DISTRICT OF

2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE sechelt.ca/business Where we are

Sechelt is located on the southern portion of the Sunshine Coast on ’s southwest coast, on the ithsmus between the Salish Sea and .

Location: 49°28′27″N 123°45′15″W

Area: 39.02 square kilometres

L an gd a By road: 66 km northwest of via le H o rseshoe

Highway 101 and BC Ferries (Horseshoe Bay/ B a y Langdale)

By air: 20 minutes to downtown Vancouver via floatplane or helicopter (regular service)

20 minutes to downtown Vancouver

cover photo  Becky Wayte Page 2 DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Demographics

Population and age

12%

34% 10,216 2016 population 54%

L an 10% 50.9 gd 14 years and under a le

H o from 2011 average age rseshoe

B a y 15 to 64 years

65 years and older

Regional comparison

Area 2016 Population 2011 Population Change (#) Change (%) Median Age Sunshine Coast 29,970 28,619 1,351 4.7 54.9 Gibsons 4,605 4,437 168 3.8 54.8 Sechelt 10,216 9,291 925 10.0 56.6 Sunshine Coast A -54 -2.0 60.5 (Egmont & Pender Harbour) 2,624 2,678

Sunshine Coast B 51 1.9 55.0 (Halfmoon Bay) 2,726 2,675

Sunshine Coast D 177 5,5 50.7 (Roberts Creek) 3,421 3,244

Sunshine Coast E 182 5.2 50.6 (Elphinstone) 3,664 3,482

Sunshine Coast F 28 1.4 54.5 (West Howe Sound) 2,043 2,015

source: Statistics , Census Profile, 2016 Census, Sechelt [Population centre]

DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Page 3 Households

Housing type 4,855 occupied dwellings 975 attached 170 moveable

Household size

1 person 1,490 2 persons 1,730 2.1 3 persons 480 average household size 4 persons 330 5 or more persons 170

source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2016 Census, Sechelt [Population centre]

Page 4 DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Housing and utilities

Housing values (average price)

$708,717 – average single family residential dwelling (detached)

$515,213 – average strata property (condo, apartment, row housing, seasonal development)

Source: BCAssessment LinkBC, 2019

Utilities

Sechelt: Electricity – BC Hydro is main provider, alternate electrical providers include Alternate Power Systems of Canada (solar power provider), Olson Electric, R J S Electrical Contracting.

Natural gas – Fortis BC is main provider, alternate providers include Sechelt Fireplace, Gas Centre.

Water – local tap water is controlled, regulated, and taxed by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD). Local tap water source is Chapman Creek.

Telephone – Main landline provider is Telus, local cell phone options include Telus and Koodo (Bell or Rogers cell phone services can only be purchased from stores on Mainland or ).

TV & Internet – Main local providers are Shaw, Eastlink Coast Cable, and high-speed Telus PureFibre.

Landfill, Garbage, and Recycling – large landfill site is available for dumping/drop off at Sechelt Landfill on Dusty Road, and Salish Soils provides drop-off recycling and composting. Curbside garbage pickup is collected once per week and curbside recycling is collected every other week. Curbside organic collection is set to begin in 2019.

Waste water – Award winning Water Resource Centre treatment plant for those buildings on the District sewer system and a septage facility for septic hauler use.

Connectivitity

Sechelt is serviced by a high speed fibre optic network.

DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Page 5 Living here

Sechelt weather by month

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Max. Average Temp (°C) 7 8 9 12 16 19 22 21 18 13 9 7 Min. Average Temp (°C) 3 4 5 7 10 13 15 15 12 9 5 3 Precipitation/rainfall (mm) 123.5 91.9 88 63.7 58.3 50.9 32.8 35.1 56.8 103.4 146.8 142.4

source: en.climate-data.org

Recreational amenities

Trails 13 Aquatic Centre 1 Arena 1 504 area mountain bike trails Golf courses (in area) 4 source: TrailForks.com Parks (District ) 36 12 Sports fields 4 world-class trails at nearby Baseball diamonds 7 Coast Gravity Park Tennis courts 2 Basketball court (outdoor) 1 2 Beach accesses 55 indoor climbing / Playgrounds 11 bouldering gyms Off-leash dog trails 6 Cross-country ski trails 20 (km) (Dakota Ridge) Mountain bike trails 622 (km) (Lower Sunshine Coast) Pickleball Court 1

Page 6 DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Community amenities

Health care

Vancouver Coastal Health (www.vch.ca) provides health care services to the area and includes Sechelt Hospital, primary care clinics, community health centres and residential care homes.

Sechelt Hospital is a 38-bed facility that provides emergency, general and in-patient health services. A network of outpatient services such as medical imaging, labs, pharmacy, medical clinics, mental health and addictions support.

Shorncliffe Intermediate Care Facility provides 59 single rooms, 2 hospice room, Totem Lodge extended care facility, and 2 community respite rooms.

Transportation

Sunshine Coast Regional Airport is located at the top of Wilson Creek. A number of commercial and recreational groups are located at the airport. Lots for both commercial and recreational purposes are available for lease by contacting the District of Sechelt.

Float plane service is located on Sechelt Inlet.

There are 14 electric vehicle charge stations on the Sunshine Coast (seven in Sechelt).

BC Transit provides local public transit service.

Moorage is provided at one of three wharves serving the immediate area.

Vehicle rentals are available through Prime Rentals.

Bicycles can be rented locally through Off The Edge bike shop.

DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Page 7 Education

Highest level education achieved (age 15 and up)

15% No certificate

54% 31% Secondary (high school) or equivalent Postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2016 Census, Sechelt [Population centre]

Grade K–12

The Sunshine Coast School District (www.sd46.bc.ca) operates 11 elementary and three secondary schools (plus a home-school assistance program) on the south coast.

Post-secondary

Capilano University offers post-secondary programs in health care, education, business and preparatory studies from their satellite campus in Sechelt (www.capilanou.ca).

First Nation education

The shíshálh Nation (shishalh.com) administers the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Post-Secondary Studies Support Program for eligible students.

Page 8 DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Economy

Major employers and workforce (Sunshine Coast)

Company Sector Product/Service Employees (FTE) Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Health care Hospital and health care 610 School District 46 Education Public school board 500 Howe Sound Pulp & Paper Forest products Kraft pulp 325 BC Ferries Transportation Ferry service (2 terminals) 275 Sunshine Coast Regional District Government Regional government 250 IGA Retail Groceries (2 stores) 200 Terminal Forest Products Forestry Logs, fuels, lumber 100 Good Samaritan Society – Health care Assisted living and care 90 Christenson Village facility Independent Grocery Retail Grocery and gas bar 80 Sunshine Coast Credit Union Banking Banking 75 Lehigh Materials Mining Gravel extraction 60 source: Sunshine Coast Economic Outlook and Review Final Report, Fall 2018

Labour force

Labour force participation number is 4,575 (51.7% of population)

source: www.britishcolumbia.ca/invest/communities/british-columbia/lower-mainland-southwest/sunshine-coast/sechelt (data from Statscan Census, last updated in November 2016)

Employment rate for overall population (many are retired and/or choose not to participate) is 47.8%

source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2016 Census, Sechelt [Population centre]

Unemployment rate is 4.1%

source: workbc.ca Nov 2018

Median household income: $58,888

source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2016 Census, Sechelt [Population centre]

DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Page 9 Building

Development permit costs

$300 $500 $1,000 minor applications form & character building development geotechnical or environmental (plus $1 per sq. m. of floor area or $200 per dwelling unit to a maximum of $5,000 total)

Development values

300 $50m $45m 250 $40m 200 $35m Total number $30m of building permits 150 Single Family $25m $20m

100 Value ($million) $15m $10m

Number of Building Permits 50 $5m 0 2011 2018 2017 2016 2015 2013 2012 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2014

In 2018:

• Building Inspectors issued 179 building permits

• Construction values approved through Building Permit was $37,948,384

source: www.sechelt.ca/Work/Development-in-Sechelt/Development-Permits (2018 data)

Page 10 DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Business costs and support

TOP 20 cities to work in B.C. (BC Business, 2018) Business licence fees

$125 basic, or $175 for a business offering two or more types of services. Inter-community licence additional fee of $50.

Tax rates

Residential Utilities Major Light Managed Farm Business Industry Industry Forest Sechelt 2.3% 40.0% 7.7% 7.5% 8.0% 3.7% 5.4% Gibsons 1.7% 12.7% 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 6.1% 5.5% SCRD 1.5% 5.3% 5.2% 5.2% 4.5% 1.5% 3.7%

Note: Tax rates are per $1,000 of assessed value source: www.britishcolumbia.ca/invest/communities/british-columbia/lower-mainland-southwest/sunshine-coast/sechelt (Jan 1, 2018)

Business support services

Sechelt: Sechelt Chamber of Commerce | secheltchamber.bc.ca

Community Futures (including Community WorkHub) | communtyfutures.org

Sechelt Downtown Business Association | secheltdowntown.com

Open Door Group/Work BC | 604-885-3351

Jobs in Demand | 604-360-3549

SC Tech Hub | sctechhub.ca

Sunshine Coast Community Services Society | sccss.ca

Self-Employed Women’s Network | sunshinesewn.com

DISTRICT OF SECHELT | 2018 COMMUNITY PROFILE Page 11 District of Sechelt PO Box 129 | 2nd Floor, 5797 Cowrie Street Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0 604-885-1986 [email protected]

sechelt.ca/business

DECEMBER 2018