The following are highlights from the April 24 Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board meeting.
Striking sewerage from Coopers Green washrooms project
“An option that is a little lighter on the land, considering the environmental sensitivity of that park and the cultural sensitivity as well,” was called for by Halfmoon Bay area director Justine Gabias when consideration of the Coopers Green washrooms project particulars came before the board.
Her counterparts supported her amendment to two committee of the whole recommendations on the matter, stipulating that the addition of flush toilets at the park be of a variety “not connected to a sewerage system."
Roberts Creek area director Kelly Backs spoke in favour, stating that he had done “some research” and was hopeful that looking at self-contained washroom units might free up some of the $633,000 budget for other improvements at the park.
It was noted by staff at the meeting that ongoing operational costs for pump-outs will be higher for this type of toilet system than for ones connected to an onsite waste disposal system. A final design and cost estimate report for a washroom building with flush toilets for the park is to be brought forward to a future committee meeting before construction.
“I am hoping the community will be OK with the slight reduction in service level, and it will allow us to get a little bit more out of this budget,” Gabias stated.
2025 Child Care Action Plan endorsed
Noting that May is Child Care Month, the board endorsed the 2025 Sunshine Coast Child Care Plan, as presented to them by a School District 46 and Sunshine Coast Joint Child Care (JCC) Council delegation. The plan had been endorsed earlier by the Town of Gibsons.
That document notes that since the region’s original plan was drafted in 2019, the number of child care spaces have been expanded in all age categories. With that, access rates have improved from 12 to 22 per cent for the infant and toddler age group, from 42 to 65 per cent for three-to-five-year-olds, and there was an improvement from 6 to 12 per cent in availability of spaces for school-aged children.
The delegation stated the advancements were “wonderful to see but there is more work to be done."
Asked by board about how the SCRD can help, the delegation asked that regional staff consider referring things like building permits for developments that include child care spaces to the JCC council for input.
Additional transit hours by June
An April 14 letter confirming “expansion initiatives that will be moving forward for implementation” from BC Transit was received by the board. Community services manager Shelley Gagnon explained at the meeting that locally, this will add about 800 weekend service hours to Sunshine Coast Transit’s Route 90 (Sechelt-Gibsons/Langdale Ferry Express), hopefully by June.
In addition, she noted it will mean that the additional bus needed to move Route 90 to “30 minute service” on weekdays will be funded, but that the time required to secure a vehicle means that addition will not likely happen until early 2026.
Sodium hypochlorite storage location review
A review of the sodium hypochlorite storage unit and its location adjacent to the Church Road well/Grantham’s water treatment plant is up for consideration a future board meeting. A Notice of Motion asking for that was tendered by Elphinstone area director Donna McMahon on behalf of West Howe Sound area director Kate-Louise Stamford.
2024 audited financial approved
With a "clean" 2024 audit report received, the board accepted both that report and the past year's financial statements as presented. In a Regional Hospital District Board meeting held earlier in the day, the same actions were taken for that entity.
