Local government directly affects you
For most people, the federal government represents the big picture. How our country compares in the world. The provincial government gets closer to home. It manages ferries, health care issues and more. But local governments most directly impact an individual’s life. Local governments control land use through zoning, property taxes and manage everything from area roads to schools. On this page, you’ll find stories about what local governments are doing and how well they are performing.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE REVIEW
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LINKS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Curtis Road residents threaten legal action over sewage commission failure on odour issues
Rural Comox Valley residents have threatened legal action against the Courtenay-Comox Sewage Commission over noxious odours emanating from the treatment plant near their homes on Curtis Road
Good Neighbor Agreement could help resolve sewage plant problems
Curtis Road residents have tried protests and lawsuits to eliminate the problem of noxious odours from the Courtenay-Comox sewage treatment plant. Now, they’re trying a collaborative Good Neighbor Agreement
Major changes coming to Courtenay-Comox sewage commission
The Courtenay-Comox Sewage Commission approved five staff recommendations this week that may result in major changes to the utilities’ governance
Cumberland gets $7 million infrastructure funding for wastewater treatment
Work will begin soon on Cumberland’s new wastewater treatment system after the Village received a $7 million grant from federal and provincial governments
Comox Valley sewage issue pushed, Arnott comments called “out to lunch”
The Courtenay-Comox Sewage Commission declined to take another vote this week on adding Area B representation, which left Curtis Road residents and others frustrated
Supreme Court rules in favor of CVRD in 3L Developments lawsuit
The BC Supreme Court has decided in favor of the Comox Valley Regional District in a lawsuit brought by 3L Developments over amending the Regional Growth Strategy
Comox manipulates sewage commission vote, residents cry foul on ‘repugnant’ tactic
In a move one observer called “repugnant,” Comox Councillor Ken Grant and Comox Mayor Russ Arnott moved a motion at the regional sewer commission Tuesday that they intended to vote against
CVRD assures Curtis Road residents, who seek BC intervention
Letters are flying between the “fed up” Curtis Road residents and the Comox Valley Regional District over odour, drinking water wells and other issues emanating from the Brent Road sewage treatment plant
Cumberland mayor to shine light on bullying in local politics, nonprofits
How to recognize and deal with bullying in Comox Valley politics and nonprofits is the subject of a workshop organized by Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird
Mistrust still evident between residents, sewage commission
Plagued by the odours of sewage from Courtenay and Comox residents for 34 years, the residents of Curtis Road returned to the regional sewage commission this week hoping for resolutions to their concerns, which they say now includes a threat to their drinking water wells and a visual blight on their neighborhood
“Stinking” sewage plant wafts back onto CVRD agenda
The Curtis Road Residents Association will press the Courtenay-Comox Sewage Commission again next week, this time on policy issues related to their decades-long battle to eliminate unpleasant odours from the system’s sewage treatment plant
Rural Comox Valley zoning bylaw “more permissive”
The Comox Valley Regional District is rolling out an updated zoning bylaw this month for rural areas A, B and C that encourages home-based business, agriculture and sustainable energy
Area B residents want voice on regional Sewage Commission
Another group of rural Comox residents have asked for representation on the Comox Valley Sewage Commission; Ken Grant calls out former Area B director for not factual statements
Rural Comox residents want less odour, more compensation
Curtis Road residents have asked the Courtenay-Comox Sewer Commission to reassess its plan for future odour controls and the need for a second equalization basin. They also want Host Community Compensation
Three new sewage conveyance routes short-listed for study by joint advisory committee
Less than a year after the Comox-Courtenay Sewer Commission abandoned its patchwork plan to prevent leakage from large pipes that run through the K’omoks estuary and along Point Holmes beaches, a new, comprehensive Liquid Waste Management Plan is emerging that considers climate change and moves the entire conveyance system onto an overland route.
Regional District CAO responds to developer’s lawsuit
Comox Valley Regional District Chief Administrative Officers Russell Dyson issued a statement today, Dec. 27, in response to a petition by 3L Developments Inc. to Supreme Court of British Columbia
Cumberland gets $5.7 million for sewage plant upgrade
Village of Cumberland sewage lagoons will soon get an upgrade | Photo by George Le Masurier By George Le Masurier he Village of Cumberland is well on its way to completing an overdue upgrade to its wastewater...
City CAO David Allen focuses on sustainable asset management
Courtenay Chief Administration Officer David Allen was part of a small group in 2008 that developed this system for managing public assets that provides for service and financial sustainability. It is now used by almost every municipality in British Columbia.