These are the folks who are serving on the 2026 Elphinstone Area Planning Commission. Note that appointments are for two years.
Devin Arndt – appointed 2024
Devin is a registered architect with 7 years of experience in regenerative planning, design, and construction for regional governments and public institutions. Having moved to Elphinstone in 2022, Devin aims to help create beauty, abundance, and resilience for the future generations of the Sunshine Coast.
Nara Brenchley – appointed 2018
Nara grew up in Elphinstone and returned to the area ten years ago. She has worked in planning, surveying and horticulture and served on the SCRD’s waste management advisory committee.
Catherine Grey – appointed 2025
Arne Hermann – appointed 2023
Arne is a semi-retired software engineer/business owner who ran a successful software company in Vancouver for over 30 years. His experience includes working as a consultant to the Squamish Nation for 7 years and helping the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en nations pro-bono with technical matters. He has also worked with many other NGOs and was a senior volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross for over 6 years. He has lived in the Bonniebrook area since 2016 with his partner.
Laura Macdonald – appointed 2023
Laura is a landscape architect with over 15 years experience in the profession. She works for a firm in Vancouver but also has a few projects locally. She previously sat on the Central Okanagan Arts Council Board and was a co-organizer of an art and music festival in Kelowna. She and her husband moved to the coast in 2021 and built a home in the Oceanview area of Elphinstone.
Leslie MacDonald – appointed 2026
Leslie is semi-retired and provides emergency management instruction to local authorities, First Nations and agencies through the Justice Institute of BC. She worked for the BC Ministry of Agriculture for nearly 30 years in plant health and regional operations. She also served on the initial Invasive Plant Council of BC’s Board. Leslie moved with her husband and brother to the Sunshine Coast in 2020 and volunteers with the Salvation Army Food Bank, Sunshine Coast Farmers’ Institute and at Dakota Ridge.
Clinton McDougall – appointed 2023
Clinton studied art and design at UBC. He and his family moved to the coast 8 years ago to raise a family and embark on an agricultural business on their rural ALR property (Sunday Cider). He previously served on the Chinatown Historic Area Planning Committee for the City of Vancouver, acting as chair in 2014/15.
Michael Sanderson – appointed 2023
Michael is a practising registered and chartered planning consultant with over 30 years project experience in rural, greenfield, and small communities, including master planning, subdivision and site design, OCP and development planning, and the Agricultural Land Reserve. He has lived in the Ocean Beach Esplanade area for 7 years. His former community experience includes serving as President of a Community Association in Calgary and spearheading design and construction of a new indoor sports facility in Vancouver.
Ashley St. Clair – appointed 2025
Ashley moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2021. She is currently a Senior Associate and consultant in sustainability, advising governments and partners on energy and climate policy, building electrification, and low-carbon energy systems. She previously worked for the City of Vancouver advancing renewable energy and green building initiatives. Ashley is also a Board Director with the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA), and served as the Alternate Director for Area E from 2022 to 2024.
Conner Wear – appointed 2026
Conner is a lawyer on the Sunshine Coast with a focus on land use/land development and real estate. He has volunteered on many boards, including being a founding member of the Vancouver Tool Library and sitting on the boards of the One Straw Society and Gibsons Affordable Housing Society.
