This region nearly ran out of water. Locals and experts say other Canadian towns should pay attention

It's hard to believe that having enough water is an issue at Banditry Cider in Gibsons, B.C. The craft cidery is on a rural property with rows of apple trees, a huge pond filled with ducks, and as James Armstrong surveys the place on a rainy spring day, his boots are covered in mud.

"I assumed because it was Gibsons and we bought this place in the winter, I was like, 'it's always wet here.' And I grew up here and there were never water issues."

In five of the last eight summers, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has implemented stage 4 watering restrictions, the highest level, which ban all outdoor water use. That means no watering lawns or gardens or washing cars. Since 2021, farms have been given a two-week grace period once those restrictions begin, after which they can't use municipal water on their crops.

His advice to other municipalities is simple.

"It's easy to stick your head in the sand and tout and praise and brag about your zero to two per cent [property] tax increases. But the fact of the matter is, with doing that, you're just kicking the can down the road."