2024 N.C. Budget 1st meeting...and more
Town Hall Reminder - Tomorrow, COAP presents on NGOs and their relationship with local government on Tuesday 21st 7pm
Hello Community,
A quick reminder about the Town Hall tomorrow
North Cowichan starts the 2024 budget discussions begin this Tues Nov 21st at 5 PM
Initially, staff will present their outlines without an in-depth budget breakdown. Why does it matter to attend as many of these budget meetings as possible? After Mayor Douglas’ last speech (in the link posted below), all departments now put climate before all else in their budget.
For instance, the presentation from the office of the CAO clearly states the CAEP is priority #1, while the OCP is #3.
See the whole agenda here, and open each attachment by pressing on the paperclip next to each department https://pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx
How to stay on topic:
Look at the slides from a department you are interested in and speak on the overspending, the allocation of the funds you are allowed to see currently, the tax increase proposed, the climate section on each slide show, the fact that the corporation has made this non-bylaw a priority, or the fact that it should not be in the budget considerations when the last poll in the community showed climate was the last on the list of concerns to put as a priority .
Some samples from the different departments:
Or… you can speak from the heart. This gentleman, in another jurisdiction, spoke from his lived experience. He was not used to speaking to the council, but made them accept his speech as the councilors acknowledged that there are bigger issues people care about currently.
Many of us know the N.C. and CVRDs Climate Action Plan will impoverish citizens as they continue to roll them out and make them a priority - how will changes such as demanding you retrofit your home, get rid of livestock and the like, affect your family during these incredibly hard times?
See dates of all budget meetings upcoming, and the Mayor’s speech in our previous Substack:
On Tuesday the 21st, at 7 pm Adrienne from COAP will be speaking on NGOs, their involvement in local government, and their role in pushing forward land-grab agendas like 2030, 30x30, and rewilding in our communities.
You can sign up for this group’s newsletter to get updates on all special Zoom meetings around these topics that affect us across B.C. here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/Dmm6jp2
Sincerely,
Team COAP