Some residents of Maple Bay are unhappy with a proposed zoning amendment to a property on the corner of Manley Street and Considine Avenue, saying it goes against North Cowichan’s Official Community Plan and will expand commercial development in a rural neighbourhood.
The property is home to the Hand of Man Museum, founded by celebrity hunter Jim Shockey, which houses various cultural artifacts and animal trophies he has amassed over his life. According to its website, the museum welcomes about 100,000 visitors each year and is fully funded through visitor donations.
The museum is situated in a neighbourhood of Maple Bay, a few blocks away from the waterfront, on a small rise that overlooks Manley Street. There are several residential homes in the museum’s vicinity.
The zoning amendment bylaw asks council to amend the existing site-specific zoning at 6759 Considine Ave. to expand what the lot can be used for, increase the density of the lot, change the allowed building height to 12 metres and add an accessory dwelling unit.
Kale Middleton, who spoke on behalf of Shockey at a Nov. 5 public hearing, said the reason they are requesting to amend the zoning of the property is because the museum has outgrown the current building and more space is needed to accommodate the display of more “unique items” to the community.
But neighbours of the museum are concerned about its expansion, with 24 people signing a petition asking council to reject the zoning amendment or defer its consideration until a broader policy review can be undertaken.
Museum neighbour Patrick Thompson said he signed the petition because he is concerned the zoning amendment would set a troubling precedent for further commercial development outside the municipality’s Urban Containment Boundary — a land planning boundary that distinguishes rural and urban land within North Cowichan and dictates areas of increased building density.
“The proposed rezoning is outside the urban containment boundary and therefore contradicts the Official Community Plan,” he said.
During a council debate, North Cowichan Coun. Christopher Justice said he was surprised and concerned by the level of pushback from neighbours and would vote against the proposal, saying “the museum is adequately sized and that the proposed changes are perhaps excessive given the rural context.”
One written submission also raised a concern that “a member of council received campaign and in-kind donations from the owner of the Hand of Man” and had a conflict-of-interest on the vote.
The only member of council that received a campaign donation from Shockey was Coun. Bruce Findlay.
“If people believe I am personally benefitting from a decision, due to a campaign donation, they’re delusional,” Findlay said in an email statement to The Discourse. “My integrity is worth a billion times more and I will never be coerced to vote any way differently than how I would normally have voted.”
Council voted 5-2 to adopt the bylaw with Justice and Mayor Rob Douglas opposed.
Resident concerns about the property
The petition from concerned neighbours was submitted to North Cowichan council ahead of a public hearing at a Nov. 5 council meeting, outlining the signatories’ main concerns.
They’re concerned that some of the proposed new land uses — such as warehousing and office space — don’t fit the rural character of the neighbourhood. They also worry that the increased building height of 12 metres isn’t in keeping with the area’s setting, and that changing the permitted uses could prompt other landowners to pursue similar commercial rezonings.
Others raised concerns about the ecological impact a larger building could have on surrounding vegetation and light pollution in the area.
Chapter six of the Official Community Plan has a section that covers limiting human impacts on soil and water quality and mitigating risk from air noise and light pollution.
Cameron Hawk, another resident of the neighbourhood who spoke at the hearing, said he acknowledged the museum’s positive impact on tourism in the community but is also worried that the broad changes in the bylaw could set a precedent for commercial uses elsewhere in North Cowichan’s rural areas.
He proposed that council consider a site-specific variance tailored specifically to the museum’s needs.
“Our main concern was the vagueness around the application,” Hawk said. “When it is just a blanket overarching language, it concerns people because it’s like the boogie man.”
Questions of conflict
Speakers at the public hearing also voiced their concerns about what they viewed as a conflict of interest stemming from a $500 campaign donation that Coun. Findlay received from Shockey, as well as the use of a 1930 Packard Phaeton car in the 2025 Duncan Days Parade, which is alleged to be owned by Shockey.
“I have concerns about a seeming conflict of interest involving councilor Findlay. It has been reported he got $500 for his election campaign from Mr. Shockey and the use of Mr. Shockey’s antique car during the Duncan parade,” said resident Peter Russland at the council meeting.
The Community Charter, the provincial law that sets out the powers, responsibilities and ethical rules for municipal governments, states that if a council member believes they might have a personal or financial interest in a decision being discussed, they must declare it at the meeting and explain why they have a conflict of interest.
The legislation does not specify whether campaign donations create a pecuniary (also known as monetary) interest.
However, a guide posted by the province says local officials may have a non-pecuniary conflict of interest when “the locally elected official, or one of their relations or associates, stands to realize a personal benefit from a favourable decision on the matter.”
In 2015, then-mayor of North Cowichan Jon Lefebure recused himself from a bylaw vote involving the same property at 6759 Considine Ave., which was being amended for use as the Hand of Man Museum.
According to an agenda from that meeting, Lefebure announced a conflict-of-interest stating the applicant was a friend and contributed to his election campaign.
“The provincial rules are quite clear and where there is no pecuniary interest, there is no conflict. I have no conflict of interest with Mr. Shockey’s application in any way,” Findlay said.
When asked multiple times to clarify the nature of his relationship with Shockey, Findlay did not specifically mention if Shockey is a friend or associate. He noted that, as the owner of a local pub, he is familiar with many residents of Maple Bay.
“That’s the nature of small town politics,” he said. “If we recused ourselves from decisions affecting people we know, you’d never see quorum and nothing would get done.”
According to a Council Matters summary posted on the North Cowichan website, Findlay organized a personalized tour of the museum with Jim Shockey for councillors in July. This was before the zoning amendment bylaw was brought before council for the first time on Sept. 3, 2025.
In his Mayor’s report at the Aug. 20 regular council meeting Douglas said he’d like to “acknowledge councillor Findlay for organizing [the tour] for all of council.”
When asked about the tour, Findlay said he didn’t write the Council Matters document and that the Hand of Man museum had invited council members for a tour but it wasn’t well attended. He then encouraged a second tour for those who didn’t attend and for senior staff.
Findlay also noted that he has advocated for tours of other local businesses such as Promise Valley Farms, Farmer Ben’s Eggs and Western Forest Products.
“There is no smoke or fire here,” Findlay said. “I have no conflict. Period.”
