From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney

Hello,
This report is a round-up of info on road concerns & related advocacy, SRD committee news, and a bit about kelp.

But first, my thoughts are with the Tumbler Ridge community as they reel from an unconscionable tragedy. My heart breaks for the lives lost, the lives irrevocable changed, and the community in shock and suffering. If you or loved ones are struggling, there are supports available: reach out to the Mental Health Crisis Line at 310-6789 or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.

Road concerns & an advocacy update

As you likely know, roads in electoral areas are managed by the Province through the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MoTT). However, folks often write or call me with their road concerns which I share with MoTT.

At my recent meeting with our MoTT Area Manager we discussed a wide-ranging list of community concerns, and I advocated for improvements based on community feedback. Our conversation included ferry traffic congestion challenges, crosswalks, Rudder Road, Valdes Road, better signage advising visitors of what to expect on island roads, and road speeds.

Road speeds are the issue I hear about most frequently, and consideration of area-specific changes I have raised repeatedly. Specifically, there has been community concern that the 60km/hr ‘island speed’ is unsafe in QCove, Heriot Bay, and the road from Heriot Bay to Rebecca Spit, areas which experience a lot of busy-ness and human activity. So, I’m happy to share that there is a speed assessment underway and an engineer is assigned to the project. YES! Quadra Island road speeds are being reviewed, and updates will ‘potentially’ be in place in 2026.

FYI, sometimes there are road issues which are more of a maintenance nature, like deep shoulder drops or cavernous potholes. Mainroad North Island Contracting has the contract to manage local roads, and they have a toll-free number for reporting maintenance concerns: 1-877-215-7122.

SRD Committee appointments

The Strathcona Regional District has several committees which provide recommendations to the Board, include the Electoral Area Services Committee and the First Nations Relations Committee (both which I sit on). I’m grateful to my Board colleagues for electing me vice-chair of both these committees this year.

NVI Marine Planning Partnership

In addition to Board committees, the Board appoints Directors to external agencies. I represent the SRD at the North Vancouver Island Advisory Committee of the Marine Planning Partnership (MaPP). MaPP is a provincial initiative in collaboration with First Nations which makes recommendations for developing & maintaining resilient marine ecosystems and sustainable economies for North Vancouver Island communities.

Kelp species are widely considered ‘indicator species’, sentinels of the health of the overall marine environment. If kelp aren’t thriving, the stressors impacting kelp are likely also impacting other species and habitats in the marine environment and, in turn, coastal communities. So, monitoring indicator species like kelp is an important part of planning and implementing ecosystem-based management (one of MaPP’s goals).

There is a very interesting storymap about kelp monitoring which shows where & how it’s being monitored, partners in the project (including Hakai Institute), and how data is being used to inform kelp harvest licensing & management decisions. If you (like me) love kelp,  you can dive into the storymap here: MaPP_KelpStory

Connect

You’re welcome to connect with me with questions or concerns: email RMawhinney@srd.ca, or call 250.203.2468. Visit RobynMawhinney.ca for links to helpful community resources and ‘back issues’ of Director Reports. Visit srd.ca/government/agendas-minutes  to keep up to date on SRD governance happenings.

Until next time,
Respectfully,
Robyn Mawhinney

Photos in this report are our winter in February… warmer days are on the way :)

Copyright © 2026 Robyn Mawhinney, Regional Director for Area C, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Robyn Mawhinney, Regional Director for Area CBox 566Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0Canada