Speaking of Beaver Creek's Drinking Water...

[The Invisible Man]

Last October, the people of Beaver Creek voted 73% in favour of converting the Beaver Creek Improvement District (BCID) into a service area of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD).

Five months have passed and BCID has not shown much movement towards the conversion.

The ACRD has committed $800,000 to infrastructure upgrades in 2012 and more recently applied for an additional $810,000 grant for a total of $1.61 million in water system improvements for Beaver Creek.

It was proposed that June 1st be a target date for conversion to enable work to commence in 2012 as these funds cannot be used for works that are not the responsibility of the ACRD.

BCID was supposed to make a decision to move forward with the conversion at last night's regular monthly meeting however the meeting was cancelled. The note on the door did not specify why it was cancelled however said the next meeting will be held on April 16th.

Rarely do leopards change their spots. Chances are high that BCID trustees are up to the same game that they have been playing all along trying to maintain the status quo. Is it time to rally the troops AGAIN? Doesn't the voice of the people mean anything to them? ACRD has put their best foot forward and now its time for BCID to do the same.

[Possum]

I was out walking my pooch the other day and ran into a new neighbour out walking his pooch and we chatted about all kinds of things while we walked.

He knew who I was from the various webboards I'm on and he laughed like hell when we got to the topic of the BCID and he had some startling information.

It seems that one of the most vocal activists and prolific letter writers in the area was seen writing letters to government officials and sending them off with other Beaver Creek residents names attached to the letters. The unknowing people of Beaver Creek may been seen by the government as being in support of the water quality complaints and not even know about these letters.

Activists think nothing of breaking laws and or lying when they are on a campaign as is evidenced by Greenpeace, WWF, David Susuki et al. They make claims and the repeat the claims and then repeat them yet again ubtil the lies are thought to be the truth.

The people of Cherry Creek do not want to share the costs of improving Beaver Creek water and being they accepted being lead down the garden path. The two women of letters won and BC voted to become a regional service area (and giving up their water rights) and losing their best option (Corex) I think Cherry Creek will vote to go it alone as from what I can gather it will be cheaper for us that way. Our infrastructure is in a shape that we do not have to pull every pipe out of the ground and replace it.

BTW is it a coincidence that the only e-coli tainted water sample was taken and submitted by one of the two prolific letter writers. Oh well I guess we will have to see what happens next.

[The Invisible Man]

I was out walking my pooch the other day and ran into a new neighbour out walking his pooch and we chatted about all kinds of things while we walked.

He knew who I was from the various webboards I'm on and he laughed like hell when we got to the topic of the BCID and he had some startling information.

It seems that one of the most vocal activists and prolific letter writers in the area was seen writing letters to government officials and sending them off with other Beaver Creek residents names attached to the letters. The unknowing people of Beaver Creek may been seen by the government as being in support of the water quality complaints and not even know about these letters.

Activists think nothing of breaking laws and or lying when they are on a campaign as is evidenced by Greenpeace, WWF, David Susuki et al. They make claims and the repeat the claims and then repeat them yet again ubtil the lies are thought to be the truth.

The people of Cherry Creek do not want to share the costs of improving Beaver Creek water and being they accepted being lead down the garden path. The two women of letters won and BC voted to become a regional service area (and giving up their water rights) and losing their best option (Corex) I think Cherry Creek will vote to go it alone as from what I can gather it will be cheaper for us that way. Our infrastructure is in a shape that we do not have to pull every pipe out of the ground and replace it.

BTW is it a coincidence that the only e-coli tainted water sample was taken and submitted by one of the two prolific letter writers. Oh well I guess we will have to see what happens next.

I don't believe a word that you have written. Either you are being dishonest or your friend is being dishonest. For certain, at least one of you is a liar. Regardless, you are responsible for spreading misinformation in a public domain. It seems that you have made it your mission in life to destroy a certain water activist's reputation. Stop it! We know who she is and we know who you are too.

Always remember what goes around, comes around.

[Possum]

Is that a threat? I don't give a ratzz what you believe and I don't take threats lightly. I could easily go pick him up and the three of this discuss this like gentlemen or ladies and gentlemen; your choice.

I will await the FOI on this one because it will not be hard to gather the names of Beaver Creek residents in letters presented to VIHA and government offices and then contact the named people and ask if they did indeed write that letter? Not hard at all. We were all taught FOI 101 by a master.

[The Invisible Man]

Is that a threat? I don't give a ratzz what you believe and I don't take threats lightly. I could easily go pick him up and the three of this discuss this like gentlemen or ladies and gentlemen; your choice.

I will await the FOI on this one because it will not be hard to gather the names of Beaver Creek residents in letters presented to VIHA and government offices and then contact the named people and ask if they did indeed write that letter? Not hard at all. We were all taught FOI 101 by a master.

Are you stupid? Why would this be something that "ladies and gentlemen" should discuss amongst themselves when you have made the unfounded allegations in a forum that can be viewed by anyone in the world with Internet access?

I invite you (actually dare you) to bring your "friend" to the public meeting that is scheduled to be held at the Barclay Hotel on April 30th where "things" can be discussed openly. There will be at least a couple of hundred people at the meeting to listen in on the discussion. The meeting will be recorded.

I can't wait for your FOI request to be fulfilled either. I doubt you even sent one in to the government.

Just remember -- the ass you're kicking today might be the ass you're kissing tomorrow!

[Possum]

People who are into hissy fits shouldn't make accusations or threats. Nuff said??

[The Invisible Man]

I have no idea what you're talking about but it does appear that you do not like to be called out onto the carpet for improper conduct. I will not sit back and let you or anyone else make unfounded poisonous comments about people that live in this community.

Don't you just love it that this is a forum where freedom of expression prevails? I do. No longer will it be possible for people to hide behind the don't-talk-about-Beaver-Creek-water-or-you-will-be-banned veil. That gag order sent a message that there was something to hide. A couple of people had their personal vendettas against a local water activists to hide and tried hard to turn it the other way around. The jig is up.

The water activists won the battle in Beaver Creek because they were right. They didn't spread around misinformation. They shared facts and backed up those facts with tangible proof. People respect the truth.

[Possum]

But what did they really win? There are those who still feel the activists got lip service; nothing more, nothing less. What improper conduct? You started a thread, I replied, just because I disagree with your assessment of what went on doesn't make you right. It doesn't me me wrong either.

You sure have your knickers in a knot for someone who thinks they're right; too close to the truth maybe??

[The Invisible Man]

You can't seem to understand that calling a person down without providing some kind of proof to back up your statement is improper conduct. It's wrong. You're wrong.

I don't have my knickers in a knot. I feel very much at ease saying to you "stop badmouthing people in this community!"

[The Invisible Man]

What did the activist's win? Soon BCID will be dissolved and Beaver Creek residents will have safe drinking water year round. That's a "win" no matter what way you look at it.

[pen]

Last October, the people of Beaver Creek voted 73% in favour of converting the Beaver Creek Improvement District (BCID) into a service area of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD).

Five months have passed and BCID has not shown much movement towards the conversion.

The ACRD has committed $800,000 to infrastructure upgrades in 2012 and more recently applied for an additional $810,000 grant for a total of $1.61 million in water system improvements for Beaver Creek.

It was proposed that June 1st be a target date for conversion to enable work to commence in 2012 as these funds cannot be used for works that are not the responsibility of the ACRD.

BCID was supposed to make a decision to move forward with the conversion at last night's regular monthly meeting however the meeting was cancelled. The note on the door did not specify why it was cancelled however said the next meeting will be held on April 16th.

Rarely do leopards change their spots. Chances are high that BCID trustees are up to the same game that they have been playing all along trying to maintain the status quo. Is it time to rally the troops AGAIN? Doesn't the voice of the people mean anything to them? ACRD has put their best foot forward and now its time for BCID to do the same.

The commitment from the ACRD is good but it's just that, a commitment on paper. Working toward conversion has been placed in the hands of a committee consisting of members from both the BCID and ACRD.
If you are really concerned about the time it's taking to get things done, you can always ask the ACRD instead of posting on a forum like this one as though answers from any of us would do you any good.
Nobody really believed this was going to happen instantaneously, I'm sure. In the rarified keeping of government time, five months is like about three seconds in real time, LOL. We'll get there. We must. The people have spoken.

[The Invisible Man]

The conversion process is to be completed by June 1st. BCID has demonstrated little movement in that direction.

ACRD has done everything possible to make the transition go smoothly. It's BCID that is taking the process sideways.

It's been five months since the people voted in favour of conversion. It normally takes six months to complete the entire process. It's not the first time an improvement district has been converted to a service area of a regional district. It has happened many times in this province.

The people have spoken and it's time BCID listened to them. ACRD has completed all of the approvals necessary and now waiting for BCID to sign the paperwork. BCID trustees are still stuck somewhere back at the beginning.

[hedder]

If the BCID is ready to dissolve and become one with ACRD, why did they recently (within a week or two) they have an announcement in the local paper asking for nominations for positions on the board?
Doesn't sound like they're in all that much of a hurry.

I don't live in BCreek, but I am responsible for my OWN water source(as are alot of BC'ers I might add)therefore really can't empathize. I alone am responsible for the quality and quantity of my water. Maybe you should just drill a well....

[Possum]

Its easier to force a whole community to pay the way for a group of people so into infighting that they keep screwing up the workings of their water board.

There were other provincial government options for area water that required all four jurisdictions to be in harmonious agreement and the system would be installed; guess who screwed that up and prevented it from happening. You guessed her Chester; Beaver Creek. Now they want the rest of us to bail them out of the problem they caused for themselves.

[The Invisible Man]

You're right Hedder. I would much rather not be connected to Beaver Creek's community water system. I would rather have my own well. But even if I were to dig a well, I'd still have to contribute to the community water system. Everyone pays water taxes regardless if they are connected to the system or not. It's a BCID bylaw. The idea behind the bylaw is that the community system supposedly offers better water quality than what a well can offer and because of this the home owner will eventually connect to the community system therefore they should contribute financially...but that's not the way it really is. Lots of people have wells with better water quality than what BCID has to offer. In fact, well water is safer than surface water by a long shot. Well water becomes unsafe when it is exposed to outside influences (which makes it surface water).

Possum I have been to every single meeting there has ever been on this issue and know full well the options that have been at the table. There were no other provincial government options for area water other than what was presented in the Alberni Valley Water Study (found on ACRD's website). The water issue has absolutely nothing at all to do with "infighting." That has been going on for many many years and long before the provincial government changed legislation which required water purveyors to add advanced water treatment to the water system. You can't blame Beaver Creek for water quality issues that exist in Cherry Creek...and although you may not know it Cherry Creek falls under the same legislation as everyone else therefore must upgrade their water system too.

[chrisale]

This is fun to watch. Imagine... a day when my children can go to their grandparents and *not* drive by a "Boil Water Advisory" sign. Cool! Just make it happen already!

[The Invisible Man]

Wel looky looky HERE. The Alberni Valley Times published an editorial piece about the problem. Susan Roth, the water activist, has gone public again. Looks to me like BCID has not been communicating with the people very well!

Dear Editor:

Nearly five months ago, Beaver Creek residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of converting the Beaver Creek Improvement District into a service area of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.

On Oct. 29, 2011, 73% voted in favour of the conversion.

BCID recently advertised that they were seeking candidates for two vacant trustee positions. They also announced their annual general meeting will take place at the end of April this year. That says to me BCID is carrying on business as usual.

Is the conversion process moving forward?

BCID's regular monthly meeting was scheduled to be held on March 19, however, a note on the door said the meeting was cancelled. The note did not say why it was cancelled, however, did say the next meeting would be held a month down the road on April 16.

Is BCID trying to avoid moving the conversion process forward?

For months, a sandwich-board sign sat outside BCID that read "Please Conserve Water." During that same time, about 40,000 imperial gallons of water leaked out of the Kitsuksis Reservoir every day. More than once, BCID told residents the problem was "urgent."

Kitsuksis Reservoir continues to leak tens of thousands of gallons of water daily. Is the issue not important?

ACRD has set aside $800,000 in grant funding to replace the leaking reservoir and have also adopted the required resolution for the conversion to be complete by June 1. Will the conversion be completed on time? Experience tells me that BCID will move the process sideways every chance they get.

We are under another boil water advisory right now, the third one this year. Add to it the other 30-plus notifications of potential public health threats that we have experienced the past eight years and you can see why my patience is thinning.

Sincerely,
Susan E. Roth
Port Alberni

[pen]

If the BCID is ready to dissolve and become one with ACRD, why did they recently (within a week or two) they have an announcement in the local paper asking for nominations for positions on the board?
Doesn't sound like they're in all that much of a hurry.

I don't live in BCreek, but I am responsible for my OWN water source(as are alot of BC'ers I might add)therefore really can't empathize. I alone am responsible for the quality and quantity of my water. Maybe you should just drill a well....

I asked just that question because it puzzled me as well. The answer is that the board is short a couple of trustees. They need to complete the process and need trustees to do it.

That said, it's sad that the run up to the referendum was so brutal. Not many are inclined to put themselves in the line of constant fire. No matter what the board does, quick draw opposition fires a barrage their way.

I was in favor of retaining the improvement district and staying out of Port Alberni's water woes because we have our own to deal with. Personally, I think losing the Corix deal is a pity. But what I think personally has nothing to do with the new situation, and once the democratic process has been carried through it is the final word. Dissolution will come, conversion will be completed, and valley water woes will continue until such time as there's enough money anywhere to deal with them.

It bothers me to see Susan Roth so vigorously bitching at people she has personal history with and putting her opinion about under the guise of giving a damn about the water in my kitchen tap.

Were I her, I would quietly congratulate myself on first convincing VIHA that water issues are real, are serious, are a health issue and seeing them respond by making the entire length and breadth of Vancouver Island bring their water standards to the optimum. As well, I would congratulate myself on convincing enough people in the improvement district to carry the referendum. And then just shut the hell up, since the job is done.

I wouldn't spend energy on writing letters to the editor griping about something I put in train because it's all just taking so long and I want my satisfaction. I would know what I had achieved and savor the day when my plans come to final fruition and I finally get what I want.

Anticipation is often sweeter than what you actually wind up with in the end, so I'd really want to enjoy that as long as I could.

I'm just wondering what the final cost is going to be when all the dust settles. Maybe dreading is a better word. But hey, at least one of us will be tickled pink.

[The Invisible Man]

Do you actually believe that Susan Roth could convince VIHA to take a position that wasn't supported by research? That's ludicrous.

Susan Roth has done the research and knows the water issue well. The provincial government, VIHA, ACRD, and the majority of people that voted in the referendum all agree with her position. She won the battle because her position was well supported by research. Ha ha even Corix did not disagree with Susan Roth. They offered her kind comments including congratulations.

The editorial pages of the Alberni Valley Times are open to everyone. Susan Roth is not "bitching," she is keeping the public informed with good verifiable information, something that BCID has not done very well.

[The Invisible Man]

BTW I contacted the provincial government and asked them if it was necessary to fill the two vacant trustee positions in light of the fact that BCID will soon be dissolved and the person that I spoke with said "No!" If need be, the provincial government can appoint trustees to carry through the dissolution of BCID.

[The Invisible Man]

Well have a look at THIS! It's an Alberni Valley Times news report dated October 20, 2010. The article says "The Beaver Creek Improvement District board has resolved to change its governance structure to become a regional service area within Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District." Hmmmmm wonder why it hasn't happened yet...that was about 1 1/2 years ago. And somewhere in between then and now BCID tried to convince taxpayers a P3 deal with Corix was the way to go. The deal with Corix would have cost taxpayers much more than the alternatives. And some people wonder why people like Susan Roth don't have much trust in what BCID has to say?

I really like it that the Alberni Valley Times keeps records available on-line.

[Possum]

Maybe because nobody but about three people actually care about what's happening.

[The Invisible Man]

Ha ha you're wrong. The referendum that posed the question whether to dissolve BCID and roll it into a service area of the regional district had the largest turnout in Beaver Creek's history. At least 621 people care about the issue and lots of them are talking about what's going on (and what's not going on).

[Admin]

I encourage discussion in this matter but lets please not get into a personal attack mode. The whole idea behind this forum was to NOT ban topics. Carry on but lets make it civil OK?

[pen]

Do you actually believe that Susan Roth could convince VIHA to take a position that wasn't supported by research? That's ludicrous.

Susan Roth has done the research and knows the water issue well. The provincial government, VIHA, ACRD, and the majority of people that voted in the referendum all agree with her position. She won the battle because her position was well supported by research. Ha ha even Corix did not disagree with Susan Roth. They offered her kind comments including congratulations.

The editorial pages of the Alberni Valley Times are open to everyone. Susan Roth is not "bitching," she is keeping the public informed with good verifiable information, something that BCID has not done very well.

Ha ha. At last, someone who is more in love with Susan Roth than Susan Roth herself. At least I know now who I'm dealing with. I find your multiple responses to my thoughtful post a bit of overkill. Yanno, sometimes more is less. Way less.

I live in Beaver Creek. The people here voted for conversion. That's how it is. We will become a service area once the tees are crossed and the eyes dotted. That will happen when the joint committee of ACRD and BCID have worked out all the details. It's a moment in history and deserves to be completed with respect.

Pushing for speed isn't serving the democratic process. It's also no use. Changes in governance follow the rules in place.

The ONLY purpose these types of letters to the editor serves is to cast aspersion on board members for nothing other than personal issues. The jig's up. The deed's done. Curtain, already.

Wonder what the letter writers will do for sport when they don't have the board to kick around any longer. Look out, ACRD! LOL

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