Author Archives: benmaartman

What are your concerns? Ben wants to listen and learn. Send your thoughts or questions to Ben HERE, and he will get in touch. The CVRD’s Budget for 2021 The Cowichan Valley Regional District has a budget totalling $100.4 million in 2020, which it uses to support the 178 distinct services that it provides toContinue reading “Hot Issues in Area H”

Ben is running against Murray McNab, a much-respected long-time resident and farmer in Yellow Point. We look forward to a fair, open and well-informed contest. Do you want to learn more about Ben and Murray? Here is the video from the Area H Candidates Forum. NEW: Water Security in Area H

Will you join us to help get Ben elected? We need volunteers to put up signs, and to call people. If you are able to volunteer, please contact us. We also need to raise funds to pay for campaign election expenses. You can contribute through our GoFundMe page. Note – GoFundme assumes a 15% tip,Continue reading “Ben’s Campaign”

2020 By-Election Electoral Area H- North Oyster-Diamond Voter Registration and Qualifications: From the CVRD website: Qualified Electors of Electoral Area H – North Oyster/Diamond are advised that a By-Election will be held on November 28, to elect a Director to fill the position for the remainder of a term expiring in the fall of 2022.Continue reading “How To Vote”

To register, click below. Thursday November 19th, 7pm: Meet Ben – finished! Tuesday November 24th, 7pm: Meet Ben – finished! The “Meet Ben” events are organized by the Campaign to Elect Ben Maartman – local residents who know a good man when we see one. We are Marshall Soules, Kelly Daniels, Pamela Walker, Ross Shepherd,Continue reading “Public Meetings on Zoom”

In 2007, I was the Director of Projects for the BC Ambulance Service. In this role I had a chance to explore the evolution of the paramedic profession with others from North America, Australia, and New Zealand. I also had previous exposure as an instructor to Malaysia and Hong Kong systems. I had a visionContinue reading “Community Service: Paramedics without Borders”

Every five years, the Ministry of Environment asks permission to access Michael Lake from our property. Each time they visit, I receive an update on the health of the lake. It’s not good news – the lake is gradually collecting sediment and getting shallower. The lake is slowly dying.  Meanwhile, the farms on the lakeContinue reading “Michael Lake: Community Stewardship”

Before we moved to Yellow Point, my partner Jan and I lived in Nanoose Bay for almost 30 years. We were attracted to Yellow Point because it had the same feel as Nanoose in the 1970s. Prior to the Fairwinds Golf Course and subsequent development, Nanoose was similar to Area H – most of theContinue reading “Development: Improving on a Good Thing?”

I have always been fascinated with blacksmithing. When we moved to the farm on Michael Lake, I had a chance to pursue this ancient craft, joining the Vancouver Island Blacksmith Club and creating my own forge. The forge developed slowly: it takes years to find all the components needed in any decent forge.  When IContinue reading “Blacksmithing: Forging the Generations”

This is from an old letter that I wrote home when I was backpacking in Europe, age 20: “I ended up in the [Florence] train station trying to sleep. About five am a couple of guys, around my age, began hassling the old winos in the waiting room. They’d twist paper and set it onContinue reading “Standing up for Others”