In his own words: North Cowichan mayoral candidate Clayton Balabanov
Introduction:
This document was prepared to make clear my personal views on some of the current issues – not all of them. I will not hide my true and honest opinion on issues just for political expedience. Some people will agree with my view, and I am certain that some will not. That is good, we need diverse views and constructive debate about what is best for our community. My strongest held view is that the most important opinion is that of the people who live here. As Mayor I see my job as finding out the true needs of the community, taking into account the needs of the individual and balancing those possibly conflicting needs with what is best for the community as a whole, and then acting on it.
For a long time I have been watching how business is handled at North Cowichan thinking about how it could be done better, and who could accomplish that. I see several issues that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Central to those issues is the fact we have a centralist government in a sprawling municipality that contains several distinct communities and cultures. These cultures are valuable and must be preserved and encouraged to prosper. In short, the municipal government must become “Closer to the Community”, and respond better to the needs of each of the unique communities within the boundaries of North Cowichan.
My main objective over the next three years is to create a permanent system whereby each community, and the members of that community, will have substantive input into decision-making affecting their community. That system must be created within the current Community Charter. As an example I am looking at the proposal developed by the Maple Bay Community Association for Local Community Associations and the Local Community Association system that is currently being used in Victoria.
Councillor First:
If one is in a top management position in one company, and moves to a new company, it is not necessary to start at the bottom; one must go to where ones abilities are best utilized.
The Mayor is the head and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Municipality and according to the municipal charter the job of Mayor is: “to provide leadership to the council, including by recommending bylaws, resolutions and other measures that, in the mayor's opinion, may assist the peace, order and good government of the municipality”
The job of a Councillor is to debate and vote on bylaws presented to Council.
These certainly are not the only work the Mayor and Council must do, but they are the main responsibilities. These are two different jobs requiring different skill sets.
Clayton intends to be an active progressive leader to give North Cowichan direction and move it forward.
Taxes:
In BC, there are 64 communities that have lower taxes than North Cowichan. Almost half of the communities in BC pay less Residential Property Taxes and Charges. Services that the residents demand must be paid for, but any kind of waste is unacceptable. The municipal spending must be accessible enough that any North Cowichan resident can monitor spending and report any anomalies or unnecessary expenditures.
Like it or not, we have a big impressive pool that we have to pay for in property taxes. The pool loses money so every single voter in North Cowichan must pay $47 annually for the operating money lost last year and that cost is increasing rapidly! It is a public pool for the healthy enjoyment of the residents of North Cowichan and yet, even with the subsidy, some families who need it the most cannot afford to use the pool. The challenge is to reduce the subsidies to zero, and yet make it affordable to young growing families and seniors. Managing that massive drain is a high priority.
Now that we have gotten into the impressive pool business, we seem to be also going into the Curling business. If we borrow money to purchase the “Duncan Curling” building, this must be “revenue neutral” with no tax dollars going to subsidize the operation. Given the low interest rate the Municipality pays, the mortgage payments could, and must, be covered by rental of the building to the club operator. The interest on the money borrowed to purchase the property is about $18,000 per year; that plus capital costs needs to be covered by rent - we cannot and will not subsidize the operation of the Curling Club.
Counterpetition process:
The Counterpetition method of gaining ‘approval’ of the taxpayers is an easy, fast, cheap way of passing bylaws that may fail at a referendum. I think it is underhanded and pays a disservice to the people of the municipality. This method of passing by-laws was argued against during the last election and yet is still being used.
Negative billing as was tried by business was banned and is now illegal, yet it is practiced by your government.
My administration will never use Counterpetition.
Municipal Hall Renovations:
If we as residents of North Cowichan employ people to provide service to us, we need to give them proper space to do that work in. Given the sprawling nature of this municipality, and the distance residents need to travel to obtain services at the municipal hall, it makes more sense to investigate the potential to have satellite offices in Crofton, Chemainus, the Duncan area and Maple Bay. These may be rental space that will negate the need to borrow money for expansion, or it may make economic sense to purchase some space in those areas. Electronic communications are now to a point where it is not always necessary to have everyone in the same building.
We do not need more debt.
The Hall expansion is estimated at between $1.5 million and $3 million. I have a great deal of difficulty accepting an estimate that varies by 100%. If it is not known if the project will be within that range, it could conceivably be much higher. With the current Municipal lending rates, the expansion will cost just under $100,000 per year in interest alone.
Small Business:
Rather than saddling business with “red tape” and regulations, and instead of finding reasons to stop business from operating, municipal staff must find ways to help businesses establish and succeed.
Accounting:
As a resident and taxpayer in North Cowichan I want to know how my money is spent, and that it is not wasted.
Example:
Echo Heights is a high profile North Cowichan project that was estimated to bring in over a million dollars to the civic coffers. But what are the real costs? This project spans two administrations. It started under the Lefebure administration and continued through the Walker administration.
There is no clear accounting on the real cost to taxpayers for the full cost of this attempted development. When pressed, the civic staff simply could not come up with any figures that could be attributed to EH.
Every penny of the taxpayer’s money must be accounted for, and all details of all municipal spending must be easily and clearly available to all taxpayers.
Development:
As an entrepreneur I am constantly looking for ways to make improvements, ways to make money, ways to advance, but I also recognize that growth for the sake of growth or development just for the sake of
development is a mistake. We have to take a very close look at specific projects and look at their total cost/benefit to the community. Generally speaking, in the long term new subdivisions are harmful to the well-being of a community. If there is a demand for more housing, in-fill developments are much more sustainable.
Sustainability:
We have a unique municipality with large tracks of farmland, small communities, and an urban area. This mix gives us the ability to be very self-sufficient. By supporting our farmers and encouraging local food production/consumption we can become a much “greener” community and, given the expertise we have locally, a role model for other communities.
It is essential that we pass a bylaw allowing Neighbourhood zero-emission (electric) vehicles to operate in our municipality. It is also important to foster the availability and use of these vehicles.
Governance:
With so many unique communities and cultures under the umbrella of the North Cowichan government, the centralist model is simply not responsive enough to represent the needs and aspirations of all our North Cowichan Citizens. A new model must be implemented that gives the residents of Crofton a strong voice in what happens in Crofton, the residents of Maple Bay must have more control over projects in that community and Chemainiacs must have control over their destiny, without losing sight of the needs of the more populace areas in the South.
To assist the government in making the right decisions for communities, there will be established a Local Community Association programme to enhance communications between builders, developers, your government and the local community affected. Currently we are looking at the Maple Bay Community Association proposal and the model currently being used in Victoria. This will help to bring the government “Closer to the Community”.
Border Restructuring:
Many Chemainus Residents have felt for a long time that they should be independent from North Cowichan with their own municipal government. While this idea has many merits, it is a long, difficult, and expensive road to travel. The root of this discontent is the emotional distance between North Cowichan Municipal Hall, and Chemainus. This can be cured with proper representation and some power over what happens to the little town by the people in the little town.
This is not just a Chemainus issue, each area needs proper representation and power over what happens in their neighbourhood. See the above “Governance” heading.
Once we are “Closer to the Community”, I am willing to talk to the government and the people of Saltair and Duncan to investigate the potential of including those two areas in our Community.
The Cliffs
A situation that requires keeping a watch and getting and working with area resident’s views. Recycled water for irrigation of grass is better than using expensive potable water; however the content and quality of the water must be monitored so that dangerous pollutants are not spread over the course to leach into the water table or drift down the mountain to contaminate lower properties. Telling the developer to “jump through hoops” is not helpful. The original plan called for green space and some specific amenities. This project will be monitored closely to see that the overall development follows what was originally promised to the residents of the area.
The Maple Bay Community Association will be kept up to date on progress and all decisions.
Number of Terms
The current Mayor seems to think that a Mayor should spend two terms in that position and then quit. I think that it is up to the residents of North Cowichan who they want to have conducting their civic business, and for how long.
Chemainus – Halalt Water
This is a problem that has been festering for a decade. The root of the problem is a lack of communication and understanding, perhaps a lack of respect. This problem spans two administrations. When an issue ends up in court, everyone loses.
I have met with Chief Thomas and we have agreed to meet every three months to discuss issues that jointly affect Halalt and North Cowichan. We have agreed to open serious talks on the water issue, and he has indicated that a solution is reachable. Chief Thomas also told me that this issue could have been solved at the beginning, and he, at the beginning, offered to connect the existing Halalt water system to the North Cowichan water system; that method would have cost about 2% of the current system and it could be used for 12 months a year instead of a couple of months during the winter.
Another potentially serious issue came up during our discussion. The Halalt need help with their sewage system. North Cowichan was in a position to help with that situation. On May 21, 2008 the municipality agreed to “consider” allowing Halalt to use the Crofton sewer system, but as of now, has not. The immediate issue is that apparently the septic fields now being used by the Halalt are starting to leach into the Chemainus River aquifer; trace amounts of sewage pathogens are starting to show up in the aquifer. If this continues it may make the aquifer, and the new Chemainus water supply, unfit for human use.
This issue cannot be put off; it needs to be solved immediately. Negotiations over the use and restriction of the new wells are much more difficult given the result of the court case. The Halalt band probably cannot afford to clean out the septic field even if it were feasible. There may be a chance to save the aquifer if we help with the sewage issue immediately, and that would help with the water issue. In any case, because of earlier issues this is going to be difficult and expensive.
Echo Heights
When the development of Echo Heights was proposed several years ago, a majority of the local residents were opposed to the plan. I have not seen a proper business plan that shows conclusively that development of Echo Heights will be of long term benefit to the North end of North Cowichan. I have seen a lot of evidence that turning Echo Heights into an ecological reserve would benefit the community in the long term.
Part of my problem with the development of Echo Heights revolves around the lack of information available. When I asked for a total cost of what the project cost to date, staff could not come up with an answer. A sizeable amount of our money has been spent in planning, demonstrating, advertising, promoting, surveying, meeting about, and talking about, but no one seems to know what that cost the taxpayers before anything was actually done on-site. For me as a business person, this lack of information is unacceptable. The Municipality claims that it will make a few million dollars on the project but how is that calculation possible if the current costs are unknown? Are the costs of extending/upgrading water and sewer lines to the site included? Are the costs of upgrading and extending feeder roads included in the cost estimates?
Given the solid evidence on the “no development” side, the lack of solid facts on the “develop” side and the fact that the community as a whole does not want the development I will work very hard to enact a by-law that will preserve the area as an ecological reserve.
South West North Cowichan
The issue is cars that travel at excessive and dangerous speeds in the area of the Cowichan Regional Hospital.
The solution asked for by the local residents is for speed bumps. The municipality refused on the basis that it would interfere with snow plows (it snows in North Cowichan? ;-) and they produce noise when cars drive over them.
The North Cowichan solution was to install plastic markers to make a temporary chicane. This resulted in some drivers using it as a slalom course to see how fast they could go through the chicane, and others to see how much noise they can create by driving over the markers as fast as they can.
My solution seems to be obvious, at least to me:
I wrote to the RCMP Inspector in charge of the North Cowichan detachment asking if it were possible to divert some resources to this problem; he answered that he would send the information to ‘Traffic’ for their information and attention. We may see some stepped up enforcement in that area.
Asphalt speed bumps are relatively cheap to install and they do slow down the cars. Markers to indicate where they are for snow plows to lift their blades are an easy way to solve that issue. Cars that make noise hitting the speed bump will slow down to the speed limit next time, and cars that make a noise going up and down on the bump should probably not be on the road in the first place.
A more efficient solution would be to use rubber “speed cushions”. These devices are laid down on the road and fastened with bolts. In the winter when snow is predicted, they can be simply unbolted and put into storage for the spring. Cars that hit them at high speed will feel the impact, but the impact will produce little in the way of impact noise. They are sized so that cars cannot avoid them, but trucks and buses have a wide enough wheel spacing that they can pass without being affected.
Speed cushions used in conjunction with other traffic calming devices can be a cost-effective method of making the neighbourhood a much safer place to raise a family.
Local Community Associations
The theme of my campaign is “Closer to the Community”. This means that the government MUST listen to and act upon the wishes of each Community within North Cowichan.
The Chemainus Advisory Committee (CAC) was an attempt at getting community input, but in spite of the excellent people on the committee, it has major structural flaws that prevent the members from being effective.
Membership: CAC members are chosen by Council therefore it is possible to have all the CAC members reflecting Council’s view and not that of the residents. Members of Local Residents Associations (LRA) are chosen by the local community and therefore most likely will reflect the views of the local neighbourhood.
Discussions: CAC members are only to discuss issues in the meeting room with Council members present; LRA members have free ranging discussions as they chose.
Issues: the CAC are only allowed to discuss issues that Council wants them to discuss, LRA members discuss issues that are important to their neighbourhoods.
Communications: The concept is for the residents to be informed as to what is planned for their neighbourhood prior to any commitments being made so that the residents can have early input. The CAC is simply not structured to enable that kind of communications.
In the Victoria B.C. model the neighbourhood has a “Street Rep” who is responsible for keeping the residents involved and informed. We have to look at if the best model is by geographic area as in a number of square blocks, a length of street, or by numbers. Until the concept catches on in the neighbourhoods the numbers will be small and the area large; the system needs to be dynamic enough to reduce the area to a population that is manageable by a single Rep, or have a maximum number of people that a Rep can represent.
I would be pleased to be directly involved in discussions with interested parties to set up a structure that is best for local residents.
Transportation
Neighbourhood Zero Emission Vehicles (NZEV) are being accepted in progressive cities where sustainability and liveability are considered a priority.
It is my intent to work with Council to enact by-laws enabling sustainably responsible residents of our municipality to use NZEV. As our population ages, residents will be looking for alternative methods of transportation that are easier to handle than a full size car, NZEV units will give seniors greater mobility choices.
vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20080930/documents/a8.pdf
https://tofino.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=1453
Chemainus Revitalization
Revitalization principles need to be formulated to apply to all of North Cowichan.
The main focus needs to be on attracting developers, investors and most important – small business. Without these elements there can be no revitalization. Please see the relevant sections of this document.
The Chemainus Revitalization Plan at www.ourchemainus.ca has some excellent ideas for improving the look of our town. I am not convinced that some of the elements were driven by local input rather than government input, but it is a starting point and the point is - we need to start.
The skateboard park location has been suggested for St Joseph’s area, the potential users of the facility want it at the Old Elementary School. I want it built.
The Library is suggested to be built on the waterwheel park parking lot. I join with a substantial number of residents in saying that is a bad idea. The library should be built either as part of a new “old firehall” or as part of a comprehensive development with the skate park at the old elementary school site.
My suggestion is this:
1. Start with a by-law enabling NZEV cars to operate in DNC, and specifically in Chemainus. Residents can own their own NZEV cars and independent entrepreneurs can rent them to visitors.
2. Work with the owner of the “ugly blue building” to install an underground parking garage that solves his parking issues, as well as giving space for rental NZEV cars. We then are rid of the ugly building and will have a revitalized area.
3. Chemainus will be the only town where visitors can park their highway car and rent a comfortable low speed zero emission car to tour the town.
4. Work with businesses and DNC to create smaller parking spots specifically for NZEV cars. This would be progressive and the number of spots would be reflective of the number of small cars used in the area. Smaller parking spots means more parking is available with no increase in space needed. Local merchants may wish to put in coin operated charging stations.
5. Given the lower demand for parking space, and the increased mobility of residents and especially seniors, focus attention on the Old Elementary School property.
6. Immediately build the Skate Park in the centre of the lot on the property line adjacent to the high school.
7. Work with planners and the local residents to create a building in a “U” shape surrounding the Skate Park. Dedicate most of the parking to accommodate NZEV cars to keep noise and pollution down in the area. Increased traffic in the area would be quiet, slow moving and non-polluting. When the building is completed the residents of the area are isolated from any noise or light coming from the Skate Park. Parking for gas powered larger vehicles would be provided by an agreement to use the high school parking during non-class times.
8. Suggested uses of the building are: Library (next to a school makes sense), Community Centre (compatible with the high school and library), municipal satellite offices, and rental space to help pay for the building. Final decisions as to use would be with the Local Community Associations. The views from this building would make it very attractive for high revenue rental offices.
9. Remove the old firehall and put up a new building that is designed to look like a very old firehall with red brick etc. This could house the visitors centre, some commercial space, neighbourhood activity areas and as an alternate option for the Library. This would proceed only when economically viable.
10. Follow other parts of the Chemainus Revitalization Plan; priorities include the upgrading of Chemainus road between Henry Road and Cedar Street, roundabouts at Victoria Street and at River Road.
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