SGI Project Funding Updates

On Mayne Island, the Southern Gulf Islands Harbour Commission is embarking on a new project to restore the busy Miners Bay Dock, a community gateway into the island's vibrant downtown with investment support from Island Coastal Economic Trust’s Capital and Innovation Program.

“This project has had a lot of community support and a lot of dedicated volunteers have been involved,” says Brian Dearden, Capital Regional District Southern Gulf Islands (SGI) Harbour Commission Chair. “People understand how vital it is as a gateway to the heart of Mayne Island and its vibrant business community, and also to the nearby island communities of Galiano, Pender, Saturna, and Salt Spring Island.”

The dock is used for several important transportation connectivity priorities as a high-traffic area. People arrive and depart from Miners Dock by private boats, water taxis and seaplanes. The water ambulances access the Island from here, there is commercial shopping with floating businesses, and it is a popular spot for recreational sightseeing.

“The community collaboration in this project is commendable and it will serve as a complement to the CRD Regional Trail and investment in the regional and community parks along Mayne Island,” says Paul Brent, CRD Electoral Area Director.

The Miners Bay Dock Revitalization project is supported through the Capital and Innovation Program. The Trust will contribute $30,000 to a total project budget of $90,000. The project will be underway imminently.

On Pender Island, the Pender Island Parks and Recreation Commission has received a grant from the TD Bank Friends of the Environment Foundation for a Youth Native Tree Planting Project at the Pender Island Disc Golf Park.

The project will include the removal of invasive plant species from the project site, and the planting of native tree species. The goal is to conserve and restore treed spaces that are so important to the island's ecological and cultural fabric, and to alleviate future damage to park sites by extreme weather events.

The Youth Native Tree Planting Program will be run in partnership with the Pender Island School and local nonprofit Green Angels. Youth will be educated on the benefits of planting native tree species, how to remove invasive species from planting sites, and how to plant and care for trees. The tree planting project will help Pender Island youth cultivate both leadership and practical skills, will facilitate a long-lasting bond with both elders and the natural environment, and will position them to become ecological stewards of Pender, long into the future.

TD Bank will contribute $6,000 to a total project budget of $7600.