A proposed rezoning from rural to rural residential in the Reid Road area east of Pemberton has raised a number of issues, likely to be addressed at the public hearing scheduled for Sept. 13 at the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD).

At the SLRD regular board meeting on Monday (Aug. 23) at Municipal Hall in Squamish, board members debated whether to give the rezoning request second reading and proceed to the public hearing. The Lil’wat Nation requested an archaeological study be completed and board members were trying to decide whether it should be done before the public hearing or afterwards.

The Lil’wat Nation called for the study because there are three known archaeological sites located within 800 metres of the subject property at 7541 Linda Rd.

When and whether to conduct the study, estimated at $3,800 by the Lil’wat Nation lands and Resources Department, quickly became a Catch-22 situation.

“To put all that money into a study and then have the public hearing result in having the rezoning turned down wouldn’t be smart economically,” said SLRD planner Steven Olmstead.

On the other hand, Squamish Councillor Doug Race questioned the merit in waiting until afterward.

“If we put it off until after the public hearing, the next step is adoption,” Race said. “Does that mean we are making this conditional (based on the study’s results) then?”

Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed was adamant that the archaeological study should be completed before the public hearing.

“Part of our job is to get as much info as possible to the public,” he said, “I think we need to require these things before the public hearing.”

Olmstead said he considered the study a technical component and said that archaeological concerns weren’t routinely checked for.

Concerns about water supply in the area were also discussed. The Electoral Area C Official Community Plan (OCP) has specific requirements for the neighbourhood because of water shortages and arsenic problems.

The board gave the bylaw second reading, delegated and set the date, time and location for a public hearing and required that confirmation of water quality and quantity be provided before the bylaw is adopted. The board did not vote on a recommendation for preliminary archaeology field reconnaissance.

Temporary staging area OKed

Coast Range Heliskiing will continue to offer exciting and heart-pounding backcountry adventures for another two years from a temporary site while waiting on a proposed new staging area.

SLRD board directors decided to renew Coast Range Heliskiing’s temporary use permit (TUP) for the Poole Creek staging area.

For the past six years, the company has used the site for heliski staging and related activities in the area from December to April. Meanwhile, the company has been pursuing a permanent site for a staging area along the Birkenhead Forest Service Road.

SLRD staff, two proponents from Coast Range Heliskiing and eight members of the public attended a public hearing about whether to renew the company’s temporary use permit after their hiatus during the Olympics because of Olympic security requirements.

Common issues raised included noise, fuel hazard, vehicle parking, and the issue of liability and insurance if a helicopter crashed.

Citizens questioned whether it was necessary to use staging areas in addition to the airport. The proponent responded that because of the need for a broad operating area, the operation’s flow and efficiency depend on having more than one location from which to to fly.

The report given to the SLRD board stated that while residents were not overly supportive of the heliski operations, they weren’t opposed to temporary use. However, it was noted that none of the residents want the temporary use to become a permanent use, but that it would be tolerated for another season.

Coast Range Heliskiing is working on securing a permanent location 2.2 kilometres up the Birkenhead Forest Service Road and in February 2008 the SLRD zoning amendment bylaw was adopted to allow for a permanent heliski staging area there.

A Ministry of Environment policy change in April 2008 prevented Coast Range from cutting down second-growth trees for the staging area; therefore, the area cannot be used until further notice.

Sea to Sky Trail work rolling

Time is running out for the SLRD to spend more than $200,000 in federal stimulus funding through the Trans Canada Trail Foundation. The infrastructure grant is slotted to help complete the Sea to Sky Trail between Squamish and Whistler and the funding has to be spent by March 31, 2011.

The trail’s completion was the key goal in SLRD’s trail work plan for 2010. Final work on the trail from Whistler to Brandywine Falls was completed this summer and now the focus has moved to Cheakamus Canyon and the section between the Chance Creek Bridge and Pinecrest Estates.

Dream Wizards Events Ltd. was awarded the contract to complete the section from Pinecrest Estates to Chance Creek Bridge for $60,134.

Coastal Mountain Excavations Ltd. was awarded the contract to complete the upper- and mid-Cheakamus Canyon section for $171,790.

Once the sections are completed the Sea to Sky Trail will be almost complete. Work will consist of improvements to the existing trail and creating switchbacks to reduce the grade of certain sections.

MOE responsibilities questioned

The SLRD board received a letter from the Ministry of Environment addressed to SLRD vice-chair and Electoral C Area Director Susan Gimse in response to a letter she wrote raising concerns about the Province downloading flood-mitigation responsibilities onto local governments.

The letter outlined municipal and provincial responsibilities before addressing Gimse’s concerns about the local floods on the Birkenhead River in June and July due to a log jam.

“The B.C. Government shares emergency management responsibilities with local governments, First Nations and the federal government. These agencies work together with provincial ministries to save lives, protect property and the economy, and preserve the environment,” the letter stated.

“The first response to emergencies and disasters is, by law, the responsibility of local governments, municipalities and regional districts.”

The Province reimburses local governments, municipalities and districts 100 per cent of the costs incurred during an emergency response and 80 per cent of costs incurred during the recovery stage.

However, the Birkenhead logjam was defined as a recovery operation, so 20 per cent of the cost had to be paid by local governments. The SLRD shared the 20 per cent cost with Lil’wat Nation and Pemberton Valley Dyking District.

Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy said he wasn’t aware the SLRD had consented to contributing 20 per cent.

“How can they presume that local governments will cover these costs without consent, or without even notifying us?” he said.

Paul Edgington, SLRD chief administrative officer, clarified that the Province did receive consent from the SLRD, who promised to share the cost with the other two organizations.

Gimse said she understood how the onus was placed, but felt the expectations placed on regional districts, particularly the SLRD, were beyond their resources. She mentioned the Meager Creek landslide as an example.

“Our electoral areas are so huge with so many natural hazards that the responsibility of a board to take care of that vast area doesn’t seem feasible,” she said.

After the Birkenhead flood, Emergency Management B.C. consulted with SLRD and Lil’wat to approve removal of the logjam. That was completed in late July.

D’Arcy residents fed up

Gimse brought up an issue that had been brought to her attention recently concerning the residents of D’Arcy, on the shore of Anderson Lake.

Gimse said the problem is with boaters coming to the lake, landing their boats in the water and leaving their vehicles all over town. The issue has been escalating for years, but this year it’s worse than ever before, she said.

“There’s no parking but with so many recreational vehicles, they’re blocking driveways up and down the road,” she said.

“The residents are just beside themselves.”

She said the issue would need to be taken up with the Province, particularly because B.C. officials have been advertising Anderson Lake as a prime destination without regard to the lack of amenities.

“We don’t want to discourage use, but it’s a safety issue and has created a huge problem for the residents there,” Gimse said.