Sechelt adopts amendments for Silverstone facility

With little fanfare Sechelt council has adopted the zoning and official community plan (OCP) amendments for the Silverstone long-term care facility project in Sechelt.

With adoption complete, Trellis Seniors Services, which is building and operating the Silverstone Care Centre under contract with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), will be waiting on review of its subdivision application and pursue building permits.

The 136-bed facility, to be located at Derby Road and Cowrie Street in Sechelt, will open in 2022, according to the company’s website.

Following the unanimous votes – excluding Coun. Brenda Rowe who recused herself because her employer is Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) – Mayor Darnelda Siegers said she looked forward to the development moving ahead.

“It is sorely needed in our community,” Siegers said at the Jan. 20 regular council meeting.

Staff noted a series of conditions Trellis was required to meet prior to third reading and adoption had been satisfied – a landscape plan was provided that includes a bus pull-out, and two covenants were registered on the title of the properties to ensure the landscape plan is implemented and to establish a 10-metre buffer zone around the west, north and east sides of the site.

The project has been controversial since it was initially proposed in 2016, including efforts by advocacy group Protect Public Health Care to reverse the decision by VCH to contract the private operator for seniors care.

VCH has proposed closing Shorncliffe and Totem Lodge as long-term care facilities with the Silverstone build. In June, Trellis confirmed membership to unions that represented workers at those facilities will be transferred to Silverstone.

The road to adoption has been winding – Sechelt was the original chosen location after Trellis won the VCH contract to build and operate the facility in 2016, but then it moved to Gibsons. After that option fell through, a third avenue was pursued to build it on shíshálh Nation lands, which also failed.

The project returned to Sechelt and was back before council in early 2020.

Trellis was contracted by VCH to build two other long-term care facilities in 2016 – Hamilton Village Care Centre in Richmond, which opened last May, and Creekstone Care Centre in North Vancouver, which the company says will be opening early this year.