The CVRD is planning to Create A Watershed Authority and dupe taxpayers.
Mr. Brian Carruthers, CAO of the CVRD, recently appeared before North Cowichan council to update council on the his plans for the creation of a new department at the CVRD to manage the Cowichan River watershed. He explained that he wants to develop a plan to tax residents who reside in the Cowichan River Watershed to fund his new department. Trouble is, he explained that he did not know what the money was for, what services would be provided, and he failed to identify the clear measurable needs of the community, and costs, for the non legal services that this department would work on. So, what he is asking us to do is put his cart before his horse, create his new department and then the CVRD will work on spending our taxes. He used statistically unreliable information, received from a CVRD questionnaires, as the basis for creation of a new department. Reality is that this department is redundant and would be a waste of taxpayer money. Sadly, no one on North Cowichan council even asked why the service was needed! The whole ruse materialized out of the whimsical desires of a special interest group whose sole interest is to see the weir at Cowichan Lake in public hands no matter what the cost to taxpayers .
North Cowichan council has praised the concept of private/public projects. There is no better, or successful example of this concept than the operation of the weir, at Cowichan Lake. The weir has operated in private hands, since the 1950’s, at no cost to taxpayers and more importantly, without the Cowichan River running dry. In fact, without the weir, the river would have run dry many times.
North Cowichan council has a responsiblity to prevent this from turning into another Island Rail mess. Recall that the CVRD taxed us to start up the Island Rail Service. It is years behind the promised start up and it appears it never will start up. Where is that money?
The CVRD has no legislative authority to demand taxes from us for the watershed function. In reality, this ploy, by the CVRD is nothing more than a bureaucratic empire building exercise. This is an issue that North Cowichan council should block and have the Provincial Municipal Auditors look at.
There are three chief reasons why this is a bureaucratic empire building exercise.
First, the watershed comes under provincial control and administration. It is not a local matter. Any department created by the local bureaucrats would have no legal or legislated authority to act. We would be paying taxes for no benefit.
Second, the CVRD says it wants to make sure the Cowichan River does not run dry. I know now, that will not happen. The present weir has operated successfully since the 1950’s. At one time I thought that raising the weir was the only solution. Catalyst Paper came up with a brilliant solution to make sure the river never stops flowing. Catalyst installed infrastructure last summer during the drought to pump water from the lake into the Cowichan River at no cost to the taxpayer. So, there is no need for local government intervention. If years down the road, Catalyst, the largest user of water in the Cowichan River, closes up shop in Crofton, the present weir will store more than enough water to meet our needs for a generation or more.
Third, the weir is owned and operated by Catalyst Paper. They will not give up their rights to the water supply.
So, if the CVRD has no legal basis to get control over the watershed or the weir, and there is no issue getting water from the lake to the river you should be asking the CVRD why they persist in pursuing this redundant waste of taxpayer dollars?
Finally, the CVRD, if successful in getting this new tax authorized by the CVRD Directors, will seek approval (from the electors affected) not by referendum but by using the obscure Alternative Approval Process (AAP) because the local politicians know the taxpayers won’t know or understand what hit them. That is why it is incumbent on North Cowichan council to block this waste from happening. This is a squandering discretionary bureaucratic want, not a public need. The very least the taxpayer in North Cowichan should expect, from a respectful municipal council, is a referendum question in the 2018 election.
There is an old saying that applies here: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”!
Don Swiatlowski
North Cowichan