This comment left me shaking my head.

This landowner has lived here for 27 years and is asking Daniel Arbour what happened to the money landowners contributed over the years that the CVRD has now ‘absorbed’. Says the perception is that it just ‘disappeared’. I can answer that. Yes – it all disappeared while UBID was in control of your tax dollars, and if you don’t know that, you’re what led to the problem in the first place. Guilty of being indifferent, uninterested. You had to be living under a rock not to have heard there were problems with UBID meetings for years – who didn’t hear about the problems at the monthly UBID meetings? Those problems were because a few of us attended those meetings and one was elected as trustee from Oct. 2017 until the transition was complete, demanded answers to the long list of questionable financial and procedural actions.

It’s like people are waking up after taking zero interest in what transpired with the Union Bay Improvement District since at least 2005. We’re going to be facing huge infrastructure costs because there was virtually no follow through on any ‘renewal and replacement’ plans/intentions by the boards (exception is the Molstad board). We are screwed if we suffer a major water break. They have been patching the pipes for years and the leaks are more frequent. Hopefully, we won’t suffer a major break before the actions taken by the CVRD puts us in a better position with a clear plan for the future.

The Union Bay Improvement District Board of Trustees who cozied up to KIP parroting his “too good to be true” promises to the landowners about what was going to be provided to the community of Union Bay. Fiscally irresponsible boards prior to April 2011 and after July 2016 who spent whatever was brought in. Year after year of bungling.

Molstad board brought our finances back and made plans for the future ‘in case’ KIP didn’t follow through. Surprise, surprise, KIP failed to provide any of the information required by UBID to honour the 2011 Water Infrastructure Agreement and allowed it to expire Dec. 31, 2014.

The first board to finally take action instead of being sucked in by empty promises. KIP couldn’t have that and undermined the Molstad board by having David Godfrey, KIP’s representative, along with Loxam and Jacques to take a petition around demanding the Molstad board EXTEND an EXPIRED AGREEMENT. Intentionally dividing the community further. This manipulation has been going on since KIP surfaced – intentionally misleading landowners who expected honest communication. That’s a definition of a lie and people should be pissed.

Not a concern when it was disclosed the school property purchased with your tax dollars didn’t have clear title and they spent thousands of your tax dollars on renovations so the Credit Union could rent space. Molstad board had to sue in order to get rid of the white elephant.

Probably unaware it wasn’t until the Molstad board that landowners water tolls actually covered the costs of providing that water. Previously, the board had to keep dipping into other funds to cover the cost of providing water.

Landowners didn’t care when they were unlawfully locked out of UBID meetings in 2011. Not interested when the lousy financial situation was revealed in 2011. Never asked about the $1.7 Million ‘gift’ from KIP in 2011 that turned out to be an interest free loan. Didn’t matter in 2015 when Godfrey came clean that it was an interest free loan because they still signed the petition demanding the Molstad board extend the EXPIRED AGREEMENT.

Happily signed the petition and yet no one appears to have asked if what they were demanding was legally possible. Answer: No – they never sought any legal advice before they or the developer/KIP came up with the idea of a petition. Community torn apart after 3 trustees resigned due to actions by Loxam and Jacques making deals on the side WITH KIP.

Could it be legally done? Answer: No. These brainiacs, at their first meeting as a board in Nov. 2016 rammed through an extension to the EXPIRED AGREEMENT, finally clued in when they were advised by UBID’s counsel he could not legally comply with their Motion to Extend the Expired Agreement. Landowners were uninterested that trustees didn’t read the 2015 correspondence already on file from counsel advising the agreement was dead. Landowners were comfortable with whatever ‘their guys’ were doing no matter the cost or damage to an already fractured community. No need to ask questions.

Totally fine about not getting the interest free loan when their trustees Jacques, Loxam, Bitten negotiated a new water agreement in Oct. 2017, and fine with them negotiating DOWN to 1 hectare instead of the 4 acres KIP promised in writing June 2015, land for a new firehall. It was already in the MDA KIP signed with the CVRD in 2010.

Landowners applauded the Oct. 2017 Water Agreement their trustees negotiated with KIP. Did they negotiate any of the multitude 0f promises made by KIP since 2006? Well, KIP gave UBID 4 acres of land at the same elevation as the old waterworks, paid the difference in the cost of the building to house 2 DAF plants – landowners paid for the building and first DAF plant which is at capacity already. KIP received approval for 60 – 100 water connections.

Landowners didn’t care they were promised $17.4 Million for water upgrades alone or that they were promised in the MDA the developer/KIP would construct an expandable sewage system landowners could hook into at their own costs. Landowners were never bothered enough to pay attention or even ask questions about these promises that were made – only to suck them in to supporting this sleazy developer, imo.

Who cares if the figures provided at the Information Meeting at an Open House in 2018, about the costs of a new water treatment plant were wrong. Landowners ate it up when told the new water treatment plant costs would NOT raise their parcel taxes.

Landowners not worried when they were locked out of the UBID meetings again by Chair Ted Haraldson and held them at a secret location. Ole Ted’s view of democracy is selective – he was one of the people who protested with a bunch of us when we were locked out by Chair deJersey in 2011.

Unconcerned with the way the lone woman trustee was treated in public. Completely silent.

Absolutely disinterested during the transition to become a service area of the CVRD when the board was chaired by Ian Munro (Ian was a very good Chair) who advised of the dire financial situation UBID was facing and everyone at UBID was going through figures to bring costs down. Appears that unqualified administrator Loxam, Bitten and Jacques hired, who had zero government experience or training, was consistent with coming up with wrong figures like the Open House ones.

The new water treatment plant was built without an office or bathroom. Who approved the plans – KIP? It left Chair Munro scrambling trying to come up with (at the time of transition) $130,000.00 needed as the workers need to have a washroom.

NOTE: he was paid more than the previous admin (Kevin Douville) and his contract allowed him to bank over time and then use it to moonlight at North Island College. UBID paid top dollar for an Admin to learn on his own, mistake by mistake everything required to run a small improvement district office and supervise employees – no experience, no training and wanted the title of Chief Administration Officer. You will note Kevin Douville went from being Admin of UBID to the CVRD and is now Manager of Financial Planning. Lucky for us with the transition Kevin was very familiar with UBID operations. Another example of negotiating down. Treated Kevin like shit at public meetings ignoring his input and guidance, so of course Kevin resigned and they replaced a top notch admin for a wannabe Chief Administration Officer with zero government experience or training.

You voted for these people – because… Now you have questions?

I believe these increases are based on fingers crossed – best case scenario. Shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone living here longer than 4 years we are facing huge infrastructure costs.