- Parksville Chamber of Commerce a no-show at RDN’s Oceanside Services Committee meeting
- New restaurant featuring Indian cuisine opens in QB
- Small town forestry challenges: Why should we care?
- Developer “concepts” – a cautionary tale
- Scene around Town
Parksville Chamber of Commerce a no-show at RDN’s Oceanside Services Committee meeting
In our September 20, 2021 article Costly, confused mashup of economic strategies ignores QB’s needs we reported that a Parksville Chamber of Commerce delegation appearing at a July RDN Board meeting had “asked the RDN Board to commit to a contribution of $150,000 per year for 5 years.” In response, RDN Director (and QB mayor) Brian Wiese suggested that this request for funding be referred to the Oceanside Services Committee, which Wiese currently chairs, for further discussion and possible recommendations to the RDN Board.”
The request was promptly included on the agenda for the very next Oceanside Services Committee meeting held on September 27, 2021. Unfortunately there is nothing to report on that meeting, apparently scheduled for that purpose alone, because the scheduled Delegation from the Parksville Chamber of Commerce did not appear, and had apparently contacted neither the RDN staff organizing the meeting nor any of the attendees to explain why. Mayor Mayne’s motion to adjourn may have ended the shortest OSC meeting in history.
New restaurant featuring Indian cuisine opens in QB
Another new restaurant has opened in Qualicum Beach, a very welcomed expansion of our Town’s dining options judging by people popping in to look at the menu!
Varsha Indian Cuisine is located on Second Avenue West in the heart of QB’s village. The restaurant offers a delectable menu ranging from shrimp pakoras and masala fries to biryani, Tandoori Fish cooked in a clay oven plus a full range of curry and vegetarian dishes.
Chef Alok Shaktawat has spent years working in 5-star hotels. He says traditional recipes are the inspiration for the food served at Varsha Indian Cuisine, but he serves them up with a contemporary twist. Think butter chicken poutine or cinnamon Naan.
Varsha offers full dine-in service as well as take-out. On-line ordering available.
Varsha Indian Cuisine, 140 Second Avenue West, Qualicum Beach, BC Tel 250.986.2425
Small town urban forestry challenges: Why should we care?
Given the current attention in Qualicum Beach to our urban tree canopy as well as climate change mitigation, readers may be interested in attending this free webinar hosted by the Canadian TREE Fund, and featuring Toso Bazic’s presentation entitled Small town urban forestry challenges: Why should we care?
For more information about this October 5, 2021 webinar and to register, go to https://canadiantreefund.org/webinar-series/
Our thanks to the Friends of Trees QB for alerting us to this educational opportunity.
Developer “concepts” – a cautionary tale
Our thanks to Strong Towns for this story about the Oregon Department of Transportation’s sales copy promotion for a billion-dollar highway-widening project.
“In their latest marketing material, it’s not about cars or lanes at all, it’s about covers and community centers and housing built by Black artisans. Never mind that these “features”—like the models and the blueberries—aren’t actually part of the ODOT project at all.”
“Here’s an illustration of the proposed project that was included in a recent newsletter for nearby residents.
“Notice all those buildings drawn in red lines? They are NOT included in the scope of the project. They are NOT funded by ODOT.
“This isn’t the only time we’ve seen planners commission artwork that misrepresents what a project will look like when completed,” says author Joe Cortright in his article, Freeway-Widening Grifters: Woke-Washing, Fraud and Incompetence.
