At last Thursday’s Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Board meeting, the 2026 Financial Plan was officially adopted. 

This year, a corporate work plan was introduced to guide budget discussions. The plan outlines all current SCRD projects and prioritizes them, ensuring key considerations such as staff capacity and impacts on day-to-day operations were carefully evaluated before proposals moved forward.  

Community engagement was also a central part of the financial planning process. Residents identified three primary priorities: drinking water services, fire protection, and garbage disposal and recycling. 

The adopted Financial Plan reflects these priorities. To help limit the 2026 taxation increase, the Board approved using surplus and reserve funds, including $690,000 from a higher-than-expected 2025 surpluses, to offset project costs and support rate stabilization, reducing the overall taxation requirement by approximately two percent.  

Funding has been allocated for several water system projects, including reservoir maintenance, pump station replacements, and exploratory work at the shíshálh Hospital well. The plan also includes funding to design a vertical expansion at the Sechelt Landfill.  Based on current projections, this expansion is expected to  extend the landfill’s lifespan by approximately 30 years. The plan also provides increased compensation for volunteer firefighters. 

Additional investments include bridge replacements,  work on park management plans at Dan Bosch and Katherine Lake and a new initiative to help neighbourhoods better prepare for emergencies. Two grant-funded projects will also move forward, supporting emergency services and providing equipment and training for the Emergency Operations Centre. 

The SCRD Board further approved increased funding for recreation facility capital renewal and reserve contributions, helping support future development and renovations at SCRD recreation facilities. 

More than $1.6 million has been allocated to community partners delivering essential services, including the Pender Harbour Health Centre, Roberts Creek Community Library, Sunshine Coast Tourism, Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue, Gibsons Library, and the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. 

Beyond the 2026 planning process, several multi-year projects previously approved will continue. These include wastewater infrastructure projects across the region, dock renovations, planning for improvements at Coopers Green Park, and bridge replacements at Cliff Gilker Park. The SCRD will also undertake public engagement for a recreation needs assessment and a parks services review. 

Preliminary Property Tax Rates 

After the adoption of the financial plan, the following are the preliminary average SCRD tax rates per $100,000 of assessed value of Residential Properties. 

The figures below are not final and only cover the SCRD portion of your tax bill. If you do not know which area or municipality your home is in, you can search your address via the map linked here.  

Estimating the preliminary SCRD portion of your tax bill 

 You can estimate the preliminary 2026 SCRD portion of your tax bill in three steps: 

Step 1 – Take the assessed value of your home which can be found here at BC Assessment.  

Step 2 – Divide the assessed value of your home by $100,000.  

Step 3 – Multiply that figure by the 2026 preliminary amounts outlined above based off your Electoral Area or Municipality.  

For example: If your home is worth $800,000 and the preliminary 2026 SCRD tax rate is $200 then the SCRD portion of your tax bill would be 8 x $200 = $1600. 

Staying Informed 

The best way to stay informed on Budget 2026 and ask questions at any time is at letstalk.scrd.ca/budget. 

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) wants to hear from residents and businesses on the future of waste management on the Sunshine Coast. 

The Solid Waste Management Plan guides how recycling, green waste, food waste and garbage will be managed across the region over the next ten years and beyond. The plan is required by the Province of British Columbia. 

Since 2023, the SCRD has been developing the draft plan with input from the community, a public advisory committee and the SCRD Board.  

The SCRD is now asking residents to review the draft and share feedback on the proposed approaches for managing waste on the Sunshine Coast.  

Community input is particularly important as the region plans for the future. The Sunshine Coast’s only landfill is nearing capacity, and the SCRD is working to identify solutions that will ensure reliable waste services and disposal options for the next 30 to 35 years.  

Residents and businesses can participate in several ways, including attending in-person engagement sessions or completing an online questionnaire. 

Opportunities to provide your input in the coming weeks include:

• Sechelt Farmers Market – March 7, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 
• Welcome Woods Market, Halfmoon Bay – March 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Persephone Brewing Company – March 14, 12 p.m. to 6p.m. 
• Trail Bay Mall, Sechelt – March 18, 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
• Brickers Cider – March 21, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.  
• Madeira Park IGA – March 24, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 
• Roberts Creek Farmers Market, March 25, 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
• Roberts Creek General Store – March 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
• Halfmoon Bay General Store – March 31, 10 a.m. to 2p.m.  
• Gibsons Public Market – April 1, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  

The SCRD will also host community workshops in the following locations: 

• Elphinstone and Gibsons — March 11, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Gibsons & Area Community Centre
• Sechelt — March 13, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (for businesses) and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (for residents) at the Seaside Centre.
• Pender Harbour — March 17, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Pender Harbour Community Hall 

Residents can review the draft plan, learn more about the project and complete a questionnaire online at letstalk.scrd.ca/trash.

The questionnaire linked here takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. As a thank you for taking part in the questionnaire, the SCRD is giving away a gift card to a local business. You can add your email on the questionnaire for a chance to win!

Feedback will be accepted until April 10, 2026, and will help shape the final Solid Waste Management Plan. 

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.