Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors got some clarification on the rules around marijuana dispensaries in electoral areas at the April 16 community services committee meeting.
A report from staff noted that any dispensary proposed in an electoral area would require a site specific rezoning, which would trigger a rezoning process.
“As part of this process, both agency and community concerns would need to be addressed prior to approval by the SCRD board,” the report stated.
Sechelt director Bruce Milne said he didn’t believe the issue was “just a matter of zoning.”
“I would hope first that the regional district and the municipalities have a common understanding of the legal issues here,” Milne said. “I hope that we can take the lead from the RCMP and understand that dispensing marijuana is an illegal activity in Canada and therefore zoning business licences should react accordingly.”
No other directors spoke to the report before it was accepted by the committee and the agenda proceeded.
Highway knotweed
Knotweed along highway right of ways and in the Chaster Creek estuary has become a major concern, so directors plan to write to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) to push for action.
The issue was discussed at the April 16 community services committee meeting where Elphinstone director Lorne Lewis said the invasive plant was growing steadily between Chaster House and Chaster Park in the Chaster Creek estuary.
“It is time for us to remind [MOTI] that they need to deal with it,” Lewis said, noting it would be “at least the third” such letter sent by the board. “They’re slow learners, I know, but we have to draw their attention to it.”
Halfmoon Bay director Garry Nohr said knotweed along highway right of ways in his area was also a concern, and West Howe Sound director Ian Winn said his area had “a huge knotweed forest” that needed attention.
The committee recommended sending a letter to MOTI asking them to deal with the invasive plant where it’s creeping onto SCRD property.
Spill response
Directors moved to send a letter to the federal government demanding that local emergency staff be contacted immediately whenever an oil spill occurs in local waterways and requesting that the government’s response time requirements be reduced.
The recommendation was made after directors heard it could take up to three days for spill response crews to make it to local waterways in the event of a major oil spill.
Emergency preparedness coordinator Bill Elsner said he was recently at a meeting with Western Canada Marine Response, the company tasked with oil spill clean up in Canadian waterways, and he asked about local response times.
“The Coast Guard requires Western Canada Marine to respond in six hours in port of Metro Vancouver, 18 hours for us for a spill under 2,500 tons and a spill over 2,500 tons is three days,” Elsner said. “It’s quite astonishing to think that we could have a Panamax freighter sitting in Trail Bay leaking oil and there would be no mandated, required response for 18 hours.”
Milne said the news was “unbelievable.”
“It certainly is,” Elsner said, noting it was “probably a really good thing” the oil spill happened in English Bay recently as it was a small spill that highlighted the inadequate response time of government.
Directors decided to send their letter to the federal government, as it is mandated with spill clean up, and they also plan to send a copy to the province.
