Many people think that the controversy around the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (VIMC) is just about noise. But it goes far beyond that - our investigation into how a motorsports facility was approved without any public consultation uncovered serious flaws in the system at North Cowichan. Based on what we learned, here is a step-by-step guide for quietly approving a racetrack while nobody's looking...and getting away with it. Step 1: Keep the public (and their elected r

Earlier this week, Sahtlam Neighbourhood Association (SNA) president Isabel Rimmer paid a visit to the offices of the Cowichan Valley Citizen. Frustrated with their one-sided coverage of the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (VIMC) issue, Dr. Rimmer asked three simple questions: (1) "Will the Citizen ever write a balanced article about our issue?" Answer: "No" (2) "If I write a Letter to the Editor refuting the most recent article about the [VIMC] acoustical study, will you

As reported last week, the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit has submitted an application to North Cowichan to vastly expand their operations. The first part of this process involves asking North Cowichan to rezone four parcels of land that comprise the proposed 280-acre motorsports complex. North Cowichan is somewhat unique among local governments in that they address matters of zoning before official development plans are submitted. In other words, rezoning is considered

On July 28, 2017 the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (VIMC) submitted an application to the Municipality of North Cowichan to rezone their current track property plus three adjacent properties owned by VIMC, which together cover an area of over 280 acres. The Sahtlam Neighbourhood Association (SNA) was informed about the application by North Cowichan Interim Chief Administrative Officer Andy Laidlaw in an email to Mayor and Council and ourselves. Soon afterwards, the appl