Updates
March 13, 2025
2025 Tax Notices will be issued at the end of March, with an early-pay discount for payments received by May 1 2025.
SSID 2025 Annual General Meeting 10am Sunday August 3 2025. At the AGM, Chair Trustee Bryan Miles will summarize the past year. The Operator's report will provide an update on the status of the water system infrastucture. The administrator will deliver the financial report. There will be an election for the trustee position held by Trustee Lee Davis. Lee has offered to run for another 3-year term, finishing 2028. If you would like to compete for the 2025-2028 trustee position, please email the adminstrator: administrator@savaryshoreswater.ca
2025 Assessment Notices were issued to all SSID property owners by Monday February 3. The purpose was to advise property owners of the Tax Classification applicable to each property. Properties that were connected to the water system as at February 1 are Tax Class A, and those not connected to the water system by February 1 are Tax Class B.
Excess Tolls Invoices for 2024 were issued on January 2, 2025. If you did not receive an invoice, you did not exceed 100 cubic metres usage. The February 28 payment deadline has passed, so outstanding payments are subject to an additional 20 percent. Ways to pay are shown on the invoice.
Read SSID's request that setback reports be kept out of the OCP. The Trustees have reviewed the recommended setbacks outlined in 2 engineering reports submitted to the qathet Regional District, and have advised the qRD that inclusion of the setbacks in the Savary Island Official Community Plan will be detrimental to SSID's future operations. While OCPs are in themselves non-regulatory, any related zoning bylaw can use specific parts of the OCP as law. The qRD responded with a letter that does not address our concerns. The OCP is scheduled to be complete by early fall 2025. Participate to have your opinion heard. Sign up for more information here.
Lithium Battery and Solar Experiment. SSID has replaced 2 lead-acid batteries with a lithium battery suitable for powering the Thomson Controller. We are also testing 4 solar panels to see if they can provide enough energy in the darkest days of winter to keep the new lithium battery charged.
Pressure Test completed on Saturday November 16 2024. SSID's System Operator temporarily closed the Upper Tank for a pressure test on Nov 16. It wasn't a total water shut down, because the Operator redirected water from the Lower Tank to the whole water district during the test. The test was necessary to understand the affect of removing the Upper Tank for replacement or refurbishment, as may be required within the next 5 years. The test showed a marked reduction in residential water pressure, as was predicted.
Upper Tank Feasibility Study final delivered January 28. SSID received the final feasibility study from engineering team MSR Solutions, with options for replacement of the upper tank. The study is a followup to the upper tank exterior thickness test in April 2024 that showed areas of steel degradation affecting the service life of the tank. The final report is under review by the trustees and operator, to be posted to this site thereafter.
Bubbles in the Upper System. In October and November 2024, SSID's System Operator replaced the 3 old Air Release Valves with new. The first installation at the corner of Blair & Arbutus appears to have removed bubbles (trapped air) that had been reported periodically in the Upper System. (To determine if your property is in the Upper System, please see the YELLOW properties shown on SSID's System Map.) The harmless air bubbles can show up at residential taps, but will settle out if left on the counter for a few minutes. Please let the administrator@savaryshoreswater.ca know if you do have bubbly water.
AGM 2024 Complete. The 43rd Annual General Meeting was held at Pascalito's Hacienda at Vancouver Blvd & Brian's Way. There were presentations from the Trustees, Operator, and Administrator; re-appointment of SSID's Accountant; and a vote to continue Trustee Remuneration. There was no trustee election, as no one other than incumbent Trustee Brent Brucker had offered to run. Trustee Brucker takes on the new 3-term term that started August 4. Minutes of the AGM can be viewed here, and are considered draft until amended or adopted at the 2025 AGM.
Water Use and Distribution Regulation Bylaw 136. This important regulation was adopted by SSID on December 13 2023, and registered by the provincial government on January 4 2024. It replaces Bylaw 102, and contains clauses regarding Commercial Use.
Hydrants installed May 10-11, 2024. The hydrants at Patricia Cres / Manahan Rd and at Blair Rd / Arbutus Rd, have been replaced. These are the 3rd and 4th replacements of the 13-Hydrant Replacement Program.
The 2017 Fire Underwriter's Survey established Savary Shores Improvement District as "limited protection" rather than the previous rating "unprotected." The Dwelling Protection Grade was 4, and the Public Fire Protection Classification was 8 (out of 10, Grade-1 is highest). The FUS Survey was updated in 2020. SSID has not been re-examined or re-graded by FUS since 2017.