Onbowen - Music, Ideas and Culture

On Friday March 18, The National Park Community Advisory Committee hosted a panel discussion with three provincial government staffers. The topic on the plate was Crown Lands on Bowen Island. Their presentations were to explain how Crown Lands are managed and utilized.

There were three speakers. First was Julia Berardinucci, District Manager, Metro Van/Squamish Office, Ministry of Nat. Resources on the topic of Water & Forestry. Second was Keith Anderson, Regional Manager, Surrey Office, Ministry of National Resources on the topic of "Crown Lands". Third speaker was Bob Austad, Regional Manager for BC Parks on the topic of Provincial Parks & Protected Areas.

A fair amount of ground was covered on topics of great interest to Bowen Islanders including how they would go about dispensing of Crown Lands in consultation with the local government of the day, the politics of logging on Bowen, watershed protection and a series of other topics. Not all the explanations and answers were expected by the audience.

If you are following the National Park debate and want to make an informed decision on this I would qualify this event as essential viewing.

You can Download the video here [QuickTime - 505.06 MB] ( with Internet Explorer use right-click > save target as, on a Mac use control-click > save link as... ) or you can watch online you can view after the break. Please give the video a minute to load...

Bowen Island Official Community Plan (OCP) Update

Invitation to Bowen island-wide volunteer groups and societies to contribute to an IDEAS Forum
Thursday October 22nd, 7:15 – 9:30 PM Bowen Island Community School

The IDEAS Forum will be an opportunity for active island-wide volunteer groups on Bowen Island to speak to the future of the Island from their perspectives. The purpose of the IDEAS Forum is to provide an opportunity for organizations and groups to articulate their priorities and interests to the OCP Update Steering Committee, the OCP Update consultants (CitySpaces), and community members. The Steering Committee hopes that the IDEAS Forum will provoke conversations about Bowen’s future.  The OCP is integral to Bowen Island’s evolution representing an important opportunity to visualize possibilities and manage change. The existing OCP is 15 years old and in need of an update. The OCP Update process will build on the existing OCP and address emerging issues and needs. Your volunteer group/organization is invited to get involved! The OCP Update Steering Committee is seeking input from volunteer groups and organizations, who serve and represent island-wide interests, to share their thoughts with fellow groups and the OCP Update Steering Committee. Bowen is fortunate to have a large number of dedicated volunteers and NGOs who deliver programming or offer services to our residents. This letter invites your organization to join the Steering Committee and members of the public at an IDEAS Forum.

What is required?
Each organization/group is asked to provide a written submission describing the group’s priorities and interests about Bowen’s future. Submissions should not exceed five pages double-spaced and are