RCMP Request Staff Increases in the Comox Valley

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In February RCMP Inspector Tim Walton for Comox Valley called for increasing staff by four constables and one support person.

Reasons given included:  last increase was in 2011, Courtenay constables have the fifth highest workload per RCMP for municipalities of its size in B.C.  Courtenay's policing costs are among the he cheapest per person in the province and there are increased calls for service since 2007.

By region a rural taxpayer pays about $ 50 per year, in Comox $ 94 and in Courtenay over $ 200. 

Generally in BC using the RCMP is cheaper than a city having their own police service.  Annual per capita costs in Vancouver are $ 422, who have their own police, and Mission (contract for RCMP) $ 274 and North Vancouver (RCMP) $ 185.

   

 Factors such as employment and poverty are important in determining crime levels.  Also, what is the level of trust and confidence by the community towards the police?  These are less specific in assessing how effective the local policing is.  Community support and involvement can make the policing more effective. RCMP contracts include federal funding/subsidization to over hundreds of municipalities and smaller communities that are 10 per cent and 30 per cent if under 15,000 population.  If part of the local request for additional officers can be allocated to rural communities the cost will be more attractive.

     

Given the above I suggest the Regional District as well as Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland give consideration to the additional staff request but phase it in over a 4 year period:  a support staff and officer in the first year plus one additional officer in each of the following three years.  By phasing it in this way it will be easier on the taxpayer.

A NO Vote for the 2016 Sewage System Proposal on June 18, 2016 Could Bring Forward New Ideas!

Much effort and money it seems has gone into coming up with a proposal for Royston/Union Bay sewer. To help me make sense of the Royston/Union Bay South Sewer Project, I decided to review the 2005 proposal (which passed in a 2006 referendum) plus the 2009 update of that proposal. 

For 2005/2009, 1,362 parcels were included but only about 950 parcels are included for the June 2016 referendum.

The 2009 cost of $34,684,000+GST prorated to 950 homes would be about $24 million. Allowing for three per cent inflation per year, in 2019 dollars that would be $31 million. Why is the cost about $56 million now?

In 2009, the failure rate from Fraser Road to Trent River was estimated to be 10 per cent, but higher in the Union Bay area (up to 50 per cent). The cost to physically connect, from your house to the actual sewer line, will be thousands of dollars, especially if you need to have a pump installed. So, to pay for the system proposed ($22,000-$25,000) plus the cost of physically connecting from your house and dealing with your old septic system could raise the cost to $25,000-30,000. I want a sewer system because it would be more reliable than septic (and someone else takes care of the maintenance) and environmentally friendly, but not at these costs.

Assuming a ‘no’ vote that will allow for the opportunity to look at ways to bring the costs down, include more parcels and to secure more funding. It is easy enough to ask for grant extensions. Also, the new federal government is interested in the environment and infrastructure, so that may be a source of funding.

I cannot see the implementation of septic system police just for the Royston/Union Bay area. Politically, if such a draconian idea were raised it would need to cover the entire regional district including Hornby and Denman Islands. 

I look forward to a much better proposal sometime in the future.

Posted in the Letters to the Editor of The Comox Valley Record on June 13, 2016

The Ongoing News Swirl from Maple Pool

I am responding to recent media reports concerning Maple Pool Campsite which is located at 4685 Headquarters Road in Courtenay.

Controversy has been brewing since the devastating flood that peaked on November 16, 2009. News reports from various sources that day (Nov.16.09) included the following:

" A state of emergency was declared in Courtenay. Courtenay Mayor Greg Phelps issued the warning because of high water levels in the Puntledge, Courtenay, Tsolum and Browns Rivers. The Courtenay Engineering Department evacuated 54 people around Maple Pool Campsite and surrounding homes on Headquarters Road. More residences were on evacuation alert.  A major frontal weather system moving through B.C.'s south coast caused multiple power outages and floods. Some parts of the Island recorded a couple hundred millimeters of rain over the past day and a half." 

'Meanwhile, BC Hydro is closely monitoring the situation at its Comox Lake dam and controlling flows into the Puntledge River system. The Hydro reservoir rose by 1 metre over 18 hours yesterday. Since yesterday, the inflows in the Comox Lake Reservoir have been around 400 cubic metres per second. BC Hydro had been spilling water all weekend and as of last night, has been spilling 200 m3/s from the dam - the full capacity of the two spillway gates. We have been backing off a bit with ocean high tides. "

 The day following the above reports, I visited the campsite to see for myself the damage (I knew someone who lived there). What I saw were several trailers/motor homes that had water at least 3 feet above the top step leading into them. Also, at slighter higher ground elevation levels I could see the high water marks along the bottom portions of many trailers and these are trailers that are, by and large, still on their current pad locations today.  Later I found out that several trailers/motor homes were basically totally destroyed or uninhabitable (i.e., contaminated with mould and so forth).

For the “Friends of Maple Pool” to support statements that it was entirely the fault of BC Hydro or that it was just inconvenient and messy is not consistent with the news reports or my own observations. 

Altitude.nu  or “Google maps find altitude” are two of several websites which will provide elevation levels.  According to these websites, 5-10 feet of leeway stands between winter Tsolum River water levels and the nearest trailer ground elevations. 

The campsite is designated a flood zone for good reason.  As one looks at weather conditions in recent years in various parts of North America, it is no longer reasonable to conclude that the 2009 flood is a once- in-100-years event.  High water levels in the Maple Pool Campsite area also occurred in January 2010 and again in 2011.

I believe it is incumbent for parties on both sides of this debate and dispute to use common sense (which isn't necessarily that common).  The issue is that residents of Maple Pool campsite are at-risk. The campground owners (along with their "Friends") need to see what it takes to comply with City bylaw requirements and the City needs to provide the needed information (if that is the case).

However, a barrier or protective wall around the at-risk portion of the campsite may need to be as high as 10 feet and one that will withstand strong and fast moving waters-- no doubt an expensive undertaking and one that needs to be properly done (meeting engineering specs).

As things now stand, each side seems to have given up on the idea of seeing the other's point of view.  Fighting using lawyers in a court forum is one that reasonable people normally view as a last resort. If this last resort continues, then the money that could have been used to rectify the situation will be lining the pockets of lawyers.  It seems to me that both sides are not willing to move enough to consider what might be in the best interests of the residents of Maple Pool Campsite. If the City "wins" these residents may end up being evicted.

Save the BC Ferries: Cut Employee Costs

Dear editor,

It was probably no surprise to most people that B.C. Transportation Minister Stone announced that the service cuts would go ahead for BC Ferries, totally ignoring passenger and resident concerns.

Making seniors pay half of the passenger fare will not save as much as they forecast because some seniors will cut back on how often they travel.

Talking about seniors, will these fare increases and service cuts reduce seniors from the Prairies who may have been planning to retire on Vancouver Island or the nearby smaller islands?

Of course there are obvious solutions.

Having over 600 hundred mangers (including 12 vice-presidents) and administrative staff is excessive, very inefficient and unnecessary, particularly when compared to Washington State ferries.

Washington ferries have one manager for every 40 workers. B.C. has one manager for every eight workers.

In 2010, about half of BC Ferries’ 4,200 workers earned over $75,000. (More recent figures are hard to come by).

Eliminating half of those managers/admin staff could produce $30 million in savings. Also, eliminating free employee and retiree passes — another $9 million.

What about the union workers with a 100-per-cent fully funded benefits plan? A gift shop cashier earns $24.49 per hour, ticket attendant at boarding booth, $24.85 per hour, coffee shop attendant, $23.35 per hour, and a third cook $27.51 per hour, with pay raises coming April 1, 2014, and April 1, 2015.

No doubt with so many employees, a number of union positions could be cut as well.

BC Ferries has lost ridership of some one million passengers and half a million vehicles, compared to about three years ago, in a period when the economy and population has been recovering and growing.

Properly managing employee costs would result in reduced future fare increases and reinstating some of the service cuts recently announced and reverse the decline in ridership.

Ed Zirkwitz,

• posted Feb 26, 2014 at 10:00 AM - Comox Valley Record
http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opinion/letters/247292511.html

Passengers won't come just because BC Ferries builds things

Dear editor,

Gord Macatee, BC Ferries commissioner, delivered his review of the Coastal Ferry Act in January 2012.

The report contained 24 major recommendations for government, BC Ferries, ferry users and other stakeholders, all intended to better balance the interests of ferry users with the financial sustainability of BC Ferries.

The review clearly indicated that all of the principle stakeholders will need to be part of the solution to achieve a ferry system that is both affordable and financially sustainable.

One area I want to focus on here is the decline in ridership statistics, which I gleaned from the BC Ferries website. The fiscal year ends on March 31.

For the 2010 fiscal year, total vehicles (on the entire BC Ferries system) was 8,252,489 and total passengers was 21,037,169. For 2011: 8,119,546 and 20,746,222; for 2012: 7,837,919 and 20,169,977 and for 2013: 7,748,743 vehicles and 19,919,096 passengers.

This is all occurring during a time of overall improvements in the economy. The obvious conclusion is that there is a problem with the strategies, management and running of  BC Ferries.

The model that BC Ferries seems to be using seems is something along the line of, "If we build and upgrade the ferries and terminals, they will come."

Well, wake up, BC Ferries — they are not coming but actually leaving in droves — half a million vehicles and over million passengers from some four years ago.

The current BC Ferries was created in 2003 but it is a monopoly in the true sense of the word. For example, with BC Hydro, we can find alternative sources of electricity: solar, generators or save/conserve electricity through various means.

The B.C. government fully subsidizes 14 inland (non-BC Ferries) routes and with some of those routes there are alternate routes people can choose to drive instead. However, with BC Ferries the only reasonable options (outside of flying) is to take the ferry and pay the ever-increasing prices or not to.

High ferry rates have reduced ridership. Rates are high because of the Cadillac service BC Ferries wants to provide. Management's past policies and decisions have resulted in taking on unsustainable debt.

That is the basic reason for the planned massive service cuts and expected to continue future rate increases.

They have no one to blame but themselves. If BC Ferries truly was providing a good service coupled with reasonable ferry rates, then the ridership should be going up, not down.

Ed Zirkwitz,

Royston

Published December 18, 2013 Comox Valley Record.

Those other Ottawa Senators...

       

From the Parliament of Canada Senate home page I discovered the following: Senators’ main jobs are to examine bills proposed by the Government. Bills in the Senate go through a similar process of debate as in the House of Commons, and a bill must pass the Senate before it can become law. Any senator may take part in the debate on a bill and propose amendments. In addition, senators may propose their own bills and initiate debates in the Chamber.   Senators also work in committees, that is, groups of 5 to 15 senators who focus on a specific policy area.

        Not included in the job description on their website is any reference to “an alternate source of entertainment to the other Ottawa Senators—that hockey team”.  In airport lounges and sports bars patrons may now flip channels to see which is the most exciting.   Whether it is in the House of Commons, the ‘red chamber’ or on the ice, the play is similar:  who is on defence, who is taking shots, who is on thin ice or who is checking whom against the boards?  But, alas, it appears nobody has been checking anybody.   The whole affair reminds me of what Sir Walter Scott said: “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”

          Now that three senators are up against the boards--possibly facing multiple game suspensions-- they are fighting back.  So the question becomes:  who is telling the truth and how much of the truth?  Should the Prime Minister’s Office seemingly have such power over the Senate, a separate body in a democratic country?  I think not. It is sad to see that our government leaders, in both Houses, involved in corruption and cover-up.  The shenanigans in the US Congress may have to take a back seat to us when this is all over.  Now is the time for us citizens of Canada to express our outrage to our Members of Parliament.

          This kind of entertainment comes at a cost.  The credibility of our leaders is in question.  They have been entrusted with so much responsibility, power and proper spending of taxpayers’ money.  History has shown us that when the citizenry of a country become complacent that, in a way we get what we deserve.  We deserve honest, credible, responsive government willing to serve the people.  IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU DESERVE  HONEST, CREDIBLE, RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT, TAKE UP YOUR PEN AND PAPER, DRAFT AN EMAIL, OR COMPOSE A TWEET TO YOUR MP AND PRIME MINISTER. DEMAND CHANGES THAT WILL BRING BACK OUR RESPECT FOR THOSE IN GOVERNMENT.  ARE YOU WILLING TO ?

At last, the job Senators are supposed to be doing revealed - Comox Valley Record November 5, 2013 http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opinion/letters/230557331.html … via @BlackPressMedia

Not Yet Ready for the Smart Meter

Dear editor,

Recently I was visited at home by a Corix contractor/employee because I have so far refused to have a smart meter installed at our residence.

This BC Hydro representative asked if I had any questions about smart meters and also to inform me regarding smart meters. To me it sounded more like a sales job to convince me to get one installed.

He told me things such as: Europe has had them for over 10 years, California installed three different ones and the one BC Hydro chose was the best of the bunch and this Itron model had no problems in California.

Of course, he did not inform me of negative stuff until I brought that up. He agreed with me that there have been wiring problems and fires here in B.C. but that all of them have been repaired at no cost to the home owner.

What about the electrical overcharges? Yes, those meters have been replaced and some of those higher charges are seasonal fluctuations.

Will we get higher evening rates such as exist in Ontario? No, because Ontario has to purchase extra electricity during peak times at higher rates.

What about the B.C. government and BC Hydro agreeing to pass legislation that bypassed public scrutiny (e.g. BC Utilities Commission)? Well, that’s politics.

He told me that I could not opt out of the installation initiative. I explained that recently B.C. politicians made it sound like we would not be forced to have one installed.

He told me that an election is coming. I told him that I would not accept a smart meter to be installed in my home until the BC Utilities Commission gives a positive review of the process and the safety of the meters.
>>>published March 13, 2013 in the Comox Valley Record<<<