The warmth and good cheer of Christmas will be an especially welcome respite for many of us on the Sunshine Coast this season.
By any measure, it’s been a tough year. Next week’s year-end edition will look back in depth on the stories of 2015, but a quick overview sums up the challenging times we’ve faced during the past 12 months.
The year started with the bankruptcy of the Coast’s largest building contractor, Wakefield Construction. With 40 projects unfinished, 450 creditors owed almost $10 million in unverified claims and 100 employees out of work, the demise of Wakefield was a major setback for the Coast’s economy.
The really hard blow, however, came in July when Howe Sound Pulp and Paper announced it was cutting 171 jobs – more than a third of its workforce – and permanently shutting down its paper production operations at the Port Mellon mill. The repercussions from the closure are still playing out – this week, for instance, we learned that it will cost an estimated $200,000 in lost property taxes for the Sunshine Coast Regional District.
For Pender Harbour, the year started off hopefully with Sechelt Nation Chief Calvin Craigan hailing the start of a “new era” of partnership and coexistence. Hopes faded quickly, however, after the draft dock management plan was unveiled in April, leading to bitter confrontation and bad feelings on both sides. The year ends with the dock moratorium still in place and no sign of reconciliation in sight.
Meanwhile, starting at the end of May, the community was rocked by a string of premature deaths.
Then in July, fire broke out at the Old Sechelt Mine site. The fire destroyed 400 hectares of forest, threatened properties and claimed the life of logger John Phare, whose memorial service at Gibsons arena drew almost 1,000 people.
The fire was finally contained, but the drought-like conditions continued. In August, SCRD water customers south of Pender Harbour were wrestling with an unprecedented outdoor watering ban. The emergency shortage saw the community pull together and reduce consumption, but also led to some heated debate over the SCRD’s approach to water management.
Near the tail end of an acrimonious federal election campaign, Gibsons council approved the George Hotel and Residences project with no real concessions from the developer on height and scale, leaving the community strongly divided over a project that should have been nothing but good news for the Coast.
Although there were many positive stories in 2015, the year as a whole just didn’t feel particularly positive.
That’s why Christmas feels more important this year – as a time of hope, happiness and healing.
To all of you, Merry Christmas!
