FRIDAY JULY 19, 2013 VOL. 39, NO. 8
75¢
including GST
Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Early season produce
and much more at the BowFEAST farmers market
A place for going inward
The team effort behind creating the Rivendell Sanctuary
Oil spill training
WCMRC practices taking care of a spill from a derelict vessel
The state of Mannion Bay MLA gets a tour of the bay and a presentation by a residents’ group SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
W
Callie Brougham shows off one of the uses for a stand up paddle board while Trixie the dog looks toward the beach at Tunstall Bay. Story on page 9. Maia Blomberg photo
Bowen representatives attend fisheries roundtable SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
T
im Pardee and Mike von Zuben made up the delegation from the Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Club (BIFWC) that attended the Sea to Sky Fisheries Advisory Group roundtable in Squamish on July 9. They met with biologists, environmentalists, MP John Weston (West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky) and MP Robert Sopuck (Dauphin - Swan River – Marquette) who
is also a member of both the Fisheries and Environment Committees of the House of Commons. Pardee, the BIFWC’s president, believes it is important for local representatives to participate in regional discussions to make their views and experiences known. “It is important for the BIFWC to work with all the elected officials to ensure that the people who represent us understand the situation and need of Bowen Island,” Pardee said. “I feel that M.P. John Weston has done quite a bit of work to convey the views of
local conservationists to Ottawa.” “One of the points that came across from fisheries experts and advocates was the emphasis that the recommendations of the Cohen Commission should be taken seriously,” Pardee said. “It stresses that the decline of salmon is something we cannot ignore and that salmon is important for the west coast.” Pardee saw this as an important message, almost a plea to the federal government to please act on the commission’s recommendation. continued, PAGE 3
hen Jordan Sturdy, the new MLA for the West Vancouver - Sea to Sky region, visited Bowen Island on Friday, July 12, he was treated to a tour of one of the local beaches. But the intent of taking Sturdy to Mannion Bay (often called Deep Bay) was not to show him a site of attraction but rather point out a situation local residents have lobbied to address. Representing the Friends of Mannion Bay were Mike Lightbody and Derek Trethewey and, in a subsequent presentation to council, they spoke about live-aboards and derelict vessels in the bay. Lightbody pointed out that Sandy Beach at Mannion Bay is one of the most accessible and stroller-friendly beaches on Bowen Island but that water testing has shown a high coliform count. “This has been a growing issue over the last 20 and increasingly over the last 10 years, “ Lightbody said. “The challenge we face has to do with boats, live aboards, derelict vessels and a number of floats.” The issue has been brought to the attention of the municipality numerous times as living aboard a boat in the area is not permitted in the Land Use Bylaw, according to a briefing report compiled by councillor Alison Morse. The report also says that there are federal regulations for mooring buoys and the responsibility to enforce them falls to the coast guard. Morse also stated that foreshore leases for floats are under provincial jurisdiction. “The federal and provincial governments must work together to solve the cross jurisdictional issues and help the affected communities,” the briefing says, adding that one of the vessels, an abandoned wooden cabin cruiser was recently removed at a cost to the municipality of $5,000. “[Dealing with vessels that are abandoned in the water or ashore] is a long process and a costly one. This is not a cost the local community should have to incur,” the report says. continued, PAGE 3