SRD staff have been instructed to prepare studies on residential waste collection, the legal status of short-term rentals and roadside parking on Quadra Island. These topics arose at the Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) meeting on May 10th. Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney made the following motions, all of which were seconded by Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch.
Continue reading Quadra reports coming: residential waste collection, short term rentals, roadside parkingThe Strathcona Regional District’s rural Directors often feel they do not have much input in Board decisions. The topic came up at the May 10 meeting, when the Board passed a resolution that staff prepare a report on methods to increase public consultation for regional services.’ A second resolution calls for a policy to have the Municipal Services Committee refer new services to the Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) for public consultation prior to a feasibility study.
Continue reading Making room for Cortes, Quadra and other rural areas within the SRD
Fifteen years ago April Point Developments submitted a subdivision application for phase one of, what was at the time, a three-phase development proposal for a 134 acre parcel on Quadra Island. This application triggered a requirement that the developer dedicate close to 7 acres as parkland. The matter was thought to have been finally settled last summer, when the SRD Board accepted April Point’s parkland dedication offer – but the developer made some revisions.
There were more questions than answers when this matter came before the SRD Board on May 10.
Continue reading More questions than certainty about the April Point parklandOn May 16, Mark Vonesch, Regional Director for Cortes Island issued a press release stating, “I’m excited to let you know that the provincial government has approved Cortes Island’s short term rental tax application. Starting on July 1st, tourists will pay an extra 3% on their short term rental bookings and the funds will be collected by the provincial government and sent to the Cortes Housing Society on a monthly basis to contribute to the development of Rainbow Ridge rental housing.”
“This is the first time in BC history that a community is using the tax entirely for housing and the provincial government had to amend their legislation to make it possible.”
Continue reading BC Government approves 3% tax on Cortes Island short term rentalsThe Strathcona Regional District (SRD) plan to increase the yield of recyclable materials, collected by the curbside pick-up program on Cortes Island, officially went into effect yesterday.
Engineering Services Coordinator Sheena Fisher gave the Electoral Area Services Committee (EASC) an update at their May 10 meeting.
Continue reading New Cortes Island Curbside Pick-up program officially started
