Hello,
This report includes news of the SRD investigating land for housing in Heriot Bay and other decisions of interest made at the January meeting of the SRD Board. Let’s jump in.
Exploring disposition of Provincial land for housing
I’m excited to share that the Board supported my motion to investigate disposition & suitability of two lots located in Heriot Bay on Quadra Island for development of affordable and attainable housing. These lots are currently owned by the Province.
The move to investigate disposition of the lots follows a staff report I advocated for, a report which looked at availability of public lands near the village centres of QCove & Heriot Bay which may be suitable for affordable & attainable housing. The complete staff report, which includes maps, can be read here: bit.ly/land-for-housing-on-Quadra.
Two lots were considered by staff as most suitable to explore further, although they noted there could be constraints which may limit the overall suitability for housing development. Disposition could be a licence of occupation, a lease agreement, a fee simple grant, or market rate land sale. If the Province agrees to disposition of some sort, there would be many subsequent steps. These would include consultation with First Nations, development of a land use management plan, and site condition assessments including environmental, archaeological, geotechnical, potable water and sewage disposal.
RD staff advised that Provincial inquiries move slowly, but they do move. I’m happy that we’re embarking on this now, because moving forward on housing requires taking steps in many directions.
As we know, land is expensive and an extremely costly barrier on the path to constructing attainable and affordable housing. Collaboration between levels of government to access land is one way we could potentially surmount the financial barrier.
And as a reminder, the SRD can issue tax receipts for land donations, for housing or conservation purposes. If this is of interest to anyone, please reach out to me for details.
New five-year contract with QIRS
Following months of meetings between SRD staff and the Quadra Island Recreation Society (QIRS) Board, a new five-year contract has been negotiated and authorized for approval by the SRD Board. This contract is different than previous versions, in that it is a service contract rather than a lease arrangement.
The new service agreement is not bound to a physical site, allowing the QIRS to adapt to emerging interests and opportunities that may be better suited to other locations, such as indoor hockey at the Quadra Elementary School gym, for example.
Additionally, as a service provider (rather than a tenant) the QIRS may be eligible for coverage under the SRD’s insurance plan as an Associate Member. This would be super, as it could eliminate the need for the QIRS to obtain supplemental insurance, thereby reducing insurance costs paid through requisitioned property taxes.
Regional Grants in Aid
Following discussion and consideration of regional grants in aid at a January 21 Committee of the Whole, the Board moved that a policy regarding awarding regional grants in aid be prepared for consideration. This policy would include grants awarded via Service bylaw.
While the SRD does not currently have any Services for grants, there could be in the future: in April 2025 the Board requested a report on a regional arts and culture service. It’s early days on this topic but in the interests of transparency I wanted to share it with you.
Chat with the Director
Currently I don’t have access to an office for monthly meetings, as I’ve previously offered to folks. While I work on an alternate solution, I am offering an opportunity to say ‘hi’ and/or check in on a topic of interest one Thursday morning a month at Aroma Cove Café. I’m committing to February 12 and March 26, 8:30am-10am… please stop by and say hello! Of course, you can connect by phone or email any time.
Official Community Plan discussions ahead:
A reminder that the next OCP community discussion is scheduled for Wednesday February 18th at 6pm at the Quadra Community Centre. The topic of the February meeting is Water and Waste.
There are a series of meetings scheduled for Quadra and Read Islands from now till July. The Area C OCP webpage has the schedule of upcoming meetings under the ‘in progress’ pop-down. Peek under the ‘completed’ pop-down for summaries of meetings and open houses held to-date.
Connect
Thanks for reading! If you have a friend or neighbour who might be interested in this report please share it with them — the Discovery Islander isn’t in mailboxes this time (but it is online!).
As always, 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
Top image credit: a gull in Drew Harbour; All photos by Robyn Mawhinney
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