It was an absolute pleasure hosting our Member of Parliament (MP) for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, Jeff Kibble, and Angel Kibble, just ahead of the 2026 Lake Days celebrations!
We toured Area I (Youbou, Marble Bay, Woodland Shores and Meade Creek) and took in some of West Cowichan’s incredible natural gems, including hikes along Cottonwood Creek, Bald Mountain Park, and the shores of Cowichan Lake.
As a candidate for Area I Regional Director on October 17, 2026, my focus is always on collaboration. Tours like this are a fantastic opportunity to bridge the gap between different levels of government and show our federal representatives exactly what makes our community a special place to live, work, and raise a family.
During our tour, we had some incredibly productive discussions regarding local and regional priorities:
- Taxation & Economy: The challenges rural communities face when relying heavily on a residential tax base, and the vital importance of supporting business, tourism, industry, and forestry to diversify our local economy.
- Safety & Resilience: Wildfire risk management, emergency preparedness, and regional infrastructure, lake sustainability—including the Cowichan Lake weir.
- Housing Reality: The critical need for rural housing options and improving housing affordability through sensible deregulation, rather than “gold standard” policies that unintentionally drive up costs.
CVRD Responsibilites
Advocating for Area I means knowing exactly which level of government is responsible for the services you rely on. To help break it down, take a look at the graphic below:
- Federal Government (Canada): Handles broader national items discussed on our tour, such as national taxation, national security, and fisheries & oceans management.
- Provincial Government (British Columbia): Manages major pillars like healthcare, education, highways, environment & natural resources, and water licensing.
- Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD): This is where our local, direct decisions happen—including Land Use & Planning Services (building permits and Official Community Plans), regional recreation facilities, solid waste, parks, local water/sewer infrastructure, and local emergency management (like Firesmart and the Youbou Fire Department).
By working together across all levels of government, we are far more likely to find practical, common-sense solutions for West Cowichan. I am fully committed to working with representatives from all parties to advance our local priorities, and I look forward to connecting with our MLA, Debra Toporoski, in the coming months to further discuss important topics for AREA I, like water sustainability, property tax deferral, local health care and overregulation of housing.
#AreaI #Youbou #MeadeCreak #CowichanLake #LocalGovernment #WorkingTogether
