The January 16, 2020 meeting was organized by Diane and Malcom Falconer of the Tsehum Harbour Stakeholder Group and chaired by Diane Falconer. This productive meeting is a welcome change from previous efforts. A report of the proceedings in the form of a letter is attached below.

*********************************************************************************************************

Mayor and Council February 29, 2020
The District of North Saanich
1620 Mills Road
North Saanich B.C.
V8L 5S9

Dear Sirs and Mesdames;

On January 16, 2020 a group representing stakeholders in Tsehum
Harbour, met regarding the uncontrolled proliferation of private mooring
buoys in the harbour, and the resulting problems created. These
stakeholders were tasked to determine a few key recommendations that all
could agree on, despite the different priorities of the individuals, business,
or organization involved. The stakeholders included private citizens of
North Saanich and Sidney, as well as marina owners and managers, yacht
club executives, and representatives from local environmental
organizations. The meeting was also attended by Mayor Geoff Orr of the district of North Saanich and by Mayor Clive McNeil-Smith of the Town of Sidney. The group reresented an impressive 200+ years of experience in marine or related business.

I will start by reiterating our objectives, as it pertains to private mooring
buoys:

A. To identify a new vision for Tsehum Harbour, that meets the needs
of stakeholders and the community, while acknowledging the preservation
required for the Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, the ecosystem
and the environment.

B. To use our collective knowledge and experience in supporting the
Town of Sidney and the District of North Saanich staff and council, by
drafting recommendations to support by-laws and resource allocation for
the new vision of Tsehum Harbour.

C. Although not discussed at the workshop, it was understood that in
as much as the Tsehum Harbour boundaries straddle both the District of
North Saanich and the Town of Sidney, that both the Town and the District
would work in tandem to address the issues.

In this letter, I have recapped the recommendations that we as a group of
stakeholders agree capture our desire for local governments to address.

Recommendation #1
-Determine a path to MANAGE the harbour as it pertains to private
mooring buoys/systems through;
i) Contract of a private management company (i.e. existing local
marina, entrepreneur, First Nations etc.) or
ii) Support management by a public entity (ie. Parks Canada,
Municipal/Town administrative staff).
-Issues requiring management;
-numbers, location and spacing of private mooring buoys
-type of tackle permitted (recommend “Helix” model,
which allows for seabed preservation)
-ground tackle maintenance and repair regulations
-allowance for upland riparian rights to be observed
-allowance for designated transient anchorage
-numbers, size, type, and condition of attached vessels(s)
-requirements for vessel insurance and registry
-length of term for vessels permitted to remain in the harbour
-access to land and sanitation facilities for
moored vessel occupants
-decision to allow (or prohibit) live aboard vessels (Town
of Sidney by-laws currently permit this activity only in marinas)
-mandatory enforcement of regulations (i.e type of use, live
aboard, rentals, holding tank discharge)

Recommendation #2
-Remove accumulated debris on the seabed in Tsehum Harbour to
allow for mooring buoy redistribution, and allow future space for safe
anchorage. (This in fact, would be required in order to facilitate
recommendation #1).

Recommendation #3: Determine the boundaries within Harbour where moorings
could occur allowing for observances required for channels, riparian rights,
transient anchorage, and legislated swing radius.
Mark Lindholm of Westbay Marine Group volunteered to put together
a rough draft of these boundaries, for the Town of Sidney and District of
North Saanich, for information purposes. The draft is in design stages and
will be forwarded shortly in a follow-up letter.

Recommendation #4 (Town of Sidney)
-Amend Town of Sidney by-laws, to prohibit private mooring buoys in
Roberts Bay, other than those allowed by virtue of riparian rights. This
action would preserve the pristine state of the ecosystem and environment
that currently exists in that portion of the Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird
Sanctuary.
The stakeholders have been able to document only a few of the most
obvious issues in this initial workshop. We are anxious to support local
government in their decision on the best course of action as well as the
implementation of a path forward. Collectively the stakeholder group is able
to provide an immense depth of knowledge and experience and they are
happy to share. For example, we would be happy to provide a powerpoint
presentation to outline the issues, the damage to the environment, current
legislation, recent case law in court challenges and much more.
We would also be delighted to take staff and council on a boat tour of the
harbour. This would demonstrate where the few laws that are in place to
govern mooring systems, are being ignored and contravention tolerated
in spite of federal and provincial laws to the contrary.

Private mooring buoy/systems in BC Coastal waters have been allowed to
proliferate over the last 15 years due to many factors, including complexity
of jurisdictions, budgets, and other priorities. Public awareness of
abandoned boats and sea debris, have helped to bring focus to the
resulting community issues. Case law has determined that local
governments have the power to control the land under the water in local
harbours such as Tsehum Harbour and Roberts Bay.
There is now a sense of urgency to address this issue.
We appreciate the District of North Saanich and the Town of Sidney taking
the initiative in determining a new vision for the Shoal Harbour Migratory
Bird Sanctuary. We appreciate your thoughtful deliberations and
commitment to action.

Thank you,
Diane and Malcolm Falconer
for the Tsehum Harbour Stakeholder Group

Sidney BC

cc: Mayor and Council, Town of Sidney

*********************************************************************************************************

Recently we posted a summary of the February 20, 2020 launch of the Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition. At that public meeting we talked about Peninsula-wide protection of the varied and vibrant nature surrounding our human communities, our naturehood, to borrow a compelling notion proposed by Nature Canada. This naturehood is shared by all three Saanich Peninsula municipalities (Central Saanich, North Saanich and the Town of Sidney). Notwithstanding the differences among these communities, it was proposed that a common or integrated set of bylaws protecting the shared naturehood might also be shared among the three human communities.

The Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition (Friends of Shoal Harbour |(FOSH) is one of the founding groups) is once again seeking input from area citizens regarding some of the ideas generated by the February 20 public launch of the Coalition. Readers will note that the Coalition is no longer talking about an Integrated Management Plan based on a regional uniformity of bylaws that protect the common naturehood but instead is talking about a Bioregional Framework that could include uniformity of bylaws or some other agreement or agreements that would achieve the same result.

The Saanich Peninsula constitutes a well-defined bioregion, sharing common landforms, soils, climate, flora and fauna, and coupled to the rest of he planet by large scale movements of atmosphere and oceans. Such a bioregion containing humans should be capable of maintaining itself while evolving as necessary over long periods of time.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioregion

We urge you, dear readers, to read the message below from the Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition and participate in one or more of the online offerings. Your continued support is very important to us.

The Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition is beginning another period of public engagement regarding the development of a Bioregional Framework! The purpose of a Bioregional Framework is to outline a set of shared principles that will facilitate ecologically sustainable practices across the Peninsula. In particular, the framework focuses on improving ecosystem integrity, building effective collaboration, and engaging community perspectives. It is guided by a singular vision:

In respectful collaboration with the W̱SÁNEĆ people, the municipalities of Central Saanich, North Saanich, and Sidney recognize the rich and interconnected ecology of the Saanich Peninsula Bioregion and commit to work together to preserve a healthy, sustaining environment for the future.

We are providing a number of opportunities for the broader public to help refine the development of a Bioregional Framework and provide general feedback. Listed below are the various ways in which you can make your voice heard. We look forward to hearing from you!

PlaceSpeak:

The Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition will be reaching out on PlaceSpeak. This will give an opportunity for individuals to participate in specific discussions on their own time. PlaceSpeak is a civic network platform and is free to register for.

Access Through: placespeak.com/bioregionalframework Or: Click here

Webinars:

Webinars will begin with a brief presentation on an aspect of the framework, but will largely operate as a guided Q&A and brainstorming session. Links to register for the webinars can be found on our PlaceSpeak ‘Events’ page (general link above), but are also listed below.

Session 1: Wednesday, Jul 29^th, 2020 7:00 PM Pacific Time

Access through: https://wwf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0zDFkX6JQh6WfHXFuokVFQ

Session 2: Tuesday, August 11^th, 2020 7:00 PM Pacific Time

Access through: https://wwf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HajSufr-QeyxgQMDyWNdjw

Session 3: Saturday, August 15^th 10:00 AM Pacific Time

Access through: https://wwf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ViiyMf5_SpKK_RYY7IUIow

Facebook:

Like our Facebook page to follow along and receive important updates!

Direct Contact:

You can also contact Jerram Gawley at jerramgawley@gmail.com, if you have direct comments or feedback and are unable to use the methods mentioned above.  

Friends of North Saanich Parks is a grass roots movement with approximately 145 members. It focuses on invasive species removal and restoration of parks in the North Saanich Municipality. the Friends  have 6 parks underway at the moment. The group was formed in 2017 and the members have completed two parks to the monitoring stage. The organization has 6 stewards –one for each park we are actively working in and an executive. Here’s a link to the website www.fnsp.ca   Friends of North Saanich Parks is a natural ally of Friends of Shoal Harbour in caring for the naturehood we share. Their invitation to us is shared below. Here’s an opportunity to contribute – good for the body, good for the soul!

Hello Friends of Shoal Harbour;
The Friends of North Saanich Parks will hold an invasive plant removal event Saturday June 13th 10-2 pm in Lillian Hoffar Park. The park is off MacDonald Drive, between Parklands School grounds and White Birch Road. There is a small parking lot. Additional parking can be found on White Birch Road and near the fire hydrant on MacDonald Drive south of the park. Bottled water, juice boxes and home made individually wrapped bran muffins (made according to Covid precautions) will be available at the break. I can vouch for the fact that these muffins, made by one of our volunteers, are delicious. However, all attendees are encouraged to bring their own water bottles and to bring their own snacks if they wish. We will meet at the white Hoffar sign in the park at 10.00 am.
The following Covid 19 restrictions are in place:
1) Please bring your own spades and other digging equipment to remove ivy roots. Should you need to borrow equipment from us sanitized wipes will be available for the user to clean the equipment afterward.
2) Bring and wear your gloves –particularly in carrying our tarps and handling the debris bags.
3) Social distancing will be adhered to during the event.
4) A member of our group will sign all individuals in and out.
Hand sanitizer will be available for all attendees if they wish to use it.
Thanks for joining us,
Cheers
Sharon Hope
Executive Director
250-655-1062