Applaud Supreme Court decision
Dear mayor and council:
I heartily applaud the Supreme Court of Canada’s June 23 decision not to hear an appeal concerning expansion of North Cowichan’s intrusive Vancouver Island Motorsports Circuit.
Many locals — including mayor and council, plus nearby residents plagued by track noise and air pollution — rejected VIMC’s claim it had zoning rights to expand its current, legal site to arcane, monstrous proportions.
Details appear in the July 7, 2022 Citizen newspaper.
All councillors, except Coun. Tek Manhas, voted against VIMC’s track-expansion plans after a second, packed public hearing in our Cowichan Theatre.
It’s still unknown how much North Cowichan taxpayers spent toward legal bills to repel VIMC’s well-funded onslaught on our municipality and residents — some of whom lived near VIMC’s track site before it was built without public zoning input.
That has left a residual stench about how former North Cowichan staffers negotiated selling municipal land to VIMC for its current site near Sahtlam. Councillors and Mayor Al Siebring have admitted that $1-million deal was regrettable.
Regardless, let’s expect vigilance, logic, and smart questions by staff and council prevent any such costly, haywire, divisive decisions in future.
Let’s also hope Cowichanians and our regional board reject a potential proposal regarding relocation of Langford’s West Shore Motorsports Park to the Shawnigan area.
Yours in smart growth,
Peter W. Rusland
North Cowichan