Area A director Leonard Lee won a vote to continue on as Sunshine Coast Regional District board chairperson for the coming year at that group’s Nov. 9 meeting. He was re-elected by his board counterparts in a single ballot, defeating Gibsons area director Silas White, the only other nominee.
All area board directors attended that meeting in person. As it opened, they agreed to not disclose any vote counts for the chair and vice-chair roles.
No vote was needed to select the board’s in-coming vice-chair, with Sechelt area director Alton Toth being the only director nominated moving into that role by acclamation. He takes over from Area E director Donna McMahon who held the role for the first year of the current board’s term.
Lee was first elected as board chair on Nov. 10, 2022. In that year’s local government general elections held Oct. 15, he was unchallenged in seeking his second four-year term as the representative for Pender Harbour/Egmont.
Toth is also in his second term as a local elected official with both the District of Sechelt council and as one of that jurisdiction’s two representatives on the SCRD board. In his director's report at the meeting, he said he was looking forward to working more closely with Chair Lee. Both Lee and Toth thanked McMahon for her efforts over the past year.
Bylaw amendments
The board adopted an amendment to its procedure bylaw allowing one motion to cover the first three readings of a single or group of proposed bylaws, provided that motion is unanimously supported by directors present. That change applies only to bylaws that are not subject to a public hearing.
Also endorsed was adoption of minor housekeeping revisions to text and maps in the region’s zoning bylaw.
Three readings of a bylaw to extend the Gibsons/West Howe Sound Fire Protection Service area boundary to one additional property at 959 Henry Road, as requested by its owners, were provided.
Before adoption can be considered, consent on behalf of the electors must be given by at least two-thirds of the existing participants in the service area. To achieve that, directors for Area E and F, were asked to consider providing consent in writing, on behalf of their electors. The Town of Gibsons will be asked to consider providing municipal consent by resolution for the boundary amendment.
