The Town of Sidney has finished building a new way to get safe drinking water in a big emergency, making it one of the first communities in the Capital Regional District fully ready to hand out water if the regular supply is cut off. Over the past two years, the town set up three pickup spots at Rathdown Park, the Mary Winspear Centre, and Philip Brethour Park, and bought a water truck to bring in water from the region’s special backup hydrants.
The plan is to give each person four litres of water every day for at least five days after something like an earthquake or wildfire. Town staff figure this new setup can serve about 13,500 people in the area, including visitors. The work was paid for with money from the province’s Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding program and the BC Growing Communities Fund.
Fire Chief Brett Mikkelsen, who also handles emergency planning for Sidney, said he has been working on a project like this for around 10 years. The town tried out the whole system hands-on back in October 2025, with help from community groups, nearby municipalities, and local First Nations. More recently, in April 2026, the town held an open house at the Mary Winspear Centre so people could see for themselves how the water distribution would work.
Sidney’s new water safety net ties into 14 blue hydrants around the region that are built to survive earthquakes and stay connected to water-filled reservoirs. Using the town truck, crews can fill up from those hydrants and bring the water to the three pickup points. Each spot has a strong metal storage container and big water bladders ready to go.
Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith says having this system in place makes the community much safer if a disaster ever hits. The town also posted a short online video to show residents exactly how they would get their emergency water when it’s needed.
