Leanne Salter

I ask the hard questions and stand firm when spending is not in Area F’s interest. I have often been the only Director unwilling to support increased taxation.

One example was a proposed $100,000 RDN contribution toward a Parksville swimming pool feasibility study. Every Director was required to sign in support for the request to proceed. I was the only Director who did not sign.

I had heard clearly from Area F residents that they did not support paying for the feasibility study — or potentially being taxed for a new swimming pool that could follow. Despite pressure from staff and the previous Board Chair to sign, I stood my ground and refused to sign. Because unanimous support was required, the request did not proceed.

My approach to spending is simple: Area F residents expect their tax dollars to be spent responsibly, on priorities that benefit our community. I will not support spending simply because it is being proposed. I will ask the hard questions, challenge unnecessary costs and consider the impact on Area F taxpayers before I vote.

Area F has one of the lowest tax lifts in the RDN. I believe we have a responsibility to protect that advantage and not add unnecessary pressure to household taxes.

I believe Area F residents elected me to put our community first — and I will continue to stand firm when I believe their tax dollars should be spent here at home.

From the beginning of my mandate, Area F residents gave me a clear direction: move forward on exploring incorporation and let residents ultimately decide their future.

I understood that getting there would take more than advocacy. It required strategic planning and setting finances aside so Area F would be in a position to undertake the necessary work when the opportunity arose.

I have persistently advanced the process, including the work surrounding governance, boundaries, taxation, services, costs and the long-term financial implications of incorporation.

Today, we are very close. We have been approved to begin discussions with the Ministry and the RDN on the Terms of Reference, which is an important step toward moving forward with an incorporation study and, ultimately, a referendum.

I will not tell Area F residents what decision to make. My responsibility is to make sure you have the information you need to thoughtfully consider what is best for our community — including how incorporation may affect taxes, services, governance, boundaries and our financial future.

I was given this mandate eight years ago. We are now very close to achieving it. The facts should come first — and the decision belongs to you.

Protecting Area F’s land, forests and groundwater has been one of my priorities.

I invited experts to speak directly to the RDN Board about the risks of spreading biosolid sludge on our forest lands and disposing of it down mineshafts. I successfully brought forward motions to work with other Regional Districts to explore thermal treatment that can transform biosolids into biochar, rather than putting potentially harmful materials into our environment.

I also successfully passed a motion requiring a report on how Area F can ensure that biosolids are not dumped in our community.

Knowing that our groundwater depends on healthy karst systems, I connected with Vancouver Island University and financed a Karst Study for Area F to map these systems, to better understand their importance to our groundwater, and help protect the natural systems that feed our wells.

I also supported the purchase and protection of Hamilton Marsh and conservation lands, helping safeguard our watersheds, wildlife habitat and natural environment for generations to come.