Courtenay’s mayor and two councillors went down swinging last week against final adoption of the city’s controversial new tree protection and management bylaw.
“I’m not happy with the way this went … not looking at finding common ground. I’m very disappointed,” said Counc. Erik Eriksson.
“We yielded to a special interest group,” said Mayor Larry Jangula. “Every single homeowner will pay more for a house. I think we’ve made a huge, huge mistake.”
“I just do really think this has a significant impact on how we move forward. How can we move forward on a lose-lose situation,” said Counc. Manno Theos.
The controversial new bylaw has been creating sparks since last year, pitting the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy group against the Comox Valley construction and developers’ association.
Finally, a select committee was struck late last year including city councillors, and a representative from each of the concerned groups.
No compromise was found on their concerns.
Counc. Doug Hillian, who chaired the select committee, said “we’re not miracle workers.”
“The fact we didn’t reach a consensus is not a great tragedy, but a fact of life,” he said. “Developers will adjust as they do.”
Counc. Bob Wells noted that a lot of time had been put into the bylaw.
“I truly do empathize that it might put a strain on development”, he said, noting that developers will still have many ways to appeal for relief from some of the provisions, notably those requiring a set number of “stems” per hectare.