The third and final all candidates meeting featuring Sechelt’s potential representatives before the Oct. 15 election was the only public forum that saw all of the District of Sechelt council candidates attend.
On Oct. 3, the Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a three-hour question and answer session at Chatelech Secondary School’s theatre with the four mayoral candidates and 13 councillor candidates. The first hour was dedicated to those running for mayor (John Henderson, Allan Holt, incumbent Darnelda Siegers and Jeri Patterson), and they were asked six pre-selected questions. In the two hours scheduled for the baker’s dozen of councillor hopefuls, there was time for introductions and five questions before the evening was over.
During his opening remarks, Henderson acknowledged his previous time as mayor, and said, “I realize I made mistakes as mayor in 2011 to 2014. For example, I've heard that some of you felt I was arrogant and perhaps dismissive. I want the opportunity to show that my style and my approach is not what I may have presented to some of you then.” He highlighted his key issues as water, housing and safety.
Incumbent mayor, Siegers, opened by outlining various projects and initiatives undertaken during her term — a term she called “difficult” in a nod to the pandemic and other arising crises — and said she welcomes the opportunity to build on that foundation.
Holt identified water as his platform’s priority. He invited all present to raise their hand if they had showered, flushed or drank tap water that day, and said, “If you haven’t got water, you’ve got nothing.”
New to politics, Patterson outlined her work in healthcare, photography, volunteering with animals and “experience in life.”
The mayoral candidates were asked what a 30- to 50-year plan for Sechelt would look like, what they would do about repeat offenders, crime and business as the employers of the RCMP, what they would do to immediately influence the housing crisis, how they would make a concerted and focused effort to attract industry or outside investment to the Coast, and about BC Ferries’s “ad hoc at best” performance.
Focus on ferries
Their answers varied when it came to what is needed in terms of BC Ferries service. Patterson said it is unacceptable and destroys the reputation and attractability of the Sunshine Coast, and she would speak “loudly and concisely” with the responsible government.
Siegers said the contracted number of sailings is too low, something she says council pushed for change as recently as the Union of British Columbia Municipalities forum last month and continues to liaise with the CEO to increase Route 3’s required sailings, which she called “critical”. “It all comes back to the contract,” Siegers said.
For Henderson, the answer is not about reservations or resident priority but capacity. He wrote a letter to the premier and Minister of Transportation saying, “It’s time to put two ferries on this route,” but has yet to receive a response, Henderson said.
Holt offered another suggestion: talking about a bridge.
Short-term rental impacts
When asked about mitigating the impact of short-term rental (STR) regulations on businesses, Siegers said there is no limit to STRs with an operator on-site, and the 15 temporary use permits (TUPs) for unhosted STRs is to address community issues.
Henderson responded that poor data leads to poor decisions, and said Sechelt can have both STRs and a livable community. He added that he is in favour of enforcing against “party houses.”
Holt said STRs are good for the Coast, although he agreed there is a problem with absentee owners. He said STRs should be licensed without a fee so the District can know where they are, adding “We have to look after the people that live here now.”
Patterson asked why the District does not have more data on STRs currently in operation, and said she’d like to see the decisions reviewed.
Attracting investors
To attract industry to the Coast, Holt’s answer referenced the airport and the District’s tax structure. While he said he has a dream that downtown will be revitalized, Holt did not describe how he would achieve that, instead telling attendees to ask him after the meeting.
Patterson said downtown has failed partly due to crime and partly because of economics and needs to recover with economic diversity, but the infrastructure needs to be addressed first.
Siegers said plans for an economic investment forum were affected by the pandemic, and people who want to invest in Sechelt need to be brought together.
Henderson defined the mayor’s role as someone who should be the chief development officer of Sechelt, and said he would promote Sechelt as an “ideal test community," saying its small size could be used prior to rolling out an idea on a larger scale.
Repeat offenders
As for crime and businesses, candidates were asked how, as a direct employer of the Sunshine Coast RCMP, they intend to reduce criminal activity in the District of Sechelt. Siegers acknowledged the downtown core is seeing more crime, something that is not unique to Sechelt. She outlined some steps the council has undertaken, including adding another RCMP officer, implementing Speedwatch and requesting a downtown foot patrol that has now been in operation for several months. Sechelt has also received a grant to launch a community watch and business watch. As for repeat offenders, she said the District level cannot take action, but she referred to recent recommendations a provincial report has sent to the Solicitor General.
Henderson said while crime is not in the mandate of mayor and council, they do have a role to be a strong advocate. He said council needs to lobby the federal and provincial governments for a change in the criminal codes and administration of justice as its “catch and release program is not working.”
“I think we're all aware that our issue with crime is an important problem. Vancouver seems more than happy to send them over here,” Holt said, adding the “only thing we can do is advocate with Victoria and the federal government to make corrections to that system.”
Patterson’s answer was that she “is already involved” in advocating for change. She said she’s communicated with the chief judge for B.C., the Solicitor General, and the RCMP about needing more support, more court time and better 9-1-1 and non-emergency reporting system.
Solutions to support homeless people
When the councillor candidates answered a question about what solution they propose for the tents in the downtown area, several — including Darren Inkster, Dianne McLauchlan, and Alton Toth — repeated a similar sentiment: being homeless is not a crime.
First to answer the question was Tim Horner, who said the easy answer is more police presence. He also recommended a community volunteer program he once participated in in Burnaby, made up of high school students and young adults patrolling neighbourhoods.
Inkster said Sechelt needs to redeploy or add police services, and demand more mental health and addiction services. “Homelessness is not a crime. Theft and violence are. We need to get more people into those areas to help those people,” he said.
Village resident McLauchlan said that area’s excessive noise pollution, apparent homelessness, extensive crime and open drug use is due to inadequate support services for homeless shelters, as well as a lack of bylaw enforcement. She also said Sechelt should enforce bylaws that limit the amount of social housing in the area and keep affordable housing in other neighbourhoods. Homelessness, she said, “happens when we simply flip, redevelop or rent out our places for more profit and short-term rentals. Having diverse communities and good neighbours protects communities.”
Candidate Chris Moore called on MLA Nicholas Simons, who is also the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, and the need for more funding for mental health and safe services.
Incumbent councillor Brenda Rowe said a community safety officer job is waiting for security clearance that has “taken far too long." That officer will work with the Sechelt Downtown Business Association to identify strategies, she said. Rowe said council also met with the minister of mental health and addictions at UBCM and were “very loud” about how much services are needed, including treatment beds and transitional housing.
Adam Shepherd pushed for increased police sweeps that include health checks, as well as a detox centre, appropriate housing and increasing lighting in certain areas. He said he agreed with McLauchlan about “not creating a ghetto” and distributing affordable housing.
Wraparound services are lacking, incumbent Toth said. He also pointed to new funding coordinated for a homeless coordinator who would service to whole Sunshine Coast. “This problem wasn't created overnight, and it's not going to be solved overnight. But it is going to be solved in conjunction with our partners at VCH [Vancouver Coastal Health] and the province,” he said.
Warren Allan pitched another idea in addition to housing and mental health: bringing back a private security company to patrol the village and surrounding neighbourhoods. He said it could be one of the first orders of the new council. When he asked it if was time for surveillance cameras in the downtown core, some people in the crowd said “No.”
Business owner Micky Argiropoulos, who operates next to RainCity, said “RainCity and BC Housing need to be accountable for bringing these people here.” Her answer got some scattered applause. “When I say these people, I don't mean our local people. I mean the drugs that are coming here, alcoholics, mental health people. We cannot deal with them,” she said, inviting people to come to her store to see the situation. She suggested BC Housing needs to bring their own security, and it should not be paid for by Sechelt.
Acknowledging mental health as a crisis faced by many communities, Donna Bell advocated for a solutions-based approach with the RCMP, organizations such as the Chamber and SDBA. She said there’s “no question” of the need for supportive housing, but it must include wraparound services. “We can put people within four walls, but their problems, their addiction, their demons are still there. This is a very, very complex problem.”
Newcomer Thomas Bramble said abandoning people who are suffering from homelessness does not feel like the right thing to do, and said Sechelt needs to figure out a way to help them so they can contribute to society, calling for a balanced approach.
Cheryl Chang, who owns Nourish in downtown Sechelt, said she also deals with crime on a daily basis. She said she’s gotten to know some of the repeat offenders. “They repeated their offenses, because they're desperate. They're desperate because they have a few problems. And we need to help them solve those problems and look at this problem in a creative way. How can we get them off the streets and give them the resources they need to get back into the community and can contribute to the community?,” Chang said.
Anna Jade Chen’s answer was for a block walk. She said she agreed with Argiropoulos about BC Housing.
More meetings
Sechelt candidates had been invited to the Oct. 3 event hosted by the Chamber, an all-candidates meeting on Sept. 27 hosted by Cover the Coast: Alliance for Affordable Housing at the Seaside Centre, and the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) partnered with Alliance4Democracy and the Sunshine Coast Climate Action Network to host a virtual meeting on Sept. 29 with a focus on the environment.
Both in-person meetings had audiences of approximately 100 people, with more watching online. At the Seaside Centre, people lined the room and up the stairs to the second floor, many standing for the meeting once all the seats were filled. (For the Cover the Coast meeting, candidates Thomas Bramble, Cheryl Chang, and Anna Jade Chen were not present. The organizers did not allow absent candidates to use a proxy.)
While mayoral candidates were asked the same questions, the Cover the Coast organizers rotated questions to different groups of councillor candidates. Topics of discussion included the short-term rental bylaw, how to address the housing crisis, allowing alternative housing communities (such as tiny homes, mobile homes and co-housing), how to provide housing and support to people who are homeless or living in unsafe conditions, budgeting for infrastructure, support for increasing density, strategies for increasing long-term rentals and sustainable ownership options. Mayoral candidates were asked how they would encourage private developers to create diverse, attainable and safe housing for all community members.
For the SCCA’s virtual meeting, the association sent candidates five questions ahead of time, with a focus on protecting the Chapman and Grey Creek watersheds, whether they would engage with a climate caucus, commit to Environmental Development Permit Areas, or join Sue Big Oil, and how they would work to adapt to and/or mitigate climate change.
Several candidates did not provide written responses to the SCCA, including Allan Holt, Micky Argiropoulos, Thomas Bramble, Anna Jade Chen, and Christopher Moore. At the virtual event, 11 of the 13 council candidates were present, with Cheryl Chang and Moore absent. While Henderson attended the beginning of SCCA’s event, he left for a prior commitment after his opening remarks. Holt, also running for mayor, was not present.
Videos of these events are available on the organizers’ Facebook pages. See www.facebook.com/events/787085939265154/ and www.facebook.com/SecheltChamberofCommerce/.
The SCCA questions and written candidate answers are available at thescca.ca/current-campaigns/2022-civic-elections/, and the video is on YouTube.
Advance voting began on Oct. 5, and continues on Oct. 11 before the election day on Oct. 15.
