The public comment deadline on the proposed shíshálh swiya dock management plan (DMP) has been extended until Jan. 12.
Representatives of plan proponents, the province and shíshálh First Nation, announced that change early in their delegation presentation to the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board at its special meeting of Nov. 30. Provincial rep Jamie Hagman stated the input cutoff date was adjusted (from Dec. 15) to provide a “greater opportunity” for comments.
Further input time sought by SCRD
SCRD board chair Leonard Lee culminated meeting discussions on the matter after about 90 minutes, with a board-supported motion to request the comment period’s close be moved to May 15, 2024.
That ask will need to go to plan decision makers. The delegation, comprised of Hagman and Tonianne Mynen speaking for the province and consultant to the shíshálh First Nation Jasmine Paul, identified the decision makers as shíshálh chief and council and provincial officials. They explained that a summary of input received during the comment period would be provided to decision-makers for consideration. It was noted that applications relating to dock tenures had been received and that finalizing the plan would “allow those waiting to have clarity on how to proceed."
A board meeting, not a public engagement session
The meeting’s start was delayed about nine minutes as SCRD staff focused on safely accommodating an estimated crowd of 100, which started arriving at their Field Road office more than 30 minutes before meeting time. As in-person attendee numbers exceeded boardroom fire code capacity, staff used the building’s lobby as overflow space. Those in that area watched the proceedings on a video screen. While one outburst from those assembled called the gathering “a farce,” the majority attending complied with chief administrative officer Dean McKinley’s calls to maintain meeting decorum.
Lee called the event to order emphasizing that it was a board meeting, where information would be presented to elected officials, not a public engagement opportunity. Stating that he had numerous questions for the delegation, he passed the chair’s duties to Sechelt area director Alton Toth. Acknowledging the audience size, which included 183 online attendees at one point, and that there were other business items on the meeting agenda, Toth allowed a 30-minute public question period to follow board discussions on the matter.
After presenting an overview of the proposed changes to the DMP for private and commercial docks, including extension of those rules to salt and freshwater moorages throughout the swiya, the delegation responded to board questions.
Lee asked about how the changes would impact facilities like government docks. Mynen stated those would be classified as “institutional” uses. She said that while compliance with the best management practices in the DMP would be “an expectation," allowing additional time and separate conditions to bring those into the plan may be considered.
Inquiries related to the proposed changes regarding dock sizes and current uses were posed by Lee. Noting over 50 watercraft are moored at some current commercial sites and the length of many commercial and private vessels exceeds 60 feet, he asked whether the proposed new rules could safely accommodate docks for those types of needs.
Paul explained the proposed adjustments were developed following a third party professional engineering review and that similar rules had been successfully introduced in other jurisdictions, including Burrard Inlet. “We do know that these are safe,” she stated.
The delegation was unable to confirm if that engineering report had been made publicly available. They also said they did not have the details to immediately respond to Area D director Kelly Backs’s question about the number of existing structures that would be impacted by the plan.
Some of the handful of public questions that were taken referred to situations with specific docks, which the delegation responded to by repeating that plan comments needed to be received in writing within the public input time frame. (That can be done by searching file #2412772 at https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications).
The final meeting query came from Pender Harbour and Area Residents Association director Sean McAllister. Expressing thanks for the input deadline change, he called for an additional extension into May 2014. “Let’s take our time and do it right,” he stated.
