The Sunshine Coast Regional District

Regional Districts are a type of government unique to British Columbia. The closest equivalent in other provinces would be a county. They deliver certain key regional services, such as supplying drinking water and managing garbage. They also provide basic government for rural areas that are not incorporated as municipalities. Some regional districts, like ours, also take on other responsibilities like Recreation Facilities, Parks, Sports Fields, as well as managing graveyards and communal septic systems.

SCRD Rural Areas

The Sunshine Coast Regional District contains three municipalities (the District of Sechelt, the Town of Gibsons, and the Sechelt Indian Government District). The rest of the district is divided into five “Rural Areas”. People who live in a municipality vote for a Mayor, or Chief, and Councillors. People who live in the rural areas vote only for their Rural Director, who is their sole local government representative.

Area D, or Roberts Creek, is the second smallest of the SCRD’s areas in size (143 sq. kilometres) but a close second in terms of population (3,421 as of the 2016 census), and the fastest growing rural area in the SCRD. Roberts Creek lies squarely on the border of the traditional territories of the Squamish Nation and Shishalh Nation. The Squamish name for Roberts Creek is Stelk'aya, and the Shishalh name is Xwesam (pronounced Wha-sum).

What don't regional districts do?

Roads

Unlike municipalities, regional districts do not have authority over roads, so all roads in Area D are the responsibility of BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI). MOTI in turn contracts out road maintenance to a private company, Capilano Highways, which is responsible for filling potholes, painting lines, sweeping, mowing shoulders, and clearing snow.

Logging

Logging is generally the jurisdiction of the provincial Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development (FLNRORD) and the crown corporation BC Timber Sales. Logging generally occurs on Crown Land or privately managed forest land.

Provincial Parks

As the name implies, the creation, maintenance and management of provincial parks lies with the Province. Here is a link to BC Parks.

Fisheries

Fisheries are the jurisdiction of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), a department in the Federal Government of Canada.

Did You Know?

You can pay your property taxes monthly instead of being whacked by a big bill each July. Set up a rural property account online with eTaxBC to make automatic payments semi-monthly or monthly from your bank account.

Property taxes are one of the last things that many people pay annually instead of monthly, so there’s a big sticker shock. It’s easy not to notice that our household may be paying just as much for other services, such as cable packages, home insurance, auto insurance, or cell phone plans.