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[Cowichan Valley] Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit / Resort


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#141 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 13 June 2017 - 07:48 AM

I would think that the simple test for street legal is whether a car has a license plate.

 

I'm not so sure.  If you live in Toronto and you store your car at the track only for racing, why would you insure it?


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#142 rjag

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Posted 13 June 2017 - 08:04 AM

Not sure if that was a legal requirement to obtain permission to open it....its private property and all sorts of test mules are run there. Its a training site for introduction of new manufacturer models where they bring in sales teams from all over the country and most of the cars used in that type of environment dont have VINs and are crushed after a year or so. 



#143 CowichanDude

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Posted 13 June 2017 - 04:58 PM

Thank you for the comprehensive write-up. I had a feeling that when noise complaints started to emerge, but which were quickly downplayed, that the situation would quickly escalate. Please keep us updated.

Will do. The municipality's written response to the court is due in ~2 weeks, then another ~2 weeks for the track (they get extra, being an out-of-province company). Will update as those come in.



#144 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 13 June 2017 - 05:05 PM

I guess some might ask why any jurisdiction would take one of these.  It's not very environmentally friendly.  Can't virtual reality replicate the rush, without the emissions ?


Edited by VicHockeyFan, 13 June 2017 - 05:05 PM.

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#145 Jason-L

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Posted 13 June 2017 - 09:24 PM

I guess some might ask why any jurisdiction would take one of these.  It's not very environmentally friendly.  Can't virtual reality replicate the rush, without the emissions ?

No.  Just... no.


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#146 On the Level

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Posted 14 June 2017 - 05:45 AM

I guess some might ask why any jurisdiction would take one of these.  It's not very environmentally friendly.  Can't virtual reality replicate the rush, without the emissions ?

You can have your cake and eat it too....

 

The EP9 electric set the record for the fastest lap on the F1 race track this past February.  It goes from 0 to 124 mph in 7.1 seconds.  If you want something faster, you need to ditch the street legal sedan and go with something like the AMZ, which goes from 0 to 60 mph in 1.5 seconds in less than 100 feet.  No emissions.  



#147 rjag

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Posted 14 June 2017 - 06:45 AM

Yup, some amazing times in EV's. Look at the car Richard Hammond crashed last week, http://www.rimac-aut...rs/concept_one/

 

Thats some serious specs. Way too much car for this small track. 


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#148 North Shore

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Posted 14 June 2017 - 10:14 AM

Electric motorcycles are catching up, also.  The fastest lap at the TT on an electric bike is 119.27mph - that speed (if it were sustained) would have put McGuinness on the top of the podium at this year's Lightweight..

https://youtu.be/vlxZs2-gICc


Say, what's that mountain goat doing up here in the mist?

#149 CowichanDude

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Posted 21 June 2017 - 11:23 AM

A quick update on the legal action...

 

We're about a week away from when the first written responses are due from North Cowichan. They have asked for a 21-day extension to the deadline, as they are trying to sort out their legal representation. There's a bit more known about the "why" of that, but I'm not clear on what can/shouldn't/can't be shared, so I'll leave it at that for now. 

 

The track folks have an extra 14 days to respond, as they're Ontario companies (the track isn't island-owned). They have also asked for a 21-day extension, as they had not engaged legal counsel with expertise in municipal issues prior to the lawsuit being filed. Read into that what you will. :)

 

The plaintiffs have agreed to both extensions. 


Edited by CowichanDude, 21 June 2017 - 11:23 AM.


#150 Mike K.

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Posted 21 June 2017 - 12:13 PM

Great, thanks for the update.


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#151 shoeflack

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Posted 10 August 2017 - 09:54 AM

Not sure if we've seen this before. Someone on reddit has posted the expansion drawings.

 

kIf52Zc.jpg


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#152 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 03 October 2019 - 05:39 AM

A company’s desire to expand a motorsport facility in North Cowichan has made enemies of neighbours.

It’s often difficult to tell who supports expansion of the facility and who doesn’t. But tonight — as residents file back into the 731-seat Cowichan Performing Arts Centre for Round 2 of a public hearing on a rezoning application that started on Tuesday — that divide will be clear.

 

 

https://www.timescol...rack-1.23965192



#153 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 04 October 2019 - 08:18 AM

A zoning bylaw that would have allowed for the expansion of the Vancouver Island Motorsport facility in North Cowichan was voted down by North Cowichan council early Friday morning.

 

Two nights of public hearings drew hundreds of people to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Theatre on Tuesday and again Thursday night.

 

After more than nine hours of public comments, council debated past 1 a.m. before voting to not to proceed to third reading on the bylaw to rezone three properties at Cowichan Valley Highway and Drinkwater Road.

 

 

 

 

https://www.cheknews...council-610418/



#154 rjag

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Posted 04 October 2019 - 09:42 AM

yup, its bs, most of the opposition wasnt even from locals but the usual crew of SJW's complaining about it being a sacred mountain and a playground for millionaires etc etc.

 

The sound issues have been pretty well ironed out, the track stopped being a member club and reimbursed everyone in full and banned open header cars. They also dont allow track time before 9AM and after 4PM M-F and 11-5 weekends. They have built more berms, installed sound meters and are now using it as a combination of driver training, motor journalist reviews of new car launches and customer appreciation for all the GAIN operations. 

 

The offroad portion proposed was to demonstrate their new SUV's etc and not for mudders. The high speed portion was a long climbing straight with a sweeping right hand curve that only pre-qualified drivers could drive. This was designed to achieve speeds over 200kmh as the current front straight barely hits 130-140 for about 3 seconds.

 

I spent a day there last May and even in the pits the most noise was from logging trucks and big diesel p/u's flying along the highway as its a 100km zone https://www.google.c...!7i13312!8i6656

 

and look at this overhead shot...where are the neighboring residences?  https://www.google.c...1!4d-123.779721


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#155 rjag

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Posted 02 November 2019 - 07:11 AM

from Al Siebring, Mayor

 

Below is the link to the Agenda for next Wednesday's Council meeting, which includes the matter of reconsideration of the VIMC Comprehensive Zoning Amendment.

If you're interested in this issue, I invite you to scroll down to Page 35 for the staff report on this file, and to several items further down in the agenda, including a letter I sent to Chief Seymour this week that includes a new proposal to gift the so-called "A4 lands" (about 250 acres) to Cowichan Tribes. (You can find the letter on Page 90.)

I would also invite you to look at pages 88/89 for the latest letter from VIMC's lawyers with respect to this matter. The line that stood out for me at is the top of page 89: "Should this matter land in court, by rough calculations my client’s damages will exceed $60 million." That's even higher than the $50-million dollar estimate I cited when I announced the reconsideration vote earlier this week.

Whatever anyone may think of VIMC's actions in this regard, both of the items described above constitute "new information" that the public wasn't aware of when we invited comment on this file in the initial Public Hearing. That's why I initiated the motion to reconsider, and why the staff recommendation is that we hold another public hearing before that reconsideration vote is held.

https://pub-northcow...MUKz3lPhPf-rvuY

 

 

 

 

 



#156 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 07 November 2019 - 07:44 AM

North Cowichan council will hold another public hearing to reconsider Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit’s rezoning application to expand from one track to two in light of a threatened $60-million lawsuit against the municipality.

 

Councillors voted unanimously Wednesday in favour of a public hearing, likely in early December, at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre.

 

 

https://www.timescol...reat-1.24000047

 

 

anybody want to wager on how the vote will go after the next hearing?  someone will need very very very big odds to take your bet.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 November 2019 - 07:44 AM.


#157 Mike K.

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Posted 07 November 2019 - 07:50 AM

Litigation and Cowichan seems to be synonymous. The Cowichan Valley’s municipal governments are some of the most sued in the country, according to my contacts in the development industry that deal with them.

And here we go again, this time with $60 million on the table.

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#158 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 03:37 PM

https://youtu.be/m5pIYJpg6dM  <  <  video

 

Thanks to Shane Doan's generosity, the documentary is back on track. As Biz arrives in Victoria, B.C he’s blindsided by some disturbing news from a local bar owner. After losing his cool and challenging his new arch-nemesis Tyson Barrie, Biz risks it all on a car race for the ages. This is Episode 4 of #BizNastyDoesBC, presented by Warrior Hockey Check out Barstool Sports for more: http://www.barstoolsports.com Follow Barstool Sports here: Facebook: https://facebook.com/barstoolsports Twitter: https://twitter.com/barstoolsports Instagram: http://instagram.com/barstoolsports

 

some awful acting in there and paul bissonnette comes across as a real ass.  but racing at the track an appearance at the local and at the ctv vi studios and silver arrow cars.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 November 2019 - 03:40 PM.

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#159 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 08 December 2019 - 02:53 AM

Motorsport company puts brakes on track expansion, plans lawsuit

 

Council is already preparing to be sued. At a special closed meeting Oct. 16, council directed staff to prepare a report on establishing a liability reserved fund relating to the VIMC file. Council asked that the report recommend an annual amount to be included in the reserve for the next five years, or until the claim is managed.

 

“If we get sued and we have $20 million worth of insurance, but potentially the lawsuit is $60 million, we have $40 million uninsured. So how do we cover that?” said Siebring.

 

The report says the VIMC claim, if successful, could have devastating implications over the next 10 years. If a $60-million judgment were awarded, the district has two options, says the report: a one-time tax increase of 133 per cent — $2,164 for an average home and $8,134 for an average business — or borrowing the money over 10 years.

 

The borrowing option would result in loan payments of $4.6 million per year, equating to a 15 per cent tax increase — $250 per year for 10 years for the average home, or $2,500 in total. The average business tax would increase by $930 over 10 years, for a total of $9,300. Total interest paid by the municipality would be $5.7 million.

_____________________________________

 

“VIMC’s perspective is that in denying the development permit, the municipality’s about-face is complete and legal processes will necessarily follow. While it seeks remedies and compensation in the courts for its substantial losses, VIMC will proceed to mitigate its losses, as it must, by extracting whatever value it can from alternative uses of its land,” said the letter signed by Sean Hern, a lawyer with Farris LLP.

 

 

Hern could not be reached for comment.

Parts of the VIMC property are zoned heavy industrial, where permitted uses include sawmills, slaughterhouses, auto-wrecking and cannabis production.

 

 

https://www.timescol...suit-1.24030132

 

 

it sounds to my like both sides are posturing a bit here in order to come to a resolution that the taxpayer supports grudgingly or not.

 

cowichan taxpayer options:

 

  • pay $2164 each for no racetrack.
  • pay nothing and get a sawmill slaughterhouse auto-wrecker and cannabis operation.
  • pay nothing and just let the track expansion proceed as they please.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2019 - 02:57 AM.


#160 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 10 November 2020 - 06:26 AM

North Cowichan has been ordered by B.C. Supreme Court to reconsider its rejection of Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit’s bid to develop a second track on its industrial property.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...rack-1.24236482


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