After a public nomination process, the newly formed Halfmoon Bay Community Development Forum (CDF) held its inaugural committee meeting at Coopers Green Hall on Sep 6, 2022.
Interim Committee Chair Don Cunliffe said, “We are incredibly fortunate to have a group of capable, experienced, and motivated committee members to serve our mission during their 2 year term, not to mention a group of skilled volunteers who have also come forward to help.”
The Forum was created as an arms-length committee of the Halfmoon Bay Community Association in response to community concerns that the pace of development is picking up without sufficient oversight and focus on the community vision as expressed in the Halfmoon Bay Official Community Plan (OCP).
Committee member Darlene Tymo said “After consulting some residents, elected officials, SCRD staff, and the Roberts Creek OCP Monitoring Committee, it is clear that there’s a role for an organized grassroots group to help liaise with officials on issues of concern that impact our wider Halfmoon Bay community. Given the complexity of many land development issues, we want to pool our collective experience and knowledge to help residents navigate the labyrinth of government agencies and regulations. It’s not easy to understand the way things work and meaningfully engage with governments if you don’t have lots of time and persistence. We are really fortunate that there are some residents in our community who have stepped forward to help with that.”
The CDF seeks to provide a space for the Halfmoon Bay community to engage on the spirit and intent of the OCP. Acting as a focal point for the Halfmoon Bay community on significant issues related to land use and community development, the CDF will liaise with the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), Halfmoon Bay Advisory Planning Commission (APC), shíshálh Nation and other levels of government and community groups on significant matters of concern.
Committee member Alistair Higson said, “It is encouraging to see a strong commitment to research driven, fact-based arguments, collaboration and transparency. It’s with those principles that we are already engaging with the community and government, in a constructive and respectful manner. Many of the issues we face aren’t unique to Halfmoon Bay, we need to look at coast wide solutions so collaborating with the SCRD and other local groups is key.”
The CDF is focused on issues impacting on neighborhoods and the wider Halfmoon Bay community, and does not address highly localized issues. The organizing committee’s ability to work on community issues is dependent on capacity given that everyone involved is a volunteer.
The group plans to continue the work done by members of the Halfmoon Bay Community Association and the Halfmoon Bay Environmental Society regarding a proposed high density development on Truman Road and land alteration behind Coopers Green Park.
More information about the CDF can be found on our website https://halfmoon-bay.ca/cdf/ and we can be contacted at cdf@halfmoon-bay.ca