APRIL
• Mark Collins took over from Mike Corrigan as president and CEO of BC Ferries on April 1, and the chair of the Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee said Collins would enter the job with a good feel for what matters to travellers on Route 3. As part of his previous job as BCF’s vice president of strategic planning and community engagement, Collins worked with FACs, and he made waves in late 2015 when he declared BC Ferries was no longer willing to talk about fare equity or restoring cut sailings on the Langdale to Horseshoe Bay route.
• The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) was considering taking the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) to court to get answers about what happened to 33-year-old Myles Gray. After nearly 20 months of investigating the conflict with seven police officers in a secluded wooded area of Burnaby, the IIO is now pointing a finger at the VPD for stalling things. Myles Gray died following the altercation on Aug. 13, 2015. He was reportedly unarmed and had no illegal drugs or alcohol in his system.
• Chief Warren Paull and councillors Alvina Paul, Corey August, Selina August and Keith Julius were sworn in April 1. The new chief and council of the shíshálh Nation heard a lot about the need to listen to their people during a traditional ceremony at the Nation’s longhouse. After being led into the longhouse by singers and drummers, they stood upon cedar boughs placed to bless their term while four elder speakers imparted their wisdom to the leaders.
• The debate over the future of long-term care on the Sunshine Coast was expected to be front-and-centre during the election campaign, and beyond. Vancouver Coastal Health has signed a contract with Trellis Seniors Services, a private for-profit, to provide long-term care beds in a facility the company plans to build in Sechelt.
• The cost of planned renovations at the Sechelt library caused upset among some councillors at the April 5 committee of the whole meeting where the new $1.7-million price tag was presented. At a previous meeting in November, the expected cost of upgrades was $1.5 million, which would create a new entrance and glass façade, rejig the layout inside to make it more usable for all ages, and result in about 20 per cent more space.
• Sgt. Chris Backus with the Sunshine Coast RCMP said he plans to keep speaking out about pay and working conditions for Mounties, despite a caution from his superiors. Backus and other RCMP members on the Sunshine Coast were at the spearhead of a nationwide protest against the government’s slow response to calls for better wages and a new contract. Backus said although a Supreme Court of Canada ruling has given Mounties the right to form a union, the process is dragging on and members wanted salary and other issues addressed.
• Candidates in the May 9 provincial election continued to square off at all-candidates meetings on the lower Sunshine Coast. A capacity crowd filled the Chatelech Theatre in Sechelt on April 19, and there was a packed house at the Heritage Playhouse April 18. Nicholas Simons, NDP incumbent for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, Liberal Mathew Wilson and Kim Darwin of the Greens were on hand to answer questions from the Chamber and audience members. Cascadia Party candidate Reuben Richards was expected, but did not appear.
• The District of Sechelt reconsidered its stance on not releasing the results of the online citizen satisfaction survey and posted the results to www.sechelt.ca at the end of May. The about-face came after Sechelt resident Graham Moore filed a freedom of information request for the results and ultimately lodged a complaint with the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner when his request was denied by the district.
• Speaking at the April 20 meeting of the regional policing committee, Staff Sgt. Vishal Mathura said he’s disappointed in how long it’s taking the federal government to pass new laws on marijuana use. The federal plan to legalize marijuana would shift some key decisions to the provinces, so political candidates in Powell River-Sunshine Coast were asked how B.C. should handle the decisions it will have to make on issues like licensing, distribution, age restrictions, and zoning for growers and sellers.
• The Powell River-Sunshine Coast candidates wrapped up a string of three forums on the Coast April 21, with a wide-ranging discussion of environmental issues at the Roberts Creek Community Hall. The event, sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association and Alliance4Democracy, followed back-to-back forums in Gibsons and Sechelt, and like those forums, it drew a packed house.
• Cascadia Party candidate Reuben Richards was a no-show at Powell River-Sunshine Coast all-candidates forums, after being charged with several criminal offences in Powell River. The charges stem from allegations linked to incidents between April 3 and 15 and include four counts of uttering threats, five counts of criminal harassment, one count of causing a disturbance and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
• Syrian refugee Michil Ibrahim, a former accountant and dental lab technician, his wife Rita Rihani and their daughters Jizil and Nardeen have relocated to Sechelt, thanks to sponsorship by Christian Life Assembly in Gibsons and Crossroads Community Church in Sechelt. “We are so lucky to come to this place,” said Rihani, a former customer service bank employee who is from Jordan. “We love Canada because the people are so amazing. They have a lot of love to give you. It’s like you’re family.”
• The all-candidates meetings moved up the Coast on April 26 to Pender Harbour Community Hall where the three main contenders for the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding answered select questions from the 100 or so residents in attendance. The meeting was put on by the Pender Harbour Advisory Council (PHAC) and moderated by Alan Stewart. Present were incumbent MLA Nicholas Simons, Green Party candidate Kim Darwin and the Liberals’ Mathew Wilson. Cascadia Party candidate Reuben Richards was not in attendance.
