Home composter rebates are back for another year. The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is giving out rebates of up to $100 to start or expand composting at home. Rebates are available to homeowners from Egmont to West Howe Sound, the islands within the SCRD, and in the municipalities of District of Sechelt, shíshálh Nation Government District and Town of Gibsons.

Easier application: Buy – install – apply!

Keep your receipt, pre-approval is not required. Only composters purchased and installed in 2026 will be eligible. Information on eligibility and how to apply can be found at www.scrd.ca/composting or by contacting the SCRD at 604-885-6806 or by email at infrastructure@scrd.ca.

Applications will be accepted until October 31, 2026 or until funding for this year runs out.

Find more information at www.scrd.ca/composting including:

• Eligibility criteria,
• New Application process (including form),
• Resources for choosing a composter that fits the needs of your home, and
• How to mitigate potential wildlife interactions by composting responsibly.

Follows us on Facebook this week for daily tips and to learn more about composting at https://www.facebook.com/sunshinecoastrd.

Questions and completed applications should be sent to infrastructure@scrd.ca.

Several Sunshine Coast communities are being recognized for taking meaningful steps to reduce wildfire risk through the FireSmart Recognized Neighbourhoods Program.

Six neighbourhoods across the region have achieved FireSmart recognition, demonstrating a strong commitment to working together to build safer, more wildfire-resilient communities.

Recognized neighbourhoods include:

• Brigade Bay, Gambier (Area F)
• Witherby Estates, Gambier (Area F)
• Garden Bay Estates (Area A)
• Sandyhook (District of Sechelt)
• Sherwood Grove (Town of Gibsons)
• Woodcreek Park (Area E)

The program encourages neighbours to work collaboratively to reduce wildfire hazards around homes and throughout their community.

“A FireSmart neighbourhood stands an even greater chance of surviving a wildfire than a single FireSmart property,” said David McIlwraith, FireSmart Coordinator with the Sunshine Coast Regional District. “When neighbours work together to reduce wildfire risks, the benefits extend throughout the entire community.”

Several additional neighbourhoods across the Sunshine Coast are currently working toward FireSmart recognition.

To achieve recognition, neighbourhoods develop a local FireSmart plan and commit to ongoing actions that help reduce wildfire risk. This includes conducting a wildfire risk assessment, organizing local FireSmart activities, investing in neighbourhood mitigation efforts, and maintaining an active FireSmart committee.

Residents interested in bringing the FireSmart Recognized Neighbourhood program to their area are encouraged to connect with the SCRD FireSmart program to learn how to get started.

Building wildfire resilience is a shared effort, and the actions taken by individual homeowners and neighbourhoods can make a significant difference in protecting homes, properties, and communities.

Learn more about FireSmart and how to get involved at scrd.ca/firesmart.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Board has adopted the first Regional Accessibility Plan.

Developed under the Accessible BC Act, the plan was created in partnership with the District of Sechelt and the Town of Gibsons. Key to the development of the plan was a committee of dedicated volunteers with lived experience pertaining to disabilities.

This committee, known as the Sunshine Coast Regional Accessibility Advisory Committee, provided valuable input to the plan by identifying opportunities for the three local governments to remove and prevent barriers across regional spaces, services, and communications.

Residents can learn more and provide feedback on the plan through an online form at letstalk.scrd.ca/accessibility-plan.

Where should our communities grow and where should they not? What do we need to consider as we grow, when it comes to housing, climate and the environment? What type of housing do you think would suit your neighbourhood? Starting tomorrow, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) will be in communities asking these questions and more as we work to incorporate your feedback in the Official Community Plan (OCP) Renewal Project. 

Before we continue, a reminder of what an OCP is. An OCP is like a roadmap for the future. It guides how our communities grow, evolve, and respond to change. Whether it’s planning neighbourhoods, determining housing options, protecting the environment, developing parks and infrastructure or preparing for the impacts of climate change, the OCP sets the course for decision-making that affects everyone, now and for generations to come.  

During the first phase of engagement, the SCRD heard from thousands of people in person and online about their priorities for both their own neighbourhoods and the region as a whole. We heard loud and clear that communities across the Sunshine Coast want an approach that focuses new housing in areas that already have services to help achieve our goals of improved affordability, livability, and the preservation of natural areas within and around our communities. All of this while ensuring that we maintain the character and uniqueness of our communities.  

At the same time, over the last six months the SCRD has undertaken technical analysis and reviews that show that new housing and services will be most efficient if they are focused in community hubs. This can help control costs associated with taxation for these services, while focusing amenities and services where they are needed most, all while respecting what makes these communities special in the first place.  

Taking all of this feedback and analysis, the SCRD is bringing forward a map that shows where opportunities for growth exist on the Sunshine Coast. These are locations suitable to handle development from a technical point of view. Where growth will actually be planned for has not yet been determined. Your feedback will help shape our communities as we plan for the future. 

So how can you provide your input? Well first please check out letstalk.scrd.ca/ocp-renewal to read up on the project. Then join us in person or online.  

In person 

Join us for Coffee, Tea and the OCP at the dates and locations below.  

• Saturday, February 7: London Drugs in Gibsons, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Monday, February 9: Welcome Woods Market in Halfmoon Bay, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 
• Saturday, February 14: Roberts Creek General Store, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
• Saturday, February 21: Gibsons and Area Community Centre (Coastal Tsunami Game), 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 
• Saturday, February 28: Madeira Park IGA, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

A schedule for three community workshops will be released shortly. 

Online 

Take ten to fifteen minutes and complete our community questionnaire. You can find it by clicking here. The questionnaire will close on March 31. 

Please take some time to read the introduction to each section to help answer the questions. You can also check out this video which outlines what this phase of engagement is all about.   

As a thank you for taking our questionnaire we’re offering you the chance to win a gift card to a local business. Take the questionnaire, add your name and good luck! 

The name says it all, Official Community Plan. It’s about our community, and your voice is essential. 

Due to site safety concerns, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has suspended collection of drywall at the Pender Harbour Transfer Station.  

During a recent inspection, serious issues were discovered with the concrete pad that the drywall bin sits on. As a result, it is not safe for our hauling contractor to service bins from the pad until it is rebuilt.  

A new pad is part of the Pender Harbour Transfer Station site updates project that is due to get underway this fall.  

Until a new pad is in place or an alternative method of collection can be implemented, drywall collection will only be available at the Sechelt Landfill. Visit www.scrd.ca/landfill for information about the site and www.scrd.ca/asbestos for details about what is accepted for drywall recycling.  

The SCRD appreciates the community’s understanding with this disruption to service. Updates on resumption of drywall collection will be provided when available.  

Construction of the Halfmoon Bay Community Hall, located in Connor Park / ch’emalaḵ, is continuing on schedule. 

The hall, largely funded trough the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program is scheduled to open this summer.  

Visitors to the area will have noticed the hall really starting to take shape. In the past few weeks construction crews have completed a significant amount of work on the inside of the hall including insulation and drywall. Landscape plans for the hall are complete, and remediation of the surrounding area will begin once all hardscaping has been done.  

Should weather conditions allow, in the coming weeks work will begin on an updated bicycle pump track which will be located above the hall. This work is being undertaken by a local volunteer who has led design and construction of pump tracks nationally and internationally.  

Stay connected and follow the hall’s progress at letstalk.scrd.ca/community-hall.