Predictions for 2013

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• Christmas is for kids 2013
• Mixed feelings about byelection call for November of 2013
• Rylen Cole Heyer is Cowichan's first baby born in 2013
• Cowichanians to take rail-bridge tax hit in 2013
• Electing nine new Cowichan school trustees in 2013 will cost local board about $150,000
• Sportsplex grant-in-aid request goes to 2013 CVRD budget deliberations

Folks with a crystal ball should buy our lottery tickets.

Everyone else can only envision the future by taking current events to their natural conclusion.

Such is the case with our 2013 predictions — with some guesswork tossed in.

*A new design for downtown's Community mural is passed by city council allowing fine tuning, or a whole new look.

*SIA's application to dump contaminated soil in a Shawnigan Lake quarry is nixed by the environment ministry.

*Victoria allows local control of Cowichan River's flow to prevent another disastrous drought, and fish kill, come fall

*Stoney Hill Road gets North Cowichan council's nod, amid strict adherence to preserving Maple Bay Peninsula's rural character.

*Strides happen to expand Sansum Point regional park using donated and purchased property

*Design for a character building at the long-vacant Canada Ave-Trunk Road corner is adopted by Duncan council

*Passenger service — including a viable commuter line — along a renovated E&N rail line through Cowichan gets back on track by summer

*Derelict ship Dominion is towed from Cowichan Bay, ordered scrapped by the feds

*More regional areas begins funding Cowichan Aquatic Centre's pool, erasing two-tier fees

*Regional directors find a regional-recreational funding formula, following the 1980s PERC model whereby folks living farther from facilities pay less

*Duncan's clogged courts system hires at least one more judge

*School District 79 elects a slate of cooperative trustees in the fall byelection. The new school board focuses on local education, not fighting Victoria's lack of funding

*A tree-cutting bylaw with teeth passes in either Duncan or North Cowichan, while North Cowichan bans residential and commercial outdoor burning

*Most of the Malahat Drive gets concrete medians, or solid designs for them

*A globally famous act plays the Cowichan Theatre, and makes a surprise stop at the Duncan Garage Showroom

*A local artist and/or athlete signs a multi-million dollar deal

*Cowichan gets another major retailer, such as Ikea or Costco

*Catalyst mill's financial woes resurface under global instability

*A major Cowichan politician resigns in frustration

*A new movie theatre comes to Cowichan

*A minority NDP government is elected in May; at least one current MLA returns