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New terms of reference for SCRD advisory committees

Regional District

Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors have approved terms of reference for reorganized advisory committees.

Terms of reference for the ports monitors committee (POMO), natural resources advisory committee (NRAC), and agricultural advisory committee (AAC) were adopted at the Feb. 23 SCRD board meeting after being endorsed by the planning and community development committee on Feb. 16.

The original reorganization proposal called for the agricultural advisory committee to be eliminated completely, but the SCRD board voted last November to restructure it along the lines of a technical referral body.

The new AAC will have 10 members “with knowledge or experience in agriculture, agri-tourism, soils, processing and distribution, and water management” to “advise the regional board on agricultural issues on the Sunshine Coast.”

SCRD staff will now set the agenda for issues the AAC discusses.

The narrower focus was welcomed by SCRD chair, and Halfmoon Bay director, Garry Nohr, who said he felt the former AAC was no longer doing the work the regional district needed. “I like the direction we’re going with all the committees, especially this one,” he said. “I attended numerous [meetings] to see what was going on and to see if they were actually following the requests that we had from here. They made up their own, and basically went wherever they wanted to go. It basically had nothing to do with the regional district … I always wondered when we were going to sort this problem out.”

NRAC will also play more of a technical advisory committee role “on resource issues and developments that may have an impact” on the SCRD.

Issues that could be referred to NRAC include: development proposals with potential significant impact on resource use, environmental impact of resource activities on air, land, watersheds, lakes and the ocean or other impacts, zoning bylaw and official community plan amendments, timber harvesting operations and forestry plans, existing or proposed government regulations affecting natural resources on the Sunshine Coast, and plans or proposals submitted to the SCRD by referral agencies.

“This terms of reference plugs a lot of holes and inconsistencies in the previous one,” said Pender Harbour director Frank Mauro, adding that he did have one concern with including the phrase “preserves and enhances the unique mix of natural ecosystems and green spaces in the SCRD” in the terms. “It’s a natural resources advisory committee and having that in the terms of reference basically precludes all forestry in the regional district,” he said.

The terms of reference also allow the committee to invite representatives from senior governments, the shíshálh and Squamish nations, industry and environmental organizations, the District of Sechelt and Town of Gibsons to participate in discussions.

POMO will “provide the SCRD with input on operations issues related to ports, provide input to long-term ports planning, act as on-the-ground eyes and ears for the SCRD, communicate ports related information to and from community stakeholders.”

It takes over from the former public wharves advisory committee (PWAC). “The community is anxious to get this underway,” said West Howe Sound director Ian Winn.

Advertising for new committee members is expected to begin soon.