In less than eight months, rural residents from Egmont to Gambier Island will head to the polls to vote for an Electoral Area Director. But what does an EA director do? And what is a regional district anyway?
People may be excused for being unclear on this, since regional districts are unique to B.C. They were created in 1965 as a “made in B.C. answer” to two needs: a forum to manage region-wide services such as water and garbage and a local government for unincorporated rural areas.
But is the model successful?
“Academics and policy wonks tend to be big fans, but I’m not as impressed,” says SCRD Area E director, Donna McMahon. “Two thirds of B.C.’s population is concentrated in three very urban regional districts in the lower left-hand corner of the province. Their needs tend to get addressed. But over half a million of us live in rural areas in the rest of B.C., where the reality is very different.”
Sponsored by the Pender Harbour & Area Residents Association (phara.ca), McMahon is offering a four-part Zoom course entitled “A Highly Opinionated Introduction to Regional Districts.” She will be joined by guest speakers from other regional districts across B.C.
After outlining the creation of regional districts and their unique peculiarities, the course covers the challenges of the model, rising costs facing local government (the property tax “apocalypse”), and finally “Being locally elected: the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly weird.”
This course was previously offered by Eldercollege, but it’s now open to people of any age, in a weekend time slot (four two-hour sessions on Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. starting Feb. 27. Registration is by donation, with a suggested amount of $40. Proceeds will go to the food banks in Pender Harbour and Gibsons.
For more information and registration visit everythingelphinstone.ca/rdcourse.
