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www.comoxvalleyecho.com Friday April 4, 2014
Price: 57 cents plus GST
Volume 20, No. 27
Wave of support after bike theft shows Comox Valley at its best By Philip Round Echo Staff A Courtenay man in recovery from a workplace accident has been taken aback by a wave of support and messages of goodwill following the theft of a bike on which he took regular exercise. Eighteen months ago, Keir Hamilton was badly injured while working in forestry when a branch fell on him causing a severe, but thankfully no longer life-threatening, spinal injury. Nonetheless, it led to 60 days of treatment in three hospitals - in Comox, Victoria and Vancouver - and his ongoing rehab is expected to continue for another two-and-a-half years. To help speed his return to fitness, he bought a second-hand bike from Blue Toque at the foot of Fifth Street, adjusted to fit him perfectly. At night he usually locked it in a shed at his home close to downtown, but a week ago in the middle of the day he propped it up in the carport. After darkness fell a few hours later it was gone. In a long-shot bid to recover it, he posted an online message on Craigslist: ‘To the person who stole my bike.’ In it he explained he was currently recovering from a work injury and was doing everything he could to get back in to shape. “Running is out of the question,” he wrote, “and walking can be quite uncomfortable, so riding my bike has been the only thing I’ve been able to do for exercise - and you’ve robbed me of that.” He added: “You may have noticed from the home that you stole from that I’m not exceptionally well off. “WorkSafe doesn’t pay like people think it does. I saved money off my monthly cheques all through last summer to be able to afford that cheap little bike, and I loved it. “It was set up specifically for someone with my disability, which happens to be a back issue, which is why the handlebars are so high. It’s so I didn’t have to bend at the waist in order to ride it comfortably. “I was very excited to have some kind of mobility - and now that’s gone.” The 32-year-old with a young son said he doubted whether the culprit would ever read his message, but if they did he pleaded with them to return the bike. “No questions asked. I’m not upset or angry; I just want to be able to ride my bike again.” He also offered two useful tips to any person who might see the bike and wonder if it was his: (Continued on page 2)
KFN asserts right to override conservation zoning on Denman Aquaculture continuing in Henry Bay By Philip Round Echo Staff The Denman Island Local Trust Committee has backed off from pressing bylaw enforcement actions over Pentlatch Seafoods Ltd’s aquaculture operations near Denman Island. The retreat follows legal advice and feedback from negotiators working on the treaty process with the K’ómoks First Nation, which owns Pentlatch. Following complaints last summer from island residents about zoning violations, an Islands Trust bylaw enforcement officer wrote to Pentlatch. The company was advised its aquaculture operation was not permitted in the W1 zone at Henry Bay, which is identified as a marine conservation area, and the Islands Trust required the removal of its “aquaculture infrastructure”. But in October the Chief Councillor of the K’ómoks First Nation, Robert Everson, advised the Denman Island committee it was asserting its aboriginal rights and title through Pentlatch Seafoods Ltd.’s operations in the bay. The local trust committee has now written to the KFN acknowledging that the outcome of ongoing treaty negotiations may affect its zoning authority in the area. “Given that treaty negotiations are underway and that there is an interim agreement by senior governments with the K’ómoks First Nation to permit aquaculture in such areas, we want to respect that process,” said David Graham, a Denman Island local trustee. (Continued on page 2)
Valley transit bus from Courtenay to Duncan may be feasible By Michael Briones Echo Staff
After the theft of his bike, Keir Hamilton tries out an alternate way to progress his rehab using equipment funded by WorkSafe BC.
The ability to travel by city bus from Courtenay all the way to Duncan may be an idea residents might want to see included in the Comox Valley Regional District’s Transit future plans. Michael Zbarsky, the CVRD’s Manager of Transit and Sustainability, said they would have a better idea on how the riders feel about it after the next public consultation to be held between April 22 and 26. “It’s something we’re aware of,” said Zbarsky. “We’re doing a Transit Future Plan right now and have a huge list of transit improvements that we’ve heard from the public on. “What we’re doing is just bringing them all out to the public and we’re just going to see what do people want. What are the more important priorities, what we do in the long-term versus the short-term? (Continued on page 2)
Secondary suites divide Courtenay in more ways than one By Philip Round Echo Staff When it comes to the location of secondary suites, Courtenay is a city of two halves. On the west side of the river and estuary, most residential areas are zoned to allow legal suites to be part of single-family homes. But go to east Courtenay on the opposite bank and apart from the neighbourhood around McLaughlin Drive, there is virtually no opportunity for property owners to easily incor-
porate a ‘mortgage helper’ suite into their property. They are not actually banned, but homeowners who want to create one need to pay application fees, meet particular criteria on issues such as parking and access, and follow a formal public rezoning process that sometimes stirs up strong feelings in the immediate area. On some occasions, neighbours have ended up being pitted against each other, as witnessed by councillors at a number of emotional public hearings in recent years.
The contrast between the two halves of the municipality was brought into sharp focus at a City Council committee of the whole meeting on Monday night. Land use planner Erin Ferguson presented a paper seeking further direction to staff on where secondary suites should be permitted and what the City’s approach to enforcement issues should be when illegal suites are drawn to City Hall’s attention. Ferguson said secondary suites were an important part of the rental market across BC.
“They help to meet the demand for affordable housing by offering unsubsidized rental accommodations, which can reduce the pressure on the need for non-market and government-subsidized forms of housing,” she explained. Looking at a zoning map of the municipality, 2,760 properties could add a secondary suite under their current zoning, subject to complying with Building Permit regulations. That figure represents almost 40 per cent of all single-family homes in the municipality.
No one knew for sure how many suites actually existed, although legally there were currently only 204 in the whole of Courtenay. But, she said, it was clear form online sites like Craigslist there were more than that. In the past five years, 20 homeowners had applied for the rezoning of a specific home to allow a suite, mainly in east Courtenay, and in 15 of those cases council had granted permission. (Continued on page 3)
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