Union Bay Improvement District Board of Trustees

A few things I've been unable to comment on until today:

• Congratulations to the two new Trustees, Carol Molstad and Anne Alcock voted in by a huge majority at the Union Bay Improvement District Annual General Meeting April 20, 2011.
• Thanks to the Board of Trustees of the Union Bay Improvement District, immediately after taking office, announced the monthly meetings would indeed be open to the public.  Note:  the Ombudsperson office has confirmed there was not justification to close the meetings to the public.
• Anyone noticed the wonderful job Union Bay Improvement District Chair, Carol Molstad is doing?  Talk about professional meetings.  What a breath of fresh air to attend meetings where the residents are actually told what is going on.  
• The Board of Trustees of the Union Bay Improvement District have accomplished a lot in such a short time.  I believe we have Trustees who are dedicated to representing what the community wants.
• A big thank you to the Board of Trustees of the Union Bay Improvement District for recognizing they didn't have the authority to bring this lawsuit, and rectified the situation.

and....

a huge Thank You to my lawyer, Jason Gratl.  I`ve received many comments from residents who are so impressed by this young man.  For those who have asked me about this amazing lawyer, watch the following video clip.

Here is a clip I edited that was posted on youtube by:

Uploaded by pjmora on Mar 13, 2010

Vancouver Rally in January 2010 to protest the proroguing of the Canadian Parliament by the conservative government.

 

Pretty Impressive.

Recent article regarding this issue:  

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/detainee+question/5005493/story.html

 

Anyone Remember McMahon Telling Us There Wouldn't Be A Gated Community?

Slick came into this community - hand picked easily manipulated, selfish  mouthpieces to push this monstrosity through, at any cost.

The Union Bay Community Plague

 

WHO CAN WE THANK FOR SELLING THE COMMUNITY OUT?

 WE WERE TOLD IT WAS A HUNDRED HOUSES.  THE RECENT WATER AGREEMENT IS NOW FOR FIVE HUNDRED HOUSES?


Kensington Island Properties Clearing Argyle Road Residential Community
Leaving A Few Trees Along the Railway

Quote from developer site - they are not the Union Bay Community - it is a company. An arrogant one.

"Like a diamond in the rough, Union Bay is about to be shaped and polished so all the world can be dazzled by its radiance."
 

SHAPING AND POLISHING MACHINE

Looking towards the ocean and then panning to the right showing clearing west of railway tracks.

DSC_1137.AVI

Kensington Island Properties/Kensington Coastal Pointe
Another quote from their site:  
"The innovative 854-acre Kensington Island Properties (KIP) will showcase the natural beauty........"       Really????

Is this what we have to look forward to?

The Comox Valley Record

Has anyone noticed the Comox Valley Record isn't much of a newspaper anymore?  They have chosen to completely ignore anything going on in Union Bay.

The editor has made some pretty bizarre statements in his editorials.  The first odd one I noticed was when he made some reference to Union Bay residents who voted against something.  "God help the residents who............"  as though giving the green light to single out those who could be viewed as responsible.

A few months ago, he stated his preference regarding credibility of three elected officials, choosing one and casting doubt on the character of the remaining two.  He failed to provide his reasoning in passing judgement on the two individuals.

I couldn't help noticing today, the editor replied to a person who referred to the Record as a 'rag'.  The editor responded and advised the poster he was wrong and that the poster owed the Record an apology. 

The funny thing is, the editor is claiming the headline and story clearly stated the postal workers were 'locked' out, not 'walked' off as the poster had complained. 

It's obvious the editor is not being truthful.  Right under the poster's comments and the editor's is the original headline which clearly states "Canada Post Employees in Courtenay and Comox Walked Off The Job Tuesday Morning".

The editor or 'someone' changed the headline but forgot the link still displayed the original headline. 

How petty is that?

Here's the editor's response to the poster:  

Here's the screenshot, just in case they change it.

We Have Our Own Section

What a wonderful surprise today when I clicked on the Cumberlander and saw this:

We are so lucky to have the opportunity to be part of this great website.  There is an unbelievable amount of information and links to sites well worth looking at, on the Cumberlander.  
http://www.thecumberlander.ca/show1851a/Union_Bay_Section_Opens_on_The_Cumberlander
Dwayne is obviously a talented community minded individual.  I worried the Cumberlander would suffer when he moved to Spence's Bridge, but instead has thrived and Dwayne is doing for his new community, what he continues to provide to his previous community.    


We are lucky.  Life is Good.

More info on Raven Project Submissions

3 IMPORTANT ACTIONS re the RAVEN PROJECT

… FORWARD YOUR OWN LETTER TO THE BC EAO (if you haven’t already)

… INVITE FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, AND COLLEAGUES, living in other parts of Canada and world wide, TO SEND IN LETTERS

… HOLD A “WRITE IN”. Invite nearby friends, neighbours, family members over for coffee or a brew and write letters together.  That way your letter becomes 4 or 5. Some folks just find it hard to get started. To assist them, have several hard copies of the points the CoalWatch Technical Advisory Team has developed, on hand, regarding the deficiencies of the draft application information requirements.  The letters could be sent immediately from your computer (in which case, be sure to include senders' names, addresses, phone numbers if it’s not going from their own computers), or have envelopes, stamps and addresses there ready to send by snail mail. Couples can send separate letters.  **

**The ‘write in” idea was shared with me by a seasoned Campbell River coal mine critic highly disillusioned with the EA process, the followup monitoring, and the impacts of the Quinsam Mine.

________________

CoalWatch’s Technical Advisory Group – List of Deficiencies:  http://www.coalwatch.ca/sites/default/files/Info-for-commenting-on-the-Raven-DraftAIR-29May2011.pdf

Please consider including the following 3 points in your submission:

1. Call for a joint federal/provincial independent expert Panel Review with full public hearings enabling the public to have experts present their views and also to hear the views of the Governments’ and the proponent’s experts.
2. Call for comprehensive aquifer mapping and modeling of the full Raven tenure including interaction between ground and surface waters and their relationship to Baynes Sound.
3. Call for inclusion of the Bear Project within the list of future activities whose cumulative effects on transportation, water, accumulation of waste materials in the watersheds flowing into Baynes Sound, and other values must be assessed.  

To read submissions other individuals and organizations have made:  http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/comments/Raven_Coal_Mine_comments.html

Note:  You can make as many written submissions as you wish by the deadline date of June 27, 2011.

Send submission(s) to:

Online: www.eao.gov.bc.ca   Click on Comment Form - Raven Underground Coal 

E-mail: raven@ceaa-acee.gc.ca     Fax: 250 356 6448

Canada Post: (postmarked by June 27)

Rachel Shaw, Environmental Assessment Office

PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt Victoria BC  V8W 9V1

For more information   …   www.coalwatch.ca

Comment on Raven Coal Project

Comment form:  

http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/forms/Raven.html

 

Remember when Shaw tried the reverse billing?  You were forced to inform them you didn't want the extra channels to stop being charged for services you didn't order.

 

Seems as though everything is that way today.  If you don't speak up, it's assumed you approve.

 

If you don't oppose this coal project, it's assumed you are in complete agreement.  

 

Are you okay with that? 

 

Comment form:  

http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/forms/Raven.html

Public Comment and Public Meeting on draft Application Information Requirements 

Raven Underground Coal Project

Compliance Coal Corporation

The public is invited to obtain information about and comment on the draft Application Information Requirements / Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines which will specify the detailed information to be provided in the application for an environmental assessment certificate for the proposed project. Public meetings will be held in Courtenay, Port Alberni and Union Bay. A 40 day public comment period on the Application Information Requirements / Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines will start on May 18, 2011 and end on June 27, 2011. All written comments received by online form, email (raven@ceaa-acee.gc.ca), fax or mail during this comment period in relation to the draft Application Information Requirements will be considered. 


http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/epic/documents/p351/1305822412892_406b615150f244f4f0b1be2959562ece081968347e5b380eced1779667df4fb9.pdf


By Online Form: www.eao.gov.bc.ca
By Email: raven@ceaa-acee.gc.ca
By Fax: 250-356-6448


Comment form:  
http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/forms/Raven.html

Mysterious Slime Trail From Comox Solved. Flunky Residue.

Union Bay and Fanny Bay are ground zero

	Wednesday » June 8 » 2011
Union Bay Hall Jammed With Coal Mine Opponents Tamara Cunningham Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, June 07, 2011 Frustration and fear over the proposed Raven Coal Mine boiled over at a public meeting, Friday. Over 400 people attended the final public meeting at Union Bay Community Hall last week to voice concerns about the controversial coalmine. They dressed up as lumps of coal, waved signs, banged pots and pans and shouted 'no Compliance Coal' as the meeting moderator struggled to get control. Tria Donaldson, pacific coast campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, said the meeting was unlike any that have occurred earlier in the week, but she wasn't surprised. Union Bay and Fanny Bay are ground zero for the impacts of the mine, she said. People are concerned about road safety, the tourism and shellfish industry and air and water quality. Questions about the issues have been sent to the company for more than a year and people have been largely ignored, she said. So when they hear at these meetings (the mine) may or may not destroy their water and may or may not destroy the shellfish industry there is lots of frustration and I think tonight we are seeing that come out," Donaldson said. The environmental assessment process is in its early stages, but people could view the draft application information requirements and environmental impact statement guidelines - a 260-page document. A panel of representatives from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, B.C. Environmental Assessment Office and Compliance Coal were on hand to answer questions about the proposed guidelines and collect written submissions. Compliance Coal's chief executive, John Tapics, helped kick off the meeting with an explanation about the scope and the benefits of the project. The mine is proposed for private land five kilometers west of the Buckley Bay ferry terminal. It will provide at least 350 jobs and another 700 indirectly through construction and supply. There will also be a push to hire local laborers, Tapics said. The coal will be exported to steel-making markets in Japan and South Korea. Opponents to the mine cut Tapics' speech short as they marched through the room, banging on pots and shouting for an end to the coalmine proposal. (Continued on page 3) It was the start to a loud and emotionally charged meeting. Organizers had to lock out one protestor who tried to elbow his way into the meeting with a large anti-mine sign and the panel came under fire from people who made it clear they want an independent review and public hearings - or an end to the consideration of the mine altogether. Demonstrators also sung protest songs and held up signs above the sea of heads that read 'hog wash' and 'cop out' as if the cue the crowd to laugh. Moderator Kathy Eichenberger with the Environment Assessment Office, called crowd behaviour 'disappointing' and disrespectful to the formal process. This was an opportunity for people to provide comment as part of the environmental assessment. Questions about the adverse affects of the mine couldn't be answered because the assessment is still in its infancy. Donaldson said the actions of a few at the meeting don't necessarily represent everyone, but the sentiment is shared and that's one of fear and frustration. Comments have been regulated to the proposed application. There hasn't been a good avenue to say no to the mine or voice concern about the project, she said. People took matters into the own hands at Friday's meeting. It's hard to describe what went on Friday. There weren't a bunch of loose cannons there, but seniors, mothers with children, youth ... people you'd never suspect would come out and voice their opinions, did," said John Snyder, president of Coalwatch Comox Valley. Participant Ana Leigh believes people will go to 'the barricades' if the mine goes forward. They are fed up, she said. People moved to the countryside and suddenly the industrial world is considering setting up in their backyards. It will change the entire nature, landscape and spirit of the Comox Valley," she said. deNeen Baldwin, also attended the meeting, and said she worries about the economic livelihoods of shellfish farmers. Public meetings like the one Friday are the best way for people to exercise their voice, she said. This is one of the few times in which we do have an option to fight and use our voice ... if we don't engage at this process at the local level, we abuse the whole notion of think globally, act locally," she said. Close to 1,500 people attended the meetings in Courtenay, Port Alberni and Union Bay this week to give feedback about the application. After the initial meeting in Courtenay, Tapics acknowledged there's a lot of interest in the proposed project. People are ... looking for reassurance that the project will be designed and operated in a way that protects the environment," he said. People are able to send written submissions on the draft AIR/EIS guidelines by June 27. Tcunningham@comoxvalleyecho.com © Comox Valley Echo 2011

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