A new report details the state of community services in the Sea to Sky region.
The report, released by Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS), emphasizes that while most Pemberton residents are satisfied with the programs on offer, childcare availability, specialized services for neurodiverse children and transportation and access to services remain barriers to care.
“Families in Pemberton often struggle with the burden of travelling long distances to Squamish or Vancouver, which is both time-consuming and expensive,” according to the report. And even when programs are offered locally, a lack of transportation options can prove a barrier.
The Community-Led Collaboration Project is an effort to evaluate the strengths and service gaps in community services across the province. Between September 2022 and December 2024, 17 communities received Community Engagement Grants and worked with more than 130 organizations to evaluate the state of community services.
As of 2023, SSCS served 1,661 people in Pemberton and in the surrounding areas—including D’Arcy and the Lil’wat Nation. The team behind the report spoke with 36 families in the area to develop its findings for the Valley.
“Meaningful service delivery is only developed through consultation with community,” said Chelsie Brubacher, director of service delivery at SSCS. “And so it was really important for us to hear from people with lived experience and from other service providers as we're just taking a look at opportunities to improve our services."
The report flags scheduling conflicts—such as offerings during the workday or at inconvenient times like near a child’s bedtime—as a hurdle for working parents hoping to access services.
Respondents also expressed concern about the lack of information about programs for neurodiverse children, including the lack of availability and affordability of assessments for their children, leaving families to wait years for a formal diagnosis and children to miss out on “critical services during their developmental years, a time when support could be preventative and have a lasting positive impact on their growth and well-being.”
“There is a lack of available programs locally, with many families reporting a need for play therapy, childcare, child psychologists, social workers, pediatricians and especially an occupational therapist for neurodiverse children," according to the report. That extends to consistent support for neurodiverse children as they age, including in-school support.
Parents also expressed a desire for more diverse programs at school—in particular, arts programming to combat “limited music, drama or language options.”
Those struggles aren't necessarily unique to Pemberton; rural communities across the province reported similar barriers to care associated with remoteness and a lack of available funds.
“We did hear similar themes throughout the more rural communities around large barriers being the lack of services for neurodiverse children, and then, of course, the barriers that we know that individuals in smaller communities face [like] transportation,” said Brubacher. “But then in Pemberton, there's the added complexities around housing costs and affordability that families are facing.”
The report didn’t just focus on the negatives; 67 per cent of those surveyed reported being satisfied with the programs, and 70 per cent reported satisfaction with staff. The report also highlighted popular programs like Supporting Parents Along the Road to Kindergarten (S.P.A.R.K.), StrongStart, Supported Child Development, Out of School Care and the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program.
The report suggests a six-pronged approach to improving community services in the Sea to Sky: raising awareness of the programs and services on offer; increasing access to services—both by removing transportation barriers and increasing programming to suit families; inclusive training for staff; building out support groups and respite options for families; funding to retain staff and support families during a needs diagnosis and beyond; and providing more spaces to support the community.
Some of those recommendations, like increasing transportation options, are outside of SSCS’ director scope. Brubacher said the organization can advocate for better transportation options, but the recommendation is moreso for the provincial government.
Other recommendations, like increasing information about available programs and services, and bringing those services into the communities that need them, are more within the scope of SSCS and other service providers in the corridor.
“We're looking at a number of different options around how we can better communicate to families about not just the services that we provide, but about the services that are available, in general, in community, that are free and low barrier for individuals to access,” Brubacher said.
Part of the report highlights the need for respite services, providing a break for families who are caring for children and youth with really high needs. In the Sea to Sky corridor, that service can be limited, potentially forcing families to travel for the service.
Brubacher also noted the Community Hub at the Harrow Road development in Pemberton will help provide new spaces for programs.
“Space is a premium. And it's hard… we're having to share group spaces with other programs," she said. "But our new Harrow Road site will have a specific child development room, a therapy space for these services to be offered out of there, along with just much more flexible and available spaces for us to offer all of our programs and services.”
Fundraising for the Community Hub is ongoing. Completion of the Harrow Road project is anticipated for fall of 2026.
A province-wide final report was shared with the Ministry of Children and Family Development in January 2025. The Sea to Sky version was released in February 2025.
