The following are briefs from the March 9 council meeting.
Uber fast: Council unanimously passed first readings of two bylaws to allow Bowen’s participation in Metro Vancouver intermunicipal ride hailing business licences. These licences are to let companies operate under one licence in all participating municipalities. The City of Vancouver is to be the licensing authority. Licences are to cost $150 per company and an additional $150 per vehicle (though only $30 per zero-emission vehicle and $0 per wheelchair accessible vehicle). Of the 32 eligible municipalities, 25 are bringing bylaws forward to councils.
It’s not the same TUP: Council voted to give notice that it will consider a TUP at 1034 Miller Rd. (the ambulance station) at the April 14 council meeting. The three-year permit is to allow insurance office as a primary use instead of home occupation because the operator of the Westland Insurance office that’s been in the building since 2008 has moved out (so it’s no longer home occupation) but wants to continue the business there. Coun. Sue Ellen Fast questioned use of the temporary use permit in this way instead of rezoning (as this had been a major topic of discussion earlier, during the IDLC debate). BIM’s manager of planning and development Daniel Martin said that as BIM is looking at rezoning all of Miller, especially given that the ambulance station could move across the street into the impending health centre, a temporary use permit makes more sense in this case.
Relive the stress: Coun. Maureen Nicholson presented the results of the ferry refit community impact survey to council. The survey was open for two weeks for islanders to share the effects of the Bowen Queen’s time on the Bowen run. Nicholson pulled quotes from her 40-page summary report for council’s benefit. There were stories of people in cancer treatment affected by the overloads, stories of jobs at risk due to lateness, stories of people with mobility needs stuck on the open car deck in the harsh winter weather, loss of business and overall stress. “This replacement vessel has been detrimental to the health and welfare of our community,” Nicholson quoted to council. The entire report is available online on the March 9 council agenda.