Hello Halfmoon Bay. This election got me thinking about our town and its size and population. According to the 2016 census and the SCRD, the population of Halfmoon Bay is 2,726 with an annual population growth of 1-2 per cent. It is estimated half the houses here are summer residences. As more families are moving to the area, more development is happening and even a few subdivisions are popping up. Those small summer cottages are changing along with the demographics. Halfmoon Bay is huge: 1,271 sq. kilometres! According to the electoral boundaries, Halfmoon Bay starts 4-5 houses from Annex Road near the District of Sechelt, and ends near Iska Road (Wood Bay) just before Middlepoint to the north. It also includes the Trail Islands, Merry Island, Franklin Island, North and South Thormanby Islands, Grant Island, Bertha and Turnagain Island, and Jack Tolmie Island. Land use for the islands is managed by the Islands Trust. Halfmoon Bay also includes Secret Cove, and Porpoise Bay from Tuwanek to the Skookumchuk Narrows, and the Salmon and Narrows Inlet.
We tend to always think of Halfmoon Bay as a street called Redrooffs, and couple of local stores and roadside stands, but it really is much more than that.
What better way to get to know your own backyard by helping out the environment as well? Ocean Wise and the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network will be hosting a series of Coastal Cleanups. Join the Loon Foundation (www.loonfoundation.org) on Saturday, Sept. 25 on Thormanby Island from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Please register at wildwhales.org/upcoming-events. Space is limited. Complimentary water taxi transportation will be provided by Thormanby Transportation (www.thormanbytransportation.com) and will leave from Secret Cove Marina.
The SCRD will be voting on allowing weather radar to be built on Halfmoon Peak close to the existing Telus tower. The weather radar will replace the former radar that was located on Mount Sicker on Vancouver Island. The 47.3-metre tower will help many local industries including forestry, fishing and marine operations. It will also provide critical input for search and rescue operations.
Sign up for a monthly update of average daily water use of your property. Send an email to: infrastructure@scrd.ca and include: first and last name, water account number (utility bill), and email address. Your usage will be emailed to you the first week of the month.
If you have any ideas for column content or have a community event or story you would like to see here, please send ideas and suggestions to khowcroft@icloud.com.
Enjoy your week and be a nice human.
