DuncanTaxpayers.ca has received several queries from people wanting to know where to vote in the Municipal Election on 20 October 2018.
The Voting Place for City of Duncan voters is at the Duncan Volunteer Fire Department, 468 Duncan Street. Voting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Here is a map showing the location of 468 Duncan Street:
Here is a Google Street View image of 468 Duncan Street:
Parking is available directly across Duncan Street from the Duncan Volunteer Fire Department building.
Housing is definitely an issue in the Duncan Municipal Election. One question that arises from the housing issue is which properties does the City of Duncan currently own which might support affordable housing development.
To answer that question, here is a map showing properties owned by the City of Duncan in 2009. Properties owned by the City of Duncan are outlined in orange. Properties co-owned by the City of Duncan are shown in blue.
Since 2009 the City of Duncan has also acquired the following properties:
Here are maps showing the locations of these properties:
75 Station Street & 85 Station Street
148 Kenneth Street
Note that this post is for information purposes only. It is only intended to show properties that the City of Duncan owns.
ElectionsBC has released the expenditure disclosures of the Cowichan Pro Amalgamation and Cowichan No Amalgamation campaigns leading up to the Amalgamation Referendum on 23 June 2018.
Cowichan Pro Amalgamation, run by Patrick Hrushowy [note: currently a candidate for North Cowichan Council] spent over $17,000, of which $16,000 came from corporate donors and the remainder from individuals.
Cowichan No Amalgamation, run by Sharon Jackson [note: currently a candidate for Mayor of Duncan] spent $910, of which $538 came from individuals [disclosure: the operator of this website was one of those individual donors and also volunteered on the Cowichan No Amalgamation campaign] with the remainder contributed by Sharon Jackson.
The Amalgamation Referendum is still an issue with Duncan voters. As I campaign door to door in a bid for Duncan Council, the first two questions I am most commonly asked by voters are: How did you vote on Amalgamation? and Do you live in Duncan?
Here is information on the candidates in the City of Duncan municipal election and their positions on Amalgamation.
Sharon Jackson ran the Cowichan No Amalgamation campaign.
Patrick Hrushowy ran the Cowichan Pro Amalgamation campaign in 2018.
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While I have been out knocking on doors in my campaign for a seat on Duncan Council, several people have told me that they have difficulty getting to polling stations because of mobility issues or that they are unable to drive.
I asked Paige MacWilliam, the City of Duncan Electoral Officer, about this and she told me that anyone who has difficulty geeting to the polling stations can call the City of Duncan (250-716-6126) before the end of business on Friday, 12 October 2018 and the City of Duncan can arrange for a mobile polling station to come to them to allow them to vote in the Municipal Election of 20 October 2018.
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Earlier this year, the City of Duncan went through a divisive, and very expensive, Amalgamation Referendum which was conclusively settled on 23 June 2018 by a resounding No vote from Duncan voters. But although this Amalgamation Referendum was settled nearly four months ago the effects of the Amalgamation campaign are still on the minds of Duncan voters.
As I campaign door to door around Duncan, the first two questions I am most commonly asked by voters are:
Clearly the Amalgamation Referendum is still on the minds of Duncan voters. Both of these questions are very valid and I have to admit that they are also the first two questions I ask of any candidates currently running for Mayor of Duncan or for Duncan Council.
So, for the information of Duncan voters, let’s go through the list of current candidates for Duncan Mayor and Council and show the answers to the two questions above: What was your position on Amalgamation?; and, Do you live in Duncan?.
Let’s start with the Candidates for Mayor of Duncan (in alphabetical order by surname):
Martin BARKER
Daniel HELMER
Sharon JACKSON
Michelle STAPLES
Now for the candidates for City of Duncan Council (in alphabetical order by surname):
Mark ANDERSON
[Disclaimer: this website is run by Mark Anderson]
Bob BROOKE
Garry F. BRUCE
Roger BRUCE
Note: Incumbent Councillor
Jenni CAPPS
Tom DUNCAN
Note: Incumbent Councillor
Gordon HEPPELL
Lura McCALLUM
Stacy MIDDLEMISS
George NEILSON
Carol NEWINGTON
Glen SANTICS
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As you may be aware, Duncan City Council voted against a proposal for a temporary emergency women’s shelter at 540 Cairnsmore Street during the Regular Council meeting at Duncan City Hall on 17 September 2018.
As I campaign door to door for Duncan City Council, one of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “How would you have voted on the temporary Emergecy Women’s Shelter if you had been on Duncan City Council?”
My answer is that I would have voted against the proposal, as the majority of Duncan City Council did on 17 September. My reasons are explained below, but first, some background information about this issue:
Here is the Cowichan Valley Citizen coverage of 18 September the proposal being voted down in Duncan City Council on 17 September 2018. Here is the Cowichan Valley Citizen coverage of 14 September 2018 about the proposal for a temporary Emergency Women’s Shelter.
Here is the Agenda for the Duncan Council meeting on 17 September 2018; the Minutes of the Duncan Council Meeting on 17 September 2018;
Here is video of the Duncan Council Meeting of 17 September 2018 at which the Emergency Shelter was discussed and voted on:
Now for my explanation of my position:
I completely understand the need for an Emergency Women’s Shelter. I spent my childhood in a home with an alcoholic father who had no hesitation in using his fists on my mother. So I have first hand experience with this issue and with the need for an Emergency Women’s Shelter.
But while there is a definite need for an Emergency Women’s Shelter in the Cowichan Valley, I think that 540 Cairnsmore Street is simply the wrong location for this kind of facility.
First, there is a day care on the adjacent property to the east. I do not believe that an Emergency Shelter should be located immediately adjacent to an established day care facility.
To illustrate the proximity of this day care facility to 540 Cairnsmore Street, here is a Google Street view image of 540 Cairnsmore Street and the adjacent daycare facility:
Here are two photos showing the proximity of the adjacent day care facility to 540 Cairnsmore Street.
Directly across Cairnsmore Street from 540 Cairnsmore Street is Duncan Elementary School and two buildings on the Duncan Elementary School grounds which are currently being used to deliver adult education programs. Duncan Elementary School is currently being used as School Board offices but the clientele for these adult education programs on the Duncan Elementary School grounds are often people with young children, who are typically sent to day care in the day care facility immediately adjacent to 540 Cairnsmore Street while their parents are attending adult education courses.
The people using these adult education programs are frequently people who are trying to get themselves out of difficult, often addiction related, situations and they need a safe environment and all the support they can get to accomplish their education courses and goals. i don’t believe we should be placing an Emergency Women’s Shelter in their midst given the high probability of the Emergency Women’s Shelter attracting people actively involved in the same issues and situations many of these adult education clients are actively trying to get themselves, and their families, out of.
Here are some photos of Duncan Elementary School and the adult education buildings on its grounds:
So while there is a definite need for an Emergency Women’s Shelter in the Cowichan Valley, this building at 540 Cairnsmore Street is simply the wrong location for it.
Perhaps a better solution would be for the City of Duncan, the Municipality of North Cowichan, Cowichan Tribes and the CVRD to work collaboratively on finding a location for an Emergency Women’s Shelter in the Cowichan Valley that all parties can live with.
If elected I will be advocating doing that as soon as possible.
Mark Anderson – 24 September 2018
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On 20 July 2018 the Cowichan Valley Citizen published an article entitled “Cobble Hill Director Breaks Down Door At CVRD Office.”
Here is the text of the Cowichan Valley Citizen story on this incident:
Matteus Clement releases statement on incident
An incident in May involving the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s director for Cobble Hill has led to a public statement from the director.
The incident occurred on May 25 when Matteus Clement broke a door while forcing his way into a restricted area of the CVRD offices in Duncan.
Clement said in his statement that he went to the CVRD office after hours to collect a projector and other materials to facilitate a community meeting, but he found the door locked to the area where staff had left it for him.
He said that with an hour left before his meeting, and in his urgency, he shoved the door which broke.
“I immediately called our CAO, Brian Carruthers, to inform him and let him know that I would pay for the repair,” Clement said.
“I am sorry to have broken the door, it was not my intent. CVRD directors used to have access to the building after hours but after a security review a year ago, our CAO restricted the access to directors. The CVRD board is currently re-examining this policy.”
Jon Lefebure, chairman of the CVRD, declined further comment on the issue.
“It was discussed at an in-camera discussion at the CVRD so I’m not able to discuss it any further,” he said.
“The director’s statement will stand on its own.”
Cowichan Valley Citizen, 20 July 2018
This story sounded very odd to us. We have seen the interior doors at the C.V.R.D. building on Ingram Street in downtown Duncan and they appear very solid. It seemed very unlikely to us that these doors would break when “shoved.”
Since the Cowichan Valley Citizen did not publish a follow up to its original 20 July article, we decided to follow up this story ourselves.
On 24 July 2018, we went to the CVRD building to ask whether we could see the door which had “broke” when “shoved” by C.V.R.D. Director Matteus Clement. The damage has been repaired but C.V.R.D. staff pointed out the repaired door, which is in a public area to the left of the Planning and Development desk in the main reception area on the first floor of the C.V.R.D. building.
Here are some photos we took at the C.V.R.D. building on 24 July 2018.
First, Director Matteus Clement would have to gain access to the C.V.R.D. building after hours. Here are the front and rear entrances to the C.V.R.D. building. Both are secured by substantial doors and both have electronic key card access. We are guessing that Director Matteus Clement has, or had, a key card which allowed him to enter through one of these doors on 25 May 2018. The Cowichan Valley Ciitizen story says Directors no longer have access to the building “after hours” so how did Director Clement get into the building “after-hours” through these locked doors?
Here are some photos of the interior door which Director Matteus Clement says “broke” after he “shoved” it. This door was identified to us by C.V.R.D. staff as being the one Director Clement damaged and it is located to the left of the Planning & Development counter in the main public reception area on the first floor of the C.V.R.D. building. In the photo below, the door damaged by Director Matteus Clement is on the left. Note that this is a strong and substantial solid door. We doubt that it could be broken by being “shoved” by one person.
The photos below show this door from another angle. Note that the door is controlled by a key card security system visible to the left of the door. Did Director Clement not have access to this door on his key card?
Note also the counter to the left of the door. Could C.V.R.D. staff not have left the projector for Director Clement on the counter. It is in a semi-secure area which cannot be accessed unless a person comes through the security controlled doors at the front or rear of the building.
After seeing this door for ourselves, we have some doubts about Director Matteus Clement’s version of events.
Director Matteus Clement is quoted as saying that “in his urgency, he shoved the door which broke.”
But this is a solid substantial door which separates a public reception area from the C.V.R.D. offices. We doubt this door could be “broken” by being “shoved” by one person.
The door is controlled by a programmable card key security system. Are C.V.R.D. Directors’ key cards programmed to deny them access to this area? If so, why would the C.V.R.D. staff be leaving a projector for Director Clements in a secure area to which he did not have access?
We also note that there is a counter to the left of the door. Could C.V.R.D. staff not simply leave the projector for Director Clements on this counter? To access the counter one has to gain access to the building through substantial exterior doors controlled by programmable key card security systems. So it is not as though the C.V.R.D. staff would be leaving the projector in a public access area where it could be readily stolen.
In short, we have some serious concerns about Director Matteus Clement’s version of the events of 25 May 2018. We think the C.V.R.D. owes taxpayers a far more detailed explanation than it is currently giving.
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In June 2018 the crosswalk on Duncan Street in front of the Duncan Garage was painted with multi-coloured parallel stripes. We were curious about how much this cost the City of Duncan so we contacted Paige McWilliam at Duncan City Hall to find out.
Paige McWilliam told us that “The Duncan Garage paid $5,597.90 [in June 2018] to have the rainbow cross-walk painted, which covered the entire cost of the project. The actual painting was done by an outside company.”
Here is what Paige McWilliam told us about the history of this project:
On 5 May 2017 the City of Duncan received a request from Duncan Garage Cafe and Bakery asking for this crosswalk to be painted. Here is a copy of the 5 May 2017 letter to the City of Duncan from Leela Heyward of the Duncan Garage Cafe and Bakery.
In response to this letter, the City of Duncan Council, at its meeting of 15 May 2017, asked for a staff report on “the costs and maintenance requirements for painting a rainbow crosswalk for Council’s consideration..” Here is the City of Duncan staff report on what City staff refers to as “Decorative Crosswalks”, presented to the Committee of the Whole on 5 June 2017 [note: we have done a separate image for each of the 3 pages in the report]:
The cross walk on Duncan Street in front of Duncan Garage was painted in June 2018.
Paige McWilliam of the City of Duncan tells us that “The Duncan Garage paid $5,597.90 to have the rainbow cross-walk painted, which covered the entire cost of the project. The actual painting was done by an outside company.”
We will seek clarification from Paige McWilliam about whether the City of Duncan is responsible for future maintenance costs of this crosswalk or whether these costs are to be borne by Duncan Garage.
We are also seeking similar information from the Municipality of North Cowichan about the “Rainbow Crosswalk” installed on 16-17 July 2018 on James Street between Cowichan Secondary School and the Island Savings Centre. We have contacted the Municipality of North Cowichan about this but, as of this date, we have not received any response.
Since we took the above photo on 17 July 2018 this crosswalk has been damaged. We will contact the Municipality of North Cowichan to find out whether the MNC is responsible for repairing this damage and, if so, how much it will cost.
Here are some more articles from the Cowichan Valley Citizen about this crosswalk on James Street:
Here are some Cowichan Valley Citizen articles about Rainbow Crosswalks in other communities:
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We contacted the City of Duncan asking for the figures on the cost to Duncan taxpayers of the recent Amalgamation campaign and Referendum.
Paige McWilliam from the City of Duncan provided us with the document below, which was presented to the Committee of the Whole at its meeting on 3 July 2018.
Note that the financial costs to the City of Duncan, and thus to Duncan Taxpayers, of the Amalgamation campaign and referendum are stated as $68,725.79. Note that the $12,000 figure stated as the Referendum cost is a “Budgeted” figure; the actual costs of the Referendum may change as figures are compiled.
Note that the total cost to taxpayers, including the Municipality of North Cowichan and Province of British Columbia, is currently given as $278,510.90.
On 5 July 2018 Paige McWilliam from the City of Duncan advised us that the final figure for the City of Duncan’s share of referendum costs was $11,108 rather than the budgeted $12,000.
This makes the final cost of the City of Duncan’s share of Amalgamation Referendum costs, including Citizens Assembly, Technical Report, Communications and Administration of the 23 June 2018 Referendum, to be $67,833.79.
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We contacted the City of Duncan asking for the figures on the cost to Duncan taxpayers of the recent Amalgamation campaign and Referendum.
Paige McWilliam from the City of Duncan provided us with the document below, which was presented to the Committee of the Whole at its meeting on 3 July 2018.
Note that the financial costs to the City of Duncan, and thus to Duncan Taxpayers, of the Amalgamation campaign and referendum are stated as $68,725.79. Note that the $12,000 figure stated as the Referendum cost is a “Budgeted” figure; the actual costs of the Referendum may change as figures are compiled.
Note that the total cost to taxpayers, including the Municipality of North Cowichan and Province of British Columbia, is currently given as $278,510.90.
We will have more to say about this in upcoming posts.
Update: on 5 July 2018 Paige McWilliam from the City of Duncan advised us that the final figure for the City of Duncan’s share of referendum costs was $11,108 rather than the budgeted $12,000.
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