Hi all, I hope this email finds you and your families well as it has been some time since we last communicated. It has also been a while since we gathered for the Equal Access to the Cowichan Aquatic Centre (CAC) cause and I think we need to rally asap to obtain a hard fought 5 years of equal access to the pool. As you may of heard, we have worked for and obtained a 1 year equal access to the Cowichan Aquatic Centre but the remaining 4 years is in doubt (see details below). I managed to get the letter below published in the Gazette (more letters to the editors would be great) but I think we need to do more in a short period of time as we need to get the YES POOL!Lake Cowichan Citizens to the town hall to have their voice heard (see Margrets Facebook post). I am thinking we only have a small window to rally the troops so I am looking for some support and ideas to spark the yes people. I am thinking maybe a tent at the Country Grocer on a Saturday and maybe some sign waving on Friday afternoon rush hour. If we have enough volunteers, maybe some door to door or telemarketing? I realize that many of you have given a lot to the cause already and I am hoping that we can rally for the next month or so to ensure the citizens of Lake Cowichan obtain a just and healthy access to the multi-million dollar facility for a small amount of tax dollars. Please dont hesitate to call or write me with any ideas that may be useful. My next day off is this coming Sunday if that would work for a meeting? Thank you. Sincerely, Ted Gamble ps. I still have some buttons, business cards, and flyers that could still be utilized:) Re-Lake Cowichan has equal access to the Cowichan Aquatic Center(CAC) All the Citizens of Lake Cowichan have reason to celebrate as for $3000.00 or $2.00 per household we now have equal access to the Cowichan Aquatic Center for 1 year. This agreement means we now pay the same monthly, yearly, or daily access fee rates as people from Duncan, Victoria, or Nanaimo. However, my understanding is that the dissenting Lake Cowichan Counsellors, who have consistently opposed our partnership for the pool (for a measly $3000 or $2 per household a year), have insisted that a “for or against” question be included with upcoming February 2014 utility bills. Although this is not be a binding referendum, if more town residents exercise their NO vote than the supporting YES residents, this may be used as ammunition by the dissenting Town Councilors to negate the option to extend the agreement for 4 more years. With this in mind, Mayor Ross Forrest who is a partnership supporter is on the record as saying that counsel is looking for “more public input” and as I understand it, there are several council members who still fail to see the health, financial and other benefits of CAC Equal Access. Prior to this equal access agreement with the CAC many young Lake Cowichan families have had little choice but to go to Ladysmith, Victoria, or Nanaimo for affordable swimming lessons for their kids, who live on a lake, where the ability to swim is a huge safety issue. Furthermore, elderly citizens on fixed incomes previously have had financial barriers prohibiting access to local swimming/aquatic activities that are paramount for the health of any citizen with limited mobility, rehabilitation issues, or post injury/surgery recovery requirements. In my opinion, which I understand resonates with many Lake Cowichan residents, the benefits, financial, health, and otherwise of being an active partner in the Cowichan Aquatic Centre for the long term far outweigh the very minimal cost to the taxpayer. I would argue that, Duncan is local and many Lake Cowichan residents and friends thereof, work there so by encouraging use of the pool in Duncan, participants are more likely to spend their money in local restaurants or shops when in Duncan rather than Victoria or Nanaimo. In addition, Being a partner in the Cowichan Aquatic Centre is very likely something a middle class family with kids would consider when deciding on moving to Lake Cowichan bringing in healthy new residents that promote the growth of our town. In closing, I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved in the CAC partnering process and encourage those Lake Cowichan residents in favor of longterm partnership with the Cowichan Aquatic Centre to talk to your friends, neighbors, and family, encouraging them to make their wishes known to the Lake Cowichan Town Council. Lake Cowichan being a long term partner in the Cowichan Aquatic Centre is the healthy sensible choice for the greater good of citizens of all ages. Ted Gamble PO Box 147 Lake Cowichan BC [email protected] Below Posted on Lake Cowichan Needs Equal Access Facebook page by Margret D today: So today we got our 2014 Utility Notice and after announcing that we now have equal access to the aquatic centre it says Registered voters of the Town are invited to the Town Office to complete an opinion poll on whether this arrangement should continue from 2015 to 2017. I went directly to the Town office and I strongly encourage all of you to do the same. When you get there you will be found on the voters list and you need to initial beside your name. Then you are handed a ballot asking if you are in favour of continuing the agreement which costs less than $3000 per year. This works out to approximately 69 cents per $100,000 assessed property value! This is not a referendum and is not binding on council but I think it is really important to show strong support so that we do not lose this for next year. Please go to the Town Office and ask your friends and neighbours to do the same and show your support for this access agreement. Many thanks to Mayor Ross Forrest for listening to us and making this a reality! It is a great thing for the health and safety of Lake Cowichan citizens.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 05:26:03 +0000
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