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Along with the water supply issue, the other main concern from residents I have met across Parksville is the pace of new housing developments. With water, everything is quantifiable and supported by data provided by experts. But housing development is a much more emotional topic with a wide array of concerns. So, in the next few paragraphs I will try to break things down and outline how I would like to see things develop going forward. (Warning : remember I’m “a numbers g

It’s official, my nomination papers were filed at Parksville City Hall yesterday and I am now listed as an official candidate for Parksville City Council. If you’d like to check out the papers (and those of other candidates) click here. Aside from a short break during the visit of a certain granddaughter, I have been steadily working my way across the neighborhoods of Parksville. To date I have graced 2,102 doorsteps using 160,688 steps to cover 88.15 km over 88 hours of

One issue that captured my attention back in 2021 was the proposed Parksville Aquatic and Recreation Centre. I participated in the focus groups and submitted detailed feedback on the proposal, but the whole idea seemed to die a slow and painful death. It ended with a whimper in January 2024 when the RDN Board voted to abandon the “Parksville Pool Feasibility Service Establishment Bylaw No.1894, 2023”. But wait ! Is there a glimmer of hope? Last January, School District

So I’ve been knocking on doors these past two weeks and it’s been both an enjoyable and illuminating experience. So far I’ve knocked on 787 doors, done 63,331 steps over 35.56 km. across Parksville. Everyone in Parksville has at least one dog … at least it seems that way ! Yes, there are cats too, but they are either stealthily observing the interaction at the door, planning their escape, or ignoring me completely. (First Mea Culpa – I’m a dog person). Conversations usu

I know it may be early, but my goal is to knock on 3,294 doors across Parksville over the next thirteen weeks. (I told you I’m a numbers guy) I look forward to meeting and engaging with you as I roam the streets of Parksville looking for support. If I don’t knock on your door and you’d like to meet, just reach out to me via the “Ask Ralph” page. I’d be happy to schedule a meet and greet with you at a mutually agreeable time. If you are a member of a Strata Council, a n

Here we go again … Water Conservation Level 4 started today in Parksville. That makes it five out of the past six years that we’ve gone to the highest level in our fair city. I doubt it was much of a surprise to anyone who noted the lack of snow this past winter and how quickly the mountain snowpack disappeared this spring. The trend is obvious; climate change and warming winter temperatures have eroded our natural water storage system (snowpack) reducing the natural rive

Have you noticed the little green figure floating on the bottom left side of your screen on my website? It’s an accessibility widget that assists people with limited vision to navigate the site. It’s a small feature, one that may only be used by a few people, but it can be critical in allowing someone with a disability to be a full participant in our Community. Whether its mobility, low-vision, hearing loss, cognitive or sensory challenges that result in one having to fac

Being a bit of a “numbers guy”, the arrival of my annual property tax bill is a very exciting event. I pore over the numbers, note what increased, what decreased (which hardly ever happens) and what the various taxing agencies’ rates of increase were. I suspect most people, like me, are mostly concerned with the bottom number and how that affects our cost of living. Since moving to Parksville in 2017, the assessed value of my house increased by 109% and the total taxes/ut

For the last month or so I have been working on finalizing the design and content of my website, launched a Facebook page and quietly informed family, friends and neighbours of my intention to run for Parksville City Council in October. I have studied the Elections BC Handbook for Candidates, ordered campaign literature and lawn signs for strategic placement when the “active” campaign period begins in September. Now the heavy lifting begins with regular posts on my Blog

Join the campaign on Facebook.

Welcome and a little about me.