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A decades old housing plan at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (HSPP) is stirring up controversy among some Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors.
The mill, currently shut down due to upgrading work on the facility's power boiler, has dormitory-style housing, also known as the camp, on site that can lodge approximately 500 people. The SCRD recently issued building permits to allow the mill to upgrade three existing structures, replace one structure and construct another building for further accommodation.
At the corporate and administrative services committee meeting June 23, Peter Longhi, chief building inspector and bylaw manager, presented directors with a report outlining the permits and the housing situation at HSPP.
Longhi said all the permits are in good order, and HSPP is doing nothing wrong by having the camp, housing the workers and offering the workers meals through the common kitchens in the units.
But some directors expressed concerns over the camp and a potential loss in revenue for the Sunshine Coast because the workers are not staying or eating locally.
"I've asked for this report because I'm actually pretty disturbed about this thing the mill is doing. I see there are five buildings for 540 workers," said West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull. "I guess what I would like to do is look into adding a specific not-permitted use.
"I'm worried about the restaurants, too. It's my understanding they're feeding them out there. It's a whole interesting little self-contained venture out there, so yes, it's a concern," she added during a follow-up interview on June 29.
Elphinstone director Lorne Lewis was also seeking some bylaw changes.
"What I see as a shortcoming here is that I think there should be some things expressly not allowed, like the housing of regular employees, and with some consultation with staff on maybe some language that would go into that," Lewis said. "But I see a danger here in that I believe it's possible for the mill to house people who are working in their regular production cycles as shift workers, management workers and that type of thing. And I believe we need language in this bylaw to expressly not allow that."
Roberts Creek director Donna Shugar said she didn't have an issue with housing the temporary workers, but it was the number of workers she felt was alarming.
"What's created here is a village, and so now that they've done this big construction that's going to be utilized more and more, I think there should be some attention paid to that," said Shugar. "I mean, to be able to house 500 people on a temporary basis is pretty astounding, so I think that's what's caused the alarm. It's not the housing temporary workers, per se, it's the numbers. I think that's a shortcoming in this particular section of the bylaw."
Longhi said it may be possible to amend the bylaw or make the language more specific, but added he was not sure the legislation would permit the SCRD to retroactively apply it to that current use, unless the use discontinues for more than six months.
"I know that this particular zoning, the I 6 zone, the mill, I believe, is the only participant in that zone," he said. "It was created for the mill, and it's been there for quite some time. They've had housing there for quite some time. They added another building, which is permitted under this particular zoning, to facilitate their needs over the coming years. They have a couple of rather large projects that will take years to complete."
HSPP president and CEO Mac Palmiere said the camp is used to house the temporary workers, specializing in various trades, who have been brought in during the shut-down time.
As for economic benefits, Palmiere said there is nothing "missing."
"We end up filling all the local hotels. We actually end up putting people in Squamish and North Vancouver, too. That's why we have to have the camp. There just isn't enough room on the Coast," said Palmiere.
Palmiere said he has no idea why some directors are having an issue with the housing.
"This has been our regular business practice for at least the last two decades. Why it's coming up now, I don't know," he said.
The committee voted to consider potential changes to the zoning bylaw in regards to the mill's property that would prevent permanent workers from being housed. They will also be inviting HSPP representatives to an upcoming meeting to discuss the housing issues further.
