The CRD had a public "information" session on January 14, 2013 that might be better called a misinformation session
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The display boards were inaccurate or incomplete.
On the right is a display used by CRD staff at the Sidney information session. There is no salt marsh where they show. The salt water had been caused by a failed flapper gate on the Tsawout ditch system that allowed sea water to flow back up the ditch and flood the low land there, and the CRD had been told of that. See a description of the Ecosystem here |
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The drainage ditch map on the bottom right is what CRD Parks displayed at the Public Information session. It was wildly inaccurate and CRD staff admitted they knew this.
This is the correct map This is the map the CRD displayed
- there are two separate drainage systems that DO NOT connect.
- each system has its own flapper gate. This CRD map wrongly assumed there is no flapper gate on the Tsawout system.
- the ditches do not drain in the manner shown on the CRD map north south of the white dotted line
This is the correct map This is the map the CRD displayed
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The third board displayed by the CRD showed what they called "Input from the Public"
It implied that it summarized all the input received from the public but it did not. The board they displayed only contained talking points from a public meeting on March 16, 2011 and even then it was not complete because mosquito control had been discussed there and is not shown on this board. This what the board showed:
The public were not shown the controversial issues which were:
The display board by CRD Parks omitted more than it disclosed.
It did not show:
These were all major contributions from the public yet CRD Parks did not disclose them at the January 2013 public information session. This was misleading by ommission.
- drainage
- mosquitoes
- flooding of the park/sea wall
- or that the park plan had been delayed because of opposition to the intent of Parks staff to fill in the ditches.
The display board by CRD Parks omitted more than it disclosed.
It did not show:
- the input at the March 16 2011 public meeting that the mosquitoes needed to be dealt with at the park.
- there had been an 800 signature public petition in 2011 calling on the CRD to keep the ditches clean
- there had been a 500 signature public petition in 2012 not to flood the park as called for in the Cordova Strategy.
- the many resolutions from Central Saanich Council of 2008, 2011 (3) and 2012 calling on the CRD to clean the park ditches to control the mosquitoes.
- the numerous emails and letters to the CRD from residents, farmers and others describing the terrible mosquitoes that bred at island View Beach because the CRD had not maintained the ditches
- the several presentations made to the CRD Regional Parks Committee from the Island View Ditch & Mosquito Committee; from Michell Farms; from Puckle Farms; and from the Ministry of Forests about the mosquitoes and the necessity to clean the ditches and maintain the sea berm to protect the park and surrounding areas from flooding.
- that Central Saanich had to be called in by the CRD to clean the park ditches because CRD parks staff had not.
- that the cleaning the ditches by Central Saanich in 2011 dealt with the mosquito problem at the park.
- that the flapper gate on the Tsawout ditch system had been found to be locked in an open position and that this had been the cause of the salt water flooding of the Tsawout lands and Puckle Farm.
These were all major contributions from the public yet CRD Parks did not disclose them at the January 2013 public information session. This was misleading by ommission.