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Winn won’t seek re-election

West Howe Sound
Winn
Ian Winn, Sunshine Coast Regional District Director for Area F, West Howe Sound, announced he will not be running for a second term.

A leadership question mark hangs over West Howe Sound after Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Area F director Ian Winn announced he would not run in the local government elections slated for Oct. 20.

The director announced his decision during a debate over remuneration at an April 26 committee meeting. “That’s not the reason why I won’t be back here but it’s down on the list there, somewhere, is fair compensation for doing the job,” Winn said.

He later told Coast Reporter that despite being billed as a part-time job, he regularly puts in 40 and sometimes up to 50 hours a week to attend events and address constituency concerns.

“When I actually started into it, that was a real harsh reality check that this is a very complex area,” said Winn, speaking especially to what he calls the “industrial corridor” running from Twin Creeks to the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper mill, which is the most heavily industrialized area on the Sunshine Coast. Area F also has the highest growth rate in the SCRD and includes the islands of Gambier and Keats, which he said also pose unique challenges.

Winn, who took office in November 2014 after the previous director, Lee Turnbull, retired, has been an outspoken critic of the proposed Burnco gravel mine at McNab Creek. In March, the mine was granted an environmental assessment certificate by the province, but it still needs approval from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a federal environmental assessment certificate, as well as zoning amendments from the SCRD. “I will end up leaving it behind as something for the next director to be working on,” said Winn, who said he is “ultimately profoundly disappointed by the decision by the provincial government” to approve the project.

Winn has also worked to address the blight of abandoned and derelict boats and structures on the Sunshine Coast. In February he addressed a parliamentary committee with Area A director Frank Mauro to provide feedback on Bill C-64. Winn said he plans to stay involved by working with community groups, such as the Ocean Watch Task Force and Howe Sound Community Forum.

Locally, Winn was unable to make headway on another derelict structure, Granthams Hall, which has become a sticking point as the board has consistently refused to offer funding to restore the building. “Another grant is being applied for and I’m very hopeful that we get some federal money from the Canadian Cultural Spaces grant application,” said Winn, adding, “It was not a good situation that was left with me as a legacy.”

His advice for those considering taking his place: “A rural area director faces an immense diversity of challenges and any director coming into it should be accepting of the fact that they are going to have a very steep learning curve.”