Public consultation at Island View Beach - the need for informed input
For 9 years the CRD has been working towards a new park management plan. The most notable features of this planning have been the lack of opportunity for the public to have informed input into the plan, and a disturbing pattern of misleading and inaccurate information from the CRD to the public. See back ground here
Informed public consultation is important because CRD staff want to limit public access in the park
The draft interim plan put out by the CRD in 2013 was written in a manner that a reasonable person would not be able to understand its intent, nor was that intent disclosed to the public at the beach walk or the drop in at the Tsawout gym that the CRD put on. That intent included drastically reducing the area set aside as public recreation. See here for what we found in that draft plan
The CRD say they are committed to public consultation now, but are they?
CRD staff are proposing a new public consultation process which will be discussed at the CRD Regional Parks meeting on Wednesday morning, May 21, 2014. See the proposal here starting at page 29
On the face of it the CRD statement is welcome for they say:
Regional Parks' commitment to the public is that it will:
Do the steps they lay out meet the level of this commitment?
The intent of CRD staff to limit public access in the park was driven by claims by CRD staff that the park environment needs protecting yet many of the environmental claims made in the 2013 draft plan were false or misleading. This time around they say at page 29 "Step 1 of the public participation work plan focuses on providing factual technical and scientific information about the natural environment found in the park." But at page 31, they describe this process as:
and at page 32 they say something different
Regional Parks staff will meet with federal and provincial
government staff, District of Central Saanich Council and staff,
Tsawout First Nation Land Use Committee and staff and the
public to review natural environment information and seek
feedback.
Report to Regional Parks Committee on the feedback from the
above involvement.
Where is the public consultation on the environment? The environment will drive any park plan at Island View Beach. Before the environmental information goes anywhere, it should first be posted on the CRD web site and public meetings be held where that can be discussed and challenged if need be. Collectively the public knows far more about Island View Beach than any expert, and only if that information is discussed in open forum will a balanced environmental report come out.
Who will do the environmental assessment? Given the history of misleading information given by the CRD to the public about Island View Beach, who is to do the environmental assessment? We believe the environmental assessment should be carried out by a committee of at least three independent people chosen by someone independent of CRD Parks outside the CRD.
The CRD's proposed Steps 2-4 are shown below. We encourage people to look at these carefully and ask if they give you assurance that you will have the opportunity you want to have in the development of any new plan for Island View Beach at the right stage of the development of that plan. A concern we have is the heavy weight being given to special interest groups instead of the public as a whole. If you feel this too then now is the time to speak up. Who selects the "interest groups" the CRD would speak with in Step 2?
In Step 3 who gets the invite to attend the round table discussions and who will be allowed to actually speak - there will not be space for every one who wants to participate so who will decide who can speak?
In Step 4, notice the special interest groups get to see and comment on the draft plan before it goes to the Regional Parks Committee, but the public meetings are not scheduled until afterwards. Shouldn't the public meetings be before the draft plan goes to the Regional Parks Committee so the Committee knows the public's views?
The "sand dunes"On page 34 of the CRD website above is a Capital Works Work Plan Approval that includes
11. Resource management/planning work for proposed Island View Beach Sand Dune Ecosystem Restoration $25,000
Many of you might ask "what sand dunes?" Others may answer, "oh, that bit of sandy area up by the Tsawout boundary".
As ridiculous as this sounds, you should be aware that CRD staff maintain that everything north of the camp ground between the sea wall and the inland trail - including the grassy picnic area at the north end parking lot - is a sand dune, and they want to spend public tax money to restore it! Restoring it to what? Why? At what cost? In the draft plan last year, staff had quietly changed the map of the park to define that area as "Environmental Protection" - see http://www.friendsofislandviewbeach.com/2013-draft-plan.html It boggles the mind doesn't it. Only the CRD could consider anything so foolish and wasteful of public money.
Give your input!
Island View Beach is one of the most precious areas in Greater Victoria and has been a public area for long before the CRD acquired the land. Changes intended by CRD staff will have a significant impact on how the public will be able to use the park in the future. You may agree or disagree with these plans - we make no comment on them, other than to bring them to your attention so you can have your say. The CRD Regional Parks Committee meet on Wednesday morning, May 21 2014 so you need to move quickly to get your message to them. Click here to email the CRD and us with your comments
You can also speak to the CRD Regional Parks Committee if you wish. They require the public to register at https://www.crd.bc.ca/about/how-we-are-governed/addressing-the-board/addressing-the-crd-board-committees The "I wish to address" field is: Regional Parks and the meeting date is May 21 2014. It is not necessary to give much detail in the comments section, just say you wish to address the proposal for public participation at island View Beach. Registration time is usually 4pm Monday. We don't know if there is an extension because this Monday is a holiday.
Below are Steps 2,3 & 4 of the CRD staff proposal
Informed public consultation is important because CRD staff want to limit public access in the park
The draft interim plan put out by the CRD in 2013 was written in a manner that a reasonable person would not be able to understand its intent, nor was that intent disclosed to the public at the beach walk or the drop in at the Tsawout gym that the CRD put on. That intent included drastically reducing the area set aside as public recreation. See here for what we found in that draft plan
The CRD say they are committed to public consultation now, but are they?
CRD staff are proposing a new public consultation process which will be discussed at the CRD Regional Parks meeting on Wednesday morning, May 21, 2014. See the proposal here starting at page 29
On the face of it the CRD statement is welcome for they say:
Regional Parks' commitment to the public is that it will:
- keep the public informed about the planning process
- work with the public to exchange information, ideas and concerns
- provide objective information written in plain language to assist the public in understanding the park management planning situation,
- provide opportunities for the public to review and comment on the information used for park planning and the draft park management
- Provide feedback to the public on how their input was considered and influenced decisions in preparing the management plan.
Do the steps they lay out meet the level of this commitment?
The intent of CRD staff to limit public access in the park was driven by claims by CRD staff that the park environment needs protecting yet many of the environmental claims made in the 2013 draft plan were false or misleading. This time around they say at page 29 "Step 1 of the public participation work plan focuses on providing factual technical and scientific information about the natural environment found in the park." But at page 31, they describe this process as:
- Present environmental information to the District of Central Saanich and Tsawout First Nation
- Report to the Regional Parks Committee on results of the above engagement
and at page 32 they say something different
Regional Parks staff will meet with federal and provincial
government staff, District of Central Saanich Council and staff,
Tsawout First Nation Land Use Committee and staff and the
public to review natural environment information and seek
feedback.
Report to Regional Parks Committee on the feedback from the
above involvement.
Where is the public consultation on the environment? The environment will drive any park plan at Island View Beach. Before the environmental information goes anywhere, it should first be posted on the CRD web site and public meetings be held where that can be discussed and challenged if need be. Collectively the public knows far more about Island View Beach than any expert, and only if that information is discussed in open forum will a balanced environmental report come out.
Who will do the environmental assessment? Given the history of misleading information given by the CRD to the public about Island View Beach, who is to do the environmental assessment? We believe the environmental assessment should be carried out by a committee of at least three independent people chosen by someone independent of CRD Parks outside the CRD.
The CRD's proposed Steps 2-4 are shown below. We encourage people to look at these carefully and ask if they give you assurance that you will have the opportunity you want to have in the development of any new plan for Island View Beach at the right stage of the development of that plan. A concern we have is the heavy weight being given to special interest groups instead of the public as a whole. If you feel this too then now is the time to speak up. Who selects the "interest groups" the CRD would speak with in Step 2?
In Step 3 who gets the invite to attend the round table discussions and who will be allowed to actually speak - there will not be space for every one who wants to participate so who will decide who can speak?
In Step 4, notice the special interest groups get to see and comment on the draft plan before it goes to the Regional Parks Committee, but the public meetings are not scheduled until afterwards. Shouldn't the public meetings be before the draft plan goes to the Regional Parks Committee so the Committee knows the public's views?
The "sand dunes"On page 34 of the CRD website above is a Capital Works Work Plan Approval that includes
11. Resource management/planning work for proposed Island View Beach Sand Dune Ecosystem Restoration $25,000
Many of you might ask "what sand dunes?" Others may answer, "oh, that bit of sandy area up by the Tsawout boundary".
As ridiculous as this sounds, you should be aware that CRD staff maintain that everything north of the camp ground between the sea wall and the inland trail - including the grassy picnic area at the north end parking lot - is a sand dune, and they want to spend public tax money to restore it! Restoring it to what? Why? At what cost? In the draft plan last year, staff had quietly changed the map of the park to define that area as "Environmental Protection" - see http://www.friendsofislandviewbeach.com/2013-draft-plan.html It boggles the mind doesn't it. Only the CRD could consider anything so foolish and wasteful of public money.
Give your input!
Island View Beach is one of the most precious areas in Greater Victoria and has been a public area for long before the CRD acquired the land. Changes intended by CRD staff will have a significant impact on how the public will be able to use the park in the future. You may agree or disagree with these plans - we make no comment on them, other than to bring them to your attention so you can have your say. The CRD Regional Parks Committee meet on Wednesday morning, May 21 2014 so you need to move quickly to get your message to them. Click here to email the CRD and us with your comments
You can also speak to the CRD Regional Parks Committee if you wish. They require the public to register at https://www.crd.bc.ca/about/how-we-are-governed/addressing-the-board/addressing-the-crd-board-committees The "I wish to address" field is: Regional Parks and the meeting date is May 21 2014. It is not necessary to give much detail in the comments section, just say you wish to address the proposal for public participation at island View Beach. Registration time is usually 4pm Monday. We don't know if there is an extension because this Monday is a holiday.
Below are Steps 2,3 & 4 of the CRD staff proposal
