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Letter: The Hour Grows Late

Reader says Bowen in the 11th hour regarding the future of the Cape and the island
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Dear Mayor and Councillors,

I write to you again in what feels to me to be the 11th hour of a critical time for Bowen Island. If Metro Vancouver is not allowed to have our Official Community Plan changed I am hoping that will persuade them not to purchase the available land at the Cape.

I am hopeful for this because then that beautiful land will still be available to residents and non-residents alike in the areas provided by the developer as agreed in their permit for development. The beautiful board walk, the beach at the Cape, and the lighthouse are all ours to enjoy spontaneously without paying for reservations. 

The homesights will indeed be built upon and their privacy will include areas that we now trespass on. Although years ago I voted for a federal park, I am now glad that too never happened. Bowen is a relatively small community within one ferry ride to Canada’s third-largest metropolis. It is already the case that tourists come looking for campsites and after finding none they camp wherever they find space.

That trend will only increase if camping is legal. Once one travels to an island it is very awkward to go back. As a community we have always benefitted and struggled with the various aspects of our close relationship to Vancouver. A large park with camping facilities will only compound that struggle.

The largest cost may be the destruction of our once very close community in favour of a thriving tourist destination. At the very least we deserve a referendum. This is not an issue that can be determined by six councilors and a mayor behind closed doors.

Please give everyone a voice in the decision before it’s too late.

Sincerely,

- Lyn van Lidth de Jeude