Candidate for the Offices of Councillor and Islands Trustee
I’ve been a Bowen resident for almost all of 46 years, renting for years & when that got precarious, getting work in Hong Kong that allowed me to buy the house I’m in now. Like other seniors, I worry about the stairs and the size of the garden as mobility becomes an issue and have been supporting alternative housing proposals. I commuted to Gastown for 35 years. I took lessons from “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” and began crocheting to survive all the waits and cancellations, and while I still crochet, I rarely go off this beautiful rock, but I fully understand the frustrations. I support the work to improve bus service on and off Bowen, and have been strongly supportive of council’s efforts to ask the Province for specific remedies and bring BCF to our table to negotiate. I have no trouble reading and comprehending large agendas: I almost enjoy them. The arguments, applications, delegations, petitions and work of this community have interested me since my arrival in 1980. Currently, the draft OCP is close to First Reading and I am very interested in that planning document. I have volunteered with a variety of groups on island: The Improvement Association, Christmas Hamper, Bowen Heritage, Memorial Garden, Arts Council, Theatre on the Isle, Friends of the Library, NERP, Ferry Committee, Advisory Planning Committee (back when it was elected), the Restructure committee, Bowfest, Caring for Nature, plus I have memberships in many more Bowen groups, and other interests off island. I strongly believe that in small communities, if you want something you need to work to make it happen. Above all I value a healthy community: friendships, support, celebrations, and nature. I am a strong supporter of the Islands Trust and believe that without it, Bowen would be noisier and more polluted, with more pavement and high rises, fewer birds, less access to pristine beaches and fewer parks, trails and bike paths. The Province recently refused a planning document and requires the Islands Trust to take more active steps toward Reconciliation with First Nations. I am interested in that work and the related, ongoing work of the draft Policy statement and the volume of feedback it generated. In my first term on the Islands Trust, I was chair of two committees (Governance and CAO Performance Evaluation) and a member of the Finance Committee for one year. The Governance Committee, in particular, was difficult but I have gained considerable insight in the Trust organization, its staff and how it supports the work of this region and, this year in particular, our Bowen Conservancy. At my own expense and for my own good health, I have hosted a monthly open house where I offer tea and cookies and a circle where everyone is heard and there are discussions about current topics that matter to the community. The Undercurrent has published my summaries, with positive feedback about our discussions, and if I get elected those will continue! Please vote on October 17.