Parks, Rivers & Oceans

Director’s Report: Quadra beach access project

From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney

Hello,
What a blessing the rain has been, when wildfires and smoky skies have been sparking so much stress. This report is an update on the SRD’s Beach Access project: it shares news on new Quadra beach accesses which Strathcona Regional District staff are working on, plus how to find the shore accesses the SRD have already opened and installed signage for.

Beach Access Project: phase two has commenced

As islanders surrounded by the sea, access to shorelines improves our quality of life. Beach access signage provides comfort to coastal explorers in knowing they are utilizing a public access point. For years the SRD has been working on opening shore access locations on Quadra Island: big thanks to Director Abram for his work initiating this, and the shore access locations which had signage installed in Phase One of the project.

The SRD has now received permits from the Province for six additional beach access locations and the Quadra Island beach access project is officially in Phase Two. The project has a further Phase Three for future consideration, which includes accesses that require more resources to open them to the public.

Beach accesses are public access points

Beach accesses are located on ‘undeveloped provincial road rights-of-way’ which lead to the foreshore; they are managed by the Ministry of Transportation and Transit. Technically undeveloped road rights-of-way are all public accesses, but they are often overgrown with shrubbery, unmarked, and in occasional instances utilized by adjacent property owners.

Four sites in progress

Of the six beach accesses in Phase Two, signage and minor works have been completed on two of the sites: at Bold Point, and at Ferry Road (in the Cove). The other four sites are at Huntley Road, Hyacinthe Bay Road, Raydon Road, and Orian Road. Initial site inspections have been completed for these four sites and necessary improvements have been determined.

The four sites have various requirements for improvements to facilitate access, including brush clearing, boardwalk or stair construction, drainage works, and parking management (or other options to minimize potential issues with neighbouring private properties).

The next step for these four sites is organizing site visits with SRD staff, contractors, and volunteer groups, to help determine budget requirements to action development of the sites. Once the budgetary needs are known they can be brought forward and considered for incorporation in the 2026 financial planning process.

Perhaps one of the four new sites listed above is in your neighbourhood and/or you’re interested in volunteering time or resources to open up these beach accesses? Now is a great time to connect and discuss. Please reach out to Jacob Blanchard, the SRD’s Parks Technician (jblanchard@srd.ca) to chat about possible options.

How to find SRD beach accesses

By now you may be wondering where the already-signed shore access locations are, so you can explore and possibly expand your ‘favourite beaches’ list. The SRD is working on a webpage which shares information and locations for shoreline accesses, alas, the site is not available quite yet. However, there is a map which shares all the beach access locations for Quadra, along with those for Cortes and Area D. If you’re curious or want a new adventure, check out this link, which SRD staff keep updated as more sites are completed: bit.ly/SRDBeachAccessMap

The shoreline access project strikes a personal chord – during the pandemic my husband and I used the SRD’s uMapIt utility to discover and explore undeveloped road rights-of-way, leading to many beautiful and interesting shorelines. I’m excited that the SRD’s shore access project continues, providing access to more shores, for more folks.

Connect

Thanks for taking the time to read this report. You’re welcome to connect with me with questions or concerns: email RMawhinney@srd.ca, or call 250.203.2468.

Until next time,
Respectfully,
Director Robyn Mawhinney

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