Rob Douglas
for North Cowichan Mayor 

North Cowichan's farms, forests, and rural areas are central to our identity. Future growth should maintain the landscapes and agricultural lands that make our municipality unique. My priorities are to:

 

• Defend our Official Community Plan (OCP) by respecting the community's vision, listening to residents, and protecting the rural character that makes North Cowichan unique. 

• Direct future growth to established urban centres by focusing development within the Urban Containment Boundary and encouraging well-planned infill, reducing pressure on farmland and environmentally sensitive areas. 

• Update the zoning bylaw in a manner that reflects the OCP and is informed by meaningful input from local farmers, rural residents, and the broader community. 

• Protect the rural lifestyle by supporting land-use policies that respect farming, preserve open spaces and scenic landscapes, and minimize conflicts between agricultural and residential uses. 

• Finalize the Strategic Agricultural and Food Security Plan in partnership with local farmers to improve local food production, and support a vibrant agricultural economy. 

• Expand opportunities for new farmers by working with the Province, Young Agrarians, and the Cowichan Agricultural Society to lease suitable municipally owned lands for agricultural use. 

• Advocate for stronger provincial support for agriculture, including improved livestock processing capacity, water security, farmland access, training for new farmers, market opportunities for small-scale producers, and climate change adaptation. 

• Partner with the Cowichan Valley Regional District, Halalt First Nation, local farmers, and senior governments to advance long-term flood mitigation in the Chemainus River watershed. 

• Recognize that once farmland and rural landscapes are lost, they are difficult to restore, and make land-use decisions that leave future generations with the same natural beauty and agricultural opportunities we enjoy today.