Grassroots Initiative goes before Council tomorrow
A sunny Family Day means village streets are buzzing again with hikers hunting for parking spots, eager to explore the local trails under clear skies. And with the influx of visitors, local residents continue to look for solutions to perennial parking, water and fire concerns.
Last November, The Watershed featured the efforts of long-time residents who put together a grassroots initiative to address these concerns. Their proposal involves the relocation of hiker parking from the village to the gravel pit, and from there, the redirection of hikers along an alternate route that bypasses the village water intake, thereby reducing the risk of contamination of the watershed.
The announcement of these efforts was followed by a well-attended Task Force meeting that addressed parking concerns around the village. And later this week, a 'Have your say' event on parking will be held Thursday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Volunteers say the draft survey (below) is now ready to go, and she plans to approach Council for help.
"When we discussed our concerns with the MLA (Jordan Sturdy, West Vancouver Sea-to Sky Member of the Legislative Assembly), he told us to reach out and get community opinions and support, so that's our goal here," one volunteer says. "We're asking Council to help publicize and deliver the survey to all residents of Lions Bay, and to cover the costs of gathering people's opinions."
A delegation will appear before Council at the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday, February 20, and is calling on residents to attend via Zoom or in person to learn more.
"If you've been following the recent announcements from the Vancouver Medical Health Officer, she is very concerned about the impacts of climate change on smaller communities like Lions Bay," she adds. "The risks to our watershed tie in with all these other climate-related concerns. We need to think ahead and minimize the risks to our community. And evryone who lives here should have a say."
In her report, Vancouver Coastal Health's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patricia Daly warns that drinking water systems in many smaller communities in the region are at risk of disruption or failure during floods and drought, and points to the recent prolonged drought on the Sunshine Coast in 2022, where access to water was restricted for the 22,000 residents during the local state of emergency.Â
The 58-page report contains 17 recommendations to address the impacts of climate change, including the "protection of drinking water systems from flooding and drought".
Here in Lions Bay, volunteers are still needed, and interested residents can contact lbparkingvolunteers@gmail.com.
The open portion of the next regular Council meeting will be held Tuesday, February 20, at 7 p.m., with the delegation slated to occur at the beginning of the meeting, following the adoption of the agenda.
Have thoughts to share? Leave your comments below, or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca
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