Dear Editor:
After seven months, staff, mayor and council, save one, voted to grant a variance for a huge dock on Mannion Bay right next Ecclestone Public Beach in exchange for a short path to ensure legal access. As a member of The Friends of Ecclestone Beach delegation, we were subjected to public humiliation and patent disregard by some members of council. It was extremely unpleasant, to say the least. They expressed a righteous indignation to our creative alternative to the dock, the engineered plans for a staircase on the public right of way. The kicker, of course, was asking them to join in as a 50/50 co-sponsor on this community collaborative, one that fit our community guidelines. The municipal planner recommended that it be rejected as impractical and dangerous and we were then reprimanded for entertaining such presumptions. The nerve! Obviously, they have other priorities.
A short history of the short path: although it was always private, it has been used for more than 100 years, until last fall when “No Public Beach Access” BIM signs went up.
In January 2018, council, – including four current members – granted another variance to the then property owners at the same 1160 Ecclestone address for several structures that were illegally built on the public right of way leading down to the beach. The now infamous 30-foot path was a key element, arguably the most important item in the legal variance agreement going forward. Converting the path to the public in perpetuity was to be the community’s benefit for that variance. Inexplicably, the owner withdrew his offer before the vote by council. I was at council that night, speaking on behalf of public access, but I did not comprehend what was really going on behind the scenes. Astonishingly, the variance was still granted unanimously by acting mayor and council and the public got nothing in exchange. Nada. And not surprisingly, no one seems to know what happened! So here we are again; the same property, the same path, which will finally become legal, but we will now have a 122-foot private dock in exchange. Once again, neither the public interest, nor the Land Use Bylaw nor the public outcry against granting of this variance were upheld or honoured.
I want to thank the wonderful company I have had the good fortune to keep during the campaign to stop the dock. There are so many amazing people on Bowen Island!
To those of you wrote thoughtful letters in opposition: to those who made the effort (some more than once) to appear before council; and lastly, to all of you who remained faithful opposing this dock being approved – as an overwhelming 95 per cent of you did – an enormous thank you to each of you.
Again, it was an honour to work with such a generous group on behalf of our Bowen community. To our lawyer, Deborah Carlson, from West Coast Environmental Law, thank you from the bottom of hearts for your astute wisdom and legal guidance over the past several months. Thanks also to the structural engineer who designed a graceful staircase as the dock alternative. We appreciate all your efforts and expertise on behalf of our small but mighty, Ecclestone Beach.
And lastly, to Gillian Darling, whose gutsy perseverance and never ending energy kept the fires burning! I want to recognize her for the long hours of hard work she put in bringing the staircase to life, all in the service of our community and for all of us.
I offer my gratitude to Gillian and to you. Well done everyone. May we win the next one.
Heather Hodson
