The State of Local Emergency has been extended to July 26, 2019.

The District of Sechelt is now a member of Recycle BC. This is a significant benefit to the community and means a few changes in the service. • Recycle BC offers financial incentives to local governments participating in the program. • These incentives will offset the cost of the new organics collection program that will start in the spring of 2020. • With this program, only accepted items can go in the curbside recycling bin – anything not on the accepted list are considered contaminates. • Sechelt must keep contaminates below 3%.

At the regular meeting of Council on July 3, 2019, Council gave first reading to a Zoning Bylaw to allow for cannabis uses in the District. The proposed bylaw will now go to a public hearing, on July 22nd at 6pm in the Community Room, for public input. The proposed cannabis amendments to the zoning bylaw would: • recognize and regulate non-medical cannabis retail establishments • update the existing zoning bylaw terminology pertaining to medical marihuana and non-medical marihuana to better align with the Provincial and Federal regulations • add, define and regulate land uses for micro-cultivation and micro-production • refine conditions of use for cannabis cultivation and production • make provision for non-medical cannabis retail establishments in the C-2 Commercial zone and include conditions of use in the zoning bylaw

Canada Day 2019 Schedule

The District of Sechelt will be holding a Public Hearing on July 10 2019 at 6:00pm in the Community Meeting Room regarding an application to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 25, 1987. Bylaw No. 25-299, 2019 proposes to rezone the property located at 5547 Trail Avenue from PA-1 (Park, Recreation and Assembly) to R-2A (Village Residential Infill) to allow the development of a two-family dwelling or a single-family dwelling, secondary suite and laneway house.

On Tuesday June 11, a Fortis BC gas main in the West Sechelt neighborhood was damaged.

The District will receive a BC Air Access Program (BCAAP) grant of $1,031,012 for 75% of the cost of resurfacing and extending the runway at the Sunshine Coast Regional Airport estimated to be $1,387,460. A second grant application will be submitted to the Island Coastal Economic Trust to finance the remainder of the project. Should that application not be successful, Gas Tax funds could be used to complete the project.

Sechelt was awarded a $547,500 grant from the BikeBC Funding Program to extend the existing cycling infrastructure into West Porpoise Bay, along Reef Road, Shoal Way, and Lighthouse Ave to Kinnikinnick Park, working to complete the Cycling Infrastructure Masterplan. The District portion of the project will be funded by the Gas Tax, or a combination of Gas Tax and Development Cost Charges.

The District of Sechelt will be holding two Public Hearings regarding amendments to the District of Sechelt Zoning Bylaw No. 25, 1987 on Wednesday, May 15 at 6:00pm in the Community Meeting Room. 1. Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 25-288-2, 2019 (Cannabis) 2. Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 25-298, 2019 (R-3 Zone Minimum Lot Area for Subdivision) For further information please review the public notice, staff reports and proposed bylaws.

The District of Sechelt, the Town of Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast Regional District partnered in the release of a User-Friendly Trail Guide today. This joint project was funded by the Age Friendly BC and UBCM, 2018 Age-Friendly Communities Grant Program. This joint project provides information on trails that are the flattest and easiest to navigate for those with mobility challenges. Information on each trail including photos, amenities and elevation profile are included in the guide. Those details are presented in such a way in the guide that users are able to make decisions for themselves as to which trails are best suited for them depending on their own physical limitations.