A Facebook post from a long-time RVer has exposed a small gap in tourist services on the Sunshine Coast.
A quick look at the ferry lineups every summer is all you need to confirm the Coast is a popular destination for RV travellers.
Bob Bowles, a former Sechelt resident who travels extensively in his Class A motorhome (the type that looks like a tour bus), recently returned to the Coast and ran into an unexpected situation when he needed to empty his grey water and sewer tanks.
“I went to Porpoise Bay Provincial Park to enjoy the park, and to empty my tanks,” Bowles posted on Facebook. “The sign at the entrance board states there is a sani-dump station there, but apparently it has been closed for several years. Once I found the park ranger, I was informed by her that I must go to Canadian Tire in Wilson Creek, and pay $10 to use their station. I drove there, only to find out that the station has been closed for over a year. I can only imagine the frustration of any RVer travelling and wanting to stay in the Sechelt area using Forestry or Provincial Park facilities. I do hope that this basic need of RV tourists will be resolved in the near future.”
In an interview with Coast Reporter, Bowles said he was a bit surprised by how difficult it was to get information about where he could empty his RV’s tanks.
Although the sign at Porpoise Bay Provincial Park is out of date, the BC Parks website shows the correct information. A representative for the contractor who maintains provincial parks on the Sunshine Coast said the sign will be updated soon.
According to BC Parks, the sani-dump at Porpoise Bay has been closed since 2001, because it was too close to a salmon-bearing stream and to the park’s well, and it no longer conformed to health regulations.
A sign posted beside the now-locked sani-dump at Canadian Tire says it was closed “due to abuse and contamination,” and the only gas station in Sechelt that offered a sani-dump closed several years ago.
Bowles, whose career included time in RV sales and service, said he’s worried that if RV travellers find it difficult to access a sani-dump in Sechelt, it will discourage them from returning or recommending the area.
While Sechelt may appear to be a bit of a Bermuda Triangle for sani-dumps, they are easily found in other spots on the Sunshine Coast.
The sani-dump at Roberts Creek Provincial Park is available for use by anyone, with a fee, during the park’s open season (May 15 to Sept. 15) and the Shell and Chevron gas stations in Gibsons also offer the service, as do the area’s private campgrounds.
Happy Holidays Motorhomes, a local company that rents RVs, said most of its customers stay in campgrounds where the facilities are in place for those staying at the site and they’ve never had a customer complain of difficulties finding a sani-dump.
The only other campsites in the area without a sani-dump are the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s Katherine Lake Campground and the Klein Lake Campground, run by the Egmont Community Club.
“RVs are an important part of the visitor mix to the Sunshine Coast – we have some spectacular scenery, parks and campsites to explore, so we definitely welcome them,” said Paul Kamon, executive director of Sunshine Coast Tourism. “As for services, we certainly want to support good sani-dump options for visitors. This is a vital service to RVs coming here.”
The crowd-sourced website sanidumps.com has up-to-date information on finding facilities on the Sunshine Coast and across North America.
