Lack of Leadership in Parksville
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Water Warnings Ignored While Housing Booms
For over a decade, the Englishman River and our aquifers have shown clear signs of strain—declining groundwater, shrinking snowpack, and recurring droughts. Yet Parksville council continues approving new housing developments, adding hundreds of unaffordable units and drawing more residents to an area already at its limit.
Every year, the same pattern unfolds. Spring begins with Level 1 watering restrictions, escalating through the dry summer to Level 3 or full Stage 4 bans on all outdoor water use. We’ve reached Stage 4 four times in the last five years. Residents conserve, businesses suffer, and visitors see brown lawns—yet city hall’s priority remains growth at all costs.
Meanwhile, the aggressive push for new housing has driven rents and home prices sharply higher while wages stagnate. The result is visible on our streets: more families and seniors living in their cars. The latest point-in-time count recorded 94 people experiencing homelessness in the Parksville-Qualicum area, most of them unsheltered. Manna Homeless Society has noted a clear increase in vehicle-dwellers, bringing parking complaints, sanitation issues, and safety concerns that officials too often downplay.
Recently, Manna was forced to stop providing weekly assistance from vehicles at the Salvation Army after just two hours because the gathering created problems, with no alternative solution offered by the city. This lack of support is shameful.
Real leadership would protect every resident—families in homes, seniors on fixed incomes, and those living in vehicles. It would prioritize water storage, aquifer protection, and infrastructure upgrades before approving thousands more water users. It would focus on attainable housing rather than luxury units alone.
Without reliable water, even beautiful Parksville becomes unattractive for both living and investment. Our leaders owe the community better. It’s time they chose sustainability over unchecked growth and compassion over denial. Our future depends on it.
Lately, Manna Homeless Society has been driven to the outskirts of the city across the tracks past Buckerfields on Saturday mornings from 10am till Noon. Great numbers of people still come and gather even though it’s very difficult for them to get there.
What a stain on the city of Parksville.
Robin Campbell
Manna Homeless Society
Monetary donations can be made by e-transfer to:
Or cheques can be sent to:
Manna Homeless Society
PO Box 389
Errington BC VOR 1VO
