Past paradigms of tourism have focused on bringing as many visitors to the island as possible.  The first full summer since the pandemic put this in stark relief for us: with an exploding demand for summer visitation driven by our proximity to Vancouver, we’ve seen the stresses that this puts on infrastructure, ferries, roads, waste, and water.  We’ve created a lucrative seasonal short-term rental market that harms long term rental residents.  We need to better address the “why” of our tourist economy, plugging it into conversations of economic development, housing, recreation, and conservation.

I will make tourism and changing use patterns a key part of policy making in the next term.  This needs to include a better definition of the types of tourism we wish to foster on the island, and ensure that those uses align with infrastructure capacity.  This will require the bringing together of staff and citizens in innovative diverse ways, from engineering to economic development to climate and sustainability.

Since 2011, Bowen has added nearly 1000 residents to the island. This represents a ~25% increase in our population in only ten short years. This massive change in island demographics has reverberated into our environment.  Development pressures are ecological pressures, and this growth threatens to erode the rural, wild landscape that we’ve been entrusted to steward.

The ultimate goal of this term should be an evolution of our Official Community Plan, the guiding document of our municipality.  Since its last review, other master and island plans have been formulated with significant community input.  The next stage will be to expand that engagement and synthesize the realities of our current experience with the intentions that have already been set out. 

 Given the developmental pressures from the mainland, Bowen’s position outside the metro urban containment area, and the stresses experienced on our infrastructure, ecological preservation should be a key mandate into the future.  Whether it’s policy making on density, sustainability practices, or the proposed Cape Roger Curtis park, we need to secure agreements that protect our island culture for the next generation.

In the last two terms, property taxes on Bowen have increased a cumulative of over 40% along with a roaring increase in assessment value.  The municipality’s operating budget has increased ~50%.  As written in the Undercurrent, our debt obligations are expected to triple for the foreseeable future.  Residents in local service areas all over the island have been left accountable for expensive emergency repairs to water systems, the Community Centre is underfunded and (at least) 40% over budget.

The challenges in Bowen’s infrastructure will continue, as we move from a young municipality into a more stable operation.  However, with the economy and housing markets set to cool, tight financial management will become more important. 

I would like to see a comprehensive, transparent review of island infrastructure with a full disclosure to the community on any pending issues.  Development and tourism also need to be contributing their share to infrastructure use, as the Snug Cove wastewater issue has so poignantly highlighted.  I’d like to see a complete slowdown of new capital projects until those already underway get complete, excluding necessary and preventative core infrastructure development.