From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello, This report has news on a regional recreation study, recent rural housing advocacy, and a Hoskyn Landing dumpster.
Regional recreation
More than three years ago, in April 2021, the SRD Board funded a feasibility study to examine potential recreation efficiencies & synergies throughout the SRD. At the August 2024 Board meeting this study was unveiled.
The Regional Recreation Services Feasibility Study authors researched and engaged with over 1,000 residents to understand public recreation preferences, identify perceived gaps and needs, and gather perspectives regional recreation collaboration. The study also assessed existing infrastructure assets. Outdoor parks and trails were not included in the evaluation.
Interestingly, included in the study was a response to the 2023 Board direction to explore options for Electoral Area participation in the Strathcona Gardens Service. The Study reports that based on the SRD’s geographical vastness there are no fully regional facilities that should be funded by all ratepayers. The study suggests that at minimum, Regional Recreation System Optimization should be pursued, and that sub-regional funding should be considered for two facilities, Strathcona Gardens in Campbell River and the Kelsey Centre in Sayward.
Regarding Area C joining the Strathcona Gardens Service, it suggests this warrants further consideration as “100% EA C* residents live within a 45-minute drive of the facility”, with the caveat that analysis for Electoral Area C couldn’t distinguish between residents living on Quadra Island and other islands and inlets but that “the vast majority of individuals included within the analysis are Quadra Island residents”.
The study includes a table of six coastal islands and how they fund recreation: none of them fund recreation services in off-island jurisdictions. The study’s conclusions include this: “while there are no known precedents for smaller island communities funding recreation facilities in adjacent urban centres on Vancouver Island, there is reasonable rationale to support that Quadra Island residents benefit from and access an array of services in the urban centres that they can access via public ferry services, including recreation. A reasonable counterargument is that residents in adjacent jurisdictions were not originally involved in the decision to build major facilities and incur the long-term legacy impacts and responsibilities of the facility”.
The Board received the 71-page study, no follow-up motions were made at this Board meeting. It remains to be seen how this unfolds in the future. If you’re want to learn more, you can read the whole study here: https://bit.ly/SRDRecStudy.
Housing advocacy
Gratitude to the Board for supporting my motion to write to the Premier and Minister of Housing regarding support for rural and island housing. The letter highlights the value & challenges of housing projects in rural areas and requests consideration of creating a funding allotment for rural housing projects, where the unique constraints they share will be understood and compared with similar applications.
I’ve been working with the Rural Islands Economic Partnership’s Housing Working Group where it was determined that elevating the profile of rural and island housing may be beneficial; the many voices emphasizing BC’s acute housing shortage increase the challenge of small island and rural projects being considered.
In the last few months two additional housing-related motions have been supported by the Board: a report on co-op housing and how this could work with the Housing Service, and a letter to School District 72, requesting information regarding lands which they have an interest in and a discussion on the possibility of releasing land for housing. Stay tuned for updates as things progress on these housing initiatives.
Outer Discover Islands solid waste – Hoskyn Landing dumpster
In response to resident requests, SRD staff investigated the possibility of a dumpster at Hoskyn Landing to assist in disposing of household solid waste, to be funded by participants.
At the September Electoral Area Services Committee (EASC) meeting, staff reported that solid waste haulers who provide dumpster services are unwilling to provide pricing for a dumpster at that location due to the risk of contamination, operation costs, and time requirements. They expressed interest only if there was a secure and staffed location where the use of the dumpster could be monitored and controlled.
EASC recommended referral of the report to the Comox Strathcona Waste Management Advisory Committee ‘to further illustrate the need for a secure solid waste disposal option on Quadra Island, for the benefit of Outer Discovery Island and Quadra Island residents’.
Have you ‘Weighed in on Waste’? There’s still time to! Right now, a new ten-year plan for solid waste management is being constructed. Drop a pin on the map with Your Idea, or ‘post your story’ under the Share Your Ideas tab, both available here only till September 25: https://engagecomoxvalley.ca/swmp
Thank you for reading! You’re welcome to connect with me with questions or concerns, you can email rmawhinney@srd.ca, or call 250.203.2468. If you’d like to chat in person, you can book a meeting at calendly.com/robynmawhinney. Read previous Director’s Reports at robynmawhinney.ca/directors-reports, or Area C Director’s reports on Cortes Currents.
Most of the images in this report are from an evening exploration of the Cinque Islands, five lovely little islets on the southwest coast of Sonora Island; there’s also a sunset over the Chained Islands from a cultural site in Granite Bay.
