The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is continuing its effort to ban animal traps on the Sunshine Coast.
Conservation officer Murray Smith appeared at the July 21 community services committee meeting providing directors with a breakdown of trap rules and regulations at both local and provincial levels.
Smith said there is currently one registered trap line on the Sechelt Peninsula.
In April, a dog was caught in a trap in that area, causing pubic outcry and concern over safety. Intended to catch a wolf, which some people have decreed as problematic wildlife, Smith said the trap was legally set and that the trapper had followed all the associated rules. Smith considers the dog incident a rare one.
"I've been here seven years on the Coast. We've never had this happen before. From a risk management perspective, this is low risk," said Smith.
Public demands to ban body-gripping traps, including the leg-hold, Conibear, and snare varieties, have been spurred by not only the dog caught along the legal trap line, but also a more recent incident that saw a cat ensnared in a trap set on a residential property in Gibsons.
That trap, Smith explained, was illegal.
"There were no laws broken with the dog. There was with the cat, and public safety is our number one issue," Smith said, adding the cat incident is sill under investigation.
The SCRD lacks the legal powers to implement a ban on traps, but has been working to lobby the Union of British Columbia Municipalities with a resolution to enforce stricter regulations on trapping within urban interface areas.
The Town of Gibsons, meanwhile, is close to implementing a bylaw that bans body-gripping traps within town limits. Sechelt is still in the research process.
Aquatic Centre retrofit
The Sechelt Aquatic Centre is set to receive upgrades to its infrastructure as well as an increase to the project's price tag.
The original cost for the energy retrofit project was estimated at $675,000 in 2010, but due to cost escalations, SCRD staff recommended an increase to $750,000. The number is based on preliminary estimates in both the SCRD's five-year and 2012 financial plans.
Paul Fenwick, SCRD general manager of community services, said the estimated increase is explained by inflation in the building trades and engineering sectors. Fenwick also said the specialized equipment needed for the centre's retrofit comes from overseas, adding to the cost.
"Energy retrofits cost big bucks," said Fenwick.
While directors were chilly to the rise in cost, Roberts Creek director Donna Shugar said the SCRD had little choice but to move forward on the project.
"We can be surprised now or surprised later. We are not in a very easy position here," Shugar said.
The SCRD recently received a $400,000 grant from the provincial government's Towns for Tomorrow program to assist with the centre's much needed upgrades, with the SCRD covering the remaining estimated $350,000. Although the centre is only a few years old, the facility's energy use was designated as inefficient earlier this year. The retrofit project will reduce the cost of energy consumption by $89,007 per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Staff recommended up to $75,000 of the grant money be used in 2011 to commence the project. Directors cited the need for more information from staff and deferred the matter to their upcoming board meeting on July 28.
Parks and Rec
Presenting their monthly report to the committee, SCRD parks and recreation staff outlined numerous efforts and aspects within their division.
Connections and part-nerships have been high-lighted as a priority. Staff have been able to make connections with Gibsons Building Supply, that donated a barbecue to the Gibsons youth centre, and the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society and their summer program for special needs youth.
Challenges staff have faced include the cancellation of the skate park mentorship program due to the lack of an insurer as well as lower attendance at the Gibsons youth centre.
As for parks, safety and maintenance continue to be the priorities of outdoor work. Electoral areas have seen a number of improvements to campgrounds and trails as well as bench and picnic table installations.
Invasive plant species are also on the department's radar. Removal of giant hogweed plants was recently undertaken at Swallow Trail in Elphinstone.
