The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board revised their pesticide use and invasive species management policy to better reflect the community’s wishes during their planning and development meeting on Jan. 8.
The policy was sent out for comments from community groups and local governments last year and responses showed most areas were in favour of the policy, with a few changes.
The amended policy states that pesticide use is only acceptable when noxious weeds or invasive species pose a significant risk to the environment, when scientific study doesn’t support the use of alternative methods and when the pesticide proposed is effective in the control of the target species.
The policy also strongly discourages the use of insecticides known as neonicotinoids due to the high risk they pose to bees and other pollinators.
In addition it advises extra caution in riparian areas, waterways and ecologically sensitive areas.
Pub zoning
Directors gave third reading to a zoning amendment bylaw that would allow the Grasshopper Pub and Hotel to increase its seating capacity, number of hotel suites and amount of retail space on site.
The zoning amendment calls for 309 seats, compared to the 290 now allowed, 161 square metres of retail space instead of 65 square metres and 16 hotel suites instead of 10.
The zoning amendment will now go to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for approval before it comes back for adoption by the board.
Log handling facility
Directors approved a log handling facility at Gustafson Bay in Salmon Inlet, provided environmental and First Nations concerns are addressed and proper development permits are taken out for any buildings erected.
The item came forward as a Crown referral that noted A&A Trading Ltd. planned to create a log handling and storage facility at Gustafson Bay.
Directors requested A&A Trading protect all eelgrass beds, meadows and fish habitat in the bay and asked for an environmental monitoring plan to be implemented during construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the development.
Directors also requested that all moorings be “made of clean material” to “prevent seepage of potentially toxic substances” into the water.
Sechelt Indian Band director Chris August said the issue would come to a future SIB meeting for discussion.
Cell tower
A proposed Telus cell tower planned for 1196 Stewart Road was supported by directors who heard there has been no opposition to the plan so far.
A recent public meeting saw 15 residents come out; all were in favour of the idea, said Lesley-Ann Staats, planning technician.
“There were 16 responses and all of the responses are positive, so it seems like there hasn’t been any opposition that I’m aware of to this application yet,” Staats said.
The Altus Group plans to build the 45-metre tower for Telus to improve wireless communications in the area.
The company originally reviewed more than 25 potential sites for the tower and the Stewart Road site was the only one found to be suitable.
