It has been described as “a powder keg” by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) chair, and now she’s set to launch a public conversation about the boat ramp at Coopers Greek Park.
Halfmoon Bay director and chair Lori Pratt said she would be holding a “public engagement session” about the issue of commercial operators using the boat launch, after a letter was included at a June 11 planning committee meeting.
“This piece of correspondence has precipitated a plethora of additional correspondence,” said Pratt. “In the last 24 hours [I] have received close to 60 emails from separate individuals on this subject.”
In a letter to SCRD directors and MLA Nicholas Simons, Halfmoon Bay resident Tom Bailey objected to what he said is the ongoing use of the Coopers Green boat launch by commercial operators. “The SCRD needs to take immediate action to stop the industrial/commercial use of the Coopers Green boat launch and surrounding waters,” he wrote. Examples include using the launch to load cement trucks, drill rigs, large hauls of lumber and large cement blocks.
Bailey said the commercial use of the ramp poses a risk to people recreating at the park and that commercial use violates the terms of the SCRD’s permit.
The SCRD holds a licence for the provincially-owned infrastructure and maintenance falls to the regional district.
An assessment of the launch in 2016 found that in its current condition, “the ramp should only be used for recreational vehicle use,” according to a 2017 SCRD staff report referenced in Bailey’s letter. The report said the recommended maximum weight for the launch would be “a full size truck trailering a 25 boat.”
The letter also acknowledged the need for island dwellers to have access to building materials and “other facilities must be found to enable the delivery of needed materials.”
The issue has been ongoing since at least 2013 and the boat launch was one of the catalysts for the Coopers Green revitalization plan, said Pratt during the meeting.
“It’s a powder keg,” said Pratt. “It’s a lot of angst for the island communities and a lot of angst for mainlanders.
“Having a boat launch is fundamental for any island residents to support island life, but also on the other side there is some concern about the commercial use of the recreational boat launch at Coopers Green.”
She also identified a lack of boat access for commercial users on the outside of Sechelt Peninsula, “especially in this area to help support islanders.”
Planning general manager Ian Hall said allowable use has been a subject of analysis “over the years,” and that answers from the province “have not provided a great degree of clarity.”
