Updated June 8th:

On May 28th, as noted below, the Board gave 2nd Reading to the Residential Art Gallery Zoning Bylaw Amendment. A that time, a further amendment was made that would have precluded live amplified music in the operation of the Art Gallery. Subsequent to that, the proponents have chosen not to proceed to Public Hearing (originally scheduled for June 17th) and to take time to consider their options. 

Original Post:

Our community has been having some important and rich discussions around art, zoning, festivals, home based businesses, parking, music and the like. I do appreciate all who have taken the time to share their perspectives with planning staff, the full Board, and myself as this process moves along. The following is a brief summary of what has transpired over the recent months and where we are heading next. At the bottom of this post is a link which will take you to the SCRD Planning Department Update Page.

After the public meeting in September, a summary was presented to the SCRD Board for their information; however due to the up-coming turn over as a result of the civic elections there was no decision made on the application. Internal review of the application continued and it became apparent the required upgrades to the existing gallery building due to building code considerations were proving to be too difficult. The building was constructed as a dwelling and did not have required safety features of a building meant for public assembly uses associated with an art gallery. The applicants took some time to consider their options and earlier this year submitted a revised proposal to construct an additional building on site, if approved this building could be constructed to hold the art gallery. The revised application was re-considered by the SCRD and key referral agencies such as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Each agency has indicated that it does not oppose the concept providing considerations such as access and septic treatment can be resolved. Please see the revised site plan by following the link below for information. The SCRD Board considered this application in February and at that time it was requested that the revised concept be forwarded to the Roberts Creek Advisory Planning Commission and the Roberts Creek Official Community Plan Commission for comment. Both of these groups are comprised of residents/property owners in Roberts Creek who volunteer their time to provide local input that both Planning staff and the Board use when considering development applications. Responses from these groups were finalized and presented to the Board in a May 14 Planning Committee Report.

At the May 28th Board Meeting, a further amendment with regards to live amplified music was passed by the Board.

A Public Hearing has been scheduled for June 17th, at 7PM at the RC Hall. At this formal Hearing anyone with an interest in this application will be afforded the opportunity to address the SCRD. Written submissions can also be made in advance. It will be well-adverised in the newspaper. Again, I encourage you to follow the green link below to a page on the SCRD website that will provide more information about the application, including background staff reports, the current proposed Residential Art Gallery Bylaw amendment, and a plain language “Frequently Asked Questions” page.  I might suggest Bookmarking the site as it will get updated over time:

http://www.scrd.ca/Bylaw-310-Update

Local Government Officials recently received a workshop from Emergency Management BC staff, and SCRD Emergency Program Coordinator Bill Elsner. That, along with events in Nepal, a recent earthquake response study from the District of North Vancouver, and the approach of wildfire season, have served to re-focus my attention on the degree to which our community is prepared for the unpredictable.

The workshop was geared towards broad governance topics like management structures, organizational roles and responsibilities, mitigation and prevention, recovery plans and the like.

One theme that emerged was that our ability to deal with a large scale emergency has much to do with our level of personal household preparedness.   The degree to which we are able to take care of ourselves, our families and our neighbours for at least 7 days allows our professional and volunteer emergency services personnel to focus on others who may be in greater need than us, or incidents that require their immediate attention.

Below is a link to the SCRD Personal Emergency Preparedness site, and through that on to Emergency Management BC’s Household Checklist and Grab and Go Kit contents and other related resources.

http://www.scrd.ca/Personal

In the event of an large-scale emergency, the dissemination of accurate information is very important. While social media (if functional) will have its applications , the SCRD.ca website and Coast 91.7 FM Radio will have updates direct from the Emergency Operations Center.

Here’s a 30 minute Coast Cable produced YouTube video on our Emergency Services:

As a new Director I’ve been learning about the fiscal stresses placed on the SCRD.

These pressures are evident not only in the annual Budgeting process, but also in staff reports, public delegations, and committee work. Issues such as Housing, Environmental Regulation, Transportation,  Social Services, and Watershed Protection come under regulatory control of the Provincial or Federal Government. When underfunded at those levels they often end up costing our local governments in financial, staff time and other terms.

The early impressions of this new Director were reinforced by a fellow Director who has last sat on the SCRD Board a dozen years ago and noticed a significant upswing in provincial and federal downloading in the intervening years.  As the level of government “closest to the ground” municipalities and regional districts see the effects of Provincial and Federal cutbacks first hand, and are often asked to help mitigate them. Furthermore, this pattern often impacts our most vulnerable community members, or the ecosystem services that keep us all alive.

At a recent local government conference in Vancouver, this theme was pervasive. The Columbia Institute has produced a report on the subject and it can be found here:

http://www.columbiainstitute.ca/news-events/whos-picking-tab-federal-and-provincial-downloading-local-governments

Recently, a constituent asked “If the Provincial Government can balance its budget, why are my SCRD taxes going up?”  While there is a comparative relationship there, there is also a causal one. I’m going to send him a link to this report.

Curbside Recycling initiatives in Roberts Creek have been a long time coming. Here is some of the background on why:

Click to access 2015-Jan-30-Update%20for%20Curbside%20Recycling%20Collection%20Services%20in%20Electoral%20Areas%20B%20and%20D.pdf

There’s more information on SCRD Board correspondence with MMBC and the Provincial Government in the March Bootales Director’s Update.

As most of us are aware, Provincial law makes the SCRD responsible for providing drinking water, while withholding the regulatory power over the watershed. Those looking for more background on this issue should find a copy of Dan Bouman’s book, The People’s Water, in the RC Library reading room or elsewhere.

25 of the 27 Regional Districts are in the same situation, and the issue has long been a source of joint lobbying of the Province through the Union of BC Municipalities, and other avenues. Recent logging in the Chapman watershed was temporarily halted through a collaborative process involving community members, the contractor, Regional District staff, and the Board.

At the December 4th Infrastructure Services Committee, staff presented a report that indicated that the sediment control measures put in place by the contractor were proving insufficient. The report went on to describe actions taken by staff, including correspondence with the contractor, the Vancouver Coastal Health regional drinking water officer, and the Managed Forest Council, which oversees best management practices on Private Managed Forest Land such as this.

Since the report, the Board has directed staff to follow up on correspondence with the above parties, to continue to monitor water quality, especially around the recent cut block, to develop an action plan for the spring to address additional logging, and to report monthly to the Board on inspections of the cut block area.

The SCRD continues to look for long term solutions to this issue, through venues such as the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities’ Task Force on private managed forest lands within watersheds, and through collaboration with the shishalh nation.

In the meantime, we are faced with a Provincial Government whose “objective” for community watersheds is to prevent “a material adverse impact on the quality of water… to the extent that it does not unduly reduce the supply of timber from British Columbia’s forests.”  Forest and Range Protection Act, Section 8.2  (My bolds)

UPDATE, Jan 9th:

At the January 8th Infrastructure Committee Meeting, the Board was informed that Private Managed Forest Council staff had been on site in late December, and were carrying out an investigation. At this time there is no indication of when that process will be completed.

Thursday, November 27th marked the final Board meeting for retiring Area D Director Donna Shugar, along with Area F Director Lee Turnbull, and Town of Gibsons SCRD representative Gerry Tretick and Gibsons alternate Lee Ann Johnson. After the evening’s business was complete, the departing Board members were honoured by their colleagues, staff, and a special delegation from the shishalh nation. Roberts Creekers will not be the only ones missing Donna’s presence at the board table!  I certainly plan on tapping into her experience and wisdom on a regular basis. If you’re wondering about what is coming up at Board or Committee meetings, check out the link called SCRD Agendas on the “Other Resources” page to the left.