Students at the Sunshine Coast’s only post-secondary campus would like to see discounted bus passes extended to them, as well.
In a letter to the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), the Capilano Students’ Union requested discounted passes for students at the university’s kálax-ay campus in Sechelt, which they say would save students $150 in the academic year.
“The investment in students would reduce financial barriers to education, and allow Sunshine Coast learners to enjoy a break on the cost of public transit, as their counterparts in Metro Vancouver do through the U-Pass BC program,” said the student union.
At a Feb. 20 infrastructure services committee meeting where the letter was received, directors voted to respond that the SCRD is moving ahead with a demand assessment for youth, and a pilot project that would provide 50 free monthly bus passes for School District No. 46 students, and that they would “keep them in the loop with any further developments.”
BC Energy Step Code
Directors agreed to move forward with public consultations in advance of implementing the BC Energy Step Code on the Sunshine Coast.
Changes to the BC Building Code are expected by 2022 but the SCRD is aiming to get building bylaws adjusted prior to that, in coordination with the Town of Gibsons and District of Sechelt.
The BC Energy Step Code takes a performance-based approach by identifying energy targets rather than specifying how a building should be constructed, according to a Feb. 13 planning and community development committee staff report.
Directors supported taking a “regionally-coordinated and locally-appropriate approach to consultation,” as outlined in the report. Area E director Donna McMahon recommended starting “builders’ breakfasts” – offering free breakfasts to contractors on the Sunshine Coast to get their feedback on the code.
Roberts Creek rezoning
Directors unanimously adopted bylaw amendments for the Toni Road rezoning application at the Feb. 27 board meeting.
A public hearing was held in January, with the majority of people in attendance speaking in favour of the application for an 8,500-sq.-metre lot on Toni Road to be split into two 4,250-sq.-metre parcels. A site-specific provision limits development on each parcel to a single-family dwelling and a second dwelling with a maximum floor area of 90 sq. metres.
“This application was originally intended as a subdivision application and due to a technicality, that was not possible. And so therefore staff and the applicant decided to follow due process and apply for a rezoning,” said Roberts Creek director Andreas Tize at a committee meeting Feb. 13, where he endorsed adoption of the amendments.
The applicant had “done her due diligence, followed process and made considerable concessions to appease the neighbours,” said Tize, adding that Area D’s Official Community Plan committee, Advisory Planning Commission, and most immediate neighbours approved it, as did the majority of people who spoke at the public hearing or submitted correspondence.
Tize also referenced section 18 of the OCP, since it was cited in staff reports on the application, and acknowledged that debate persists about whether it should stay in the OCP.
Remuneration task force volunteers sought
The SCRD is seeking volunteers for its directors’ remuneration review task force. The purpose of the task force is to review the compensation of directors and recommend a pay structure that “recognizes the roles, responsibilities and time commitment necessary to fulfill their obligations as elected officials and meet public expectations in the performance of their duties,” according to the terms of reference.
The chief administrative officer will appoint three members, who are expected to attend up to eight meetings and review materials. Applications are open until March 16 and can be sent to [email protected]
