Sproat Lake rejects OCP

Jul 16, 2026 | 8:24 AM

Members of the Sproat Lake Property Owners Association are pushing back against the regional district’s proposed OCP.

More than 180 people recently filled Sproat Lake Hall to rail against the official community plan, which they say is filled with government duplication and overreach.

Heather Powell said the 106-page plan should be just 8 pages as ACRD costs continue to balloon.

“A problem is that in the last five years the budget for staff at the ACRD has gone from $2.3 million to $5.9 million and 55 staff, and we can’t get our roads plowed in the winter, but we’re paying top-notch property tax values out here and there’s no facilities,” she said.

Powell said the proposed official community plan would see the ACRD oversee everything from dock sizes to landscaping rules, things that are already governed by provincial and federal regulations.

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“Our OCP went from 20 pages of only mandatory information to 119 pages of DPAs and unnecessary legislation and requirements,” she said. “It’s gone too far and it’s going to end up being extremely costly for the property tax payer.”

She said many of their 600 members are seniors who are being forced out of their generational homes, due to a 7.7% tax increase, which is an increase of more than $100 per thousand dollars of assessed value, and is the largest tax increase of any other ACRD area.

SLPOA representatives say Area D contributes 42% of the ACRD’s total tax revenue, and many frustrated residents are pushing for incorporation in order to pull out of the regional district.

According to a recent report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the ACRD increased their spending by 50% from 2018 to 2023, and administration costs rose by 91%, while the population grew just 26%.

by David Wiwchar

Sproat Lake rejects OCP

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