Becoming a Truly Resourceful Community
Consultation has concluded
The City of Port Alberni thanks everyone that helped shape our Challenge Statement.
Drum roll please...
Port Alberni is to Become a Truly Resourceful Community
With advanced technology, traditional wisdom, and a new consciousness, within five years we will become Canada’s first true zero waste community and fully utilize the natural resources in our coastal area, thus also beginning to heal the separation between ourselves and the planet.
We believe the Challenge we are taking on will:
Demonstrate that a small, active, resource-based city can achieve a true zero waste state
Lead to full utilization of the natural resources we are fortunate to have
Establish and align our economic and environmental goals for the foreseeable future
Do more to heal the separation that exists between our Indigenous and settler peoples
Do more to restore and protect the ocean inlet, estuary, rivers, lakes and land that have been impacted by our activities over the past 150 years
Attract the attention of other cities around the globe that are looking to become zero waste communities
Our Challenge Statement submission is just the first step in this journey. This summer, an independent Jury will announce the ten finalists that move on to the next round. Stay tuned, and thank you for dreaming big and being bold!
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The City of Port Alberni is applying for the Smart Cities Challenge and we need your ideas to help the city win. Think outside-the-box and share your innovative ideas and solutions that address some of our most pressing issues. Dream big and be bold.
View All Ideasover 2 years ago
Small Offshore Wind Turbines.
The Alberni inlet harbours some impressive wind speeds. A few strategically placed Wind Turbines throughout the inlet could provide renewable energy for Port Alberni.
over 2 years ago
Small Home Community
Use the money to build a small home community. Houses could be sold on a rent to own type of payment structure. a properly designed community like this could help lessen our impact on the planet as well as help people get into the housing market. (small homes, not tiny homes)
over 2 years ago
This paradigm shift in human development will entrench those who participate in the beginning, forever in the highest command of humanity.
Community development SunRay Village Paradigm Foundation, has developed four basic programs, for community development. Micro housing, Farmworkers Food farm & housing initiative on ALR, SunRay Village community support centres and Job Harmony work Programs in Non Timber Forest Products. SunRay is a new charity foundation, with numerous charities available to facilitate the foundation basic programs, SunRay realized that none fit the ideals to carry the programs forward. Micro housing principle is based on social assistance shelter allowance and affordable homeownership. The program will offer mortgage security to mortgage lenders. Presently the affordable mortgage rate, fifty two thousand at five percent. As low as this seems a Microhouse can be secured for this value through a combination of community programs, such as volunteers worker, donated and reduced material cost, government assistance guaranteed direct mortgage payments, low cost building sites and family and friend support. SunRay a new foundation will accept donations to be kept in a trust funds in the Royal Bank as a guarantor on Micro housing mortgages, to eliminate down payments. I know some major problems with the present rules and regulations. Farmworkers Food Farm & housing initiative is a basic program to put farm worker on the land in a yearly housing and long term work security, the basic program has been delivered to the Agriculture minister, a copy has been received by a staff member of the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, I believe new Agricultural Land Reserve up and coming ALR policy update will allow the initiative, to be implemented. A copy available upon request. SunRay Village community support centres Projects involves securing, old schools and other building in the community that can be returned to community service. Sunray Village programs are available to the public, including house and living management programs. Student residents of the village in the home and income management and homeownership programs, are a huge part of our projects. Community support and programs and low cost building rentals for community project and events, available for family and youth programs in the community. We will be doing a community assessment on what kind of programs should be offered in the Village and the outside community, suggestions will be appreciated. Job Harmony work programs give job’s to everybody that wants one, in the supported disabilities work programs, support by the government. Keeping people with disabilities active is a major priority for social living, programs financially supported. This program is dependant on a Non Timber Forest Products NTFPs, these products are piece work oriented, and special labour concession can be made, much like the newspaper delivery’s. Developing a NTFP floral processing, storage and sales office facility, for a long term commitment will allow all potential NTFP harvesters to secure long term employment. The NTFP products in the ACRD are infinite, and with proper management develop into a high value job for a lifetime. Paradigm Initiatives and interests. A proposal to develop the old sproat lake Elementary school into a SunRay village, set out a plan the allow for the construction of twenty to thirty micro houses a community centre and community garden in the play field. Bring the old tire plant by Devils den lake and develop a ACRD NTFP centre, serving all the comminty’s in the ACRD. Work with the city to secure the Cherry creek road community farm project. (Old McKinnon dairy) Establish the Eastwester trail from Quilcium Bay to Tofino, through the Historic McLean's mill, establish a few Farmworker’s farm plot’s on the mill site. file a complaint with the Agricultural Land Commision (ALC) regarding the un sanctioned campground in the ALR. Log all the fir trees and return the mill to its historic appearance. Starting a Xmas and Holley tree farm around the mill site proper. Carry all SunRays initiatives and programs to all community’s. Charge The city of Nanaimo for failure to promote Mt Arrowsmith recreational land that they signed a commitment to, and encourage a summer a festival with fire season access, utilizing logging companies pumper trucks. Develop the hydro property in behind Wal-Mart into a Farmworkers program starting with a five year logging plan and youth employment. Saw mill will process all the timber on the hydro property, develop a logging program on all un occupied forest areas in the city to reduce the danger of wind falls and blow down’s on private, public property. Work with the Province, municipalities and stakeholders to expand the Agricultural Land Reserve ALR to maintain the same land mass as our parks and recreations. Force the private logging companies to accept access to our Stadacona park on all access points, twenty four hours a day seven days a week Our future plan for SunRay is to amass a multi billion dollar mortgage fund and fully implement the No income Low income Homeownership mortgage program. This list can go on and on let’s get started. SunRay in your future. Proposal to allow farmworkers to build a home on ALR land in the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District. ACRD There are some existing legislative provisions for housing for farm workers on agricultural properties but much can be done to improve these provisions making farming and housing a more robust married agricultural solution. Since it takes people to farm, people who work the land need housing and they need to live close to the farm, water and harvesting. Passing ACRD-ALC ALR Agricultural Land Reserve statute that will allow the ALC to issue Farm Worker Permits, allowing for one hundred thousand Farmworkers to move onto the land here in the Alberni Valley. Starting one hundred thousand food farms, under-regulated intensive certified organic food farms codes, developing a world-class food market in ACRD-ALR, The ALC with a small tweak to the regulation, can create individual farm worker plots with reasonable shelter allowance (already in the code) and all year round residency. I believe this could be done per hectare, a little over two acres. These farmer plots must be registered and maintain an average production. and could be added to many ten acre or so trophy farms right away. Heavy regulations on production, no low-value crops like wheat, only wholesale market certified organic food, ready for international markets. All unused land is now subject to increased forest fire risk because of our drought reality so by having individuals living on the land they are working, we can better monitor for fires and fire risk. This is an asset the stakeholders of this project are offering to the community to help co-steward the land, the watershed, the forest and the air-shed as determined by the original stewards the Nuu Chah Nulth people. FARMWORKERS FOOD FARM & HOUSING (FFHI)Initiative Proposal A proposal to the ACRD, outlining a Draft proposal to allow Farmworkers to build a home on ALR land in the ACRD, Secure long-term piecework contracts, on a Food Farm plot of land. Farmworkers Food farm & housing Initiative Alberni Clayoquot Regional district retain’s full authority of the Farmworkers Food farm & Housing Initiative (FFHI), will regulate the Farmworkers housing payments. All Landholders will apply and renew yearly permits for each FFHI one hectare farm plot and Farmworker employee along with annual production statement and yearly labour costs including food donations. Farmworkers Retain the Right to the FFHI in a continuum, and can only be removed from the plot by the landlord, securing a new FFHI land plot of the same value for Farmworkers rights of a continuum. A cash settlement agreement based on ACRD/ALR wide set amounts, as well as an ACRD property value assessment, and independent assessments based on ACRD/ALR average values. The final decision will be made by the ACRD/ALR board. Farmworker has the right to Gift or will the interests of the Farmworkers registered farm plot and our the value, all changes must be submitted to the ACRD/ALR board for approval and registration. Farmworkers have no rights to the property other than the FFHI agreement, and as such cannot assign the property to a secured loan. FFHI housing payments to the landholder will be set ACRD/ALR wide based on, social service shelter allowances, presently at three hundred dollars. Yearly permit fees will include a support fund for the landlords for nonpayment of Housing permit payments, due and payable, January first of the following year after ACRD/ALR board assessment, based on crop failure, Farmworkers health, and inactive farm plots. ACRD/ALR board holds the right to farm, cultivate, harvest and sell, under the FFHI permit holder, after retirement, health, childbirth, extended vacation, adult care, religious pilgrimages and other spiritual adventures. The land may be left fallow, depending on market condition. The Farmworker is responsible for housing payments and may collect social services, for working impairments and make payments to the landholder. Failure to make payments for two years will result in cancellation of the FFHI and the ACRD/ALR board will render a value to be paid by the landholder or the new Farmworker less money owed to the landholder. A Farmworker is an independent piece worker, responsible for the development of the one-hectare farm plot, from virgin land to developed food farm, including the construction of the Farmworkers Shelter Housing Program(FSHP). All supplies and materials are the responsibility of the Farmworker. Shelter construction will be under ACRD housing regulations based on natural construction materials, and Eco-friendly energy systems. The landholder will verify fire truck road access and ACRD/ALR boards approved septic system. Water sharing program will be a mutually shared program, with landholder bringing the water to the farm plot, drilling a well, securing water rights. A farmworker is under independent pieceworker employment by the landholder or land management company and must submit a yearly report to the ACRD/ALR board, signed by the landholder/management in order to renew the yearly permit. Landlord retains the right to market the farm produce, a base rate pay authorized by the ACRD/ALR boards must be met. The Farmworker will hold thirty percent of production, to sell at will with no premiums or interest to the landholder as a bonus payment for piecework labour agreement. Landholders may release farm production to the Farmworkers as a sales representative, Landholder may accept ten percent of the produce, retain five percent of sales value, based on the landholders seventy percent interests. Harvest statutes and values will be set by the ACRD/ALR board through an FFHI wide vote and industry values. Property insurance for the FFHI land plot and shelter housing will be the responsibility of the Farmworker, other than landholder liabilities. A Farmworker cannot own an FFHI Land plot, Farmworker can have landholder status through a land purchase co-operative, Landholder our charity organization. A registered Farmworker land plot must be assigned under the annual permit and farm report. The ACRD/ALR regulated shelter allowance payments, production requirements will still be applied. The Farmworker is responsible for all equipment and tools, will be allowed as a tax deduction. A Farmworker may enter into a contract to allow a third party Farmworker to operate the FFHI on behalf of the registered Farmworker for a period of no more than two years. The third-party contract must be registered with the ACRD/ALC board. This allowance is still the liability of the Farmworker, and all rates and premiums apply. All Registered Farmworkers additional farm labourers expenses will remain the responsibility of the product sales, either through the seventy percent sales allowed to the Landholder or the ninety-five percent allowed to the Farmworker. The ACRD/ALR will establish an emergency labour fund attached to the FFHI permit, to reflect an emergency fund and annual emergency payments. this fund will reflect a complete crop failure across the ACRD/ALR region. This fund will be built by fifty percent of the yearly emergency portion of the permit fee money being held in trust until a yearly harvest production can be paid out. The permit fee will be established at ACRD/ALR FSHP shelter rate of three hundred dollars, plus emergency fund programs annual rate. Submitted by January of each year the Landholder and the Farmworker must sign the permit. ACRD/ALR board. ACRD/ALR and ALC land revisions. There is no excuse for industrial sized greenhouses on arable farmland - for any purpose. Greenhouse operations should be assigned a new category somewhere between industrial and agricultural, or else classified as industrial. Land reform must focus on high value food farming, utilizing the natural sunlight. Eighty-five percent of the Farm Plot must remain natural sunlight Gardening. Closed roof building such as Mushroom growing sheds can be approved as a roof garden. The shelter housing with allow site will not exceed twenty by thirty meters two stories. Farm plot Compound maximum size will be limited ten by fifteen meters. CEO SunRay Village Paradigm Foundation
over 2 years ago
Expansion of Food Bank concept
The food bank does a great job as far as it goes. The school meals project is great as well. But to give people food is only one step in combatting poverty and food insecurity. It's an important step but it is only one step. The food bank is my own personal charity and I give to it as much as I can monthly. Maybe someday I won't be able to do, but now, I can. Hungry tummies cannot provide a conducive learning situation in schools and I believe that education and job training is one way out of poverty. Imagine a community kitchen established so that people could come together to learn about healthy eating, pool their resources to cook in bulk and take a share of the products home. Imagine a mini loan situation set up so that people can start a small business. Perhaps someone has sewing skills but can't afford a sewing machine and that is all it would take to encourage them to start their own business for example. This is the next step after getting tummies full. We can't wait to have someone else provide the jobs for us all the time. This also ties into drug and alcohol addiction because it draws people out of their homes to form a community within the community of Port Alberni. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the opposite of drug addiction is getting clean. It isn't. The opposite of drug addiction is getting connected. The isolation of poverty and addiction is spirit-destroying - getting connected is healing to a point of being able to help themselves. Windows are opened and fresh air can be felt instead of the closed-in feeling brought about by poverty. And yes, I am willing to get involved if this were to come about. Good luck to Port Alberni and its people in this opportunity to grow our city and community.
over 2 years ago
Waterfront Walkway
I would love to see a boardwalk that connects Victoria Quay with Harbor Quay (or even further) along the inlet. This would allow locals and tourists to appreciate the beauty of this area and allow more access to the water. I would also like to see the derelict buildings gone and those sites filled with gardens (flower, vegetable and fruit trees) or even have these areas revegetated with local plants.
