The Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) budget process is underway as the SCRD Board consider projects to maintain service levels in the region.

This year, the SCRD is focused on ensuring that staffing capacity is available for all the projects required to maintain service levels. Currently the SCRD has a high number of projects from prior years that have yet to be completed. With this in mind, following pre-budget discussions, several projects have been deferred to future budgets.

In the coming months, several key events and opportunities for community conversations on our budget are coming up.

Let’s Talk Budget

The community information space for this year’s budget can be found at letstalk.scrd.ca/budget. This page will be updated as the budget process continues. Right now, you can find information from pre-budget meetings that took place in October.  There is also an opportunity to ask questions at any time.

Members of the public are also welcome to attend any of the upcoming budget meetings at the SCRD. Information about these meetings can be found at www.scrd.ca/agendas.

Fees and Rates

This Thursday, November 21, the SCRD Board will consider rates and fees for 2025. In addition to the annual utility rates for water, curbside collection and wastewater, increases are being considered for some of the fees associated with development applications and services provided by the SCRD’s Building Division.

These fees have not kept pace with the staff time required to do the associated work and are not in line with fees and charges in other similar jurisdictions. SCRD staff are bringing forward recommended updates to ensure that the applicant is being charged appropriately for these services.

The agenda package which includes further information and rationale for these fees and rates can be found here.

Round 1 Budget

On November 25 and 26, SCRD staff will bring forward budget proposals as part of Round 1 Budget. The SCRD continues to deal with decades of underfunding of major services including water, solid waste and SCRD facilities. This year’s budget will be reflective of these challenges which align with the priorities in the SCRD Board’s Strategic Plan.

Many of the budget proposals being brought forward are focused on maintaining reliable service levels.

Community Conversations

The SCRD is changing how conversations take place in the community in relation to the 2025 budget.

Over the past two years, the SCRD has hosted several information sessions for the budget. These have not been well attended and take a considerable number of resources to set up and promote. In keeping with the focus on best use of staff resources through this year’s budget, the SCRD will provide recorded presentations from key staff. These will be posted at letstalk.scrd.ca/budget and the community can ask questions on that page.

SCRD Directors will be providing outreach and presentations in their respective areas to ensure that the community can speak directly to those who are making decisions in this year’s budget. These community conversations will continue throughout the budget process, up until the adoption of the financial plan in mid-February.

If you are a member of a community group or organization that would like a presentation from your elected representative, their contact information can be found at www.scrd.ca/electoral-areas-and-municipalities/.

Local Government Roundtable

In early January, the SCRD will host a local government roundtable to present the 2025 budget. This will occur prior to Round 2 budget, where final decisions are made on which projects will be forwarded for adoption in the financial plan.

The public is welcome to attend this meeting, and more information will be provided in December.

The best way to stay informed on Budget 2025 is at letstalk.scrd.ca/budget and at www.scrd.ca/news.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is pleased to introduce Andy Bellerby as the SCRD’s new Senior Manager, Emergency and Protective Services effective November 4, 2024.

This newly created position is responsible for the overall management and implementation of the regional emergency management program, fire protection, and 911 regional telecommunications system to ensure the safety and well-being of residents, first responders and property within the district.

“Andy’s wealth of experience as a Fire Chief, Incident Commander and all round in emergency management is a welcome addition to the region,” says Tina Perreault, Interim Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “We are looking forward to his leadership and expertise within the Protective Services team.“

Andy is excited to relocate to the Sunshine Coast from Nelson, BC, where he worked for many years as the General Manager of Fire and Emergency Services and was a Regional Fire Chief, all within the Regional District of Central Kootenay. Previously, Andy worked as a firefighter and was then promoted to Crew Commander for the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service in the United Kingdom, where he led a national anti-terrorist unit and attended hazmat and bombing incidents.

“Emergency preparedness and emergency services are true passions in my life to which I have devoted over 25-years,” says Bellerby. “The new role has already been busy with the activation of an Emergency Operations Centre on my first day! I look forward to more challenges ahead and of course, working to keep our communities safe.”

Andy comes from the United Kingdom and has called Canada home since 2013. He is certified as a UK professional firefighter and for leadership in catastrophic events.

He is a qualified trainer and assessor in areas such as first aid, fire investigation, trauma care, water rescue, and confined space. Andy is the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, as well as several commendations for bravery.

It’s time to have your say and help shape the future of Coopers Green Park in Halfmoon Bay.

As a popular destination for gathering, recreation, and taking in amazing views, Coopers Green Park holds a special place not just for the community of Halfmoon Bay, but for others throughout the Sunshine Coast who have spent time there.

The enhancement project currently being undertaken by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) aims to improve everyone’s experience at the park. Are there more options needed for rest, recreation and play for all ages?

This is where you, the community come in. Right now, we need five minutes of your time to answer a quick questionnaire about Coopers Green Park. What do you like about it now? What would you like to see considered as part of the enhancement process? There’s also an opportunity to add a picture of something you may have seen elsewhere that you think could work at Coopers Green Park.

Two features of the park that are not in scope of this project include the boat ramp and the hall. A separate project is set to get underway for upgrades to the boat ramp and the SCRD is currently in negotiations with a third party to take on the operations of the hall.

The questionnaire, along with additional information about the project can be found at letstalk.scrd.ca/coopers-green. The questionnaire is open until December 10 for your input.

Following the questionnaire, SCRD staff and the landscape architect working on this project will be in the community in early 2025 with some ideas about what could be completed as part of the enhancement project.

Stay tuned for those dates and we look forward to hearing from you!

At today’s Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Board Meeting, District of Sechelt councillor Alton Toth was elected by acclamation as new Board Chair for the SCRD. The new chair takes over from Area A – Egmont/Pender Harbour Director Leonard Lee who served as Chair since November 10, 2022.

Area B (Halfmoon Bay) Director, Justine Gabias was elected as new Vice-Chair.

“I would like to thank Director Lee for his leadership as Chair over the past two years and for helping to lay a solid foundation for the work of our Board,” says Chair Alton Toth. “I look forward to working with the rest of our directors and the dedicated staff at the SCRD on the many challenges facing the region in the years ahead.”

Chair Toth was first appointed to the SCRD Board on November 1, 2019, and re-appointed on November 10, 2022. On November 9, 2023, he was elected as Vice Chair of the SCRD Board of Directors.

You can watch the meeting and the vote here.

Media Enquiries:
Aidan Buckley
Manager, Communications and Engagement|
Sunshine Coast Regional District
604-885-8052
aidan.buckley@scrd.ca

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is awarding a total of $1,302.80 to fund two waste reduction projects through the SCRD’s Waste Reduction Initiatives Program (WRIP).

The SCRD launched WRIP in the fall of 2015. The program is funded annually through taxation in the amount of $7,500.

The goal of the program is to provide funding to community groups, non-profit societies, charitable organizations and school groups to implement projects that contribute to waste reduction or diversion from the landfill. WRIP is open to eligible organizations within the SCRD, including District of Sechelt, shíshálh Nation Government District and Town of Gibsons.

The following projects are selected to receive funding this year:

• Roberts Creek Community Association: $775 to improve recycling at community events by improving access to recycling through the purchase of sorting bins.
• Cedar Grove Elementary School: $527.80 to improve student access to composting in the school and reduce contamination in diverted materials.

Project recipients have until June 30, 2025, to complete their projects and provide a final report.

Since 2015, the SCRD has provided over $28,000 to waste reduction projects.

For information on the program and to learn about past projects, visit https://letstalk.scrd.ca/wrip.

A total of 330 young people have received their Youth Travel Pass, also known as the S-Pass, allowing them fare-free transit on the Sunshine Coast.

The rollout of the S-Pass took place through late October and early November at recreation centres on the Sunshine Coast.

The S-Pass provides fare free transit on Sunshine Coast bus routes for young people aged between 13 and 18 who are still attending secondary school. Kids 12 and under can already travel for free.

If you have not yet got an S-Pass, do not worry! Young people can still drop by the Sechelt Aquatic Centre, Gibsons and Area Community Centre and the main SCRD Field Road Administration building during regular business hours to get an S-Pass.

To get your hands on an S-Pass you need to have a valid SD46 school ID card or a current government issued photo ID (such as a passport or drivers license). Before attending any of these locations, decide if you would like a physical card or if you’d rather have it available via an app on your smartphone.

If you want it on your smartphone, then please download the UMO Mobility App from your app store. Ensure you bring your smartphone, along with your ID and SCRD staff can activate the S-Pass on your phone.

A reminder that to take fare free transit, you must have an S-Pass. An SD46 student ID is not a substitute for the S-Pass.

The 2024-2025 S-Pass is valid on SCRD conventional Transit buses between November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025.

Visit https://www.scrd.ca/s-pass for more information.