be named Seva Way.
Seven bylaws were introduced or given subsequent readings:
- A Road Closure Bylaw to remove a portion of the end of Esplanade Lane in Chemainus was given third reading.
- Amendments to the Inter-Community Business Licence Agreement and Bylaw to renew North Cowichan's participation was given third reading.
- A zoning amendment which will correct errors in a previous zoning amendment pertaining to the CD25 and CD26 zones was given first three readings.
- A Road Closure and Removal of Highway Dedication Bylaw for a portion of Stoney Hill Road (Murchie), and to consider approval of the agreement for purchase and sale to neighbouring property owners for $45,000 was given third reading.
- Zoning amendment bylaw to permit a maximum of two residential buildings at 8641 Sweeney Road was introduced.
- The Road Naming Bylaw to name two new roads adjacent to the new Quw'utsun Valley Hospital/Quw'utsun Hulitun-ew't-hw as Bullrush and Salishan Streets was given first three readings. The names were proposed by the hospital project following proposals endorsed by the Elders of the Cowichan Tribes S-ul'wheen Language. The name bullrush represents a common plant harvested in the area, and the name Salishan is a sign of respect for all the Salish Nations in the area.
- An amendment to the Fire Safety Bylaw was introduced. The changes improve fire safety administration, emergency response authority, enforcement capabilities, and cost recovery measures.
Council approved traffic safety improvements for York Avenue in Crofton. A Crofton resident approached Council earlier this year with concerns about speeding in front of Crofton Elementary School. Staff will install an electronic speed reader board facing northbound traffic on York Avenue near the school. Other items will include narrowing of existing wide travel lanes on York Avenue, installation of pedestrian-activated flashing beacons at the existing unsignalized crosswalk at the Joan Avenue/York Avenue intersection, arrange for warning signs for the sharp bend at the south end of York Avenue, and installation of an interim curb bulge that removes any unsafe, perpendicular parking on the west side of York Avenue at Joan Avenue.
Council received an update on the prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (Hyprescon) replacement project located between Tzouhalem Rd and the Boys Rd water pump station. The estimated $8.4 million project is in the early design stage, with funding options that could include federal or provincial grants, develop cost charges (DCC) paid by developers, and borrowing for the remainder. It is likely a counter-petition process for local service area (LAS) system users to approve the borrowing will take place later in 2027. As this pipe is at its life expectancy, staff have acquired emergency repair kits should this pipe break before replacement can take place.
Council awarded contracts for the construction of the Kingsview child care centre. Framing labour, architectural woodwork, cementitious siding, mechanical, electrical, and landscaping was awarded to Rumpel Construction Ltd. for $894,364; architectural woodwork was awarded to Trestle Millwork Ltd. for $575,467; cementitious siding to Westwell Construction Inc. for $549,500; mechanical to MGM Mechanical Ltd. for $1,459,280; electrical to Capital Electrical Systems for $669,254; and landscaping to Milestone Equipment Contracting Inc. for their submitted bid of $1,094,486.79. The 158-space, $18 million project is fully funded by federal and provincial grants.
Two notices of motion previously introduced by Councillor Justice were discussed and actioned:
- Council directed staff to work with the Cowichan Valley Historical Society to identify sustainable and suitable archive space.
- The Mayor will write a letter to the Minister of Forests requesting that the Province work in partnership with local governments, First Nations, value-added wood manufacturers, workers, labour organizations, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to develop a Vancouver Island value-added wood manufacturing strategy.
Councillor Istace introduced a notice of motion to prohibit data centres in North Cowichan. This will be discussed at the next Council meeting.
The next regular Council meeting will be held on September 2 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