Arrowsmith Search and Rescue's $160,000 budget deficit for 2026 is all but gone as the Regional District of Nanaimo stepped up with additional funding, however Board Directors say more from the province is needed. (Image Credit: Arrowsmith Search and Rescue)

By Alex Rawnsley

vital service

RDN closing Arrowsmith SAR funding shortfall while calling for province to do more

Jan 18, 2026 | 5:25 AM

NANAIMO — A sizable funding deficit has narrowed considerably for a local search and rescue operation.

Facing a $160,000 shortfall in its expenses for 2026, a request made by Arrowsmith Search and Rescue for financial help and a rethink of their funding model, has been mostly answered.

Regional District directors opted to increase their annual contribution to the service by $50,000, to an annual total of $80,000, beginning in 2026, as well as providing a one-time top-up payment of $90,000 this year.

“Arrowsmith Search and Rescue is not a ‘nice to have’ service, it’s a core emergency response relied on across Oceanside and beyond,” Parksville-area director Sean Wood told the Board on Thursday, Jan. 15. “Whether someone is lost, injured, overdue, or when weather or disasters stretch local capacity In 2025 alone, their volunteers contributed over 15,000 hours in training, tasking, and public outreach.”

The contributions from the Regional District cover $140,000 of the budget deficit the organization is facing this year.

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Money in the short term will come from community grants funding, however, financial plan amendments will be made to solidify the updated financing model.

Just how much the Regional District should finance a provincially managed service was a major point of contention for directors.

Arrowsmith Search and Rescue volunteers spent nearly 4,800 hours on callouts in 2025, plus another 10,600 hours in training or conducting community outreach. (Image Credit: Arrowsmith Search and Rescue)

While all praised the work of Arrowsmith and Nanaimo search and rescue groups, specifically during the summer wildfire situation, which resulted in major neighbourhood evacuations, the appetite for spending local dollars on a provincial responsibility was mixed.

Nanoose Bay Area E director Bob Rogers was a consistent ‘no’ vote among a series of motions tied to the funding, solely because of the fact it was a provincial responsibility.

“We’re sending a message to the province that they don’t need to do anything, that we will, as a Regional District, fund these services irregardless.”

He said by the RDN “filling the gap” of service funding, it tells the province they have “one less thing we have to worry about.”

Faith in the province stepping up to the plate was lacking with some on the Board.

Area F (Coombs, Hillers, Errington) director Leanne Salter balked at the notion the province will find extra funding for the group.

“They’re not going to, and they haven’t and they’re not going to, and we can send them a letter and ask them to and that’s as good as it’s going to get. Thinking that they’re going to jump in here and start paying for this is kind of not reality.”

She added if the Board wanted to ensure the service remained as it is now, the onus was on them.

“I don’t like having to spend this, you know how cheap I am, but I can’t say no to it. We need these guys just like we need fire, we need police, we need them, we need the EOC. We have to pay it and it’s as bad as paying a Hydro bill but you have to do it.”

Rogers was the lone vote against the $50,000 increase in annual funding, while Parksville Mayor Doug O’Brien joined Rogers in not supporting the one-time $90,000 top-up for 2026.

Both stated their objections were solely linked to a lack of provincial funding, and not connected to their support for the organization itself.

Directors also approved, this time unanimously, the sending of letters to the province campaigning for a more sustainable funding model.

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