CRD delays Marine Trails hearings for another month

Exciting news of today's CRD meeting has made it to me.  The CRD's "Land Use Committee A" (the 5-member committee that is somehow empowered to make decisions of enormous impact with seemingly little oversight) has recommended that the bylaw amendment hearing be delayed until the next CRD meeting in June.  This is likely because their planners are moving so fast to bend so many rules, they haven't had time to actually finalize any of their bylaws and agreements.  Its a strange game of politics they're playing, where they're using a phased development agreement to secure concessions from the developer.  This proposal is also the first strata-type development proposed in the region, so their policies and bylaws that would normally cover such things are literally nonexistant. Making up rules as they go along?

This would not normally be exciting, except for the OTHER developments from the meeting.  Councillors Phillippe Lucas and Vic Derman pushed hard to propose a new CRD policy for dealing with developments and proposals that are contrary to the CRD's Regional Growth Strategy.  Apparently, it was assumed that once all the various municipalities had agreed to the RGS, they would automatically start following it.  Hah. So there is apparently no process for the board to decide whether a community is violating the RGS, and if so, what to do about it.

This has been given a temporary fix: the CRD is now prepared to gain legal counsel and challenge proposals through the courts.  it would be better if they could just decide using their own mechanisms, or using an arbitrator, rather than going through an expensive legal process, but at least it's something.

This has laid the groundwork for the next logical step: a motion that Ender Ilkay's Marine Trail Resort proposal is in violation of the CRD's Regional Growth Strategy, and that it should be denied outright! The CRD Chair (Geoff Young) would not allow a motion to be brought forward under their newly-created procedure until the next meeting, but it seems likely that one will appear.

Now is the time to step up the pressure even more.  The CRD has heard us - hundreds of letters and emails have flowed in, and the CRD cannot ignore the massive public opposition to this proposal.  An easy way to help is to use the mailer created by the Wilderness Committee to reach the entire CRD board and encourage them to put a stop to this insane proposal.  In particular, thank and encourage Vic Derman and Philippe Lucas for their leadership on the issue.