The mayors of Gibsons and Sechelt, who also sit on the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board, are seeking direction from their councils on proposed changes to fire services and emergency planning.
The SCRD has been reviewing dozens of recommendations from reports on the fire services run through the regional district (Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and Egmont) and the Sunshine Coast Emergency Program presented to the board Jan. 10 by Dave Mitchell & Associates.
Those recommendations included making the fire chiefs in Halfmoon Bay and Roberts Creek full-time, paid positions, which directors on the planning committee voted to support.
Directors are still to decide on recommendations calling for the creation of a “manager of protective services,” who would take on the role of emergency program coordinator as well as overseeing the training and operations for the SCRD fire departments.
Municipal councils in Gibsons and Sechelt were briefed on the consultant’s report and recommendations last week, and the biggest questions were around creating the new position, which Gibsons would contribute to in full, while Sechelt would only pay a portion because it has an independent fire department.
Gibsons Mayor Bill Beamish and Town CAO Emanuel Machado both expressed frustration that staff and council weren’t fully involved in the review and that the recommendations don’t seem to open the door for greater involvement in the future.
“In general we felt here in Gibsons, from a staff perspective anyway, very left out of this process,” said Machado. “The recommendations just centralize, even more, the power within the SCRD on emergency planning… While we’re represented on the organizational structure, we’re not involved.”
Consultant Ian McDonald said now that the report is in the hands of SCRD directors, it will likely “kick start” those conversations.
Council’s committee of the whole did not have a formal vote whether to have Beamish support the recommendations when they come up again at the SCRD, but they were mainly supportive.
“I want to support moving this forward… It sounds like this position is very needed,” said Coun. Aleria Ladwig on creating the new combined position.
“It gives me some comfort at the board that I speak on behalf of council,” Beamish said. “This is a complicated issue, but I think an important one.”
The consultant is also recommending the SCRD consider a temporary contract position for up to 18 months “to handle the heavy lifting” of implementing the full suite of recommendations, and when the report was presented to Sechelt council, Mayor Darnelda Siegers asked whether it would be best to use a contract position for the fire departments and keep the emergency coordinator separate, then revisit the issue of a combined position in two years.
“My fear is both of these roles have very differing skills, and we’re in a situation in Sechelt where we are looking for emergency program guidance. I don’t think we have a sufficient, strong support right now – and we need it,” she said.
Coun. Matt McLean expressed doubts about a combined position.
“My biggest concern right now is leadership in the emergency services portfolio. I’m concerned with a contractor not providing that. A real person is what the community needs right now, someone they can point to and we can have trust in this person rather than a contractor who comes in and out,” he said. “I don’t know about combining them.”
Like their colleagues in Gibsons, Sechelt councillors did not vote to give specific direction to Siegers and Sechelt’s other SCRD director, Coun. Tom Lamb.
“I think we’ll have to talk with Gibsons and the SIGD (Sechelt Indian Government District) and see where they’re leaning towards with regards to that position … and we can bring that back again,” Siegers said.
– With files from Sophie Woodrooffe
