EARTH MONTH TALKS: Charles McNeill on Climate Change PAGE 7
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THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023
BASEBALL SEASON BEGINS
VOL. 49 NO. 17
BIUndercurrent
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
Recaps, Scores, Stats PAGE 8
Cape Roger Curtis park amendments pass first reading ALEX KURIAL Editor
SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE - Bowen Island’s own Hunter Thompson signed commitment papers earlier this month to play basketball with the Western Mustangs starting this fall. Thompson, seen here with Mulgrave coaches Claude Leduc (left) and Kyle Prior (right) recently wrapped up his senior basketball season at the WestVancouver high school, and is now gearing up for graduation and a move to Ontario. Read more about Hunter’s journey, and his start at a pair of Bowen schools, in our story on Page 8. / DarcyWilliamson photo
Muni budget poised for adoption ALEX KURIAL Editor Bowen’s municipal budget looks set following unanimous approval at council this week.
The five-year financial plan received three readings during the group’s April 24 meeting, and will return for official adoption on May 8. Most immediately, it contains a 14.3 per cent property tax increase for the upcoming year. Chief financial officer Kristen Watson says
PICTURE PERFECT 1755 Emily Lane, Bowen Island
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there are several reasons for the double digit jump, including the cost of opening the new Community Centre, nearly $450,000 in debt repayments, asset management, and an increased focus on boosting capital reserve funds. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
It wasn’t unanimous, and it took awhile to settle on the wording, but Metro Vancouver’s proposed park project at Cape Roger Curtis took a significant step forward Monday night after a pair of bylaw amendments passed first reading. Changes to the Official Community Plan (OCP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) each advanced in matching 5-2 votes by council. The decisions are meant to pave the way for allowing overnight camping at the future park. Metro Vancouver envisions up to 100 campsites across the 97-hectare space, split into a variety of different access and experience levels. It’s been a formative stretch of days for the project, with its future debated at a Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Committee meeting last week. But despite reservations by some mainland members about Bowen’s level of support for the park, the organization announced Friday they’d be moving ahead with the $40-million purchase. That decision set the stage for Monday’s Bowen council meeting where manager of planning and development Daniel Martin presented the starting point for turning the pair of bylaw amendments into law. The manager stressed each of them was very much a work in progress, and in addition to a series of edits made during the April 24 meeting, are likely to be changed many more times as the process plays out, including feedback from committees and the public. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3