Lifeguard training

 Mike Lott, former Tahsis lifeguard just sent this schedule of the first two classes in Gold River. Twice a week.

Bronze Medallion

Oct. 27 – Nov. 22

Tuesday/Thursday 3:30 – 6:00pm

Cost: $122.60

Manuel cost extra.

Bronze Cross

Nov. 24 – Dec. 20

Tuesday/Thursday 3:30 – 6:00pm

Cost: $122.60 (uses the same manual as class above)

Those interested could apply to Tahsis Literacy for funding. We meet again on October 19. if you contact me, I’ll send you an grant application form. You could also apply to the village for funding and travel costs. It would be so worthwhile to know all who planned to go then they could car pool.

Meet the candidates

 

Senior centre potluck

 

Statement from council candidate Meggan Joseph

1. Why are you running for council?

Tahsis is my home, my hometown. I graduated from Captain Meares Elementary Secondary school, the very same school my three children now attend. To say I have love for this community would be an understatement. You may recognize me from the school, Bigs and Smalls, or the health centre. I have hours of blood, sweat, and tears invested in this community. I work diligently to volunteer and be an active member in any way I can.

 I have felt that over a prolonged period our best interest has been bypassed. My intentions are to stand up and step up for our community and its members. As I said at Forum, I know we cannot change the world in a day but piece by piece I believe we can create a community we can all take pride in once again.

2. What part of your background prepares you to serve on council?

I have seen and been apart of Tahsis’ difficulties and victories.

• I bring 20+ years of active volunteer experience within this community. I have been a member of the Tahsis Literacy Society, a volunteer for the Great Walk, a community support worker for power outages, hosted sports activities, community clean ups, parties, walking groups, arts and crafts, community BBQs, bonfires, group play activities, and hosted Tahsis Days’ activities and more.

• I started my political career early in High School standing as social convener 2 years running and president 3 years.

• I have been a student employee and an employee for the Village of Tahsis, the health centre and CMESS school.

• I hold Certifications in Mental health and Addictions, Community Support work, Personal Support  work, and Educational Assistance.

• I have collaborated with members in the Campbell River area working directly with at risk members which comes with responsibilities and expectations.

• I have certifications in accounting, and office management.

• I actively run the Bigs and Smalls Group.

• I actively take part in PAC and now stand as active Secretary.

• I am a member of the Campbell River and area housing coalition.

Although I may not have firsthand local government experience, I love this community! Even my pursuits of education have been to help this community. If elected, I am ready, willing, and able to learn more about responsibilities and to stand for the people.

3. What is the one thing council could do to improve Tahsis the most? (As in what is your priority)

Asking questions and empowering the members of this community by listening and making sure you have a voice, building relationships, being collaborative, finding common ground, prioritizing, and reviewing processes to improve policies and practices, and tracking and raising awareness about systemic issues. I am a strong advocate for bringing back supports and services to Tahsis.

Vote for Meggan Joseph this coming October 15 th .

Health centre closed Friday

 

Statement by mayoral candidate Martin Davis

 First of all, thank you for electing me mayor for the first term.  I knew from my previous experience on council that it is an unenviable position, especially considering the aging out of our infrastructure and the urgent need for replacement of so much of it at once.  The fire hall, breaking sewer and water lines, rec centre repairs, the poor state of roads, derelict buildings.  So much that has been neglected and needs addressing.  And every improvement has costs.  I do feel fortunate that we inherited from the previous council  professional and competent staff who have made our jobs and decision making abilities so much easier.  In this term, we have brought in $10 million in grants.  In addition, we are flush for cash with $822,000 in reserves.  Our total financial obligations to meet the requirements around our grants add up to $480,000.

With this money, we have improved flood control in the valley with construction of a detention pond and installing a high volume pump to help insure that this, along with planned dike upgrades, will help keep the severe flooding experienced in the '90's in the past.  Other communities have not been so lucky and climate change demands that we proactively adapt.  

With the fire hall being condemned, we have after much debate, decided on the most pragmatic and cheapest course of action which is to move it to the school, after retrofitting the disused wood shop.  We dont want to be in the situation of many other communities such as Zeballos losing their fire protection services and the attendant rise in risk and insurance costs that goes with that.  Plus, we have a contract with Moutcha Bay for fire protection that brings in money for our fire service.

The recent poor condition of the Head Bay Road has been one of the biggest inhibitors of tourism and economic development, as well as being unsafe and causing damage to our vehicles.  I have gone to bat on this one, meeting repeatedly with Ministry of Transportation and Mainroad Contracting, with council being forced to do a Freedom of Information request to find out if they were in contract compliance.  We encouraged citizens to make claims to MoT for damaged vehicles and I organized a pothole filling event that got the media's attention.  Thanks to all that came out for that, it made a difference.  Being the squeaky wheel can work and we are all seeing the results of the $3.25 million spent by the ministry in the last two months.  The road is now sealcoated from Malaspina Lake to town and maintenance has improved overall.

We have taken steps to improve drinking water safety as the current well is close to the first Tahsis dumpsite.  To that end, we have put in test wells and are now doing regular testing for industrial contaminants.  

I have been working closely with the Mowachaht Muchalat First Nation and Western Forest Products on old growth preservation around town and across the region.  This dovetails with the provincial government's old growth strategy and we are the only community on Vancouver Island that had a plan in place, with mapping, that is agreed on by both the logging company and First Nation. This is based on science that incorporates areas of highest biodiversity, flood mitigation for Tahsis and also includes First Nation cultural values and wildfire safety for our community.  Without the work we have done, there would have been a road across the mountain above the school and that ridge would already be logged.  This would have been a huge risk to town both for wildfire and rockfalls triggered by rainfall or earthquake.  In addition, we are finalizing protection of our intact old-growth watershed, McKelvie Creek.  This has positive implications for flood control, biodiversity and tourism.

I have a close working relationship with all the First Nations in our region and we will partner in creation of a community forest in the Tahsis watershed that would create jobs for both Tahsis and MMFN while conducting logging on a sustainable basis that would not create new risks to the community.  This in turn could lead to a return to milling lumber in Tahsis, on a smaller scale than the previous boom and bust that occurred here.  I am also assisting Nuchatlitz First Nation with their court case over their land claim and have spoken at two separate media events at Owissista in support.

We want to see an aquaculture industry developed in Tahsis for shellfish and seaweed production and have been meeting with companies and assisting by advocating with the provincial government for streamlining the permitting processes.  We advocate for moving fish farms to closed containment and recognize the damage they are doing to the smolts from our fish hatcheries, most of which dont make it out to sea due to the sea lice and other pathogens they are subjected to on their journey to the Pacific.  This has a huge negative impact on our sport fishery and we are happy that the federal government is moving in this direction.

Next year, construction will begin on the new government dock for Tahsis.  It has been a long, drawn out process, but it is at the planning and permitting stage.  This redevelopment will be a boon to boaters and help our plans for aquaculture.  Our boat launch will also be rebuilt to the correct grade.

Tourism is a major draw for Tahsis and I want to use grants to develop the trail networks around town so that we can promote them.  While the ATV trail to Zeballos failed due to rejection by Rec Sites and Trails BC due to slope failure concerns, this frees us up to apply for new grants.  While on the subject of grants, I sit on the Island Coastal Economic Trust Board, which is starting to run out of money.  We just met with Jobs Minister Kahlon and Premier Horgan regarding recapitalization of the Trust and I am fairly confident that our $150 million ask will be approved.  This will provide a major benefit for economic development across Vancouver Island.

In this term, we have cleaned up Pete's Farm and removed all the derelict vehicles, as a joint effort of volunteers and Public Works.  Thanks to all that helped.

We are currently working on an asset management plan for Tahsis which identifies what we have, what we need and is a springboard to applying for further grants in future.

Our power outage this winter was a difficult time for our community and strained our resources.  I have had meetings with the provincial government and BC Hydro to lobby for changes that would reduce the risk of this happening again in future.

We have increased the minimum starting wage for public works employees to $20/hour and brought in a medical plan in order to help attract new employees.

We continue to fight for improved wages and working conditions for our ambulance service.  This is a big problem across BC for small communities and I would like to be able to continue to fight for this.

I should also let people know that there is a $550/month daycare subsidy coming from the provincial government that will be very beneficial for our working parents.

At the regional district level, I have been advocating for a regional transit strategy that would see weekly shuttle buses serving the small communities and giving our citizens access to Campbell River for shopping and appointments.  The regional district is now working on this strategy and we should be seeing progress soon.  

Also, the Connected Coast project will be bringing high speed fibre optic cable to Tahsis, which will finally bring internet speeds into the 21st century.  Road to home links have been delayed by low signup of only 55% in our community so I would urge everybody that uses internet to get on board so that we can get this done. 

Candidates’ forum

 Go here:

https://villageoftahsis.com/municipal-information/agendas-minutes/?fbclid=IwAR2ggbqh_mnm-i8EW0NOTP3DNnjo2I4YqgOZgaRWsj47TU2gwmselbTK1TE

Go down to the 4th box that says “Click here to join meeting.”

You must download Microsoft Teams app.

Municipal closings

 

New hours at Westview

 Westview Marina and Lodge

Updated hours of Operations:

Fuel dock: 9am - 5pm

Cafe/Restaurant: 6am -7pm

Sally’s fundraiser dinner

 

Statement by council candidate Shawna Gagne

1. Why are you running for council?

 First, I love Tahsis, our family made this place our home. We bought and fixed up our house and we run our business from here. We are fully invested in Tahsis.

 Second, I made the decision to run for council now because I have witnessed the decline of opportunities and services available in our community. The residents of Tahsis are missing out because our leaders have not welcomed them in the decision-making process. People need to be involved and feel valued.

 The difficulty accessing information and the resistance to new ideas has grown over the last 7 years. Living here has given me perspective on the needs of our community and the unique challenges we face. 

 I am offering to volunteer for this community because I see the potential and believe if we work together that anything is possible. Our best assets are the people who live here.

 Many issues have surfaced over the last few years and each one brings more division to the community. We have seen irresponsible spending, lack of transparency, an increase in food insecurity, no public consultations, no attempts to grow our economy or our town, more red-tape bylaws and unfair policies, projects that risk Salmon habitat, no support to our local businesses and charities and no building relationships with local First Nations. 

Together with my team, I look beyond the obstacles and see the possibilities.

It has been the same old same old. You cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. It’s time for change! Together we can!

 2. What part of your background prepares you to serve on council? 

 I am prepared to serve on council because of the various experiences throughout my life.  Our team brings plenty of experience, unique perspectives and diversity as individuals and combined.

 Although I have not previously sat on a municipal council, I have worked closely with many. I gained knowledge of the way governments operate through the mentorship I received with the NDP and Jack Layton, and during my two previous (MLA & MP) campaigns. My efforts doubled the vote in my riding.

 I have decades of experience in provincial gov, federal gov and in private sector offices. I attained the designation of CR4 & CR3 Admin in the federal government with high security clearance while working for years in the library, central records, mail room and reception at Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, a federal government office of 300 staff that supports regional businesses through grants and loans. Part of my job was preparing the daily briefing media reports for the Minister of ACOA for use in Parliament.

 I studied communications & marketing and applied these skills when I operated my own boutique promoting local artisans. I also gained advertising and admin skills when working for Welcome Wagon as a trade show coordinator, hosting up to 30 businesses, many non-profit organisations and 500 patrons with a full program featuring guest speakers on issues relating to pregnancy, child development and infant safety.

 I have deep values in human rights, fairness, and issues affecting women. This was nurtured first by my mother who worked for the NB Advisory Council on Status of Women. This interest continued to develop with my involvement as Junior VP with Business and Professional Women’s Club, which promoted equal wage and business opportunities for women, and as VP on the board of the Council of Canadians and the Moncton Arts Society.

 I am proud of all my achievements. Especially the work I did in partnership with my husband Pascal, who is running on my team for mayor. Witnessing the lack of representation in NB, we transformed two galleries together, created a space and opportunities for local Indigenous artists, and hosted over a dozen artist openings (vernissages). It was all about giving back, shinning the light on others, and promoting others. We collaborated with the Assembly of First Nations during their annual assembly hosted in Moncton. And then we organized the 1st National Indigenous Day in Moncton. Successfully, the event brought politicians, residents, local indigenous, and thousands together for a flag raising, march, and festivities all day long. 

 Our dedicated team has decades of experience in business, the arts and rights advocacy. Producing documentaries, organising events, working with grants and budgets - we bring a variety of knowledge to the table. We have the experience, skills and passion to bring positive change to Tahsis. We have researched other mill towns and can learn from their success; we have plenty of ideas and solutions that could easily be duplicated and implemented here.

 3. What is the one thing council could do to improve Tahsis the most? (As in what is your priority)

 To improve Tahsis, council needs to listen to the people – put residents first. Over the last seven years, I have observed our council make decisions, spend money and be complacent without ever consulting the residents. It is time to put the residents of Tahsis back into in the decision-making process.

 Our pledge and commitment:

We will focus our energy here, balance the budget, increase revenues, and we will not raise taxes. We will create initiatives, attract new businesses and jobs with incentives, create a “local first” policy, manage our own resources such as logging, and re-establish the Chamber of Commerce. We want to bring the residents back into the decision-making process plus give recognition and support to our vital local organisations such as the Hatchery, Literacy Society, Seniors Society, the Women’s Hospital Auxiliary and others.

 4. Any additional comments:

 Responsible spending, inclusiveness, fairness, transparency, consultations, giving a seat at the table, food security, sustainability, protect old growth, create local jobs by managing our own logging and wood salvage, protect the salmon, support businesses, increase tourism, bring back Chamber of Commerce, welcome new residents, attract new investments, outdoor shelters for picnics and performance stages, maintain our hiking trails, local first – hire local, nurture community spirit, increase communication, commercial greenhouses, bring more jobs, reduce red-tape, more arts & culture, create an art council, consult people, update wages, build genuine relationships with First Nations…

I am working with a great team: Pascal Pelletier, Mervyn Brown and Elena Puente. To show our commitment we vow to volunteer our time as mayor and councillors – without salary or payment. Instead, we plan to place these funds in a charitable trust to finance community projects that are much needed in Tahsis, benefiting all who live and visit here. This amount would be in excess of $100,000 over our four-year term.

All four of us care deeply for this community and see the potential of Tahsis. We have the vision, passion and joint ability to make significant changes.

Transportation meeting in Gold River

 

Reminder from Mayor Martin

 CONNECTED COAST UPDATE

The process of bringing fibre optic cable to Tahsis is taking longer as only 55% of Tahsis households signed up for the free, no obligation home connection, which is unfortunate. In Gold River, the signup is 80% and their connections will be happening in the next two weeks. For Cortes Island, signup is now 100%. If we dont sign up more, we will be left out as it will not be economical to bring this service to Tahsis. So if you want a huge improvement in internet speed and reliability and would rather not be paying the rates charged by big telecoms, we need to bring this number up to at least 80% to qualify. Again, the “drop ins” are free with no obligation to sign a contract, but we cannot begin to build out the community with just over half of the properties signed up as potential customers. The revenue generated would not even make the debt payments for the last mile construction. Please do your bit and dont leave Tahsis as an internet backwater. This is also important for the economic development of our village if we want to bring more 'internet commuters' to town.

To sign up for the free, no obligation 'drop in' service to your house, contact CityWest at 

https://www.citywest.ca/dropping-in

Thanks!

Voting procedures

 

Library tech help

 

The Local will close for a while

 

Twice at this time of year, a bear has broken into The Local stand and made a huge mess. For the sake of the bear, The Local is now closed down from Oct. 1 until about the 1st of December when they go to sleep. If you want to stock up on jam, you'll need to do it before Oct. 1.

Goodbye Tahsis from Lynda Llewelyn

 With my term on council coming to a close I wanted to thank the residents of Tahsis for allowing me the privilege of serving as your councilor for the last 4 years. It was a challenging four years with COVID & aging infrastructure but I believe we, as a council, did our best to face the challenges. I’d like to thank the people I worked with and for. 

Bill, your knowledge of Tahsis’s history was invaluable and we could always count on you to take a hard look at finances and think about how we could best spend tax dollars. And I want to thank you for keeping a promise you made to me before we got elected…that no matter what was said in our meetings it would not affect how you treated us outside of council. 

Cheryl, you may have come to us a bit later but you got up to speed quickly and were a voice of reason often. You also became someone I could talk to about things. Thank you for all you do for Tahsis, including the Library board and the Fire Safety board positions. 

Martin, your leadership style took some getting used to but I do appreciate your desire to do what is best for Tahsis. Your roles at the Regional level have served Tahsis well. Thank you for putting Tahsis first. 

Sarah, notice I left you to the last as far as council goes, you have amazed me over the last 4 years. Your growth has been incredible. I honestly thought you were going to burn us all out in the beginning but you learned that we can’t do it all at the same time. Your willingness to fail and try again is awe inspiring. Thank you for teaching me patience and for representing Tahsis and all small communities at the provincial level. 

Mark, your knowledge and advice has been immeasurable. I appreciate your ability to give both sides without bias. Thank you for all the help over the last 4 years. Tahsis is so lucky to have someone with your expertise without it things like road improvements within Tahsis, flood retention, the dock and hopefully the fire hall would not have been funded by grants. 

Finally the citizens of Tahsis, you may not have always agreed with the decisions council made in the last 4 years (that just will never happen) but I think most of you know all of us did it because we wanted what was best for Tahsis. You are about to vote in a new council and I wish that new council all the best. It is not an easy task but it is fulfilling. Thank you Tahsis for the wonderful memories.

Lynda Llewelyn

Candidates Forum

Statement by council candidate Cheryl Northcott

 

Photo by Ley Langford

1. Why are you running for council?

I love Tahsis and I want it to see it continue to flourish and grow.

As an incumbent, I'm one of the two most qualified candidates running for councillor. I've been doing this job for the last two and a half years. I'm up to speed on everything that council has on its plate, and can provide continuity to residents, village staff, and outside organizations.

2. What part of your background prepares you to serve on council? 

The obvious answer is that I'm already serving on council. But that's not all I do.

I am a trustee and an executive board member for the Vancouver Island Regional Library in addition to being one of only two elected officials selected to sit on the fire services working group. I also serve as a director at large for the Tahsis Literacy Society.

3. What is the one thing council could do to improve Tahsis the most? (As in what is your priority)

The road is always a priority. As I said prior to being elected in the 2020 by-election, a safe, well maintained road is crucial for overcoming almost every other important issue in Tahsis. We're not where we need to be yet, but we've got some momentum and are making progress.


4. Any additional comments you'd like to make?

Representing the people of Tahsis has been educational, enlightening, frustrating, and most of all, rewarding. We've accomplished a lot during this term, including 12kms of new road surface and a 2.475 million dollar grant to build a new dock facility. I want more good things for Tahsis, and I'm ready, willing, and able to get straight back to work to help make them happen.

Salmon enhancement work

 Sunday was the day the dozen of volunteers of the Tahsis Salmon Enhancement Hatchery went on the Leiner River to harvest the salmon for next year's fry release. Gabe Gagnier got these great shots and gave me permission to post. Thanks to the Salmon Enhancement volunteers who work year round to keep this project going.

Campfire ban cancelled

As of Tuesday, September 20,2022 at 12 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)​ the following activities and equipment are no longer prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre.

Campfires 

Tiki and similar kind of torches

Chimineas, outdoor stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA-approved or ULC-approved

Statement by council candidate Sarah Fowler

 In preparation for the municipal election on October 15, I have asked each of the 10 candidates to answer three general questions that will give voters an idea of where they are coming from. First is Sarah Fowler

1. Why are you running for council?

I am running for council because I enjoy participating in democracy.  My involvement in our community is longstanding and will continue regardless of election results in whatever capacity possible. Prior to being elected to the village of Tahsis council I was pleased to provide services as a lifeguard at the community recreation center, among other things. In short, to serve is my hobby, and I consider it a great honour to represent on your behalf. 

2. What part of your background prepares you to serve on council?

I am prepared to serve because of the experience gained over the last 4 years in my first term. Somehow, it felt much longer.  I have taken every opportunity available to learn more about municipal government processes. Besides being acclaimed as a small community representative to the UBCM (Union of British Columbia Municipalities) executive board 2020 and elected as director at large to the AVICC (Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities) executive in 2022 I have also been awarded the LGLA (Local Government Leadership Academy) Level 1 certification. Furthermore my extended background includes working as an administrator to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration at the House of Commons when I was studying political science in Ottawa.  

3. What is the one thing council could do to improve Tahsis the most?

My priority is balance. The distinct jurisdiction of local government is limited to water, waste water and local roads. Everything after that is either grant driven as part of the strategy plan or funded directly from prior years surplus in the case of the village of Tahsis. There are far more needs unmet, above and beyond the bare minimum, and yet we need to work with what we have. At a recent convention for local governments, a friend I had been working with virtually over the course of the pandemic introduced me to her colleague as "this is Sarah, she governs a dying town." Since the mill was closed in 2000 we have definitely experienced rural shrinkage, but seeing as I have only lived here for 12 years I don't remember the days of plenty.  When I first arrived here I was excited by the potential I saw, and I hope that's how new residents still feel. 

4. Any additional comments?

My additional comments are sincere and heartfelt gratitude for the last 4 years representing all the residents of our village. I have the utmost respect for any one who puts their name on a ballot. Please feel free to contact me directly, my home number is found in the phonebook and I am found on social media sites.  Thank you. 

Sincerely, yours in service.

Smf

Sarah Fowler

sarahfowlertahsis@gmail.com

https://sarahfowlertahsis.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/SarahFo20721563

https://www.facebook.com/sarah.fowler.5473

https://www.tiktok.com/@candidatesarahfow?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Job posting

 

Campfire ban

Food bank give away event

 The Tahsis Cupboard is getting rid of some old stock and extra products for the recipients of the Cupboard on Friday September 16th at 1pm in the afternoon at the rec center parking lot.

Monday closure

 

Day of Mourning closure

 Village of Tahsis operations and facilities will be closed on Monday, September 19^th to observe the National Day of Mourning for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Tax sale CANCELLED

 

Council candidates

 Candidates for municipal election.

MAYOR
	Name
	Martin Davis
	Pascal J Pelletier
COUNCILLOR
	Name
	Samuel Adams
	Mervyn Brown
	Douglas C Elliott
	Sarah M Fowler
	Shawna L Gagne
	Meggan C Joseph
	Cheryl Northcott
	Elena M Puente

As we enter local elections, can we please keep this advice in mind.

 

Dock plans

At its September 6^th regular meeting Tahsis Council rose and reported on the design approved for the community pier and dock project 100% funded through  the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.  The project scope includes all structures illustrated in the attached slides, including those faded out.  In addition, the boat launch ramp will be re-profiled to a 12% grade.  Work is proceeding on multiple fronts – design, environmental assessment, metocean study, costing, and geotechnical.  Project schedule will be posted once it is approved and available.