Dear Fellow APRMer

For those who were unable to attend the APRM Annual General Meeting on the above topic on 16 June 2004, below are the notes prepared by Nancy Brown, APRM's Secretary.

"Peace and quiet, green space, beaches, trails and forests, fields and working farms, gardens and small home business."

These are the features of Metchosin,past and present, that Metchosinites value and want to retain. But there are serious fears about the future.

This is the consensus that emerged from a discussion of rural Metchosin during the public part of the Annual General Meeting of the Association for the Preservation of Rural Metchosin on June 16. The discussion started with 5 minute presentations by five non-APRMers. They were followed by comments from the floor.

First speaker was Colleen Brownlee, a relative newcomer who moved to Metchosin in December, 2000. The former school superintendent lived on an acreage to the West of Calgary, a property similar in size to the family's new Metchosin property, "but there," she said, "the similarity ends."

Metchosin is a place of quiet serenity, with access to the ocean, surrounding forests, vegetation and flowers. She has city water, paved roads, privacy, wildlife and a trail system through varied terrain. However, people are more reserved, there is more red tape and bureaucracy, while the politics - both provincially and local - are more confrontational, perhaps because of the stress of impending development.

She warned about the danger of impending development, recalling how, during her 20 years in Alberta, the city had gradually expanded, encroaching upon farmland, and converting the working farms into a bedroom community.

Development will occur, she said. "We need to have good planning and we certainly need to have open communication that will maintain the ruralness of Metchosin. We need to maintain our green space and we need to maintain and develop our community spirit and both our togetherness and diversity."

John Buchanan was introduced as a "full time nurse and a full time farmer" who has lived in Metchosin since he was one year old. He wants Metchosin to remain the child friendly place he grew up in where youngsters can play in the woods or on the beach, or row boats around.

"I value the open space, open woods, accessible beaches and the ability of kids to move around freely," he said.

He sees Metchosin as a community where people can make a living off their land, with small orchards, holly trees, or special types of logging or farming and for that reason he wants to see minimum lot sizes of 10 or 20 acres. "I'm not a fan of two acre or five acre lots," he said. "I don't like expanses of lawn."

"I would like to see the land useful."

"I don't like $300,000 lots and $300,000 houses which generally eliminate families and the new people convert theses places largely into lawns." He believes large lot subdivisions should place houses in one corner of the property so that large areas are left vacant as field or hillside. "I like the English village system where people live in the village and the surrounding fields are open."

Farmer-fireman Brent Donaldson also likes to see lots classified in acres rather than square feet. "Our vegetable garden is larger than most city lots," said the West Metchosin Ratepayers Association President.

He moved to Metchosin 16 years ago and is happy to see his young family spending time climbing trees and chasing animals instead of being exposed to city life. He appreciates the sense of community he feels in Metchosin with friends and neighbours ready to help out at any time - even at 4 a.m. It is a community of people who care about each other, he said.

He was critical of the number of bylaws enacted by council. "I see these bylaws taking away our rights, he said. "Everything is bylawed to death".

He does envision "modest growth" in the district.

Author, CBC contributor, farm labourer, magazine editor and former tugboat hand Tom Henry spoke of the ecosystems already preserved in Metchosin and the apparent lack of change, although, in fact,there has been development and building with more intense use of land.

Residents need to work harder towards a vision of Metchosin in the future. "When I moved here ten years ago you could point a .22 in any direction, and you could start a fire with a couple of tires," he said. But as development occurs it becomes necessary to give up some freedoms and accept that there will be limitations. "That will be a necessary trade-off or there will be wall-to-wall development."

Land needs some kind of commercial activity on it, said Henry, urging people to make sure they support their local businesses and farmers. "If the land is not used it goes to broom and then it goes to development."

There are always ways to make a living from land, said Henry. He pointed to the experience in the Cowichan Valley which was a depressed area in the 1970's when only dairy farmers and people with chicken quotas could make money. But when some people arrived and planted orchards which prospered, others followed and today the valley is an area of agricultural diversity and orchards.

Nicole Lalonde moved to Metchosin five years ago looking for a healthier lifestyle. She has studied as a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and is now working in East Sooke with flower essences.

The family came to Metchosin looking for a peaceful and private lifestyle and found a "vibrant, active, open community." Her two young children run into friends wherever they go and he only regret is that there is no small rural school for older children who have to move to a 950-student environment when they graduate from elementary school.

After the formal presentations the floor was open for all.

Rob Chabot disputed the concept that Metchosin has to grow. "Everyone talks about a little bit of development, he said. "That's like being a little bit pregnant.

"It is simply not possible, it is not desirable, it is not necessary.

"If you want to house more people, go 100 miles to the North, turn left and start a new village."

Terry Barker was also concerned about impending development, saying once it starts it never ends. "If you build it they (buyers) will come. If you subdivide, they will come - and they will come again and again.

"We need to make sure than any development occurs within the Official Community Plan, and that we get the things we really want here.

"We don't want sidewalks, we want trails. We have to keep control and work with developers to make sure they give us the things we want."

Kate Bray was alarmed at what she sees as the continual; "chipping away" of the OCP with various bylaws. The evolving OCP is an entirely different document to that approved by council after consultations with the community.

"I don't know what to do about that," she said, "It is a very serious problem.

"I think there is a lot of complacency in Metchosin because we have such a beautiful place."

Residents think they have a document that preserves what they have.

"But we don't have that," she said. "We are losing it chunk by chunk.

"What can we do to raise awareness? I think we are in serious jeopardy of losing what we have."

Werner Faust arrived in Metchosin in 1998 when the Capital Regional District was working on a regional growth strategy for the future. "It looked very good," he said. "But the problem was in the execution."

Years ago the community put a lot of work and energy into creating parks and trails and open areas. "They had a clear vision and wanted Nature to succeed.

"If I think of Metchosin today I think of a small train. The locomotive (city hall) is not very powerful but it is pushing from behind. In front you have the developers and like-minded people looking back and other self-serving people laying track and putting the spikes in."

Faust said some bylaws are needed. "Otherwise someone comes and clears off the land."

Feona Connon loves Metchosin and the land available. "Without the land we have no choice - we will live a city lifestyle."

She noted the common thread among previous speakers of the need to preserve open spaces. "We are all animals and we all need land and we all have instincts and deep, deep feelings."

Metchosinites, said Connon, need to grow their own food, stop cutting old growth forests, nurture the young and provide for older people. "It worries me that people around the age of 40 reject the community and want to move away to make money."

Betty Hildreth said Metchosin has grown "one character at a time." It is a rural and diverse community. "I only hope we can remain diverse and make a concentrated effort to plan and remain characters."

According to Bev Bacon only two bylaws are necessary:"take good care of your land, water and air, and don't do anything that interferes with your neighbours."

For Sandra Martin, Metchosin is just a wonderful place to live.

Freda Knott, who has lived on Sooke Road for 34 years "is scared" of a council proposal to create a light industrial zone on Sooke Road. "I want to see Metchosin stay exactly as it is," she said. "I see no reason why it needs to grow."

Other communities are free to grow, but "why can't Metchosin stay as its own little island by itself?"

Winding up the discussion Chris Pratt said he thinks people in Metchosin still have the same spirit they have always had. We love to live in Metchosin because of the peace and quiet.

"But to have that we have to make a noise about it."