Bruce Fraser - Home page

Dear Chair and Board:

We would like to invite you to attend a talk by
Bob Williams, formerChair of Vancity and
BC Minister of Resources, that will be held
at theCowichan Theatre next Wednesday
(October 17) at 7:00 pm. Mr. Williams'
talk will explore the topics of economic
development, co-ops, creditunions and
forestry. We feel his talk will be very relevant
to the issues faced by local government, and
we hope to see you there. Further
information can be found in the text below.

Best regards,

Rob Douglas
Cowichan Co-operative Connections

FORMER VANCITY CHAIR BOB WILLIAMS SPEAKS AT COWICHAN THEATRE ON OCTOBER
17, 7:00 PM

Bob Williams, one of BC's most distinguished public citizens, will be
speaking at the Cowichan Theatre on Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 pm, in
celebration of International Credit Union Day.

Mr. Williams' talk, titled _The Future of BC's Economy: De-Centralizing
Power by Empowering the Regions_, will explore the ideas of
de-centralization and regionalization, discussing how co-operatives and
credit unions can transform our local economies, while also outlining
how we can re-build our forest industry by empowering our regions.

Mr. Williams is a Board Member of Vancity, one of North America's
largest credit unions, and is the former Minister of Resources in the
B.C. government. With Vancity, Mr. Williams was instrumental in
supporting the founding of the subsidiary Vancity Capital Corporation,
which provides mezzanine financing to small- and medium-sized
businesses. As Minister of Resources in the government of former Premier
Dave Barrett, he played a central role in preserving Whistler and
establishing the Agricultural Land Reserve.

In recent years, Mr. Williams—who was responsible for the forestry
portfolio as a cabinet minister--has developed a new vision for
re-building BC's forest industry. This vision is built on the idea of
de-centralizing management of our lands and forests to the regional
level in order to free and empower the creative capacity of the people
in the regions, create full and meaningful employment, and more vibrant
regional cities.

The event is being organized by Cowican Co-op Connections, a local
community service co-op that has already held a series of events to
promote the co-operative alternative over the course of 2012, the
International Year of the Co-operative. Mr. Williams’ talk is being
sponsored by our local credit unions, which include Coastal Communities,
Coast Capital Savings and Island Savings, as well as the B.C.
Co-operative Association, Vancouver Island University and Viridian
Energy Co-operative. Admission is by donation.

NEWS RELEASE

October 2, 2012
For Immediate Release

COMMUNITY GROWING IMPATIENT OVER CONTAMINATED SOILS

CVRD Board Chair Rob Hutchins is asking the provincial Minister of Environment to offer some measureable progress in resolving Cowichan Valley concerns over the deposition of contaminated soils. Chair Hutchins made the request in a letter after a meeting last week in Victoria with Minister Terry Lake during which a CVRD delegation asked for action on a list of items put to the government last May. “It is becoming increasingly important that we demonstrate to our residents that we are having some success in this collaborative approach,” Hutchins said. He stressed that the CVRD appreciates the direction the Minister has given to ministry staff to work on this important file.

“Recent Provincial approval authorizing the relocation of 1450 truckloads of soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to the Cowichan Valley is not sitting well with the community,” Hutchins said. “The ongoing procession of trucks loaded with soil of undetermined origin travelling over the Malahat to dump in the Cowichan Valley is becoming more alarming for residents in the Shawnigan area."

Chief Harvey Alphonse stated, “Cowichan Tribes wants to be very clear that in our territory, we do not accept the inappropriate moving into and/or treatment of contaminated soils. The soils from CFB Esquimalt are being moved to a site directly adjacent to the Koksilah River and Kelvin Creek. It is also adjacent to Cowichan Tribes reserve land and within a few hundred metres of several individual and community wells that provide drinking water to our members. The livelihoods of our members are intimately tied to the health of the Koksilah and Cowichan Rivers.”

“This is not the first time that it has come to our attention that contaminated, or even hazardous, materials have been received in our territory. We would like to work together with the Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Ministry of Environment to come to some resolution on this important issue,” added Chief Alphonse.

The outstanding items from the May meeting that Hutchins is asking to see tangible progress on include:

1. The testing of the eleven or twelve unlicensed sites where soils have been and continue to be deposited to determine the content of the soils and any potential impacts on the environment

2. Random “spot checks” on trucks coming over the Malahat with loads of soil destined to be deposited in the Cowichan Valley to determine the content of the soils and destination.

3. The monitoring of Shawnigan Creek to determine if the creek is being adversely affected by adjacent industrial activities.

“We would appreciate Ministry staff responding to these issues as soon as possible," Hutchins said. "The CVRD Board and people in the Cowichan Valley are becoming more and more concerned and frustrated about contaminated soils entering our valley."

For Further Information, Contact:
Tom Anderson, General Manager, Planning & Development
Tel: 250.746.2601