It’s time for the SCRD to join the 21st century

More transparency at the Sunshine Coast Regional District is badly needed.

By Donna McMahon, candidate for Area E director

On October 20, a number of local citizens will arrive at Gibsons Town Hall ready to vote for mayor and council, and discover they don’t live in the Town of Gibsons.

This happens every election because there are more people with the mailing address “Gibsons, B.C.” who live in rural areas of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) than people who reside within the municipal boundaries. As of the 2016 census, the town had 4,605 residents, versus 5,707 in Electoral Areas E and F.

People move to the Coast to enjoy the rural ambiance but most, having previously lived in cities, have no idea they are living in an unincorporated rural area and what that means. Here are some differences.

Residents of Gibsons vote for a mayor and four councillors. Rural residents vote only for one director in their SCRD area. There are nine directors on the board: five are elected from rural areas and four are appointed by municipal councils. This means rural residents have only one representative in their local government, and the other directors have no reason to listen to anyone who is not a voter in their area.  Voters also have no say in who becomes chairperson of the regional board; there is no equivalent of a mayoralty race.

Regional districts were created in the 1960s to coordinate services across wide areas and among multiple municipalities. In metro Vancouver and Victoria they manage water, sewers, solid waste and strategic planning.

But here on the Coast, where almost 50 per cent of the people live outside municipalities, the SCRD is the only local government we have. It provides basic services such as water, garbage, and building inspection, but does not have many of the powers that municipalities have. For example, the SCRD has no control over roads, which are maintained by the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI).

It isn’t easy for rural residents to find out how their local government works. There is some press coverage, but the articles can be baffling to people who aren’t familiar with the system. And few residents are dedicated enough to do research on the SCRD website or look up board meeting agenda packages (weighty volumes that can run to 300 pages).

Even fewer people attend board meetings, which are held during the day on weekdays at the top of Field Road in Wilson Creek, a location that is inaccessible or inconvenient for almost everyone. The population of the SCRD lives along 100 kilometres of coastline from Egmont in the north through Port Mellon in the south, and on a number of islands. By contrast, the Town of Gibsons is so small that it isn’t possible to walk further than 2.5 kilometres from town hall in any direction without crossing its borders. It’s not hard to get to a Gibsons council meeting.

The District of Sechelt has its own YouTube channel where residents can watch all council and committee meetings, but SCRD directors have consistently opposed any move towards videoing their meetings. There are audio recordings, but if you want a copy you must apply in writing to the corporate officer, who will send you a letter explaining your rights under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and offer you a CD which costs $5 and which you have to pick up at the SCRD office.

All audio recordings are destroyed after six months. Since the minutes of meetings only include motions and the vote, there is no way to go back and hear what was discussed or what any director said — or didn’t say. If you are mystified about why a particular decision was made, you are likely to remain so unless your director has been communicating diligently with residents.

Another area of concern is the rural advisory planning commission (APC). In Gibsons and Sechelt, APC agendas are published in advance so citizens can find out what development applications are being proposed, and attend the meetings to learn more. The SCRD does not publish APC agendas.

A great deal could be done to make our local government more transparent and participatory. If rural residents are concerned, they should elect directors who are willing to join the 21st century, put the meetings on YouTube, and communicate regularly and transparently via the web, email, and meaningful public engagement.

The Coast Clarion invites all candidates to submit innovative ideas which are part of their platform.