By Guy Dauncey, local resident
It’s election time, and in Area H of the CVRD (Yellow Point, North Oyster, and the Diamond) we get to choose who we want to represent us and sit on the Board of the Cowichan Valley Regional District.
Two people have put their names forward – Ben Maartman, who has been our Regional Director for the last six years, and Jessica Barnet. They both live locally.
I will be voting to re-elect Ben and encouraging others to do so too, for these reasons:
- He is a good listener. He does not seek to promote his personal opinions, but rather to listen to what people in the community are thinking, and then to represent our views, mixed as they may be, at the CVRD. Ben has held at least 20 Open House meetings in Yellow Point and the Diamond, to which everyone has been invited. To the best of my knowledge, no other Regional Director in the CVRD has been doing this.
- He believes in community. Ben believes we are stronger when we support each other in our neighbourhoods, which includes listening to each other, and helping each other – lending a tractor, sharing surplus produce, checking in on each other. Kindness is the all-important glue that holds us together as a community. Ben doesn’t attack, or spread misinformation. He will always be there for you if you have something that concerns the CVRD and our area.
- He loves the land. Ben is a farmer. He knows the land, and the changes of the seasons. Like many other local farms, his farm on Michael Lake Road strengthens the rural character and ambience of this area that we love so much. It’s the reason why we live here.
- He is calm and competent. Ben has acquired the down-to-earth skills of practical competence throughout his career, including over thirty years in the paramedic profession, helping people in every kind of emergency. At a time when the world is so politically charged, and some people are quick to attack and criticize, it is refreshing to have a calm and competent hand on the wheel.
- He understands how the CVRD works, and can be trusted to represent us. When Ben was first elected in 2020, the learning curve was huge. It’s not just all the programs that the CVRD manages and delivers. It’s also the legal aspects, and knowing what the CVRD can and can’t do.
He is an experienced Regional Director with the skills to get things done when they need doing, and to know when more time is needed to discuss or understand something better.
He understands the nature of the Official Community Plan (OCP), Local Area Plans, and Zoning Bylaws, and their different functions.
When a concern comes up, such as the health of the Yellow Point aquifer, or the arguments for or against tiny homes, Ben does his homework, so that he is properly informed when it comes up at the CVRD Board or at an Electoral Area Meeting.
He does not seek to represent one set of people over another. He seeks to represent all of us, which means listening when people disagree, and working to find the middle ground, the common ground.
I’m voting for Ben on Saturday October 17th. I hope you will too.
