British Columbia 

Standing Items
- BC Government news portal  
​- Progress of Bills 
- Office of the Premier 
- Legislative Assembly 
- Parliamentary Calendar
​- BC Government Directory 
- Prime Minister of Canada news portal 

Spring 2026 Legislative Session 
February 18 to May 28 (41 working days) 

Budget 2026
- Budget 2026 announced by Minister Bailey on Tues. Feb. 17
- budget and fiscal plan (PDF) 
- budget highlights 
- budget speech 
- estimates for fiscal year ending March 31, 2027 

- Analysis by CRD Chief Financial Officer Nelson Chan - see Item 6.3 of the March 4 Financial Committee meeting agenda. 

News Coverage 
- BC Budget Includes Tax Increases, 15k Public Job Cuts, Projected #13b Deficit - CBC News, Feb. 17
- BC Budget Brings Cuts - Times Colonist, Feb. 18 
- More Money for Health Care, But Long-Term Care Projects Face Delays - Times Colonist, Feb. 17
- BC Budget Brings A Record Deficit and No Big Changes - The Tyee, Feb. 18
- Miscellaneous: RBC + Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives + Fraser Institute

* Legislative Assembly explainer 
* "BC Budget Must Cut Government Spending" (Canadian Taxpayers' Federation) 
* Austerity Budget Expected (CHEK News, Feb. 3)
“Absolutely we’ll be reducing spending in the next budget, but the reductions will be focused on administrative costs and bureaucracy, while we’re preserving frontline services,” said Premier Eby. "British Columbians will actually see an increased investment in services like education and health care.” ... Bailey confirmed she’s taking a hard look at spending, and said the current eight per cent annual growth in health care (which makes up almost 40 per cent of the province’s entire budget) is unsustainable when the B.C. economy is only projected to grow around 1.5 per cent in the coming year." 


March 2026
- New Police Training Centres in Vancouver and Victoria (March 6) - Addressing the fact that police recruitment is 20% behind needs. "Budget 2025 invests $235 million in new funding over the next three years to improve community safety through various public safety and justice programs. This investment is increasing access to the justice system and supporting court operations, including sheriff recruitment, legal aid and Crown counsel." 

- Look West: The Tourism Sector Action Plan (March 4 + announcement) 
"B.C.’s Tourism Sector Action Plan sets a clear path to double visitor spending to $48 billion by 2036. The plan is built on five pillars: marketing B.C. as a top-tier destination; improving access through expanded air services and provincial corridors; leveraging events; mobilizing private-sector investment; and creating a supportive business climate for tourism operators and investors." 

- Amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act to improve health and safety in supportive housing (March 4). Highlights: "Keep weapons out of supportive housing; provide operators a continuum of options to temporarily restrict the access of tenants to a supportive housing site to de-escalate critical health and safety risks to other residents and staff." 

​- Permanent Daylight Savings Time (March 2 press release)

- Cowichan Nation land-title legal action update (March 2). <clip> "For transparency, neither the Cowichan Nation nor British Columbia are seeking to invalidate any privately held fee simple titles on the Cowichan Title Lands through the negotiation or appeal processes.”


February 2026
- BC Greens Won't Renew Accord (Times Colonist, Feb. 10)  "The New Democrats have 47 members in the 93-seat legislature, while the Greens have two. The Opposition B.C. Conservatives have 39 seats, having lost five members from their caucus who are now sitting as Independents."

- Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) to establish new HQ in Vancouver (Feb. 9) 
- Community Gaming Grants Update (Feb. 5) - $53m distributed to more than 2,500 BC organizations in 2025 + recipient list (includes $470k approx. to 20 Sooke region organizations - Sooke Fall Fair, Sooke Region Historical Society, Sooke Philharmonic, school PACs, Sooke Fine Arts, etc. Top awards: $250k to the Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue and $85k to JDF Marine Rescue Society.) 

January 2026
​- First Ministers' Joint Statement (Ottawa, Jan. 29) 
- Premier Eby on Alberta Separatism (Jan. 29) 
- Announcement of five more Foundry youth centres (Jan. 27) 
- Western Canada Critical Mineral Strategy + web page (Jan. 25) 
- Results of 2025 BC Hydro Call For Power - 14 proposals, 13 wind/1 solar; five proposals from the southern Interior, two from the central Interior, four from the North Coast and three from the Peace region + BC Hydro page + 2024 Call for Power results (Jan. 21) 
​
- Heritage Conservation Act update - postponement of proposed amendments (Jan. 19) 
- Addiction Hot-Line Service Improvements (Jan. 14) 
- BC Trade Mission to India (Jan. 12-17, 2026) 

Developing ... 
- BC Conservative Party Leadership Race (official)  
- Emily Lowen on Next Steps for the BC Greens (The Tyee, Jan. 8) 


Fall Legislative Session 
Oct. 6 to Nov. 27 
* UBCM Executive Advocacy With the Province - UBCM statement, Dec. 3
* Fall Session Focus - Province of BC, Oct. 6
* What To Expect from BC Legislature's Fall Session - The Narwhal, Oct. 6 

​* BC's Population Has Dropped (Times Colonist, Jan. 1, 2026). "Between July and October of this year, more than 26,000 non-permanent residents left B.C. as part of a trend that dropped Canada’s overall population by 0.2 per cent ... B.C. gained large numbers of people in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and its population soared from 5.3 million to just under 5.7 million. Losses in the first quarter of 2025 were due to a decline in natural population growth and interprovincial migration. But decreases in the past two quarters, making up the vast majority of the decrease, have been due to out-migration." 


Ministry of Finance - Second Quarterly Report (November, 2025) 
"The updated fiscal outlook for 2025/26 forecasts an operating deficit of $11.2 billion, $390 million lower than the projection in the First Quarterly Report." 

Bill 25 - Housing and Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (Nov. 28) 
- Policy bulletin issued by the Ministry 
- Relatively minor changes to Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing and Short-Term Rental regulations 
- Backgrounder 

Special Committee on Democratic & Electoral Reform (Nov. 26)
​- Committee home page 
- Report (first of two) Toward A Stronger Democracy in British Columbia (Nov. 26, 2025) 
"The Committee makes 36 recommendations to strengthen BC’s democracy by supporting British Columbians’ participation and engagement, examining the efficacy of legislation and policy, and enhancing the responsibilities of and resources for Elections BC, political parties, and MLAs."
​- submissions 
- Proportional Representation Won't Be Revived on Eby's Watch (Rob Shaw, Dec. 16, 2025). <clip> "I think British Columbians are done with that conversation," said the Premier. 

CleanBC Independent Review Panel (Nov. 26)
Rising To the Moment: Final Report 
"CleanBC is, for the most part, working. Its policies and programs are measurably reducing climate pollution while creating jobs, improving community health, and lowering everyday costs for British Columbians. Yet, despite these successes, the plan is not yet reaching its full potential. The government now has an opportunity to adjust and close gaps in CleanBC—improving outcomes for all—while acknowledging current challenges."

Priorities for Action
1. Accelerate clean electricity production and electrification as the foundation of energy security and economic growth
2. Make it easier for British Columbians to cut energy bills and climate pollution
3. Leverage B.C’s clean energy advantage to create more jobs in the energy transition
4. Support B.C.’s industries to become cleaner and more competitive
5. Increase production of clean, made-in-B.C biofuels and renewable natural gas
6. Deepen partnerships with First Nations and local governments
7. Focus on delivering effective, achievable and fiscally responsible outcomes

- engagement home page ~ "Over the course of the review we met with 157 organizations in 41 engagement sessions, received 279 written submissions from 232 different organizations and 47 members of the public and/or experts, and received 2,650 public engagement survey forms." 
- review led by Merran Smith from Clean Energy BC and Simon Fraser University's New Economy Canada; and Dan Woynillowicz from the consulting firm Polaris Strategy + Insight.  

DASH, Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing online platform (Nov. 20) 
"A new BC Housing online platform called DASH is helping developers and non-profit organizations design and construct three- to six-storey buildings more quickly and at lower cost using products manufactured in B.C." 

Look West Workforce Development Strategy (Nov. 20) 
- Home page
"Look West is a targeted plan designed to deliver major projects, create good jobs and strengthen B.C.'s and Canada’s economic security in the face of economic threats." 
- Accelerating Maritime Industry's Shift to Clean Energy 
- COAST Innovation Challenge  
- Innovate BC + 2024/25 Impact Report 

​Proposed Private Members' Bill M-216 - Professional Reliance Act (Oct. 27) 
- Draft legislation introduced by MLA George Anderson ... approval required by the Select Standing Committee on Private Bills and Private Members' Bills before advancing to the legislature. Public input welcome until Jan. 6, 2026; Standing Committee likely to address it at its meeting of Feb. 2 

- UBCM expresses concern (Nov. 7) 
"UBCM views the proposed legislation as continuing a trend towards sweeping, centralized legislation that impacts local governments, developed without meaningful local government input. If adopted, Bill M216 would prohibit local governments from requiring a standard technical peer review during housing development applications. Instead, local governments would be required to accept any certified submission of a registered professional (in accordance with the Professional Governance Act) hired by the developer. If passed, any local government that disputed the submission would have to appeal the certification with the Office of the Superintendent for Professional Guidance."  

​- Metro Vancouver Mayors Outraged (CBC) 
- The Quiet Revolution in BC Planning (City Hall Watch) 
- Professional Reliance Review (2019) 

- North Cowichan Considers Joining Judicial Review of M-216 (Chemainus Courier, Jan. 8, 2026) 

Cowichan Tribes Decision 
* BC Supreme Court Decision - Aug. 7, 2025 (case first filed on Sept. 9, 2019) 
* Cowichan Tribes website statements on the decision + technical backgrounder 
* City of Richmond: Notice to Registered Owners - Oct. 2025 
* Legal Panel Discussion at UBCM Conference, Sept. 23, 2025
* Coverage of the UBCM discussion (Resource Works) <clip> ""The panel agreed on two points: the Cowichan case is measured, not catastrophic, and it is also massive in significance. Appeals are already underway, and the process could take seven years or more. In the meantime, municipalities, lenders, and governments will be navigating uncharted territory."
* ​The Cowichan Ruling Doesn't End Private Property, It Tests Our Honour - Vancouver Sun, Oct. 24
* Correcting Misconceptions: The Cowichan Tribes Decision - Kate Gunn, First Peoples' Law 
* "It's A Big Deal," says BC Premier - Les Lyne, Vancouver Sun, Oct. 20 
* Related: Rising Tide - Haida Land Title Agreement, April 14, 2024 

Miscellaneous
* Zero Emissions Vehicles Framework Update (Nov. 18) 
* North Coast Transmission Line - Oct. 20 + BC Hydro project map 
* 900 New Child Care Spaces (including Choo Choo, Let's Go/Sooke) - Oct. 17
* Clearer Short-Term Rental Rules - Oct. 9 
* Holding Vape Manufacturers Accountable for Public Health Costs - Oct. 8
* Province to make way for more child care at schools - Oct. 7 

Media Coverage
* Eby Stands Against Proposed Pipeline as First Nations Vow It Will Never Happen - Times Colonist, Nov. 28
* Carney's Energy Deal Went Down Differently Depending On Who You Ask - CBC, Nov. 27 
* David Eby Says He Will Not Support A Pipeline From Alberta. Can He Stop It? - Vancouver Sun, Oct. 7 
* Pipeline Push: Majority of Canadians, Including BC Residents, Support a North Coast Pipeline - Angus Reid, Oct. 9
* As Smith Pushes New Pipeline Plan, Eby Says No Way - The Tyee, Oct. 2 

* Eby Takes A Beating At Hostile Developer (UDI) Luncheon - Rob Shaw, Business In Vancouver (Oct. 7) 
* What Does David Eby Have To Be Thankful For? An Amateur Opposition in Utter Turmoil - Globe & Mail (Oct. 9) 


Spring Legislative Session 
* Press Release 
* Archive of New Legislation (Spring 2018 to Spring 2025) 
* Parliamentary Calendar 2025 - Next session - Oct. 6 to Nov. 27

Housing Legislation 
* Local Government Housing Initiatives - one stop overview 
* Inclusive Zoning and Density Bonusing Comprehensive Guidance
​(updated June 13) 
* New Local Government Tools 
* Housing and Municipal Affairs guide for local governments - Proactive Planning Guide 
* From the blog: Bill 44 Update + BC's New Housing Regulations
+ Housing 101 + X Homes + Y People + Z Cars = ?

Homelessness Point-In-Time Count Provincial Data Released 
* press release 
* homeless counts in the 20 communities in which BC Housing did the count 
* CRD conducted PIT counts in Greater Victoria in association with the Community Social Planning Council + results released on Sept. 24 + data + technical appendix <clip> "The 2025 PiT Count was conducted on March 25 and 26 and identified 1,749 people who were experiencing homelessness compared to 1,665 in March of 2023." + CRD Housing Data & Analysis 

Fiscal Plan Update (Sept. 15, 2025) 
* Report from the Ministry of Finance + press release

Infrastructure Project Acts (July 2025 to March 2026)
* Engagement process - three-part survey  

Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project (July 9) 
* Home Page 
* Updating the Act 
* Ministry of Forests press release (July 9) 

* The Act applies to 64k sites listed in a provincial registry, 90% of them within First Nations territories 
"The Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) encourages and enables the protection and conservation of sites with historical, cultural and/or archaeological value in B.C. These sites hold physical evidence of how and where people lived. Many of these sites in B.C. are culturally sensitive, contain ancestral remains, and have important sacred and spiritual value to First Nations in B.C. Altering these protected sites without a permit is prohibited under the Act."

UBCM press release - Sept. 24   "“We want to be very clear, UBCM recognizes and supports the importance of archeological conservation, particularly as it relates to Indigenous values,” said UBCM President Trish Mandewo. “But while the Province took seriously its obligation to work with Indigenous groups in developing the legislation, engagement with local governments was largely disregarded.”

- "BC Pushes Heritage Act Reform Amid Concerns of Development Slowdowns" - Globe & Mail, Sept. 26
- "UBCM Blasts Province for Lack of Consultation on Heritage Conservation Act" - Vaughan Palmer, Vancouver Sun, Sept. 24 

Province of BC Responses to UBCM 2024 Resolutions (July 2) 
* Resolutions Reply Book (includes original resolutions adopted in Sept. 2024 and Provincial response) 

Development Cost Charge Amendments (July 2) 
* ​Housing and Municipal Affairs Press Release 
* About Development Cost Charges 
* DCC Best Practices Guide (April 2025)
* DCC Guide for Elected Officials (April 2025) 

* Amenity Cost Charges: Best Practices Guide (March, 2025) 
* Amenity Cost Charge Guide for Elected Officials (April, 2025) 

Times Colonist - "The British Columbia government is loosening the rules for payment of development fees in a bid to jump start home construction that has been hampered by upfront costs.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says among the biggest changes will be more flexible and extended payment timelines for homebuilders, so instead of paying development fees up front, they will pay 25 per cent at permit approval and 75 per cent when the building is occupied.

Developers will also have four years, rather than two, to pay the charges, in rule changes that Kahlon says are needed because the current market conditions have stalled projects in the province.

While some municipalities want letters of credit from a bank as a promise the work will be done, that can restrict a developer's access to credit, so the government will also change the regulations provincewide to allow for the financial guarantee of on-demand surety bonds."  

Declaration On The Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (June 25)
* Sixth Annual Declaration Report (June 25, 2025) 

BC Coroners' Service (June 24) 
​* 2025 summary to date as of April 30 (with 10-year trend charts) 
​* Ministry press release 
 
Municipal Liabilities Regulation Amendment (June 24) 
* Housing and Municipal Affairs Press Release 
* Municipal Liabilities Regulation (amended) 
* BC Municipalities Allowed To Take On More Debt For More Projects (CBC News) 
<clip> "On Tuesday, the province announced changes that will:

• Allow municipalities to borrow up to $150 per person without a referendum or AAP if the term of the borrowing is less than five years, up from $50.
• Raise the borrowing limit without a referendum or AAP from five per cent of annual general revenue to 10 per cent for projects with a longer repayment schedule.

The changes won't allow municipalities to bypass public input for their biggest projects, but will allow more small projects to be approved quickly, said Kahlon.
"This is something local governments have been asking for for more than 30 years and we believe it is time for them to be able to catch up," he said."

Innovative Clean Energy Fund 2025 Performance Report (June 24)
* June 2025 Update + Report .... "Since 2008, the ICE Fund has committed over $124 million to support pre-commercial clean energy technology projects, clean energy vehicles, research and development, and energy efficiency programs."

Ease of Doing Business Review (June 5) 
* Jobs, Economic Development & Innovation Press Release + Backgrounder 
“We are listening to B.C. businesses as we work to ensure our province is an easy place to do business,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “This review will help us to continue to modernize our regulatory and permitting systems, as we secure B.C.’s position as the economic engine of Canada’s new economy.”

New Funding for Building BC: Community Housing Fund (May 30) 
* Press Release 
​* Community Housing Fund backgrounder 
* Homes For BC - Completed Projects Map 

Cooperation & Responsible Government Accord (CARGA) 
​* Quarterly report (Jan. 1 - April 30) on NDP and Green Party accord 
* Full CARGA agreement signed March 12, 2025

CleanBC Accountability Report 
* 2024 accountability report 
* CleanBC 2025 Review announced (May 7)  
* CleanBC review - survey/deadline Aug. 1

Provincial Forest Advisory Council (May 22) 
* Ministry press release 
"Members of the newly formed Provincial Forest Advisory Council are tasked with providing recommendations to government on advancing forest stewardship, while supporting communities and workers that rely on forests." 
​* Terms of Reference 
* A New Future For Old Forests: Strategic Review (2020) 

Clean Power Overview (May 5) 
* Energy and Climate Change Press Release 
* BC's Clean Energy Action Plan 2025
* Frequent Calls for Power to Be Expected (Bennett Jones Law Firm) 

Infrastructure Projects Act - Bill 15 (May 1) 
* Office of the Premier Press Release
* Legislation (assent on May 29) 
* Technical Briefing (slide deck) 

* UBCM Perspective ~ "UBCM notes that the process leading to the drafting of the legislation has been rushed, and did not include meaningful consultation with UBCM or member local governments. As has been proven in the past, a fast-tracked approach that skips over consultation is more likely to lead to unintended consequences." + May 21 update + UBCM and First Nations Leadership Council Call For Withdrawal 
* Kill The Bill: BC First Nations Leadership Council 
* Legislation Narrowly Passes (CBC News, May 28) 
* Legal perspective (Beale&Co, Toronto) + Clark Wilson Law, Vancouver 

Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act - Bill 14 (April 30) 
* Legislation in full 
* Press release 
* BC Energy Regulator 

Mental Health Act Review Announced (April 30) 
* BC premier announces review of mental health legislation (CBC News) 
​* Mental Health Act home page 

Carbon Tax Eliminated (March 31) 
​* BC Ministry Press Release 
* Federal government removes carbon tax (March 22) 
"Cancelling the tax and the credit will have an estimated impact of $1.99 billion in the coming fiscal year. The Province will restructure programs funded by carbon tax revenue to minimize the impact on B.C.’s budget, while supporting people in British Columbia in achieving climate goals. The Province will continue to ensure big polluters pay through the B.C. output-based carbon pricing system. The system supports decarbonization efforts, incentivizing industry to lower their emissions to avoid paying the tax." 

* BC Output-Based Pricing System (Province of BC guidelines) 
​
* BC Officially Kills Tax (CBC News) 
​* Statement from Fortis BC 
​* Clean Energy Canada response at federal level 
* Carbon Pricing and Consumer Myopia: Why Carbon Taxes Fell Short and What We Should Do Next (University of British Columbia) <clip> "Carbon pricing was poorly understood and poorly communicated. Although most of the revenue was returned to households—through rebates or tax cuts in places like B.C.—many people only noticed higher fuel prices and ignored the money coming back. The policy felt like a tax, and that made it unpopular. Ironically, now that it’s gone, many lower-income households will be worse off ... Yet the reality is, the consumer carbon tax wasn’t strong enough to meet our climate goals. So, scrapping it isn’t quite as damaging as it might seem. It opens the door to rethink climate policy in a way that’s both more effective and politically durable." 

BC Budget 2025 (March 4) 
* Ministry of Finance Home Page + slide deck 
* BC Budget Pushes Deficit to $10.9 Billion (CBC News) 
* Budget Highlights (KPMG) 
* What Do You Need to Know About the BC Budget (The Tyee) 

Speech From The Throne (Feb. 18) 
* Text of Lt. Governor Wendy Cocchia's speech 
* Release from Office of the Premier 

Ministerial Mandate Letters (January 17) 
* Cabinet and Parliamentary Secretary mandate letters in full 
* BC mandate letters focus on affordability, public safety, economic growth (CBC News) 
* Letters summarized (Capital Hill Group consultants) 
* Pembina Institute response - linking climate action and community economic development 
* Mandate Letters: Post-Secondary Institutions (June 2025) 



Other Provincial Parties

Conservative Party of BC 
* 2025 news and commentary portal

BC Green Party 
* Media releases  

OneBC
​* Website 

​Federal Government 
TBA 
- Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy 
- Canada's Trade Diversification Strategy 


- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (Jan. 26, 2026) 
"The benefit will be paid quarterly, at the start of the quarter, to permit timely access to the funds to help families with day-to-day expenses. These amounts are additional to existing benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Disability Benefit, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement." 

- Is Canada Ready for an American Civil War? - The Walrus, Jan. 2026
- Disruptions on the Horizon - Canadian Policy Horizons (Government of Canada), April 2024
- On Hybrid Warfare - Canadian Armed Forces Special Operations Forces Command (2016)


- Davos 2026 Speech by PM Carney (Jan. 21) + text 
<clip> "Canada is a pluralistic society that works. Our public square is loud, diverse, and free. Canadians remain committed to sustainability. We are a stable, reliable partner – in a world that is anything but—a partner that builds and values relationships for the long term. Canada has something else: a recognition of what is happening and a determination to act accordingly.We understand that this rupture calls for more than adaptation. It calls for honesty about the world as it is. We are taking the sign out of the window. We know the old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy.
But we believe that from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, and more just.  This is the task of the middle powers, the countries that have the most to lose from a world of fortresses and the most to gain from a world of genuine cooperation."


Federal Budget 2025 (Nov. 4) 
- Canada Strong: Budget 2025 + Our Plan infographics 
- What's In The Federal Budget For You (CBC) 
- Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer 

Misc. 
​- Introduction of Colour-Coded Weather Alerts (Environment Canada, Nov. 26) 


Build Canada Homes (announced Sept. 14, 2025) 
"Build Canada Homes is a new federal agency that will build affordable housing at scale. It will leverage public lands, offer flexible financial incentives, attract private capital, facilitate large portfolio projects, and support modern manufacturers to build the homes that Canadians need ... A Special Operating Agency within Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada." 

- About Build Canada Homes 
- Prime Minister Carney's announcement 

"Build Canada Homes is ready to engage with partners who are committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing across Canada. We are especially interested in opportunities that can:  

• Deliver housing at scale 
• Expand non-market and community housing 
• Demonstrate financial viability and leverage other investments 
• Use innovative building methods and Canadian-made materials 

We will be releasing more details on our investment policies in the coming months." 

​- Investment Policy Framework (Nov. 22) 

Perspective: 
- Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness 
- "BC Builders Skeptical" - Business In Vancouver, Sept. 16 
- "Carney Unveils Plans to Double Pace of Home Building" - CBC, March 31 

Major Projects Office 
Mission: "To get nation-building projects built faster, accelerating sustainable growth, strengthening national unity, and putting Canada on a stronger path to long-term economic prosperity." 
- Home page 
- First set of five on-track projects (all well-advanced in their respective processes) 
​- Future "transformative strategies" 

- "BC Tapped for Two Nation-Building Projects" (Business In Vancouver) 

- Long list of 32 projects (internal document acquired by the Globe and Mail, Sept. 4) 
"The eight mining projects on the list include the Teck Strategic Minerals Initiative and the Red Chris Copper and Gold Mine expansion in B.C.; Saskatchewan’s Foran McIlvenna Bay and Rook Uranium projects; the Minago Nickel Project in Manitoba; the Crawford Nickel Project and the Ring of Fire in Ontario; and the Strange Lake Torngat Metals Ltd. rare earths mine in Quebec.

The 14 energy-related projects feature a heavy focus on Western Canada. The list includes a 750-kilometre transmission line linking Yukon and B.C. Other B.C. projects include LNG Canada Phase 2, which would expand the liquefied natural gas facility in Kitimat, B.C.; Ksi Lisims LNG, backed by the Nisga’a Nation; the North Coast Transmission Line that would help power critical-mineral mines; a dredging project at the Port of Vancouver that would accommodate fully loaded oil tankers in Burrard Inlet; and the Northwest Coast Oil Pipeline.

Five other projects are in Eastern Canada, including the Gull Island Power Plant that is part of the Quebec-Newfoundland and Labrador new energy partnership; Newfoundland’s Bay du Nord offshore oil and gas project; transmission lines linking Prince Edward Island to the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia power grid; and proposed wind energy projects off the coast of Nova Scotia.

The five ports projects on the list also include the construction of a deep-water port and all-season roads linking Yellowknife to the Arctic Ocean, and a new Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project at the Port of Vancouver. 

Rounding out the list are five projects related to transportation. They include the Mackenzie Valley Highway project in NWT; various proposals to twin the Trans-Canada Highway; rehabbing the century-old New Westminster Rail Bridge in B.C.; the Alto High-Speed Rail project linking Toronto and Quebec City; and the proposed Western trade and economic corridor." 


Tariff Response 
- Full list of measures to be undertaken to address tariff impacts 
- Canada's Response to US Tariffs (Sept. 1, 2025) 
- List of US Products Subject to Counter-Tariffs (effective Sept 2025) 

- Support for Strategic Industries, including steel and softwood lumber 


The One Canadian Economy Act - Bill C-5
* Royal assent granted (June 26) 
* Intergovernmental Affairs backgrounder 
* Bill C-5 as adopted 

Perspective
* First Nations Opposition Draws Comparisons to Idle No More Movement (CBC News, July 1) 
* The Public Interest Need to Reconsider C-5 (Canadian Environmental Law Association, June 11) 
* What The One Canadian Economy Act Is All About (Globe & Mail, June 6) 


​Federal Government Mandate Letter - Office of the PM (May 21) 



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​March 3, 2026
The Land Use and Development Committee received and approved (pending Council's final decision) the Catalyst development permit for its six-storey building on Lot A. It will feature the Urgent and Primary Care Centre on its ground floor with 80 units of below-market (middle income) rentals above (including 14 housing units reserved for medical staff who must be recruited and retained) and a 38-car parkade (matched with 78 surface parking spots.)  See agenda pp. 68-178. 


Update - February 2026
All systems almost go to start construction of the Urgent and Primary Care Centre on Lot A in the spring.
From Council agenda of Feb. 23, pp. 39-41

"At the November 24, 2025 Regular Meeting of Council (see agenda pp. 129-177), a motion was passed to approve the Ground Lease Agreement between the District of Sooke and Catalyst Community Development Society for Lot A Wadams Way. The intent of the lease is to enable Catalyst to construct and manage a mixed-use building on the southeast corner of Lot A. The lease is for 63 years and outlines what the expectations are for the construction and ongoing maintenance of the proposed building and landscaping. 

Catalyst has applied to subdivide the southeast corner of Lot A from the remainder of the property and has applied for a form and character Development Permit. The subdivision is in the process of being finalized by the District lawyers and the Development Permit application will be reviewed at the March 3, 2026 Land Use Development Committee. 

Once the Development Permit has been approved, Catalyst will be able to apply for the building permit and it is hoped the building permit will be approved by late April 2026 and construction will begin shortly thereafter. 

On October 15, 2025, the Ministry of Health committed to release $840,000 to this project which shows they are committed to funding the Urgent Primary Care Centre in this building. The Ministry of Health has done design drawings for the UPCC space and have agreed to a sublease of the 6,500 sq ft with Catalyst. 

The sublease identifies the rent the ministry will pay and their commitment to fund the construction of the offices and facilities. The Ministry has also committed to hiring all the staff for the UPCC space as well as all the ongoing costs of running the UPCC including paying for ongoing maintenance of the offices, rent of the offices and staffing of the offices. 

On February 12, 2026 BC Builds provided Preliminary Project Approval for the development which is step 1 of 2 for financing approvals by BC Builds and allows the project to make formal application to CMHC for financing. This will secure funding for the project." 


Update - October 2025
Urgent and Primary Care Centre on Lot A
Progress reported in this Aug. 11  press release from the District.  <clip> "Catalyst Community Developments Society is the successful proponent to develop the proposed health centre and housing project at 6651 Wadams Way. Catalyst is a BC-based non-profit developer and operator of rental housing and community servicing spaces. Catalyst has a proven track record of delivering high-quality health care spaces and housing co-located together in one building. The proposed six-storey, mixed-use building will include 80 rental apartment homes (30% of which will be rented at 20% below market rates), a health centre and additional medical services space. This innovative project will integrate rental housing affordable for middle-income households with integrated health services to support the needs of the Sooke community." 

* Now patiently awaiting word from the BC Ministry of Health re: annual operational funding and staffing for the health centre. (Example: Aug. 2024 announcement of the Cowichan Urgent Primary Care Centre in Duncan, a 10k sq. ft space for family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, mental-health clinicians and clinical support staff.)  Scroll down this page for details as announced by the Province on March 16, 2023. Since then, of course, a disruptive new us president is waging a trade war, BC's debt has ballooned, and the Province is tightening staffing and its financial belt in the face of "fiscal headwinds" and a possible recession. 

* Most UPCCs operate from 8 AM to 8 PM year-round. Guidelines as per our nearest UPCC at 582 Goldstream Ave. in Langford: 

"Do you have a health concern that needs attention but isn’t an emergency? You can visit this clinic with these conditions, which should be seen within 12 to 24 hours:
​
Common Illnesses

• Coughs, colds, sore throat
• Ear infections
• Urinary tract infections (also available through pharmacy)
• Allergic reactions or asthma (if you have trouble breathing, call 911)
• Skin conditions (rashes, skin irritation, minor wounds or itchy spots)
• Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation
• Minor illnesses, fevers or infections in children
• Infections or abscesses
• Mental health concerns such as low mood, anxiety and depression

Minor Injuries

• Sprains and strains
• Stitches for cuts
• Suture removal
• Stabilizing you for hospital transport if needed

Reproductive and Sexual Health

• Pregnancy testing and options
• STI testing and treatment
• Support and care after sexual assault" 

* Seven UPCCs currently operate in the Island Health region: Westshore, Nanaimo, North Quadra (Victoria), James Bay, Downtown Victoria, Esquimalt and Gorge Road. 

The Gathering Place 
- Included here since shared spaces are critical for personal and collective health and wellbeing ...
 Update from Sooke Region Communities Health Network, July 2025 

<clip> "SRCHN originally envisioned a project that included 75 subsidized rental apartments for seniors with an integrated seniors’ drop-in centre to be built on Wadams Way’s Lot A, which is owned by the District of Sooke.  BC Housing was to provide the funding for the housing part of the project as well as provide a contribution to partially fund the seniors’ centre portion of the project. Unfortunately, prior to project approval BC Housing changed the project funding rules. This meant the seniors’ centre portion would cost an estimated $5.1 million. The SRCHN Board realized raising that amount of money for the seniors’ centre was not realistic.

SRCHN presented the District of Sooke with a more cost-effective option for the seniors’ centre to be built on Lot A. We proposed a stand-alone single story seniors’ centre with a threshold target for fundraising at $2 million. We requested that Sooke council approve in principle the construction of a Seniors Drop-In Centre as a stand-alone building on Lot A. Having land on which to build the centre is a critical component of our fund-raising strategy." 

Council received this request in-camera and it remains a priority now that the approved Development Permit for SRCHN's original proposal has lapsed and the full $250k in public funding for the project has been spent.

One critical mitigating factor is the size of the footprint on Lot A that will be required for the health centre. As stated above, the District provided an update on this BC Builds project in a press release dated Aug. 11, 2025. 

Foundry BC
* A Sooke satellite office of The Foundry West Shore to be based in Langford is on track for 2027. Led by Thrive Social Services, it will offer mental health and addiction counselling, physical and sexual health care, and peer support to youth and young adults aged 12-24. Foundries are a proven model already established in 16 communities across BC.

An exceptionally good application and the realities of a growing West Shore population ensured we were part of the next wave of these centres announced by the Province in March, 2024. Sooke's office (location TBD) will be a "spoke" of the Langford HQ, currently planned to be a 10,000 square foot space ideally near the new RRU Langford/John Horgan Campus and with adjoining office space for other youth-serving non-profits. Also in the plan is an affiliated Port Renfrew office.

The development team is led by former Island Health veteran Kathy Easton in collaboration with Thrive's Scott Bradford.  Thrive's Leadership Advisory Circle includes reps from Island Health, the Ministry of Child and Family Development, indigenous nations and local governments, The Village Initiative, two individuals with lived experience as youth with mental health or substance use issues, one individual as a parent/guardian of an impacted young person, and a representative from Foundry BC. I've been representing Sooke at these meetings, moved and highly impressed by the vision and work of all involved in their dedication to helping vulnerable young people meet their challenges and find their feet in these frankly insane times. 

* Foundry West Shore-Sooke Briefing Document + FAQ 
* Foundry Impact Report 2023/24 
* Foundry Service Model Guide (2024) 
* Thrive Resource Page 
* Foundry BC Virtual Services

* "Celebrating a decade of youth health care at Foundry" - St. Paul's Foundation, Vancouver 2025 

SKA'PEȽ I'SOT ALEṈ T'Sou-ke Community Complex and Health Centre
- T'Sou-ke Nation announcement upon centre's Sept. 15 opening. <clip> "The CCHC serves as a cornerstone for community life with a spacious hall for large gatherings and community events, a fully equipped kitchen for providing meals and training opportunities, and several meeting and community rooms to conduct business and host community activities. The building is home to the Nation’s administration, children and families, health, and lands and environment departments. A key highlight of the CCHC features brand new doctors’ offices and laboratory and medical equipment required to provide holistic health services to T’Sou-ke community members. It provides a well-equipped space to deliver programs to address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs of the community ... The Community Complex and Health Centre stands as a powerful testament to the T’Sou-ke Nation’s strength, resilience, and vision. It will serve not only as a place for governance and health, but also as a vibrant heart of culture, learning, and connection for generations to come." 

- News Mirror coverage of opening
​- T'Sou-ke website health centre page 
- "$14m T'Sou-ke Nation Centre Takes Inspiration From Sooke River" - Journal of Commerce 


Ayre Manor Seniors' Housing 
Expansion Plans for a new 56-bed wing (2012) at Ayre Manor stalled in 2017 but Island Health recognizes that Sooke needs more long-term care beds. Sooke currently provides 40 beds per thousand people over the age of 75 in our community. This ratio is well below the current provincial average of 58 beds/thousand (and well short of the 77 beds/thousand in 2015).  

[As of the 2021 census, there are 2,215 individuals aged 65+ in Sooke, with 880 of them aged 75+.  Ayre Manor operates 31 long-term (complex care) rooms in addition to its 25 assisted living units and 18 independent living cottages. It's recommended that future residents file applications at least two years prior to anticipated occupancy.]
 
In recent years Colwood, Nanaimo/Lantzville and Campbell River have had the lowest such ratios on Vancouver Island, and it was those three communities that received funding in 2023 for new long-term care facilities due to open in 2027. We're among the communities next on the list for new beds, Island Health's VP of Community Clinical Operations & Support Programs James Hanson acknowledged at a UBCM meeting arranged by Sooke council. He intends to work with Ayre Manor to develop a business plan that could logically be based on the shovel-ready plans developed a decade ago. 

Ayre Manor qualifies as a "campus of care" given that it "provides a range of housing, meals, support and care options, including independent living, assisted living and residential care." (see Ministry of Health page on residential care options). The website Senior Care Access explores why these "continuing care retirement communities" or "continuum-of-care environments" are so effective.  

BC's Seniors' Advocate Dan Levitt pointed out the urgent future needs for new beds provincially in a report titled From Shortfall to Crisis: Growing Demand for Long-Term Care Beds In BC that his office released this summer. <clip> "Over the past ten years, the waitlist for long-term care in B.C. has ballooned. Between 2016 and 2025, the number of people waiting to be admitted to long-term care rose from 2,381 to 7,212, an increase of 200%. The provincial average wait time has grown by 98% over the past eight years, from 146 days in 2018, the first year data was collected, to 290 days in 2025." Levitt renewed his concerns in a recent Times Colonist article. ​

- Seniors' Advocate: Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory 2024
<clip> "The British Columbia Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory contains information on 298 long-term care facilities that have 28,364 publicly-subsidized beds, 112 facilities (9,250 beds) are operated directly by a health authority and 186 facilities (19,114 beds) are operated by a contractor (for profit or not-for-profit) with funding from a health authority."  Includes data on wait times and quality-of-care indicators. 

Advocate's report page includes ... 
* Annual Report 2024/25 
* Aging Matters: Listening to BC Seniors (June 2024) + PDF 
* Reframing Ageing: British Columbians' Thoughts on Ageism (March 2025) + PDF 
* Resourceful and Resilient: Challenges Facing BC's Rural Seniors (Feb. 2024) + PDF 

[Following council's meeting with Levitt at the 2024 UBCM convention, I invited him on a Sooke tour this spring that featured stops at the Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, the Contact Loan Cupboard, Ayre Manor and the library, where SRCHN reps shared their work on the Gathering Place and Community Health Centre. Cllrs. Pearson and St-Pierre attended alongside reps from all these organizations.  Levitt expressed strong support for these grassroots, largely volunteer-driven initiatives. Writing after the fact, he said: "I was very impressed with the array of services offered for seniors and the dedication of many people involved in serving older persons. Sooke is exemplary in offering seniors with the supports needed to age with dignity in a community that truly values older adults."]


The Village Initiative: Sooke/Westshore 
Launched by SD 62's tireless and inspiring Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Coordinator Cindy Andrew in 2020, The Village Initiative (TVI)  is "is an inter-disciplinary network of more than 70 organizations sharing a commitment to the vision of healthy and thriving children, youth, and families across the Sooke and West Shore communities ... it recognizes that their health and wellbeing is best supported through an all-hands-on-deck approach – a Village."  

* 2024 Annual Report and Looking Ahead to 2025
- Current priority: Securing stable, three-year or more funding for a full-time TVI coordinator from regional local governments and other partners as recommended by the organization's Municipal Leaders Advisory Team. This team includes elected reps from Sooke, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, the JDF Electoral Area, SD #62, Island Health and the Community Social Planning Council, among others. (I'm Sooke's representative on behalf of Mayor Tait.) 

Sooke-based TVI members include the District of Sooke, Rotary Club of Sooke, SEAPARC, Sea to Tree Health and Wellness, Sooke Family Resource Society, Sooke Food Bank, Sooke Region Communities Health Network, Sooke School District, Sooke Shelter Society, Vancouver Island Regional Library and WorkLink Employment Society. See the complete list here. 

Upcoming events
- Third Annual Child and Youth Service Providers Networking Event (speed-date format, Oct. 16, 2 PM at City Centre Park in Langford + participating organizations include EMCS Society, Sea to Tree, SEAPARC and Sooke Family Resource Society. 
- Child & Youth Mental Health Conference - Nov. 20/21 at Royal Roads University + conference program 

A recent TVI membership survey revealed the following results that align with TVI's priorities: 

"What’s Working … 
~ Cross-sectoral networking and relationship development that involves the public, private and non-profit sectors.
~ Convening events like the Art of the Possible, annual gathering of Child & Youth Service Providers, Youth Health Symposium (Adolescent Health Survey) enable members to come together to learn about the latest data impacting their work, exchange views and share solutions which benefit community.
~ Community of Practice for frontline service providers.
~ Serving as a catalyst in helping to develop a Foundry model to serve our unique region.
 
What’s Not … 
~ Whether it’s enabling cross-sectoral collaborations or finding more affordable, accessible and appropriate programming spaces, Village network members need help to move from ideas to concrete actions. 
~ Most network organizations lack the extra leadership bandwidth to coordinate new opportunities, so work needs to be done to provide the organizational capacity to support meaningful action.
~ 61% of survey respondents are concerned about the financial sustainability of their community service organizations."

- Project Plan for Sooke-Westshore Shared Space Network and System (March, 2022)
- Space survey results (2021)
- See full list with links of member organizations at end of this post 
​- Sooke/Westshore Community Health Profile (2022) 

​
Saunders Family Foundation 
Work is underway to develop a Sooke Region Resilience Plan as coordinated by Dave Saunders, health care consultant Valerie Nicol (South Island Division of Family Practice, South Island Primary Care Network) and West Plan Consulting Group's Mark Holland following an initial community meeting in December, 2024. This is being done independently of the District. I was invited to sit in on a small group online meeting in the spring and await word about what's next. 

- Recruiting and Retaining Healthcare Workers - Island Social Trends, June 12, 2024
- Developing a Sooke Region Resilience Plan - Sooke News Mirror, Dec. 10, 2024

- The Foundation's Healthy West Shore initiative has led to publication of its Playbook and Toolkit encouraging municipalities to support healthcare and emergency workers in BC communities. BC Health Minister Josie Osborne noted at the UBCM conference this year that the Ministry is endorsing this work and will be urging local governments to explore its recommendations. 
- Local Government Community Healthcare Support Policies for Consideration 
- Creating a Municipal Healthcare Committee 
- Community Healthcare Support Pilot Project (2022) 


Miscellaneous 
* Carol Fenton has been appointed Chief Medical Officer for Island Health's South Island region, replacing retiree Dr. Murray Fyfe + Medical officers across province (listing as of June 2024)

* Minister of Health Josie Osborne appointed Nov. 18, 2024 + mandate letter from Premier Eby​

* Bill 19 introduced in legislature on Oct. 7 
- Legislation Would Let School District's Provide Child Care - Times Colonist (Oct. 8) 

* Sooke is part of the Western Communities Primary Care Network ~ "a community-based network of health care professionals and clinics who plan and deliver the health care needs of a community." + listing of associated clinics (includes West Coast Family Medical Clinic) 

* Island Health: Western Communities Health Profile (updated June 2025; mental health and substance use stats on pg. 23/24) 
 
* Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions Report (Hermione Jefferis, March 2023 for Sooke Region Communities Health Network) 
 
* Challenge and Change: A Public Health Response to Our Perplexing Relationship with Psychoactive Substances (Dr. Reka Gustafson, Island Health Chief Medical Officer, 2024) 

* Better At Home website, Sooke region services through SRCHN  ~ "Helping older adults with simple non-medical, day-to-day tasks so that they can continue to live independently in their own homes and remain connected to their communities. United Way British Columbia Healthy Aging administers the Better at Home program throughout BC, supporting over 85 non-profit organizations who deliver Better at Home in over 260 communities. This community-based approach ensures that local agencies are responding to local needs." 

* Trendsetting first: City of Colwood's municipally funded The Colwood Clinic at 346 Latoria Dr. opened in Feb. 2025 with family physicians recruited and employed by the City itself + CBC news story + Victoria News update, June 2025 + CBC interview with Mayor Doug Kobayashi 

* Province of BC international doctor recruitment program through the Provincial Health Services Authority + Province secures 780 applications in two months from qualified US physicians (July 2025 Ministry press release) 

* Emergency room closures across the Province remain a top concern. Between 2023 and mid-April 2025, BC ERs were closed for over 16,453 hours, with 29 of the province's 77 ERs experiencing at least one unplanned closure. Encouraging news from the Minister of Health: There's been a 37% reduction in closures this year compared with 2024. Keeping ERs open is a top provincial priority. 

* Island Health, as directed by Province, has reducing its expenditures by 1% while cutting 117 non-contract jobs from its roster of 2,500 such employees - Times Colonist, July, 29, 2025 

* United Nations: "More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls." (Not sure if these reports was released before or after a certain malevolent, blowhard us president’s toxic address to the assembly).  + World Health Today annual report + Mental Health Atlas 2024 

* The BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions updated its resource page on Sept. 25 ... links to emergency call lines and counselling services for youth and adults. 

Recent Reports 
Healthy Aging CORE BC resource page (updated frequently) 

* The Real Face of Men's Health - UBC and Movember Institute of Men's Health (Sept. 25, 2025) + PDF 
* National Volunteer Action Strategy - Volunteer Canada (July 2025) 
* Understanding the Factors Driving the Epidemic of Social Isolation - Canadian National Institute of Aging 
* Elements for the Successful Community Engagement with Older Adults - Healthcare Excellence Canada (2025) 
* Navigating Home Care and Seniors Housing - Seniors First BC (Aug. 2025) 
* Aging In Place Toolkit - United Way British Columbia (July 2025) 
* From Loneliness to Social Connection - World Health Organization (June 30, 2025) + Plain Language Summary 
* Elder's Guide 2nd Edition - BC First Nations Health Authority (Aug. 2024) 
* Benefits Wayfinder: A Tool for Low and Modest-Income Citizens - Prosper Canada (2025) 
* Greater Victoria Hoarding Education and Action Team Infographic - Island Health (June, 2025) 
​* Changemaker Wellbeing Index - Future For Good (2025) 
* World Happiness Report 2025 - Oxford University 
* BC Summit on Aging 2024 Final Report - United Way BC (Nov. 2024) 
* Enabling Aging In Place - Better At Home Program Promising Practices - United Way 
* Malnutrition in Canada - Canadian Malnutrition Task Force (Oct. 2024) 
* Sharing Our Space: A Toolkit for Developing Intergenerational Spaces - Generations United (2024) + Toolkit
* United Way Healthy Aging Reports Archive

Mental Health 
* The Attention Economy - Centre for Humane Technology 
* My Social Truth - website with youth submissions detailing "the biggest challenges young people are facing on social media platforms that profit from our outrage, confusion, addiction and depression." 
​* United Nations report on the Attention Economy 
​* Information Overload - The Decision Laboratory biggest challenges young people are facing on social media platforms that profit from our outrage, confusion, addiction, and depressio



Updates - October 2024
* BC Health Coalition ~ BC Election 2024 -  A Platform for Public Health Care
- Primary issues: anti-privatization, primary health care reform, seniors’ care. 
- “Six Solutions” infographic (Oct. 2024) 
​
April 29, 2024 - BC Builds program to pair CHC/UPCC with middle-income affordable (CMHC definition) housing
- SRCHN announcement + District of Sooke press release 
- Public Opportunity Notice – Sooke
- Video of the May 9, 2024 BC Builds Housing Development Opportunity presentation led by Lisa Helps 
​
November 1, 2023 District press release re: new Standing Committee on Community Health Care featuring three members of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) and Council appointees Beddows, McMath and Pearson. 
 
May 2023: SRCHN releases its Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions report authored by consultant Hermione Jefferis. See the four-page summary and the full report. Conclusions and recommendations on pp. 51-53. One disturbing finding: "Sooke Region’s community members, youth especially, are experiencing higher rates of depression and mood and anxiety disorders than the rest of BC.” 


March 16, 2023: Red letter day!  
New Integrated Health Care Centre Coming to Sooke (BC Ministry of Health press release) 

"Improving access to health-care services for people in B.C. is a key priority for our government. This centre will be critical to meeting the health-care needs of people living in Sooke and surrounding areas, now and in the future, and I am proud that people in the region will soon benefit from being able to access the care they need, close to home." - Premier John Horgan, MLA, Langford-Juan de Fuca  

“Approval of the proposed community health centre/urgent primary care centre is fantastic news for Sooke! The proposed health centre will undoubtedly increase access to primary-care services for people living in Sooke and the surrounding communities. A big thanks to Mayor Maja Tait for initiating discussions between the District of Sooke, Island Health, the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, and the Sooke family physicians that ultimately led to the development of this proposal; to the volunteers of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network who did all the hard work in drafting the proposal; and to the Honourable John Horgan, who was willing to listen to our concerns and advocate on our behalf for improving the delivery of primary health services in Sooke.” - Dr. Anton Rabien, West Coast Family Medical Clinic

"Today’s announcement is a culmination of the work of many people who remained steadfast to ensure the residents of Sooke have access to the health-care services they deserve. Thank you to all project partners, including the Province of British Columbia, Island Health, the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, the Primary Health Care Service Working Group, and the doctors and care providers of the West Coast Family Medical Clinic, who, through collaboration and innovation, are working together to ensure our residents have access to medical services closer to home.” - Mayor Maja Tait 


Original post: Nov. 28, 2022
The Mayor will be in Ottawa for Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings next week, and I've been enlisted to be her stand-in at a meeting involving the Island Health Board of Directors and representatives from the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, Sooke Shelter Society and West Coast Family Medical Clinic, among others. 

This will be followed by an Island Health public information session at the Community Hall from 2:30 to 4 PM on Thurs. Dec. 8. All are welcome as per this invitation: 

- Get an update on health and care delivery from Island Health President & CEO Kathy MacNeil and meet local Island Health leaders.
- Meet your local Medical Health Officer, Dr. Murray Fyfe, for an update on public health and wellness.
- Enjoy a presentation from local Island Health staff and community organizations.
- Have your questions answered. Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing [email protected] or asked by those attending the in-person event.

At time likes this, of necessity, interest and the fact that I'm a relative know-nothing on the subject, I do what I always do: Pull all that's health-themed from my groaning file cabinets, pepper Google with inquiries and trust I'll reach some fake-it/make-it degree of armchair knowledge by the time I'm required to say a few words on behalf of the boss next week. 

The critical need identified long ago and very much front-and-centre now: A hybrid Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre for the Sooke region. Outside of limited weekday hours, residents without their own local doctors and sometimes even so must trek a half-hour to the west shore when emergencies strike, braving unpredictable traffic in the process. CHC's continue to open in BC, including this clinic in Colwood. Ours would provide significantly expanded quarters for the West Coast Family Medical Clinic team of physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners now operating from its current Evergreen Mall location. They'd be joined by an additional cohort of health-care professionals who'd provide emergency services. 

The District has reserved the southeast quadrant of the nearby Lot A for this purpose (as per this paragraph from the 2019 Lot A Charette final report: "5-or-6-storey Health Centre with limited-size independent commercial retail units on the base and market housing units on the upper floors. This quadrant would include an underground parking component  ... conceived as a wood-frame building with a total floor area of approximately 7,000m2.")  That's the concept, which would be subject to variation based on real-world negotiations as the Sooke-owned property is integrated with the rest of Evergreen Mall (owned by Guelph-based Skyline Group of Companies.) 

Dedicated planning and advocacy work by the District's Primary Health Care Services Working Group (PHCSWG) has kept this vision on the front-burner with Island Health and the Ministry, and there it remains. Meeting routinely, the group pairs the Mayor, local physicians, reps from the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) and other health professionals. 

The CHC/UPCC project on Lot A is being coordinated by SRCHN's Mary Dunn, Rick Robinson and Annemieke Holthuis  with Island Health, BC Association of Community Health Centres, West Coast Family Medical Clinic and West Communities Patient Care Network. West Coast Family Medical Clinic would be based in this space, which would be governed by SRCHN, a registered charity.  

No wonder our MLA John Horgan is reputed to have said: "There is no community better prepared for this than Sooke." May it be so! 

More on the proposed facility ... 

"SRCHN’s work with West Coast Family Medical Clinic, the District of Sooke, Island Health, and the BC Association of Community Health Centres resulted in successful approval of our preliminary proposal for a Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre in Sooke. We are currently working on the final proposal. The success of this proposal will allow us to work with a developer to build a new CHC/UPCC. The transitioning of West Coast Family Medical Clinic and addition of more staff will allow more access to urgent and ongoing medical care for Sooke residents." ~ SRCHN President Mary Dunn in the organization's 2022 Annual Report 

"In contrast to solo practitioner models, Community Health Centres offer high-quality primary care through a collaborative team approach. Social workers, family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, chiropodists, dental hygienists, therapists and other clinicians provide services in a team environment, based on patient needs. Community Health Centres integrate team-based primary care with health promotion programs, illness prevention programs, community health initiatives and social services focused on housing, food security and other inputs for health. This reduces silos and makes services more accessible. CHCs exemplify the World Health Organization’s definition and recommendations for “primary health care”. A SRCHN working group has been established to explore partnerships to advance the build of a much needed CHC in our semi-rural community." 

The BC Association of Community Health Centre's defines a CHC as "multi-sector health and healthcare organizations that deliver integrated, people-centred services and programs that reflect the needs and priorities of the diverse communities they serve. CHCs are created by not-for-profit organizations and co-operatives that are committed to providing comprehensive, accessible, affordable, and culturally-appropriate services through a collaborative team approach."

***************************************************************
​
The following is another hodge-podge of live links and direct quotations compiled for my education and reference. It's been a particularly useful and revealing exercise to chronicle the many, if by no means all, steps, forums, reports, motions and day-long workshops undertaken by so many in Sooke since incorporation who've organized and advocated for improved local health care.  

And yes, this subject doesn't vie with housing as the public's leading concern without good reason. This recent CBC town hall is as good a context-setter as any. Or read The Tyee's 2022 reporting here, here and here. 

Province of BC  
BC Ministry of Health 
"The Ministry of Health has overall responsibility for ensuring that quality, appropriate, cost effective and timely health services are available for all British Columbians."
- Medical Services Plan 
- Pharmacare 
- HealthLink BC (Call 811 for 24/7 health advice) 

- Primary and Community Care in BC: A Strategic Policy Framework (2015) 

BC Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions 
"The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was created in 2017 to build a seamless, coordinated network of mental health and addictions services that works for everyone in B.C., as well as lead the response to the toxic drug crisis."
​- A Pathway to Hope: 2018-28 ~ "This new strategy lays out government’s 10-year vision for mental health and substance use care, in which people living in B.C.’s mental health and well-being are supported from youth to adulthood and programs and services are available to tackle challenges early on."
- 2020 Update/Progress Report 
- Canadian Mental Health Association BC 2020-21 Annual Report 

BC Ministry of Children and Family Development
"The Ministry of Children and Family Development’s primary focus is to support all children and youth in British Columbia to live in safe, healthy and nurturing families and be strongly connected to their communities and culture. The ministry supports the well-being of children, youth and families in British Columbia by providing services that are accessible, inclusive, and culturally respectful."
- Annual Service Plan Report 2022 
- Mandate Letter 

Age-Friendly BC Program 
- Tools and Resources
- Becoming An Age-Friendly Community (2014, PDF) 
- Age-Friendly BC: Lessons Learned (2007-2010)

Federal Government
"The federal Minister of Health is responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. This is supported by the Health Portfolio which comprises Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency." 
​- Wikipedia 

First Nations Health Authority
"The FNHA is the health and wellness partner to over 200 diverse First Nations communities and citizens across BC.​ In 2013, the FNHA began a new era in BC First Nations health governance and health care delivery by taking responsibility for the programs and services formerly delivered by Health Canada."
- Governance model 
- 2020/21 Annual Report 


Vancouver Island: South Island 
Island Health 
"Through a network of hospitals, clinics, centres, health units, and residential facilities, Island Health provides health care to people on Vancouver Island, on the islands of the Georgia Strait, and in the mainland communities between Powell River and Rivers Inlet."  The authority covers four overall regions on Vancouver Island and the mainland. 

- Services offered and specialty clinic locations 
- Island Health President & CEO Kathy MacNeil
- Island Health Board of Directors
- Island Health ED, Clinical Service Delivery Sarah Crawford-Bohl 
- Medical Health Officer (Population & Public Health) Dr. Murray Fyfe 
- Medical staff website portal 
- Clinical Operations org chart (region including Sooke) 

- Local Health Area Profile: The Western Communities (2019 profile) are one of 14 health areas under Island Health's watch as defined by the Ministry of Health. Ours is comprised of Sooke, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin and Highlands. 
- Community Health Facts: Westshore and Sooke (2013) 

- Island Health Facebook page (notable at the moment for the chain of messages about temporary service disruptions at clinics in Port Hardy, Ladysmith and Chemainus due to a lack of physicians.)

Primary Care Network Steering Committee
(co-chaired by Sooke's Dr. Robin Saunders, who also co-chairs Partners for Better Health) 

South Island Division of Family Practice
- West shore and Sooke recruitment page 
- FETCH (For Everything That's Community Health) online listing of 2,200 resources in Greater Victoria (physicians, medical specialists, substance use/addiction, seniors, mental health counselling, low-income support, etc.) 


Sooke and Region 
(scan down for an overview of past initiatives and events leading to the present situation) 

T'Sou-ke Nation Health Care Centre 
- T'Sou-ke Nation Health
- New Community Care Centre Will Deliver Better Health Care to the T'Sou-ke Nation (Ministry of Municipal Affairs)
- T'Sou-ke Community Hall and Health Centre (Urban Arts Architecture) + TC article 

West Coast Family Medical Clinic, Sooke  
The busy Evergreen Mall base for medical care in Sooke. Created in the 2011 merger of Evergreen Medical Clinic and Harbour Medical Clinic. It is home to ten doctors, one nurse practitioner, a social worker, a dietitian and three registered nurses. Together they deliver family practice basics and collectively cover a diverse range of specialities: Maternity care, neurology, chronic pain management, oncology, cancer care, addictions, chronic pain, palliative care, chronic disease management and primary health care included. You'll find bios and individual skill sets/responsibilities for the 16-person-strong team here. 

- "Sooke's Creative Approach to Health Care" (Black Press, May 5, 2022)

* Vacancy notice: Nurse Practitioner (shared here since it explains the position) 
"West Coast Family Medical is looking for a Nurse Practitioner to fill a temporary one year term. In this sub-contracted position the nurse practitioner works within a Primary Care Network and, together with other members of an interprofessional care team, provides full scope team-based primary care for a panel of patients.

The nurse practitioner is responsible and accountable for the comprehensive assessment of patients/ clients/ residents including diagnosing diseases, disorders and conditions. The Nurse practitioner initiates treatment including health care management, therapeutic interventions and prescribes medications in accordance with the statutory and regulatory standards, limits and conditions, policy and guidelines. The Nurse Practitioner provides professional guidance to students and other health professionals and practices autonomously and interdependently within the context of an interdisciplinary health care team, making referrals to physicians and others as appropriate.

This position collaborates with patients/ clients/ residents and other members of the interdisciplinary team to identify and assess trends and patterns that have implications for patients/ clients/ residents, families and communities; develops and implement population and evidence based strategies to improve health and participates in policy-making and quality activities that influence health services and practices. The position participates in peer review and self-review to evaluate the outcome of services at the patient/client/resident, community and population level and to continuously improve quality and safety." 

LifeLabs Sooke (laboratory services)

West Coast Medical Imaging + Greater Victoria locations 

Ayre Manor Seniors' Housing 
Independent and assisted living, complex care and hospice beds. Opened in Jan. 2008. Owned by the Sooke Elderly Citizens' Housing Society (SECHS), a local non-profit charitable society formed in 1968 by the Old Age Pensioners Organization. Ayre Manor is supported by Island Health and the District of Sooke in association with SECHS. 
- Construction begins on Ayre Manor (March 2007)
- Expansion Plans for a new 56-bed wing (2012) 
- Expansion Plans Stalled (2017)
- Accreditation Canada acknowledgement (March 2021) 

Sooke Shelter Society 
Hope Centre Supportive Housing and Shelter (BC Housing website) 
- Who To Call infographic 
- BC Housing inquiry form and phone contact: "We welcome questions and feedback on this project through the Q&A tool on this page or to [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming the community to tour the building once renovations are complete (1Q 2023) and encourage you to contact us about a tour." 

​Sooke Homelessness Coalition 
A satellite working group of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness 

Sooke Family Resources Society 

• Sooke Early Years Programs
• West Shore Early Years Programs
• Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR)
• Counselling
• Youth Services
• Family Services
• Adults with Disabilities
• Bridging the Digital Divide

- Island Health Sooke Health Unit at Sooke Family Resources Society 

Sooke Region Communities Health Network 
"Since 2003, the Sooke Co-operative Association of Service Agencies (CASA) and the grassroots Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) have worked together to benefit the Sooke Region from Port Renfrew to Beecher Bay.  In 2016, the two merged their resources and officially became Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN). It operates as a cooperative non-profit organization with charitable status, which allows it to manage its own grant funding and to act as an umbrella organization for other voluntary groups." 

​SRCHN annual service agreement since 2014 with the District of Sooke. Island Health provides matching funds for a part-time coordinator position filled by SRCHN Executive Director Christine Bossi. The DOS agreement requires ... 
- Sooke Region Resource website
- Sooke Age Friendly Committee (meets monthly under the direction of chair Roy Brown and guided by Christine) 
- Achievement of BC Age-Friendly Committee status 
- Planning for Seniors/Youth Community Activity Centre (aka The Gathering Place) 
- Identify community needs, facilitate community activities 
- Create collaborations and partnerships
- Address issues identified by the Primary Health Care Working Group
- Maintain/develop relationships at regional and provincial levels
- Promote and bolster volunteer activities  

SRCHN Reports and Studies  
​* Youth Activities Report (2021)
* Sooke Region Homelessness Consultation (2021)
​* Sooke Region Food Security Report (2021) 

BC Healthy Communities Age-Friendly Action Guide (2020)

Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation 
Founded in 2018 to "make funding available to local charities who are working hard to provide health-related services to our local communities." Grants from its general fund have been used to purchase equipment for Ayre Manor and the West Coast Family Medical Clinic and Ayre Manor. The Mary Brown Memorial Fund was established last year specifically to address mental health and disability needs; to date its grants have funded counselling services at the Sooke Shelter Society and the Sooke Family Resources Society. A long-time Shirley resident, Mary Brown was a psychiatric social worker who supported people with disabilities and mental health challenges in Canada, UK, and Australia.

- Purpose
- Board of Directors
- How to Give donations options  + Canada Helps direct link 

Sooke Food Bank
Nov. 2022: "Sooke Residents Are Super Generous" (CTV News) 
- Canada Helps donation page 
- EMCS Leadership students' 10,000 Tonight food drives 
- Christmas Bureau 
- Sooke Fire Services campaign + Santa Run
- Grace Garden at the Sooke Baptist Church 

2018 Statistics (most recent on the website): 
Number of Hampers: 3,270
Average 96 families per week
Average 78 children per week
Average 143 adults per week
Cost to date: $229,069.70
Total Pounds: 118,947
Total Kilograms: 53,953

Sooke Transition House Society 
"Provides emergency shelter for women and their children who are in crisis resulting from family violence. Counselling, education, prevention and advocacy."

Sooke Hospice Society 
"The Sooke Hospice Society is a team of trained volunteers and professionals dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual care of individuals who are palliative, as well as their families and loved ones, within the community of Sooke." 

CONTACT: Community Assistance Society 
Low-cost loans of medical equipment (canes, crutches, wheelchairs)

ElderConnect
Sooke Region Community Portal data base for seniors. 

District of Sooke 
- Service agreements with annual funding to ...
* Sooke Region Communities Health Network
* Sooke Family Resource Society
* Sooke Food Bank 

- District grant-hosting for the Sooke Shelter Society's Strengthening Communities grant (2021/22)
 
- District support, council liaison and ongoing engagement via Sooke Bylaw, Sooke Fire Services and Sooke RCMP with the Sooke Homelessness Coalition and local homelessness. 
​
- Community Grants Program support for miscellaneous health-related organizations, including (in 2022) ... 
* SFRS Pre-Natal Program ($7k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* Sooke Shelter Society ($7k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* Steps to the Future Childcare Society ($5k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* KidSport Greater Victoria ($7k) 
* Take A Hike Foundation ($5k) 
* Victoria Brain Injury Society ($1k)


Sooke Service Gaps
Leading Service Gap: Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre 
Sooke currently lacks and has long lobbied for a dedicated Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) operating with sufficient staffing and hours common to other UPCCs in British Columbia. District land for this centre is reserved on Lot A.

Patients with doctors in Sooke can drop-in to the West Coast Family Medical Clinic during urgent care hours (M-F, Noon to 4:30 PM). Outside those hours (and for all those without local doctors), individuals are advised to book appointments at the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre in Langford. 

• Urgent care (same day) services are for people who need care within 12-24 hours but do not require an emergency department and who do not have access to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic in a suitable time frame.
• Patients experiencing chest pains, severe head injuries or broken bones and any concerns requiring immediate blood testing, x-rays or other diagnostic tests cannot be treated at the UPCC and should attend their local hospital’s emergency department or call 9-1-1 during a health emergency.
• Patients will be assessed at the Westshore UPCC upon arrival and registered to be seen as capacity allows. 
• Please note that due to patient volumes, appointments are not guaranteed. Please check medimap.ca for wait times and capacity.

As the West Coast Family Medical Clinic website states: "Please note that the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre is the designated clinic for local residents without a Primary Care Provider ... We recognize that many residents of Sooke do not have access to a Primary Care Provider. West Coast Family Medical Clinic does provide limited, same-day access to a Primary Care Provider for local residents (Sooke to Port Renfrew) through our Urgent Care Clinic [open M-F, Noon to 4:30 PM]. Please note that demand for this service usually exceeds our capacity ... To help us better serve those in our community with urgent medical issues or without a Primary Care Provider, please make every effort to see your own Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner for your medical concerns whenever possible. Same-day appointments in the Urgent Care Clinic can be booked online (online booking only available to patients who already have a chart at our office) or by calling our office at 250-642-4233. Phones are answered from 8:30-12:00, and from 1:00-4:30 (3:30 on Fridays). Please note that it can be difficult to get through by telephone at times due to high call volumes." 

- New UPCC Will Deliver Better Health Care to the West Shore (Ministry of Health press release, Oct. 26, 2018) 
- West Shore Clinic Busiest in the Province, Health Minister Says (Times Colonist, Nov. 26, 2019)

Other Urgent and Primary Care Centres in Greater Victoria 

• James Bay Urgent Primary Care Centre – Victoria
• Esquimalt Urgent Primary Care Centre – Esquimalt
• Downtown Victoria Urgent and Primary Care Centre - Victoria 
• North Quadra Urgent Primary Care Centre – Saanich
• Gorge Urgent and Primary Care Centre – Victoria  

Community Health Centres

• Island Sexual Health Community Health Centre – Victoria 

X-Ray Services in Sooke 
- West Coast Medical Imaging Services (M to F, 11 to 4 PM) 
- "Sooke Mayor Pushing for Beter X-Ray Services" - Sooke News Mirror (Nov. 2015) 
- Advocacy statement 
- "In late 2017, West Coast Medical Imaging improved the X-Ray technology available in Sooke" 

Speech therapist? SRCH advocacy in 2017

More on CHCs: BC Association of Community Health Centres
"BCACHC exists to support and advance the Community Health Centre (CHC) model and engage, advocate for, and support CHCs as an integral part of health and social service delivery in BC communities." 
- What Is a Community Health Centre? 
- The Importance of Community Health Centres in BC's Medical Care Reforms (Canadian Centre Policy Alternatives, 2019) 
- Building Ties With The Health System (CARES, 2020) 
- Roadmap to a CHC 

"Sooke has very little capacity to support the growing needs for Island Health Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) services for our community. There is one free service -- Urgent Short Term Assessment and Treatment (USTAT) -- with capacity or  capacity to serve 16 sessions a week. As small as the free service is, it is currently (October 2022) experiencing challenges with a staffing shortage. The USTAT position has been understaffed for several months … There is no equitable access to MHSU services for people with low income or who lack insurance. There is not enough support available for people who have a low capacity to navigate complex access systems. We have to do better.”

Back Story: Sooke Health & Preventative Care Initiatives 

* Way Back: I'll browse the Sooke Story for clues when i get a chance. 

* Pre-2000: "Becoming an Age Friendly Community, a place where seniors, and all ages, are respected and supported has been the goal of community members long before the term was coined. As our community grew its members identified a need for seniors’ supports. As early as 1945 a Sooke Over 60’s Club was formed, which was the forerunner to the Old Age Pensioners Organization, Branch#88. From that group sprung the Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society and the Contact Community Assistance Society (Loan Cupboard and Contact Drivers). By 1975 another group was providing a ‘Meals on Wheels’ program as well as inexpensive lunches. This eventually developed into the Sooke Senior Drop-In Centre. The Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society worked tirelessly for over 40 years to acquire land and build an assisted living and extended care building in Sooke. The New Horizons Activity Society was formed in the 1980’s and later became the Sooke Seniors Activity Society which raised funds to purchase and operate a bus to assist with seniors’ transportation to events and shopping excursions." - from the Executive Summary of the Sooke Age-Friendly Action Plan (2015)

* 2005: The Sooke Youth & Adult Navigator Project, Dr. Ellen Anderson and Susan Larke. <clip> "In our rural and remote communities, challenged by MHA service access issues, a community-supported Navigator model was designed to increase access to comprehensive, strengths-based assessment, planning and referral facilitation ... Our model utilised the service of two navigators with complementary skills in social work and psychiatric rehabilitation. One navigator focused primarily on youth under age 19 years and one navigator worked primarily with adults. One navigator was female and one was male. However, it was very important for both of them to be able to work with clients of any age and either sex." 

* 2006/2007: Mayor Evans and her council continue advocacy with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, MLA John Horgan and others for improved health care, notably collaboration with the Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society re: the future Ayre Manor Lodge. Other health-oriented work included attendance at the Premier's Council on Seniors and Aging Forum, the Victoria Community Task Force on Cystal Meth, a BC Healthy Community Initiatives workshop, and a Planning Institute of British Columbia workshop.  

* Sept. 23, 2006: Sooke Community Health Initiative Forum at the Community Hall 

* Oct. 10, 2006: Announcement that VIHA had signed a $16.1 million contract to construct Ayre Manor. 

* Sept. 8, 2008: "What will it take to create a more age-friendly Sooke?" - day-long conference hosted by Sooke Economic Development Commission in partnership with Sooke Harbour Chamber of Commerce. Participants explored ideas on topics including Community Infrastructure, Safety & Security, Health Services, Active Aging, Lifelong Learning, Communication, and Transportation.

* 2009: Launch of Sooke Region Food CHI 

* 2013: Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) designated by the Province as the official Age-Friendly Committee for the District of Sooke

* Fall, 2013: The Primary Health Care Services Working Group (PHCSWG) was formed based on input from the community through Mayor Milne's Advisory Panel on Community Health and Social Initiatives. The working group included members from Sooke Region CHI, Sooke Volunteer Centre, the West Coast Family Medical Clinic, the South Island Division of Family Practice, Island Health and the District of Sooke. 

* Dec. 2013: "A GP for Me" forum. (Britt Santowski's Sooke News Mirror story linked here notes that the BC Liberals made a “2010 Government commitment to provide a family physician for any BC resident who wants one by 2015.”)

* 2014: District Service agreement with SRCHN to fund Age Friendly work and meet senior and volunteer goals outlined in the Official Community Plan. (hence the first service agreement; see details at end of this post)

* Highlights of 2013/14 work by PHCSWG
(Nicky Logins, Marlene Barry, Dr. Ellen Anderson, Emma Isaac, Linda Nehra, Wendal Milne)
- Joined Island-wide initiative for a "physician recruitment navigator" position 
- Highlighted gap in X-ray and ultrasound servcies in Sooke. Four UVic Master of Business Administration students develop a business plan for diagnostic services in Sooke
- "Managing At Home: Support Needs for Sooke Seniors" study funded through BC Age-Friendly grant to assess needs of seniors who are medically at risk and facing social isolation.  
- Worked with Island Health to fund two additional hospice beds for Ayre Manor 
- Advocate for support of the Integrated Health Network in Sooke 

* Nov. 2014: Island Health Board of Directors meetings in Sooke hosted by Mayor Tait and the District 

*  Dec. 15, 2014: Sooke council appoints a liaison (Mayor Tait) to the PHCSWG. States the Committee of the Whole report: "By focusing on buiding not just the physical infrastructure of our community but also the social infrastructure, local elected officials work hand-in-hand with health care professionals to contribute to citizen's health and social needs." At this time, 74% of Sooke residents do not have doctors in Sooke. Waiting list of 800 for new patient uptake at West Coast Family Medical Clinic. 

* October 2015: Release of District of Sooke Age-Friendly Action Plan 
"A strong commitment to supporting our seniors, volunteering and caring for others has helped Sooke to become the place it is now. Sooke is an Age Friendly community with a vision and many citizens have the desire to make it more so. We’ve come together to make things happen in the past and will continue to do so far into the future. We understand that when we build to ‘Age Friendly’ we build to accommodate all ages and abilities." 

- 2015: The Province and BC Healthy Communities recognized the District of Sooke as a community that has demonstrated "incredible commitment to supporting older residents to remain healthy and active in their communities." 

* May 28, 2016: Sooke Region Health Summit at the Community Hall hosted by Mayor Tait. Organized around four topics: Healthy Food Accessibility; Special Populations; Medical Services & Infrastructure; Social and Physical Activities. Gaps that were identified in these areas informed the ongoing work of the PHCSWG and the District of Sooke. Read the final report here. 
 
* Nov. 2016: "No Easy Fix for Doctor Shortage" - Kevin Laird, Sooke News Mirror 

* April, 2017:  The CRD Hospitals and Housing Committee endorsed Mayor Tait’s motion entitled, “Support for Pilot Project: A Regional Health Care Facility in Sooke”. Discussion ensued regarding:
"- the similar challenges regarding healthcare for residents of Victoria and Sooke and if they are more acute in Sooke,
- the different needs perceived by the public versus healthcare professionals, 
​- being a part of the CRD means that residents of Sooke are requested to use the facilities in the region that are not necessarily local,
- any facility would be open to residents of Victoria and reduce the load on services in Victoria, and
- the challenges of the highway to Sooke."

MOVED by Director Tait, SECONDED by Director Helps, That the Hospitals and Housing Committee recommends to the Capital Regional District Board that: The District of Sooke and the Sooke Region Primary Health Care Services Working Group calls on the Capital Regional Hospital District, the Province of British Columbia, Island Health, and all levels of government to support a regional health care facility in Sooke. CARRIED

* Summer/Fall 2017: The Sooke Planning Steering Committee was subsequently formed. Committee members include Mayor Tait as well as representatives from the CRD, Sooke Family Physicians, SIDFP, Island Health and the CHN.  See agenda package for: 1. Sooke Region Health Summit – Final Report (Draft); 2. Sooke Fire Rescue Department – Emergency Call Statistics; 3. Correspondence regarding Health Care Services in Sooke; 4. Island Health – 2014 Sooke Local Health Area Profile; 5. Sooke Pocket News survey – Medical Services in Sooke, April, 2017. 

* Nov. 2017: Sooke Community Heath Care Stakeholders Consultation. Five identified needs: 

Quote: "1. Improved Access to Primary Care: Participants identified the desire for more primary care providers (GPs and Nurse Practitioners), citing limited clinic space and incentives to attract more GPs as barriers. The desire for access to longer primary care hours in the evenings and on weekends, including Sundays and holidays, was expressed. Same-day access to primary care in urgent circumstances was also desired. Many participants indicated that co-located space would be desirable with all-primary health services integrated (virtually or by physical co-location).
2. Care provided by a team of health care providers (team-based care): Participants indicated that having a care team focused on seniors would be valuable. Also, having Nurse Practitioners or Registered Nurses attached to the Physician clinic would be desired to improve access to primary care.
3. Access to more specialized, locally accessible services: Participants identified the need for more access to Mental Health and Substance Use services, including walk-in services. Also, increased services for isolated seniors were suggested, along with the idea of having a drop-in seniors’ activity centre.
4. Improved access to other key enablers: Currently x-ray services in Sooke are available 7.5 hours/week (Tuesday 8:30am-11:00 am, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am-11:30am) and laboratory services are available on weekdays (8am-4pm Mondays to Fridays). The community identified more service hours are desirable to improve access and reduce the need to travel outside the community for these services. Maximizing the use of electronic medical/health records was also cited as a key enabler to bolster service provision.
5. Supporting population wellness: Improved health literacy (access to information on wellbeing and how/where to access services) was deemed a priority for participants. Improved transportation (both within Sooke and to destinations outside Sooke) was also cited by participants as needed, particularly on weekends (note: transportation issues are considered out of scope for this plan). Road improvement needs were also identified."

* May 18, 2018: Aging With Grace: Sooke Region Age 55+ Summit 
Keynote speech by Dr. David Docherty, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria + Overview of the 2018 Provincial Seniors' Summit by Doni Eve, Senior Manager, Healthy Aging, for the Population and Public Health Division of the BC Ministry of Health + talk by Sooke Registered Clinical Counsellor Janet Raynor Thorn titled "The Croning Years: The Later Life Transformations" + break-out groups re: ElderConnect Seniors' Info Hub. 

* June 16, 2018:  Sooke Community Health Service Engagement with stakeholders at Community Hall 

* Aug. 2018: Sooke Community Health Service Planning Report (Island Health/District of Sooke) 

* Winter/Spring 2018/19: Lot A Charette Concept Plan identifies best possible uses of the town-centre, District-owned property's southeast quadrant as a "5-6-storey Health Centre with limited size independent commercial retail units on the base and market housing units on the upper floors. Second floor office space is also appropriate. This quadrant would include an underground parking component ... conceived as a wood-frame building with a total floor area of approximately 7,000m2." 

-  April 26, 2019:  "Expanded Primary Care Coming to Sooke" (Ministry of Health press release) 

- June, 12, 2020: Official opening of expanded West Coast Family Medical Clinic; "Sooke Clinic Aims to Connect More Patients With Doctors" (Times Colonist)

- 2020/21/22: Advocacy continues with the Ministry of Health for a hybrid Community Heath Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre on the southeast quadrant of Lot A. 


Miscellaneous 
Media Coverage: BC Health Care Issues 
~ "BC's Health-Care Crisis Is Unrelenting: What Can Be Done To Fix It?" (CBC, Sept. 19, 2022;  includes link to the Situation Critical town hall with Minister Dix and others) 
~ "BC Liberals Call for Audit of Urgent and Primary Care Centres" (Times Colonist, July 27, 2022) 
~ "BC Health Care System Strengthened by New Payment Model for Doctors" (Ministry of Health, Oct. 31, 2022)
​~ "BC Health Minister Calls for Trudeau to Engage on Health Funding" (CBC, Nov. 6, 2022) 

Reports 
- Family Doctors Care: The Role and Value of Family Physicians in BC (BC College of Family Physicians, 2020) 

* BC 211
Free, confidential hot-line consultation 24/7 in 150 languages 

* BC Centre For Disease Control 
- Covid 19 page 
- Business protocols 
- Link to current Province-wide regulations 

* Canadian Mental Health Association: BC Division

* Doctors of BC website + Advocating for family physicians 


Greater Victoria Hospitals 

Capital Regional Hospital District 
This CRD corporation "partners with Island Health and community stakeholder agencies to develop and improve healthcare facilities in the region and provide capital funding for infrastructure such as acute care, residential care and hospital equipment.
- 10-Year Capital Plan (through 2032) 

Victoria General Hospital 
"Victoria General started as St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1876. The name was changed when the Sisters of St. Ann gave it to the province in 1972.t The new VGH opened in 1983 on Hospital Way off Helmcken. A 368-bed community-based acute- care facility, it provides general adult & pediatric surgery including orthopedics, endoscopy, maternity & neo-natal ser- vices, sexual assault nurse examiner, as well as mammography, asthma, dia- betes, & respiratory clinics, cancer care, icu, rehabilitation, and much more."

Royal Jubilee Hospital 
Founded in the 1860s and now featuring 500 beds. It offers critical care, surgery, diagnostics, emergency facilities, with a special focus on cardiac medicine. 

Victoria Hospital Foundation 
Supporting care teams at Royal Jubilee, VGH and Gorge Road hospitals.  


Third United Way of British Columbia Provincial Aging Summit (2022) 


"The District of Sooke has entered into a Service Agreement with the SRCHN to provide the following services:
 
• Sooke Region Resource website:
o website improvements, updates and maintenance;

• Age Friendly Committee for Sooke:
o develop planning and/or activities to achieve official provincial status for Sooke as an Age Friendly Community

• Seniors/Youth/Community Activity Centre:
o Identify the needs of the community
o Initiate and facilitate community forum/s or other opportunities to discuss development of a community activity centre, and to inform Council on this initiative
o Solicit partnerships and engage support from interested potential partner organizations
o Goal of September 30 2014 completion date for these services

• Primary Health:
o address issues identified through the Primary Health Care Working Group and Mayor‘s Panel, Community Health and Social Initiatives
o maintain and further develop relationships at regional and provincial levels for community health initiatives
• Volunteer Initiatives:
o Explore funding opportunities to implement OCP identified Volunteer initiatives and activities that promote Sooke‘s claim as the Volunteer Capital of Canada

VIHA has been an avid supporter of SRCHN, matching funds provided by the District of Sooke to fund our activites. As of 2014, VIHA has provided funding for a part-time coordinator's position to futher collaboration and increase opportunities for the region. This was very appreciated by SRCHN as grants often do not provide the possibility to pay indirect costs such as services rendered."

Addendum
Here's an excerpt (shared by permission) of the speaking notes read by Roy Brown at a memorial concert for his late wife Mary Brown held at the Anglican Church in December, 2022. The concert was a Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation fundraiser for Mary Brown Memorial Fund, which supports local charities delivering services to people with mental health and/or disability needs.  A social scientist and practitioner, Roy is Chair of the Sooke Age-Friendly Committee and recipient of the Dr Robert E; Cooke Lifetime achievement award-American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry. 

"The following are some of the challenges faced by the relevant families where there are challenging and serious life issues.  If one compares life satisfaction characteristics between families with disability issues with a random sample of the population of the same age without mental health and disability concerns, there are great discrepancies in the following:

- Health issues
- Financial wellbeing
- Family relations
- Support from other people 
- Support from Disability related services - Over 50% of those responding are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
- Spiritual and cultural needs.
- Careers and preparation for careers.
- Leisure and enjoyment of life. 
- Community and civic involvement.

The more severe the conditions the greater the discrepancy between the control group (no major mental health or disability issues) and those with disabilities. This data was collected in BC and is consistent with other studies. 

I want to make such concerns more concrete and exemplify one simple technique that can be introduced. In one sense light hearted but serious. My mom was celebrating her 100th birthday and was at a party with care staff from the day program she attended. She had severe Alzheimer’s. She brought  along a book of photos representing her life. Staff asked to look at it. Mom wanted to know what the staff were talking about.  Well Mom, the staff say you were a beautiful woman.  Yes,I was She said!  banging her walking stick on the ground!

Then  I realised: The staff did not know the broad details of her life and were learning it for the first time. I now recommend that end of life programs should ensure that families have a book of their loved one’s life. It broadens staff knowledge of the person they are caring for. It is also a visual aid for their patient or client. Remember one is more likely to lose recall skills and retain recognition for longer." 

I wanted to point you to today's Times Colonist article in case you've not seen it  - https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/seniors-advocate-says-province-has-no-action-plan-to-increase-long-term-care-beds-11297464

"The seniors advocate’s report found the long-term care system has gone from providing 77 beds per 1,000 people a decade ago to 58 beds today. Levitt said that number will fall to 41 beds by 2035/36 if beds continue to be built and replaced at the current rate."  

Update Post-COW 
* Council (Beddows, Haldane, Tait and myself) sitting as the COW this afternoon voted in favour of asking staff to "provide additional reporting on an updated 2026-2030 Financial Plan based on a maximum annual tax increase of 12% including associated service-level impacts and reserve implications."

* Policing discussion focused (at Mayor Tait's suggestion) on adding a third RCMP officer to this year's budget so as to serve as a Community Police Officer with a particular focus as Sooke's first dedicated School Police Liaison Officer. (District of Mission SPLO example.) The requested office manager would be deferred to a future year. 

* This potential hire shapes up as a significant act of "upstream intervention." The SPLO officer would work in concert with SD #62 at all Sooke-area schools, delivering straight talk and sound advice about drugs, gangs and sexual exploitation, facilitating restorative justice interventions, and generally ensuring students steer well clear of the youth justice system. (See the Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee SPLO backgrounder on the high-profile debate/controversy in recent years at the Victoria School District. SD #62 schools in the west shore have a SPLO program through West Shore RCMP. Modified Sooke school engagement of this general kind ended some years back when Constable Sam Haldane moved to a new position.)

* The community policing part of the job is timely given the rising fears around safety in the town centre following a string of arson incidents and the results of the Chamber of Commerce Business Walk survey that captured up-Sooke business concerns related to theft, vandalism and homelessness. The TBA officer (budget approval pending) would be the "face of Sooke RCMP," said Staff Sgt. Willcocks. She/he would be a visible presence around town and would liaise on community safety initiatives, including with the business community. 


Starting Points 
- Budget Deliberations Start on Feb. 17 (press release)
- Let's Talk Budget 2026 (DOS microsite)
- Budget and Finance - District website home page 
- Five-Year Financial Plan, 2025-2029 (adopted: April 7, 2025) 
- Five-Year Financial Plan 2024-2028 (adopted in April, 2024)

Committee of the Whole - Feb. 17, 2026
We now enter the phase in the annual budget cycle when things get, as they say, real. Crunch time, and nobody is likely to be happy (to quote BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey regarding the province's own budget to be delivered tomorrow.)   

Brace yourself, Sooke: You'll again be paying more in this year's needs-not-wants budget as the District continues to strive to make up lost time (and tax dollars) by addressing essential municipal responsibilities - fire, police, asset management and union contract increases.  There is arguably again zero fluff in this budget -- at least not if you recognize support for non-profit organizations through Sooke's Community Investment Program as a must, not a nice-to-have. 

The key points in tomorrow's agenda: 

- District staff will present potential tax increases ranging from 10.23% to 18.51% this year

- This hike will be subject to council decisions regarding discretionary and new-funding budget asks  

- Average household increases will range from $182 to $330 per year ($15 to $28 per month) pending the final determined % increase. 

- In 2026, a 1% tax increase = $144,488 in additional municipal revenue. In comparison, other municipalities gather considerably more from a +1% hike, i.e. Saanich ($1.75m), Langford ($450k), Colwood ($212k). 


Catching Up: Critical Context 
In 2025, Sooke yet again ranked as the third lowest among 26 local governments on Vancouver Island in residential property taxes collected for municipal services -- $2,022 on the average assessed residence.

If we opted for the maximum $330 (which I'm confident we will not), we'd still be among the lowest 10 communities on the island given increases by those immediately ahead of us on last year's chart.  Oak Bay ($6,139), Victoria ($4,065) and Saanich ($4,002) lead the CRD in general municipal tax. We're in the ballpark with North Saanich ($2,059), Metchosin ($2,122) and Sidney ($2,444). 

The VI average is approx. $2,500 per average household. We slipped behind our own growth curve in 2012-16 back when Sooke RCMP first began calling for more officers. Despite bold tax increases since 2017 (60.22% total), we continue to need additional funds in the areas of police, fire and asset management in particular. 

Staff recommendation that the Future Policing Cost Reserves fund be left untouched ($433,597 as of Dec. 31, 2025). This will ensure available funding for any potential cases involving the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit and is a starter on funding for the one-day need for a new RCMP/emergency services building. 


2026 General Fund Operating Costs 
- General Government - $5,011,303 (26%)
- Planning, Development & Building Services - $1,537,234 (8%)
- Operations - $3,715,339 (19%)
- Police - $5,237,952 (27%)
- Fire & Emergency - $3,753,895 (20%)
TOTAL: $19,255,733 

Budget Components 
Municipal Services (excluding RCMP)
 7.59% is non-discretionary 
- 5.51% - labour cost increases (CUPE 374 Sooke and IAFF Local 4841) 
- 0.45% - debt servicing 
- 0.01% - election costs 
- 0.24% - contractor and maintenance 
- 0.49% - IT software and licensing 
- 0.14% - insurance and banking fees
- 0.16% - BC Hydro rate increase
- 0.10% - materials and equipment
- 0.03% - fuel 

 2.0% - Asset Management Reserve Fund increase is discretionary
 
2.71% is discretionary 
- 0.46% - Firefighter #14 
- 0.31% - Parks Auxiliary labourers 
- 0.26% - Geographic Information Services co-op student 
- 0.55% - Community Service Agreement increases (SCA) 
- 0.42% - Zoning & Building Bylaw consultancy 
- 0.35% - Rainwater infrastructure maintenance
- 0.10% - Streetlight contract maintenance
- 0.10% - Parks vehicle & small-machine maintenance
- 0.07% - Connector road engagement for referendum 
- 0.06% - Tree maintenance 
 
0.22%+ in new funding requests 
- TBD – Deputy Mayor’s pay 
- 0.21% - Foundry BC contribution
- 0.1% - The Village Initiative coordinator contribution (shared with West Shore communities & SD #62) 
 

Sooke RCMP 
 2.64% is non-discretionary 
- $198,855 to cover latest RCMP union contract increases for 14 budgeted RCMP members
- $42k to cover pay and benefits for three public-service employees 
- $430k for a full year of E-Comm 9-1-1 service 
 
3.69% is discretionary 
- $532,452 for two more RCMP officers 
 
1.57% in new funding requests 
- $130k – new office manager position 
- $97,500k – new GIS Disclosure Clerk (to handle heavy paperwork now managed by officers) 
 
Total request: 7.90% 
- $1.14m = $141 per household per year 

"Policing is the largest single service within the District’s operating budget. RCMP contract costs, staffing levels, equipment requirements, and provincial standards strongly influence overall municipal expenditures and property tax scenarios." - DOS

Budget Next Steps 
As we have in years past, council will likely ask the District's finance team to chop what and where it can even given all the preparation and preamble that has led us to this place.  [The District's budget survey was completed last fall. The service review presentations by all District departments, Sooke RCMP, Sooke Fire Service and service-agreement participants ended last month. And now, in the agenda for this meeting, council and the public are seeing the first projected tax increases for 2026. 

Ahead of us at near-term council meetings prior to the Province's May 15 deadline applicable to all local governments:  i) First, second and third reading of the budget; ii) the annual Community Budget Open House; and iii) budget adoption.

The Province is introducing an austerity budget tomorrow. Ideally, we should as well, however the needs of Sooke Fire and Sooke RCMP are critical to community safety as this council has strongly recognized at budget time since 2023.  
 

Backgrounder 
Who Gets What: Sooke Property Tax Bill 
District of Sooke - 45.4%
Provincial School Tax - 26.2%
Capital Regional District - 15.3%
BC Transit - 5.9%
VIRL - 3.7%
Hospital District - 2.7%
Municial Finance Authority - 0.8%


Sooke Budget 2026 Citizen Survey 
​- Budget 2026: What We Heard Report (public survey in summer 2025) + presentation 

- Fire Rescue Services: Transition to 24/7 staffing model — now 92.7% satisfaction, highest of all service areas
- Policing: Enhanced local presence and coverage — satisfaction at 80.5%
​- Bylaw Services: Expanded team from 2 to 3 officers, improving reliability and weekend coverage

"The District recognizes that the recent rate of property tax increases is not sustainable over the long term. This year’s survey asked residents to share perspectives on revenue diversification — how the District can reduce reliance on residential taxes ...  Strong support for:

• Shared revenues with other levels of government (e.g., cannabis and cell service taxes)
• Attracting new businesses to expand the commercial tax base
• Hosting community events to generate local revenue

"Balancing Affordability and Service Delivery
- Residents recognize the need for fiscal responsibility but do not support reducing service levels
- 40% of respondents said they trust the District to find effective, responsible ways to manage trade-offs

Community priorities:
• Expand staff cross-training to improve flexibility
• Share services with neighbouring governments and nonprofits
• Use technology and automation to improve efficiency

Residents emphasized that cost-saving measures should:
• Maintain service quality and responsiveness
• Avoid over-stretching staff or reducing community access

Frequently Asked Questions page from Let's Talk, Budget 
Example: Can’t we just cut costs to keep taxes low?  "It’s a fair question - and one we hear often. The District is always looking for ways to be more efficient. We’ve already made improvements, like offering more digital services, streamlining internal processes, and working with partners to share costs where we can. But the reality is, most of the budget goes toward people and infrastructure—the staff who provide services and the facilities, roads, and systems we all rely on.

• Wages make up the largest part of the operating budget. These are based on union agreements and reflect the cost of hiring qualified staff to do important work.
• Emergency services depend on having enough trained responders available when residents need them.
• Parks, trails, and roads need regular maintenance to stay safe and prevent bigger, more expensive problems later on.

Cutting too deeply in these areas doesn’t just mean fewer services. It can lead to:

• Slower emergency response times
• Delayed repairs that cost more to fix later
• Less safety and cleanliness in public spaces
• Higher staff turnover and burnout, which brings extra costs for recruiting and training new employees

"The tax increases since 2012 average to 4.3% -- highlighting that increases in 2025 (15.29%) and 2024 are not typical. Stabilizing tax increases and diversifying funding sources is a priority."

Taxation in Sooke since 2012 
Municipal tax hikes since 2012 total 61% ... nonetheless, to dive into the stats cited above, Sooke has the third lowest residential taxes on Vancouver Island. Sooke at $1,758 in municipal residential property taxes (for the average assessed property) is second only to Lake Cowichan ($1,593) and Lantzville ($1,744) in having the lowest bills on Vancouver Island amongst communities south of Campbell River. The median tax among the 25 jurisdictions cited in the draft plan is $2,524 (i.e., what folks in Port Alberni, Colwood, Central Saanich and Qualicum Beach approximately pay). Oak Bay tops the list at $4,976 per tweed-curtain household. Not that this alone justifies major local increases, of course. 

2025 - 15.29%
2024 ~ 10.53%
2023 ~ 6.99%
2022 ~ 6.09%
2021 ~ 3.31%
2020 ~ 0.00%
2019 ~ 7.18%
2018 ~ 2.79%
2017 ~ 5.58%
2016 ~ 0.85%
2015 ~ 0.00%
2014 ~ 0.02%
2013 ~ 1.59%
2012 ~ 0.00%
 
2019-2024 ~ 49.31% 
2012-2024 ~ 61.0% 
 
Working five-year projections in the 2025-2029 plan approved last spring ... 
2026 – 9.70%
2027 – 7.71% 
2028 – 10.72% 
2029 – 7.34% 

Optional: Property Tax Deferment Program 
BC Tax Deferment Program
- Regular program (for people who are 55 or older, are a surviving spouse or a person with disabilities), or
- Families with children program
- Eligibility requirements 

- Changes introduced in Feb. 2026 BC Budget
i) Changing the interest rate structure for the Property Tax Deferment Program from simple to compound and adopting a prime plus 2% rate for loans. Prime rate as of Feb 17 is 4.45% so with the above would mean a 6.45% interest rate.
 - As of this time last year, BC residents deferred $2.33b in property taxes (2024/25) vs. $2.13b a year earlier 


Policing Services - Sooke RCMP 
See Committee of the Whole agenda, Jan. 19, 2026 for the power point presentation
delivered by Staff Sgt. Greg Willcocks 

Municipal Requirements under the BC Police Act 
15   (1) Subject to this section, a municipality with a population of more than 5 000 persons must bear the expenses necessary to generally maintain law and order in the municipality and must provide, in accordance with this Act, the regulations and the director's standards,
(a) policing and law enforcement in the municipality with a police service referred to in section 3 (2) [responsibilities of Provincial and municipal governments for providing policing and law enforcement services] of sufficient numbers (i) to adequately enforce municipal bylaws, the criminal law and the laws of British Columbia, and (ii) to maintain law and order in the municipality,
(b) adequate accommodation, equipment and supplies for (i) the operations of and use by the police service required under paragraph (a), and (ii) the detention of persons required to be held in police custody other than on behalf of the government, and
(c) the care and custody of persons held in a place of detention required under paragraph (b) (ii).
(1.1) The duties of a municipality under subsection (1) of this section include the duty set out in section 4.03 to use and pay for specialized services provided by a specialized service provider.
(2) If, due to special circumstances or abnormal conditions in a municipality, the minister believes it is unreasonable to require a municipality to provide policing or law enforcement under subsection (1), the minister may provide policing or law enforcement in the municipality, subject to the terms the Lieutenant Governor in Council approves.
The Province can step in and order municipalities to ensure sufficient policing budgets (2022 Esquimalt example) 


Current Staffing 
- 14 municipal officers (budgeted strength)
- 10.92 Full-Time Equivalent employees as of Dec. 31, 2025 (due to extended leave, sick leave, etc.) 
- 18 authorized positions*
-  6 provincial officers (to cover regional responsibilities as far west as Port Renfrew)

- Sooke RCMP is undertaking a Core Policing Service Review. 
- Police Resources in BC (2024) 
 
* Definition: "Authorized strength represents the maximum number of positions that the detachment or department has been authorized to fill as of December 31 of each calendar year. The authorized strength for both municipal police units (RCMP) and municipal police department jurisdictions represents the number of sworn officers/members and sworn civilian officers/members assigned to a detachment or department, but does not include non-sworn civilian support staff, bylaw enforcement officers, the RCMP Auxiliary program or municipal police department reserve police officers." 

Trends in Sooke Municipal RCMP Budget 
- $1.2m in 2010 (70% cost share with the Province as per the BC Police Act based on a community's population size) 
- $2m in 2017
- $3.02m in 2023 (90% cost share as population exceeds 15k) 
- $3.99m in 2025 (includes $684k increase last year) 
- $6.2m projected in 2029 according to the current Five-Year Financial Plan 

Approx. 400% increase since 2015

2025 expenditures included ... 
- New vehicles - $202k
- Radio communications systems - $22k 
- Computer equipment - $60k 
- Office workstation upgrades - $50k 

2026 Budget Ask
-- Increase budgeted officers from 14 to 16 officers.
* This will budget for the GIS position and one front line general duty position (2025).
* Increase authorized officers from 18 to 20 officers.
* Both these officers will be front line policing (one being a supervisor).

- Authorize the creation of a detachment municipal manager.
- Authorize the creation of GIS disclosure clerk.
* This is the minimum amount necessary to prevent service reductions in 2026.

Sooke RCMP COW Report 
(see agenda, pp. 7-53)
* "The budget plan addresses the two primary directions from the residents of Sooke which are: maintain strong public safety by strengthening police while balancing costs.
* Creates a safer environment for the officers with better access to backup so they can better manage call volume and high-risk situations. Also supports member wellness.
* Allows the detachment to better respond to critical incidents in Sooke.
* Allow the detachment to continue to address the growing rate of serious crime and overall calls for service with an emphasis on front line policing (boots on the ground).
* Significantly reduces risk of being over budget in 2026 (reduction of 1 million dollar gap).
* Provides critical administrative support for the officers and allows for the detachment to remain open.

* The detachment will continue to focus on maintaining safe roads while increasing our presence on the roads and coming back to a focus on impaired driving, speeding, and school zone enforcement." 

Rationales 
- Policing staff in Sooke has increased 27% since 2010 vs. population increase of 62% (11 officers then, 14 now) 
- Detachment switched to 24/7 policing due to increase in provincial officers 
- Struggling to maintain basic services due to population increase and accelerated service calls  
- Cop to Pop ratio is "dangerous for the public and the RCMP officers who serve here." 
- "There is a narrow window to avoid service cuts in 2026 with the proposed budget plan." 
- "Overtime will continue to be high to maintain minimum levels" 
- "Without action, we would be putting additional pressure on future councils and budgetary years to close the gap." 

Sooke – 2025 Cop/Pop Ratio
- 1:1,250 ... one officer per 1,250 residents, second highest ratio in BC
- Victoria ~ 1:472
- Langford ~ 1:788
- Colwood ~ 1:939
- North Saanich ~ 1:1103

- Without new hires, Sooke will be 1:1,484 in 2030
- Cost per capita for Sooke taxpayers is $203 per year 
- Central Saanich with similar population has 23 officers at $284 per capita 

Call for Service Trend 
- up 23% from 2023 and 14% from 2024
- Sooke RCMP on pace for approx. 6,686 calls this year (5,288 or 79%) in Sooke
- Sooke has the fourth highest call volume in the CRD in 2025 and the largest increase in calls for service 
 
Crime Severity Index 
- The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is a measurement used by Statistics Canada to track changes in the level of severity of police-reported crime. In B.C., recent data from 2026 shows a significant 11% drop in the province's CSI for 2024, the largest decrease in the country. 
- CSI index in Sooke = 79.5 (up 44% since 2020) 
- BC average is 92.98
- CSI rises when major criminal activity is apprehended; the District established a General Investigative Services (GIS) unit in 2024 that has cracked major cases, hence increasing our indexed number. 
- In smaller municipalities a few serious incidents can dramatically inflate CSI as the index is scaled by population 
- The CSI does not include calls for non-criminal matters (mental health, traffic, missing persons)
​- An increase in the CSI may actually reflect better policing or improved reporting methods (such as new online tools) rather than more actual crime.

Budget 2026 Community Survey 
- " Support for RCMP: 63% of respondents indicated they somewhat or strongly support increased investment, with 42% strongly supportive before a tax value was applied.

Fire Rescue Services Plan 
"The Fire Master Plan recommends adding two full-time firefighters per year over the next three years to improve response times and maintain safety standards. Support: 65% of respondents indicated they somewhat or strongly support this investment, with 31% strongly supportive." 


Issue: Organized Crime in Sooke 
- Organized drug trafficking and weapons 
- Sexual exploitation investigation 
- Youth assault 
- add media clips 

​Issue: Proactive vs. Reactive Policing
Because of funding shortfalls and recruitment issues, some BC municipalities have been forced to shift from proactive to reactive policing services … Prince George, Cranbrook, Terrace are three examples.  There is currently a 20% RCMP staffing vacancy rate across BC. 

Calls that are impacted under reactive policing model 
- Property crimes (minor) 
- Non-emergency traffic issues 
- Proactive patrols – foot and bike patrols that deter crime and social issues 
- Wellness checks 
- Administrative and low-priority disturbances 
 
Community Impacts 
- increased dispatch wait times
- erosion of public trust 
- burnout and safety risks to officers
- delayed investigations 
- resource strains on small municipalities 
 
Dangers of the reactive model 
 - property crime becomes normalized 
- small stuff escalates
- upstream intervention and determent 
- trust goes down when you call emergency lines and nobody shows up 

Triage and Prioritization of Calls
- While the RCMP processes all calls for service, officers do not necessarily respond in person to every call they receive. The RCMP uses a triaging system, similar to a hospital emergency room, to prioritize urgent incidents over non-urgent matters to ensure resources are used effectively. 

 
Possible Community Initiatives 
- Canadian Citizens On Patrol Program
- Block Watch Society of BC + BC RCMP affiliation 
- Business Improvement Associations – hiring of private security 
- Advocacy for integrated units: Peer Assisted Care Teams (PACT),  Mobile Integrated Crisis Response (IMCRT) 
- RCMP Online Crime Reporting Tool 
- Restorative justice engagements (West Shore RCMP example) 
- Advocate for regional policing models 

Option: Community Safety Officers (Tier 2) 
- One way to somewhat affordably ease the load on the Sooke RCMP team
- Enabled in 2024 amendments to the BC Police Act (see UBCM release) 
- A new class of peace officers to work in conjunction with police 
- Salary: $70k (Saanich) … less than half the price of an RCMP officer (now factored all-in at $260k) 
​- Examples: Langford, Saanich and Delta 
- Cannot issue speeding tickets 
- Cannot conduct field sobriety tests 
- CSOs free up RCMP time from everyday tasks so that RCMP officers can focus on higher-risk work 

Potential CSO duties:
1. Community patrols – visible foot, bike and vehicle patrols 
2. Administrative support – document service, front-desk inquiries and taking reports for minor incidents
3. Operational support – crime scenes, traffic patrol, detention guard duties
4. Focused engagement in schools, care facilities and transit hubs 
5. Limited peace officer powers: lower-risk functions 
6. Sooke Shelter and Drennan St. calls 
7. EMCS School Police Liaison Officer role 
8. Administrative and other support requested by Sooke RCMP 

Additional RCMP Cost Pressures 
* "Local Governments Advised to Prepare for RCMP Collective Bargaining Settlement" - UBCM, Feb. 4, 2026 
<clip> "The second RCMP Collective Agreement, which included a 4% annual salary increase for two years, expired on March 31, 2025. Based on the timelines outlined in the second Collective Agreement, the National Police Federation could submit a notice to bargain as early as December 2024, which it did. Bargaining has picked up since the April 2025 federal election, but an agreement has not yet been reached.

Local governments continue to emphasize the importance of cost containment, given the rising cost of RCMP policing. The 2024 Police Resources in British Columbia publication notes that BC local governments over 5,000 in population spent $855.5 million on RCMP policing in 2024. This represents an increase of approximately 10% ($76.4 million) compared to the previous year. This amount does not include costs incurred as part of the Surrey Police Model Transition or by local governments under 5,000 in population, who contribute through the Police Tax.

Although the federal government has been unwilling to meet directly with UBCM and the BC Local Government RCMP Contract Management Committee, the cost concerns expressed by local governments, including members of the CMC, have been acknowledged." 

Archive of my earlier budget posts 
- Budget 2025
- Budget 2024
- Budget 2023 
​- Budget 2022
- 2020/21
- CRD (2019)
- Budget 2019

The following includes excerpts from the package I prepared for the meeting with Island Health's James Hanson, Vice-President of Community Clinical Operations & Support Programs, at the UBCM 2025 convention. Outcome: Mr. Hanson stated that Ayre Manor expansion was again on Island Health's radar given Sooke's Island-leading low care-beds per capita for seniors aged 65+. 
​
BC Context 

* Budget 2026 reality check  ~ More Money for Health Care in BC Budget, But Long-Term Care Projects Face Delays (Times Colonist, Feb. 18, 2026) 

"Some projects will be delayed, however, including long-term care homes planned for Campbell River — planned for completion in 2027 —Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Delta, Fort. St. John and Squamish.

The province cited “unsustainable” costs of up to $1.8 million per long-term care bed. It said it wants to produce a standard modular design for all long-term care homes in the province, with the cost savings going into more beds. In some cases, the redesigns result in fewer floors and fewer beds.

Seniors advocate Dan Levitt said he appreciates that provincial standards for building design are coming that could reduce the overall cost of long-term care, but added: “We should be building them now.”

In a decade, there will be 400,000 more seniors in B.C. — one in four people in the province will be 65 or older — requiring the province to build 2,000 beds a year rather than the 600 it produces now, he said. “Putting off those projects for the future will only make them more expensive, as the cost of building will be more expensive then.”

Not building more long-term care facilities also means more seniors will be going to the hospital, maybe by ambulance, and waiting in the ER, Levitt said. If they are admitted, they’ll be using an acute-care bed that could be used by patients requiring that level of care, he said.

​The province said $447 million in federal contributions will help support health services for seniors, including out-of-hospital treatment for complex medical conditions and improving the safety and quality of long-term care facilities.

But Levitt said he would have liked to see coverage for seniors of the shingles vaccine, which costs hundreds of dollars. “That would make a big difference in the lives of seniors and take pressure off the health-care system.”

​* Seniors Advocate Says Province Has No Action Plan To Increase Long-Term Care Beds (Times Colonist, Oct. 3, 2025) "The seniors advocate’s report found the long-term care system has gone from providing 77 beds per 1,000 people a decade ago to 58 beds today. Levitt said that number will fall to 41 beds by 2035/36 if beds continue to be built and replaced at the current rate."  


Sooke Seniors Stats 
As identified in 2021 Canada Census 

- Age Distribution - "In 2021, 3,055 persons aged 65 and over were enumerated in Sooke (District municipality), representing respectively 20.3% of the total population. In comparison, for Canada, the proportion of seniors was 19.0% in 2021." 

0-14: 2,405 (15.9%)
15-64: 9,625 (63.8%)
65+: 3,055 (20.03%)

- 1,370 households or approx. 24% of Sooke households earn $50k or less
- 4,555 households or approx. 76% of Sooke households earn $50k or more 

- our care bed ratio is approx. 1:    seniors aged 65+ 


Ayre Manor Seniors’ Housing
Website

- Sooke Elderly Citizens' Society Board of Directors 
- Irene Todd (Chair), Beth Cox (Vice-Chair) 
- Kerry Williams - Executive Director  

Sooke population at time of construction in 2008: Approx. 10k.
- As of January, 2025: 17k.
- Projected for 2038: 22,399.

- Development Permit for shovel-ready new 56-bed wing secured from the District in 2013, renewed in 2017, expired in 2021.

- Province and Island Health initially committed to operational funding and positive talks continued through COVID-19 outbreak.

- Post-pandemic, the Provincial focus shifted to the Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre on Sooke’s town centre Lot A following the Province’s announcement in March, 2023.

- Sooke seniors seeking assisted living and complex care are now advised to apply for spaces at the future $224m 306-bed senior care facility in Royal Bay, approx. 40 minute drive from Sooke + Ministry of Health press release

Wait lists at Ayre Manor
It is recommended that applicants for Assisted Living and CC start their applications at least two years prior to anticipated occupancy

* Assisted living -- 35 on list for 5 private-pay beds; Island Health maintains list for other subsidized beds
* Independent living –105 on list
* Complex care – 14 on list for 1 private pay bed; Island Health maintains list for remaining 30 beds.

* Option: Partnership with a private developer to build the new wing
- BC Housing’s SAFER program might provide housing subsidies
- Talks with the Saunders Family Foundation underway

2025 Advocacy
- Support for expansion expressed by BC Seniors’ Advocate Dan Levitt during a tour of Ayre Manor organized by District of Sooke council on March 28, 2025.

- Sooke Elderly Citizens’ Housing Society President Irene Todd met with Member of Parliament Stephanie McLean, the federal Secretary of State (Seniors),  and MLA Dana Lajeunesse in August, 2025.

- Sooke delegation (Gray, Bateman) and MLA Lajeunesse met with Island Health's James Hanson on Sept. 22 during the Union of BC Municipalities convention. 

- This follows up on annual UBCM delegations led by Mayor Tait that advocated with the Ministry of Health. Ayre Manor needs have been cited in addition to the primary focus on the Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre. 

Ayre Manor Backgrounder
Owned by Sooke Elderly Citizens' Housing Society (SECHS) and supported by Island Health, BC Housing and the District of Sooke, Ayre Manor offers four levels of affordable, comfortable and complete seniors' housing and care in Sooke, British Columbia. The SECHS was formed in 1968 by the Old Age Pensioners Organization and obtained charitable status.

History
Original 18 independent living cottages were built between 1972 and 1984. Assisted Living and Complex Care opened in 2008 with 25 Assisted Living suites and 31 Complex Care rooms. 2 hospice beds were opened in 2017.
​
- Construction begins on Ayre Manor (March 2007) (SNM, broken link) 
- "$18 Million Campus of Care Opens In Sooke" (Province of BC/Island Health press release, Sept. 8, 2008) 
- Government of BC Ayre Manor Construction Backgrounder (2008) 

"Total capital cost of this project is $18,312,579
- The Province provided $15.12-million in interim construction financing.
- The Sooke Elderly Citizens’ Housing Society provided the land, valued at $2.89 million.
- The District of Sooke provided $180,824 in reduction of municipal levies and has waived property taxes since 1997.
- The CRD provided $22,959 in reduction of municipal levies as well as a $63,000 loan for project development funding.
- Sooke School District also provided $35,796 in reduction of municipal levies. 

Operational funding includes:
- The Province, providing housing and hospitality subsidies of up to $4,374,421 over 35 years.
- Vancouver Island Health Authority is providing annual funding of $2-million for the 30 residential care beds, $148,000 for 10 assisted living units and annual operational funding of up to $350,000 for personal care services. 
- Beckley Farm Lodge will operate the facility on behalf of Sooke Elderly Citizens’ Housing Society." 

- Expansion Plans for a new 56-bed wing (2012) (SNM, broken link) 
- Expansion Plans Stalled (2017)
- Ayre Manor Anniversaries (June, 2018) 
- Unique Approach to Recruiting Nurses (2019) 
- Accreditation Canada acknowledgement (March 2021)
​- Hospice Care Spaces (June 2025) 

Board members wanted (Feb. 11, 2026 note from Amy Gillard) ~ "As a Director on the Board of Ayre Manor, I would like to invite you to consider joining me on the Board. We are one of Sooke‘s premier employers, and a well respected community jewel. At Ayre Manor we provide independent living, assisted, living, and complex care housing, as well as hospice care. Volunteering with such a solid organization is rewarding and worthwhile. There’s an opportunity here to expand your knowledge in property management, healthcare, finance, human resources and more. We’re happy to support, mentor and provide professional development to people who are a good fit." 

Facilities & Services
- Assisted Living Apartments -- 25 bright 550 sq. ft. one-bedroom Assisted Living apartments. Each apartment is wheelchair accessible and has a small kitchenette, sitting room, private bathroom, ensuite storage and a balcony or patio. Hospitality services include 3 meals a day, weekly housekeeping and linen laundering, and daily optional social activities.
- Complex Care -- Thirty-one private 260 sq. ft. Residential Complex Care suites
- Independent Living Units -- 18 independent living units in a studio or one-bedroom configuration, each with a full kitchen, living room, bathroom and outdoor space.

* Ayre Manor Quick Facts (Office of the Seniors' Advocate) 


Canada-British Columbia Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addictions Services Funding Agreement (Sept. 2024) 
Provincial 

BC Office of the Seniors' Advocate 
​* Strategic Plan 2025-2027
​- Report: From Shortfall to Crisis: Growing Demand for Long-Term Care Beds in B.C. (2025) + release

- Press release: New data: Seniors’ population increase outpacing long-term care (Jan. 27, 2026) 
“We are at the beginning of a rapid increase in the number of people 65 and over and we know the gap between the seniors’ population and older adults requiring public services will only widen if we don’t act now,” said Dan Levitt, BC Seniors Advocate. “Government’s own data shared in our report last July shows 16,000 more long-term care beds will be needed over the next decade and as of today, the Province has no plan to meet this demand”
Quick Facts:
• B.C.’s senior population (65+) is projected to increase 26% in the next 10 years.
• The Ministry of Health’s current ten-year bed expansion plan aims to increase the number of new long-term care beds by 10% (2,935 beds) from 2025 to 2030; no additional beds are planned after 2030.
• Today, there is a 2,000-bed shortfall and that gap widens and grows over 700% to meet the ministry’s projected future long-term care demand of 16,000 beds by 2035/36."

* Province of BC - Seniors home page 
* HealthLink BC - Healthy Aging 

​* Community Care Services 
​* Regulated under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act 
​* Directory of Assisted Living Residents in BC 
* Provincial guidelines for opening and operating an assisted living residence + handbook 

* BC Ministry of Health - Seniors Action Plan + PDF + Progress Report (2013) + What We've Done (last updated in 2021) 
"The goal of these actions is to establish an improved province-wide system of seniors' care by:
• Appointing an advocate to assist and protect seniors receiving public and private community and health care services and ensure complaints are resolved.
• Expanding non-medical home support to help seniors stay at home longer
• Providing clear policies and measurable standards for home support, home health, assisted living and residential care services.
• Ensuring that provincial inspection, quality assurance programs, enforcement and staff training in residential facilities align with standards.
• Strengthening protections from abuse and neglect, including improved protections for those who report care concerns or complaints.
• Increasing transparency and accountability through public reporting of the quality of care in publicly funded care facilities, such as patient and family satisfaction, and the incidence of falls. Privately funded facilities will have an opportunity to participate.
• Improving system flexibility and sustainability."

* Home Renovation Tax Credit for Seniors and Persons With Disabilities
10% tax credit on certain home improvements - FAQ 

Federal Government 

* Programs and Services for Seniors 
- Canada Pension Plan
- Old Age Security 
- Guaranteed Income Supplement
- Canada Dental Care Plan 
- Services for Veterans 

New Horizons for Seniors Program 
Community-based projects are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in grant funding for 1 year.

​Age Well At Home Program 
Funding in two streams; last open in 2022 

- Age-Friendly Communities 
- Aging In Place + Safe Living Guide 

- Canadian Bar Association - Welcome to the Secretary of State for Seniors (May 2025) 
* main issues identified ... 
- UN's Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons (draft introduced in 2025)
- Neglect of vulnerable adults in care homes
- Coercive control of older adults 
- Need for a national anti-fraud strategy 

- Message from Stephanie McLean (Sept. 2025) + subscribe for newsletters 
- National Seniors' Day (Oct. 1) + guidebook + toolkit 
- Community Volunteer Income Tax Program 
- CyberSecurity initiatives 
​- Respiratory Diseases 

* This post in memoriam and fond remembrance of the late Jean Mary Bateman, Ayre Manor resident from 2011-2016 

Update: Feb. 3, 2026

At yesterday's final CED Committee meeting, the one motion among the four cited below to proceed to Council was an amended version of the fourth:  

THAT the CEDC recommends that Council direct staff to include cultural and arts land-use considerations in future employment lands strategic planning and that these uses also be considered in the next Sooke Zoning Bylaw. 

Examples: 
* "Work-Only" artist studio designation
* Vertical zoning and "innovation" districts (i.e., a Sooke-scale version of Victoria's Rock Bay plan). A certain percentage of a building's square footage could be dedicated to cultural industries or a business incubator.

* "Live/Work" Flexibility - Mix residential and production space, provided the production element remains the primary "employment" use.

* Residential zoning to allow home studios, teaching spaces and micro-galleries 

*  Cultural infrastructure targets - a future strategic plan could identify a target (i.e. 5,000 square feet of cultural space for every 1,000 new residents) to fill gaps and keep pace with population growth

* Inclusionary zoning and density bonusing - a developer would be granted additional height or density in exchange for providing a turnkey cultural space (like a gallery or rehearsal hall) at a subsidized rate to a non-pro#t.

The others three proposed motions were deemed by the Committee (joined yesterday by Mayor Tait in the absence of Councillors Beddows and St-Pierre) to be beyond the District's scope and financial abilities at this particularly tight fiscal moment -- wants rather than needs at a time when taxes must be directed towards police, fire and asset management while also being kept as low as possible due to the affordability crisis faced by a growing number of residents. The Mayor was quick to point out these reality checks eloquently and at length at the start. 

As the committee discussed, CANVAS is one among other organizational templates for the future should the arts community choose to rally, create its own collective voice and advocate for what it deems important needs in Sooke. The good news is that new Sooke Arts Council President Sherry Robb has stated that she has ambitions to begin creating cross-pollination and connections amongst organizations. 

Any future collective can refer to the 2011 Cultural Plan, the ArtsWave Cultural Mapping Project and a business plan drawn up by the Sooke Regional Cultural Planning Advisory Committee -- all backed by the District some 15 years ago at a time when there was indeed funding available for such work as enabled by Mayor Evans and her council. (This, interestingly enough, was followed by a myopic zero-tax-increase era that has led, to some degree among other clear-cut needs, to the Sooke RCMP staffing shortfalls of today.)

All these plans are still entirely valid as the CEDC discovered, especially when the 2022 SPA Review is factored in. 

One major stumbling block identified yesterday was that the District's SPA Reserve Fund can only fund public art projects, not an arts coordinator position. (I curse myself for missing that critical point.) If Sooke were to finance such a position, said CAO Gray, it could only be through a tax increase of some small percentage. (Rather than part-time, it was suggested by one committee member that a full-time position was needed.)  I did point out that the BC Arts Council offers matching funds to organizations such as the hypothetical CANVAS through its operating assistance grant programs, so that is a option going ahead. 

The motion above that did pass unanimously will ensure District planning staff keep arts and culture considerations strongly in mind as they begin work on a new Zoning Bylaw, this in terms of residential, commercial and industrial zones within the District. Potential arts uses are already factored into commercial zoning yet all zones can be adjusted to incentivize and support arts activities, including home-based studios and teaching facilities, while contributing to the local economy as well as community health, wellness and vibrancy.

The motion will also ensure that arts employment opportunities are included in the Employment Land Use Strategy work that would begin later this year pending a successful REDIP grant application the District will hear about in the early spring. 

Any future arts organization or advocacy group that wishes to present its case and enlist assistance from the District can point to the following arts policies within the new OCP ... 

OCP Goal Area #2 – Enjoyable and Distinct 
“Elevate Sooke’s dynamic arts and culture scene”

Complimentary Arts & Culture Objectives
* “Make space for arts and culture in the community.” 
* “Encourage the development of arts and culture spaces in the Town Centre” 

OCP Action 82 – "Work with all cultural partners, including T’Sou-ke Nation and other Indigenous communities, to create an updated Arts and Culture Plan that provides a foundation for partnership models, cultural development process, cultural asset investment and management. This Plan will update the District’s Municipal Arts Program Policy (2009) and Sooke Region Cultural Plan (2011)."

The District’s Strategic Plan states: 
“Update zoning to promote mixed-use zoning, enhancing community livability and economic viability through residential-business integration and creating business-friendly environments for both new and existing businesses.” 

And the road winds ever on ... 

Original Post Jan. 14, 2026
At Sooke Council's direction, the District's Community Economic Development Committee has visited the archives and extracted the 2011 Sooke Region Cultural Plan and its proposed update produced by the Sooke Program of the Arts (SPA) Committee in 2022. Both reports are published in full in the CEDC's Dec. 1 agenda (pg. 8 onwards). 

The CEDC got the conversation started with guest speakers JP Ellson (author of the SPA report and former SPA Chairperson), Sooke Fine Arts Society Executive Director Jen Hayward, its President Jeff Head, former SFAS President Sally Manning and Sooke Arts Council board member William Wallace.

The CEDC meets again tomorrow to discuss what we heard and potential next steps based on the top recommendations in the 2011 and 2022 reports. I've drafted the following motions for consideration by the Committee at this and our February meeting with the intent that one or more are forwarded to council for deliberation: 

* THAT the CEDC Committee recommends that Council support in principle the establishment of CANVAS - The Cultural, Arts and Vibrancy Association of Sooke
Motion is based on the top recommendation in both reports: 
- 2011 Cultural Plan HIGH priority: “Create a Cultural Planning Advisory Committee” 
- 2022 SPA Recommendation: “Create a Regional Creative Planning Advisory Committee. Amalgamate with SPA committee.”
- The CEDC committee agreed with Cllr. St-Pierre's suggestion that CANVAS would be a creative and resonant title for this potential new collaborative arts group 
- Numerous examples elsewhere, i.e., The Art & Culture Colwood Society 

* THAT the CEDC Committee recommends that Council direct staff to explore funding options for a part-time CANVAS coordinator through the Sooke Program of the Arts Reserve Fund and/or other sources. 
- Also a top priority in both reports given that TBD committee members are volunteers and that a paid coordinator position is essential in getting the committee started and on track 

* THAT the CEDC Committee recommends that Council request that the District/T’Sou-ke Memorandum of Understanding working group discuss mutually beneficial coordination of creative activities. 
- The SPA review highlighted the need for "recognition of and support for indigenous creative activities"
- The District's formal MOU working group with the T'Sou-ke is positioned initially as the official medium by which to launch discussion and explore possibilities. 

* THAT the CEDC Committee recommends that Council direct staff to report back on the possibilities of creating a business enterprise zone (i.e., “cultural district”) within the next Sooke Zoning Bylaw. 
- The District will be undertaking a full revision of the 2014 Zoning Bylaw in 2027.
- The 2022 SPA review recommends a one-stop "arts hub" in the town centre for use by multiple groups
- Example: City of Kelowna Cultural District + Civic Precinct Plan + Cultural Facilities Master Plan 
- Density Bonuses: Developers may be allowed to build higher or larger structures if they provide subsidized arts space or non-profit cultural facilities within the project.
- Artist Live-Work Studios - these zones allow artist to legally reside and work in the same unit 
- Zoning (further research needed) can mandate that new developments in specific areas include cultural space as a permitted use 
- Creative City Network of Canada: "How to Integrate Culture into the Planning of Communities." 

**********************************
​
All at these CEDC meetings, and many in the community at large, agree that the arts scene locally is vibrant and capable of significant growth as three intersecting dynamics - the arts, tourism and the local economy - are harnessed and developed.

The missing link is coordination amongst non-profit arts groups in Sooke and additional arts infrastructure in the form of a new performance space (a black box theatre in the town centre, for notable instance), a stable, long-term home for a cooperative gallery (likely best run by the Sooke Arts Council) and working & educational studio spaces (examples: The Old School House Arts Centre in Qualicum Beach and The Metchosin Arts & Cultural Centre).  

Highlights of our local arts scene: 
* Sooke Fine Arts Show moves into its 40th season in 2026 as the largest such juried event on Vancouver Island 
* Sooke Philharmonic is a remarkable institution like few others in communities our size 
* Sooke Arts Council operates from a likely temporary (given redevelopment potential of the property) gallery space on Church Road and can look ahead to the promise of a potential future location within the Gathering Place  
* Vibrant grassroots scene with choirs, the Sooke Harbour Players, the Amber Academy and much else 
* Sooke has been part of the CRD Arts Service since 2019 and local groups continue to tap funding
* New seats in the EMCS Community Theatre in 2019/20 (District contributed 1/3 of the fee) 
* Collaboration between the Sooke Fall Fair, the Sooke Music Festival and All-Sooke Days in use of prime outdoor space at Fred Milne Park each August
 

Regional Impact of the Arts
The Arts and Culture Impact Assessment: Vancouver Island & Gulf Islands Super Region (Oct. 2021, aka the “Nordicity Report” - Slide deck) details positive regional outcomes from the arts in terms of individual health & wellbeing, social cohesion, personal development, community empowerment and identity.  

Economically speaking, artists in the Vancouver Island region generated $250m in household income and contributed $320m in GDP (2019) to this "super region" economy, the report states. Cultural organizations grossed another $162m. Add $20m more in revenues from "cultural tourism." <clip> "The total direct economic output of arts and culture activity in the region is more than $900m. It supports nearly 22,000 full-time employees and generates $525m in take-home pay for these individuals." 

The report notes that the arts boost "business vitality" of communities; 91% of the survey respondents said that they spent money at local businesses and restaurants before or after cultural events. This outlay is pegged at $400m in 2019 across the Vancouver Island region.  


District of Sooke Arts Policies
Official Community Plan 2025
*  Arts & Culture is one of the OCP's 11 Community Policies (4.8) pp. 126-129  
<clip> “Continuing to invest in and diversify Sooke’s vibrant and evolving arts and culture sector will bolster our economy, advance equity and reconciliation, and support community well-being ... The District will continue to invest in cultural infrastructure, collaboration and capacity building with local organizations.” 

Sooke’s identity has long been rooted in arts and culture. To build on this strong foundation, the District will further invest in cultural infrastructure, collaboration and capacity building with local organizations, and prioritize those representing more diverse communities.
As a critical component of our commitment to reconciliation, Sooke will honour and amplify the original and living cultures of Sooke’s lands and waters by uplifting Indigenous cultural knowledge and practices." 

* Objective 4.8.2.  Make Space for Arts and Culture in the Community 
- integration of public art in the design of public and private buildings and open spaces 
- encourage the development of arts and cultural spaces in the Town Centre that support both local and regional needs

* The Implementation Plan for the newly adopted OCP states that the Sooke Region Cultural Plan is one of eight District policy documents that “must be updated and undergo a critical review to align with the visions, policies and regulations of the OCP.”  
 
OCP Action 82 – "Work with all cultural partners, including T’Sou-ke Nation and other Indigenous communities, to create an updated Arts and Culture Plan that provides a foundation for partnership models, cultural development process, cultural asset investment and management. This Plan will update the District’s Municipal Arts Program Policy (2009) and Sooke Region Cultural Plan (2011)."
 
Council Strategic Plan - Strategic Areas
* Community Economic Development - "Enhance community appeal and economic growth through aesthetics and functionality." 

* Community Safety and Wellbeing - "Enhance community identity and cultural vibrancy through public art."
 

Current District of Sooke financial support for the arts  
District 2025 Budget – drawn from Council’s annual budget allocation 

- Sooke Philharmonic Society - $7k
- VI Film Commission - $2k
- Harmony Project Sooke - $7k
- Amber Academy Sooke - $7k 
- Sooke Community Arts Council - $9k (service agreement) 
- Sooke Fine Arts Society - $16k (service agreement) 
 
The Sooke Program of the Arts Reserve Fund is estimated to have a 2025 year-end balance of $136k
 
Community Grants 2025
- Community Grants Program - $65k annual budget 
- Friends of Sooke Parks Society – $4k (Solstice Walk, the Spooky Pumpkin Walk) 
- Sooke Community Choir - $2.5k 

CRD Arts Service 
An annual $45k investment allows our arts non-profits to tap into the service's $2.5m annual budget. Seven other CRD municipalities -- Saanich, Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Highlands, Metchosin -- and the Southern Gulf Islands electoral area also invest and participate.  

In 2024, Project grants totalling $18k went to Sooke Harbour Players, the Sooke Community Choir, the Sooke Festival Society and Choral Evolution. IDEA (Innovate, Develop, Experiment, Access) Grants, which are distributed to non-profit groups not specifically dedicated to the arts but who weave art in their public outreach, were awarded to the EMCS Society Programs, Harmony Project Sooke and the Friends of Sooke Parks ($8.5k total). The service has also supported SEAPARC in an analysis of its programming for youth and vulnerable populations.

Sooke grant recipients since joining the service in 2019: 
- Sooke Fine Arts ($21k, 2019/2020/21/22)
- Sooke Region Museum ($3k, 2021)
- Sooke Arts Society ($4k, 2020) 
- Harmony Project Sooke ($2k) 
- Sooke Community Choir ($2k)
- Sooke Folks Music Society ($2k) 
- Sooke Festival Society ($1.5k) 
- Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra ($5k) 

Ahead for the District in 2026/27
* Art Walk – a digital tour of public art throughout Sooke 
* Signage Strategy – placemaking and directional signage 
* Gateway Design  – landmark branding 

Municipal and Regional Destination Tax - First-Year Tactical Plan 2026/27 
Goal of Sooke's tourism strategy is, in part, to strengthen Sooke’s position as a cultural tourism destination. To that end, the first-year allocation of revenue is to be spent in multiple ways, including: 

- Events and Festival Fund - $40k 
 
- Product Experience Enhancement  - $20k 
via the Sooke Fine Arts Show Cultural Enhancement Program with a focus on ... 
1. Indigenous art demonstrations
2. Artist workshops 
3. Community engagement activities 

Primary Target Demographics for Sooke Visitors 
1. Rejuvenators, Authentic Experiencers and Cultural Explorers
- Cultural activities (Indigenous experiences, art galleries, museums) 
 2. Cultural Explorers and Nature Enthusiasts 
 
Secondary Target Markets  
1. Free Spirits - vibrant culinary and cultural scenes 
2. Adventure Seekers 
 
Marketing – Consumer Events & Shows: "Focus on events that attract audiences with specific interests in outdoor adventures, culinary experiences and cultural tourism” 

 
Guiding Documents 
Sooke Region Cultural Plan (2011)  
​"The Sooke Region Cultural Plan was initiated to serve as the starting point for discussions around developing a healthy arts community for the Sooke Region. A funding collaboration between the District of Sooke, Juan de Fuca Economic Development, Sooke Community Arts Council, Sooke Region Tourism and the Sooke Fine Arts Society enabled the Sooke Region to become one of a number of municipalities in BC to undertake a Cultural Plan as guided by 2010 Legacies Now and Creative City Network of Canada." 

​Preliminary: ArtsWave Cultural Mapping Project (2010) 
Follow-Up: Sooke Region Cultural Planning Advisory Committee Business Plan (2012) 

First task: Hire a Sooke Region Cultural Planning Coordinator (fail) 

From the priorities identified in ArtsWave, the Cultural Plan focused on five Strategic Directions: 

1. Strengthen arts, cultural and heritage organizations; 
2. Encourage community celebrations and festivals; 
3. Expand youth opportunities in the arts; 
4. Strengthen cultural infrastructure; 
5. Secure greater connection with and visibility for First Nations artists and local regional artists. 

Recommended Actions
HIGH Priority 
* Create a Cultural Planning Advisory Committee
 * Amalgamate with the existing Sooke Program of the Arts Committee and explore additional partnerships (appoint membership and establish funding through DOS and JDF)
* Annual Cultural Summit to foster partnerships and enact the Plan
* Seek grant opportunities to provide funding for collaborative regional approach 
* Sooke Region Volunteer Centre 
* Coordinate pro-active marketing and promotion campaigns for the arts, cultural and heritage sector, including regular interaction with local print, radio, TV and online media. 
* Collaborate to improve upon existing calendars of arts, cultural and heritage activities and events. 
* Encourage event organizers to partner with community arts, cultural and heritage organizations in the planning process. 
* Seek joint marketing opportunities for celebrations and festivals to be promoted and champion celebrations and festivals regionally, provincially and nationally. 
* Continue to build the Sooke Region’s brand as a cultural hub on Vancouver Island through hosting high caliber and unique cultural events. 
* Create opportunities for youth to exhibit and perform at events within the Region. 
* Develop mutually beneficial and inclusive relationships with First Nations Bands in the coordination of arts, cultural and heritage festivals and events. 
 
MEDIUM Priority 
* Review possibility of shared administrative space for arts and heritage organizations, and festival groups
* Work with SRTA to coordinate cultural tourism 
* Coordinate pro-active marketing and promotion campaigns for the arts, cultural and heritage sector, including regular interaction with local print, radio, TV and online media. 
* Advocate for youth-friendly spaces to be incorporated in to cultural infrastructure planning. 
* Review the possibility of working with local businesses for creating a shared storage facility. 
* Seek expertise and leadership to identify a well-defined process for cultural facility development in the Sooke Region. 
* Advocate for incentive grants to build or convert spaces for commercial/cultural use.

Sooke Program of the Arts Committee
Proposed revision of the Sooke Region Cultural Plan (June 2022) 
"The Sooke Program of the Arts committee first discussed a revision of the 2011 Taking it to the Streets Sooke Region Cultural Plan at the July 8, 2021, meeting. It was recognized that the content of the plan was relevant but needed updating the reflect the needs of Sooke's current population. Since then, members have discussed the ways in which the plan might be revitalized and how to proceed, resulting in the writing of a discussion paper for Council's receipt and action."  

Direct quotes follow from attached file below, pp. 5-37) 

"Steps required for implementation will involve:
1. Communicating the cultural plan vision and recommended actions widely throughout the Region.
2. Confirmation by the local government of the Region’s commitment to the implementation of the plan through embracing it as a planning and policy priority including integration into the Community Plan and economic development activities.
3. Refining a leadership group to guide and support the implementation of the Plan.
 
This cultural plan proposes the creation of a Cultural Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) to guide the plan into the future. This group would be similar to the SRCA proposed in 2011 to implement TTTS but with an expanded mandate and a different corporate structure that would not be so dependent and thus susceptible to the ebbs and flows of volunteer involvement.  This committee could amalgamate with the existing SPA committee and be expanded to include representation from a wide range of partners and constituents of the District of Sooke and Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.
 
SPA is recommending that the original strategic directions in the Cultural Plan be modified as follows:
1. Strengthen Cultural Infrastructure including the establishment of a business enterprise zone with a business incubator which includes cultural industries and a joint administration location for arts and culture organizations.
2. Strengthen Arts, Creative, and Heritage Organizations.
3. Recognition of and support for Indigenous Creative Activities.
4. Develop and manage sustainable Celebration and Festival Policies for year-round community programming.
5. Expand Youth Opportunities in the Arts.
6. Facilitate Support for local Cultural and Creative activities.
 
1. Strengthen Cultural Infrastructure including the establishment of a business enterprise zone with a business incubator which includes cultural industries and a joint administration location for arts and culture organizations.
Task 1.1 - Establishment of a business incubator.   [Is the Sooke Region Business Services Cooperative effectively this incubator with a bigger-picture focus that includes the arts?]
Task 1.2 – Joint administration location for creative organizations. 
Task 1.3 - Advocate for Infrastructure to house a Community Arts Centre 
Task 1.4 - Work with economic development groups to develop an active, vibrant, and viable core area
Task 1.5 - Ensure creative entrepreneurs from a wide range of disciplines are included in the design teams from the earliest stage in major public and private development.
Task 1.6 - Support the integration of public art on or within public buildings and property.
 
2. Strengthen Arts, Creative, and Heritage Organizations
Task 2.1 - Create a Regional Creative Planning Advisory Committee. Amalgamate with the existing SPA committee and explore additional partnerships. This committee will be responsible for the support of the effective and efficient implementation of this cultural plan.
Task 2.2 - Create a permanent full-time Vibrancy Coordinator staff position within the civic administration to provide leadership, coordination, and collaborative working relationships for the creative sector. 
Task 2.3 - Host sessions convened jointly with economic development groups to discuss the benefits of the creative sector and the gains in the community that could be achieved by working cooperatively.
Task 2.4 – Collaborative Marketing Strategy 
* Develop an electronic newsletter that will serve as a central hub for cultural news and events.
* Partner with existing websites to develop an online presence as a means of communication.
* Coordinate pro-active marketing and promotion campaigns for the creative sector, including regular interaction with local print, radio, and online media.
* Produce cooperative advertising materials suitable for hotels, bed and breakfast lodging, and vacation rentals.
* Advocate for the construction of a medium to facilitate advertising “on the street” visible in the downtown core.
* Collaborate to improve upon existing calendars of creative activities and events

3. Recognition of and support for Indigenous Creative Activities
Task 3.1 - Develop mutually beneficial and inclusive relationships with First Nations in the coordination of
creative activities.
Task 3.2 - Assist, where possible, with funding and grant applications submitted by First Nations that
encourage education, growth, and development of First Nation’s creative activities.
Task 3.3 - Promote the implementation of First Nations creative products in public and/or private development projects within the Sooke region.  
 
Examples:
- Sencoten language on trail wayfinding 
- Diego Narvez & Shelley Davies mural at Cedar Grove Mall
- Davies artwork for murals, street banners and Ravens Ridge Park signage
- Use of ‘Little River’ and ‘Long Spit’ in District documents and verbal references, i.e. “Little River Crossing and Multi-Use Trail Project.” 
 
4. Develop and manage sustainable celebration and festival policies 
Task 4.1 - Continue to build the Sooke Region’s brand as a cultural hub on Vancouver Island through hosting high caliber and unique cultural events including, but not limited to, new events to address the needs of youth and opportunities for programming in traditionally “slow” periods of the year.
Task 4.2 - Facilitate increased shared access to assets owned or managed by various community organizations, philanthropists, and all levels of government.
Task 4.3 - Facilitate joint marketing opportunities for celebrations and festivals to be promoted regionally,
provincially, and nationally.
Task 4.4 - Establish a Creative Sooke funding program with which the District of Sooke can assist promoters
to host events.
 
5. Expand Youth Opportunities in the Arts
Task 5.1 - CPAC shall review existing cultural partnerships to further develop a network of cultural educational partnerships.
Task 5.2 - Promote creative entrepreneur opportunities at the middle school and high school level including the development of mentorship opportunities within school programs.
Task 5.3 - Create opportunities for youth to exhibit and perform at events within the Region.
Task 5.4 - Utilize youth-friendly electronic media sources to communicate about creative activities.
Task 5.5 - Advocate for youth-friendly spaces to be incorporated into public and private infrastructure
planning within the Region
 
6. Facilitate Support for local Cultural and Creative activities.
Task 6.1 - Ensure CPAC works with the Sooke Regional Arts Council and other artist organizations to clarify roles and responsibilities with an emphasis on providing services for individual artists.
Task 6.2 - Encourage hiring of local creative entrepreneurs to offer adults and youth traditional and non-traditional arts instruction through local school programs.
Task 6.3 - Work with the economic development organizations to establish a series of business development skills workshops to match the needs of creative entrepreneurs. This an example of what could be taught at the proposed business incubator.
Task 6.4 - Develop an award recognition program to acknowledge artists, cultural organizations and creative industries which provide vitality to the evolving character of the Sooke Region.


Sooke Arts Facilities 
* Sooke Community Theatre at EMCS (with 350 newly replaced seats) 
* Edward Milne Community School (rentals of space in it and all Sooke school facilities through the EMCS Society) 
* Sooke Community Hall 
* Royal Canadian Legion 
* Holy Trinity Anglican Church 

Proposed ... 
~ Sooke Gathering Place (multi-use seniors space with intergenerational programming at the ground floor and below-grade levels + 77 units of affordable BC Housing seniors rental apartments above)

~ Sooke Arts Council at the Gathering Space (TBD gallery and studio spaces should the project move ahead) 

- Arts groups in the past have expressed keen interest in a black-box theatre in the town centre (Kelowna example) as a flexible space for rehearsals and smaller-scale events. 

- An arts gallery/studio space in the spirit of the celebrated Old School House Arts Centre in Qualicum was explored by the Mayor's Advisory Council on Arts & Beautification circa 2012/13 at the former Mulligans property when it was on the market. 

From This Blog: 
* Some Thoughts on the Arts (Oct. 2018) 

<clip from 2019> 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.) 



Sooke Arts Organizations 
Fine Arts
- Sooke Fine Arts Society + Executive and Board 
- Sooke Fine Arts Show 2024 Annual Report 

- Sooke Community Arts Council 
- Sooke Arts Council Members Directory
(88 artists and 11 organizations listed)

- All Sooke Arts & Crafts Association + Executive
- Sooke Fibre Arts Guild 

Music 
- Sooke Community Choir + Board of Directors 
- Choral Evolution + Board 
- Sooke Folk Music Society
​- Sooke Community Jazz Band  

- Sooke Philharmonic Society
- Sooke Philharmonic Chorus 
- Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra + Directors 

Youth 
- Revolution Dance Collective 
- Harmony Project Sooke + Teachers/Board 
- Amber Academy Youth Fine Arts Society + Board 
​- Sooke Fine Arts Show Youth Gallery 
- EMCS Theatre Arts 
- Arts programs at elementary and middle schools 
- SEAPARC Arts and Dance  

Theatre Arts 
- Sooke Harbour Players + 2025 Board 
- West Coast Cabaret 

Various 
- T'Sou-ke Arts & Crafts Group 
- T'Sou-ke Nation Family Craft Nights 
- First Nations Tribal Journey 

- Vancouver Regional Library - Sooke 

- Sooke Region Museum + Staff 
- Museum Gift Shop 

- Sooke Writers' Collective + 2025 Membership (39 writers) 

Galleries & Retail 
- Sooke Arts Council Gallery & Gift Shop
- South Shore Gallery 
- Jake Grant Jewellery 

Festivals & Events 
- Sooke Fine Arts Show
- Sooke Music Festival 
- Sooke Fall Fair 
- All-Sooke Day 
- Canada Day 
- Philharmonic Fling 
- Moss Cottage Christmas 


Miscellaneous 

- See my blog entry Arts File - CRD, Westshore and Sooke for details on Sooke's participation in the CRD Arts Commission and the West Shore Intermunicipal Arts Committee. 

~ Plan H BC: How Do Local Governments Improve Health and Community Well-Being? 
https://planh.ca/sites/default/files/planh_local_government_guide-web.pdf
 
~ BC Recreation and Parks Association: Programming Ideas for Parks Professionals
https://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/hin/programmingparks.pdf
 
~ BC Age-Friendly Communities Action Guide 
http://bchealthycommunities.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Age_Friendly_Action_Guide_V1.0_Web.pdf


CRD Arts Commission
The District first committed to this arts-funding and support service in 2018 thanks to the passionate advocacy of the late Brenda Parkinson. The Its hoped Langford will join the fold in the near-term. Arts groups in non-participating jurisdictions -- i.e., Colwood, Central Saanich, Sidney, North Saanich and the JDF electoral area -- are not eligible for funding.  

In 2024, Project grants totalling $18k went to Sooke Harbour Players, the Sooke Community Choir, the Sooke Festival Society and Choral Evolution. IDEA (Innovate, Develop, Experiment, Access) Grants, which are distributed to non-profit groups not specifically dedicated to the arts but who weave art in their public outreach, were awarded to the EMCS Society Programs, Harmony Project Sooke and the Friends of Sooke Parks ($8.5k total). The service has also supported SEAPARC in an analysis of its programming for youth and vulnerable populations.

Of course, we in Sooke can also enjoy arts of all kinds from 95 other regional groups that received $2.5m in CRD funding this year – the Belfry, Ballet Victoria, the Art Gallery of Victoria, Victoria Symphony, multiple festivals (jazz, film and ska included) and much else. (Stats in today’s agenda show that Sooke residents purchased 2,055 tickets to events at the Royal Theatre last year and 802 at the McPherson Playhouse – about a 2% share of all sales, which aligns with our share of the CRD population).

Why should a regional government support the arts? Answer: “CRD municipalities invest in the arts for the economic impact and employment they provide, for the provincial and national visibility arts organizations provide to the region, and to provide a wide range of educational, participatory and audience opportunities for citizens and visitors, improving quality of life.”

The Commission's Erin Sterling, a Sooke resident herself, recommends anyone with an interest in the regional arts scene subscribe to the CRD arts newsletter here. 

CRD Arts & Culture Support Service 
- Strategic Plan 2024-2027

- Archive of Arts Commission Agendas and Minutes
- CRD Establishing Bylaw No. 4173 (2017) 

- CRD Arts & Culture website homepage 
- Impact Reports – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 
 
- Statistics Canada and other third-party reports (health, economic, social impacts of the arts) 
- Arts-based survey of CRD residents (2016) 
 
- Public Art in the Capital Region (data base of 180 public art works) 
- Directory of Non-Profit Arts Organizations in Greater Victoria 
 

Grants 
Adjudication by the CRD Arts Advisory Council 
 
Grant Opportunities 
- Arts Funding home page
- Video overview (YouTube)
- Arts & Culture Grant Recipients 2017-Present 
- Greater Victoria Grant Writing Handbook (Victoria Foundation, 2018) 

Operating Grants ($2.4m annual budget) 
Stable, reliable funding open to arts group of “regional significance” who have been in operation for at least two years with annual budgets of at least $90k and guided by a Board of Directors. Available as either annual or multi-year grants. 

Project Grants ($280k) 
“Projects, Series & Extended Programming Grants (Project Grants) provide support for emerging or
established arts organizations to produce or present one-time projects, a short series of events, or
extended programming, taking place over a period of time leading up to the next year’s project grant
deadlines. Project Grants are not available to organizations receiving assistance through the CRD
Operating Grant program.” (guidelines) 

Equity Grants ($50k) 
“Funding arts programing by and for communities that face significant collective barriers to accessing funding. They may be marginalized based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or something else.” Up to $10k per approved applicant as per these 2025 guidelines. Independent groups not registered as a society are encouraged to find and work with a sponsor organization. 
 
IDEA Grants ($33k) 
“IDEA (Innovate, Develop, Experiment, Access) Grants is a flexible, small-awards program designed to respond to one-time opportunities and to encourage new, innovative, or developmental arts projects and events. IDEA Grants are intended to encourage and support arts participation by organizations that are not eligible for other CRD Arts & Culture Support Service programs.” See IDEA Grant guidelines. 
 
Grow Forward Grants ($30k) 
New in 2025: Grow Forward Grants provide up to $5k to not-for-profit arts organizations seeking to grow and evolve. Funds are to be used for: “Capacity-building; Planning; Mentorships; Sectoral initiatives; and Significant and strategic adaptations to operations.” (Replaces the former Incubator Grant program.) + guidelines. 

Since joining the service in 2019: 
- Sooke Fine Arts ($11k, 2020/21/22)
- Sooke Region Museum ($3k, 2021)
- Sooke Arts Council ($4k, 2020) 

Sooke Fine Arts Society ($10k) 
Harmony Project Sooke ($2k) 
Sooke Community Choir ($2k)
Sooke Folks Music Society ($2k) 
Sooke Festival Society ($1.5k) 
Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra ($5k) 

 From the CRD Arts FAQ page: "Where else can I get funding?" 

• BC Arts Council
• BC Cultural Services Branch
• BC Gaming
• Canada Council for the Arts
• City of Vancouver, Office of Cultural Affairs
• City of Victoria, Arts & Culture
• Department of Canadian Heritage
• First Peoples' Cultural Council
• Indigenous Curatorial Collective
• Koerner Foundation
• Hamber Foundation
• McLean Foundation
• Vancouver Foundation
• Victoria Foundation 

Update - January, 2026

The CEDC Committee's short run comes to an end on Feb. 2 after seven meetings and the conclusion of its one-year terms of reference. As noted below, there were procedural issues arising from requirements related to our status as a Standing Committee intended to inform council decisions and strategic planning. This proved frustrating for members in bringing their own initiatives to CEDC agendas. Also challenging was the time and energy required from District staff, who initially had planned for a bi-monthly schedule but had to find extra resources after an eager committee voted for monthly meetings starting in the fall. 

The mix of four councillors and three representatives from the business community was unbalanced as ever with standing committees; the previous CED committee (2020-22) was a select committee that featured seven citizen appointees and a single councillor. We're recommending that this format be utilized when the next council considers new committees. It provides more leeway for member to initiate actions independently. 

At its Jan. 14 meeting, the CEDC wanted the District to take a step back and consider practical ways to support community-driven economic development. To that end a motion was prepared and amended by council last night (Jan. 26) to read:

"THAT Council conclude the CEDC Committee's current term after its February meeting.
And THAT Council direct staff to provide a high-level report on alternative models to maintain coordination/communication with the economic development community and ensure continuity
from one council term to the next." 

Our final meeting next week will feature: 
1. Potential motions to council arising from review of the 2011 Sooke Cultural Plan and the 2022 SPA Review (see the drafts at this recent blog post - CANVAS for Sooke Arts.)  
2. Tentative: Royal Roads student presentations re: their recent studies in association with District CED Officer Gail Scott 
3. Visioning Sooke presentation by CEDC members Katherine Strongwind and Scot Taylor based on their ED community gathering at the Stickleback last week. 
4. Sooke Chamber Business Walk report 

As you'll see below, a fair bit was accomplished and more was possible, yet so it goes and thus ends another brief chapter in Sooke's evolving CED strategy now so capably managed by Ms. Scott. As Chair, I'm happy to extend sincere thanks to all who participated and look forward to staff and council responses to the various unfinished motions processed and sent forward by the committee. 

Meanwhile, the Land Use and Development Committee continues as a straight-forward, no-fuss, first-look conduit for rezoning applications and other land-use matters prior to council deliberation via the consent agenda. The last two meetings have been cancelled due to lack of business items, but a meeting is set for Feb. 3.  


Update - Fall 2025
The two committees have been up and running since the spring. The Land Use and Development Committee (LUDC) is serving as a planning advisory group, receiving land use, rezoning and Official Community Plan update reports from the planning department  and giving them a first-look vetting and vote before forwarding with recommendations to the full council. LUDC is necessarily focused on whatever staff brings forward on each successive agenda. 

Community Economic Development Committee has also received a steady flow of staff reports and direction from council while also trying to find its feet as a Standing Committee that features experienced members of the business community who wish to bring forward  motions independently in addition to overseeing and discussing staff initiatives. This earnest desire to be of service has created a few procedural issues that we're working through with the expert guidance of Acting Corporate Officer Nancy Owen. 

Council must be proactive in sending items to the committees, though as stated above is no shortage of content for the LUDC. You'll find agendas for both committees here. Council, as it can, should and must, is routinely cherrypicking committee recommendations from the consent agenda for discussion at regular council meetings. 

Both committees have less than a year remaining. The next council must determine whether these bodies or others are to be established in the 2026-2030 term. Logically, I'll argue, these two fundamental committees should be permanent fixtures whose casts will change as required by new councils ... thereby ensuring continuity over time. 

Community Economic Development Committee 
Focusing for now on this as I'm its chair and and all of us are eager to make the most of our limited time together while approving and cheering on the remarkable work being done by District staff led by CEDC Officer Gail Scott, i.e. Sooke adoption of the MRDT (Hotel Tax) program effective Nov. 1; Destination Canada work on the Juan de Fuca Cross-Border Tourism Strategy;  the Sooke Region Business Services Cooperative (a collaboration between the District, the Chamber and WorkLink BC set for launch in collaboration with consultant JP Ellson); and much else.

Agendas

* Dec. 1, 2025 ~ Review of the 2011 Sooke Region Cultural Plan and the 2022 study of it by the Sooke Program of the Arts Committee.

​* Nov. 3, 2025 ~ Presentation on The Pod Project food hub proposal (with recommendation that Council forward to the Sooke Region Food Systems Network for feedback); receipt of the District's new Recognition, Proclamation and Adornment Policy (recommended for Council approval); and discussion of the South Island Prosperity Project's new report titled Igniting Momentum: Recommendations for Greater Victoria to Overcome Economic Stagnation and Achieve Our Potential. 
- CED Coordinator Gail Scott provided updates on various projects of immediate focus:
* Her Rural Economic Diversification & Infrastructure Program grant application (up to $100k) to develop a "Local Employment Land Use Strategy"; 
* Implementation of the Municipal and Regional District Tax effective November 1
* Sooke Business Walk visits to 40+ town centre businesses led by the Chamber's Executive Director Deb Schenk with committee members to mark Small Business Month in Canada;
* A Royal Roads University student business case study exploring how a neighbourhood and downtown shuttle service could mitigate growing traffic and parking woes up-Sooke while boosting local business;
* Updates on the Sooke to Port Renfrew Business Services Cooperative (aka Shoreline) and Destination Canada's work on the JDF First Cross-Border Tourism Corridor Strategy. 
 
* Sept. 3, 2025 ~ Draft OCP update; CEDC Strategy and Action Plan update; potential collaboration with T'Sou-ke in writing the Ministry of Transportation and Transit re: beautification of the Sooke River bridge; committee designate to the Sooke Region Food Systems Network. 

* July 29, 2025 ~ Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce service agreement amendments (including administration of the proposed Community Vibrancy Microgrant and Town Centre Storefront Beautification Microgrant pilot programs, $10k in total); seasonal adornment in the town centre; and a request for a presentation re: the BC Outdoor Recreation for Community and Economic Development guidebook for rural communities. 

* June 2, 2025  - Community Data Portal introduction; strategic projects update; consideration of business beautification program 


Motions arising to date from the Committee as received and voted upon by Sooke council ... 

2025-231 THAT Council amend the Community Economic Development Committee Terms of Reference to update the Meeting Schedule from a bi-monthly to a monthly occurrence. CARRIED

2025-232 THAT Council direct staff to prepare a report regarding the Business Beautification Program concept for consideration and recommendation by the Community Economic Development Committee. CARRIED

2025-307 THAT Council direct Staff to apply to the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth (JEG) under the Rural Economic Diversification & Infrastructure Program (REDIP) for a grant to support the development and implementation of a Local Employment Land Use Strategy. CARRIED 

From the District draft RFP for this work received by the previous CEDC on Jan. 28, 2022 ... 

"What are Employment Lands? Employment lands refers to privately and publicly owned properties that support institutional, industrial, commercial, office and other land uses that employ people in a variety of jobs and a diversity of sectors (e.g. manufacturing, sales and service, research, technology, etc.) For the District of Sooke, Employment Lands are lands designated in the OCP where employment occurs or will occur. This can include industrial, light industrial, business parks, and other commercial activities.
 
What is Encompassed in a Employment Land Strategy? The Employment Land Strategy ensures that the District is well positioned to respond to Employment Land needs by considering future trends, projected demand, land supply, municipal services, incentives and other tools to support future growth and economic changes. 

Specifically, the Strategy focuses on: 
- key stakeholder input 
- employment land inventory 
- trends analysis 
- population and employment growth forecasts 
- employment land demand 
- gaps and constraints 
- development incentives feasibility 
- finance strategy and Return on Investment (ROI) calculator tool 
- competitive analysis 
- final report and recommendations"


2025-308 THAT Council direct Staff to post a 'Notice of Intent to Direct Award' the contract to 4Ever Strategies for the management and administration of the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT). CARRIED
 
2025-321 That Council defer this item to an upcoming Council meeting (re: Sooke Chamber of Commerce service agreement changes and the beautification & event pilot microgrant programs) CARRIED 

2025-322 THAT Council direct staff to present options for expanded Christmas Decor in the Town Centre seasonal adornment service levels alongside budget deliberations; AND THAT Council refer the Recognition and Awareness Policy, including the 2026 Schedule of Recognized Activities, to the Committee for comment in advance of 2026 budget deliberations. CARRIED 

2025-323 THAT Council defer the beautification of Sooke River Bridge to an upcoming Council meeting for further discussion. CARRIED 

July 29 CEDC motion:
Sooke River Bridge – Letter of Support for Provincial Renewal and Cultural Partnership Opportunity  
MOVED by Councilor Tony St-Pierre, seconded by Katherine Strongwind: 

THAT the Community Economic Development Committee recommend that Council direct staff to write a letter to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, acknowledging the Ministry’s responsibility for the Sooke River Bridge and: 

1.  Encouraging the Ministry to paint or renew the Sooke River Bridge; 
2.  Identifying the project as a meaningful opportunity to support truth and reconciliation, should the T’Sou-ke Nation wish to participate; and 
3.  Offering the District’s support for the project. 
 
2025-324 THAT Council direct staff to present options to update the District Community Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan as part of the 2026 budget deliberations. CARRIED 
 
  
 
Original Post - March 30, 2025
 Two new standing committees are being launched by the District of Sooke in the days ahead. The same four of us on council are on both committees, along with three public appointees selected from a stack of applications.  Cllr. McMath's career in emergency response prevents her participation. The Mayor has an ex-officio role with all District committees, including these two. We will likely shuffle the deck to accommodate a new councillor following the by-election. 

I'd headline this "relaunch" were these new committees to be "select" committees as were the 2020-22 CED and Land Use editions. The difference is that a standing committee is formed by the Mayor to deal with matters she considers would be more effectively explored first by a committee and then brought to council. Half the members of a standing committee must be council members (section 141, Community Charter).  A select committee requires just one council appointee and a broader range of public members. (section 142, CC). 

Both committees are mandated to work closely with the District's current Strategic Plan, which details ongoing, now and next objectives across multiple areas -- CED and land use included. Fresh ideas and asks will need to be packaged as motions that will need formal approval from the full council, who must necessarily weigh available resources (staff and financial) before any arising motions are greenlighted. 

As Sooke's Corporate Officer advises, each of the new standing committees ...   
* Acts as an advisory body to Council. 
* Reviews and considers staff reports and presentations, providing recommendations to Council.
* Reviews matters raised by members through formal motions and makes recommendations to Council.
* Committee recommendations and relevant materials are submitted for consideration at near-term council meetings.

DOS Committee Structure and Function Policy (2020) 

Almost goes without saying, but I'll do so regardless by noting that these are the latest in a substantial line of committees, commissions and task forces created since municipal incorporation in 1999. After roughly scanning the District's archived minutes, I've assembled a list of them at the end of this post. Respect, appreciation and sincere thanks to the hundreds of community members and elected representatives who've brought their best and brightest ideas, vision, experience, wisdom and practical actions forward in service to Sooke's evolution.

Community Economic Development Committee
Terms of Reference (adopted Dec. 9, 2024)
"The purpose of the Community Economic Development Committee is to provide recommendations and support to Council on matters that prioritize a resilient economy focused on health care, town centre revitalization and tourism and the attraction and retention of diverse businesses to stimulate economic diversity and growth. The Committee will work to provide recommendations that support the strategic goals of the District."

Foundational documents
* Council Strategic Priorities, 2024-2027
​* District of Sooke Community Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan (2021) 

Reference Material 
* Sooke Economic Analysis (Urbanics Consulting, Dec. 2019) 
* Sooke Chamber Economic Survey (2024) 

The Committee will first meet at 1:00 P.M. on Monday, March 31.
Meetings will follow every two months on first Mondays ~ June 2, July 29, Oct. 6, Dec. 1, 2025. 
​
Mandate (as per TOR) 
"• Strategic economic development initiatives that align with the municipality's Official Community Plan (OCP) and related policies.
• Support for business retention initiatives.
• Collaboration with the Sooke Region Business Cooperative to strengthen business partnerships and growth.
• Engagement with service organizations like the Sooke Chamber of Commerce, WorkLink BC, and other local groups to offer workshops, networking events, and programs that support business growth and development.
• Provision of resources and grants to local organizations that drive economic development through workforce training, business services, and volunteer initiatives and community events that boost the local economy.
• Implementation of the Municipal & Regional District Tax Program (MRDT).
• Development of long-term regenerative and community-led destination tourism planning.
• Enhancement of support for small businesses and startups.
• Advocacy for inclusion in the Island Coastal Economic Trust Area (ICETA) to gain access to community grant programs.
• Enhancement of community appeal and economic growth through aesthetics and functionality.
• Development of an employment lands strategy.
• Establishment of a Municipal Development Corporation.
• Public engagement recommendations aimed at strengthening the relationship between Council and the local business community, industry stakeholders, and residents to foster broad participation in economic initiatives.
• Items related to the Community Economic Development Strategy.
• Items related to the Low Carbon Resilience model.
• Any other items referred to the Committee by Council or the staff liaison."

Committee Members
In accordance with the Community Charter, Mayor Tait made the following appointments:
* Cllr. Bateman (Chair)
* Cllr. St-Pierre (Vice-Chair)
​* Cllr. Beddows
* Cllr. Pearson 
* Gwen Fisher, The Artisans Garden   
* Katherine Strongwind, Strongwind Solutions, Sooke Chamber of Commerce board member 
* Scot Taylor,  Westcoast Adventure College and Stickleback Oceanfront Alehouse 

Representatives from the following non-voting organizations will participate in an advisory capacity ...
* Sooke Arts Council (William [Gord] Wallace) 
* Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce (Vice President Marleen Kiral) 
* Sooke Region Tourism Association (new website launching April 2025) (TBD, Gwen Fisher and Kiral are on its board)
* WorkLink Westshore Employment Society (TBD, Peter Doukakis) 

Director of Planning and Development Chris Marshall and CED Officer Gail Scott will support the Committee as staff liaisons and will prepare reports and staff recommendations for the Committee's consideration.

Related from the 2024-2027 Strategic Plan 
Community Economic Development is one of five Strategic Areas of Focus. 
The Committee's mandate directly mirrors the Plan's ongoing, now and next priorities. 

"We provide essential local services and prioritize a resilient economy focused on health care, town centre revitalization and tourism. We attract diverse businesses to stimulate economic diversity and growth." 

Ongoing
• Collaborate with the Sooke Region Business Cooperative to strengthen business partnership and growth.
• Work with service organizations like the Sooke Chamber of Commerce, WorkLink BC, and other local groups to offer workshops, networking events, and programs that support business growth and development.
• Provide resources and grants to local organizations that drive economic development through workforce training, business services, and volunteer initiatives and community events that boost the local economy.

Now
• Implement the Municipal & Regional District Tax Program (MRDT)
• Develop long-term regenerative and community-led destination tourism planning.
• Update zoning to promote mixed-use zoning, enhancing community livability and economic vitality through residential-business integration and creating business-friendly environments for both new and existing businesses.
• Enhance support for small businesses and startups.
• Prioritize business retention initiatives.
• Advocate for inclusion in the Island Coastal Economic Trust Area (ICETA) to gain access to community grant programs.

Next
• Invest in infrastructure improvements for key transportation routes and corridors to support economic hubs.
• Enhance community appeal and economic growth through aesthetics and functionality.
• Create an employment lands strategy.
• Lead the establishment of a Municipal Development Corporation.

Sooke CED Key Performance Indicators 
 * Annual increase in business licenses issued by the DOS (+5% target) ~ 2020 (875 licenses issued); 2022 (912); 2023 (957); 2024 (1,023, or +6.9%).  

* CED Officer liaison with five Sooke organizations, attending approx. 50 meetings annually 

* Monetary value of new funding to support economic growth and diversification: 
- 2023: i) Destination BC ($100k for JDF Tourism Corridor Plan development); ii) Cooperatives First ($75k for Sooke Region Business Services Cooperative feasibility study)

- 2024: i) Destination Canada ($250k, JDF Cross Border Tourism Corridor Project development); ii) Cooperatives First ($50K, SRBSC investment plan). 

- 2025: Municipal Regional Destination Tax (if approved, possibly $350k in new tax revenue annually for destination marketing) 


CEDC Committee 2020-2022 
Feb. 26, 2021
- Announcement of hiring of Sue Welke, Sooke's first CED Officer 
- Master Plan updates - TMP & PTMP 
- Development processes - need to focus on protecting view from harbour and basin properties

March 26, 2021
- Small Business Grant Updates - Cheryl McLay, Province of BC
- Cultural Perspectives - Indigenous Perspectives Society (training proposed by Sooke Chamber)
- Community Inventory Mapping - Buildings, land, other assets in Sooke 

April 23, 2021 
- WorkLink presentation (Peter Doukakis)
- Home-based businesses in Sooke (presentation by Diane Bernard)
- Food security strategy presentation (Christine Bossi, SRCHN)
- CED Strategy Development (workshop in early May) 

May 21, 2021 
- Referral from Council: Farmstand business licensing 
- CED Strategy update 
- Recycling Depot (letter from Zero Waste Sooke) 

June 25, 2021 
- Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy 
- CED Strategy preparation for presentation to council in fall 2021 + Business Walk 
- Funding Programs: ICET, Western Economic Diversification, Natural Resources Canada 
- Sooke Region Food Security Report (SRCHN) 
- Transition Sooke presentation: How To Grow A Local Economy 

Sept. 24, 2021 
- South Island Prosperity Partnership (presentation) 
- Draft Official Community Plan

Oct. 22, 2021
- Draft CED Strategy and Action Plan
- Boat Launch Parking 

Nov. 26, 2021 
- Victoria Foundation Vital Signs Report (presentation)
- Draft CED Strategy and Action Plan 

Jan. 28, 2022 
- Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation (presentation by Bill Corsan) 
- CED Committee Data and Measurement System 
- Draft RFP for Employment Lands Strategy  

Feb. 25, 2022
- Metrics and Tools for Green Businesses In Sooke (Climate Action Coordinator) 

March 25, 2022 
- SRCHN Elders' Complex (Mary Dunn presentation) 
​- Lot A update (Matthew Pawlow) 

April 22, 2022 
- Metrics for CED Strategy and 7% Solution 
- Vancouver Island Green Business Collective membership opportunity 
- Co-working hub opportunities in Sooke (CAC Coordinator report) 
- CED Committee End-of-Term Reporting to Council 

May 27, 2022 
- Speaker: Jeff Frank, T'Sou-ke Nation  
- Inclusion of Deconstruction Bylaw in Climate Action Plan 


RFP for Employment Lands Strategy 
"The work will include engagement with Employment Lands-designated land and property owners to understand the readiness and willingness for selling, leasing or renting property that will be used to set up business and create jobs in Sooke. An Economic Analysis was carried out for the District in 2019, and at this time the District would like to have an update and expansion to the Economic Analysis. The expansion would build out policy and recommendations following interviews/discussions with Sooke land/property owners. Further, geographical analysis is required of the District’s Employment Lands to determine feasible industrial or commercial operations. Policy options and recommendations will be developed by the successful proponent following engagement, geographical analysis and an updated economic analysis." 


Executive Summary - Sooke Economic Analysis 
(Urbanics Consulting, Dec. 2019) 

With regards to demographic and macroeconomic trends, the Consultant has the following findings:
- Provincial economy in BC remains strong and will likely continue outperforming the Canadian average.
- Southern tip of Vancouver Island remains an attractive place to live and work due to affordability and quality of life considerations.
- Population growth rates in neighboring markets (30-40 minutes drive) of Langford, Colwood and Saanich is some of the highest in Canada.
- Low education levels hold back the viability of attracting high pay high value add companies.
- Most workers (71%) commute out of town for employment opportunities.
- Median incomes are comparable to BC and CRD.

With regards to the employment lands inventory and commercial market dynamics, the Consultant has the following findings:
- Plentiful pre-zoned employment lands exist in Sooke.
- Significant public land reserves also exist.
- Significant portion of industrial and commercial lands are underdeveloped, and underutilized.
- Commercial rents are quite high for such a small community with small population and commercial services base.
- Vacancies are low.
- Property taxes are competitive.
- Regulatory environment is conducive to business development.
- DCC rates are higher than and uncompetitive with neighboring jurisdictions.

With regards to forecast of employment lands (both industrial and commercial retail/office) required by 2036, the Consultant has the following findings:
- Low scenario projects approximately 8 hectares of new employment lands required by 2036.
- Median scenario projects approximately 13 hectares of new employment lands required by 2036.
- High scenario projects approximately 23.5 hectares of new employment lands required by 2036.

In conclusion, the Consultant finds that:
- The demand for industrial land use out to 2036 ranges between as little as 4 hectares (low industrial employment capture, and high industrial job density) to as much as 13.4 hectares (representing high employment capture and low industrial job density). The median estimate is approximately 7 hectares.
- The demand for commercial land use out to 2036 ranges between as little as 4 hectares (low commercial employment capture, and high commercial job density) to as much as 10.1 hectares (representing high commercial employment capture and low commercial job density). The median estimate is approximately 6 hectares.
- There is 32 hectares of M2 zoned land that is under utilized. In total there is approximately 41 hectares of under-utilized industrial land with 12.39 hectares of vacant industrial land.
- There is 8.8 hectares of C2 zoned land that is under utilized, as well as 8.67 hectares of C4 “Commercial Recreation” underutilized. In total there is approximately 22 hectares of under-utilized commercial land as well as 7.2 hectares of vacant commercial land.
- There is no projected shortage of industrial or commercial land as the industrial and commercial land inventory indicates that there is more vacant employment land than total warranted demand by 2036 under a “median scenario” projection. In addition, there are significant employment land parcels that are host to limited levels of activity and are considered “under-utilized”. These parcels can be subject to intensification in the coming years as market conditions warrant it. That said, the Consultant estimates that the supply of vacant employment lands will be completely exhausted by 2036.
- Growth industries will be healthcare, warehousing and wholesale trade, filming, tourism and recreation.
- Short-term rentals comprise approximately 3-5% of rental housing stock, or 1-2% of total housing stock. It is most likely that they contribute in a small way to increasing rents and prices.


Miscellaneous re: Sooke Community Economic Development 

From this blog ... 
* Promise and Potential: Sooke Region Tourism (March 2, 2025) 
* Sparking Community Development (Aug. 31, 2022) - published prior to hiring of Gail Scott as Sooke's second-ever CED Officer and successor to our first, Sue Welke.  
* Sooke Committees Update (Jan. 2021). The then-active Sooke Program of the Arts (SPA) and Climate Action committees are effectively rolled into the new CED Committee -- which is asked to use the Low Carbon Resilience model in its decision-making and follow the recommendations of the CED Strategy. The District's formal adoption of LCR in Jan. 2021 and the subsequent Sooke 2030 Climate Action Plan ensures that a "green lens" is applied to all District of Sooke decision-making. The presence of a rep from the Sooke Arts Council in the new committee will ensure arts matters and issues are addressed. 

​
Action Points in the CED Strategic Plan  <direct quotes>

* Develop a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an Employment Lands Strategy

* Promote Sooke to investors/entrepreneurs/tourists.

* Develop a Marketing Strategy to promote Sooke and undertake a community branding initiative to develop a
new community brand.

* Develop Sooke business/investment attraction promotions materials

* To promote Sooke as a destination for tourists and a great place to live and work, actively pursue a world-class event (examples: sporting, arts and culture, engineering or scientific or skills competition) to be held in Sooke in 2023 or later.

* Explore a District grant program for new green, LCR entrepreneurs to set up businesses in Sooke.

* Complete the application to the Municipal and Regional Destination Tax (MRDT) program.

* Look into the possibility of a pilot project with Canada Border Services Agency to have a customs officer in Sooke at the government dock.

* Commission a hotel and tourism study to identify the viability of attracting a major recreation-oriented land use which can serve as a catalyst for expanded hospitality, tourism, hotel and conference facility investment by the private sector. The Study will review the natural and environmental impacts of increased tourism, and how Sooke can encourage tourism development that is low carbon resilient and of minimal impact to the environment and climate. The Study will include “culture and the arts” within the definition of “recreation-oriented”.

* The CED Strategy will be revisited, and may be revised based on the success of actions, and emerging needs and opportunities. The District invites community members and groups to be involved in the implementation and co-creation of this CED Strategy.

Sooke Chamber of Commerce 
Executive Director - Deb Schenk 
​President – Tracy Snow (Sooke Optometrist)
Vice President – Marleen Kiral (Almostronaut Creative)
Past President – Mike Menard (Menard Plumbing & Heating)
Director – Katherine Strongwind (Strongwind Solutions)
Director – Abbie Morris (Hive & Thrive Consulting)
Director – Britt Santowski (Author)
Director – Alexander Kingston (Gadget Tree Tech Services)
Director - Karen Stones (A Sea of Bloom)
Director – Les Haddad (Sooke Delivery Guy)
Director – Tim Ayres (Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty)
Secretary – Barb Dunn (Experior Financial Group)

* 2024 Annual Report
* Agendas and Minutes
* Chamber Directory 
* Business Excellence Awards 
* 25 Reasons To Join 

Chamber Publications 
* Everything Sooke guidebook 
* Investing in Sooke Brochure 
* Other investment attraction brochures ...
* Food and Drink 
* Culture 
* Commerce and Industry 
* Clean Energy 
* Tourism 
* Seniors Services

* Shop Sooke First campaign (launched January 2025) 
- Year of Local (monthly shop-local themes)
i.e., April: Sustainable Shopping Month; May: Local Art & Craft Showcase; June: Shop Local Food and Beverage Experience; July: Sooke Customer Appreciation Week; August: Sooke Style Fashion & Retail Week; September: Back to School Local Shopping Week; October: Halloween Local Shopping Spree; November: Holiday Gift Guide Launch; December: 12 Days of Sooke Giving. 

South Island Prosperity Project interview with CED Officer Gail Scott 
Think Globally, Act Locally: Lessons From Sooke's Economic Success (Aug. 23, 2024) 

Sooke Region Business Cooperative : "A partnership between the District of Sooke and WorkLink BC. "Worklink BC is one of the District of Sooke’s strongest economic development partners," says Gail Scott. "The Sooke Region has very few storefront business support programs that can be accessed locally. Our small and medium businesses are often frustrated by this. They don’t want to drive down to Victoria or up to Duncan to go to a Community Futures office. The solution was to create our own business services cooperative. We’ve just finished incorporating it with the support of Cooperatives First ... This solution addresses local business retention, business expansion, and identification of business opportunities.  The key objective here is to create more local jobs and to reduce people from having to spend way too much time on the road which will lead to a much improved quality of life for them and their families." 

30-Year Vision: "Vancouver Island is a vibrant, sustainable and economically prosperous region. Transformations will include advanced transportation infrastructure, green economy initiatives and a thriving Blue Marine economy. The region will be a hub for innovation and raise the bar to attract talent and investment worldwide. Our communities will be more connected, resilient, and inclusive, with a high quality of life that attracts families, businesses and visitors alike. The economic future will be characterized by sustainable growth, strong community partnerships and a robust entrepreneurial spirit that drives continuous improvement, adaptation and responsiveness to global changes.

Sooke, in particular, will have evolved from a bedroom community to a self-sustaining hub and a vibrant space that embraces a circular economy, strong arts community, local food systems and stunning natural environment that will continue to draw people who value this high quality of life and that deep connection to nature and sense of place, again in friendship and cooperation alongside Indigenous peoples, including the T’Sou-ke and Scia’new Nations."

Mayor's Advisory Committee on Economic Development (2013/14) 
Council minutes, Nov. 25, 2013:  "Dr. Steve Grundy, Chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Economic Development, provided a summary of the Panel‘s business and resident surveys. Dr. Grundy overviewed results from surveys that were completed by approximately 55 businesses. The survey showed that businesses had overall survived the economic downturn and were generally optimistic about the future, they loved the lifestyle in Sooke but expressed concerns such as taxes and rent. Dr. Grundy advised that the businesses felt they were more service orientated compared to other communities. People felt there was uncertainty about what Sooke was trying to be but were clear that they did not want a Langford (box stores). The survey showed that support for the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce was mixed but overall was positive as there was a sense the Chamber was on a new course; similar comments were said about the Sooke Region Tourism Association.

Dr. Grundy reported that there was disappointment in comments around support of the Council for business. Dr. Grundy overviewed results from surveys completed by residents where residents echoed the business survey that there was good service in Sooke, a need for more business, and a need for more variety of business. There were comments around the town not being attractive, frustration with Council, and enthusiasm around making the town beautiful. Dr. Grundy summarized that he would like to see Council putting more money into economic development such as business licence fees and the Additional Hotel Room Tax (AHRT) and that town beautification be made a priority." 

Sooke Economic Development Commission 
- Launched by Mayor Macgregor in 2000 with first appointee Cllr. Lorna Barry
- Restructured into three public advisory panels on Oct. 9, 2012 
- Sooke EDC circa January, 2012: Chair Maja Tait, reps from Sooke Chamber, SRTA, Sooke Arts Council and Sooke CHI Volunteer Centre + appointees John Brohman, Steve Grundy, Michael Niykes, Brenda Parkinson and Edward Stipp 
- Feb. 27, 2012: "Council discussed the reporting expectations for the Sooke Economic Development Commission and stated that Council would like to receive the objectives, budget and timelines for the Commission so that Council can consider them in the Financial Plan. In addition, quarterly reports from the Sooke Economic Development Commission are required; including the deliverables of the member groups as to contracted services." 
- Motions from the EDC re: Sooke Starlight Cinema, membership in the Mountain Bike Tourism Association 


Land Use and Development Committee
Terms of Reference (adopted Dec. 9, 2025) 
The purpose of the Land Use and Development Committee is to provide support to Council on matters related to land use, development, and community planning to support sustainable land use planning to accommodate growth while minimizing environmental impact and maintaining Sooke’s West Coast aesthetic in alignment with the District of Sooke strategic plan.

The Committee will first meet at 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 1. Meetings will follow monthly on first Tuesdays ... May 6, June 3, June 2, July 2, (summer break), then Sept. 2, Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 3, 2025. 

The committee will serve as a planning advisory body from which Director of Planning Chris Marshall can seek input on various applications before they go to the full council. This year's finalization of the Official Community Plan (due by Dec. 31) will be a top priority. So too will a review of the forthcoming new Subdivision and Development Standards bylaw as well as the zoning bylaw that will follow OCP adoption. 

From this blog: 
- Building/Developing Sooke (April 2023) 
​- Sooke Selfie: Census 2021 Overview (Dec. 2022) 


​Mandate
The Committee is to consider land use and development matters that are to be considered by Council, including:
• Official Community Plan (OCP) amendments, rezonings, development permits, variance applications, strata title conversions, Temporary Use Permits, Agricultural Land Reserve Referrals, and the municipal regional context statement (for the Regional Growth Strategy).
• Updates to zoning to promote mixed-use zoning, enhancing community livability and economic vitality through residential-business integration and creating business-friendly environments for both new and existing businesses.
• Policies to support sustainable land use and community growth, integrating environmental stewardship, economic health, and socio-economic land use matters.
• Public engagement recommendations on land use topics aimed at strengthening the relationship between Council, stakeholders, and community members.
• Any other items referred to the committee by Council or the staff liaison.
* The Low Carbon Resilience Model should provide a lens for the decision making of this committee.

Mayor Tait made the following appointments: 
* Councillor St-Pierre (Chair) 
* Councillor Pearson (Vice-Chair)
* Councillor Bateman
* Councillor Beddows 
* Desiree Cumming - West Coast Design - life-long Sooke resident and new owner of Randy Clarkston and Laurie Wallace's long-standing Sooke company 
* Helen Ritts - Former Chair, OCP Committee and executive member with Friends of Sooke Parks Society 
* Rob Barry - Island Energy 

From the Council Strategic Plan 
Strategic Areas of Focus 
Sustainable Growth and Environmental Stewardship ~ "We promote sustainable land use planning to accommodate growth while minimizing environmental impact and maintaining Sooke’s West Coast aesthetic. We prioritize the protection of blue and green spaces and the implementation of the best environmental practices when planning for growth and development." 

Infrastructure Investments and Multi-Modal Transportation Networks ~ "We make significant investments in infrastructure to support our community’s growth for future generations. This involves upgrading existing infrastructure, building new infrastructure, and seeking funding that supports our growing community’s needs. By enhancing our connectivity and livability, we can reduce our carbon footprint." 

Ongoing
• Collaborate with the T’Sou-ke Nation on land use planning and decision-making. Foster ongoing collaboration with the T’Sou-ke Nation to support cultural revitalization and promote traditional ecological knowledge.
• Consider How We Move, How We Build, How We Grow, How We Relate and How We Lead to support a path to Sooke 2030 emission reduction.
• Increase community resilience through emergency management planning including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
• Promote local food security and cultural preservation with a focus on community and indigenous gardens.
• Protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

Now
• Update Housing Needs Report.
• Update zoning bylaw following provincial regulations.
• Establish clear, consistent and equitable development policies and a process for streamlining applications.
• Integrate ecosystem protection into all stages of
development projects.
• Identify and map environmentally sensitive areas

Next
• Update Official Community Plan
• Develop more substantial, brand-relevant design guidelines to articulate a clear identity for Sooke.
• Create incentives to bring more commercial and industrial uses to the district.
• Create a municipal land acquisition strategy to support planned development and expand green spaces.
• Strengthen environmental protection through Environmental Development Permit Areas.

 
Previous Land Use and Development Committees
This will be the fourth time a Land Use Committee has been struck over the 15 years.

~ The most recent LUC Committee was formed in early 2021: Councillor Tony St-Pierre (chair), Susan Belford, Brian Butler, Paul Clarkston, Katarina Duke, Dave McClimon and Kyle Topelko. 

 Excerpts from end of term report to council (presented to COW on June 20, 2022) 
​"- climate action was not considered sufficiently during the committee's term;
- the community is well represented through a diverse and informed membership;
- members had hoped to contribute more to the OCP's final draft;
- the delay in the OCP’s adoption has slowed the committee’s productivity; and
- future iterations of the committee should consider innovative recommendations which support affordable housing and encourage balanced priorities.
- the committee's purpose was not clear at times and more specific requests for recommendations from Council would have been well received."

Subjects discussed and agendas, 2021-22
- May 2022: Inclusion of Deconstruction Bylaw in Sooke Climate Action Plan (agenda)
- April 2022: Sooke Lions and John Phillips Memorial Park (agenda) 
​- Feb. 2022: Tree management + building permit backlog and wait-times (agenda)
- Dec. 2021: Zoning bylaw updates (agenda) 
​- Nov. 2021: Bill 26 - Municipal Affairs Statue Act (agenda) 
- Oct. 2021: Draft Official Community Plan discussion (agenda)
- Sept. 2021: SRCHN Food Security Report (agenda)
- June 2021: DCC bylaw update + further discussion on secondary suites (agenda) 
​- May 2021: Secondary suites (agenda) 
- April 2021: Additional dwellings on ALR land + Low Carbon Resilience policy (agenda) 
- March 2021: OCP Engagement Draft Growth Scenarios (agenda) 
- February 2021: Inaugural meeting (agenda) 

~ Previous to this, the District organized a Development & Engagement Workshop in September, 2017 and it identified issues (many related to the notorious need to alleviate developer wait times for permits) that spurred the creation of a new Development & Land Use Committee in early 2018. It was chaired by Cllr. Berger and featured local building stalwarts Randy Clarkson and Herb Haldane along with former Sooke Region Food CHI treasurer Lynn Saur. 
 
At the first of a half-dozen meetings during its one-year term, the discussion covered much ground starting with the need for a new Transportation Masterplan. Four areas of focus were determined for future meetings: A new Sooke Building Code based on the Municipal Insurance Association of BC's model bylaw and aligned with the then-newly updated BC Building Act; the delegation of Development Permit approvals to staff (as opposed to council) to speed the process; the District's need to cover the costs of staff time by charging applicants for consultation meetings; and the integration of the BC Energy Step Code into a new building bylaw. 


~ The first Sooke Land Use & Environment Committee was established during Mayor Milne's term (2011-2014). A standing committee (like the Finance & Administration Committee of the time), it featured at least three council representatives (builder Herb Haldane included) and such appointees from the development community as Adrian Cownden and Geoff Steele. (I'm unable to find, at a first attempt, its Terms of Reference within the District's electronic archives, aka the Civic Portal. Easy access to the committee's minutes from 2012, 2013 and 2014, however.) '

The committee did cover a huge amount of ground, from ALR exclusions and cel phone tower applications to rezoning applications, strata title conversions, the community amenity contribution policy, social housing, development variance permits, etc.  Did all the groundwork before sending recommendations to council. Most councillors were involved in meetings. 

Priorities: 
"Need to provide clear timelines for applicants"
"Streamline planning process." 
"Reduce lead time for development starts" 
"Committee to vet preliminary development applications instead of pre-application meetings"
"Committee needs to be informed to make decisions; staff to provide legislative and technical advice"
"Committee to encourage development, rapid use of the process, but respect the process." 
"Need to determine how we can work together: committee, staff and applicant." 

"48-hour building permit process for registered builders" first raised as topic for discussion at meeting of March 19, 2012. "Two week turnaround is the norm in other municipalities." 

John Brohman, Bev Berger, Laurie Wallace (representing the Sooke Community Development Association) and Randy Clarkston were among the minuted speakers in early meetings -- all of which were given full staff support from Gerard LeBlanc (Municipal Planner), Elizabeth Nelson (Municipal Engineer) and Bonnie Sprinkling (CO). 

Main emphasis of committee was the new Subdivision & Standards Bylaw #404, a dramatic upgrade from Bylaw #65 (created following Sooke's first OCP in 2001). A promised staff report on the 48 Hour Building Permit process was seemingly not released prior to the Committee's final meeting in April 2014, and may never have been, but process is addressed repeatedly (and often by regular meeting attendee Clarkston). 


Extras
Current Sooke Committees 
* Standing Committee on Community Health Care established in Nov. 2023 and featuring three members of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) + Council appointees Beddows, McMath and Pearson. 
* Board of Variance (re-established early 2025) 
* Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee  

Previous Sooke Committees & Commissions 
* Official Community Plan Committee (2019-22)
* Climate Action Committee (2020-2022) 
* Land Use and Development Committee (2020-22)
* Community Economic Development Committee (2020-22) 
* Sooke Program of the Arts Committee (launched in 200?-2022) 
* Affordable Housing Committee
* Climate Change Action Committee
* Protective Services Committee
* Parks and Trails Committee
* Community Spaces Committee
* Te'Mexw Treaty Committee 
* Sooke Health and Wellness Planning Steering Committee 
* Community Grants Committee 
* Burning Regulation Review Committee (2012) 
* Emergency Planning Committee (2012) 
* Land Use and Environment Committee (2012-14)
* Liquid Waste Management Plan (Stormwater) Stage 2 and 3 Advisory Committee (2010) 
* Official Community Plan Review Committee (2008-10) 
* Tourism Alliance/Foundation Advisory Committee (2008-09) 
* Spirit of BC Community Committee (2007-10) under the Province's 2010 Legacies Now initiative 
* Sooke Economic Development Commission (2007-12) 
* Climate Action Change Committee (2008-2022) 
* Sign Bylaw Review Committee (2009) 
* Finance and Administration Committee (200?-2014)
* Measuring Up Advisory Committee (2008, accessibility issues)  
* Downtown Revitalization Committee (2006-08) 
* Focus Group Capital Plan Committee (2008, evolved into Community Grants Committee) 
* Spirit Bear Committee (2007)
* 2010 Winter Games Committee (2007) 
* Sooke Revitalization Committee (2003) 
* Boundary Restructure Study Committee (2002/03) 
* Liquid Waste Management Plan Advisory Committee (2003) 
* Bed and Breakfast Committee (2000, Councillor Ron Dumont, creation of Bylaw 22) 
* Emergency Planning Committee (2000) 
* Economic Development Commission (2000, Councillor Lorna Barry) 
* Traffic Study Steering Committee (2000, Councillor Evans & Marcus Farmer) 
* Sewerage Study Steering Committee (2000, Councillor Dumont & John Farmer)
* Land Acquisition/Harbour Access Committee (2000, Councillor Evans) 
* Logo and Signage Committee (2000)  

Task Forces 
* Lot A Northeast Quadrant re: The Gathering Place (established July 2019) 
* "Promote Sooke" Task Force (established March, 2013) 
* Mayor's Advisory Committee on Economic Development (2013/14, chaired by Steve Grundy)
* Mayor's Advisory Committee on Arts & Beautification (2013/14, chaired by Brenda Parkinson) 
* Mayor & Council compensation

Committees recommended by Mayor Tait in November 2016 
1. Protective Services & Community Safety Committee 
2. Community Development Committee
3. Arts & Culture Committee 

Committees as recommended in the current 2010 Sooke OCP ~ pg. 111 
1. Green Advisory or Community Sustainability (i.e., Climate Change Action Committee)
2. OCP Implementation and Monitoring
3. Sooke Agricultural Land Reserve Advisory
4. Sooke Housing Committee or Corporation (i.e., Housing Committee) 
5. DOS Economic Development Corp. (with staff ED officer)
6. Youth Council
7. Arts & Culture Committee (i.e, SPA Committee) 
8. Liquid Waste Water Plan Implementation Committee
 
If staffing resources were no object ... examples of committees formed in other BC local governments 
* Youth Council (or Youth Advisory Committee) 
* Seniors Council
* Health & Social Development
* Farmland Advisory Board
* Governance and Finance
* Liquid Waste Management Plan Implementation
* Advisory Planning Committee
* Advisory Design Panel
* Communities In Bloom
* Harbour Improvement Committee

Reverse order by date. I've found that organizing my thoughts with related links for further reference is essential for this aging, routinely distracted, rather overloaded mind (yes, I did my Wordle this morning, got it in four). It's also something of a community service, I believe, as I'm doing my learning in public and hopefully providing something of value for my colleagues and our successors. My views and perspective keep evolving (as with us all I was so encouraged to discover years ago on first learning about neuroplasticity.) Dive in if and as you wish.  

PS Please note the unfortunate fact that many links in older posts are now dead given new website launches in 2025 by the District of Sooke and the CRD as well as ongoing website updates at other levels of government. I will endeavour to revise them if and as possible as I find time in future. 

(Local Government 101 education and refresh here and here.) 

* Adoption Paperwork - Sooke's New OCP (Dec. 11, 2025)
* Simon Fraser University: "Renovate The Public Hearing" (Dec. 4, 2025)  
* Update: Community Economic Development & Land Use Committees (Nov. 29, 2025) 
* BC Legislation and Report Tracker 2025 (Nov. 26, 2025) 
* Three-Year Review: 2022-2025 (Nov. 11, 2025)
​* Calling 911 On (Seeming) Provincial Downloads (Nov. 9, 2025)
* OCP - Picture Sooke: The Final (?) Frame (Oct. 27, 2025)  
* Sooke School District #62 Update (Oct. 25, 2025)
* Supporting #Sooke Community Organizations (Oct. 19, 2025)
* Rx for Ever-Improving Sooke Health Care (Oct. 1, 2025) 
* Union of BC Municipalities 2025 Convention Prep and Follow-Up (Sept. 20, 2025) 
​* #Sooke Gathering Places and Spaces (Sept. 19, 2025) 
* AVICC Convention 2025 (April 10, 2025) 
* Arts File - CRD, West Shore, Sooke (March 20, 2025) 
* Promise and Potential: Sooke Region Tourism (March 2, 2025) 
​* The Road to Referendum (Feb. 23, 2025) 
​* Bill 44 Update: SSMHU Redux (Feb. 17, 2025) 
* Budget 2025 (Jan. 19, 2025) 

​* Twenty Five Years: District Anniversary (Dec. 7, 2024) 
​* Vote! (Oct. 8, 2024) 
* Preparing for the UBCM 2024 Convention (Aug. 28, 2024) 
* Hwy 14: Condensed & Updated (June 13, 2024) 
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Congestion & Safety Edition (March-June, 2024) 
* CRD’s Proposed Transportation Authority (May 23, 2024) 
* Budget 2024 (Feb. 28, 2024) 
* Living With BC’s New Housing Regulations (Feb. 27, 2024)
​* Responding to Homelessness In Sooke (Feb. 2, 2024) 
* Dealing With Our Own Biosolids in the CRD (Jan. 31, 2024) 

* Sooke Food Security (Oct. 25, 2023)
* UBCM 2023 Convention (Sept. 14, 2023)
* Wildfire Season and Disaster Preparedness (Aug. 22, 2023)
​* Council's Last Call This Summer (July 24, 2023)
​* Patience and Process: Back to the OCP (June 18, 2023)
​* Building/Developing Sooke (May 30, 2023)
* Capital Regional District Overview 2023 (May 12, 2023)
​* Housing 101: Preparing for the UBCM Housing Summit (March 31, 2023)
* Budget 2023 Starter: Police, Fire, Climate Action (March 15, 2023)
* Sooke Policing Overview (Jan. 12, 2023) 

* Sooke Selfie: Census 2021 Snapshot (Dec. 21, 2022) 
* Service Agreements: Supporting Sooke Community Organizations (Dec. 12, 2022) 
* #Sooke Gathering Places & Spaces (Dec. 2, 2022) 
* R/x for Sooke Health Care (Nov. 28, 2022) 
* Sooke Lions Centre: Paws & Reflect (Nov. 26, 2022) 
* Years In Review: 2018-22 (Oct. 13, 2022)
* All Candidates Meeting Speaking Notes (Oct. 12, 2022)
* Bathroom Reading: Sooke Sewers (updated: Oct. 8, 2022 & March 29, 2023) 
* Campaign 2022 Q&A Responses (Oct. 5, 2022) 
* OCP Public Hearing Preview (Sept. 27, 2022) 
* Next Step for the Official Community Plan (Sept. 7, 2022) 
* Sparking #Sooke Community Development (Aug. 31, 2022)
* Our Up-Sooke-Sized Building Boom (Aug. 26, 2022)
* Highway 14 Revisited: Summer 2022 Edition (Jul. 22, 2022) 
* BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) Sooke (May 12, 2022)
* Opening Day + Saga of the Sooke Library (Feb. 25, 2022)

* District 101: Facts & Figures from the Citizen Budget Survey (Nov. 30, 2021)
* Budget 2022 (Nov. 25, 2021)
* Draft OCP: My Appreciative Inquiry (Oct. 20, 2021)
* Addressing Homelessness (Visible, Invisible, Pending) in the Sooke Region (Oct. 15, 2021)
* Help Wanted: Interim Climate Action Coordinator (Oct. 12, 2021)
* OCP Update - Fall 2021 (Sept. 4, 2021)
* Paws In Ponds Corridor (July 26, 2021)
* Proposal: Sooke Lions Community Centre in the Park (July 9, 2021)
* Sooke Elder's Complex (aka Gathering Place) Update (June 21, 2021)
* Back to Basics: Food & Shelter Essentials (June 15, 2021)
* State of Sooke's Youth Nation (March 15, 2021) 
* Climate Action: Link Frenzy! - Sooke, Regional, Provincial, National, Global (Feb. 24, 2021)
* Context for Sooke Climate Action (Feb. 19, 2021)
* Help Wanted: Sooke Committees Update (Jan. 24, 2021) 
* What's Next for Sooke's Evolving Road, Sidewalk and Roundabout Network (Jan. 20, 2021)

* Sooke Fiscal 2021 and the BC Restart Fund (Nov. 22, 2020)
* Team OCP: Introducing the Advisory Committee (Aug. 8, 2020) 
* Parks & Transportation Masterplans (July 13, 2020) 
* Burning Issue: Fire Protection Services Bylaw (May 19, 2020)

* Masterplanning Sooke's Smart Growth: OCP Preview (Dec. 20, 2019) 
* The CRD Share of Your #Sooke Tax Bill (Nov. 13, 2019)
* $$$ (Start of a New Five-Year Financial Plan Cycle) (July 29, 2019)
* Climate Cha-Changes (May 17, 2019)
* Notes from Local Government Leadership Academy Seminars (April 10, 2019)
* Climate Change, Pot Shops and Four Lanes (April 7, 2019)
* Highway 14 Revisited: Spring 2019 Edition (March 29, 2019)
* Timbites Sooke (March 26, 2019) 
* Calling All Monopines: Cell Phone Towers (Jan. 27, 2019)
* Seeking Solutions in Saseenos: Lewers/Driver 2 (Jan. 16, 2019)

* X homes + Y people + Z cars = ? (Dec. 18, 2018)
* Council Report: 5 Hours, 47 Minutes Later (Dec. 6, 2018)
* Fresh Paint, Familiar Refrain for Sooke Road (Nov. 17, 2018)
* Learning Curve: Council Dynamics & Respectful Workplaces: Orientation Session (Nov. 6, 2018)
* Proposal: A Forest and the Trees Bylaw (Oct. 16, 2018)
* Verbateman Answers to the Voice News (Oct. 15, 2018)
* Fire Department Overview (Oct. 15, 2018)
* Me & Ms. Reay (Oct. 14, 2018)
* Quoting Myself: All Candidates Debate (Oct. 12, 2018)
* Lemons = Non-Conforming Lemonade: Lewers/Driver 1 (Oct. 11, 2018)
* Thoughts on the Arts (Oct. 10, 2018)
* Zero Waste Version of My 2018 Brochure (Oct. 8, 2018)
* Campaign 2018: Back to the Blog (Oct. 8, 2018)
* No More Tankers: A National Energy Board Submission (Oct. 4, 2018)

* Tonight @ Council (April 13, 2015)
* My CGI Dreams for Sooke (April 13, 2015)
* It Takes A Community (Nov. 11, 2014)
* Looking Glass: Sooke News Mirror Q&A (Nov. 6, 2014)
* Cycling Forward (Nov. 3, 2014)
* Sooke Voice News Questionnaire (Oct. 29, 2014)
* CFAX Candidates Survey: My Responses (Oct. 20, 2014)
* More on the Subjective Sooke News (Oct. 13, 2014)
* The Good (Oct. 9, 2014)
​* First Thoughts (Oct. 6, 2014) 
​

Council approved third reading and adoption of Sooke's new Official Community Plan on Monday night with a 4-3 vote: Tait, Beddows, St-Pierre and myself in favour vs. Haldane, McMath and Pearson opposed.  The sticking point related to the Development Permit Area Guidelines, not, I think, the document’s vision for our collective future captured in the community policies and actions re: (counting the subject areas in full) transportation, the natural environment, parks & trails, green building, infrastructure, agriculture & food systems, community economic development, arts & culture, housing, recreation & community services, and an equitable community.

Certainly the three in opposition did not openly discuss or share concerns in these areas. Their input and questions focused on the DPAs. So I’m confident a larger majority of us agree with the community vision, policies and recommended actions. [If not Cllr. Haldane, who in the 2022 public hearing minutes is recorded to have called the previous draft "idealistic and radical, and will create divisiveness."]

The split vote was a largely predictable outcome based on earlier comments. It provides one of other meaty campaign issues as the stage is set for the 2026 municipal election 10 short months from now (Oct. 17).  

Cllr. Pearson tried to amend the bylaw by moving that the set of three Development Permit Areas from the 2010 OCP be re-instated in lieu of the new guidelines. This amendment was defeated 5-2 (with our two former mayoral candidates, Haldane and Pearson, in favour.) My arguments against focused on the fact that this OCP's fundamental raison d'etre was to deliver clarity and certainty with a new and improved set of DPA guidelines (not hard-and-fast requirements, it must again be stated) that, among much else, encourage best practices for environmental protection -- the #1 expressed community priority in all three of our OCPs over 25 years.  [I'm surprised an attempt wasn't made to separate the DPA guidelines for future review and leave instead the DPA designations as required by the Local Government Act.]

Amendments to this new OCP will logically and inevitably follow. (Our two previous plans were tweaked more than two dozen times in total.) This is why I lead the following with a statement about process and the importance of trusting in it. This and future councils can schedule public hearings and make revisions/amendments to Bylaw #800 as they see fit. Viva democracy, still entirely functional and effective even in these hugely (sadly and disturbingly, you surely agree?) polarized times.

I'm reminded of the 2011 election campaign. The 2010 OCP was adopted in the first quarter of that year. Mayor Evans stepped down after three terms, and a new fiscally conservative council led by Mayor Milne was elected. Significant DPA amendments followed in September, 2012. The changes were introduced with all due legislative exactitude and were the right of any Mayor and council making transparent decision to benefit the community.  

I know, as do we all, that we live in the age of social media one-liner cut and thrust, where context and the facts are distractions that derail agenda-driven narratives and undercut emotional outrage of the kind we all need to express in one way or another now that punching a pillow isn't sufficient. Flat-out stupidity, misinformation and malevolence is also in the mix too.

This is why i no longer surf Sooke's social media channels, a loss for me since I can’t better track all the good in this community yet still a necessary mental health preservation strategy as I tune out the white noise and stay focused on the rigors of this job.

[Example: Once the OCP was adopted on Monday night, we moved immediately on to a Sooke RCMP presentation that revealed calls for service are up 22% this year – a shocking, sobering number that Council needs to seriously explore, question and address as budget discussions begin next month. The likely 7% or more tax hike question:  Does Sooke want a minimal tax increase or sufficient boots-on-ground to ensure community safety? The 2025 budget survey (received Oct. 20, agenda pg. 151-152) revealed that while many in Sooke still feel safe and secure (less so at night), a fifth of respondents are concerned about impacts of crime, drugs and homelessness. Survey data showed that "Fire Rescue, Policing and Emergency Planning received strong support for maintaining readiness as the community grows." We've opted for what we believe are good-parent decisions to date ... and yet (speaking of pre-election strategies) the context-free criticism of our decisions to fund police, fire and asset management continues without reference to any of those needs, just the percentage increase.]  

How much easier it is to say, without any document references, that this OCP will be a "nightmare" for Sooke, that "no one is listening" at the District, that the sky will fall and the seventh seal will open for apocalypse now in this community we all love. 

That's not my style, however, as I hope I've proven by now. And so onwards with these rather laboured notes i prepared ahead of Monday night. I was trying to craft an overarching statement. Inevitably for me, it became too long and windy in keeping with the gusts blowing in from the Juan de Fuca. As it turned out, I only voiced a few parts of it, reading aloud some sections and ad-libbing others when opportunities arose during council’s two hours of questions and comment. You're welcome to watch the real-time video replay here. 

As addendums, I'm attaching the drafts I prepared in response to various continuous issues raised at last week's lively Public Hearing, which consistently echoed what we heard in 2022 (despite all the tweaks, additions and changes in the document this year). I’m also sharing largely direct comments heard at the Public Hearing as I typed them on the night. And, as a reference for what I'm sure will be a continuing debate about the perceived merits and shortfalls of this OCP into 2026, I've added my synopsis of Mr. Riley's staff report, which you'll find in full on pp. 15-29 of Monday's agenda. 

All this is too much of a muchness, I know, but I reserve the right to do what I will with this ever-unrolling blog. Wherever you fall on the continuum between happy and not regarding this OCP, I do hope you will continue to do your homework, read the document itself and ask questions (via email to [email protected] with a cc to [email protected]) as informed, engaged, free-thinking and empowered citizens. We need more of you.   
 
Best way to do so is by routinely visiting the archive on the District's Let's Talk, OCP page and by following along with the OCP's implementation, to be guided by council, staff and perhaps also a newly created OCP Monitoring and Implementation Committee as recommended on page 111 of my dog-eared 2010 OCP, bless it and all who cared enough to dedicate immense effort to its creation and execution.

​You'll also want to read the District's adoption press release and especially the myth-busting FAQ within it. 

Feel free to revisit my own WWF tangles with the OCP these last five years: 

* OCP - Picture Sooke: The Final (?) Frame (Oct. 27, 2025)
* Patience and Process: Back to the OCP (June 18, 2023)
* OCP Public Hearing Preview (Sept. 27, 2022) 
* Next Step for the Official Community Plan (Sept. 7, 2022) 
* Draft OCP: My Appreciative Inquiry (Oct. 20, 2021)
* OCP Update - Fall 2021 (Sept. 4, 2021)
* Team OCP: Introducing the Advisory Committee (Aug. 8, 2020) 
* Masterplanning Sooke's Smart Growth: OCP Preview (Dec. 20, 2019) ​

*******************************************************************************************************************************
 
Notes for an OCP statement - Monday, Dec. 8 

Over these last seven years, I have heard repeatedly a singular piece of wisdom about surviving and thriving as an elected official. This has been repeated by workshop speakers at conferences, local government experts hired to lead council workshops and fellow electeds from multiple BC communities. The wisdom, equally applicable to all aspects of this finite human life, is this: Trust the process. 

I’m proud to have been part of this necessarily long, legislatively rigorous, unexpectedly bumpy, COVID-impacted and Provincially-elongated (thank you, Bill 44) process that has brought us to tonight.  And I confidently trust that it will serve us well for the next five years until the Provincially required review of the document in 2030.  

The best intentions for this particular Official Community Plan  – the third since incorporation – began almost exactly a decade ago at the council meeting of Dec. 14, 2015 when the first council led by Mayor Tait  prioritized a new OCP in the Strategic Plan it introduced that night. 

Since then there have been no less than 38 distinct council meetings and Committees of the Whole at which the OCP was an agenda item for three successive councils.  Atop this, you can factor in a baker's dozen of OCP Advisory Committee meetings, two open houses and numerous public input opportunities.  

It was a wholly transparent, rigorous and  (and frankly exhausting) process … extensively publicized and with significant, formally documented council and public participation in 2017, again in 2020/21/22, renewed in spring/summer 2023 (until Bill 44 demanded attention) and finally here in 2025.   

Throughout our per-capita participation rate has been (my rough calculation) in the 6 to 7% range … above the average for OCPs in this province. This is direct evidence of the creative and multiple engagement efforts during COVID and its aftermath. All credit to citizen participants responding to the District’s communications out-reach online, via email, print format (wrapped around the front of the Sooke News Mirror) and roadside electronic signage.  

If, as some have said, you were unaware all this was going on, well, look in the mirror and be reassured that you’re not alone. Citizen awareness about technical documents like community plans is generally low to moderate -- lower even than municipal voter turnout rates (woe democracy when fewer than four in 10 registered voters, at best and often worse, turn out to elect their municipal governing bodies, but that's the reality of it). 
 
Personally, I'll acknowledge, I don’t believe I ever cracked an OCP in any community I lived in over my first 50+ years while nonetheless appreciating all the basic essentials these plans and the municipal governments that they guided delivered to we fortunate citizens. 
 
First Contact 
My first direct experience with the OCP as an elected representative was on Dec. 16, 2019 when then-Manager of Planning Ivy Campbell brought a backgrounder report to council. It addressed issues within the 2010 plan that have “either hindered or made difficult its implementation.” She noted that updates were needed to capture changes in the Local Government Act  and to keep pace with the rapid growth of the community overall. First and foremost was the need for Development Permit Areas for environmentally sensitive lands (riparian/foreshore); hazard lands (fire/steep slope/flood); and intensive residential development as well as design guides for areas not included in DPA 1 - Town Centre.  

Campbell added that a legal review of the plan was conducted by Lidstone and Company in 2016. She wrote that it confirmed the plan fell short in areas such as the Regional Context Statement, Development Permit Areas and the organization of policies throughout the document. Overall, the needs were ... 
 
* Effective and consistent communication
* An OCP that provides clear & consistent guidance and direction for Council, staff and the development community 
* A user-friendly OCP easily understood by the public, applicants, decision makers and staff

I do recall that Councillors in the period 2011-18 were routinely saying that the document was contradictory in its policies and actions, and left too many gray areas open to interpretation (especially in the DPAs).

The Consultants 
Council and its new CAO Norm McInnis (who began work in July, 2019) focused on completion of the Transportation and Parks & Trail Master Plans in 2019 so as to follow through on decisions made and processes initiated by the previous council in May 2018 (based on recommendations from a Land Use Committee led by Cllr. Berger and including members Haldane and Clarkston). Staff were also authorized to produce a Sooke Economic Analysis and the provincially mandated Housing Needs Assessment that same year. 

Nine BC consultancy firms (none from Sooke) responded to the Request for Proposals  to develop this new OCP.  In June, 2020, we approved the staff recommendation of DIALOG … a respected, highly professional, "multi-disciplinary" firm with offices in Vancouver and Victoria. It had completed numerous OCPs and other community planning documents – Campbell River, Ladysmith, White Rock, North Cowichan, Tofino and Abbotsford included. Senior Planner Katherine Lesyshen had recently worked on the Colwood OCP with the project lead and others on a diverse team of specialists – the transportation planner and the GIS (Geographic Information Specialist) expert included. Council agreed it was a good fit and awarded the $200k project budget to DIALOG. 

Council Engagement 
Those (as Cllr. Haldane contended the other night) who state that this and the last council have not had a direct hand in shaping this document are simply wrong. In fact, we were involved from the get-go, i.e. our first meeting with DIALOG staff, in the open at a Committee of the Whole workshop on July 28, 2020. Each of us on council were presented with a series of pre-prepared questions circulated beforehand, and each replied in turn in conversation with project lead Jennifer Fix. [My comments, expressed through an ill-fitting mask, are reproduced in the latter half of this Aug. 5, 2020 blog entry.]
 
A week later we selected the OCP Advisory Committee and appointed Councillor Beddows as our council liaison. Thereafter at public meetings we received a series of substantial engagement summaries, backgrounders and technical reports (all available at the Let’s Talk, OCP website) and Advisory Committee meeting minutes. Each time we had the opportunity to provide constructive input and various of us took it up to varying degrees. [Dates: Sept. 28, 2020; May 10, July 12 and Dec. 13, 2021; March 20, March 28, April 11, May 16, June 15, June 27 and July 19, 2022; April 11, June 19 and July 10, 2023; Oct. 14, Oct. 27, Nov. 6 and Nov. 10, 2025.]

More to the point, we as a council recognized that this Community Plan is not nor should be our creation but rather a product of the community, or more precisely that part of it that was paying attention and chose to accept one or more of invitations across multiple channels to participate (often virtually given COVID restrictions, an unanticipated reality met with creativity and persistence). This input from all ages (spanning John Muir Elementary to Ayre Manor) was crunched in Zoom meetings by the OCP Advisory Committee, staff and the consultants, then melded with local government best practices in BC. [Phrase du jour then as less-so now: "You're muted"]

Importantly, the resultant drafts of the emergent plan also captured and maintained the themes of the current OCP, the 2001 version and CRD area plans before them -- environmental stewardship, Sooke Smart Growth town planning, T'Sou-ke reconciliation and complete-community live/work/play aspirations included. 
 
Public Participation
As the Phase 1, Phase 2 and 2025 reports demonstrate along with the thick correspondence packages, an active minority – with views and options both pro and con and all points in between -- did participate.  As noted, OCPs are infamous for drawing modest citizen involvement. Just 0.3% of the City of Vancouver’s population contributed to its latest Official Development Plan, for instance. Approx. 1,500 from the City of Langford’s 58k population took part in its latest OCP; its OCP open house in fall 2004 drew 85 attendees. Ours this last September attracted 103. Langford’s population is 3x our size. 

Some have rose-coloured memories of an eager community coming out in force and shaping earlier plans.  Interesting to read the 2001 OCP, however, and learn that 160 people in total attended two related open houses and two workshops. Our population at the time was 8,735, so that’s a participation rate of about 2 percent. A three-times higher rate this time is proof that hiring the District’s first communications coordinator in 2020 was a significant plus for local democratic engagement. [Context: According to an Ipsos poll cited in this University of Calgary School of Public Policy report, just one in five Canadians have ever participated in a community engagement opportunity.]

Broad Community Input
We hear repeatedly that this OCP involved “2,000 touchpoints,” i.e. distinct individual participants. Yet the consultation was more than a numbers game, it involved direct involvement with the following groups and organizations (partial list; a broad range of Sooke groups were invited, not all participated) either one-on-one (T'Sou-ke, SD #62) or in workshop sessions. 

- T’Sou-ke Nation
- SD #62 
- Capital Regional District
- BC Transit 
* Chamber of Commerce
* Rotary Club
- Sooke development community 
* Victoria Residential Builders Association 
* Ayre Manor
* Island Health
* Sooke Elderly Citizens Society 
* Sooke Fine Arts Society
* Sooke Region Communities Health Network
* Transition Sooke
* Sooke Region Museum
* Sooke Shelter Society
* Edward Milne Community School 
* Sooke Garden Club
* Juan de Fuca Community Trails Society 
* Sooke Bike Club

Quoting from the Phase 2 Engagement Report on the March 21, 2021 meeting with the T'Sou-ke: "The discussions included feedback from the First Nation advocating for environmental protections and food sovereignty and security by protecting our shared resources, including the harbour and all waterways, respect for wildlife, and through protection of forestlands. Specific concern was shared regarding continued shoreline development with proliferation of docks and marinas. There was strong support for sewer expansion into the Kaltasin neighbourhood, with preference for Growth Scenario C, citing both harbour health and economic co-benefits for T’Sou-ke and the District. In creating stronger relationships with the District, T’Sou-ke would like to be involved with acknowledging the shared territory through education and signage, and also indicated the importance of reconciliation being acknowledged as part of this community plan." 

And, in that same report,  from the Development Community workshop attended by 17 builder/developers that same spring: "The development community described challenges with the existing OCP, including challenges with implementation and misalignment with the Zoning Bylaw 600. They felt that the development process is unclear, and should be clarified. Although some wished that timelines could be faster, participants acknowledged the challenges of the District staff’s high workload and limited personnel and the need for a comprehensive review of application materials. Additionally, participants expressed that their goal is to develop properties and housing that people enjoy, with consideration given to the environment. Some noted that the OCP should not respond to current housing preferences, but should consider future needs. Developers noted that there is sometimes misalignment between policy, their design, and community preferences." 
 
OCP Advisory Committee
There were 13 OCP Advisory Committee Meetings between Sept. 2020 and Nov. 2021. I’d like to formally again thank the participants for their service: Chair Helen Ritts, Councillor Al Beddows, Norm Amirault, Terry Cristall, Steve Grundy, Ellen Lewers, Linda MacMillan and Siomonn Pulla.  
 
These people are not lightweights. They are respected members of this community for various good reasons.  Each brought a wealth of diverse experience and expertise. Council selected them from a stack of applications based on requirements of the OCP Terms of Reference. 

When it came time to approve the document, they voted 6 to 1 to move it forward to council … the one vote against registered by Mrs. Lewers – and so be it, that’s the wonder and joy of democracy. Everyone can do their best to work towards a consensus decision and yet the system has been custom-made to allow dissent without throwing critical community documents and decisions like the OCP off the rails. 

I’d like to again quote the six recurring themes the OCP Advisory Committee heard from the public … 

1. The strong desire to maintain and enhance the unique character of Sooke
2. The importance of protecting our natural environment
3. The need for focused growth and support for infrastructure enhancements in the Town Centre
4. The importance of building upon and enhancing Sooke's historic and productive relationship with the T'Sou-ke
5. The need for improved transportation infrastructure and strategies to address vehicular congestion
6. Our community's united support for collective efforts to address climate change.

These themes are a framework over the short and longer terms. The same six remain at the forefront today, and all require patient action and advocacy as we responsibly navigate the economic cycles, the recessions and future good times, which in turn will again evolve ever onwards. This imperfect (as they always are) OCP provides essential foundational guidance for the community no matter its flaws (which, in my opinion, are minor and amendable). 

Closing Statements
To quote the staff report, the 2025 OCP is a substantially updated and modernized plan. It has been revised significantly in response to public and stakeholder input since 2022 and is now ready for primetime (IMO).

I will argue that Council made a wise and prudent unanimous decision not to approve a rather more imperfect document in 2022. We knew it was, at best, 90% of the way there. We’d heard at the public hearing that September that the DPAs were causing confusion and anger despite the best intentions. It used too much prescriptive, “thou shalt” language. It lacked clarity and required refinement. And so we left it to the next council to move forward with the plan as they (largely we, as it turned out) determined. 

I’ve known all along that the DPAs would be the primary sticking point. For a while earlier this year I believed it would be logical to remove them from the main document and revisit after adoption. And yet I had several Damascus moments this year as I read the staff revisions and rationales for their changes to Part 7 (DPAs). 
 
1. The first and second red-line edits done by the District’s planning staff in response to the feedback in 2022/23 and this year; and 2. Especially the exchange, focused largely on the DPAs, between the Sooke Builders Association and Mr. Riley captured in the What We Heard report presented to council on Oct. 14. 
 
I’ve asked repeatedly that those providing feedback and critiques do so with exact page and paragraph references. Instead, there has been, up to and including last week’s Public Hearing, an immense amount of generalized feedback that captured the emotional tone of people’s beliefs, but not the black-and-white content of the OCP itself. 

The SBA, which represents a significant share of the building/development sector locally, heeded the call with a detailed critique  It itemized its long-standing gripes with chapter-and-verse references to the draft OCP. Mr. Riley responded with precise, clearly communicated responses that expressed a willingness to modify the plan accordingly and as possible. 

As a result of this exchange and other input, the Development Permit Area guidelines have been carefully revised in delivering “clarity, usability and legal defensibility” as per the staff report of Oct. 27 (see agenda, pp. 497-506). This report provides a thorough look at all changes to the OCP, the lion’s share of them focused on the DPAs.

I deeply appreciate the care and close attention that both sides have paid to reforming and enhancing the ground rules underlying what is ideally a cooperative and co-dependent relationship. The guidelines will serve their professional interactions and, more importantly, the community as a whole well over the OCP's lifespan.
 
The DPAs provide, to quote the staff report, “improved predictability, accountability, and confidence in implementation ... The framework better reflects community values, provides clear expectations for applicants, and supports staff in delivering consistent, legally sound permitting decisions.”

What's needed next as the document is road tested ... 
Regular updates, monitoring and continued public participation are essential to ensure the OCP remains relevant and effective for Sooke’s residents. We absolutely need an OCP Implementation and Monitoring Committee, a recommendation in the 2010 plan (pg. 111) never enacted (though council and various committees, Land Use and Development in particular, did do this monitoring and made amendments as deemed necessary). 

My crystal ball tells me this and future councils will want to consider ... 
- Prioritization of short-term action items listed in Part 6 - Implementation Plan
- Amendments in response to gaps and problem areas discovered during application of the DPAs
- Closer look at further clarifications to DPA #3 - Foreshore Area 
- Creating Major and Minor Developments Permit distinctions as is done in Sidney and elsewhere
- Complete the inventory of Environmentally Sensitive Areas. 
- Address claims that the DPAs have created a de facto tree bylaw
- Consider the establishment of Special Study Area for the agricultural land west of Gatewood

- Master Plan updates to align with the OCP – this includes eliminating the aspirational dotted-line trail around the harbour and  zooming in on the town centre section where an offshore boardwalk extension is entirely possible; it is indicated in red on Map 2, pg. 19 of the Parks & Trails Master Plan. The disclaimer on this page reads: "This map is for illustrative purposes only. The District of Sooke does not condone the use of trails on private property. Future trails shown on current private land will be planned as and when development occurs." 
- At the same time, continue the policy of acquiring, through fair negotiation, 5m rights of way when possible during rezoning of future major (not single family) waterfront projects.

If you don’t like this Plan or its impacts, then there are remedies … 
1. As the 2024 Development Procedures Bylaw #900 states clearly (pg. 16), if an applicant doesn’t agree with a staff decision on a DP application or any other matter, they are welcome to file notice within 30 days and ask that Council weigh in directly at an open meeting. 

2. Per the Local Government Act, section 584, take your complaints to a higher authority: Ministerial override orders in the public interest. <clip> “If the Minister considers that all or part of the bylaw is contrary to the public interest of British Columbia, then he/she/they can order alterations ,,, this applies to OCPs, zoning bylaw, Development Approval Information Requirements, Development Permits, Temporary Use Permits, etc." 

3. The 2026 municipal election will soon be upon us (Oct. 15). Vote for candidates with a worldview that reflects and supports your own. With majority will, they can amend this OCP as legislation allows. 

(Interestingly, as I said earlier, a new council and Mayor came to power in 2011, a year after adoption of the current OCP. Sure enough, on Oct. 12, 2012, the same night Council ordered a new Zoning Bylaw, significant OCP text amendments were introduced via Bylaw #548 re: DPA exemptions for townhouses and cluster units in lands zoned Multi-Family Residential, Comprehensive Development, Mixed Use and Town Centre Commercial. As far as I can tell, this opened the door for local housing development without strong municipal oversight.) 
 
All this said ... 
As difficult and extended as its birth has been, I think this document does accurately and largely reflect this community’s goals and aspirations. Its themes and overall direction are entirely consistent with the previous two OCPs and Area Plans before them. The DPAs alone have been the quicksand trap where lack of information (and clarity in the 2022 language) has generated fears. But overall, to quote the vision statement on pg. 40: “We are a caring community where people and the environment are treated with dignity and respect.”  That is still a commonly held belief for all of #Sooke, I hope/trust/know. 

I thought I might grow tired of the pithy “Small Town With A Big Heart” vision statement, but no, I have not. We remain a small town with a big heart entirely as it should be for a bona fide Compassionate Community. It’s evident in the work of so many volunteers and community organizations who've done the heavy lifting week in/out for many years. What a great t-shirt slogan and rallying cry to affirm the values of long-time residents and by which to welcome newcomers and greet the intended growing number of tourists.

We are privileged to live in one of the most desirable, beautiful and remarkable places on the earth. So I count my blessings, recognize that nothing is ever perfect, and likely unsurprising by now, vote for adoption. 
 
 
Addendum
1. Other Issues Raised In OCP Feedback 

Procedural Fairness
One claim, taken up and repeated by others, is that waterfront landowners were not given fair notice. With all due respect, this group is one of many in our town of 17,128 (summer 2025 estimate) residents. Starting in 2020, the District has necessarily sent notifications to the entire community that the OCP review was underway. These were circulated via all available mediums, and, in turn, triggered word-of-mouth sharing (via chain emails to some degree) as is the norm in all communities.  Among recent District efforts, one page of the four-page flyer included with all tax notifications sent in May focused on the 2025 restart of the OCP.  There is a point where citizens must be proactive and many have been. 

The DPA waterfront issues raised this year were also heard in 2022 (thanks again to widely distributed chain emails circulated by a resident acting independently and rightfully exercising their own democratic rights). This person is not alone in asking questions about fairness in public engagement. It's raised frequently enough across the province, in fact, that the BC Ombudsperson released the Fairness In Practice guide for local governments in 2023.

​Public participation rights are explored on pp. 15-16. By this measure, I believe the District has followed best practices throughout.  

<clip> "A fair process is one where reasonable notice of the decision being made is provided, along with sufficient time for the person to gather information and evidence and prepare a response. Decision makers should also consider whether there are any circumstances or factors that could affect a person’s ability to make a submission or provide a response. In these circumstances, decision makers should make appropriate allowances – for example, provide an extension, where appropriate .... [yes, to say the least, we have given this process time for reflection and further rounds of input, entirely appropriately given the hiccups caused by COVID and Bill 44] ... Persons must have a fair opportunity to present their case, to challenge or correct the facts that the decision maker is relying on, and to provide alternative or contrary information in support of their position. A person affected by a decision should have an opportunity to be heard in a meaningful way before a final decision is made."

Density
The draft OCP allows a maximum of 70 units/ha. throughout the Community Residential (sewer-serviced) land use designation. All single lots within this area are restricted to an optional maximum of four units per lot as per the Province’s Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing guidelines. The OCP states this explicitly on page 63. The current zoning as quoted a few paragraphs below allows up to 90 units/hectare in the town centre and varying significant maximum numbers in other zones. 

To be clear: The market does not determine density, the District does through its zoning bylaws, the next of which is to be undertaken in 2026.  Future pre-zoning, if this is determined by council to be the way forward, will allow the District to identify where these relatively rare 70 unit/maximums would be allowed, certainly only at strategic and logical spots along major corridors. 

Current Zoning Bylaw #600 allows ... 
- Six storeys – RM5 - Town Centre Apartment Zone 
- Four storeys – RM6 – Town Centre Townhouse Zone 
- Principal Buildings: Three storeys up to a maximum height of 10 m except for properties fronting Lincroft Road, Goodmere Road, Otter Point Road and Church Road, where the height may be increased to four storeys up to a maximum height of 13 m. 

 Maximum densities allowed under the current Zoning Bylaw #600 (2013) ... 
- Low Density Multi-Family RM1 allows a maximum density of 30 dwelling units/ha; 
- Medium Density Multi-Family RM2 – 50 units/ha; 
- High Density Multi-Family (town centre) RM3 – 70 units/ha; 
- High Density Multi-Family (town centre) RM4 – 90 units/ha. 
 
Land Use Designations in new OCP dictate … 
- Community Residential (i.e. sewer zone) – 3 storeys (max. 70 units per hectare) 
- Gateway Residential – 3 storeys (quarter hectare minimum lot size)
- Rural Residential – 3 storeys (4-hectare minimum lot size)
- Town Centre Core – up to 6 storeys (Maximum 2.5 FAR density) 
- Town Centre Waterfront – up to 4 storeys east of Ed Mac, 3 storeys west of it, 6 storeys on Brownsey Blvd. (Maximum 2.0 FAR) 
- Transitional Residential – 3-4 storeys (2.0 FAR) 
 - Employment Lands
- Agriculture 
- Park 
- Comprehensive Development (flexible, innovative development options) 

If I have done my math correctly, there are 6,164 housing lots in the District as of 2024 ... 
- 3,274 of them are exempt from SSMUH regulations – 55% of them 
- 2,890 do meet these regulations in the sewer-specified zone and can add up to 4 units 
- 650 homes in Sunriver do not qualify for SSMUH 
- therefore 2,241 lots in Sooke can optionally host 4 units … or about 30 percent of all lots
 
SSMUH legislation allows: 
1. The main dwelling
2. Secondary Suite
3. Accessory Dwelling Unit – Small Suite
4. Extra building 
 
There is no obligation to build a multi-unit home on a single-family lot where water and sewage is available. This remains a choice of the homeowner or developer responding to market needs. All zones in Sooke permit a secondary suite and/or accessory dwelling less than 90m squared (968 sq. feet). Key regulations: 

* Maximum Size: An ADU is typically limited to a maximum floor space of 90 m² (968 sq. ft.).
* Percentage of Principal Dwelling: The ADU's floor area often cannot exceed 40% of the habitable floor space of the main house, whichever is less.
* Type of ADU: The rules can vary slightly between a secondary suite (located within the main dwelling) and a detached suite/carriage house.
* One Per Lot: Only one ADU (either a secondary suite or a detached suite) is generally permitted per legal lot with a single-family dwelling.
 
FAR (Floor Area Ratio) 
Professional developers and planning departments understand this zoning tool as it is commonly used in many municipalities and urban centres. 

​Explainer here.  Example:  "Maximum 2.0 Floor Area Ratio" (FAR) is a zoning regulation that limits the total floor area a building can have to be no more than two times the area of the land (plot) it is built on.  This regulation provides flexibility in how the building is designed vertically and horizontally, as long as the total floor area limit is not exceeded. 
 
For a 10,000 sq ft lot with a 2.0 FAR, you could build: 
* A two-story building that covers the entire 10,000 sq ft footprint of the lot (10,000 sq ft/floor x 2 floors = 20,000 sq ft total).
* A four-story building that covers only 5,000 sq ft of the lot's footprint (5,000 sq ft/floor x 4 floors = 20,000 sq ft total).
* Any other combination that results in a total of 20,000 square feet of floor space or less. 

The final building size is also typically shaped by other zoning rules, such as maximum height limits, setbacks, and lot coverage requirements, which dictate how much of the actual ground the building can cover." 
 
District Sewer Capacity
The wastewater treatment plant expansion was completed in May, 2024. It adds 50% additional daily capacity (from 3k to 4.5k cubic meters); the plant is designed for a future additional expansion of 1.5k cubic meters. 
 
Transportation System and Alternate Route to #14
A borrowing referendum is on track for Oct. 15, 2026 to potentially fund the eastern half of the
Grant/Throup/Phillips connector route. (Full details to follow in 2026 well ahead of voting day.) The District continues to work closely with MOTT on Highway 14 improvements.
 
The OCP necessarily focuses on transportation infrastructure over which the District has direct responsibility. 

Action 7 (pg. 157) states: “Update the existing MOU with the Ministry of Transportation to realized shared multi-modal objectives for Highway 14, the Grant Road Connector and associated municipal streets.” [In answer to my question the other week, staff noted that the current MOU provides a framework for the ongoing relationship with MOTT and that an amendment is planned for 2026/27.]

This council has advocated strongly for phased improvements to Hwy 14 in light of MOTI’s dismissal of alternate routes in its various corridor studies on the grounds of cost and watershed impacts. The Idlemore and Charters road intersections are next on MOTT's work list along with planning for right-turn lanes at Phillips, Charters and Church and sidewalk extension along the West Coast Road to Whiffin Spit Rd. 

As the TMP states (pg. 44), “the planned improvements identified in the TMP align with and would not preclude the long-term pursuit of a secondary access and alternative to Highway 14.” At the moment, Sooke is dealing with internal and incoming (PM rush) traffic issues. Signalization at Idlemore and Charters is to be expected in the next two years. We also can anticipate $50m action on one-half-of-a-bypass if the community so votes with a suitable majority.

First Nations Territorial Acknowledgement 
One speaker raised fears about potential legal implications of territorial land acknowledgements in the wake of the Cowichan Tribes decision (about which I have compiled links in my 2025 BC legislation tracker.) In brief: The BC government and others are appealing on the grounds that private property ownership is sacrosanct. The resultant legal process will take many years. Private property rights remain entirely valid under the BC Land Titles Act. No question this is a complicated matter that will take time to resolve. In the meantime, current fears are stoked by the fringe One BC party and its vocal supporters. 
 
As commonly understood, territorial acknowledgements are ceremonial, non-binding statements of respect. The land acknowledgement in the OCP (pg. 3) reads: "The District of Sooke makes this land acknowledgment to raise awareness of ongoing Indigenous presence and land rights in the territory that includes and encompasses Sooke. It invites us, a local government, to reflect on how colonial processes are ongoing – and from which we have benefited – as well as the changes we must make to honour the Indigenous peoples and their lands that we inhabit.”
 
The OCP references the Te’mexw Treaty Association, a non-profit society formed of five Coast Salish Nations - Beecher Bay (Sc’ianew), Malahat, Snaw-Naw-As, Songhees and T’Sou-ke. They are collaborating to negotiate five Nation-specific modern treaties with the federal and provincial governments. See pg. 15 of this public report released last year for T'Sou-ke proposed treaty lands, namely parcels at Sooke Mountain Provincial Park and Broom Hill crown lands along with small tracts in Otter Point and at French Beach. No privately held or District-owned land in Sooke is involved. 
 
Te’mexw Nations explain their relationship to the Douglas Treaties here.  ("James Douglas had the leaders sign blank papers and had the text of the Treaties written in after the fact ... he provided a few material goods (mostly cash, clothing and blankets.")  It has been repeatedly argued over the years that the Douglas Treaty area is indeed unceded territory (or land that has never been surrendered historically.) The District of Sooke and the Sooke School District acknowledge this. Perspective from the BC Treaty Commission here. 
 
Richmond, Port Coquitlam and Surrey councils do not offer territorial acknowledges due to ongoing treaty land disputes (see Richmond example.) West Vancouver opted in 2022 to print the acknowledgement on all public meeting documents rather than voice it aloud. 

United Nations Agenda 2030 
One speaker stated, in as many words, that the OCP is in thrall to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Enacted unanimously by all 193 member nations in 2015, it is the source of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ~ a set of 169 targets that are the core of the agenda, covering social, economic, and environmental dimensions of development.  The SDGs are utilized as a benchmark checklist in many contexts, including as a framework for the Victoria Foundation’s annual Vital Signs surveys. Canada's federal government tracks its commitments here (latest update, Oct. 2025).  Google AI tells me that the SDGs are embedded in local government planning documents in Winnipeg, Kitchener, Kelowna, Fort St. John, Victoria, London, Peterborough and Quebec City.

The Sustainable Development Goals are not referenced in the Sooke OCP. (The word "sustainable" is cited 22 times in the document. "Development" is mentioned 411 times and "goals" 68 times.) 

The UN 2030 conspiracy theory identifies a plot to establish a single world government, abolish private property, depopulate the planet, implement mass surveillance and destroy traditional western family values through woke ideology. You'll have seen reference to it on the Barry Marine sign. In a quaint and old-fashioned word when blunter terms are appropriate: Poppycock.

Climate Change 
I reject climate arguments made at the public hearing (by one speaker) out of hand, especially given the reference to recent data from a US Environmental Protection Agency stripped bare of climate science by the rogue Trump administration, i.e. all EPA statements that climate change is directly impacted by human activity have been removed. 
 
Here in Sooke, the fact that a significant portion of Charters Road disintegrated in the Nov. 2021 atmospheric river -- which in turn accelerated a necessary $7.5m rebuild of that road -- is as much local evidence as I need to conclude that climate impacts are real, expensive and sure to continue. (The Old Man Lake wildfire (human-caused, granted, but extended drought caused it to spread) and recent flooding along Sooke Road in last week's deluge - which, in turn, has sped this year's crop of potholes - can also be cited.) 

I don't have time, energy nor interest to revisit a matter that is now accepted by the vastest of scientific majorities. Google AI: “There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity. While a very small number of scientists may express doubt, their views are not representative of the broader scientific community ... A 2021 study revealed that 99 per cent of peer-reviewed scientific literature found that climate change was human-induced. That was in line with a widely read study from 2013, which found 97 per cent of peer-reviewed papers that examined the causes of climate change said it was human-caused." 

Equity policies 
Two speakers had issues with Community Policy 4.11, Equitable Community and its “commitment to prioritizing engagement with under-represented groups.” The policies and actions seek  participation when possible with the following groups explicitly: the T’Sou-ke, people experiencing poverty, youth, elders and renters. Honorariums would be paid to help encourage applications from these groups. As we saw at the public hearing, individuals in these categories (elders aside) typically do not participate in public processes nor apply for committee positions or run for council. 

The complaint lay with the OCP glossary definition (pg. 228) of "equity-seeking groups," i.e. "These are people who often face discrimination or other forms of systemic disadvantage. They include but are not necessarily limited to persons of colour, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, and women."

It was pointed out that white men and boys were not included on this list, and health stats show that both groups are suffering despite previous generations (read: human history) of institutionalized and social advantage. The "not necessarily limited to" statement in the definition would suggest that these two groups as well as climate deniers, vaccine skeptics and many other marginal groups holding fringe worldviews, would qualify as equity seeking. Certainly, Council is duty bound by legislation and routine practice to listen with open ears and minds to all who present in chambers. We are also entirely open to all applicants for committee positions. 


2. Public Hearing Comments 
I took extensive notes with my laptop last week. Here are excerpts of what I typed minus quotation marks since I can’t guarantee I caught the exact words as expressed by those at the mic. As at the hearing, I won't comment on any of these statements. This section is followed below by a synopsis of Mr. Riley’s public hearing summary and responses as drawn from the Dec. 8 staff report. 
 
Likely 85% of the 55 or so speakers had issues with the OCP, many echoing the assertions of one effective influencer as was the case in 2022. A recent Simon Fraser University review of public hearings in BC notes, among much else, that “those opposing a land use decision are often highly motivated to participate. Conversely, those who may be positively impacted or even neutral are less likely to attend a public hearing.” Case in point follows. 
 
Overall 
- The legal and financial risks of this OCP are considerable 
- By adopting this plan, council can ensure Sooke will grow with care and long-term attention 
- A 'trust us, we know best' framing to the process
- OCP is very unclear – it is subject to a lot of interpretation
 - When I look around this room, we are seniors (yet) we are planning for young people and their futures.
- Political and legal upheaval will follow if the plan is passed in its current form
- Council and the District may face lawsuits and find themselves in the witness box 
- Don’t let this false, misleading document be your legacy
- We are making it too complicated to live in Sooke
 - Remember the silent majority not in the room tonight 
- The most outspoken opponents are here 
- Council has given too much authority to staff. 

DPAs 
- DPA 3 needs further attention … set it aside
- Vague and overlapping
- DP requirements will slow the process for builders, developers and homeowners
- You will have to hire additional staff to deal with all the new DPAs.  
- Without going into a lot of detail, they are unworkable
- These DPAs are absolutely horrific for developers – all this does is create more staffing requirements 
- Beta testing needed for these DPAs 
  
Waterfront landowners
- We are good stewards of the land, we require no further policing 
- Our property rights have been eroded
- I’ve never been notified (about DPA changes) 
- Impacts on our property values and marketability
- Every property is different – how can you impose a blanket DPA?
- Excessive restraint on my property rights  
- Strong grandfathering needed 
- A blanket 15m is rare and never done without extensive scientific backing 
- Decks, gardens, outdoor spaces” all require a DPA
- 15m setback would be our living room … home has been there for 70 years
- Lack of proper notification and consultation 
- This adds a huge financial burden to us
 
 Waterfront trail and expropriation threat 
- Are you going to take that land from the homeowners … I am suspicious of your intentions 
- 5m path will disturb the intertidal zone, unleashed dogs and children … a barren wasteland will result 
- Middens, owls nests, waterfowl disruption– complete mayhem. 
 
Costs 
- I expect it will cost 20% more in overall costs to applicants and raise cost of housing by 40%
- Lack of costing in this OCP 
- OCP will lead to significant costs for many residents.
- The way the OCP stands now, there will be a huge tax increase for everyone in Sooke
- The uncertainty has impacted my waterfront property value 

 First Nations
- OCP is a genuine threat to individual land title. Falsehood that Sooke is on unceded territory. Entire OCP needs to be declared invalid (stated by one speaker) 
 
Ideological Document 
- OCP is ideological when it should be resolutely neutral – climate change, equity and colonialism (one speaker) 

Attitudes towards the OCP 
- Ominous
- Overreach
- Ramming things through 
- Future staff will interpret this as they see fit – DPA interpretation is up to the “whims of staff” 
- Lack of transparency … listen to the people! 
- It seeks to regulate every aspect of life in Sooke 
 
* Minuted participant names and comments from the Sept. 27, 2022 Public Hearing and the June 19, 2023 Committee of the Whole are in this blog entry  

* The staff report of Dec. 8, 2025 summarizes input to the Dec. 3, 2025 Public Hearing 

* To learn about common themes and the pros and cons of public hearings in BC, see this blog entry ... <clip> "Public hearings are designed for one-way communication, reducing participation to a binary of “for or against” instead of opening up a space for nuanced consideration of complex issues, and dialogue between decision-makers and the community." (Simon Fraser University's Renovate The Public Hearing final report, 2024) 


 
3. Synopsis of Jayden Riley’s Public Hearing Report 
I took Mr. Riley's words in his Dec. 8 staff report and distilled them for my own purposes while still quoting him more or less directly. He had summarized – accurately and in a neutral, professional fashion, I believe based on my own experience and recollection -- the themes heard at the Public Hearing.  

“The community holds diverse and strongly held views on the OCP, particularly around environmental regulation and waterfront policy, while also demonstrating significant support for adopting a modernized OCP to guide Sooke’s growth,” he wrote. Two main threads to the night: 

1. Support for the OCP’s climate, environmental, housing and growth management policies

2. Concerns related primarily to DPAs, environmental mapping, foreshore setbacks, housing density, transportation infrastructure, Indigenous acknowledgement language and implementation considerations. 

Public Input Summary
Supportive Comments 
- balanced, forward-looking plan that integrates multiple policy areas into a single framework as is our right under the Local Government Act 
- length and transparency of the process 
- the need to move beyond the current OCP
- need for clear policy direction re: Town Centre, transportation, parks and climate action
- as a living document, the OCP can be amended 
- Support for Compact Growth Strategy, Town Centre focus and alignment with the District’s Housing Needs Report, our commitments under the CRD’s Regional Growth Strategy  and Master Plans 
 
Foreshore and Environmental DPAs (2, 3, 4, 5) 
- DPA3 – 15m buffer (setback) from the high tide mark, defined as “arbitrary” and lacking in scientific shoreline mapping
- this raises fears about impacts on property value, rebuild rights and routine maintenance 
- overlapping DPAs and potential need for multiple professional reports for small projects 
- environmental mapping and technical studies should be done before adopting the new DPAs 
- some calls for stronger and larger buffers – 30m 
 
Process, Notification and Engagement 
- waterfront owners did not receive direct notice of proposed Foreshore DPA and related changes 
- was level of engagement during COVID sufficient … request additional consultation, direct mail-outs and roundtable-style sessions 
- other submissions note that engagement was sufficient … current concerns reflect heightened attention rather than lack of process 
 
TMP and PTMP Alignment with OCP 
- perception of “circular planning” 
- concerns over conceptual shoreline access or trail alignments (Cooper’s Cove, Whiffin Spit) 
- request that these conceptual trails be removed from PTMP 
 
Property Rights, Constructive Taking and Economic Impacts 
- Shoreline buffers, environmental corridors or conceptual trails amount  to “de facto expropriation” or unduly constrain reasonable use – Annapolis vs. Halifax decision 
- Potential concerns: i) cost of professional reports; ii) effect on property values; iii) development feasibility in Sooke 
 
Indigenous Acknowledgements
 - several letters re: OCP’s reference to “unceded” lands 
 
Growth, Housing, Infrastructure and Fiscal Concerns 
- Density targets 
- Transit feasibility
- Hwy 14 ability to handle growth 
- Potential tax impacts and cost of implementing OCP actions re: capital projects and staffing 
- Support for Compact Growth Strategy, Town Centre focus and alignment with the District’s Housing Needs Report and Master Plans 
 
Staff Response to Key Themes
 1. Foreshore & Environmental DPAs
- Environmental and Foreshore DPAs are to balance private use of waterfront property with the District’s LGA obligations to protect the natural environment and reduce hazards such as erosion, flooding and slope instability. 
- 15 to 30m is a widely used planning standard in coastal communities – a trigger for professional review, not a prohibition on development or use. 
- The Zoning Bylaw – 3.22 Setbacks (Water)  … expressly states that “no building, recreational vehicle, sea wall of any height, any other structure, nor any part thereof shall be constructed, moved, extended or located within 15 meters of the natural boundary of the sea.”  
This has been the law in Sooke since Bylaw 600 was passed in 2014.  
- Any home predating 2014 is automatically granted legal non-conforming status (i.e. grandfathered) 
 
Exemptions and Homeowner Activities
- clear exemptions for routine yard and garden maintenance, vegetation management, invasive species removal, hazardous tree removal and maintenance of existing structures. 
- Existing homes remain lawful and may continue to be maintained, renovated or replaced in accordance with zoning and the BC Building Code 
 
Overlapping DPAs and Proportionality 
- Only one Development Permit application form 
- Proportionate approach – staff seek only the appropriate level of reporting appropriate to the scale and risk of the proposed works. Minor or low-impact projects would require minimal professional input, typically. 
 
Conclusion: Clearer guidance than the 2010 DPAs. No substantial changes required. 
 
2. Process, Engagement and Notification
- District met and exceeded all notification requirements under the LGA 
- Expanded communication – front-cover surveys on the Sooke News Mirror to the 2025 tax insert. 
- Continuous engagement since 2020
- Two public hearings 
- Issues raised at the public hearing relate to the content of the OCP, not the process 

Conclusion: All processes followed to reach Third Reading and Adoption 
 
3. TMP/PTMP Alignment
- Common planning practice in BC 
- Aligned with the District’s long-standing goals of compact growth, improved transportation options, expanded active transportation and trail networks. 
- OCP is a single overarching framework 

Conceptual nature of TMP and PTMP Maps 
- high-level desired connections, road and trail alike  -- not specific alignments, engineered routes nor any commitments … landowner consent, statutory rights-of-way are required … the OCP does not authorize expropriation. 

Cooper’s Cove and other shoreline segments 
- OCP does not mandate construction of shoreline routes and does not preclude Council from modifying or discontinuing specific concepts during future planning phases. 
 
4. Indigenous Acknowledgement and Unceded Language
Acknowledgement
- District’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation and respectful relationships 
- These statements are non-regulatory and do not alter land ownership, title, zoning or private property rights
- Indigenous acknowledgements are policy statements only, not enforceable regulations. 
 
Douglas Treaties 
- The OCP does not interpret or alter treaty rights. No new legal obligations, no diminishment of existing rights under the Douglas Treaties. 
 
5. Property Rights, Constructive Taking and the Annapolis Decision
- DPA guidelines regulate the form, character and environmental conditions of new development or land alteration. 
- They do not change zoning, remove permitted uses, prevent lawful rebuilding or grant public access across private land. 
 
Does not create new public rights or freeze private lands 
- Conceptual shoreline or trail connections are illustrative only. 
- They do not establish legal rights-of-way, create obligations for landowners or restrict existing uses. 
- Any future project would require separate Council decisions, technical review and, where applicable, landowner consent or acquisition. 
 
Annapolis decision not applicable 
- It does not require an interest in the land
- It does not eliminate reasonable use or development potential 
- Existing homes remain lawful 
 
6. Growth, Housing, Infrastructure Capacity & Tax Concerns

Purpose of OCP in Growth Management 
- long-range policy framework, not a budgeting or capital works program
- It identifies where growth is anticipated and general form it should take
- Development is regulated through zoning, subdivision and infrastructure planning processes 
 
Infrastructure Capacity and servicing 
- OCP does not approve projects or commit the District to timelines
- Future servicing improvements will be evaluated through the Five-Year Financial Plan and annual budgeting 
 
Housing Needs and Density Concerns 
- Bill 44, Housing Needs Report (2024) and long-time vision of Sooke Smart Growth in the town centre and where existing infrastructure is available. 
 
Tax and Financial Impacts 
- No new financial obligations or tax increases 
 
7. Suggestion to remove DPAs from the OCP
- DPAs must be designated in an OCP 
- Boundaries and purposes of DPAs must be adopted in an OCP 
- The guidelines that apply within these DPAs may be included in a separate development permit guidelines bylaw … but the designation itself must remain in the OCP. 
- Langford designated the DP areas in its OCP but added the DP Area Guidelines as appendices to its Zoning Bylaw 

​Common Practice in BC 
- typically DPA designations and guidelines are contained with an OCP
- DPAs integrate with mapping, growth management, hazard policies and environmental direction 
- OCP is the umbrella document for land-use policy 

Pros and Cons of Standalone DPA Guidelines
Pro: Flexibility to update OCP 
Pro: Shorter document 
Con: Another bylaw for applicants and staff to navigate
Con: Risks inconsistencies between OCP and guideline bylaw 
Con: No change in concerns re: setback interpretation, exemptions, mapping) given DPA designation and purpose 
Con: Would require a future OCP amendment process, public consultation and Public Hearing 

​- If council wishes, staff can explore refinements to format or presentation in a future OCP update
 
8. Document Length and Number of DPAs
- Length is a reflection of breadth – not complexity – and ensures transparency by consolidating policy in one place 

New DPAS reduce ambiguity and improve consistency 
- Three broad DPAs in current OCP have resulted in ambiguity, limited guidance & inconsistent interpretation 
- The updated framework: 
i) identifies where DPAs apply and why 
ii) detailed, plain-language guidelines
iii) exemptions for routine homeowner activities
iv) allows staff to rely on professional reports and standards
v) reduces discretionary interpretation and improves fairness for applicants. 
- In practice, more DPAs with clearer scope create LESS uncertainty than fewer DPAs with vague intent. 

Removal weakens the OCP 
- Critical tool under the LGA for environmental protection, hazard mitigation and form & character. 
- Removing them would not simplify development review and would weaken the clarity and defensibility of the District’s permitting processes. 
 
9. Other Clarifications 
- Complete Streets and Conceptual Mapping: Conceptual only illustrations. Any future project would require feasibility review, engineering, environmental assessment and Council direction. 
- Rebuild Rights for existing homes: Rights are determined through zoning, the BC Building Code and applicable provincial regulations, not through DPAs. 
- BC Building Code concerns: DPA guidelines address matters within municipal jurisdiction, such as site design, siting, grading and environmental protection. 
 
Implementation
Guidance for in-stream and new applications 
- staff have prepared internal procedures and applicant messaging 
- A consolidated FAQ
- A homeowner-oriented bulletin of DPA triggers and exemptions & other material ready for posting on the website 
- Development application forms, checklists and technical bullets are being updated 
- Changes to the Fees & Charges Bylaw and Development Procedures Bylaw #900 to come in the new year 
- Planning staff outreach to MOTT, CRD, T’Sou-ke Nation and other development professionals, agencies and partners. 
 
“The updated Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800, 2022 (November 2025) is the product of a comprehensive, multi-year planning and engagement process. The written and verbal submissions received through the Public Hearing process have been fully considered and do not identify issues requiring substantive amendment or a new Public Hearing. With the implementation plan underway, staff are satisfied that the new OCP provides a clear, modern, and legally defensible framework to guide Sooke’s long-term growth and development. The bylaw is now ready for Council’s consideration of Third Reading and Adoption.”

4. A Respectful Note to Waterfront Landowners
I urge you to get organized. It was only in the weeks immediately prior to the 2022 and last week’s public hearings that we heard extensively from you. It seemingly requires one single influencer to get some of you roused and ready to accuse this duly elected Council of so many things: Lack of transparency; tyrannical overreach; incompetence; and worse. Believe me, last week was tough slogging from my seat. I felt a measure of possibly imagined hostility, which you may or may not maintain towards the four of us who voted yes. 

All that follows is obvious, and I’m sure individuals have done much of this themselves over the years, but if you did form some kind of a waterfront landowners association, you’d be in a position to create a steering committee and begin reviewing federal, provincial and municipal regulations that directly impact your properties. You're likely familiar with much of the following:  

- Fisheries and Oceans Canada guidelines, i.e., Projects Near Water home page;  Boathouses, Docks and Moorings Code of Practice (2025) 
- Green Shores' Coastal Shore Jurisdiction in BC 
- this 2019 BC Ministry of Environment technical study on "Water Quality Assessment and Proposed Objectives for Sooke Watersheds, Inlet, Harbour and Basin"
- Also from the Ministry in 2019, the report Water Quality Objectives for Sooke Inlet, Harbour, Basin and Tributaries  
- the 1991 Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans report titled Sooke Harbour and Basin Fish Habitat Inventory
- the Province's 1993 Sooke River Floodplain Mapping Study 
- reports from the Stewardship Centre for British Columbia (which tracks grant opportunities for shoreline upkeep and projects.) 

More directly, you could book delegations and bring your reasoned, well-documented asks to council. You could advocate for review and update of those DPA sections you want amended. Or call for a new version of the CRD's long-outdated Sooke Harbour, Basin and Inlet Master Plan (which Mayor Tait highlighted on Monday night; the 2001 OCP called for a review of the 1997 version of this CRD document, I recently discovered, yet it seemingly has fallen off the sonar. No online copies available, but I have the 1989 edition if anyone requests it. Please do.)

I can all but guarantee you will get traction, just as typically does any community group that recognizes the system’s guardrails and operates effectively & realistically within them. 

Examples (thank you Google AI) …  
“These associations often focus on issues such as property rights, dock management plans, environmental stewardship, and government regulations that affect waterfront properties. 
​
* Shuswap Waterfront Owners Association: This organization represents waterfront and semi-waterfront owners around Shuswap and Mara lakes, monitoring issues and voicing concerns related to dock ownership and regulations.  Annual $25 dues. 

* Christina Lake Waterfront Property Owners Society: A volunteer group that works to ensure the interests of property owners are represented in development and use of Christina Lake, focusing on water quality and environmental protection.

* Waterfront Protection Coalition (WPC): A broad collective of residents and businesses from various areas including the Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands, and Okanagan, formed to advocate for waterfront communities potentially affected by the provincial government's proposed Dock Management Plan. 

* North Saanich PROW (Property Responsibility on Waterfront) Association 


5. Roll The Credits 
Shout-out to the citizens who accepted the invitation to participate through multiple ways and means, including the two public hearings and two open houses  ... plus importantly: 

District of Sooke Staff 
- Danica Rice
- Ivy Campbell 
- Katherine Lesyshen
- Matthew Pawlow
- Chris Marshall 
- Jayden Riley 
- Christina Moog
- Raechel Gray 
- and many unsung others 

OCP Advisory Committee
Chair Helen Ritts
Councillor Al Beddows
Norm Amirault
Terry Cristall
Steve Grundy
Ellen Lewers
Linda MacMillan 
Siomonn Pulla 

Consultants 
Jennifer Fix - Project Lead 
Lucas Ozols-Mongeau - Project Manager 
Emily Rennalis - Urban Planner
James Godwin - Urban Designer 
Watt Consulting Group - Transportation
Colliers International - Land Economics and Development
Licker Geospatial Consulting - GIS Analysis and Mapping 
Sustainable Solutions Group - Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Urban Systems (2025) 

And not to forget ... 
Sooke Council 2014-18: Tait, Berger, Kasper, Logins, Parkinson, Pearson, Reay
Sooke Council 2018-22: Tait, Bateman, Beddows, Lajeunesse, Logins, McMath, Parkinson, St-Pierre 
Sooke Council 2022-26: Tait, Bateman, Beddows, Haldane, Lajeunesse, McMath, Pearson, St-Pierre 

Live long and prosper! (source: Spock/Horgan)
With amendments as needed over time.  

Countdown clock now on to the next legislated OCP review in 2030. 
​

Following last night's lively, overflow full-house OCP public hearing, I'm revisiting the Renovate the Public Hearing Initiative (RPHI) reports produced by Simon Fraser University's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue between 2022 and last year to get a better understanding of the dynamics that unfolded last night.

These reports identify the strengths and weaknesses of a public hearing system that was effectively unchanged since the 1920s until the Province's Bill 44 cut back dramatically on their requirement so as to speed application turnarounds.

Last night, the six of us (minus the absent Cllr. McMath) listened closely to likely 50+ individuals over the course of 4.5 hours. The majority, as at the Sept. 2022 OCP and the June 19, 2023 Commitee of the Whole dedicated to the OCP, were waterfront land owners unhappy for various reasons with the Development Permit Area Guidelines section of the OCP.  

Mayor and Council were required to remain attentive but entirely silent throughout the night  as per this note we received beforehand:  "With the Public Hearing for OCP Bylaw No. 800, 2022, now advertised ... some guidance on Council's role as required under the Local Government Act.

Before a Public Hearing, Council must not express opinions, debate the bylaw publicly, or encourage residents to support a particular outcome. Council is expected to come to the Public Hearing without pre-judgment, to listen to the public, and to keep an open mind. This expectation flows from section 465 of the Local Government Act, which requires that the public be given a fair opportunity to be heard before Council makes any decision. There is also established case law reinforcing that Council members must avoid pre-determination and the appearance of bias during statutory hearings.

It is, however, appropriate to encourage public participation in the Public Hearing and to let residents know that Council looks forward to listening to all perspectives.

Regarding public commentary, including posts on social media, interviews, newsletters, blogs or statements to residents, any communication that signals a fixed position or advocates for a specific vote may create the appearance of bias. This can undermine the integrity of the Public Hearing and may expose the District to procedural challenges.

Once the Public Hearing is closed, section 469(2) of the Local Government Act requires that Council must not receive or consider any further submissions from the public. This includes comments received through social media, email, or other channels. Decisions must be based solely on information presented during the Public Hearing, along with any technical clarification from staff that does not introduce new facts." 

I respect and have abided (even on this blog, where I have exhaustively held back nothing on this subject) by these terms the last few weeks. I must acknowledge, however, how truly unhelpful and frustrating it was last night to remain silent when any one of us could have stepped in to answer questions, clear up confusion, acknowledge legitimate concerns and points well made, and challenge misinformation. I tried to maintain a poker face throughout and likely failed a few times.

(My leading, repeatedly voiced beef around public input to this OCP since the first draft was published in 2022 is the fact that disappointingly few correspondents or speakers at the mic makes direct page and paragraph references to their concerns. This makes constructively addressing these concerns difficult.) 

Now over to the SFU team and its legal and municipal government partners for their expert perspective. I'll start with all the key links so you do your own depth dives. The screenshots below from the first of these links sum up the pros and cons neatly. 

​SFU and Related Reports
* The Future of Public Hearings In BC (May 2022) (starting point to understand up and downsides of public hearings) 
* Renovate The Public Hearing: Final Report and Recommendations (Dec. 2024)  + Abridged Report 
* Financial Analysis of Direct and Indirect Costs of Pubic Hearings (Sept. 2024) 
* Media Kit
* BC Law Institute Consultation Paper (2023)  + Study Paper on Public Hearings (March 2022) 
* Innovators' Forum Report (Sept. 2022) 
* Slide deck (includes history of public hearings) 

More on Public Hearings ... 
* Local Government Public Hearings - Province of BC (2025)
* Info Sheet on Public Hearings - Union of BC Municipalities (updated 2021) 
* Open Meetings in BC Local Governments 'Not Optional," says Omsbudsperson - CBC, Sept. 12, 2025 
* Public Hearings Curbed in Housing Bill 44 - Les Leyne, Times Colonist, Nov. 4, 2023  
* Public Hearings: A New Era - Young/Anderson Law, 2020 
* Open Meetings: Best Practices Guide for BC Governments - Office of the BC Ombudsperson, Sept. 2012 

All of what follows are direct clips from the RPHI reports ... 

"Why Renovate the Public Hearing?As municipalities explore better ways to gather feedback from communities and leaders are asked to make an increasing number of land use decisions, it has been demonstrated that BC's current public hearing process is not designed to support an inclusive practice for strong decision-making. Instead, public hearings are often viewed as performative exercises that exacerbate societal divisions and leave people angry or apathetic toward local government. All of this indicates a critical opportunity for change, and many voices are now asking to revisit the purpose and process of BC's public hearings.

"Following an initial exploratory research and consultation phase in spring 2022, RPHI collaborated with local governments and community organizations in 2023 to experiment with and evaluate more equitable approaches to public participation. In parallel, RPHI’s partner, the British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI), is leading a legal reform study to support potential legislative change to enable these reforms. Significant shifts in legislation around public hearing requirements in BC in the fall of 2023 added further weight to RPHI’s findings, especially in relation to models that can support robust upstream public participation in place of site-by-site public hearings.

"In response to the housing crisis and provincial calls for policy and legislative change in land use planning, the Centre for Dialogue formed the Renovate the Public Hearing Initiative (RPHI) in 2022, to evaluate British Columbia’s primary form of public participation in land use decision-making: the public hearing.

History of Public Hearings
Public hearings, also known as public meetings or public inquiries, are a type of open engagement process where a government or other decision-maker can gather public input on a particular topic or issue. Public hearings are a widespread form of public engagement throughout Canada and across the world, particularly in nations that fall under the association of the Commonwealth. Public hearings emerged as a result of the evolution of British legal practice, shifts in governing values and actions of individuals.

Gaps In Representation 
Public hearings tend to over-represent those who oppose a land use change, while those who may be positively impacted or neutral are less likely to attend. The considerations of future residents, including those with greater housing needs, are also less likely to be heard, encouraging “not-in-my-backyard” attitudes that impact sustainable growth.

Many members of the public face barriers that impede them from being aware of, accessing or participating meaningfully in engagement processes, such as time conflicts with work or caregiving responsibilities, mobility barriers, limited access to information or technology, lower levels of literacy, language differences and more.

Groups who face historical and ongoing marginalization, such as those with lived experience of housing needs or homelessness, are more likely to face barriers and remain underrepresented in traditional public participation opportunities, undermining the goal of using public participation as a tool to amplify their voices and advance their rights.

Conversely, groups who have been traditionally privileged with greater systemic access to resources, time, information and civic literacy are more likely to be over-represented, dominate discussions and have a disproportionate influence on outcomes. While public input in a public hearing is not binding and local governments retain the authority to make final decisions, in some cases, decision-makers are swayed by the majority opinion expressed during the hearing even when this directly contradicts evidence-based needs of other community members.

Challenges
Public hearings don’t typically establish the conditions for evidence-based deliberation among the public. The public receives limited information prior to the public hearing and information can be inaccessible for some residents who face language or literacy barriers. Only 23% of survey respondents felt that “public education” was a benefit of public
hearings.

Public hearings are designed for one-way communication, reducing participation to a binary of “for or against” instead of opening up a space for nuanced consideration of complex issues, and dialogue between decision-makers and the community.

Since public hearings are held late in a project’s approval process, it is often too late for community input to impact decision-makers. 65% of survey respondents felt that public hearings are too late to make a difference, and many other participants in RPHI’s workshops and interviews expressed that public hearings are not authentic avenues for public participation.

This was reinforced by RPHI’s jurisdictional scan, which demonstrated that the average amount of spoken and written correspondence at public hearings across BC typically represents significantly less than 1% of the total municipal population.

Public perceptions that the decision has been made prior to the public hearing can erode trust in local governments. Only 21% of survey respondents felt that “strengthening legitimacy of decisions” was a benefit of public hearings.
Public misunderstanding about the purpose and structure of a public hearing can lead to false expectations. The public may expect their submitted ideas will be adopted or acted upon or that the public hearing is a public referendum-style vote, leading to distrust in the outcomes.

Several interviewees suggested that holding a public hearing does not necessarily equate to a democratic process for land use planning, particularly due to the disproportionate influence certain members of the public can have on the outcomes.

Some aspects of the legislation for public hearings are vague, leading to great variation in how local governments across British Columbia govern their public hearings. Many of the procedures and requirements have been established through decades of court cases. This can lead to logistical obstacles or confusion for all those involved.
Additionally, participants in RPHI’s research expressed concerns around conflicts of interest or bias amongst those who chair public hearings that can influence their application of procedural norms.

Opportunities
Recent legislation now limits the use of site-by-site public hearings for housing developments that align with the OCP, increasing efficiencies and facilitating consideration of the community’s broader needs for sustainable growth.
Public hearings provide an established mechanism for public participation; providing municipalities with support to scale alternative and supplementary models of participation, such as online platforms or OCP engagement, could establish new norms for participation to support their sustained use.

Final Recommendations 
Three of nine... full list on pg. 128 of the final report 

Reorient Public Engagement to Official Community Plans (OCPs)
Our research and the British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) consultation paper reveal that public hearings, as the most legislated form of land use public engagement, were originally designed to ensure procedural fairness, not to solicit input for improving land use bylaws. We recommend redirecting public engagement efforts to focus on the official community plan (OCP) at the earliest possible stage.

Our financial analysis on the direct and indirect costs of public hearings in land use planning also found that public engagement for affordable housing policy should be conducted at the comprehensive planning level, thereby obviating the need for costly and contentious site-by-site rezonings. This approach promotes consistency and efficiency in land use decision-making while fostering community input on broader housing strategies.

Implementing "Mini-Publics" for Inclusive and Robust Engagement
To address inherent limitations of traditional public hearings such as underrepresentation, polarization, time constraints and accessibility barriers, we recommend the adoption of mini-publics, including residents’ assemblies, as an upstreamed and structured public participation model for land use bylaw updates, particularly official community plan and zoning bylaw updates. These assemblies should occur in the earliest phase of a comprehensive plan update, not in phase 2 or 3 of the planning update, in order to incorporate design and strategic planning elements that build trust in the process, mitigate bias, enhance diversity, build consensus and promote deliberative, equitable dialogue. Given the growing role of OCPs in land use decision-making, local governments should prioritize these assemblies as part of a broader engagement strategy, complemented by open houses, town halls, “kitchen table dialogues,” digital online platforms, and youth and school outreach initiatives. This integrated approach would bolster the democratic legitimacy and public support of OCP outcomes.

Embedding Principle-Based Engagement in Land Use Planning
While waiving public hearings for site-by-site housing-focused rezonings and directing public engagement toward OCPs represents progress and an emerging best practice, we caution against any future legislative changes to waive public hearings for OCP bylaws without robust alternative participatory frameworks and public input mechanisms. This caution arises from concerns where traditional centralized planning has perpetuated practices of spatial and racial inequities, underscoring the need for principle-based public engagement measures.

We recommend that British Columbia’s government considers providing local governments with guidance to adopt and institutionalize principle-based frameworks—like the province of Victoria in Australia—that could include land use principles for engagement such as the REEDS (Reconciliation, Equitable Engagement, Evidence-Based Deliberation, Democratic Legitimacy and Sustainability) framework developed by the Renovate the Public Hearing Initiative, or other best practices from other jurisdictions. These principles would formalize and enhance land use bylaw engagement, ensuring transparency, equity and meaningful public participation while safeguarding against decisions contrary to the public interest." 

Images from ​The Future of Public Hearings In BC (May 2022)

Sooke Council and Staff Activities 
October 2022 to November 2025
Don't know about you, but I can barely remember last week let alone 2022.  So i went through the tally of council and COW agenda items that I keep here at home and have compiled the following informal, imperfect and undoubtedly incomplete point-form list of the three years just past. I shared all this with council prior to a "Stick the Landing" workshop with consultant Christina Benty, a gifted facilitator and the latest in a series of local government pros who have stepped in to advise and guide us forward over my years on council. 

Eleven more months in this term to go: We as a collective -- staff and council, each with unique cultures and legislated requirements and responsibilities yet absolutely joined at the hip in what I heard described at last year's UBCM conference as a "truly wacky business model" -- have adoption of the Official Community Plan ahead of us along with tactical implementation of the Municipal Regional & District Tax (i.e., strategic use of the $350k+ in annual new revenue), planning for the connector road referendum (with possible additional questions), mid-term reviews of the transportation and parks masterplans, early work on a new Zoning Bylaw (pending OCP adoption) and much unpredictable else in the general course of our agendas.

The next general election day of Oct. 17, 2026 is not far off and the 336-day countdown is on ...  

Select Highlights 
(IMO, of course)
 
* Council Strategic Plan 2024-2027
* Hiring of Chief Administrative Officer Raechel Gray 
* Revived work on the Official Community Plan (March-July, 2023; February-Dec. 2025) 
* Progress on Urgent Primary Care Centre/BC Builds project on Lot A 
* Commitment to 24/7 Sooke RCMP unionized staffing 
* Commitment to 24/7 Sooke Fire Service unionized staffing 
* Commitment to long-term Asset Management Plan
* Fully staffed DOS Planning department led by Director of Planning Chris Marshall 
* Staff retention/recruitment policies and best HR practices  
* Council Code of Conduct Bylaw #889 adoption  
* Establishment of Community Economic Development & Land Use Committees
* Municipal & Regional District Tax established and underway (Nov. 1, 2025) 
* JDF and Olympic Peninsula Cross-Border Tourism Strategy 
* Sooke Region Business Services Cooperative (aka Shoreline) 
* Communications excellence – newsletters, press releases, microsites etc. 
* In-kind support of community groups by District staff 
* Connector route borrowing referendum on track for October 2026
* Little River Pedestrian Crossing and Trail 
* New Development Procedures Bylaw #900 (press release) 
* New Subdivision & Development Standards Development Bylaw #925
* Development Approval Procedures Review completed and implementation underway
* E-Comm service fees pushback 
* Council By-Election, July 12, 2025   
* MOU meetings with T’Sou-ke and School District #62 
- Initiatives possible under the Local Government Climate Action Program 
* Renewed Island Health engagement with Ayre Manor expansion
* Visit by the BC Seniors’ Advocate (Ayre Manor, Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Contact, SRCHN)   
* UBCM advocacy - 2022-2025 
* UBCM 2025 motions x 3: Utility Tax; Funding for 911; Human Rights Tribunal staffing 
* SEAPARC Strategic Plan 2025-2035
* CRD Regional Transportation Service 
* District of Sooke Accessibility Plan 
 
Financial Services
* 2023/27 plan adopted (April 24, 2023) 
* 2024/28 plan adopted (March 25, 2024) 
* 2025/29 plan adopted (April 7, 2025) 
* SOFI reports - 2022, 2023, 2024
* Budget Public Engagement 2023/24/25 
* Service Level reviews 2023/24/25
* Quarterly financial reports 
* Permissive Tax Exemption bylaw review 
* Asset Management Program, Policy and Financial Strategy
* General Asset Management Reserve Fund Bylaw #916 (established Oct. 21, 2024) 
* Travel & Expense Policy Update 
 
New Taxation Funding Priorities 
* Sooke RCMP  24/7 
* Sooke Fire Services 24/7 
* Establishment of the Asset Management Reserve Fund 
* CPI operational increases
* Union contract increases 
 
Bylaw and Policy 
* Fees & Charges Bylaw 
* Traffic and Highways Regulation (re: Silver Spray) 
* Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 
* Future Policing Costs Reserve Bylaw 
* Future Fire Services Reserve Bylaw 
* Growing Communities Reserve Fund 
* Animal Regulation & Impounding Bylaw (re: fines for wildlife feeding) 
* Development Procedures Bylaw #900
* Subdivision and Developments Standard Bylaw #925 
* Council Procedure Bylaw amendment – re: Bill 44 (public hearings – Feb. 26, 2024)
* Public Participation Policy 
* IT and Cybersecurity Policy
* Committee Structure Policy and Terms of Reference  
* Sign Bylaw review 
* Board of Variance Bylaw 
* Community Service Agreement Policy 
* Council Remuneration Bylaw review (in process) 
 
Transportation Master Plan 
* Designs advanced for the connector route
* Charters Corridor complete (tendered: July 24/2023) 
* Church Road Roundabout complete (tendered: July 24/2023) 
* Mid-Term TMP review pending (late 2025) 
* Continued staff and MOTT relationship re: plans for Idlemore intersection; right-turn lanes on Sooke Road; sidewalk expansion to Whiffin Spit 
* TMP Road Frontage Cross-Sections workshop (May 21, 2024) 
* Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure council presentation (April 8, 2024)  
* Draft Frontage Works Program (Sept. 9, 2024) 
* Report: Options for Engagement on Sooke Traffic Concerns (Sept. 9, 2024) 
* Receipt of Short-Term Traffic Solutions report from Sooke Traffic Committee (Sept. 23) 
* Charters/Hwy 14 Active Transportation Grant application (Oct. 28, 2024) 
* Federal active transportation grant application for connector (Feb. 24, 2025)                  
* BC Transit Wadams Way Transit Exchange (June 9, 2025) 
 
Operations 
* DAPR Assessment & Recommendations Report (Feb. 12, 2024)  
* DCC Minor Update (Feb. 26, 2024) 
* Development Procedures Bylaw #900  (adopted Nov. 12, 2024) 
* Renewed road maintenance contract, 2025/26, with Victoria Contracting 
* UBCM Asset Management Planning Grant 
* Flood Plain Regulation Amendment Bylaw #912 
* Bridge rehabilitation program 
* Federal Housing Infrastructure grant program application re: Town Centre & Sunriver Critical Sanitary Wastewater & Storm Infrastructure Project (March 24, 2025; six components)
* Subdivision and Developments Standard Bylaw #925 
* 2025 Sooke road atlas of cross-section designations 
 
Community Safety 
* Fire Service – Initial Attack Apparatus purchase 
* FireSmart Community funding (UBCM) 
* Community Wildfire Resilience Plan (Oct. 2023) 
* Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (UBCM grant, Jan. 2024) 
* Engine 2 replacement 
* Wildland Urban Interface FireSmart presentation 
* Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Adaptation (UBCM grant app, Sept. 23, 2024) 
* Emergency Management Plan (May 26, 2025) 
* Climate Hazard and Risk Assessment (UBCM grant app, July 28, 2025) 
* 24/7 Sooke RCMP coverage 
* Establishment of Sooke RCMP major crimes investigation unit 
* Coffee With A Cop public engagement opportunity  x 2
 
Community Investment
* Renewed Community Service Agreements with seven organizations (2022) 
* Community Grants (2023/24/25) 
* Patient deployment of remaining COVID relief funds to support work of Sooke Family Resource Society, Sooke Shelter Society and other orgs working with vulnerable citizens 
* Sooke Food Bank service agreement fee increase (incremental 20% annual increase) 
* Sooke Family Resource Society service agreement (2024 & 2025, $45k per year)

- Support from the Council contingency fund for ... 
* Sooke Boxing Club 
* Sooke Storm Fastball Team 
* Wounded Warrior Run
* EMCS basketball team 
* Sooke Lions – Canada Day, Santa Parade 
* Sooke Community Association – All-Sooke BBQ 
* Sooke Fall Fair 

* Development of a Community Investment Program (CIP) – in process 
* Sooke Legion Branch 54 – 100th Anniversary Commemorative Crosswalk - in process 
* Sooke Homelessness Coalition – JB council liaison 
* Sooke Age-Friendly Committee – JB council liaison 
* Sooke Community Health Summit (pending) 
 
 First Nations Relations
* Council attendance at T’Sou-ke council swearing in ceremony 
* Council to Council meetings x 2  
* David Drummond workshop re: T’mexw Treaty (March 18, 2024)
* Advocacy in support of T’Sou-ke Japanese Knotweed concerns (April 2025) 
 
Community Economic Development & Tourism 
* Request for inclusion in the Island Coastal Economic Trust (Jan. 2023)
* Membership renewals with South Island Prosperity Project (annual)  
* Sponsorship of Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards (annual) 
* Attendance at Island Economic Summit (Lajeunesse) 
* Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act adoption 
* JDF Community First Regenerative Tourism Plan (May 27, 2024) 
* REDIP grant application for Employment Lands Strategy (in process) 
* Downtown beautification microgrant program (pending 2026 budget deliberations) 
* JDF Cross-Border Tourism Strategy (Destination Canada) 
* Sooke Region Business Services Cooperative (aka Shoreline) 
 
Planning, Building & Development 
* Development Approvals Process Review
* Building Bylaw amendment – secondary suites (May 8, 2023) 
* Patrick Marsden correspondence  
* District withdrawal from membership in the Urban Development Institute 
* Zero Carbon Step Code discussions
* Interim Housing Needs Report 
* Affordable Housing Contribution Policy update (in progress) 
* Storage containers staff report (in progress) 
 
Climate, Parks and Environmental Services
* Sooke 2030 Climate Action Plan – Implementation (update: Jan. 2024) 
* Hiring of the Manager of Community Planning 
* Low Carbon Resilience lens confirmed as whole-of-org priority in Strat Plan 
* CAP Grant Stream supporting Sooke non-profits, i.e. Friends of Sooke Parks  
* Broom busting campaign by the District  
* Yard waste and broom drop-off at the works yard 
* Investigation of Ella Stream impacts re: ViewPointe Estates 
* Bear and Raven public art at Ravens Ridge Park & Sooke Potholes
* Ed Macgregor Park fencing upgrades  
* Ravens Ridge Park Improvements (tender: Sept. 9; completed: late 2025) 
* Parkland Dedication – 7350 West Coast Rd. (Erinan Estates future phases) 
* Whiffin Spit Management Options Assessment Report 
* Memorial Wall staff report 
 
Advocacy 
* Minister of Municipal Affairs re: Kaltasin sewer extension (UBCM 2023) 
* Minister of Health re: Community Health Centre (UBCM 2023) 
* Solicitor General re: Integrated Major Crimes Unit (UBCM 2022, 2023, 2024) 
* Ministry of Citizen Services re: telecommuting hub (UBCM 2024) 
* Minister of Education re: seismic upgrades, need for new schools, safety issues at John Muir and all schools along highway (UBCM 2024)
* BC Seniors Advocate re: seniors needs in Sooke (UBCM 2024) 
* Minister of Agriculture re: farm hamlet proposal (UBCM 2025) 
* Agricultural Land Commission Chair re: farm hamlet (UBCM 2025) 
* Island Health re: Ayre Manor expansion (UBCM 2025) 
* Ministry of Health re: Urgent Primary Care Centre (UBCM 2025) 
* BC Transit re: 
* Mobile Youth Services Team funding x 2 (2023, 2024) 
* BC Housing re: Sooke Shelter emergency bed expansion needs 
* Crosswalk at Maple Ave. S. and Sooke Road 
 
Delegations to Council 
(chronological order from Nov. 2022) 
* Sooke RCMP x 10 Quarterly Updates
* Sooke Homelessness Coalition 
* The Village Initiative 
* Royal Roads City Studio program 
* Herb Haldane/SBA x 3 – building processes 
* Chris Zmuda - preventing tax increases x 2  
* CREST Emergency Communications 
* Indigenous Prosperity Centre 
* West Coast Environmental Law – Sue Big Oil campaign 
* Bill Dixon Mural at Cedar Grove Mall 
* SRCHN – Mental Health, Addictions & Substance Use Report 
* Royal Roads University – R&D Tourism Report 
* Juan de Fuca Performing Arts Society – progress report 
* Sooke Family Resource Society – service agreement 
* Laura & Shawn Paul re: 2170 French Road South 
* Transition Sooke/Sooke Food CHI re: community gardens 
* Vancouver Island Regional Library 
* BC Conservation Officer Service/Bear Cub Conflict 
* Wild Wise Society re: conservation services 
* Jonathan Francoeur re: First Nations relations 
* Sooke Chamber of Commerce 
* SRCHN – Sooke Region Food Systems Network update  
* BC Hydro – Call to power 
* Fortis BC – Zero Carbon Step Code 
* South Island Climate Action Network – Zero Carbon Step Code
* Kiefer Elliot - Zero Carbon Step Code
* Sunriver Community Garden
* 606 Water Group 
* E-Comm - Oliver Gruter-Andrew 
* Royop CEO Jeremy Thal re: West Coast Road Development Project 
* Sooke Harbour Players 
* Wild Wise Society re: Wildlife Expo at EMCS 
* Jim Mitchell re: food truck sewer connection 
* Katie Oppen re: taxation 
* Construction Foundation of BC’s Mike Manhas re: The Forge, Langford 
* Community Social Planning Council re: Point In Time Count 
* Thrive Social Services re: Foundry Sooke 
 
 Development Permits (Council involvement)
* DVP – 6645 Sooke Rd. (West Urban) 
* DVP – 6671 Wadams Way (Aragon) 
* DVP – 5627 Woodlands Rd. 
* DVP – 6519 Throup Road (5 Oaks Developments) 
* DVP – 2109 Mowich Drive (Lajeunesse) 
* DVP – 2302 Phillips Road 
* DVP – 6442 Golledge Ave. 
* DVP – 1245 Silver Spray Drive 
* DVP – 2205 Tara Place 
* DVP – 7059 Briarwood Place 
* DVP – 7044 Maple Park Place (ViewPointe Estates) 
* DP Amendment – 6569 Sooke Road (Bayshore) 
* DVP – 2101& 2112 Ayum Road 
* DP Environmental – Little River Multi-Use Trail Project (DOS) 
* DP Form & Character (Subdivision) - 6671 Logan Lane
 
Zoning Amendments 
* 6519 Throup Road (increase size of C2 portion)
* 2104 Charters Road (R1 to RM2) 
* 2027 Maple Ave. (R1 to RM2) 
* 2072 Camden Place (R2 to RM2) 
* 5529 Croydon Place (RU4 to RU5) 
* 6676 Sooke Road (India Delight, C2 to CTC) 
* 2292 Phillips Rd. (RU2 to RM2) 
* 6588 Throup Rd. (R1 to RM2) 
* 6956 Grant Road W. (R1 to R2) 
* 2032 Maple Ave. S. (R1 & RU3 to RM2) 
* 2008 Murray Road (P1 to C2) 
* 1995 Caldwell Rd. (R1 to RM2) 
* 6727 West Coast Road (R1 to C2 – bowling alley) 
* 6557 Clairview Rd. (RM1 to R1) 
* 6579 Throup Road (R1 to RM2 – Francis Gardens) 
* 6490 West Coast Rd. (R1 to R3) 
* 2103 Townsend Rd. (R1 to RM5) 
 
* 2316 Church Road (SSA adjustment) 
* 2342 Kamaureen Place (strata conversion)
* 2170-72 French Rd. (strata conversion) 
* 5520 Sooke Road (strata conversion) 
* 6507 Water St. (SSA amendment) 
* 2043 Maple Ave. S (covenant amendment) 
* 2532 Sooke River Rd. (ALR sub-division recommendation) 
* 7295 Francis Rd. (ALR recommendation re: childcare facility) 
* 6660 Helgeson Rd. (ALR recommendation re: solar panels)
* 6520 Throup Rd. (ALR recommendation re: skate park) 
* 6626 Helgeson Rd. (ALR recommendation) 
 
Zoning Bylaw Updates
* Additional permitted uses for Service Commercial (C3) zone
* Inclusion of Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing legislation (June 24, 2024) 
 
Miscellaneous
* School District #62 MOU meetings x 2 
* Support for renovations to the Sooke Legion Cenotaph 
* Sooke Horseshoe Pitching Association license/terms of use
* Sunriver Community Garden license/terms of use 
* Natori Sister City relations 
* A.C.E. Memorial Project re: Paul Unwin carving donation
* Septic System Maintenance Program (unresolved - Sept. 25, 2023) 
* Community Works Fund 2025-2035 agreement signed (UBCM) 
* Sooke Harbour House liquor license
* District paused its X account 
 
Capital Regional District 
* SEAPARC – AAP for new skate park, heating/cooling upgrades
* SEAPARC – Strategic Plan 2025-35 
* Long-Term Biosolids Management Policy – accepted by Province, summer 2025 
* Regional Transportation Service – new
* Living-wage salary increases for Sooke Region Museum employees (started in 2025) 
* Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Service – new 
* Regional Foodlands Access Service – new 
* Performing Arts Facilities Service – new 
* Regional Water Supply Master Plan (2022)
* Water Supply Local Service Area - Establishment Bylaw 
* CRD Regional Water Supply DCC Program 
* Land Banking Service for CRD Housing Corp - Establishment Bylaw 
* CRD Animal Control Contract renewal 
* CRD Regional Water Supply DCC Program 
* Regional Parks Loan Authorization – Trail Widening & Lighting 

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