A green issues forum was held in Sechelt on Nov. 7 at the Seaside Centre to bring focus to the environmental platforms of the area's candidates.
In attendance were the Sechelt mayoral candidates as well as those seeking the Area A and B director chairs at the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association sponsored event.
"Sechelt needs a change," said Sechelt mayoralty candidate John Henderson in his opening remarks, adding that his environmental goals would have a lot to do with embracing new technologies and maintaining dialogue.
Henderson went on to address the public's perception of his stance on green issues.
"I may have an image with some of you in the community that I'm very pro big-business," he said. "Simply put, that's not true."
The mayoral candidates were all asked about their stance regarding the Community Forest and concerns about its transparency.
Incumbent Mayor Darren Inkster backed the organization, saying the current administration has done well to encourage transparency.
"With a renewed mandate, we will continue to ask for more transparency, more openness, more availability to the public and more direct democracy," he said.
For mayoral candidate Ed Steeves, lobbying the province for control over the watersheds is necessary in order to guide logging practices.
He spoke of his role as an ambassador between the Sunshine Coast Regional District and the provincial government. He also pointed to his work on the watershed protection plan.
Mayoral candidate Douglas Smith agreed that watershed protection should be a primary focus of an environmentally conscious local government.
For him, the biggest threats to a sustainable future rest with overpopulation and capitalism in its current form, adding that "the more we consume the more our environment runs into difficulties."
The Area A candidates also focused heavily on watershed protection.
"Balancing both sides of the sustainable development debate requires an understanding of our historical values and how they play a role steering development," said Mike Carson.
He argued that Pender Harbour and Egmont have their own unique environmental challenges, like development and overcrowding of shoreline areas affecting the coastal ecology.
Frank Mauro called for a Sunshine Coast joint watershed plan similar to that in place in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, something he said could be achieved through lobbying.
"They'd be hard pressed, I would think, to provide a reason why the SCRD shouldn't have control over its drinking water when other regional districts have been successful in managing their water supply," he argued.
Halfmoon Bay candidate Roger Lagassé's main sticking points throughout the evening were a restoration of the Clowhom salmon run and the creation of a national park on the Coast.
His opponent, incumbent director Garry Nohr, predicted that tight budgets will be necessary during the next term due to economic conditions.
He also spoke of his role in calling for an end to logging in the watershed, saying "it's not that I'm against logging, in fact, the contrary. It's my job to take the position that water is more important than any resource extraction."
