Coverage of proposed changes to governance of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area in the Nov. 7 edition of the Sooke News Mirror seemed overly dramatic. The Juan de Fuca Electoral Area is not being picked on.
No electoral area has its own board. Our voting panels are equivalent to the electoral area directors who vote on land use issues in most regional districts.
Ten regional districts have regional growth strategies. The full board is responsible for ensuring that no bylaws passed are inconsistent with the regional strategy. Director Mike Hicks would also like a provincial policy that allows an electoral area to appeal a regional board decision on its land use bylaws.
Even in responding to a crisis that uncovered the gaps in policy and procedure, I suspect that the Capital Regional District is like other regional districts. The Marine Trail Holdings proposal uncovered the gaps. Planning staff, Director Hicks and the Planning Transportation and Protective Services Committee have worked out a policy and procedure for RGS consistency that they recommended to the full CRD Board.
Unfortunately, this procedure might be seen as taking aim at the Otter Point Official Community Plan because the OCP will be the first bylaw vetted by the new procedure.
In his letter to the Sooke News Mirror on Nov. 7, the president of the Association of BC Landowners is upset ahead of schedule. Mr. Doeding was very active at the advisory committee stage when the Otter Point OCP was reviewed. However, the Otter Point OCP is far from “completed.” It is still a draft. When the draft has been endorsed as consistent with the Regional Growth Strategy, there will be another round of public consultation. Other residents and landowners in Otter Point still have a say in the Otter Point OCP.
H. Phillips
Otter Point