Local governments are responsible for some of the most essential services in our communities: safe drinking water, infrastructure that withstands extreme weather, and growth that protects the natural systems we depend on. On many of these issues, however, they carry the responsibility without the authority – because the Province holds most decision-making authority in our watersheds.
We asked candidates for Gibsons council, Sechelt council, and the SCRD board four questions on climate change, watershed boards, Green Bylaws, and the Sunshine Coast Community Forest. Their answers are now posted on our website, in their own words.
Each of our questions to candidates addresses that gap. Where can local government gain a greater say, and will the people we elect use the tools available to them?
Climate change is already a cost we are paying.
Climate change is not a standalone issue. It affects every decision local governments make about water, roads, sewers, and development, and the costs continue to rise. Heat waves, droughts, and atmospheric rivers place growing pressure on local budgets and taxpayers. Infrastructure built today will operate for decades in a hotter, wetter climate than it was designed for. Local governments cannot prevent climate change, but they can choose whether to prepare now or pay for the damage later. Planning ahead is how communities mitigate future impacts.
Our drinking water depends on land we do not manage.
Local governments are legally required to deliver safe drinking water, yet they have very little say over the watersheds it comes from. When logging, roads, gravel extraction, or development change how a watershed stores and releases water, the effects appear in our water supply, our restrictions, and our emergency declarations. Watershed boards bring together everyone who shares a watershed: First Nations, local governments, licensees, non-profit organizations, and residents. They give communities a meaningful role in decisions that affect their water. SCCA is prepared to convene watershed tables in shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh territories so that local governments do not have to carry the initial organizing alone. Participation from local government is the essential first step. What happens upstream determines what comes out of the tap.
Green Bylaws use authority local governments already hold.
Land use is one area where local governments have clear and direct authority. The Official Community Plans now under development in Sechelt and the SCRD will guide growth for the next twenty years. Forests, wetlands, and creeks provide flood control, water storage, and cooling at no cost to taxpayers. Replacing those services with engineered infrastructure is expensive and requires ongoing maintenance and eventual replacement. The Green Bylaws recommendations show how existing powers can protect these natural assets. Protecting natural infrastructure is the most cost-effective climate adaptation available to us.
The Community Forest is accountable to the community.
For decades, the forests in our drinking watersheds have been managed primarily for interests outside this region. BC Timber Sales answers to the Province. The Community Forest answers to the community, local governments, and First Nations, and is committed to protecting water and old growth. Each hectare transferred from BC Timber Sales to the Community Forest is a hectare where local residents have a voice in how it is managed. Our forests should be managed by the communities that depend on them.
How to Read the Answers
Answers are organized by question, then by community. Click a candidate’s name to view their response. We encourage you to read with an open mind. We are not looking for a particular slogan or a simple yes. We are looking for candidates who understand the challenges local government faces and have thoughtfully considered how to address them. A strong answer demonstrates an understanding of the issue, a realistic sense of what local government can do, and a plan to act.