A headline in the Goldstream Gazette on January 23rd caught my eye the other day, stating "Too little public input on Jordan River." Pirjo Raits, editor of the Sooke News Mirror, had written an article that took an environmentalists standpoint to an issue of politics around development and the forrestry industry in the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area. A recent overturning of CRD bylaws which impeded development surrounding the Jordan River has sparked some concern among environmentalists within the area. The bylaws have been changed so that the minimum parcel size in the Forestry Zone is now 120 hectares, and the ability for small landowners to build and sell four homes on 10 acres has been eliminated.
Raits states that the decision to lift these bylaws was made by three directors at the CRD, which she felt was unfair. She went on to talk about how overdeveloping and overharvesting lumber throughout Vancouver Island has left vast disruption to natural habitats, and that more public consultation should be mandatory when dealing with issues such as this. Raits explains that with well-planned and thought out development, the forests would be much safer than if they remain under the possession of forestry companies. I felt it was very fitting for this article to arise at this time, since we have been learning about public participation and its importance this year in our ENSC409 course.
The article also came up at a convenient time since we have just recently had a presentation from Jodi Mucha of BC Healthy Communities. She explained to us how BCHC facilitates interaction between community groups such as environmental based organizations and local governments. It seems that this type of facilitation could prove to be valuable in this issue since there appears to be little communication between the government and the community. I also found it particularily fitting to see that the issue in question just happened to be the same issue our class had chosen to discuss for our future search conference this term.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Affordable Housing in Victoria
As per the ENSC 409 lecture notes from January 15, 2009, one of the questions that should be asked when discussing whether or not your community is sustainable was, “Is it easier or harder for people to find homes that they can afford?” In the community of Victoria it is quite evident that affordable housing is a problem. The current availability of affordable housing in Victoria is among the lowest in Canada. This trend makes it difficult for low-income families to pay rent, and forces these families to spend more money on their rent rather than on other things like food or utilities.
In a recent article on VicNews.com, Dean Fortin, mayor of Victoria, will be proposing to city council this Thursday a plan which would offer homeowners up to $5000 to install secondary suites in their homes. (VicNews.com, 2009) The move is part of an effort to provide a financial incentive to homeowners while increasing the availability of affordable housing, as well as provide opportunity for contractors in construction trades.
This proposal seems like a good idea to me. I think that if it goes through it will get people who otherwise would not have built suites to go ahead and build them, as well as provide some work for trades industries such as construction, plumbing, and electrical. In a difficult economic time, people may be able to increase their revenue through renting suites to other families. This will require a significant capital investment from homeowners, as “the cost of building a suite starts at $20,000 and can range up to $100,000 in some cases.” (VicNews, 2009) This cost could however be repaid within a reasonably short pay-back period, since the demand for housing is so large in Victoria.
Original Article - Vass, K. Suite deal pitched by Fortin. January 19, 2009. Victoria News.Accessed January 19, 2009, from http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/37848284.html
In a recent article on VicNews.com, Dean Fortin, mayor of Victoria, will be proposing to city council this Thursday a plan which would offer homeowners up to $5000 to install secondary suites in their homes. (VicNews.com, 2009) The move is part of an effort to provide a financial incentive to homeowners while increasing the availability of affordable housing, as well as provide opportunity for contractors in construction trades.
This proposal seems like a good idea to me. I think that if it goes through it will get people who otherwise would not have built suites to go ahead and build them, as well as provide some work for trades industries such as construction, plumbing, and electrical. In a difficult economic time, people may be able to increase their revenue through renting suites to other families. This will require a significant capital investment from homeowners, as “the cost of building a suite starts at $20,000 and can range up to $100,000 in some cases.” (VicNews, 2009) This cost could however be repaid within a reasonably short pay-back period, since the demand for housing is so large in Victoria.
Original Article - Vass, K. Suite deal pitched by Fortin. January 19, 2009. Victoria News.Accessed January 19, 2009, from http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/37848284.html
Monday, January 12, 2009
The cover story in the Goldstream Gazette on January 7, 2009, talked about how the Sooke School District planned to lower its energy consumption. BC Hydro has agreed to fund an energy manager for SD 62 to help work with staff and students on lowering the overall carbon footprint of the school district.
Chad Dalrymple was hired in October as SD 62’s energy manager as part of a movement to reduce the amount of energy used by all schools in the region, and to heat and power buildings more efficiently. This move is also driven by the provincial government’s goal of all schools being “carbon neutral” by 2010. Dalrymple plans to inspect and assess each individual building and improve any inefficient technologies, “such as single-pane windows, old lights, old boilers, and poor insulation.” (Goldstream Gazette, 2009) He also plans on working with students and educating them on ways to lower energy use, such as turning off lights that aren’t being used.
The primary result Dalrymple hopes to achieve is behavioral changes throughout SD 62. Through the education of staff and students, he hopes to instill the ideologies of sustainability such as energy conservation and waste minimization. I believe that these changes will not only benefit SD 62, but also improve the staff and students’ behavior at home when it comes to recycling and saving energy. If students are actively involved with these practices at school from a young age, it is likely that they will carry these principles with them to their extracurricular activities. One person alone doing these things may not have a significant effect on the environment, but an entire school district changing its practices could lead to a significant effect on a local scale.
The energy savings that can be achieved through these changes within SD 62 will have a positive effect on the environment, but it will not be enough to eliminate the carbon footprint. The article mentions “the goal is to shrink the carbon footprint to zero, a practical impossibility, at least right now,” (Goldstream Gazette, 2009) and that the school district will have to purchase carbon offsets to balance their energy use. I think this is one flaw with the “carbon neutral by 2010” concept, since schools all need to consume a large amount of energy even if they are doing it efficiently. The important thing, however, is that the schools are starting to take action and educating people so they can move towards a more sustainable community.
Original Article: Hill, E. School district on green path. Goldstream Gazette, January 7, 2009.
Chad Dalrymple was hired in October as SD 62’s energy manager as part of a movement to reduce the amount of energy used by all schools in the region, and to heat and power buildings more efficiently. This move is also driven by the provincial government’s goal of all schools being “carbon neutral” by 2010. Dalrymple plans to inspect and assess each individual building and improve any inefficient technologies, “such as single-pane windows, old lights, old boilers, and poor insulation.” (Goldstream Gazette, 2009) He also plans on working with students and educating them on ways to lower energy use, such as turning off lights that aren’t being used.
The primary result Dalrymple hopes to achieve is behavioral changes throughout SD 62. Through the education of staff and students, he hopes to instill the ideologies of sustainability such as energy conservation and waste minimization. I believe that these changes will not only benefit SD 62, but also improve the staff and students’ behavior at home when it comes to recycling and saving energy. If students are actively involved with these practices at school from a young age, it is likely that they will carry these principles with them to their extracurricular activities. One person alone doing these things may not have a significant effect on the environment, but an entire school district changing its practices could lead to a significant effect on a local scale.
The energy savings that can be achieved through these changes within SD 62 will have a positive effect on the environment, but it will not be enough to eliminate the carbon footprint. The article mentions “the goal is to shrink the carbon footprint to zero, a practical impossibility, at least right now,” (Goldstream Gazette, 2009) and that the school district will have to purchase carbon offsets to balance their energy use. I think this is one flaw with the “carbon neutral by 2010” concept, since schools all need to consume a large amount of energy even if they are doing it efficiently. The important thing, however, is that the schools are starting to take action and educating people so they can move towards a more sustainable community.
Original Article: Hill, E. School district on green path. Goldstream Gazette, January 7, 2009.
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