Several Key Projects Moving Forward in the Region

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has released its 2025 first quarter reports, highlighting progress on several key projects for the region. 

Highlights by Department 

Administration & Legislative Services 

• Good Neighbour Guide Update: Relaunched during Local Government Awareness Week, the refreshed guide incorporates updated bylaws and promotes community standards around noise, property care, pet ownership, and water use.
• Hybrid Meetings: A new hybrid meeting platform and continued use of new agenda software is modernizing SCRD’s meeting accessibility and efficiency. 

Community Services 

• Halfmoon Bay Community Hall: Construction officially began on a new 2,200 sq. ft. community space at Connor Park, with completion expected in mid-2026.
• Sechelt Aquatic Centre Heat Pump Project: A $250,000 upgrade to reduce corporate carbon emissions by 15%, equal to 61 cross-country flights advancing SCRD’s climate targets. 
• Hopkins Landing Dock: Renovation work is set to resume later this year following permitting delays. 
• Parks: Remediation work continued on trails including the Sunnyside / Chaster Trail Connector and  the Mahan Trail.  

Corporate Services 

• Volumetric Water Billing: In preparation for 2026 implementation, mock bills will be issued in North and South Pender Harbour later this year to help residents understand the new rate system. 
• Corporate Workplan Refresh: A new “Green, Yellow, Red” system now tracks the status of strategic projects and aligns them with Board priorities and capacity.

Emergency & Protective Services 

• Volunteer Fire Response: 177 calls were handled in the first quarter of 2025, with 3,474 hours of volunteer training logged. Local fire crews also raised over $28,800 for the BC Lung Foundation. 
• FireSmart: Twelve new neighbourhoods were recognized under the FireSmart Canada Recognized Neighbourhood Program. The SCRD FireSmart team saw a great start to the year with ongoing mitigation projects, these included Smith Cove Park, Connor Park, Mission Point Park, Shirley Macey Park and the Merril Crescent Wastewater Treatment Plant, in total there has been approximately 70,000 lbs of debris removed. 

Infrastructure Services 

• Langdale Wellfield: Design work continues for a groundwater supply project. Further work, including an alternate approval process is expected in late 2025, with construction potentially starting in 2026. 
• Water Meter Installation: Phase 3 of water metering in Sechelt is nearly complete, with 3,500 meters installed. Due to required installation work on meters that involves deep excavations, the SCRD Board recently approved an increase to the budget for the water meter installation project. Once completed, this project will lay the groundwork for regional volumetric billing by 2027. 
• Sechelt Landfill Project: A new contact water pond is being built to extend the landfill’s life by up to four years. Construction will wrap by mid-2025. 
• Sechelt Hospital Well: Following a groundwater exploration project which involved drilling five wells around the Sechelt area, the SCRD has identified a site at the Sechelt Hospital that has the potential to provide a significant amount of water to the Regional Water System. A report on next steps for this water supply expansion project was recently brought to the SCRD’s Committee of the Whole and can be found here.
   

Planning & Development 

• OCP Renewal: A major, multi-year update to Official Community Plans is underway to better address housing, sustainability, and regulatory compliance across the region.
• Coastal Flood Mapping: A regional partnership is advancing flood risk mapping and adaptation planning to better prepare for rising sea levels and storm surges. 

The next major update on projects and initiatives will be provided in August.  You can read all of the quarterly departmental reports via this agenda link.