Letter: Local politicians don't know enough about climate science - Cowichan Valley Citizen
Published 3:21 pm Friday, July 31, 2026Dear North Cowichan mayor and council, CVRD directors, Premier David Eby:Climate-change skeptic Coun. Bruce Findlay’s seemingly silly statements about climate-change. . .
Published 3:21 pm Friday, July 31, 2026Dear North Cowichan mayor and council, CVRD directors, Premier David Eby:Climate-change skeptic Coun. Bruce Findlay’s seemingly silly statements about climate-change being “natural” were recently shared with our CVRD board. His questionable assertions might also explain why Findlay approves of alleged residential sprawl; supports reopening municipal forest-reserve logging; voted against a cogent biodiversity policy; and failed to help confirm our municipality’s rural-farmland character. Such arguably naive statements by a sitting North Cowichan councillor appear to display an ostrich approach to environmental science and our largely human-caused climate crises. A recent wildfire near Mount Prevost and our forest reserve, plus our arid Cowichan River, arguably prove climate-change’s evil effects have hit Cowichan, again. Sadly, Findlay is not apparently alone. Some of his seemingly callow beliefs about fighting global-warming are allegedly shared by councillors Mike Caljouw (head of North Cowichan’s environment committee) plus pro-development businessman Tek Manhas. Given dire eco-predictions by experts — Dr. Andrew Weaver and many others — about more climate-change carnage headed to our Cowichan Valley, it seems some local leaders need a rigid reality check about our dying planet and local consequences. Some of our politicians arguably do not know enough nor care about climate-change science, nor about taking all local steps to help curb the calamity. We urge Findlay, Manhas and Caljouw — plus CVRD climate-critical directors Ian Morrison, Ben Maartman, Mike Wilson and Deena Beeston — to strongly educate themselves about proven, fearsome climate-change facts. Otherwise, please do not run in our crucial Oct. 17 election. Yours in climate-change solutions,Peter W. RuslandNorth Cowichan