In brief (and what i meant to simply say before the words piled up): There are and will be openings for public participation on District of Sooke committees ~ currently one spot each on the Climate Action Committee and the Board of Variance ... and, in the near-ish future, the Sooke Program of the Arts Committee and, ta-dah, the Official Community Plan Steering Committee. Other opportunities for TBD committees will follow, I'm confident. My point is that it's again the season for locals keen to contribute their time, expertise and vision to Sooke's near and mid-term future to step up and submit applications. Watch the District's website for the call and I'll share opportunities as they arise on my Facebook page.  
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In my COVID cocoon, I've been revisiting my campaign website to review the big ideas, hopes and what-ifs I shared before the election. In the rear-view of 18 months of local government experience, I now acknowledge a number of them are -- what is the right word? -- "naive" will suffice for now.  I did try back then to frame my thoughts as ones that might be realized with planning and patience over time, rather than a set of campaign promises. That, I felt, was realistic. I've followed municipal government just long enough to recognize that the norm involves starts, staff reports, stops, rethinks, revisions and relatively glacial progress towards consensus ambitions that are, hooray, eventually realized. I hope a fair share of the possibilities I floated in 2018 -- many of them grounded in existing District plans and reports -- will be captured and/or reconfirmed in our next Official Community Plan (OCP) over this year and next. 

One hope that will be realized (as it has been in the past locally and in all functional municipalities) in the near-ish future is the following: "Tap citizen expertise with an expanded range of committees, commissions and task forces. Sooke's people are our strongest resource. How can we harness these people and given them a chance to put their skills to work in shaping our community's destiny?" 

On this note, bright, talented, eager-to-contribute locals will be interested to know that, at Monday night's special council meeting (agenda here), we will be looking at terms of reference for a new OCP Steering Committee and a revitalized Sooke Program of the Arts Committee.

The SPA Committee is returning a year after the sad passing of its former chairperson, the irreplaceable Cllr. Brenda Parkinson. In keeping with tradition, it will feature a mix of public members (hopefully a number of fine returnees among them) and one representative each from the Sooke Arts Council and the Sooke Region Historical Society.  Other organizations will be considered. The new committee will, I imagine, be asked to initiate action on the previous group's top recommendations -- the painting of the town centre's three crosswalks (featuring, in turn, a rainbow, musical notes and the combo of whale's tail and leaping salmon) and a makeover of the tourism kiosk at Evergreen Mall. The new committee will also have license to conjure fresh ideas that will (to quote the existing terms of reference) "foster public awareness, recognition, education, support and celebration of the community arts in Sooke." (The Whiffin Spit memorial wall is also a legacy of Brenda's SPA committee; the staff recommendation for a display space for memorial plaques in Quimper Park near the Spit parking lot is being brought back by Mayor Tait for reconsideration Monday night; this is to ensure staff will work with the new committee and in consultation with the T'Sou-ke on a dignified, effective, respectful and yet also unique and artistic memorial facing the harbour.) 

As for the OCP Steering Committee, the staff proposal (see below for excerpts from the report and a nod of appeciation to those who previously served on this most impactful of all committees) identifies the need for seven public members to represent and speak for the following key sectors of #Sooke: environmental stewardship (to cite #PlanSooke priority #1 at the outset); economic development; healthcare; culture, recreation and the arts; building and trades; First Nations; and youth.

A councillor would be appointed to join this group, a chair would be chosen among the participants, and staff support would be provided. Then, as ever with OCPs, a series of public meetings and consultations would follow under the guidance of a planning consultant. This will be the municipality's third OCP following the 2001 original and the current 2010 model. (The first advisory group involved six public members, two councillors and the Mayor; the second featured 12 public members and three councillors. The heaviest lifting was done by paid consultants and staff.) 

The right consultancy firm is essential. The District received nine responses to the Request for Proposals issued in March. District staff is recommending the $200k contract go to DIALOG, a leading light among North American community design and planning groups with offices across Canada and the U.S., including a Van Isle outpost. It would work in consultation with planning experts from four other firms: the Sustainability Solutions Group, Colliers International, WATT Consulting Group and, for the critical mapping sections of the OCP, Licker Geospatial Consulting (which claims "geography is badass," no arguments here.) 

Winner of multiple planning awards, DIALOG is particularly renowned for the Community Wellbeing Framework developed in association with the Conference Board of Canada. It's an early 21th century, infographic-driven version of the common sense #SmartGrowth approach to creating community via tight-knit town sites, trail/sidewalk connectivity, green spaces, recreation, shopping, active transportation routes and ideally jobs too all within easy walking/commuting distance.  Studies (to reinforce said common sense) show that people are far happier in these kind of planned built environments than the far-flung sprawl communities that developed post-WWII.  The framework was showcased at last year's Federation of Canadian Municipalities convention in front of a full house in Quebec City that included Mayor Tait and five of we councillors. (Here's the executive summary.) 

More to the point, DIALOG reps have stickhandled first-rate OCPs over the last decade for Powell River, White Rock, Regina and, most recently, the City of Colwood (where prospective team lead Jennifer Fix - such a good name for the job! - and others associated with the current bid collaborated with our returnee planner Katherine Letyshin). It also masterminded the Abbotsford OCP (aka 'Abbotsforward'), which is frequently cited as an model of its kind in terms of public engagement and final product.  (I spoke with Abbotsford councillor Brenda Falk at the UBCM convention last fall, and she had nothing but positives to say about DIALOG and the creative, systematic, legislatively precise approach it brought to the two-year process.)  

The company has also developed blueprints for Ladysmith's waterfront, a makeover of main street Tofino, a North Cowichan climate mitigation strategy, and a refresh of the University of Victoria campus masterplan. All in all, the firm has a great track record and looks wonderful on paper (not, I should note, that we on council had an opportunity to vet the other submissions.) 

HERE & NOW COMMITTEE NEEDS
Okay, all the above is ahead of us and subject to our council discussion on Monday night. In the meantime, a few engaged locals here in Vancouver Island's volunteer capital are required immediately for two committee vacancies at the District of Sooke ...  

i) The Board of Variance 
https://sooke.ca/call-for-board-of-variance-committee-volunteer-2/

i) The Climate Action Committee
https://sooke.ca/climate-action-committee-is-seeking-to-fill-vacancies.

The three-person Board of Variance is "an independent body which considers requests for minor variances to the Sooke Zoning Bylaw, where compliance would cause undue hardship." The board is a requirement of the Local Government Act. The term is for three years and meetings are infrequent (the last was in 2015), though likely will be more frequent when a full compliment of board members is in place. (The current council has handled several tricky variances in its absence.)    

Personally, if unelected, I'd jump for a chance to join the Climate Action Committee under the lead of Councillor St-Pierre. Two of the current group have had to step down for various good reasons The first of these slots was filled recently by Jeffrey Robinson, an energy audit specialist with Sunriver-based Enertech Solutions. One more willing soul is still required. Tony and his A-list team (Roland Alcock, Diane Bernard, Susan Clarke, Catherine Keogan, Andrew Moore, Christina Schlatter, Kyle Topelko) have spent the last year establishing sub-committees on four consensus priority areas -- Food Security; Transportation; Engagement and Education on Climate Change; and Sustainable Development and Land Use. Working groups focused on each have now developed short, medium and longer-term objectives utilizing the SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Specific) yardstick.

The draft of the committee's work plan was released in its May 26 Zoom agenda  and I heartily recommend the read: it's an exciting, comprehensive, achievable vision over time. It will be brought to council for discussion in the near future. Paired with Transition Sooke's Community Action Town Hall report from last fall and the set of now-operational volunteer climate action teams that emerged from it, we are very much beginning to act like a community that was among the first in Canada to declare a climate emergency. 

The CAC's food-security recommendations have already been approved for discussion and hopeful inclusion in council's four-year Strategic Plan; we'll be determining their relative now/next/later priority status during the plan's six-month at the end of June. (Revisiting the 2012 Agricultural Plan and establishing a Food Policy Council, as the CAC has recommended, seems vital at a time when localized food sources - from farms and backyards alike -- are so important as climate change threatens our supplies of imported fruit and produce (as alarmingly documented last year by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; New York Times coverage of the report here). 

Bottom line: If you are contemplating applying to this lively, forward-thinking Committee, please peruse its archive of committee agendas and minutes, take a look at this post of mine from last year, and then submit the application you'll find here. 

MORE ON THE OCP STEERING COMMITTEE, 2020/21
Okay, for those still reading, back to the preparatory steps for the OCP Steering Committee as stated in this excerpt from Monday's agenda (see pp. 89/90). The proposed Terms of Reference follow on pp. 101-104. Further background on the process ahead in my pre-COVID blog post here.   

"Staff has prepared a draft Terms of Reference (Attachment 1) for Council consideration. The Official Community Plan Advisory Committee (OCP-AC) will be a Select Committee of Council, comprised of one council liaison member, and seven (7) appointed members of the public who will represent a balance of community interests on a broad number of local topics. Ideally, members would have an extensive knowledge or current involvement in one of the following:

1. Building & Economic Development Community
2. Health & Social Services
3. Environmental Stewardship
4. Business & Tourism Community
5. Arts,Culture & Recreation
6. Youth or Young Adult (Under29)
7. First Nations Culture & Heritage Resources

The purpose of the committee is to provide Council with meaningful, technical input on a range of community issues related to the creation of an updated Official Community Plan. The OCP-AC will provide technical guidance at key project milestones including identification of key community issues, input on draft materials, input on policy options,
and input on implementation strategies. Existing District committees may wish to encourage their members to apply to serve on this committee as well.

Staff and the project consultant will be available at each committee meeting to provide clerical and technical support. The engagement strategy prepared by the selected consultant, which will be forthcoming in the project start-up, will also refine meeting frequency and function. It is expected that approximately 6 meetings will be required in the duration of the project. The committee is intended to be advisory in nature, and will always include facilitated discussions. Committee members will act as ambassadors of the project and the expectation is that members will take part in helping to promote the project, and when possible, attend public consultation events that are planned.

The Terms of Reference also cover the eventuality that virtual committee meetings may be held in order to adapt to the realities of COVID-19 over the coming year.

Once Council has approved the Terms of Reference, staff will advertise for committee membership in accordance with Policy No. 1.4, Committee Structure and Function Policy, 2006 and report back during an in-camera meeting of Council for membership selection. Once committee membership has been announced, the committee will begin meeting following project kick off, which is anticipated at the end of August."  

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Before closing, I'll take the opportunity on this infinitely unfolding page to acknowledge members of the District's first two OCP steering committees. No small thing to step up and contribute in such a public manner where one can anticipate praise, blame or, given the fact that most residents are far too busy with the rest of their lives to notice, echoing silence. As I've repeatedly said before, we need to value the time, brainpower, hard work and, in the case of the consultants, significant public funding dedicated to previous reports and studies. We need to re-read them carefully, weigh their gifts and flaws, and only then set out on this latest attempt to repurpose (rather than reinvent) a wheel that's already rolled a long way -- 20 years as a municipality, 53 years within the Capital Regional District, more than 170 years as a settler community and at least 12,000 years with the T'Sou-ke. (Given our cultural ADHD and short-term amnesia, it's such a temptation with bright, shiny new toys/approaches to discount worthy earlier achievements.) 

If you want to get the jump on other potential applicants and/or play a meaningful role during the public consultations, please download existing plans from the District's website and especially spend time in the depths of the current OCP. The menu of options will soon be expanded with the addition of Sooke's new Transportation Masterplan (which we'll receive at a Committee of the Whole meeting on June 22) and a refreshed Parks & Trails Masterplan later this summer. 

Now a round of applause for those who have served ... 

OCP 2001 Steering Committee (term: Feb. to Dec., 2001)
- Councillor Lorna Barry (Chair)
- Councillor Jeff Stewart
- Mayor Ed Macgregor (Ex officio)
- Community representatives Tom Burgess, Marion Desrochers, Dwight Johnston, Bruce MacMillan, Richard Stafford and Laurie Szadkowski 
- Consultants: Urban Aspects Consulting Group, idealink architecture, Cloghesy + Doak Ltd., GMK 2000 
- Staff: Tom Day, Chief Administrator; Frank Limshue, Municipal Planner 

OCP 2010 Review Committee (term: 2007-2010) 
- Councillor David Bennett (Chair, 2007/08)
- Ellen Lewers (Chair, 2009)
- Councillors Sheila Beech and Ron Dumont
- Public members: Randy Clarkston, Patrick Fallon, Rick Gates, Dana Lajeunesse, David Mallett, Andrew Moore, John Nicholson, Mark Poppe, Susan Todman, Tara Tompkins and Laurie Wallace. 
- Consultant: Mazzoni & Associates Planning - Felice Mazzoni, Principle 
​- Staff: Gerald Christie, Director of Planning; Ian Scott, Planner

Council meets in-person for the first time since early March this afternoon for what I imagine will be a relatively brief Committee of the Whole meeting. We'll follow some rigorous distancing guidelines, keep our mitts off any coffee mugs and clean surfaces within the Hall, stay home if we're feeling the least bit ill ... while also appreciating each other's company and commentary, which we (or so it seems to me) always do even when we agree to mildly, respectfully disagree. Team Tait is a functional and fun entity indeed, and I'm happy to be gathering in person again after our series of Zoom meetings (which have gone well in our case but which can be problematic for all kinds of practical and psychological reasons.) 
 
The one agenda item today is a report from Fire Chief Kenn Mount on revisions to the outdoor burning regulations found within Sooke’s Fire Protection Services Bylaw (2007), which is filed on the District's website along with best-practice requirements for your own backyard burns.  

Said report is comprehensive -- detailed history of what has been a hot subject locally, a suggested timeline for public feedback this summer on a slate of recommended revisions, an overview of updated provincial regulations and those of other Van Isle municipalities ... plus some of the new science about the health impacts of wood smoke (especially airborne particulate matter, a mostly invisible super-irritant for those with breathing and heart problems. It's the reason a ban on all fires, campfire excepted, until June 15 is part of BC's COVID State of Emergency. For more on health impacts, check these links from the BC Lung Association, Island Health, Health Canada and the World Health Organization). 

All in all, the Chief has delivered a solid, well-reasoned document that sets the stage nicely for anyone in town to weigh in on the subject -- via survey and email; public hearings remaining impossible for now, of course -- prior to council debating a formal bylaw revision in the fall.  I'm sure one of our discussions today will relate to how we might some day follow the lead of larger communities by eliminating the need for backyard burns altogether via the establishment of a municipal depot where residents could take waste for "chipping, composting and/or grinding" (to quote the report, as I'm doing freely here). 
 
In relative brief, the report notes that the District's approach to backyard burns, campfires and Class A (land clearing) fires has been variously more and less restrictive over the years -- more so in the '00s when residential burns were only allowed one weekend per month (October to April) and had to be kept small (3' x 3'). Revisions made in 2008 banned burn barrels while doubling the width of fire pits. All District residents were allowed to burn dry garden waste (no grass or clippings) on Oct-April days when the Ministry of Environment's BC Ventilation Index was "Good" (as opposed to "Fair" or "Poor"). 
 
Things loosened up under Mayor Milne in 2012 when a Burning Regulation Review Committee led by Councillor Haldane opted to give a measure of power back to the people by cutting some shackles: the burn season was extended to include May and backyard fires could happen anytime (sunrise to sunset) during the allowable months; burns were permitted when the Ventilation Index was "Fair"; and folks living outside the sewer-specified area were granted permission to burn even on "Poor" atmospheric days (meaning smoke will linger awaiting the next uptick in wind velocity, the prime measure in the index's rating system). Bottom line: Libertarian burners held sway and won the day. 
 
This is how the regulation stands now. Burning is permitted eight months/230 days a year outside the sewer specified area, and a lesser, Vent Index-conditional number of days within it.

​Yet freedom for some is a hassle for others, ever thus, and the revisions are seeking a fair and just-right balance.  

Bylaw services and the Fire Department responded to 118 backyard-burning related complaints last year, and many more were phoned in without requiring action. The complaints vary, but many were health related. A new generation of studies have shown that wood smoke is a health hazard, and the science triggered revisions last fall to BC's Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation (which applies to the larger Class A burns). In the process, more densely populated urban/suburban areas (Sooke included as per our freight-train growth) are now rated as a "High Smoke Sensitivity Zone" ~ a category that has nothing to do with cannabis, it should be added for you jesters out there. 
 
During our time together this afternoon, council will discuss the report and delve into the Fire Department's recommendations as a prelude to receiving your own feedback (via survey) in the months ahead. These include: 
 
i) Re-establishing an Oct-April burn season (eliminating May); 
 ii) The Venting Index must rate as "Good" for burns to happen, and that applies to every household in the District; 
 iii) Expanded setbacks for burn pits (to 40' from 20') from property lines; 
iv) Add a clause that states that the question of whether smoke from a particular burn is an irritant or not (a major cause of feuds between neighbours) is to be determined by responsible District staff; 
 v) Rather than warnings, more tickets should be written for scofflaws and anyone burning prohibited materials. 

Incidentally, we won't be discussing the health issues caused by wood-burning stoves, pellet stoves and fireplaces ~ a good thing for me and many of us in town, at least, since we here chez Bateman do so dearly love and rely on our vintage, airtight Pacific Energy Superseries wood stove to get us through the winters. (In a study conducted a decade ago by the Cowichan Valley Regional District -- where smoke truly does linger without the benefit of our Juan de Fuca winds -- home heating with wood accounted for 23% of fine particulate pollution compared with 53% from open burning. One day this too will likely need to be explored, the Chief's report states. 

 ~Typing these words fresh from a Vancouver Island Regional Library board meeting this morning. With reps from municipalities and regional districts throughout Van Isle and region in attendance along with the library's executive team, the Zoom screen was packed with most of the same 42 or so shining faces who typically make it to Nanaimo for bimonthly board meetings (including long-haulers from the Haida Gwaii who are understandably happy with the new virtual arrangement).   

Key point of local interest raised today is that our new-build library project remains on course as per these bullet points included in the VIRL facilities report ... <clip> 

• "The building permit has been approved, and construction will be tendered, evaluated and awarded after the pre-qualification for general contractors closes on April 23. The pre-qualification was initially scheduled to close March 23, but VIRL received multiple requests to extend the timeline. (note: 10 bids were received by Thursday's closing date, hooray and all the better for a competitive process). 
• VIRL anticipates construction starting in the second or third quarter of 2020, with the branch opening 1 to 1 1⁄2 years after construction commences.
• VIRL has extended the lease at the current location, so there will be no disruption of library services for Sooke." 

All more-or-less as planned, pandemic and all. Now over to VIRL's cool and experienced staff to choose the best candidate, negotiate a contract and firm the start date. As i typed into the Zoom chat box when it was our turn on the alphabetical project list after North Saanich, Port Alberni and Tofino (whose planned new libraries are in far earlier stages of development than we): "Cue wild applause and gratitude from #Sooke." 

Today's agenda also included a review of the steps and strategies taken by VIRL since it closed its 39 branches on March 16 just a few hours after the Prime Minister and Dr. Bonnie Henry issued their respective calls for us all to stay home.  While nine in ten of VIRL's 456 employees are currently laid off (with pay through the end of June), staffing will ramp up a little in the weeks ahead as new virtual programming is introduced. 

Notably among these services are expanded email, telephone and video conferencing assistance for those of us tentatively exploring VIRL's various digital platforms. Logically enough, the eLibrary has taken off over the last month with a 50% increase in eBook borrowing (nearly 500 a day now) and 30% more AudioBook loans. (Personally, I've discovered RBdigital and its trove of new-release magazine titles; I've just scored the latest Harper's, Mojo and New Yorker for reading over the next week). VIRL has increased its investments in digital titles and publishers have been easing restrictions on accessibility to bestsellers. 

Also in the works are live online story time readings for kids and, via social media and LinkedIn, online book clubs. VIRL has also received appreciative feedback on its decision to offer 24/7 WiFi outside its branches with the proviso that everyone follow physical distancing protocols. A strategy for re-opening branches is being explored for that hopefully not-too-distant day when Dr. Henry issues the all-clear. 


11/21/2019 ~ The Story To Date 
Just as we enter what might be called the third trimester in the extended birth of Sooke's new library ~ the 100-year land lease is finalized, the Development Permit will be presented to council on Monday night ~ the Sooke News Mirror has weighed in with a truncated, largely accurate Coles Notes account of the decade just past, crowned in thorns with a clickbait headline and the image of someone holding up a 'Help' sign for what I can only assume is a touch of cynical humour. (The headline didn't read, of course, "hooray, we're almost there," as that might sound a bit too cheerleader-ish for a hardboiled community weekly, I suppose. That's my job as I'll hopefully proceed to do here.) 
 
I'm attending my fourth Vancouver Island Regional Library board meeting this year on Saturday in Nanaimo, and I'll be pleased as the District's current representative (following in the footsteps of Kerrie Reay and Ron Dumont) to report that we are indeed close to the wire after much spirited to-and-fro between reps from our respective organizations ~ all of us with a shared desire for the best possible public facility that $6 million can purchase in today's construction market. 
 
No champagne corks need be popped, as the Mirror suggests, as those already went off in March, 2017 when Councillor Reay announced that an agreement for the northwest quadrant of Lot A had been completed and a new library on that site was in our future. Let's save the next celebration for opening day. 

Gestation 
As I told the News Mirror last week, it's been a long and winding road to this point. Back to that pregnancy metaphor, the first trimester led us from the gleam-in-the-eye of initial meetings in 2008 to the March, 2017 agreement that Lot A was the right, perhaps even perfect, town-centre home for the library.

The second trimester has seen blueprints developed and the exactingly fine details of the lease and permits completed.

The home stretch will be the actual labour of construction and then the delivery of a sweet, bouncing, bibliophilic, 11,076 square foot  temple of takeaway content and learning ~ "a go-to hub of community," as VIRL likes to term 21st century libraries, complete with increased staffing and extended operating hours, green features like radiant floor heating and cooling systems, lo-flow toilets and passive solar design ... plus such user perks as an expanded array of computer terminals, free WiFi, a makerspace, a boardroom and meeting area (with kitchenette) available to community groups, and a variety of welcoming nooks with comfy chairs in which to read the daily papers and relax in a peaceful oasis. For life-long library aficionados like me: Bliss. 

Patience and process have been the keywords this year, necessarily so when staff from two professional organizations are involved in negotiating fine details of a project funded through BC's triple-A rated Municipal Finance Authority. As you'll see in the Nov. 25 staff report prepared by Manager of Planning Ivy Campbell and her team, much care and attention has been dedicated to all manner of essentials: the access road with sidewalk; pedestrian trail connections; stormwater management; landscaping on the grounds and in the parking lot; low-impact but effective 'dark sky' exterior lighting; streetscape appearance; the application of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles; west-coast design features (as dictated by our Town Centre Design Guidelines); bike parking spaces (24) and EV charging stations (4); and contingencies for solar panels should future budgets allow. 

Should all go well on Monday night (see the detailed design drawings in the agenda package here) and with the District now undertaking due diligence on Lot A with geotechnical, archeological, environmental and civil assessments of the property, VIRL will soon be in position to put out its construction tender and began work next year. Yes, we've heard that before -- construction was due to start in 2018 until VIRL had to pivot and redirect its budget to remediating unexpected asbestos issues at several libraries on the North Island. And there was optimistic talk of ground being broken this year once VIRL filed its Development Permit with the District. Said DP was indeed filed as a first draft in January only for prudent District staff to weigh in with their own recommended revisions and fixes, which required still more negotiations that have continued through late last month. 

Context Statements 
It's important to note that we're one of 39 branches in the VIRL system, all of which merit due attention and care. The Nanaimo HQ team led by Executive Director Rosemary Bonanno has overseen substantial renovations or new builds in a dozen communities since 2011 while also funding upgraded furniture, equipment and IT resources in all its branches. (Check out the sleek new self check-out machine by the front doors in Sooke, for instance.) 
 
VIRL is Canada's 13th largest regional library system and we in Sooke are not alone in wanting the trifecta of bigger/newer/better. Campbell River, Tofino, North Saanich, Queen Charlotte, Port McNeill and Ladysmith all desire new-build libraries as part of planned civic developments that will feature shovel-ready land donated by each municipality to VIRL.

The Parksville and Sidney branches have undergone upgrades over the last 12 months. A new prefabricated library (based on a scalable design for pocket-sized communities in the system) opens in Sayward during Christmas week and in  the Village of Woss north of Campbell River next year. A beautiful new 5,000 sq foot library in Chemainus (also designed, like ours, by HDR Architecture's Juanito Gulmatico) is slated to open in early 2020.  
 
Of course, it has been Sooke's turn for some long years now. We certainly deserve our fair shake since local taxpayers have been routinely sending VIRL approximately 3.5 percent of our annual tax bills -- or $630,366 exactly in total from Sooke taxpayers this year. That's almost the same as what we collectively pay BC Transit. (In comparison, $2.9 million goes to the CRD, $4.7 million to School District #62, and $8.1 million to the District of Sooke for municipal services; another $2.1 million is coughed up by residents in the sewer specified area for sewer parcel fund taxes).  Bottom line: The 2019 VIRL take (on Sooke's $492k average assessment) was about $95.00.    
 
Our assessment maintains existing services for the 5,300 or so VIRL card-carrying Sookies in the region. It pays the building rent, light and heat, and the salaries of our VIP crew of helpful, friendly librarians. This investment gives us access to the 23,000 or so physical holdings (books, magazines, DVDs and CDs) in the current library. And, if you're a so-called "power-user" like me who knows how to work the 'hold' system to your advantage, you can also reserve any of the 3.4 million titles in the overall system. (Items without other holds arrive to my astonishment in a matter of days; inter-library loans from other BC library systems are also possible).

These numbers don't include the 1.6 million online-only e-holdings available through services like Hoopla, Kanopy and Libby, which this old luddite is learning to navigate now that I'm growing comfortable with my iPad.  

56 Years of VIRL Service in Sooke
Sooke's first VIRL branch (as documented by Elida Peers here) opened in 1963 in what is now Barb's Barbershop, relocating several times (once into the current home of Route 14)  before landing in its 2,639 sq. ft home on Anne Marie Road in the mid-1990s.  

We've been top (or hovering near it) of VIRL's new-build priority list since at least 2008 (some claim earlier still). The sticking point was the District had no public land to donate to the project ~ land banking having not been a municipal priority since incorporation in 1999 when significant matters like a sewer system took precident. (Land, as other local governments understand to their profit, is a safe, rewarding investment that can become a civic goldmine through strategic rezoning.)  
 
A request for proposals to local land owners was issued during Mayor Milne's term after he raised a ruckus about the lack of action in 2013. While this netted some useful leads (including Lions Park on Murray Road), none of the raw land on offer was big enough for VIRL's purposes (it wanted a 10,000 sq. foot minimum, one-story building due to its staffing requirements, and hence needed to expand out, not up.) 
 
Councillor Reay made a Notice of Motion (Feb. 23, 2015) that the southwest corner of John Phillips Memorial Park might be a suitable location, and a staff report was to be readied on the subject (with the proviso that the District hold onto land title, as is the case with the lease in the current scenario.)  Then, bravo, the District did move smartly in early 2016 to purchase the five-acre, Waddams Way-fronting "Lot A" for $1.42 million with the intention of dedicating 20 percent of it to the library.  
 
Silly season kicked in when the District and VIRL banged heads over who'd pay to clear the promised land in the northwest corner. SEAPARC was suddenly (and, fortunately in many/most local minds) only briefly in the mix as an alternative location even as council argued that any library worthy of the name "public" was best suited for the heart of town. Happy, happy, joy, joy on March 18, 2017 when the announcement came that the VIRL board had voted to accept Lot A on our terms and would prepare the land at its own cost.  
 
“Hats off to the library board, and Rosemary and her staff," Reay told the Voice News that day. "They don’t give up. It was a collaborative effort – District of Sooke staff, Sooke Council, the staff and executive of VIRL, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Director Mike Hicks, and the library board itself." All involved thought the project would get underway within a year, but then cue the hold-ups and delays.

One big milestone moment came with the unveiling of the architect's plans for our unique library-in-the-round in May, 2018. It's a striking building, described by HDR Architecture's Gulmatico as an "iconic addition to Sooke's dynamic growth ... the circular form of the building was inspired by the idea of a 'log' section wrapped with vertical cedar paneling that emulates the texture of a 'tree bark.' The circular form also responds to the functional requirement fo the library in which a clear sightline should be maintained from the central service desk to the majority of the space for security." 

Further from Gulmatico: "The library's main entrance offers a welcoming feel and a strong street presence defined by heavy timber columns and beams supporting the canopy strcture ... the building's west coast character is enhanced by stone accent cladding that compliments the rustic look of vertical cedar siding. The use of corrugated metal cladding adds texture and contrast to the exterior palette." 

All Good Things In Time
In my experience this last year, there has been a respectful, healthy exchange of ideas between District staff on one hand and VIRL and its architects on the other. No "help!" signs have been required, thanks the same.

One of my first acts on council upon being appointed as the VIRL rep was to take a roadtrip to Nanaimo with our then-acting CAO Brent Blackhall to meet with Ms. Bonanno and VIRL's Finance Director Joel Adams. VIRL filed the first draft of the Development Permit in January, triggering a set of referrals to outside agencies (Ministry of Transportation, BC Hydro, Telus, CRD Water Services) and District departments.  

Our Engineering, Planning and Parks & Environment teams all had sets of valid questions, which were addressed as the DP evolved to its current state (the latest of five revisions to the Landscape Plan, for instance, was filed on Oct. 31). Only when the Development Permit is accepted by council can the lease (which itself has gone through a series of rewrites) be signed.  
 
Boldface closer: I've argued, and will continue to do so, that getting it right is vastly more important than getting it done fast when the project in question is intended to serve Sooke's growing population for the next generation or two. 

Links of Related Interest

~ Canadian Library Association
~ Canadian Urban Libraries Council 
​~ Canadian Federation of Library Associations 

~ Public Libraries in British Columbia (Province of BC website) ~ "British Columbia has 71 public libraries with 241 service locations in which more than 15.6 million items are available to borrow. In 2017, 52 million items were checked out, and libraries offered 74,000 programs to the public, attended by 1.74 million people. B.C. libraries have 3,600 computers available for public use." 

​~ British Columbia Library Association 

~ "BC Municipalities Want Province To End Library Funding Freeze" (September, 2019; the District of Sooke was among the BC municipalities that submitted a letter in support of the campaign to dethaw (frozen since 2010) and increase BC funding for public libraries.) + BC Library Trustees Association' $20 million in 2020 campaign. 

~ Neil Gaiman and Chris Ridell ~ On Why We Need Libraries 
 
~ Links to Libraries ~ "Learning to read proficiently is a child's best chance for success in school and in life. By increasing their access to books, Link to Libraries strives to inspire young readers and enhance the language and literacy skills of children of all cultural backgrounds. To date, Link to Libraries has distributed over 650,000 new books to school libraries and to the home libraries of children in need, many of whom have never previously owned a book."

~ 100 Most Borrowed Books ~ A foundation for a well-stocked library 

~ "What Libraries Do" ~ "Libraries level the playing field. As great democratic institutions, serving people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, or physical ability, and providing the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work." 

~ Libraries (Pinterest collection of images) + Quotes about libraries 

~ CBC Radio's Michael Enright ~ "In Praise of Librarians" ... "Libraries are about a lot more than books. They are community builders, shelters, outreach centres — in short, vital components of any social grouping sharing common goals and interests. And librarians are the guardians of that shared mission. Long may they flourish."


~ 12 Authors Write About the Libraries They Love ~ New York Times article featuring recollections by Barbara Kingsolver, Amy Tan, Annie Proulx and others. 

Happy to learn yesterday that Katherine Lesyshen is returning to the District as our new Senior Planner effective mid-January. She and her family live here, and this career move will eliminate the weekday commute to Colwood, where she's been a planner since 2017. She started her career in New Zealand, then spent a decade in Sooke led by then-senior planner Gerard LeBlanc and alongside her colleague Tara Johnson (who is also back after a leave of absence with our "ace," as i insist on calling it for good reason, planning crew with Ivy Campbell and Teunesha Evertse).   

Job one, as I understand it, for Ms. Lesyshen in 2020 will be to quarterback our long-awaited, much-anticipated Official Community Plan review. The City of Colwood completed a new OCP of its own last year, so she will be walking in with all the best practices and direct experience to pull off one of the most daunting of every municipality's planning challenges and legislative requirements. 

Council discussed the OCP at this Monday's Committee of the Whole. The legal context along with useful constructive criticism of the current document and a menu of gaps to be filled in the next one are detailed in Ms. Campbell's report available in the Dec. 16 COW agenda here (link). 

All of us on council are naturally eager to get the OCP started ... or rather re-started after the excellent initial public engagement phase (late 2016, complete with three online surveys and multiple public feedback sessions) and suggestions from then-planner Danica Rice on how our zoning categories could be modernized for an aspirational smart-growth community. 

Things came to a halt back in June, 2017 because the planning department was short-staffed and then-CAO Teresa Sullivan had no choice but to reassign Ms. Rice to frontline planning work (until she herself tired of the daily commute from her home in Cowichan Bay and took a position with the City of Duncan).

As it turned out, however, the delay was a good thing as it allowed the District time to initiate a now near-complete set of essential foundational documents -- namely updated Parks & Trails and Transportation masterplans along with the Housing Needs Report (now posted on the District's website), Child Care and Lot A reports -- as the backbone for the next OCP. (We also likely would benefit from an update of the 2009 Town Centre Plan, however there is only so much $$$ we can lavish on consultants and the existing document captures the waterfront vision for a commercial/residential waterfront hub nicely ~ a definitive snapshot of #SookeSmartGrowth and an example of what in recent years has been dubbed the "20-minute neighbourhood.") 

We're also fortunate that a wealth of statistical data (aka the "Sooke Baseline Study") is now being prepared independently and at no cost to us by masters' students in Royal Roads University's School of Tourism & Hospitality Management program. Drawing on Sooke's own reports and numerous other sources, it will cover transportation, housing, standard of living, the environment, sports, safety, arts and culture, education, health and wellness, "belonging and leadership" and tourism. 
 
Some of the conversational threads I raised on Monday afternoon as I recall them four days later ... 

i) Unlike the non-prioritized recommendations in the current OCP, let's see its policy suggestions divided into short, medium and longer-term categories so that council and staff get clear direction on what to tackle next. I noted that the 2010 Parks & Trails Plan had it right in creating a series of "Priority Class Projects" ~ A (1 to 5 years); B (6 to 12 years); C (13 to 20 years); and D (20+ years). In this way, the OCP can focus on the immediate future while also looking at more distant horizons. (As Langford did so successfully and in its unique way in the 1990s, when A-list community planner Avi Freidman was hired as a consultant for a masterplan that continues to unfold largely as intended today; just in case we hear any accusations of us dragging our feet with the OCP, please note that Mayor Young's latest OCP is two years older than our own and there's no word about its update that I've heard.) 

ii) In terms of process, we are leaning, it seems, towards a traditional OCP steering committee featuring one or two (not all of us, as several of us wish) council reps and a set of VIP public appointees. On Monday, I made the rather clever suggestion, I daresay, that rather than issuing a general call for committee members that will net who knows whom, we instead ask our leading community groups -- the three Lions clubs, Rotary, Transition Sooke, Sooke Region Community Health Network, Chamber of Commerce, Community Association, SEAPARC, SD #62 board, Sooke Arts, etc. -- to canvas their ranks and put forward one appointee each. I can't imagine a better way to get fulsome community engagement while eliminating any possible suggestions that the OCP has been "hijacked" (as one former councillor has said of the current doc) by special interests. 

iii) To save time and consultant dollars (budgeted over 24 months at $200k, which is in the mid-range of what OCPs cost BC communities), let's visit Staples, buy a box of red pencils and ask our TBD committee to salvage the "good bits" from the 2010 OCP while excising the dross and adding new material based on the next rounds of public input. It seems vital to me that we honour the work of the past and identify the enduring threads of community consensus that connect our previous OCPs (2010, 2001) and the CRD local area plans that preceded them. 
 
iv) I also noted on Monday that I routinely get north-star inspiration and perspective from the OCP infographic (see below) that Ms. Rice created based on her 2016 public feedback. What a beautiful, responsible, inclusive, everyday visionary set of "big goals" and "key directions" to embed in the next iteration of our reliably #LetSookeBeSooke community plan. 
 
PS What follows is a cut-and-paste of the closing portion of Ms. Campbell's COW report since you're very likely time-stressed and have opted not to open the agenda. (Of everything I've seen in my first year in office, the one recurring fact I find myself applauding time and time again is the professionalism and expertise District staff ~ and their CRD counterparts, for that matter ~ display in following logical, proven, Local Government Act/Community Charter-sanctified best practices. This is just the latest in a long line of such examples.)   

"Guiding Principles for an updated OCP:
 
It is important to establish a set of guiding principles for an OCP re-write to help steer the process and create a policy document which provides the greatest benefit to the community. The principles are general statements that outline not only the type of OCP that is most desirable for the District, but the way in which it is developed. 
 
As the project progresses, the principles of the OCP review process can be further developed and enhanced. While staff believe that Council input is critical to establishing the principles, the following are some initial ideas for Council to consider. Council's Strategic Plan provided important direction for the creation of the guiding principles.
 
1. First and foremost, develop an OCP that is created with a high degree of community input and fully endorsed by the community. Residents and stakeholders should have multiple opportunities for meaningful input before they perceive that changes are set in stone. This can be achieved through comprehensive public consultation at the outset, continuing through the process. (Effective and consistent communication). 
 
2. Develop an OCP that provides clear and consistent guidance and direction for Council, staff, and the development community. (Effective governance and Long-term thinking)
 
3. Establish a user friendly OCP that is easily understood by the public, decision makers and staff. (Effective governance and consistent communication). This can be achieved through the following ... 
 
a. A logical and organized bylaw structure
b. Strategic use of info graphics and illustrations
c. Clear language and well-defined terms
d. Clear and concise table of contents and index digitally linked to relevant sections of the document; and
e. Easy online use
 
4. Achieve an OCP that defines and enhances the unique character and future of Sooke. (Community Vibrancy and Long-term thinking)
 
5. Improve development guidelines to achieve a desirable form and character of development in Sooke. (Community Vibrancy, well-being and safety)
 
6. Focus on incorporating the provincial framework for a Healthy Built Environment: Neighbourhood Design, Transportation Networks, Natural Environment, Food Systems, Housing all with a social/economic underpinning. (Community well-being and safety, Vibrancy and Environmental leadership)
 
 
Next Steps
 
The process of developing a new OCP evolves as new information is received/obtained, consensus on the process is reached and interim decisions are made. It is important that expectations are managed throughout the process. For example,  it may be determined partway into the process that it’s a priority for the community to focus on
economic development and as a result it is proposed to Council that funds either be reallocated or additionally budgeted for in order to develop an economic development strategy for the community which would then provide an 'update' to section 4.4 of the current OCP. Another example might be placing priority on the environment specific to
climate change which could also lead to the need for additional funds or reallocation of funds towards the creation of a climate action plan with a subsequent update to several sections of the current OCP.
 
Once the Senior Planner has started they will need approximately one month to become familiar with the current OCP and related documents (draft TMP and PTMP; Housing Needs Report; Child Care Needs Assessment, Economic Analysis, growth projections and previous OCP engagement work). Other planning staff are in the process of
preparing "white papers" for use during the OCP review which would serve as a method to inform the project consultant on the specific challenges that Sooke is facing. 
 
The white papers will address the following areas in the existing OCP: Development Permit Areas, Land Use Designations, Housing Policies and Climate Action and Adaption. They will identify current challenges in those areas with respect to how the current OCP policy has responded to real world conditions for the past decade. This critical review will assist in creating an understanding of the effectiveness of these policy sections in achieving Sooke's goals.

​After this review is complete an RFP will be drafted for publication on the District website and civic web. Once proposals have been received and reviewed by staff, a report will be presented to Council to approve awarding the
project to the successful bidder. After the successful bidder is awarded the contract OCPs take approximately two years to complete." 

PPS Here's how accelerated growth is being planned for the future commuter (GO Train-connected) Metro Toronto town of Inisfill south of Barrie ~ current population 40k and projected for three times that by 2060. As its Mayor says in this clip, the idea is to densify a boldly reimagined town centre and let the rest of an otherwise rural community retain its existing character.  A game-changer for us and the rest of the South Island, of course, would be if the BC government makes a serious commitment to rapid transit in its South Island Transportation Plan, due for release early next year. (Our best hope for the 71% of Sooke residents commuting by bus to work, I figure, is that the province embraces the idea of a fleet of fast buses running to major employment centres from Langford, to which we'd be connected by our own set of express routes.) 

FYI This #Sooke-specific tally from the Capital Regional District's 2020 provisional budget, approved on Oct. 30 by the CRD Committee of the Whole (aka board) and subject to minor tinkering in the months ahead. It calls for a 2.12% hike on the 2020 bill we will receive in the spring.

Based on Sooke's average home assessment ($490K), this means homeowners in Sooke will pay an average of $658.62 to the CRD in 2020 ~ up $13 from last year. For this, we receive clean, verifiably lead-free water on demand; waste management, landfill and recycling services; access to a superb parks system (including our beloved Potholes and Goose); and regional emergency management planning, among other services. 

For perspective: The South Island's current year-to-year inflation rate is 2.7%. Largely because we're not on the hook for a share of the $775m wastewater treatment facility at McLoughlin Point, our 2020 CRD increase is relatively low compared to other municipalities, i.e. Victoria (6.17 percent), View Royal (9.78 percent), Colwood (10.37 pecent), Saanich (6 percent), Esquimalt (7.11 percent), etc.

Drilling down on the chart ... Regional costs shared with all 13 CRD municipalities are listed in its top third. Sooke-specific services are identified in the second third. And towards the bottom are two categories every homeowner in the region pays into: long-term debt servicing (water treatment facilities, for instance) and regional hospitals/health-care facilities.

Among the services tailored to Sooke, you'll see that the lion's share finances our recreation centre and its related facilities. SEAPARC's $3.4 million Fitness Centre addition is set to open in January, then the masterplan calls for a new pool roof (2022), a $1 million upgrade of the Sooke Skate Park (2023) and the construction of a multi-sport (lacrosse included) box in Sunriver (its timing contingent on whether the District receives a six-figure federal infrastructure grant this year).

We in Sooke also pay specifically for ...

* Sooke Region Museum operational funding; 

* Contributions to the Regional Housing First Fund, now paying off locally via the Knox Vision apartments, a pair of incoming BC Housing affordable rental projects in the town centre and the strong possibility of a third (perhaps paired with a senior/youth activity centre on Lot A) given the demand identified in Sooke's newly released Housing Needs Assessment report;

* Access to the CRD Arts & Culture Service, which Sooke subscribed to late last year thanks to the wise advocacy of Cllr. Parkinson. The Sooke Community Choir, the Sooke Folk Music Society, the Sooke Philharmonic and the Sooke Festival Society have received CRD project grants this year; 

* Animal care services (which I've suggested the District might eventually want to take in-house once the current contract lapses in 2023. Ms. Rodriguez and Sooke pet-owners in general might appreciate an animal shelter closer to home than Elk Lake, we could hire a team of experienced locals to run it, and a revenue stream would be available through both the current contract fee and the ongoing sale of microchip-embedded tags).

Our overall tax bill also includes, of course, direct payments to the District of Sooke (approx. 40 percent of your/our total bill), the Vancouver Island Regional Library, BC Transit, School District #62, BC Assessment and the Municipal Finance Authority.

Everyone has a view/opion about the value of the CRD for us here in the region's westernmost fringe. After attending a dozen or so meetings this year as Sooke's Alternate Director, I've become a sincere fan of a sharp, professionally run (or so it seems to rose-coloured me) organization that delivers an array of essential services while also planning responsibly for a growing population (750k in Greater Victoria by 2100, double the current total), purchase green space (the next focus being west of the Sooke River) and deal as best we can with the climate emergency.
​
Not that we have a choice in participating, of course. Amendments to British Columbia's Municipal Act in 1965 created regional districts as the mechanism by which to coordinate urban, suburban and rural communities with shared borders and needs. The CRD was created two years later. Regional governance is fated to evolve in the years ahead contingent to some degree on how the Victoria/Saanich amalgamation talks proceed, yet we will likely always be part of a regional confederation ~ perhaps one distant day in an alliance with west shore communities only.

Scanning the unpublished draft entries for this blog, I found this early March overview of the District's annual financial planning process in which council was then absorbed. I believe the numbers and rationales I'm citing are mostly accurate even though the 2019-23 plan was still being tinkered with at the time i wrote, so I publish it here with a few touch-ups but mostly unvarnished and as-was. 

Traditionally the vast majority of us in Sooke have paid the piper by the early July property tax deadline. This year, 6,237 tax notices were distributed, and I'm told the District's front office team of Cassidy Thagard, Chandra Frobel, Stacey Dalep, Teresa Burkett and Deborah Knight again came through with flying colours in dealing respectfully and professionally with the paperwork crush as well as the occasional (happily rare) aggrieved resident steamed about this year's hike.   

​I'm not sure where I saw the following number recently, but I believe the stats show that the Sooke tax base is 85 percent residential. The District continues to face growing costs of doing business, so obviously this and future councils will need to be assertive and creative in encouraging more industrial and commercial tax folios ~ most logically through ...

* the long overdue hiring of an Economic Development Officer;

* the relaunch of some fresh variation on the Sooke Economic Development Commission to liaise with the Sooke Chamber of Commerce (now undergoing another of its periodic transitional phases) and the smaller, more nimble Economic Development Group (given that it's a group of local business people who focus in collegial fashion on specific projects ~ #DividedBy14 originally and now the Municipal Regional Development Tax to finally get Sooke fully into the tourism marketing game).  Sooke's EDC was established in the mid-00s by Mayor Evans complete with an 'Advantage Sooke' website. It was replaced by Mayor Milne in 2012 with the Advisory Panel on Economic Development, RIP 2015. (One participant in the Steve Grundy-led panel, Michael Clouser, wrote a comprehensive overview of local and regional ED initiatives following council's 2015/16 decision to opt out of participation in what has evolved into the South Island Prosperity Project.)  

* and, perhaps most sensibly if we want to boost business/commercial taxes and create local jobs, extend the sewer system across the Sooke River to service underdeveloped industrially zoned lands (in addition to the the First Nation, two schools and residential areas with failing septic systems in the Kaltasin area). This proposal was one of the top-two next-step (along with Whiffin Spit North) recommendations for future sewer development in Sooke's 2010 Liquid Waste Management Plan (Sanitary). It will only be possible once we've dramatically upgraded and doubled the capacity of the existing wastewater treatment system, currently at close to 70 percent capacity and prone to possible spillovers during winter's heavy rainfalls. There's also the option of a satellite waste treatment site on the east side of the river. Or perhaps we simply accept the fact that we're a bedroom community and leave it at that ... much discussion sure to follow, maybe complete with the revival of WRATH (Worried Residents Against Tax Hikes), which rallied against the establishment of a sewer system back in the early '00s. 

Okay, all this said, back to my abandoned and now revived post from the late winter/early spring. Bonus: A few musical selections ~ #1 ... #2 ... #3 ~ as accompaniment if you choose to read on.  

Here's a collection of point-form notes arising from the 2019 Five-Year Budget Planning session. Bottom line: Taxpayers across all nine property classes of taxation will pay 7.2 percent more this year. For homeowners, that works out to $7.28 per month on residences with an assessed value of $481k (the average for Sooke homes in 2019 as determined by BC Assessment) or $87.41 for the year. 
 
The District snags approx. 40 percent of your total tax bill. The rest is collected on behalf of the Capital Regional District, School District #62, BC Transit, the Regional Hospital District and the Vancouver Island Regional Library. Use this Sooke tax calculator on the District's website to see how your 2019 property bill is divvied up for municipal services. And check out these Union of BC Municipalities fact sheets -- Local Government Revenues & Expenses + Property Assessment + Taxation + Financial Planning & Accounting --  for the big-picture story on how municipalities collect, manage and spend. 
 
Our Sooke tax hike will deliver the following ...  
 
* The hiring of six new municipal employees (1.9 percent tax increase for a partial year of salaries) deemed to be essential in building a professional municipal operation and aiding existing staff manage the workload here in Van Isle's second-fastest growing community ...  
 
~ Career Firefighter 
~ Municipal Engineer (a position vacant locally since 2015)
~ Records Management Clerk
~ Chief Building Official 
~ Permit/Plan Coordinator
~ Waste Water Operator 
 
* Payment for consultants and the full public engagement processes for a set of documents that will redefine Sooke's masterplan for the next decade, namely ...  
 
~ Official Community Plan (budgeted for $200k over three years) 
~ Staff Organizational Review ($50k, to be helmed by our next Chief Administrative Officer) 
~ Parks & Trails Masterplan ($71k) 
~ Transportation Masterplan ($100k) 
~ Housing Needs Assessment ($35k) 
~ Child Care Needs Assessment (paid for through a provincial grant) 
~ CAO Executive Search ($20k) 
~ Lot A Planning ($25k) 
 
*  Employer Health Tax ~ 1.06 percent tax increase. The District has traditionally paid $30k roughly in Medical Service Plan premiums to cover health plans for its employees. The DOS this year has to pay that amount plus $81k of the new employer health tax. Next year and beyond, we're on the hook for just the employer health tax. 
 
* Road Maintenance Contract  ~ 1.3 percent tax increase likely this year. The District's contract with Main Road is up for renewal. (Update: The RFP for submissions is Aug. 23).  Given local growth and regional cost increases, it's expected we could be paying as much as $100k more for the contract. The time will eventually come when the District creates its own works department or in some future amalgamated partnership with other west shore communities. 

* Paid On-Call Volunteer Firefighter Wages ~ This year will see the first in a phased series of pay increases to align local practices with provincial standards as championed by the Volunteer Firefighters Association of BC. It's a critical next step in ensuring retention of the volunteer force (currently three dozen, which is a dozen or so short of Chief Mount's optimal roster) that backs up our small team of career firefighters. 
 
* Debt Servicing- $129K (1.6 percent tax increase). We have a number of loans through the Municipal Finance Authority still outstanding, including the sewer, Lot A (for which we'll be paying down $284k  + $9k interest this year), and some necessary equipment upgrades for the Fire Department (ladder truck, water tender truck and, new this year, a replacement for Engine 3, which will be purchased in $400k instalments this year and next). 
 
* Road Improvement Program - budgeted at $800k. Year two of the five-year program is $100k more than anticipated in last year's budget, a reflection of increased costs on the south island. 
 
* EV Charger Program ~ $75k (1 percent tax increase). Click for details. 
 
* Mayor and Council Salary increase ~ $20k (0.25 tax increase) to boost our salaries in a first pay hike since the automatic annual cost-of-living bump was eliminated in 2011 (by a council comprised of folks with good salaries and healthy pension plans, it must be said. To reiterate, this increase will bring us closer to the average for BC commuities of our size and is a first step in encouraging gifted and engaged young and mid-to-late career individuals to run).  
 
You're entirely free and welcome to disagree, of course, but the belief of council and staff is that this tax increase is necessary. We're growing like topsy out here and the District must keep pace. The last two councils kept tax increases low ~ artifically so, one might argue. The key positions of Director of Planning and Municipal Engineer were left unfilled when the incumbents left in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

​Mayor Milne campaigned on cost-cutting and he delivered with a cumulative 1.61 percent increase over his three years. The last four years, meanwhile, has seen a total increase of 9 percent.  That's a 10.83 increase since 2012 ~ barely enough to keep pace with the Consumer Price Index. Meanwhile, the demands on staff, infrastructure and services have grown exponentially. As those of us who attended the recent Local Government Leadership Academy sessions in Parksville learned, zero tax increases are fine and dandy in the short term yet the deferred costs can only be kicked down the road so often before the cracks show and the potholes multiply. 
 
FYI  Here's how the tax increase numbers break down over the last seven years: 
 
2018 2.79%
2017 5.58%
2016 0.85%
2015 0.00%
2014 0.02%
2013 1.59%
2012 0.00%

Perspective: Other municipalities have also set significant tax increases this year, including Kelowna (4.43%), Tofino (7.4%), Duncan (3.89%), Saanich (5.37%), Victoria (4.3%) and Vancouver (4.5%) .  Here's a municipal tax calculator for 160+ BC municipalities (2018 figures). 

Reality check: Property tax increases are just one measure of living costs, and costs are up in many areas of life, especially here in lotus land.  The Consumer Price Index rose nearly 2 percent in the Victoria region compared to last year.  BC Consumer Price Index stats can be found here. Compare then and now with this British Columbia Inflation Calculator (i.e., $100 CAD in 1960 would be worth $867.74 CAD in 2019.) 

Closing words courtesy Grumpy Taxpayers of Greater Victoria. Plus these thoughts on taxation from American linguist George Lakoff, who discusses the differences in how taxes are framed as either a necessity that supports civilized life as we know it here in this privileged part of the world ... or a burden from which relief is needed ... depending on whether one's mindset is progressive or conservative. The key, far smarter and accomplished people than me have said repeatedly, is that tax dollars be spent wisely and strategically for the betterment of communities. Hopefully that's what we're accomplishing here in Sooke.  
 

Happy to report that the District of Sooke yesterday issued a call for applicants to the revived Climate Change Action Committee. Interested individuals have until May 31, two Fridays from today, to put their names forward via  the form found at this link.

Chairperson Cllr. Tony St-Pierre, council's appointee to the CRD Climate Action Intermunicipal Working Group, is seeking up to 10 individuals to join him and District staff around the table to identify local actions and broader advocacy campaigns to address the CRD and Sooke declarations of a climate emergency. At a planetary scale, of course, there's also the five-alarm reports of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and, just recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity bombshell revealing that one million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction.  

Tony is a super bright, engaged, savvy and passionate advocate for rapid action on climate change. He regularly reminds council of the IPCC's call for governments large and small to move to war footing in dealing with the crisis in the immediate future (#2030). Like us all on this council, Tony recognizes that climate change is the big-picture lens through which we must view local issues: housing, local economic development, transportation, Smart Growth, energy infrastructure, hiking/cycling trails and all the rest. Backing us up in this view is the fact that the Official Community Plan (both the current 2010 model and the early public feedback for the next one) clearly cites a healthy environment as the #1 priority for Sooke residents. 

With a mind to doing what we can as best we can locally, Cllr. Beddows and I would both like to participate on the committee as well (however council will need to revise the Terms of Reference to make that possible.) Al is keen in his unofficial and, I reckon, hugely invaluable role as a bridge to a vital sector of Sooke society that he jokingly but respectfully describes as "red neck" (and in which he counts himself; personally, I find him a wholly reasonable, common sense gentleman -- and there's no question that practical, common sense solutions are what's needed as we face what's looming ahead of us.) 

Me, I'm the Transition Sooke alumnus and former chair of the Climate Change committee in the final two years of its six-year existence. The likes of T'Sou-ke Nation solar project manager Andrew Moore, the Rotary Club's Mark Ziegler (a former federal government economist in the Climate Change Secretariat), Solar Colwood's Nitya Harris and the Pachamama Alliance's Michael Tacon were all part of the committee along with council liaison Ebony Logins and such key District staff as Laura Hooper, Brent Blackhall and former fire chief Steve Sorenson. We dreamed big yet didn't accomplish all that much given all the other priorities the District had on its plate then. For the record, our conversations focused on such seemingly achievable undertakings as a community solar project (solar farm, solar parking lot, and/or solar panels at EMCS or/and the Municipal Hall); a yard-waste depot in the District's Kaltasin works yard; EV charging stations (which is one good evolving legacy thanks to the work of the District's Paul Butterfield);  a local compost facility as potentially facilitated by Net Zero Waste that could serve local farmers and backyard growers; and potential collaboration with the BC Sustainable Energy Association on its Renewable Energy By 2050 campaign (with which the District of Saanich is now well underway). 

That was then and this is later (i.e.,now). If indeed you're planning to apply to the resurrected committee, please explore some of these related links: 

* Two foundational documents that guided the Climate Change committee previously 
~ Sooke Climate Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP, 2014)
~ BC Climate Action Charter (2008), to which Sooke and all BC municipalities are signatories.

* Capital Region District agendas and videos re: this winter's Climate Emergency Declaration    
~ Feb. 13: CRD Board of Directors meeting at which Climate Emergency was formally declared
~ Jan. 23: CRD Parks & Environment Committee meeting at which a Climate Emergency declaration was first discussed following a motion by Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, Saanich councillor Ned Taylor and Sooke's own Mayor Maja Tait. 
​
​~ CRD Climate Change website page 
~ CRD Climate Projections for the Capital Region (2017 PDF report ... in brief: drier summers marked by extended droughts combined with wetter winters featuring heavy storm events) 

* Government of British Columbia
~ BC Climate Action Toolkit + "Sooke's Innovative Town Centre Takes Shape," 2010
~ CleanBC (2018)
~ PDF of the CleanBC plan released in Dec., 2018
~ Community Energy Association of BC summarizes the plan  
​~ Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives analysis of CleanBC  

~ BC Energy Step Code + its new website 

Regarding local governments, CleanBC states "they will play a critical role in areas such as developing new clean energy sources, supporting active and cleaner transportation options and helping B.C. transition to zero waste. Their ongoing efforts to make communities more compact, complete and energy-efficient are essential to this strategy’s success. B.C. local governments are leaders on climate action, managing their corporate and community wide GHG emissions and creating clean, compact, more energy efficient communities." 

* Government of Canada
~ Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
~ The Paris Agreement
~ Canada's Climate Plan

* Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
~ Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C (final report)
~ The Guardian on the IPCC report 
~ Wikipedia entry 
~ National Geographic coverage 

* Generation Now & Next  
~ Greta Thunberg's TED Talk + address to COP24  
​~ BC Climate Strike
~ Profiles of Canadian Climate Strikers 
~ Sooke's Finn and Chloe Unger on the Declaration of the Right to a Healthy Environment (the BlueDot initiative passed by DOS council in February, 2015 as a relatively early adopter to a document now signed by more than 300 municipalities across Canada). 

~ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's New Green Deal 
​~ Canada's New Green Deal (May, 2019) 

* Greening Sooke/T'Sou-ke
~ Climate Emergency Declaration (passed unanimously by Sooke council on April 8, 2019) 
~ Plastic Bag Bylaw (draft received by council on May 13, 2019; public hearing set for June 10)  
~ EV Charger Station program (2018/19) 
~ FireSmart program and emergency response preparedness by the Sooke Fire Rescue Department as we in BC prepare to deal with potential local impacts of the "fifth season." 
~ Draft tree protection bylaw (spring 2019) 
~ Environmental due diligence in the development of Sooke's Lot A public lands 

~ DOS achieves carbon-neutral municipal operations in 2015, earning Level 3 (highest) recognition from UBCM

~ Sooke Climate Energy & Emissions Plan approved by council in Oct. 2014. Priorities: 
i) Promotion of home retrofits & demand-side management programs;
ii) Improved walking infrastructure;
iii) Organics diversion from Hartland;
iv) Urban containment (i.e., less sprawl, more OCP-directed town centre development)

~ BC Transit's Sooke Local Area Service Plan review (2019) 

~ T'Sou-ke Solar City
~ T’Sou-ke Centre for Sustainability Housing Innovation
(skills training in the creation of energy efficient housing for BC indigenous communities)

~ Transition Sooke (founded 2010) 
~ Zero Waste Sooke (founded 2015)
~ TS Pesticide Education Group (founded 2016)
~ TS Ecohome Tours (2016/17/18)
~ Planet Earth Party: Earth Day Sooke (April 22, 2018)

~ Sooke Region Food CHI
~ Sooke Farmland Trust Society
~ CRD Foodlands Access Program

 ~ District of Sooke council is among the Vancouver Island councils that have accepted the District of Highlands' 2019 Municipal Survivor Climate Change Challenge. Global Footprint Network's personal calculator here.  
 
Miscellaneous other reasons why it's getting easier to be green and proud of it locally ... 
​
~ Roadside clean-up: The iconic, heroic Sifu Koshin Moonfist (aka Broomfist) 
~ Tradition of litter-busting with Rotary Club, EMCS Youth Engagement Team, Zero Waste Sooke & other community groups
~ First/only BC municipality to vote, via electoral plebicite, for a ban on increased oil-tanker traffic 
~ Youth for Change students fundraise for EV station at Edward Milne Community School, 2016/17
~ Youth for Change group revitalized by EMCS leadership students in spring 2019
~ Tidal power: Accumulated Ocean Energy (in collaboration with T’Sou-ke Nation and academic institutions) 
~ Solar installation: Viridian Energy Co-Operative + Endless Energy & Solar Solutions + independent contractors 
~ T’Sou-ke Nation, Timberwest and EDP Renewables Canada announce intention (2013) for $750-million in large-scale wind power projects on Vancouver Island's southwest coast.  
~ Geothermal heat pumps in select homes at Woodland Creek
~ Built Green Canada Gold standard met by Harbourside Cohousing
~ Green residential builders in the region include Keary Conwright + Frank McKendry + Forest Adam + Tony Johnson + David Dare, among others. 
~ Invasive species removal by the Juan de Fuca Trails Society and the Greater Victoria Green Team 
~ Regional beach clean-ups by Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Island
~ District of Sooke's Subdivision and Development Standards bylaw requires that street trees are planted on new roads 
~ Urban tree inventory is part of the District's GIS mapping system (photographs, caliper size, species name)
~ Community Gardens at Sunriver and the Sooke Baptist Church
~ Food gardens at John Muir Elementary and Edward Milne Community School (the latter being the 2019 winner of Farm to School BC's Polllinator Award) 
​

More Big Picture Links 
~ NASA website: Global Climate Change ~ Vital Signs of the Planet (evidence) 
~ The Royal Society - Climate Change Evidence and Causes 
~ Climate Atlas of Canada - Climate Change: The Basics 
~ "The last five years were the hottest ever recorded" ~ National Geographic, Feb. 2019 

~ Al Gore's Climate Reality Project + "The Green Revolution is Unstoppable" 
~ Heartland Institute on Climate Change (American think tank for the conservative movement) 

~ Climate Change Denial: Articles from The Guardian  
​~ Skeptical Science: "Getting Skeptical about Climate Change Skepticism"
~ DeSmogBlog: "Clearing the PR Pollution the Clouds Climate Science" 
~ "How to Talk to A Climate Change Denier" 

~ International Monetary Fund report (May, 2019) on global fossil fuel subsidies 
"The Canadian government spends $58 billion per year in fossil fuel subsidies to the oil and gas industry. 
That’s $1,600 per person." 

Departing tomorrow for the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Convention in Powell River, so I thought it best to finish this rough transcription of notes from my previous such learning-curve depth dive  ~  hosted by the AVICC in association with BC's Local Government Leadership Academy in Parksville in mid-February. I was scribbling madly and likely got a fair few things wrong, but I'm capturing it here for future reference and refinement. 
 
109 registered delegates
63% of us newly elected 
37% re-elected 
 
Keynote: Greg Moore, former Mayor of Port Coquitlam
"Lessons for a Happy Political Journey" 
 
* "Stand for what you campaigned on but be flexible and flow with reality ... my mission statement at start of my final term in 2015 was 'end homelessness in PoCo.'  Didn't happen but we worked towards it." 
* "'Politician' is seen to be a bad word ... Be proud. You are serving your community." 
* Enjoy the networking. Real conversations, real people. 
* "Learn how to disagree with your colleagues without being disagreeable." 
* Port Coquitlam budget document - "super document" easily understood by the public 

Challenges 
 1. Massive Time Commitment 
Upside is that the municipal year follows a somewhat predictable cycle 
- January - somewhat quiet
- Feb/March/April - busy (budget)
- May/June/July - busy
- August - holiday break
- Sept/Oct/Nov - busy
- December - quiet-ish
 
2. Random encounters with residents with questions, asks and viewpoints  
 "Thank you, here's my business card, let's set up a meeting, please get in touch with me"
 
3. Hearth and home 
- politicians tend to prioritize politics over family life
- five divorces among council members over his 16 years in office
- vent with your partner!
- avoid losing touch with the people and things that really matter to you  
 
4. Dealing with single-minded people 
 - elevate the discussion to a more expanded, inclusive level
- professional perspective vs. community perspective (job is to rep the community perspective)
- councillors are residents, too. 
 
5. Social Media
- "Eroding the quality of community debate" 
- "Terms of Service" and "Policy of Engagement" for councillor social media pages
-  Be clear with your followers:  Respectful dialogue is encouraged. Three times rule-breakers are out. 

6. Knowing when time's up 
- "Plan your exit before the community plans it for you." 
 
Media relations 
- call press back within an hour if possible 
- tough conversations are to be expected
- they'll be friendly but they are not your friend
- hone in on three messages about any given topic, and stay on message  

Reality checks
- people will eventually want new blood no matter how good you are
- have fun along the way
- you're an individual doing the best you can 
- relax, you're not the Prime Minister
- important distinction:  "residents" not "taxpayers or ratepayers" 
- you can never say 'thank you' enough
 
 Gary MacIsaac, UBCM
"The Local Government Weather Channel"  
 
Major issues currently faced by the Union of BC Municipalities 
 
* Housing/Homelessness
- a UBCM policy paper released in 2018 helped shape current provincial strategy
- focus on seniors and indigenous communities
- housing to some degree has been downloaded to municipalities -- playing catch-up for an entire generation of non-action by the federal and provincial governments
- zoning for rentals and innovative new housing types 
 
* Building Code in BC
- revised in 2018
- major pressures on the system, hold-ups are the norm throughout the province
- a worst-case example are the six cities in Metro Vancouver area, where 115k development and building permits are currently in process 
 
* Cannabis Regulations
- UBCM page here
- May, 2017 federal announcement ... "then Ottawa abandoned the field" and left it to provinces and municipalities to sort out retail and cultivation policies  
- land use issues 
- policing
- ALR land 
- TBD: revenue sharing from Ottawa and the provinces to local government 
- TBD: policies on edibles and manufacturing of same 
- TBD: micro-cultivation and regional sales of "craft" weed 
- A punworthy subject ~ 'hazy/dubious/zoned out/joint committees' 
 
* Opioid Crisis 

* Health & Social Development 
- policy page 

* Environment & Climate Change 
- UBCM policy home page
- extreme weather incoming
- BC Climate Action Charter in 2007/08 
- Wildfire threats: Emergency Operation Centre in the interior was open for six months last year 
- local governments can tap many resources, i.e. BC Climate Action Toolkit 
 
 
Local Government Organizations & Services 
* Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities 
- one of five regional associations in BC
- represents 53 member municipalities and Regional Districts 
- 346 elected officials in all representing 18 percent of BC population
- at annual convention (Sooke in 2013; Powell River this), three sessions are held to debate resolutions which, if passed, are moved up the food chain to the UBCM convention in the fall (where, if successful, they will then be forwarded to the province)
- in discussing resolutions, delegates line-up at a pro or con mic, thus allowing facilitator to get a quick read on the mood in the room and move the process along efficiently 
- BC Ferries ... socio-economic study re: rates and schedule 
- Oil company culpability - passed at AVICC in 2018, defeated at UBCM

Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia
"Created in 1970 to contribute to the financial well-being of local governments throughout BC. The MFA pools the borrowing and investment needs of BC communities through a collective structure and is able to provide a range of low cost and flexible financial services to our clients equally, regardless of the size of the community. The MFA provides long-term, short-term, and equipment financing, investment management, and other financial services to communities and public institutions in BC."

- it will take six months to get a borrowing bylaw approved
- municipalities must borrow their long-term debt from MFA 
- MFA has a Triple A credit rating
- municipalities cannot run a deficit; if one does, the deficit must be repaid within a year (unlike long-term provincial and federal deficits)
 
Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia 
- Insurance provider for municipalities
- "we fight frivolous, nuisance lawsuits on your behalf" 
- very real liabilities and risks faced by local governments

- Local Government Management Association
"LGMA is dedicated to supporting excellence in local government by providing high quality, practical training and resources; encouraging the development of professional networking and connections; and facilitating the exchange of ideas and best practices among members."
 
BC Assessment 
- "Meet the Johnsons" video for overview 
- Just over 2 million properties in BC
- $1.99 trillion is total value 
- 4300 percent increase in assessed value between 1974 (year of BC Assement's foundation) and 2018 
- 45 percent of municipal funding, on average, is from property taxes
- Assessments determined as of July 1 of prior year 
- 1.25 percent of BC property assessments are appealed annually; less than 0.25 percent are typically successful
 

DYNAMICS & DECISION MAKING 
Tracey Lorenson 
 
* Advice to elected reps: "if you're made of glass, get over it!"

 * Rule of thumb: Most residents are indifferent to what you're doing until it effects them directly. 

 * Clear, crisp, understandable communications from local government to the public is essential (show of hands in the room indicates that most municipalities have dedicated communications officers). "Don't be shy to brag!"   

 * The media twist: Civic government processes can be boring; therefore the media will find ways to make a story compelling by focusing on  personalities and polarities. Clickbait is their job. "Doing good things well for your community is not news, unfortunately." 

 * "Worry about the opinions of those you respect ... not the average social media critic." 
 
* Business tax rates are not the #1 determinant as to why a savvy business or developer will want to invest in your community; instead, focus on developing a track record of good, effective and consistent municipal governance. 
 
* It is incumbent on council to  ensure that as wide a range of viewpoints and perspectives as possible is addressed and acknowledged in working towards a decision -- even if those representing these viewpoints aren't in the room. 
 
* "You're in the business of disappointment" 
 
* Danger of over-responding to the agendas of others -- especially those who gripe in public, at council meetings or in the local press. Conversely, don't ignore squeaky wheels, " because certain wheels could be about to fall off." 
 
* All decisions need to be filtered through 1. Official Community Plan. 2. Bylaws. 
 
* Councils need to pace themselves. Some are addicted to doing too much too soon ~ a bias for action intended to reveal that the decision-makers are "quick, deep and assertive." Often better to move at a slower pace, be more contemplative, table decisions for further discussion. 
 
* Careful of asking too much of municipal staff. Every report is approximately a $3k to $4k investment in staff time.  Specify whether a minimal, mid-level or in-depth report is desired. 
 
* Taxation: A zero percent tax increase effectively reduces municipal funds by 2 to 3 percent given average annual inflation.  Generally speaking, there is underinvestment in essential infrastructure. Future taxpayers will shoulder the bill sooner or later to replace failing roads, sewers, etc. 
 
* Residents get what they pay for with their taxes. Whether a community receives gold, silver or platinum service is a direct reflection of tax rates. Less cannot deliver more. 
 
* Council relations 
 i) "The essence of strategy is in choosing what not to do" - Michael Porter. Any four-year Strategic Plan must be given an annual update and check-in ... something not enough councils do. 
 
ii) Listen carefully to each other and focus efforts on mutual differences and sticking points
 
iii) Respect each other's views and opinion. "Lean into the circle of council and staff as you move towards a resolution." 
 
iv) Always be ready and prepared to change your mind - fixed opinions are the death of creative, evolving processes.  
 
v) Have the confidence to say, 'yes, I expressed concerns about x, y or z, but now I realize the wisdom of moving ahead having given it further thought and weighed it from multiple angles.'  Or vice-versa in moving to 'no.' 
 
vi) Be curious, not certain. Do not play to the gallery with grandiose or obvious statements. 
 
vii) Choose your battles, use your equity wisely, manage your air time during meetings. 
 
viii) Council as a whole will be characterized by the public according to the worst behaviour of any one of its members. 
 
ix) Read agenda packages. If you've not done so, stay quiet and vote as best you can based on the insights of staff and informed councillors. 
 
x) “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world." ~ Bill Bullard 
 
 
"We're Got to Stop Meeting(s) Like This" 
Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne & Bob MacPherson, CAO, District of Tofino 
 
Warning Signs 
- councillors who stray habitually off-topic
- take 10 minutes to say something that should take two
- personal attacks on members of the public or each other
 
* Each councillor has the right to shape the process. Always be ready, if a debate is heading off the rails, to call a point of order and ask for a break. 
 
* Motions made on the fly are a bad idea ... must be in writing and available ahead of time for public comment
 
* When in doubt, postpone decisions so that staff can have time to weigh in, address questions and clarify grey areas.  
 
* In the case of complex, double-barrelled motions, split them into component parts and address them in succession 
 
* OFEEDS (acronym for best-meeting practices) 

- Focus (on the agenda as approved) 
 
- Efficiency (watch the clock, keep things moving) 

- Equality (for fairness and informed voting; each councillor to speak once in the queque before having a second opportunity; likewise with public comment period & public hearings)  
 
- Decorum (dignity, respect, Roberts Rules of Order)
 
- Safe (meeting environment for everyone in the room) 
 
* Statement to the public at the start of action-packed meetings: "We have a heavy agenda tonight, and we need your help in running a smooth, efficient meeting." 
 
* Council's job is to collect available wisdom in the room; question, follow-up, focus on the issues/proposals. "Engage the brainpower of those around the table to reach wise decisions ... thoughtful, judicious, balanced and informed decisions ... It is not acceptable to surpress valid and relevant input even when it might threaten your desired outcome of a vote." 
 
* Pay attention during meetings! Do not text, email, check Facebook nor (as in one infamous example) read a newspaper.  
 
* Heckling/booing/applauding during meetings is not to be permitted. Leads to creation of a potentially toxic meeting space where some may be afraid to speak. There are cases where human rights complaints have been filed against municipalities on these grounds. 
 
* Active listening is a good strategy always. Ask the public during hearings: "Does anyone have something new to add to what's been said already? If so, we'd like to hear from you." 
 
* Council members should come to meetings with open minds, not 'empty' minds. "It is a dangerous myth that changing your mind is a sign of weakness and lack of integrity." 
 

Local Government Law 101: Rights, Risks & Responsibilities
Ryan Bortolin, Stewart McDannold Stuart 
​
- Province has authority over local government. Municipal governments were viewed as "junior level of government" 30 years ago, however there is an ongoing shift of power and much less micromanagement from on high
- The federal criminal code supercedes any local bylaws 
- The Community Charter and the Municipal Act grants "natural person powers .. a person at law" status (like a corporation) to municipalities 
- Councillors can be subject to libel (written commentary) or slander (spoken). Section 115 of Community Charter defines responsibilities of councillors 
- Province has "duty to consult" with First Nations. No duty to consult at the municipal level, however it is a good practice to do so always. 
- No advantages to be given to private business in advancing their interests
 
Public Hearings  
- A public hearing, from a councillor's perspective, is actually a "public listening." 
- Often wise not to vote the same day as a public hearing; table the decision to the next meeting so that the public's input can be considered over time. 
- Councillors asked their thoughts on an issue prior to a public meeting are well advised to say: "I'll tell you after I've heard from the public." 
- When a hearing is closed, no more input is permissible
 
Local Governments & Indigenous Communities 
 * 230,000 indigenous peoples (First Nation, Metis, Inuit) in BC 
* 70 percent live off-reserve
* 203 of Canada's 600 First Nations are in BC 
* 46 percent of BC indigenous people under the age of 25
 
* Treaty negotiations: Annual report at www.bctreaty.ca 
* Province of BC draft principles: "free, prior and informed consent" 
 * C2C (Community2Community) Grants available through Ministry of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation 
 
* First Nations structure 
- Hereditary leadership -- the Chiefs, key to traditional knowledge
- Elected leadership
- Administrative leadership 
- Influential citizens 
 
* "Ask a question, be clear you want a response, wait six weeks before following up" 
* Patience, understanding and respecting cultural differences is key
 
 
Post-Election Assessment - Results, Turnout, Trends
 CivicInfoBc 
- 3,339,483 eligible voters in BC
- 35.7 percent average voter turnout in municipalities & districts, October, 2018
- 27 percent average voter turnout in regional districts, October, 2018
- Approx. 10 percent voter turnout for school board trustee elections 
- Voter turnout was often highest in smaller communities with Wells, Canal Flats, New Denver, Belcarra, Stewart, and Tahsis all reporting turnout rates of over of 70%. Also: Bowen Island (67.4%), Fernie (63.7%), and Qualicum Beach (58.9%).

Local Government Finance 101 
- Assessed Value x Property Tax Rate (aka Mill Rate) = Payable Taxes 
- Five-Year Plans are rolling documents
- look to 10 and 15-year horizons for capital expenditures
- SOFI (Statement of Financial Information) report document staff salaries in excess of $75k along with remuneration and expenses for councillors
- Sooke Property Tax Calculator 
 
- Legislated timeline:
* ideally begin a new 5 Year Financial Plan process in fall (most councils wait until the early new year and face extra stress in meeting legislated deadlines)  
* May 15 
* June 30 (SOFI and Annual Report) 
* July 2 (taxes due) 
* End of September (tax sale) 
* Oct. 31 (permissive tax exemptions) 
 
- Revenue sources
* Property taxes ~ "zero percent increases have come back to bite us" - north island councillor 
* Parcel taxes ~ sewer service 
* User fees (staff meetings, DP and Public Hearing expenses, etc.) 
* Development Cost Charges (see "DCC Guide for Elected Officials") 
* Grants 
 
- Expenditures
* manage expectations of public based on available revenues and reserves 
* strive to keep operating costs within the 2 pecent consumer price index annual increase
 
- Borrowing referendums 
* rules set by the MFABC 
* terms for five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years 
* 15 years is ideal borrowing term in terms of burden on residents

Three of our town's, nation's and planet's pressing issues will be discussed at tonight's regular council meeting. It starts at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Hall.  As ever, you're welcome to address any agenda topic during your two-minute (max) turn at the mic during public comment period. And you'll be able to weigh in at length during the evening's public hearing on the regulation of cannabis retail stores in the District. Join us! Best Monday Night Entertainment In Sooke TM. 

Climate Emergency Declaration: The CRD declared a climate emergency in January as advocated by Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, our own Maja Tait and teenaged Saanich councillor Ned Taylor. The CRD Board of Directors is now asking the region's 13 municipalities to do likewise within their own boundaries. Victoria and Saanich have done so already in joining the eight municipalities across Canada that have made declarations to date. They align with 439 regional and national governments world-wide representing nearly 40 million people. If you know any lingering skeptics, point them here ... then ask them to listen to Greta.) 

Cllr St-Pierre made the motion for a Sooke declaration at our last meeting, I seconded it, and yet council decided (rightly, i agree) in its wisdom to let the idea marinate for awhile as we ponder what such a declaration entails. We'll be discussing it further tonight. 

My thought is that making such a declaration would be a renewed, big-picture signal that we in Sooke get it that an established pattern of rising temperatures and unpredictable weather -- a record dry March, to cite the latest evidence, followed by a stuttering start to what should be our traditional April showers -- is reason to act urgently in response to the 2030-or-bust call for action issued by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC; full report here; distilled media coverage here and here).

The CRD Board of Directors has identified an advocacy strategy with other levels of government to push for accelerated climate action (open the file at the end of this post for a three-page summary of suggested actions at federal, provincial and CRD municipal levels). There's an overarching call to fully implement the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change and push for effective implementation of Premier Horgan's CleanBC Plan. The CRD also suggests continuing and expanding "direct funding programs and partnerships with regional and local governments related to low carbon building retrofits, zero-emission transportation, waste management and processing, adapted and low carbon community infrastructure and other local government influenced priority areas." 

Of course, it's all hugely complicated and much brighter minds on this subject than dim me are exploring how to truly move the CRD towards carbon neutrality by 2030 (i.e., Highlands councillor Ann Baird, whose insights into carbon offsets and how to count emissions can be found here).  

How might we act locally while thinking planet-wide?  To repeat a few thoughts off the top of my shiny ... 

* #SookeSmartGrowth (i.e. truly making a commitment to keep our density and major thrust of growth in the town centre containment area, which i'll suggest extends east to Kaltasin so that we can entertain the idea of a sewer-system expansion.)

* Alternative energy initiatives in collaboration with the T'Sou-ke Nation

* A yard-waste depot and compost facility (as recommended by Sooke's Climate Change Action Committee to zero uptake nor acknowledgement by council in 2015/16) 

* A bold local food security initiative as recommended to council in February by EMCS teacher Patrick Gauley-Gale involving the purchase of Woodside Farm (possibly through the new CRD Regional Food & Agricultural Strategy and/or in partnership with a post-secondary institution). 
 
I know some of you will suggest hypocrisy: As I said two Mondays ago, it's sadly ironic that we were contemplating an emergency declaration mere minutes after approving a town-centre drive-through here in an already auto-centric Motor City. And yet, as noted above, there are many things this council can tackle while ensuring that we make our decisions through a climate-emergency filter (as we've committed to do through earlier agreements).

Also attached below you'll find the powerpoint of the presentation I made to council in November, 2017 in association with the BC Sustainable Energy Association ~ politely received, instantly filed and forgotten (and I now better understand how that can happen given the crush of mostly micro business that consumes staff and council time -- as it rightly should given, as Metchosin Mayor John Ranns reliably says, bylaws, infrastructure, emergency services and land-use decisions should be the prime focus of local government, not big-picture issues like climate change).

Included in that powerpoint is a slide listing the commitments the District has made over the last decade: 

* DOS signed the British Columbia Climate Action Charter in 2008. <clip> “Governments urgently need to implement effective measures to reduce GHG emissions and anticipate and prepare for climate change impacts.” 

* Climate change highlighted in Sooke’s 2010 Official Community Plan. <clip> “Establish the importance of energy to all aspects of the community’s social, economic and environmental well-being…demonstrate leadership in sustainable energy.” 

* Sooke Community Energy & Emissions Plan (CEEP) endorsed by council in Oct. 2014. Provides guidelines on short, medium and longer-term actions to reduce greenhouse gases. The District's municipal operations are now rated as net zero. The CEEP needs to be revisited and revised, a good task for a reconstituted  Climate Action Committee or some variant thereof. 

Cannabis Retail Stores: Municipalities across Canada have been and continue to craft their own unique approaches to cannabis retail and cultivation under the watchful eye of provincial licensing authorities ~ the B.C. Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch in our case. Council has received a series of reports from the planning department over the last four months, and we've tinkered to the point where a zoning amendment has reached tonight's public hearing stage.

Following best practices from other municipalities, we'd like to add the definition of a "Cannabis Retail Store" to the zoning bylaw and allow four stores to operate in site-specific locations ~ three of them existing stores, the fourth an innovative new hybrid of retail store and post-secondary cannabis educational facility. All are separated by at least 300 meters from SD #62 schools and are spaced out along Sooke Road as far east as Saseenos. We'd initially thought three stores were sufficient for Sooke needs as they've been these last few years, however this latest option is an intriguing one.  

* The two locally run independents are 642 Cannabis (in the site of the former Salvation Army thrift store in the town centre) and Castle Naturals Cannabis Dispensary, run by sisters Lori Ritaller and Lisa Taylor from the east wing of our Sooke River landmark. The two stores opened in June and August, 2016 respectively and have been operating continuously since while selling a wide range of locally grown products. Like all pot stores, they'll need to have switched entirely to federally licensed cultivators (168 from all corners of the country as of the latest tally) once they secure their licenses. (Council will be turning its attention to micro-cultivation proposals once the retail picture is settled. Best idea I've heard to date: A cooperative greenhouse facility in which our various craft-weed producers could grow their various "Best In BC" strains under federal license). 

* Earth to Sky Cannabis Inc. will be setting up in the former Medijuana store at the corner of Otter Point and Sooke Rd. It's owned by Ian Laing, whose many regional holdings include the Sooke Business Park. He's also a partner in Specialty Medijuana Products with the publicly traded Choom (founded in Honolulu in the early '70s),  "dedicated to building a dominant Canadian cannabis company" and now has gathered more than 50 retail shops in Alberta and BC under its wing. Another partner is Michael Forbes, who (as I understand it) has acquired the adjacent former laundromat and will open a related pharmacy (possibly under one or both of Forbes' established brands --  Forbes Pharmacy and/or Clarity Cannabis. A west shore resident, Forbes will operate one of the five Langford stores being allowed by Stew Young and his council. Also in the masterplan is Choom's "marijuana production growth strategy" featuring greenhouse production in the Sooke region. (Choom infographic.) 

* Also now in the frame for Sooke is a potential Cooper's Cove retail shop and cannabis campus that offers post-secondary education for the new wave of employees destined for Canada's cannabis industry. Programs of various kinds are now being offered by McGill University, Vancouver's Kwantlen Polytechnic University ("cannabis career training") and the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook (which combines "science and customer service in the cannabis retail specialist program).  This is a venture between Stickleback and West Coast Adventure College owner Scot Taylor, his education director/partner Phil Foster, and GrowX Global's Jas Basi, a retired RCMP career officer based in Vancouver who has been working with the UBC Centre of Excellence to develop cannabis products to reduce opiod addictions. The master plan calls for a  move into edibles once legislation is sorted. 

Concerns? Questions? Is four the right number for Sooke? Come out to the public hearing tonight and voice them. 

Four Lanes from Connie to Glinz Lake: Eric Boucher and his neighbours from the North Sooke Residents Association are back before council for a third time in six months to express their concerns about the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure's plans for their section of the Sooke Road.

Based on their understanding from negotiations with MOTI staff, the new stretch "will be a four-lane, limited access, divided highway," said Boucher. "We've heard different versions on whether or not intersections will be signalled and if Gillespie Rd. will be signalled or have an underpass ... (the route) is generally a straight line between the intersection of Sooke and Connie Rds behind the 17 Mile to the intersection of Sooke and Glinz Lake Roads." 

Councillor McMath, Interim CAO Don Schafer and I attended an association meeting in the EMCS library last week. The neighbours are frustrated by the secrecy around the project given that matters related to land (as well as legal and labour) are to be dealt with behind closed doors, as i've learned during our council in-camera meetings. As Mayor Tait has said, she and council have not been privy to MOTI plans beyond what we've all been able to read in last summer's Corridor Improvement Study (in which a highway realignment at 17 Mile was cited).  

The North Sooke contingent is back again tonight. Their issues relate to road alignment, emergency service access, the impacts on wells and drinking water supply, and the potentially nightmarish traffic hold-ups during what would be a two-year construction period beginning a year from now through the fall of 2022. They'd also like to see MOTI and the JDF Water Distribution System take this opportunity to extend the water line from Cooper's Cove to Connie -- no small price tag at an estimated cost of $800 per meter over 2.6 kms. 

The most disturbing suggestion I heard the other night was from a North Sooke resident who said one MOTI negotiator called this phase one of three phases ... phase two being a four-lane from Connie Rd. to Langford and phase three being four lanes heading west to Sooke. As Boucher notes: "The Sooke OCP clearly indicates our desire to preserve the small town rural nature of our community. A high-speed commuter route to Langford is not consistent with the Sooke OCP." AGREED and AMEN.  

Following up on last November's bumper Hwy #14 blog post on this beautiful spring day when Sooke is again experiencing some frustrating traffic hold-ups due to Sooke River Road interchange work. My two-part item today references that project as well as the four-lane stretch between Connie and Glinz Lake roads. 

1. Good news: Latest report (Friday, 2 p.m.) from the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure is that "we are in the home stretch of the Sooke River Rd intersection project. The community of Sooke's continued patience is very much appreciated while we complete the project, and it is understood that patience has worn thin on these recent delays ... Yesterday's paving impacts were not acceptable under our contract terms, and today's paving is being watched like a hawk. Paving on the highway will stop by 3 p.m. today, when (the work crew) will shift over to some minor touch-up work on Edward Milne off the highway ... a minor amount of paving will be completed on Monday."

(The installation of the stoplight itself and the rush-hour traffic impacts it will generate is still ahead of us. As said before, a roundabout at this intersection would have been ideal, and was, in fact, called for in our 2010 Transportation Master Plan. I was told at the Open House last summer the budget could only handle a signal light, not what would have had to be a two-lane roundabout). 

Looking back over the last three months, MOTI notes: "This Sooke River Rd project has been almost entirely delivered during the day and through the first 3 months of work, delays midday were held below 10min, with free flowing rush hours." (Night work is a considerably more expensive option for contractees - in this case Jacob Brothers Construction of Surrey, BC -- if they anticipate creating traffic delays above those 10 minutes. Yet apart from a handful of "stuff happened" SNAFUs, Jacob Bros. has reportedly done well.) 

Yes, there has been understandable griping from drivers experiencing (on a happily few number of occasions) lengthy hold-ups. (I'm not a commuter, but the handful of five-or-ten minute roadwork delays I've faced over my 15 years in Sooke have made me edgy and impatient  -- I still aspire to master a zen attitude and learn to relax when the blessed normals around here undergo a minor interruption in service).

Yet the happy news is that many locals gracefully have recognized that short-term pain leads to lasting gains in traffic flow and efficiency. In fact, a Sooke River Road pal of mine was so grateful for the way work crews waved him onto Sooke Rd. over the last number of weeks that he splurged on coffeeshop cash cards and gifted them to the crew with much gratitude. 

2. You may have read in the Sooke News Mirror this week that negotiations are underway between the BC Ministry of Transportation and landowners in the 17 Mile House area of North Sooke. To quote the story's misleading opening paragraph, "The process of creating a four-lane highway between Langford and Sooke appears to be moving forward ..."  

The article's points about negotiations and expropriation is true, or so I understand. But the contention that this is a prelude to the full meal #14 four-lane deal is patently false, alarmist and sadly typical of some SNM news coverage of late. 

​As identified in the Highway 14 Corridor Improvements Study released by MOTI early last summer (see the report's third last page, which includes a tentative routing), this is a short realignment of the road from Connie, routing behind the 17 Mile House and going potentially as far as Manzer or Glinz Lake Road in phase one. This plan addresses the potentially dangerous bottleneck at Sooke Rd. and Gillespie.  It will better allow traffic to move on accident days. And the short four-lane will provide easier pullover opportunities for logging trucks and Sunday drivers, enabling the rest of us to establish a safe, steady 70 kmph (optimal, I'll say again) pace along Sooke Rd. 

Council was not officially informed of this plan by MOTI nor is it cited among the actions in the current $10 million improvement program. Personally, I heard about it from Col. Boucher of the North Sooke Residents Association at the Parks & Trails Masterplan Open House in late January. He's one of the effected landowners quoted in the SNM story. He and his association colleagues have visited council chambers twice in the last year to insist that MOTI's plans align with the District's Transportation Master Plan.  

In reading the Corridor Improvements Study, the SNM reporter may or may not have seen its second last page, which is  titled "Why not build a new highway?" (i.e., a four lane from Langford to Sooke). Here he'd have read MOTI's rationale for why it won't be happening in any of our lifetimes, and i quote in full:
 
"The mountainous terrain is a major obstacle in designing and constructing an entirely new highway between Langford and Sooke. Challenges include:

~ Need to route the highway around the higher terrain/mountain peaks
~ Much steeper grades affecting truck traffic
~ Increased snowfall, as some of the route would be above a 200m elevation
~ Need for multiple bridges to span major creeks
~ Environmental impacts
~ Need to pass through one or more regional parks
~ Construction would require major rock cuts and retaining walls
​~ High cost ($20-50M per kilometre)

Okay, let's figure out that pricetag: The distance from the end of the Sookahalla to Cooper's Cove is approx. 12km (if indeed I have worked things out correctly just now with the Google map calculator). The anticipated project cost of a four-lane Hwy #14 along that stretch, therefore, is $240-$600m.

For perspective, the Mackenzie overpass was budgeted at $85m when it was announced in 2016. MOTI also has a half-dozen other major infrastructure projects in BC to fund, including no end of minor ones (but major to the communities involved, of course) ~ all listed in full on the ProjectsBC website. (And here's MOTI's Service Plan from now through 2022.) 

Reality check: it's unrealistic if not absurd to think that a community of our size would warrant these kind of expenditures. I could be totally wrong and Minister Trevena's South Vancouver Island Transportation Strategy will have some huge surprises for us when it's released later this year, but somehow I think we're an afterthought in MOTI's bigger Malahat-centric plan. (Short and long-term mass transit solutions, please and thanks, are desperately needed.) Besides which, the Save The Sooke Hills contingent backed by the Capital Regional District's Board of Directors would reject incursions into the watershed. 

Much wiser to predict that MOTI will continue to make relatively minor tweaks and adjustments as promised along the lines of what we've seen to date: a new Roche Cove bridge, the pullover at Sombrio and dramatically improved road markings and lines (now being repainted twice annually).

Last summer's Hwy #14 Engagement Summary Report (screenshot below) identifies the top three future priorities as passing lanes, wider shoulders and slow vehicle pullovers. This current realignment, if indeed it goes ahead, will address all three priorities, albeit at a cost to be paid in terms of peace and privacy for the effected, hopefully well recompensed homeowners in North Sooke.  Certainly not the first time BC's Expropriation Act has been exercised on behalf of what mandarins and consultants have deemed to be the public good. 

The inevitable conclusion is that we must again recognize that Hwy #14 is a limit to growth ~ which we need to manage and control without letting it spiral further out of control.

Bonus: Also worth noting that the District's Paul Butterfield has been working smartly and stategically to expand EV charging stations in town. Level 2 chargers will be installed on Eustace near the Legion, the Municipal Hall, Ed Macgregor Park and elsewhere. And recently he filed a $200k grant application to the FCM's Green Municipal Fund for more. Skyline Retail REIT will install four chargers as part of the Tim Hortons expansion.