Discussion about Mannion Bay and a new bylaw aimed at cleaning it up drew strong emotions, forcing Mayor Murray Skeels to plead for order at a July 11 council meeting.
As the mayor opened the floor to an abundance of speakers for the public comment session at last week’s council meeting, he requested that people refrain from cheering, booing, “you know, that sort of stuff.”
While the public maintained order and civility throughout comments on Bowen’s controversial new brand, talk of the situation on Mannion Bay and a newly devised bylaw to clean it up grew heated and emotional.
For those against the bylaw a lack of affordable housing is at the heart of this issue, a theme that came up over and over through the course of the meeting.
Carina Basile told council she owns a sailboat in Mannion Bay. She said she has recently been evicted from her home on Bowen and found a new place to live, but if she hadn’t, the boat would have provided her and her partner with a place to live while transitioning to the city.
Michael Chapman, who lives near Sandy Beach, said that if the bylaw is passed, four or five community members and local workers will be made homeless.
He compared it to the bylaw passed by the City of Abbotsford to remove people from camping on public lands, a bylaw that was deemed by the B.C. Supreme Court to be a violation against section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protecting an individual’s safety and security.
Jennifer Davidson told council that she would be one of those made homeless if the bylaw was passed.
“I’m a person with a disability so I have a limited income, trying to find anything for less than $900 a month is really impossible,” she said. “So I live on a boat. And I row to and from shore every day and I work, every day. I work contracts doing landscaping, I clean dishes, I clean houses. I work, every day. And still it’s not enough to afford a house on this island.”
Jason Simms told council that he is the owner of two boats in Mannion Bay, and recently allowed his son and his son’s girlfriend to move onto one of them after they were evicted.
“If they didn’t have that they would’ve moved into a bush in a camp . . . is that what you want?” said Simms.
Council passed the Use of Beach and Water Areas bylaw along with the consent agenda prior to public comment.
The bylaw prohibits a number of activities on beaches and Sandy Bay Beach in particular, such as operating an electric saw, excavating beach material, or defacing or removing municipal signs or other property. It also makes it illegal to live on a moored boat for more than 48 consecutive hours.
Senior bylaw services officer Bonny Brokenshire said the bylaw is not designed to evict people, but rather as a tool for enforcement of inappropriate uses of the water and beach.
“Two years ago council adopted a five-point plan for Mannion Bay, and the two parts that have not been put in place yet are enforcement and social planning,” said Brokenshire in an interview following the meeting. “The social planning piece of the puzzle, when it is established, will ensure that there are options in place for people living on boats. I am optimistic that when presented with options, people will be open to them.”
Following public comment, the issue of Bowen’s need for affordable and diverse housing options came up repeatedly.
The latest plans for the proposed distillery in Snug Cove include three residential units, two of which will be considered “affordable housing.” Skeels said that given the rates considered affordable will be just 10 per cent below “market” rates in West Vancouver, these units will “achieve little.”
Coun. Sue Ellen Fast said she could not see how the creation of affordable housing units could be considered “pointless,” especially given the new Vancouver empty house tax is likely to put more investment pressure on outlying areas including Bowen.
Coun. Maureen Nicholson argued that having housing that will be deemed affordable “in perpetuity” as these units will be, will be even more important; and Coun. Melanie Mason argued that rental rates are rising to the degree that they are increasingly comparable to prices in West Vancouver.
Following this discussion, council agreed unanimously to wave the parking requirements for the Copper Spirit Distillery project in Snug Cove.
Municipal planner Daniel Martin brought forward land use bylaw amendments affecting four properties on Rivendell Drive. While all homes on Bowen are allowed to have secondary suites for rent, this amendment allows for the secondary suites to be sold on these properties.
Coun. Gary Ander asked whether a rezoning like this would set a precedent for other parts of the Island. While the planner said no, it wouldn’t, Fast disagreed.
“At the public hearing for this, I heard someone saying ‘this sounds great, we could do this here,’ so I do think it would set a precedent,” she said. “I do oppose this kind of spot rezoning.”
Coun. Alison Morse said that she views this rezoning as a trial, and it is an attempt to meet Bowen’s diverse housing needs.
“I don’t know that this is necessarily taking away rental housing, but it does create housing at a lower price point that isn’t currently available on the island right now,” she said.
Skeels voiced his concern that people in neighbouring lots have voiced their opposition to this plan, while Mason added that she was “on the fence about this one,” but that there is no shortage of homes for sale over a million dollars so given that this rezoning provides options at a lower price point, she decided to support it.
All councillors voted in favour of this amendment with the exception of the mayor.
On plans to develop Lot 3, which sits beside the RCMP station on Miller Road, Fast questioned why it seemed that the creation of dwelling units would not be permitted there.
In a later interview, Fast said that between the proposed fire hall on one side and parking on the other, there is room to build more apartments above retail spaces.
“There had been no decision to exclude housing so I didn’t want this to go forward without some clarity,” said Fast, who added that she and some of the other councillors have been participating in webinars and other educational events about affordable housing. “Actively supporting diverse housing is one of the strategic pillars for our council in 2016, and I feel that by supporting the development of Snug Cove House and getting some rent-controlled apartments above the pub we are doing well, but I am looking forward to creating more in the face of big challenges throughout our whole region.”
