It’s bad enough that we have to endure the endless bullshit by this developer, now UBID has stepped in to do public relations on KIP’s behalf. Maybe McMahon just submitted it to UBID and they posted it on his behalf – nothing would surprise me where these characters are involved!
My guess is they’re doing damage control over the contaminated soil being excavated and spinning it that the developer is committed to providing a clean and healthy environment. Ya, KIP is doing a great job with covering the contaminated soil with those plastic condoms.
Can’t build even one house without a sewage system. Can’t build his cafe/deli or subdivide without “a release letter from the Director under the Environmental Management Act”. KIP has cleared land before at Argyle claiming that would be phase 1. I’ll believe it when he is allowed to subdivide – that’s the point when the MDA comes into effect – until then, it’s just more bullshit.
If it was a ‘cesspool of contaminants’ in 2009 with no remediation and ‘pollutants going out hundreds of feet’ – how do you spin that to something positive when this developer stated ‘they budgeted for it’ (the remediation) and then dumped their 27 acres of contamination back on the province (us)?
What prompted this? Why does the Admin have time to do pr for KIP and yet can’t/won’t answer any questions related to the unlawful acts 4 of the trustees and admin took part in? The media have given the board/chair many opportunities to provide answers and have simply refused.
Former Trustee Jim Elliott posted a great comment on the article:
Jim Elliott Why would this board wait until after the election? It’s not a case of the board having to make a decision to proceed or not. The contract has already been awarded. Perhaps it has more to do with “damage control” for the misleading statements by Loxam at the all candidates meeting when this question was asked.Maybe the chair will step up and inform the land owners of our finanacial liabilities. I would also hope that a proper five year financial plan will be presented. We seem to be riding on the dream that the develoment will rescue us. I challenge anyone to find an area that has grown and the taxes have gone down ! I do fully support buiding the water plant but tell us the truth about the costs!
At last years AGM the admin couldn’t answer financial questions and it looks like the landowners are going to be kept in the dark about the costs of the water treatment plant. We are locked out, have a board who simply refuses to respond to media questions or landowners questions, wants you to praise them for their wonderful work and never be so bold as to demand answers. Dictatorships are not known to be accountable.
Union Bay is pictured on the afternoon of March 18th, 2019. Photo by James Wood/98.9 The Goat/Vista Radio
UNION BAY, B.C- The exact parcel tax amount that Union Bay residents will pay for their new water treatment plant won’t be known by the public until after the election.
That’s according to the administrator of the Union Bay Improvement District (UBID), Gordon Mason.
The district has already put out a press release, indicating that parcel taxes for Union Bay will be going up by $46 in 2020, to a total of $391, in order to pay for the plant.
The total cost of the water treatment plant project is $4.2 million, with the district stating that $700,000 will be contributed from their Public Works Capital Reserve, and another $3.5 getting borrowed and amortized over the next 25 years.
However, the press release does not indicate how much of that $391 will be going towards the water treatment plant costs.
Asked for that amount, and whether or not any other services provided by UBID would be financially impacted by the treatment plant costs, Mason said the information being sought was part of a business case supplied to district trustees “in-camera”.
“This information is considered confidential and has to be approved by the board for release at an in -camera meeting in the near future,” said Mason, in an emailed response.
“I anticipate this happening after the UBID election.”
Asked if the additional $46 would be the only funds going towards the water treatment plant from parcel taxes, or if that hadn’t been determined yet, Mason said he couldn’t release that information until he had board approval.
A request for comment has made to UBID Chairperson Ted Haraldson on the matter.
David Godfrey known as the KIP spokesperson spinning more bullshit. Things were progressing well in Union Bay in 2015, with a board who planned a new treatment plant and eventually purchased the very piece of land by Langley Lake that KIP’s own consultants targeted as a prime spot for the plant.
David Godfrey then took a petition around and misled the landowners telling them KIP would fund the facility and encouraging them to sign a petition demanding the then board give KIP an extension. This was the start of the division.
From the guy on the board who left the community just about bankrupt by the time he was turfed out. They spent every penny they brought in and never planned for the future – just like the board we have now.
From the guy on the board who was involved in purchasing the school property which turned out didn’t have clear title – no one seems to know if they bothered with a title search.
From the guy on the board who authorized thousands to be spent on renovations on a piece of property UBID didn’t have clear title to.
From the guy on the board that can be thanked for the legal costs incurred trying to get SD 71 to take the property back. From the guy who cost Union Bay tens of thousand of dollars while on a board who ignored due diligence.
We all know what Loxam was talking about. He thought it was a big deal that the developer would write a cheque for around $400,000. instead of giving a cheque for each lot with a CEC of $8900. Jim correctly stated that it’s nothing to crow about since it is required by our bylaws. Loxam is ignorant of the bylaws and it looks like Godfrey is too.
From the guy who told the community in April 2011 that Union Bay was receiving a $1.7 Million dollar GIFT in the 2011 Water Infrastructure Agreement from KIP only to have to admit (after the agreement expired in Dec. 2014) in 2015 it was not a gift – it was an interest free loan.
From the guy who took credit for the negotiated 2011 WIA giving 500 water connections which violated our water license. Max is 1045 connections – currently approx. 700.
From the guy on the board who negotiated the 2011 WIA which gave KIP ownership of the water treatment facility until a new permanent facility would be built. In other words, we wouldn’t own it until we no longer needed it.
From the guy who took a petition around insisting the then board give KIP an extension on the agreement which KIP allowed to expire Dec. 31, 2014.
From the guy who never bothered to find out if an expired agreement can be extended, instead he divided the community by telling landowners KIP would fund the water treatment plant.
From the guy who was part of the board who locked us out in 2011 and then wrote letters condemning the board in March 2016 for not being accountable. Upset because the board wouldn’t commit an illegal act by extending an expired agreement.
From the guy on UBID boards who never did a thing to prepare for the future water treatment when VIHA kept advising UBID of deadlines until the lousy April 2011 WIA. How many deadlines passed with no thought to the future?
From the guy who, like our present idiotic board, kept secret the fact that one of the trustees was negotiating with KIP and two of the trustees were only made aware when they received a draft. The current board is using the same playbook – excluding trustees that might disagree.
From the guy who promotes the dysfunction and disregard for the bylaws, policies and directives, and encourages the current board to continue stomping on democracy.
From the guy who can’t stand that someone might have a different opinion and wants people to believe that exercising their right to free speech is “trying to divide the community”.
The board explains their positions on becoming a service area of the CVRD.
The following audio clip is from the Nov. 16, 2017 UBID board meeting where Trustee Kaljur puts forth a motion to send a letter to the CVRD requesting a study as to the pros and cons of joining the Regional District. The motion passed with the chair breaking the tie vote and stating there was “…no harm in writing a letter and getting information.”
The admin supposedly accidentally erased the 17 minutes of the motion and discussion. What I don’t understand is why he decided to exclude the 17 minutes completely in his minutes. The admin didn’t audio or video record the Jan. 2018 UBID meeting and yet managed to create the minutes. He did this by using my audio recording which means if he wanted you to read the discussion that took place at the Nov. 16, 2017 meeting, he would have used my audio of those missing 17 minutes.
From the person who claims RENA (research, evaluate, negotiate, act) never gets to “R” for “research”. Doesn’t understand what the letter to the CVRD would be? Thinks writing a letter is going to cause confusion. Doesn’t grasp the fact the procedure is for UBID to simply write a letter. What does this guy call ‘research’?
LIsten to the admin claim this motion was “sprung” on the board. WTF?
NOTE: Trustee Loxam states 16:40 “We’re building this filtration plant, we’re building all this without raising our taxes”.
Then at the Dec. 14, 2018 meeting we learn the board brought forward a motion at the COW meeting the day before regarding sending the letter to the CVRD. Wouldn’t allow any discussion because it wasn’t on the agenda. Chair said will be on the next meetings agenda. Listen to the chair bumble around because he doesn’t understand the procedure.
This question from a landowner asking about the letter and the Chair claims there was no date on sending the letter. Funny, I don’t recall very many motions where a date to send is specified. Last one I remember was from when they tried to extend the expired water agreement with a motion that stated 3 business days.
Then out of the blue the guy who claims researching brings a motion forward in January 2018, to not send a letter. So the motion that was passed Nov. 16, 2017 has gone to motion purgatory never to be heard from again.
Now we have a municipality option added and yet there is no record of the board ever discussing becoming a municipality. I would guess there was a secret meeting where this was planned as the admin and the guy who claims to research (ha ha) are working together to prevent the landowners from acquiring the information.
The guy who doesn’t research gives reasons for not sending a letter to the CVRD and puts forth a motion “The Future State of the Union Bay Improvement District”:
Admin is too busy to participate in a study.
Admin will do a study on the future state of the Union Bay Improvement District.
The study on the Future State of the Union Bay Improvement District will eliminate the need to send the letter to the CVRD.
“A motion was put out to do this study and there’s such a large force trying to push this at every meeting.”
Throwing a motion on the agenda at the Nov. 2017 meeting without studying it or talking to the employees about sending the letter is really creating an issue.
We have dedicated employees and if we lose them, where are we going to get any other people to come here?
If your water stops running next week, the Regional District isn’t going to be down here getting the water to your house.
RENA has been involved in a study and knows what’s involved when you don’t have control. Admin will do own research.
The admin has met with ministry and CVRD and will fit in his study when he can as he’s busy with the water filtration and can’t fit it in right now.
At the 5:50 mark you will hear factual information on what the letter to the CVRD involves.
The Chair claims the new motion at the Jan. 2018 meeting is the same as the one passed in Nov. 2017.
In other words – let’s get people who are capable. A good start would be complying with the bylaws, policies and directives of UBID as set out in the oath they take.
Nothing is going to change here in hillbilly heaven until there is a change in leadership. Cumberland is no longer referred to as Scumberland because of the leadership in the community. No one is denying Union Bay is in a physically beautiful place – it’s the underbelly and the current UBID board where the rot is with trustees making up their own rules.
Don’t want to see bad press – vote for competent capable people.
