The SCRD has residents from Egmont in the north to Port Mellon and Gambier Island in the south–a distance that makes it unrealistic for many to attend board meetings in Sechelt, especially when those meetings are held on weekdays during working hours.
Sechelt council meeting on YouTube
The obvious solution is to do what the District of Sechelt (and many other local governments) have already done–make audio recordings of the meetings available on line. The SCRD already records meetings; they could easily post them. Video is even better. You can watch Sechelt council on YouTube, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to see the SCRD, too.
The SCRD Is very poor at communicating with residents, so there is huge room for improvement. As just one example, the SCRD website should have a comprehensive calendar that includes all public board and committee meetings, public hearings and rural area planning commission meetings.
If elected, I will make sure that Area E residents are kept informed through regular newsletters, written reports to the community associations, and an up-to-date Elphinstone website.
SCRD Board meeting in March 2018. L to R: Mark Lebbell (Area D), Keith Julius (SIGD), Ian Winn (F), Bruce Milne (Sechelt), Darren Inkster (Sechelt), Garry Nohr (B). Currently there are no women on the board.