At the Feb. 15 meeting, the CVRD board approved a $100,000 allocation from the Hornby/Denman Community Works funds to the Beulah Creek village project on Hornby Island. The plan is to build affordable rental homes.
In 2018, the province and BC Housing committed $2.6 million to the Hornby Island Housing Society to build 26 townhouses and duplexes for families, seniors and workers.
READ: Hornby Island receives money to build affordable homes
The board directed staff to write a letter of support for the project to BC Housing. Courtenay director Wendy Morin suggests the letter contain specific information to paint a clear picture in order to garner more attention when it lands on a desk at BC Housing. Area A director Daniel Arbour said the letter can specify that Hornby is a remote island with tourism appeal in the summer, and that factors such as construction costs are beyond the control of project organizers.
Island railway
The board approved a requested action from Arbour to have the district reassess its 2012 commitment of $392,000 allocated for the Island Corridor Foundation to undertake railway improvements. Staff will provide a report by July on the implications and options for the funds.
Arbour is the CVRD representative on the foundation board. The ICF is a charity established for the purpose of owning and managing the former E&N corridor on Vancouver Island. In 2011, Via Rail discontinued passenger service from Courtenay to Victoria due to disrepair of the tracks.
The board advised the district to write to senior governments to inform them about the reassessment, and to encourage a greater sense of urgency to resolve the future of the corridor, in collaboration with the ICF, regional districts and First Nation partners.
The matter will be referred to the Feb. 24 K’ómoks First Nation/CVRD meeting for input from the KFN.
Snow control
Maintenance contractor Mainroad had its hands full clearing roads in December and January when the district received a significant amount of snowfall.
“We dealt with some challenging temperature fluctuations,” Kellen Truant, local operations manager for the Transportation Ministry, said Tuesday (Feb. 14) at Area Services.
During these two months, Mainroad put out 500 metric tonnes (MT) of crystal salt, 4,100 MT of winter sand and 1,315,000 litres of brine within the CVRD. It deployed 19 plow units around the clock. Forty-five operators worked 12-hour shifts, and five subcontractors were used for support.
Area C director Edwin Grieve commended the company for its great work.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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