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Cortes Island Dog Control Service Proceeds to Alternative Approval Process

If adopted, Bylaw No. 522 would authorize the SRD to regulate or prohibit activities related to dogs that are deemed to be contrary to the public interest.

(Campbell River, BC) – At its February 28, 2024 board meeting, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) approved moving forward with an alternative approval process (AAP) for Bylaw No. 522 which proposes to establish a dog control service for Cortes Island.  If adopted, Bylaw No. 522 would authorize the Regional District (by separate bylaw) to regulate or prohibit activities related to dogs that are deemed to be contrary to the public interest. Bylaw No. 522 would limit the amount which can be raised through annual property taxation to the equivalent of $0.03 per $1,000 of property assessments.

An AAP is used to gauge support and obtain legislative approval from electors for a bylaw, agreement or other initiative. An AAP is favoured due to its cost-effectiveness compared to traditional voting.

The number of eligible electors within the boundaries of Electoral Area B of the Regional District has been fairly determined to be 961. If responses from less than 10% of the electors in Electoral Area B are received by the SRD before the deadline of Monday, April 15, 2024 the Board can move forward with adopting Bylaw No. 522. Alternatively, if 10% or more of the electors (97) submit an elector response form stating their opposition to the bylaw, the Board’s ability to adopt Bylaw No. 522 would require a vote of the electors. In that case, the bylaw can only be adopted if a majority of electors vote in favour of it.

“The dog control initiative was initially brought to the Board’s attention last year by a petition containing over 100 signatures from Cortes Island residents,” said SRD Chair Mark Baker. “The petition called upon the SRD to enact measures to control dogs on Cortes Island in response to instances of aggressive and threatening dogs. This bylaw is the first step in determining what kind of regulations would be appropriate for Cortes Island.”

If Bylaw No. 522 is adopted by the Regional Board, the next step will be to discuss the regulatory environment that would be appropriate for residents of Cortes Island and, based on those discussions, to draft a regulatory bylaw that will adequately deal with the concerns of residents.

For more information about the Cortes Island Dog Control Service AAP and to access the elector response forms, please visit www.srd.ca/cortes-dog-control-aap.

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Media Contact –  Tom Yates – SRD Corporate Services, Senior Manager   250-830-6704   |   tyates@srd.ca