Hello Cumberland!

Hello!

Yes, I will be standing for re-election this fall. Got any hot issues you would like to discuss? Let's chat. Stay in touch by email troymtherrien@gmail.com or find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/votetroytherrien/.

It's been a challenging four years for the village. As a new councillor, the learning curve was steep. Cumberland may be a tiny village of about 4,845 residents (2024 Complete Communities Assessment) but there are a lot of moving parts and lots of village policies and staff reports at every step of the way. If you'd like to follow along with what we've been up to, my monthly reports are available online in in the regular monthly agenda packages (VOC Meetings and Agendas). Outside of regular council meetings, I also currently represent Cumberland on the Comox Strathcona Waste Management board, the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital District board, and the Comox Valley Regional District board (as alternate). 

Strategic planning sets the tone 

As councillor, I consider the strategic planning done at the beginning of each elected term to be the most effective way to move the needle in the right direction. Strategic planning priorities inform the annual budgeting process and consequently impacts how staff prioritise and work on the many projects they have on the go. 

 Here's a short and non-exhaustive list of highlights from the past four years:

• Our Official Community Plan was finally finally finally updated on Jan 2026. From the Plan Your Community street event on May 2023, it was almost three years of engaging with community members and stakeholders, as well as reviewing reports and draft documents. Highlights include a new urban containment boundary (to limit expensive sprawl) that still provides enough sufficient room for projected development demand until 2040.  

• Wastewater Treatment Facility Phase 1 opened on Mar 2026. Beset with cost overruns, this project was a particular challenge for Cumberland. With a change in project designers, we managed to get the project back on track and on budget from that point onward.

• Climate Action Plan. Yes, we finally have one (as of 2024) - and we will soon have zero step code building requirements. 

• Improved processes. No one likes red tape, so we worked on streamlining development processes and improving bylaw enforcement policy. 

Unfinished business

While there have been some successes, there are also other projects I have been working on that are still works-in-progress:

• We finalised the Transportation Master Plan in 2024. Active transport is a key focus of mine, and there is so much more that we can do. This includes working on an active transportation route from Cumberland to Courtenay - see the most recent discussion at council on July 2026.

• Affordable housing remains elusive. Grants have not materialised for the Second Street project; yet affordable housing remains an important priority for me and we continue to explore other creative means of building homes for residents.  

Conversations with Troy

All this didn't hapeen in a vaccuum. I made time over the past four years to hear from as many residents, business owners and community stakeholders as I could. Politics and progress is a two-way process that works best when you show up too. I would love to hear from you in person. I'll be hanging out at the Village Square, rain or shine, if you would like to pop by: 

• Sunday Sept 13 1-2pm 

• Tuesday Sept 22 12-1pm