Author: islandword

by Vanessa Scott The Comox Valley is lucky to have a range of community groups, associations, coalitions and volunteer organizations working to make it a safer, healthier and more sustainable place to live.These initiatives help hold together the fabric of our community well-being. But every issue-specific group works in its own sector, such as education, health or the environment, and there is no one place for groups and citizens to pool their collective intelligence, explore shared priorities and address the big picture issues affecting us all. That’s why the planning committee behind the proposed Comox Valley Community Health Network...

by Danny Zanbilowicz When and how did this become a crisis? “There have always been deaths from drug overdoses, and one is too many,” says Dr. Charmaine Enns, a Medical Health Officer with Island Health. ”We normally experience four to five deaths a year from overdoses for all of the north island. The rate rose slightly in 2014, and again in 2015, but it skyrocketed last year and continues to increase this year, in spite of everything we are doing.” According to statistics released by the BC Coroners Service, from January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017 there were...

by Danny Zanbilowicz The Comox Valley Regional District has been in a power struggle with a development company based in Nanaimo- 3L Developments Inc, which wants to turn land it owns near the confluence of the Browns and Puntledge Rivers, mostly covered with trees, and a popular recreational area which includes Stotan Falls, into a subdivision of around 741 homes and 10,000 square meters of commercial space. The company’s plans would blow open the Regional Growth Strategy, which is meant to control and channel development in a way that is consistent with community values of sustainability. It has become well...