A decision to limit the mandate of the Squamish Sustainability Corporation (SSC) could be the death of the District of Squamish's arms length corporation.
Dave Crewson, chair of the SSC, cringed at a district council meeting Tuesday (Feb. 17) as members supported in principle a recommendation that the SSC scale back operations by leaving the management of the Adventure Centre to the municipality and sticking with tourism.
The recommendation passed, but councillors Doug Race, Patricia Heintzman and Bryan Raiser voted against the motion.
"I agree that we need to look at this but this is going too far in a direction that has not had proper evaluation," Heintzman said.
Despite the outcome, Crewson said he was encouraged that council recognized the need for open dialogue between the SSC and the district before changes take place. But he adds he is also concerned about the effects to the decision.
"Heintzman and Race quickly identified the fundamental flaw in the recommendation, which was that it asked council to approve an action that may have a crippling affect on a community-owned venture," Crewson said.
As part of decision, staff was asked to prepare a report for a future council meeting on any issues that may arise with changes in Adventure Centre management. Staff was also directed to give advice on how to move forward with the recommendation.
"Many people in attendance were concerned by the statement of one councillor who passively voted without consideration of how the Economic Development Committee's recommendation may harm the SSC, but instead relied upon the opinion of a few other councillors and the likelihood that any research had actually been performed," Crewson said.
Coun. Paul Lalli, chair of the Economic Development Committee, said the Adventure Centre has been "in the red" since it opened, and this served as a factor in the recommendation.
"Because of the finances, we have to look at it, question it and see how we can help fix it," Lalli said.
The SSC has long been a topic of debate as an arm's-length, wholly owned district corporation tasked with managing the Adventure Centre and advancing tourism and business development.
Recently the SSC asked to expand their mandate into business sectors outside its current focus on tourism and the Adventure Centre. Instead, the economic development committee chose to recommend that its role be scaled back.
"We have been trying to have a holistic conversation with the SSC for two months now and I have not received a response back," Mayor Greg Gardner said. "The SSC board has been saddled with a building that is not making money and I don't fault them."
Gardner said the SSC needs a clear mandate and the Adventure Centre could operate similar to the district owned forestry building. In the past he said the Adventure Centre has been referred to as a white elephant.
