DEAR EDITOR:
A suggestion regarding the Land Use Bylaw amendments public hearing scheduled for July 12 and how Bowen Island Municipality is progressing with respect to the more relaxed public health COVID restrictions on public meetings.
While Zoom meetings have been essential during COVID-19, and have been an invaluable tool for many organizations and businesses to be able to continue their operations keeping employees and the public safe, we are sure that we can all agree that Zoom meetings have their limitations. Personally, we have not found that council meetings held by Zoom and broadcast on YouTube have contributed to a feeling of community engagement and respectful dialogue between council and the community.
We are currently in Step 3 of B.C.’s Restart Plan, reducing restrictions.
Given that the attendance at Zoom/YouTube council meetings averages fewer than 30 people, it seems like a good time for municipal administration and Mayor and council to indicate their support for in-person community engagement on the important issue of proposed major changes to Bowen Island’s Land Use Bylaw, and announce that the public hearing on LUB Bylaw 528, 2020, will be held in person, with the appropriate COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
Alternatively, if the municipal administration, Mayor, and council are not comfortable with an in-person public hearing at this time, it would seem sensible to postpone this important public consultation until September, when we will be in Step 4 of the Restart Plan. Given that the proposed LUB amendments have been in the works for almost three years (as part of strategic priority 2018), a delay of a few more weeks would, surely, not cause any problems. As municipal planning staff are obviously extremely busy on building and development permits (as described on the front page of the June 24 Undercurrent), they would most likely appreciate the additional time to focus on processing these permits to meet Bowen residents’ immediate needs. Staff and council would do well to demonstrate full transparency, open-mindedness, and engagement by postponing a complex public hearing of such importance to all of us on Bowen Island until we can all meet in person again.
Brian Buckingham and Margaret Underhill
