Vote “no” in the South Sewer System referendum
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said that “governments can grant permits, but only the community can grant permissions.” It’s a message that has inspired Canadians, but one that has fallen on deaf ears at the Comox Valley Regional District. Residents from all...
6 reasons why you shouldn’t trust the CVRD on sewerage
Why should voters be wary of the CVRD and the Sewer Commission’s proposals on sewerage infrastructure projects? Because there's a history of bad decisions. How do we know they were bad? In some cases, because citizens have sued the regional district over the effect of...
5 reasons why you should care about sewerage
Your enjoyment of our waterfront One of the joys of living in the Comox Valley often touted in tourism promotions is the pleasure of swimming off beaches around Baynes Sound, including Comox Bay, off the end of Goose Spit, or from the beach at Point Holmes. Besides...
B.C. should jump start pot regulations
British Columbia, a province usually anxious to tax anything within its reach, has curiously kept its hands off of a large source of potential revenue: marijuana. While Washington state, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska inhale multi-millions of dollars of tax revenue by...
A Little Change, but Big Consequences for cape lazo
During the latest Comox Official Community Plan process hundreds of Valley residents made it abundantly clear they wanted Point Holmes maintained as it was: large, single family lots and plenty of green space. To their credit, most of the Comox Town Council agreed...
Is the CVRD poised to make another sewerage mistake?
In its current rush to patch its sewerage system, the Comox Valley Regional District has stumbled toward yet another unwise decision that could negatively impact our community’s coastlines. It’s not well known, but a 55-year-old sewer pipe runs beneath Comox Bay, to...
Should UBC divest from fossil fuel companies?
Should the University of British Columbia buy shares in and take profits from fossil fuel companies or invest in funds and projects directly linked to controversial energy projects? The UBC Board of Governor’s considered that question after some faculty and staff...
When city councils listen, good things can happen
The story of a Vancouver Island municipal infrastructure project, delayed for over a decade, appears headed for a happy ending. In the 1990s, the City of Campbell River planned to upgrade and replace a key sewer force-main pipe that serves the southern portion of the...
A call for civility: ‘NIMBY’ is not a four-letter word
Don’t want a toxic waste dump built on the vacant lot next to your home? Better enlist someone from a neighboring province to become the face of your Stop the Dump! campaign. Otherwise, you’ll be dismissed as a NIMBY. People who live in Victoria neighborhoods near...
Exposing the misleading spin on the Comox pump station
Comox resident George Le Masurier has responded to a post on the Comox Valley Regional District website. The CVRD post attempts to discredit Le Masurier's recent op-ed article in the Times-Colonist. The CVRD has posted on their website a response to my op-ed article...
What I’ve learned about sex from Trump and Cruz
You know what I like about the U.S. presidential campaign? Sex. That’s right, we are learning so much about the Republican candidates’ sexual preferences. It’s kind of like the Kardashians, except with angry, middle-age white guys. Here’s what we know so far: Donald...
Illegal to take driftwood from Goose Spit Park
By George Le Masurier -- During the years following WWII, the logging industry boomed on the B.C. coast. Tug boats pulled massive log booms down the Strait of Georgia every day, hauling millions of board feet of prime timber from northern Vancouver Island to lumber...