Hello friends, it’s been a minute. It’s hard to believe it’s already September.
Our last e-newsletter went out to our list on June 26th, celebrating the amazing 2026 Sunshine Coast Ocean Festival. If you’ve been wondering where we went or if we’ve been on summer vacation, well, not exactly.
This summer, we have had a thrilling field season, while holding the line on Woodfibre LNG, gearing up for local elections, and initiating a campaign to protect the Homathko River.
Here is what has kept us busy since June.
Restoring Ch’ḵw’elhp–Gibson Creek
The Ch’ḵw’elhp salmon habitat restoration project, a collaborative effort between the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA), and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MoTT), has been quietly and steadily progressing for more than six years.
After many years of planning and preparation, construction permits were approved for the 2026 summer fish window, and construction began on August 10th. It’s been a busy time on the creek this summer!
The first half of the in-stream work below the culvert is nearly complete, and work will continue through September. Riparian area restoration is planned for the fall. We truly appreciate the community’s interest in this project, and we sincerely thank everyone for maintaining a respectful and safe distance from the site as this work continues.
For more details about this special project, please visit our website page: Ch’ḵw’elhp–Gibson Creek Restoration.
Rainfrog Sanctuary
In 2019, our beloved friend Rick O’Neill passed away, leaving his 14-acre property in Roberts Creek to the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA). This remarkable piece of land is a sanctuary for a range of wildlife, including rare amphibian species and the federally endangered little brown myotis bats. We call the property the Rainfrog Sanctuary.
The SCCA is slowly but surely working toward legally protecting approximately 90% of this property with a conservation covenant. Over the summer, SCCA staff and volunteers worked to clean up the property, remove debris and plan the removal of deteriorating outbuildings within the protected area.
Forage Fish Sampling
Dianne Sanford ran the forage fish program throughout the summer, with support from SCCA staff and volunteers. Sampling sites included Soames Beach in Gibsons, Fishhook Beach in Sandy Hook, and Davis Bay Beach for the Oceans Week demonstration. At Fishhook Beach, we found seven eggshells! On a sunny summer day in July, Dianne and a friend also found sand lance and pipefish at RC Beach! To volunteer, please contact Dianne Sanford at diannesanford@gmail.com
Community Engagement
Over the summer, our staff team updated SCCA outreach and engagement materials, recruited volunteers, and hosted booths at local events to share our programming with the community. In July, our ED visited the Upper Coast for the inaugural business meeting and field days with the qathet Streamkeepers Society, a new group the SCCA helped form. Our last booth of the season will be at the Labour Day Picnic at Dougall Park in Gibsons on September 7. We hope to see you there!
Holding the Line on Woodfibre LNG
We continued our fight against the Woodfibre LNG project, partnering with My Sea to Sky to submit a comprehensive submission to the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) to reject FortisBC’s Waste Discharge Permit amendment for the Eagle Mountain–Woodfibre Gas Pipeline. Despite our efforts, the BCER granted the permit. We have appealed the permit and applied for a stay while the Environmental Appeal Board of BC considers our appeal.
2026 Local Elections
On October 17, voters across British Columbia elect local government councils and regional district boards for the next four years. The SCCA is planning three environmental all-candidates meetings in early October and prepping candidates for Q&A, which will be sent to confirmed candidates on September 18th and published on the SCCA website. Save the dates for the all-candidates meetings!
BC Government Plans for Dams
On June 15, BC’s Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix announced a plan to gut the BC Clean Energy Act so BC Hydro can
evaluate new mega-dams on the Homathko River on the Upper Sunshine Coast. Mega dams are prohibited on the Homathko under Schedule 2 of BC’s Clean Energy Act.
Since June, we have been building the case against lifting that ban – a case that is so much bigger than this one remarkable river. It touches on Site C-scale cost overruns, BC’s insistence on electrifying LNG to label it “low-carbon, while climate change, wildfire smoke, drought and glacier collapse tell a totally different story.
Please get in touch if this concerns you. We need your help to ensure the Homathko stays protected.
More to Come
Field season may be winding down, but the work is not. Please stay tuned to our mailing list for updates and consider subscribing to our website calendar to stay connected as we head into the busy fall.
-Suzanne Senger, Executive Director, SCCA
Email: executive@thescca.ca