Colliery Dam Park 2014 Calendars — The Perfect Gift for Friends and Family

Our Colliery Dam Park Calendars would make the perfect gift for friends and family while supporting our efforts to keep our dams.  It is a meaningful reminder, throughout the coming year, of all that we have been fighting for.  Our community has been amazingly supportive, and continues to be, and now that we have a technical committee working on solutions, we are closer than ever. 

Please consider buying a calendar which not only will remind us of how important this park is, but of a community that stood up and said “No”.  It can be something we hand down to our grandchildren and tell them the story.

Only $20 ($15 for those with a slight imperfection).

Buy 5 and receive one free (get together with friends and buy together) This will be our last order for 2014, but we still have lots in stock.   This is a big fundraiser for our Society, so we are hoping you will consider buying a calendar.  You can purchase from us by phoning 250 753 0554.  If you would like to help sell we can arrange that too.

Special Announcement re: Colliery Dam Technical Committee

Good news! 

The technical team, consisting of City Staff, Snuneymuxw, and Colliery Dam Park Preservation Society members have agreed on hiring Katherine Gordon as facilitator, and Golder as the engineering team, to assist in the process for re-mediation of the dams. 

They plan to come together in the first week of December to discuss how to go forward. 

There are many challenges ahead but this is a positive and crucial first step. We will have more information available on Tuesday at the community meeting (Barsby School Nov. 26, 6:00 pm about this and other topics.

Colliery Dam Park Preservation Society

Mark November 26th - 6pm - on your calendar...

You are invited to a Community meeting

John Barsby School, multi purpose room
Tuesday November 26th - 6pm. 

 We will be giving an update regarding the Colliery dams in partnership with representatives from the City. 
There will also be a report from the 
Colliery Dam Park Preservation Society 
and you will be able to sign up for membership in the society. 

 This will be your opportunity to get answers to your questions, let the City know what you think and what is important to you. The new flood signs that have been put up will be discussed as they are a contentious issue. Unfortunately we were not consulted about this and we have considerable concerns about them. We have asked that they be removed once the dams are upgraded. 

There will be information regarding the technical committee and also about the potential of adding land to the park. We hope that we can help to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the dams issue. 

It is also a time to
celebrate what we have accomplished
in this past year together.

We did what many thought was not possible. Your presence and participation has been and continues to be important to our cause. 

 Hope to see many of you on Tuesday. 

Fundraising Calendars and T shirts will be available

Update from Jeff Solomon — Long Term Strategy Report For the Colliery Dams to go to Council Monday at 4:00

Council will be presented with the staff report for the process of the long-term strategy for the middle and lower Chase River Dams on Monday, Oct. 21 at 4:00. Please note 4:00pm not 4:30.

These are some of the highlights from the report: 

• The Colliery Dam Park Preservation Society will be involved with the technical committee which will focus on outcomes that only involve remediating the existing dams. 

• Dam Safety Branch has advised that if remediation of the dams cannot be completed in 2014, short term physical alteration need to be considered in 2014. These physical alterations, if deemed necessary, will be developed by the technical committee in the context of the long-term strategy. 

• Staff are recommending remediating the existing dams, as this option does not involve removal. 

Snuneymuxw has requested that Council and the community exhaust all efforts to keep the existing dams providing there is a desire to continue with dams on the Chase River. Snuneymuxw has identified that the primary goal for them in this process is to protect the fishery. 

 The CDPPS has consistently identified their goal is to retain the park, dams and river in their current form as much as is possible.

A facilitator may be included to assist in the process.

Information from the technical committee will go to the executive committee which involves City Of Nanaimo senior staff, Snuneymuxw First Nations and the Dam Safety Branch. Policy Group is next which has mayor and council, SFN and Province (DSB) involved. Council then has final say.

More info at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/dams

My thoughts: There is a lot of good in this proposal. It sets an entirely new agenda with every intention to rehab the dams. However, there are also a lot of ifs and unknowns. Time will tell, but we now have what appears to be a true desire to improve the existing structures. There is no talk of removal or renaturalization. I have concerns with the time frame attached as they are suggesting the process may not be finished until 2015.

Also everyone will have to get ready for the arrival of 80 signs downstream. These signs may not be supportive of the message that we are attempting to convey. We didn’t have any input here.

I will be at Moose Lodge on Sat and at the Park on Sunday to fill people in further, and I will also be speaking at the COW mtg. on Mon.

I also have calendars. They turned out really well. $ 16 for ones with a slight imperfection $20 others.