As 2018 draws to a close, I fondly remember two Elphinstone residents who passed away this past year. Many will remember Stan Jones, who worked at a variety of jobs. My husband and I knew him as a good neighbour. Stan will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Brad Benson was a committed environmentalist, passionate about the protection of species at risk, and a kind man who gave a lot to our community. He was one of the founders of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association and one of its first chairs. His was a great loss to the community.
I began writing this column in May 2018 after realizing that Area E, despite having the largest population of any district in the SCRD, had no community column! Editor John Gleeson graciously invited me to contribute one, and I’ve found much to write about. I’m still waiting for residents to send me news, but I think people in Elphinstone aren’t used to having our own column yet!
In the October municipal elections all regional areas ended up with new directors and in Elphinstone, Donna McMahon became our seventh Area E Director. Our first was Frank West (served for nine years), then George Gibb (two years), followed by Jim Gurney (longest at 17 years), Patricia Baldwin (three years), Celia Fisher (six years) and, most recently, Lorne Lewis, who served for 13 years.
As our new director, Donna says that her “top two priorities right now are public engagement and transparency. I am working hard to improve public engagement by working closely with the community associations, publicizing meetings via social media, providing news about issues on my website, and interacting with as many groups as I can. I want to be proactive in addressing problems.” Donna is looking for volunteers for the Area E Advisory Planning Commission (APC), a group that reviews zoning, development and variance applications and makes recommendations to the SCRD board. “Thoughtful advice from people who know the community is essential if we are to make good decisions about land use and development in Elphinstone,” she states. For more information on the committee or to sign up for her newsletter, see www.everythingelphinstone.ca/
area-planning.
Well, that’s a wrap for 2018. Best wishes to all as we begin our next trip around the sun. The first meeting of the Elphinstone Community Association is on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at Frank West Hall.
If you have Elphinstone news, contact me at: [email protected].
