Coast farmers, gardeners and consumers gathered at two venues on Oct. 27 for community workshops to discuss the future of agricultural production in the region.
The workshops were part of the data collection phase for developing a Sunshine Coast agricultural area plan, said Dale Peterson, chair of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) agricultural advisory committee.
The Coast is currently growing food to meet only one per cent of the region's needs, Peterson said.
"Our goal is to try to raise that to 20 per cent by 2020," he said.
Self-sufficiency in food production, water availability and climate change were identified as important issues at the morning workshop in Elphinstone, which drew about 35 people, Peterson said. About 25 people attended the afternoon workshop held in Halfmoon Bay.
A farmland inventory was also presented at the workshops, showing that most cultivated land on the Coast is situated within the designated agricultural land reserve.
"It is scattered, but there are pockets here and there, like Henry Road or Mason Road, where there's really good quality soil," Peterson said.
In addition to the workshops, the project's first phase includes public opinion surveys for farmers and non-farmers that can be found at www.scrd.ca/agriculture.
The committee expects to learn at the end of January if it will receive funding for the next phase, which will involve drafting an actual agricultural area plan for the Coast.
"We're quietly hopeful," Peterson said.
More business for BCI
Best Coast Initiatives (BCI) is asking for another year to promote economic development in the greater Gibsons area.
With its four-year contract ending this year, the group is looking for $50,000 - half from the Town of Gibsons and half from areas E and F in the SCRD - to operate in 2013.
"The board of directors have agreed they will continue on a volunteer basis for next year," BCI board member Larry Penonzek told the SCRD's corporate and administrative services committee on Oct. 25.
In a letter to committee chair Gerry Tretick, BCI chair Rob Liden said the group's directors and funding partners "believe that the ongoing program of economic development should continue at least until a regional economic development initiative is fully functioning."
Projects that should continue, Liden said, include attracting development to Hillside Industrial Park, responding to investment inquiries, providing assistance to local businesses and implementation of a five-year strategy to increase commerce in Gibsons Landing.
A meeting is being set up among BCI's funding partners to discuss the funding model for 2013.
West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull said she appreciated the work BCI has done.
"There's been quite a lot of action, which is what I appreciate in economic development," Turnbull said.
Webcam on water
SCRD directors will consider a proposal to place a webcam at the Chapman Lake reservoir so residents can monitor water levels on computer 24/7.
Lorne Lewis, director for Elphinstone, said the idea was inspired during the recent drought by the public response to the before-and-after photos of Chapman Lake, which appeared on the front page of Coast Reporter Oct. 12.
"People said they thought the picture was so dramatic it was worth more than all the warnings," Lewis said at the Oct. 25 corporate and administrative services committee.
"I was astounded by the buzz in the community," said Roberts Creek director Donna Shugar, who seconded the motion. "The pictures, that's what did it for people."
The item was referred to the infrastructure committee for further discussion.
