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From election to ferries to a permanent patio: Sechelt council briefs

Batch 44's patio will become a permanent fixture, Capilano University will have flexible-hour Early Childhood Education offerings this fall, BC Ferries-FAC relationship is becoming more strained, and more from the June 1 regular council meeting.
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Elections officers have been named for the Oct. 15 municipal election.

The following briefs are from the June 1 District of Sechelt council meeting:

Election officers named

The elections officers for the upcoming Oct. 15 municipal election have been decided: Jo-Anne Frank will serve as Chief Election Officer, and Kerianne Poulsen has been appointed Deputy Chief Election Officer.

The decision comes out of the closed portion of a May 11 meeting.

Sechelt council also gave three readings to an election-related amendment bylaw, as the Local Government Act now allows all eligible voters to cast a mail ballot. That amendment must be adopted by July 4.  A separate Sechelt bylaw will not be changing as automated voting machines used previously will allow for the same procedures. 

Patio to become permanent

Batch 44 Brewery and Kitchen on Wharf Avenue will see its temporary outdoor patio become a permanent fixture, with the support of Sechelt council. The brewery’s temporary patio has been in place for two years, under the pandemic-inspired temporary expansion that allowed restaurant and bars’ liquor licence capacities to extend outside to accommodate social distancing. The application before council asked for a slight reduction in seating to 34 seats on the patio as the occupancy inside the establishment returns to capacity, for a new total capacity of 112 seats. The hours of the business would remain within the noise bylaw and licence bylaw. 

Staff said the capacity is appropriate, and there is limited residential use in the area. At the time of the June 1 meeting, there had been no complaints about the operation of Batch 44’s patio. Staff also presented a parking variation to accommodate the loss of six parking spaces to the Wharf Avenue Pedestrian Improvement Project (currently underway).

Early Childhood Education opportunities

In her report to council, Siegers said she had met with the Early Childhood Education (ECE) division of Capilano University, and heard of the program coming this fall that will allow local residents can do the ECE curriculum during evenings and weekends.“We'd like to get the message out to the community that there are going to be lots of spaces opening for staff in the next year,” Siegers said, pointing to recently-announced provincial government funding for several local daycares and subsidized wages. 

BC Ferries still understaffed

In his report to council, Coun. Matt McLean shared an update on the Ferry Advisory Committee he is also a member of. 

"The relationship between the Ferry Advisory Committee and BC Ferries is becoming more and more strained with the times," he said, pointing to a "last minute" recent schedule adjustment for Route 3. He said the FAC was retroactively notified of the change. "It's like we're an afterthought."

McLean also touched on BC Ferries's ongoing staffing issues. With the peak season coming up, he said BC Ferries is giving out hiring bonuses up to $10,000, and doing referral programs. Although 150 people were recently hired across the network, McLean said, the company is still 160 employees short for the summer season.

"They're going to continue to be constrained in their operations and particularly in their engineering division. So hoping the best for the summer, but I think it's going to be another challenging summer," McLean said. 

Siegers said it was "not encouraging news."