Readers ask for a vote
Surely it is appropriate to hold a referendum on whether camping sites should be allowed at Cape Roger Curtis.
There are many wonderful camping sites all over the B.C. mainland; an island presents special problems. Not least of which is fire. How the basic safety of humans and others on the island would be managed in case of fire has not been addressed.
Optimistic assumptions that somehow it would all work out fine do not add up to a concrete plan. Congested ferry traffic, already a serious problem, has not been addressed.
Show us concrete plans and hold a referendum. Democracy asks no less.
- Paul & Patricia Churchland
Dock Decision: Another Perspective
Thank you to all who took part in the four-year discussion of my family’s future dock. It is west of Ecclestone Road allowance on the north shore of Kwilákm/Mannion Bay. It has been mentioned in the press recently after the decision of the Province to grant tenure to the dock application.
We were humbled by the immense care that Bowen council members in 2020 and 2021 took with our application and public input. They studied the site firsthand, some several times, before voting 6–1 in favour of our proposal.
We were glad that supporters and opponents share some common values. They include appropriate development, public access to beaches, and ecological sensitivity.
Bowen’s bylaws (4.13.1) and Official Community Plan (pp. 28-29) guide appropriate development. They apply to private moorage, and our dock complies. It is less than the 40 metre length limit and on a shoreline with many docks that have been in operation for decades. It contrasts with Cape Roger Curtis docks, 112—157 m long and on previously undocked coastline.
Regarding access to beaches, fear was expressed by some neighbours that the pocket beach near Ecclestone on Kwilákm/Mannion Bay will be gone when our dock is built. Quite the contrary! We obtained a development permit in order to keep our dock close to the east property line, away from the pocket beach on the west side. We also provided — in perpetuity — formal legal land access to the little beach, which previously only had legal water access. This rocky beach does share the shore with our dock, which is largely on bedrock, but the neighbours’ dock is near ours, already in the same sight lines from a beachgoer’s vantage point.
The civic discourse about our dock led to project modifications that affirm the values we mutually agree on. Those values include the most ecological dock materials and practices currently available.
At times throughout our application process, opposing voices expressed inaccurate information, which we hope this letter helps to clear up. Our intention as Bowen Islanders with all of you is to build on respectful engagement as good neighbours.
- Tim Klauke
