letters

We welcome your comments and feedback to any article or letter we have published. Or if you wish to raise an issue you feel should be aired you can contact us at QualicumBeachInsights@gmail.com.

Please include your full name , hometown and how we can best reach you. (We will never publish your email or phone number.) Please put "letter to the editor" in the re-line.

We also welcome letters you have sent to council, as we believe it is important to share differing perspectives. The town does not publish or post the feedback letters sent to council not withstanding that often these letters written by ordinary citizens are well reasoned and worthy of sharing.

Not all submissions will be published. Please be clear and concise, include relevant facts and sources of information you may have. Letters may be edited for clarity, length and to ensure respectful language.

Contributions

We are always open to story ideas and sharing the history and happenings in our town through words or photography. Sometimes you have to look backwards before you can move forwards. If you have subject that you think would be of interest to residents of Qualicum Beach drop us a note with your area of interest.

General letters

I agree with your article on the buses. I cycle on a regular basis in Chartwell and Qualicum Woods, and we walk our dog daily in Qualicum Woods. The number of times I see anyone on a bus is almost never. The same goes for the bus between Qualicum and Nanaimo. School kids are the primary riders and they only go as far as Parksville. Cost and pollution are my objectives to this. The Qualicum to Nanaimo bus is Ok, but reduce the schedule. The local bus is not necessary and a waste of taxpayer dollars (which current council is very good at). JS Qualicum Woods ***** Thanks for all your research and great information! Agree with you and feel this town needs to take a more informed look at things instead of wasting money that could be spent far more wisely. Government grants are not free. F.W. Qualicum Beach

Eaglecrest and other Developments

Letter from ERA To Mayor and Council Dated Feb 6 2026 Dear Mayor and Councilors: “Although no neighbourhood should be exempt from change, no neighbourhood should be unrecognizable to someone returning after a decade.” Charles Marohn, Escaping the Housing Trap Established in 1991, the Eaglecrest Residents’ Association is mandated in part to: “Support only those developments, zoning and land use proposals that are consistent with the natural aesthetics of Eaglecrest and in keeping with its residential nature.” In response to the Town’s intention to acquire the lands of the Eaglecrest golf course, The Association fulfilled this mandate by determining a community consensus through: • dissemination of timely and accurate information; • encouraging and monitoring member discourse; • organizing community forums; • proactive interaction with Council and staff. Having engaged its 325 member households and the greater Eaglecrest community, the Association has determined a community consensus on ”Eaglecrest Revisioning” to be: Eaglecrest must continue with the vision that has guided its development over five decades - a low density residential neighbourhood integrated with a golf course, with protected recreational green space. This consensus has been a constant in prior Official Community Plans and continued in the 2025 OCP with: Objectives: OCP Goals of Complete, Compact Community Land Uses, Low- impact Transportation, Healthy Landscapes, Green Buildings, Sense of Place and Diversity of Housing. 4.1.1: Residential development should take place primarily in the “Village Neighbourhood” where developments benefit from existing services . 4.1.2 (a): To maintain lower housing densities in residential areas outside the Village Neighbourhood. 4.1.3 (a): To ensure that the scale and character of medium density residential development is compatible with existing small-scale residential uses and the village character of the Town. 4.9:(a): To support the development of a system of recreational amenities that provide a wide range of recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. 4.9.5: Protect Town’s network of open spaces in perpetuity including:... Eaglecrest Golf Course. With the Town’s adoption of the Spectrum of Public Participation developed by the International Association of Public Participation to: Inform - Provide the public with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the problem, alternatives and/or solutions. Consult - Obtain public feedback on analysis, alternatives and/or decision. Involve - Work directly with the public throughout the process to ensure concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered. Collaborate - Partner with the public in each aspect of the decisions including the development of the preferred solution. the Association will be active in monitoring adherence to these principles and intervening, where necessary, to ensure the Eaglecrest Revisioning includes: Neighbourhood Plan - complies with the objectives of the 2025 OCP; - requires development to be compatible with the community’s existing form and character; - mitigates negative impact on existing development; - identifies community wide post-development service and transportation infrastructure with the requirement for pre-development completion; - provides permanent protection for all parkland/green space; - ensures a prohibition on commercial development. Transportation Plan - providing a comprehensive study of existing internal / external traffic patterns; - is consistent with the Town’s Active Transportation Plan both vehicular and pedestrian objectives/policies; - assures post-development improvements are completed pre-development including and specifically a controlled intersection at Village Way/Country Club Drive/ Hwy 19A. Parkland - assures permanent dedication of: - lands covered by the Christopher Foundation donation, - the pan-handle lands running south from Royal Dornoch - all lands currently identified for golf course use - responsibly addresses environmental concerns in support of the existing habitat - incorporates amenities ensuring a wide range of recreational opportunities for all ages and abilities. Financial Implications It must be noted that Eaglecrest residents live next to publicly owned recreational lands and enjoy no special or favoured access to the use of the golf course or the adjacent proposed parklands. These lands are a public amenity available for the use and enjoyment of all the citizens of Qualicum Beach, not just the residents of Eaglecrest and therefore to be shared equitably among all its users. The “Proposed 2026 Budget and Financial Plans” currently before Council have exposed the inequitable and untenable financial frailty of the acquisition. This is not a sustainable model and Council must abandon it in favour of one which accounts for the current and future financial capacity of the Town and safeguards against the uncertainties of real estate volatility. The Association looks forward to working with Council and staff to achieve a sustainable outcome that: - preserves the character, quality of life and property values of Eaglecrest; - respects the objectives of the 2025 Official Community Plan; - builds on the legacy of green space and recreational amenities that benefits all residents of Qualicum Beach and its visitors. Respectfully submitted, Eaglecrest Residents’ Association Board of Directors ************** Eaglecrest proposal Excellent article on this report, And your last line was perfectly put, "Exceptional discipline" and "prioritization of essential only spending", will be the critical success factors…”. In this context, residents should consider the risks of the Town's Eaglecrest purchase proposal, which could very well drive us much further and much faster into a debt hole that forces much higher taxes on us. T.T. Qualicum Beach **** **** Re Eaglecrest and runaway taxes I went back and looked at our property taxes. From 2016 up to 2021 (6 years), our taxes went up by 18%, or 3% per year. Under this council, from 2022 until 2025 (4 years), they went up by 43%, or over 10% per year. The Eaglecrest train station is sounding the “all aboard”, to purchase a golf course, using Reserve funds. Reserve funds are taxpayer dollars, set aside for specific purposes. The list in the financial plan and on the 2024 financial results does not include a category for buying and restoring golf courses. The costs to buy and redesign the course will certainly exceed 10 or 12 million dollars, about 65% of the total reserves reported as of December 31, 2024. The reserves are intended for critical infrastructure, like water and sewers, and replacement of capital assets. The golf course initiative is a classic example of your runaway train. Unnecessary spending, with no benefit to the town as a whole. Looking at the map identifying areas to be developed for housing, the only piece they do not own is the old 18 th fairway, which is a steep drop. They could sell the lands they do own without buying the entire golf course. Eaglecrest has lost money annually for many years. The course will lose money going forward, putting another burden on taxpayers. Using critical reserves (taxpayer dollars) for this train ride is wrong, and a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars. D.W. & J.S. Qualicum Beach ************** ************ Re: New development proposal 201 First Ave West I am assuming the developer has proposed medical clinic space as an incentive to get approval from council, but the vast majority of this proposed 5-story building is designed for other purposes. Providing space for a new clinic in Qualicum Beach doesn’t mean the Town will secure the funding and doctors to work there, which should continue to be the priority. T.T. Qualicum Beach ************************* Read less

Airport Bylaw review letters May 2026

Mayor and Council, We have reviewed the staff report on Prior Permission Required (PPR) for the regular Council meeting on May 13th, 2026. It is encouraging that staff are recommending Council take action on the concept of PPR, especially before the busy summer aviation season which often sees an influx of itinerant aircraft. As you know, pilot behaviors, including circuit training, have been impacting the quality of life for our community for some time now. These concerns include the proven negative physical and mental health impacts of environmental noise. A quick scan of other BC airport Canadian Flight Supplement (CFS) documents show controls over circuit training have a wide range. These include total prohibitions, such as at Fort Langley, which allow no training flights. At Courtenay Airpark, they have chosen to adopt PPR for all “Touch and Go” activities. A total prohibition of all training flights may not be Council’s direction. But from the large volume of feedback you have received on the disruptive nature of flight training, it is reasonable that PPR apply to all aircraft at QB Airport for training, not just commercial/corporate operators. This need not be an onerous request of pilots, or of town staff, as local pilots will already have an established relationship with the airport, and staff have described an online system accessible to all that could be used for the PPR process. Council have also been asked by staff to consider specific days of the week and hours of operation that circuit training could be allowed. As well as reviewing other published airport CFSs that are already in use and have been seen by Transport Canada and NAV Canada, Council could be guided by the spirit their own Noise Control bylaw to address noise mitigation for the airport. The Noise Control bylaw speaks to the heart of known community concerns on airport noise which: “…disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of any person or persons in the neighbourhood or vicinity.” Restrictions covered by the bylaw include daily noise prohibitions, such as noise restrictions before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m., and specific prohibitions on noise on Sundays and holidays. As circuit training now occurs 7 days a week, we would suggest noise restrictions apply to these activities on a daily basis when/if training occurs. Ideally a regular break from the repetitive nature of training would be welcome by our community, so we are hopeful Council agrees with the staff recommendation of excluding training on at least Sundays and holidays. The highly disturbing nature of repetitive circuit training warrants Council enacting these and other suggested controls on airport noise in the Canadian Flight Supplement to improve the quality of life for all residents. These suggested improvements may also be implemented more efficiently by way of the NOTAM system, so that our community doesn’t have to wait for the next 56 day cycle of the CFS publication. Thank you, Todd Provost President Qualicum Woods Residents Association +++++++++++ Dear Mayor, Councillors, Staff, and Airport Manager, I have reviewed the staff report on Prior Permission Required (PPR) to be considered at the regular Council meeting on May 13th, 2026. Further to my previous correspondence, I again applaud the Town staff, mayor, councillors and Qualicum Beach (QB) airport manager for taking action on this important initiative. If implemented effectively, the PPR process has the potential to significantly reduce the noise impacts on QB residents due to pilot circuit training. However, I will again stress the importance of the PPR process applying to ALL pilots and ALL businesses planning circuit training using the QB airport. This includes: All locally-based resident pilots who keep planes at the QB airport. All pilots or businesses operating out of the QB airport - e.g. Sealand - or pilots/businesses otherwise having an “accommodation agreement” with the Town. All itinerant pilots and businesses based outside of QB that wish to fly into the QB airport and use it as part of their circuit training requirements. All companies performing helicopter training at the QB airport - these may already have permissions in place via a PPR-equivalent process. Encompassing ALL airport users that intend to perform training at QB will enable the QB airport management team to comprehensively track and control: What pilots or businesses are allowed to train here, e.g. the Town could consider rejecting all training by itinerant pilots/businesses. The overall number of training circuits (e.g. touch-and-goes) allowed by any one pilot or business during a given day. The restrictions on hours that training is acceptable, e.g. between 9am and 6pm. The restrictions on which days of the week, month, or year that training circuits are acceptable - e.g. training could be restricted on weekends, or Sundays, and/or holidays. In this way, the Town and airport manager can manage the overall volume of training circuits performed during any given week of the year. It would also enable the Town to more accurately evaluate the potential financial advantages of charging for touch-and-goes. The PPR process is an excellent step forward, but only if it enables proactive decisions to reduce circuit training volumes when it most affects residents. Thank you again for your hard work and for considering these points. Regards, T. T ++++++++++++++ To Council/Town of Qualicum Beach: For consideration at the upcoming Council meeting on May 13, 2026 discussing Prior Permission Requests for Aircraft at Qualicum Beach Airport. The PPR {Prior Permission Required}process is needed in Qualicum Beach. It should be required for everyone doing circuit training at Qualicum Beach Airport, all on-site and all off-site users, all pilots (local and itinerant) no exceptions. Circuit noise is and has affected the quality of life and character of Qualicum Beach for a long time now. Visitors are commenting on how noisy it is, and that it is more of an airport town than a tourist destination for relaxation and tranquility. During the period of May 1 to September 30, circuits should be banned outright during Saturdays/Sundays/Holidays, during this high tourist season. This was the Skipsey model adopted in 1978 and needs to be reinstated. Circuits should only be allowed during the week, Monday to Friday, not commencing prior to 9am and ceasing by 6pm. Circuits should be banned on Saturdays, Sundays and Statutory Holidays designated as such provincially and federally. Currently circuit training is happening and allowed from 6am to 10pm every day with no restrictions. The tax paying public should be advised of circuit training during the week just like the public is currently advised of helicopter training. There should be no difference. Ideally by email, as it currently stands for helicopter training. These times should be listed on the town’s website and updated daily with a 48 hour advance notice period required in the request for PPR permission, so taxpayers can adjust their life accordingly (ie: leaving town if necessary during these periods of intense noise and travelling elsewhere with visitors). PPRs need to be tied to the plane’s call number, not the student, not the instructor, not the owner of the company, for liability purposes. Maximum number of PPRs per day should be set at three (one hour time slots) per call number. Charges should apply to each PPR to begin to compensate the investors/taxpayers of the airport for the wear and tear on the runway. Users should be paying for the facilities they use, not the non-user taxpayers. That has gone on long enough. There was a mention of invoicing in the draft bylaw, so further explanation by staff of the costing is anticipated by the tax paying public. The PPR process needs to be widely communicated to all potential users to ensure compliance. A NOTAM to pilots needs to be sent as soon as possible to advise of these changes in Qualicum Beach. Waiting for this to be listed in the next Canadian Flight Supplement which is issued every 56 days is unacceptable. It needs to be NOTAMed as soon as possible in advance of the busy summer season commencing soon. It is encouraging that the Town/Council in advance of the upcoming election in the fall, is moving forward in addressing the horrendous noise of aircraft in the town that has been going on for years. And, seeking ways to institute a user pay system at the airport, albeit, just for this one level of usage. Please make these changes so that flight schools are not the priority, tourism is. And yes, so are the tax paying public who fund the airport. Please make these remedies as soon as possible so people are not avoiding visiting here and tourism continues to be the major economic driver for Qualicum Beach. Regards D. W. +++++++

Letter dated Sept 17 2024 Re: Airport Leases

Dear Mayor and Councilors I would like to bring to your attention (in case you are not aware)that town staff has advertised as required the towns intention to issue three leases for airport hangers. These leases are for 10 years with a further right to renew for a further 2 terms of 10 years each. Essentially committing the town to a 30 year commitment. Given the ongoing losses and significant dollars QBTax payers are funding this airport, in my opinion it is completely irresponsible to make this type of contract. We are getting as little as $7.00 a day to park a private plane in a hanger for the next 10 years, while town is subsidizing the airport by approx. $1400 a day based on my best efforts to quantify the subsidy from the towns published financial information. My recommendation is to allow these potential tenants to rent on a month to month basis or significantly reduce the terms of the lease to 1 or 2 years with no guaranteed right to renew. This will give this council ( and the next councils) the time to assess and the flexibility to adapt as necessary. These plane owners are not likely to park their planes elsewhere as obviously QB is convenient to them and cost is a true bargain. Respectfully, MDN Qualicum Beach

Airport related

July 5, 2025 Letter of Concern for Health Dangers of Airport Noise and Lead Mayor, Council, and CAO Varela, “Environmental noise ranks among the foremost environmental risks to physical and mental health and well-being, contributing significantly to the burden of disease … a range of cardiovascular and mental health outcomes have been associated with noise, such as stroke, depression, dementia and cognitive impairment... The WHO reported a loss of more than 1.6 million healthy life years annually due to environmental noise exposure in Western European countries.” World Health Organization https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-08-2024-how-much-does-environmental-noise-affect-our-health--who-updates-methods-to-assess-health-risks https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376870/WHO-EURO-2024-9196-48968-72969-eng.pdf?sequence=1 “Emissions of lead from aircraft that operate on leaded fuel cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare.” Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-determines-lead-emissions-aircraft-engines-cause-or-contribute-air-pollution. The above extracts should be difficult reading for the Council and staff of Qualicum Beach, who have a responsibility to protect the health, well-being and quality of life of our residents. As managers of the airport, these responsibilities include the health impacts from the behaviours of a very small group of airport users upon the 9300 residents of Qualicum Beach. The reality is that these same residents are providing a significant amount of the funding — through municipal, provincial and federal taxes — for an airport that is directly impacting our health. For many years now, Council has heard the testimony of numerous residents on the negative impacts of the airport on our quality of life. This testimony has included correspondence, petitions, survey results, and delegations at public meetings on the airport. The Mayor and Airport Manager Mr. Goldfuss have also attended various homes of residents and heard and seen firsthand the negative impacts of the airport on the lives of residents. Recently they both attended the home of Rupert Road residents and saw video evidence of the dangerous results for the owners and their horses from airplane activity. This has been followed up by emails from the same residents detailing additional subsequent injuries and dangers caused by the airplanes in this area. An Errington resident provided testimony at two recent airport Committee Of The Whole meetings, noting that airplane activity endangers her son with serious and potentially fatal impacts that include seizures and emotional harm. We are asking the Town to take action now to reduce the harm from the airport on our community by using the authorities available to them as detailed by Transport Canada, published in relevant federal regulations and policies: Using the approved amendment process for the Canadian Flight Supplement (CFS), including the Notice to Airman (NOTAM) procedure, which can be immediately submitted to Transport Canada/Nav Canada; Adopting the language and policies described in many other Canada Flight Supplements, which includes: using a preferred runway to avoid Noise Sensitive Areas (NSAs); specifically highlighting that there are NSAs; advising circuit training is only permitted with prior approval of airport management; specifying that no training flights are allowed over populated areas of our community; highlighting that “touch and go,” (a major factor in quality of life disturbances here) are only permitted with prior airport approval; codifying the existing and proposed Noise Sensitive Areas depicted in the town map of September 17th, 2024 by using the CFS/NOTAM process. Transport Canada has repeatedly advised that the authorities included in the Aeronautical Information Manual and other policies are available to the Town in its role as airport manager. Numerous current CFS documents provide examples of other similar airport authorities using all of these, and other, limitations, restrictions and directions which can be used to protect their community. Individual members of our community have done everything we can to improve the quality of life from airport impacts with suggested solutions for our community. Many Qualicum Beach residents are impacted by airport activity daily. The dangers to health are unacceptable to the community, and should be unacceptable to the Town. These health dangers require immediate action by our Council and town staff. It is time for the Town to act to protect the health of our residents and improve our quality of life. Todd Provost President Qualicum Woods Residents Association Jan 22 2025 Letter to Mayor and Council from Qualicum Woods Residents Assoc. (Edited for brevity) After the Dec 4th Committee of the whole meeting, we made contact with Sealand Flight. The goal of our conversation was improving communications on the airport noise issues of concern to our community. Nancy Marshall, Manager and Ian Lamont, Chief Flight Instructor have been very cooperative and helpful during our conversations. Sealand agreed that one way they could reduce in impacts of noise on our community was to adopt flight behaviours which for the most part would see their planes flying away from the densely populated areas of Qualicum Beach, and specifically avoiding the Qualicum Woods/Evergreen/Aldous and Hemsworth neighbourhoods. Sealand have advised that they have adopted the voluntary Good Neighbour Plan as internal company policy. They are also doing what they can to respect Noise Sensitive areas currently designated in the Canadian Flight Supplement(CFS) diagram and the ones proposed to the town by the QWRA for inclusion in any future CFS publications. Sealand have sent out an email to their clients and staff advising them of these policies. Even more significantly, they have advised that in 2025, if users are not respectful of these policies, they will no longer have access to their (Sealand) planes. We also discussed pilot activity, both Sealand and other flight companies using our airport as observed on Sealand's internal flight tracking system. Sealand have indicated they are very much concerned about pilot activities in Qualicum Beach which impact community quality of life from noise and potential lead exposure. We are sending this information to your attention to offer our sincere thanks to Sealand Flight for their openness to work with us on finding solutions to the noise and lead problems. These actions by Sealand were taken after a one hour phone call and a few emails between ourselves. Sealand also continue to interact with the community as new concerns are raised. We believe it is important to highlight that Sealand, like QWRA, have identified that there are continuing issues of airport noise impacts beyond their control such as: -Instrument Flight Rules impacting Iskew which restrict freedom for pilot activity to choose flying over less populated areas; -Lack of adherence by pilots to the Good Neighbour Program which both Sealand and community members are witnessing daily; -the activities of non local flight school instructors and students who do not follow the Good Neighbour Program. Working together with Sealand has proven to us that when the will exists and the right people connect, various stakeholders are able to implement solutions for the benefit of our entire community. We would ask that Council look to this example of cooperation with the community as a success which can be replicated by you to address outstanding airport issues. Todd Provost President , Qualicum Woods Residents Association. ................ Letter to Mayor Westbroek and Council October 26 2024 My husband and I were out in our garden doing yard work from 5:30 to 6:30 on October 22nd. The noise from airplanes departing at the QB Airport became so incessant that at 6PM I started timing the number of times airplanes took off and flew directly over our property. This situation happens frequently and the noise is so great we have to stop our conversation and wait until the planes pass overhead. I stopped what I was doing and decided to record how often we were interrupted. We had 12 take offs and fly overs within a 20 minute period with the average respite between flights of 1 min 48 seconds...not a lot of time to continue our conversation before the next plane comes. I am assuming these planes are from the flight school as it is the same planes continuously circling over our property. I am not sure if it is a result of the Good Neighbor program but we are experiencing a much greater number of planes directly over our property since the summer. We are very upset that the town has encouraged pilots to change their flight path to over the Rupert Rd area and we also have empathy for residents in Qualicum Woods who also do not want the noise over their homes. Please take action to significantly restrict training, or limit the airport to essential use only, so that it does not operate during summer hours when we are trying to enjoy family meals outside. The airport is a drain on taxpayer resources and I can't see why our tax dollars go to a venture that not only gives very little to the town but disrupts the quality of life for a large portion of its residents. I ask that the town please urgently deal with the noise, air pollution and wasted tax dollars. S&G W Qualicum Beach ---------------- This article has been very eye opening. Of course, I can’t help wonder what the long term outlook for Town finances would be if we weren’t losing approx. $500k annually in tax dollars on the airport, as revealed in the recent analysis found elsewhere on this site. T.T. Qualicum Beach -------------- I'm done with complaining to the town about airport related noise violations and the privileged pilots who continue to fly over the community at low altitudes. The flight schools have added more continuous noise and should be prevented from flying at our airport. The town has only excuses, blaming other levels of government and continues to tax QB residents for the increasing airport deficits. Therefore I am letting it be known, that I will be supporting any initiative that decommissions the airport. FH Qualicum Beach --------------- Municipal airports across the country are closing due to high costs to taxpayers. In a recent video the Mayor of Campbell River calls out their airport for not running like a business, and being dependent on taxpayer funding for 6 years. We need that attitude and leadership. Who benefits from our airport...a handful of private plane owners, and a small number of Iskwew Air users. Who pays for it...all 9300 QB residents. It is time to shut down "Country Club Cat4" J.S. Qualicum Beach