March 21, 2023 – In our ongoing commitment to transparency, and recognizing that the proposed regional park at Cape Roger Curtis is in the public interest of Bowen Islanders, Council has directed staff to prepare a proactive disclosure of all records of correspondence regarding the proposed park at Cape Roger Curtis between Bowen Island Council members, staff, and Metro Vancouver between January 1, 2022 and October 24, 2022, for release to the public.
These records have been compiled using the same process as a Freedom of Information request, so some limited information has been redacted to protect the personal information of third parties external to BIM or Metro Vancouver.
FOI-2023-07 Records of Correspondence re: CRC Park between BIM and MVRD Jan-Oct 2022
March 7, 2023 – It has come to our attention that two excerpts were missing from the release of Closed information about the proposed regional park at Cape Roger Curtis published on December 5, 2022. This is due to a clerical error in our record keeping. In the interest of full transparency, the excerpts have been revised to include missing information from April 27, 2022 and May 2, 2022. As a result of this clerical error, the resolution was not contained in the Minutes of Council proceedings.
We apologize for this oversight and would like to assure the public that transparency remains of paramount importance for informed engagement with our community and for trust in Council as stewards of Bowen’s interests.
We are reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure the circumstances that led to this clerical error are not repeated.
December 5, 2022 – Council has made available all information from Closed meetings related to Metro
Vancouver’s proposal for a Regional Park at Cape Roger Curtis. The date range encompasses February
28, 2022, to the present day.
Council felt it important going forward that Bowen Island residents have this information as Metro
Vancouver will undertake a public engagement process for residents in early 2023, and it is in the public
interest for residents to be actively engaged on the project with full knowledge of implications to our
community. Committees of Council will also need full access to this information to be able to better
support Council.
“The Bowen Island community has been clear in their ask for transparency and the municipality’s
commitments around the Cape Roger Curtis Regional Park project,” said Mayor Andrew Leonard “With
Metro Vancouver seeking to engage in a robust and equitable engagement process with our residents in
the new year, Council felt it essential to release this information into public hands.
”When asked about next steps, Mayor Leonard said: “Beginning with this release, we can begin the
process of getting our various committees providing their input and expertise. From climate to
economic development to tourism, we need to be sourcing the thought leadership on the island in
relation this project. We’ll be paying close attention to the public dialogue that is sure to emerge with
this information and these resolutions becoming public. Transparency is of paramount importance
moving forward, both for the informed engagement by our residents and for trust in Council as stewards
of Bowen’s interests.”
Read the resolution and released excerpts. Limited information has been redacted in accordance with
the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.