Lurching towards a new plan for Island View Beach
CRD staff have been proposing new park plans for Island View Beach and in 2006 they began work for 5 years which culminated in the Cordova Strategy in 2010. This plan amongst other things called for the filling in of the drainage ditches that had been constructed by the District of Saanich in 1936 for mosquito control, and the removal of the sea wall in order to flood the park with sea water during storms. No record has been found that this 5 year involvement by the CRD staff in the Cordova Strategy, or the funding of it, was ever approved by the CRD. A senior CRD director and long time member of the CRD Regional Parks Committee stated that the CRD Board knew nothing of the Cordova Strategy, and that it just appeared in 2011.
A public meeting was held on March 16 2011 and the public told the CRD to leave the park alone.
The intent of CRD staff was to have the new plan approved by the summer of 2011. A group called "The Island View Ditch & Mosquito Committee" was formed in May 2011 by area residents, farmers and others, insisting that the CRD clean the drainage ditches in the park to deal with the terrible mosquito problem coming from the flooded areas there, and commit to keeping them clean in the future. This call was supported by Central Saanich Council and an 800 signature public petition. This outcry for the ditches to be maintained caused the CRD to postpone their plans for the park until 2012, making it evident their intended plan for 2011 had involved filling in the drainage ditches and removing the sea wall.
In 2012 the CRD extended the time for a new plan to 2013.
In September 2013 the CRD released what they called a draft interim plan for Island View Beach. No public meetings were scheduled to discuss it, and the public were denied the opportunity to address the CRD Regional Parks Committee about it at their October 2013 meeting. A beach walk and a drop in session were done, but these gave no opportunity for members of the public to share information with each other, and the information given to the public at the beach walk and the drop in session did not include the full draft plan. The "Friends of Island View Beach" was formed in response to this draft plan.
The draft plan was incomplete, incomprehensible, political, and went outside the park boundaries:
Reviews of the draft interim plan brought many concerns - shown here
In addition, material claims made in the draft plan by CRD staff were found to be misleading or untrue - these are shown here
At it's meeting in November 2013, the CRD Regional Parks Committee put off the plan again, this time until 2015.
Achieving a balance in the park between recreational use and environmental protection is the challenge. The 2013 draft interim plan indicated staff intended to use environmental conservation as a club to restrict the public from areas of the park, yet the plan contained many misleading claims about the ecology, and amazingly it appeared there is no accurate inventory and mapping of what is there, where it is, and what needs protecting. This is the obvious starting point for a park plan and we have made this recommendation to the CRD, that an independent environmental inventory be done and the public be engaged in this. Only when this is done can an informed discussion take place.
A public meeting was held on March 16 2011 and the public told the CRD to leave the park alone.
The intent of CRD staff was to have the new plan approved by the summer of 2011. A group called "The Island View Ditch & Mosquito Committee" was formed in May 2011 by area residents, farmers and others, insisting that the CRD clean the drainage ditches in the park to deal with the terrible mosquito problem coming from the flooded areas there, and commit to keeping them clean in the future. This call was supported by Central Saanich Council and an 800 signature public petition. This outcry for the ditches to be maintained caused the CRD to postpone their plans for the park until 2012, making it evident their intended plan for 2011 had involved filling in the drainage ditches and removing the sea wall.
In 2012 the CRD extended the time for a new plan to 2013.
In September 2013 the CRD released what they called a draft interim plan for Island View Beach. No public meetings were scheduled to discuss it, and the public were denied the opportunity to address the CRD Regional Parks Committee about it at their October 2013 meeting. A beach walk and a drop in session were done, but these gave no opportunity for members of the public to share information with each other, and the information given to the public at the beach walk and the drop in session did not include the full draft plan. The "Friends of Island View Beach" was formed in response to this draft plan.
The draft plan was incomplete, incomprehensible, political, and went outside the park boundaries:
- park use restrictions were contemplated in the name of environmental protection yet there was no clear identification and mapping of rare species and sensitive ecosystems, only vague and exaggerated allusions to them
- It did not cover dogs or the future of the campground
- the existing park bylaw has an express ban on hunting in the park - CRD staff refused to put that same ban in the draft management plan. Why? See hunting
- there was no disclosure of the extent or cost of a proposed sand dune restoration project
- It attempted to interfere with property owners at the Cowichan Head
- It wanted to get rid of the boat launch which is not within the park boundaries.
- There was no firm commitment in the plan to maintain the drainage system
- There was no firm commitment to continue the mosquito control Program
Reviews of the draft interim plan brought many concerns - shown here
In addition, material claims made in the draft plan by CRD staff were found to be misleading or untrue - these are shown here
At it's meeting in November 2013, the CRD Regional Parks Committee put off the plan again, this time until 2015.
Achieving a balance in the park between recreational use and environmental protection is the challenge. The 2013 draft interim plan indicated staff intended to use environmental conservation as a club to restrict the public from areas of the park, yet the plan contained many misleading claims about the ecology, and amazingly it appeared there is no accurate inventory and mapping of what is there, where it is, and what needs protecting. This is the obvious starting point for a park plan and we have made this recommendation to the CRD, that an independent environmental inventory be done and the public be engaged in this. Only when this is done can an informed discussion take place.
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The Friends of Island View Beach call on the CRD:
1. Restore the trust! Make sure that information put to the public is factual and unbiased. 2. To restart the process with an independent environmental assessment that engages the public. To do a plan of the park without an environmental assessment is like building a house without a foundation. Build a true inventory of the natural features and species in the park, and engage the public in this, with explanations of where special features or species are; why they are special and require protection; and when they need protection. 3. That any new park plan: · be complete · written in plain, understandable language · make no political statements · be confined to the boundaries of the park · and fully disclose the intent of the plan with no hidden agenda 4. To hold multiple public meetings where the public can speak and be heard by others, to discuss the plan. What you can do: Speak up!
It is important the CRD board hear from you - tell them what you want Click on the button below to go to a page where you can email all the CRD board members. |
The Friends of Island View Beach provides a voice for responsible stewardship and sound management of Island View Beach Regional Park, for the benefit of all people of the region