FRIDAY DEC. 7, 2012 VOL. 39, NO. 30
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Tech savvy
Library offers advice and instructions to bridge the digital divide
How’s your health?
Health authority is seeking input from Bowen Islanders
Lots of movement
Islanders came out to express their enthusiasm for eco-fashion and fitness
Is a new municipal hall the best first step to build a community centre? SUSANNE MARTIN EDITOR
T
he need for a community centre is widely acknowledged on Bowen Island but opinions diverge on how to best accomplish building one, even on the Bowen Island Community Centre Implementation Committee (BICCIC) and municipal council. Committee members as well as the public came out to the committee of the whole meeting on December 3 to find out the latest status of the initiative after councillors Tim Rhodes and Daron Jennings, who had served as council’s BICCIC liaisons, had resigned from the committee on November 5. Shari Ulrich, chair of the committee, presented the committee’s report. “Everyone here in the room and beyond knows that the community centre is high up on the wish list of island residents,” she said, adding that the votes in the last election reflected that desire as the facility had been on top of the list of election promises. Ulrich also expressed the need to come away from the meeting with a clear direction on how to move the project forward. “We may have had a different understanding about what our task was,” Ulrich said. She explained that the committee had worked to advance the project that had been presented to council in February. In November, council liaisons Rhodes and Jennings cited failure to “effectively communicate council’s wishes to the committee” and being “unable to contribute effectively to moving the implementation forward within the committee” as their reasons for resignation. continued, PAGE 3
Off with the mo! Bowen Islanders took the local Movember fundraiser to new heights when they raised $2,394.48 in a shaveoff, exposing patches of skin that had not seen that much light in quite a while. More photos on page 11. Debra Stringfellow photo
Islanders voice frustrations at ferry consultation meeting MARCUS HONDRO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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he B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has a delegation travelling around the province to conduct a dialogue with BC Ferries-served communities and it was Bowen’s turn Wednesday, November 28. The meeting, the ministry called it “Consultation and Engagement” session, took place in the band room at BICS. The content did not seem music to islanders’ ears, however, as a primary purpose of the four officials - led by assistant deputy minister Kevin Richter and BC Ferries director of stra-
tegic planning David Hendry – was to seek feedback around strategies for trimming $26 million from the ferries operating budget. Also on hand was Lynda Petruzzi from the ministry and Peter Simpson, Director of Operational Strategy for B.C. Ferries. About 40 islanders attended, including members of council and Adam Holbrook, the chair of Bowen’s ferry advisory committee. The gathering began with islanders invited to peruse four stations set-up around the room, each with graphs and display boards. The focus of the displays and the dialogue the ministry sought to engage riders with was on the savings of $26 million to the year 2016,
and on what B.C. Ferries calls the connecting of B.C.’s coastal communities “in an affordable, efficient and sustainable manner in the long-term.” After the informal talk, the four officials took places at the front of the room for the question and answer period, moderated by Nancy Spooner of Nancy Spooner Consulting Inc. Specific issues islanders were invited to provide feedback on included the basic level of service required, ferry staffing, the utilization of ferries and how routes are performing and their financial models. continued, PAGE 2
Locally owned, locally operated... and now featuring local artists! We’re now issuing chip debit cards to our members, featuring the artwork of local photographers! We would like to remind our members that they must pick up their new chip card as soon as possible. Due to changing regulations regarding debit card use in Canada, magnetic stripe debit cards will not work beyond December 31, 2012. Please see branch staff today for assistance with receiving your new card! Miller’s Landing, Bowen Island, B.C. Photo courtesy Riaan de Beer