Structure of this post ...  
* Introduction/starting points (last decade in review) 
* Key legislative documents (national and provincial)
* BC Building Code + amendments: Secondary Suites (2019), Zero Carbon Step Code (2023)

* District of Sooke:
i) Building Bylaw 2020
ii) Development Cost Charge bylaw update 2021/23
iii) Development Approval Permit Review in Sooke and other BC communities 2021/24 

* Province of BC Development Permit Review 2019: Recommendations & Challenges  
* Building in Sooke: DOS and private sector
​* EMCS TASK program
* BC Construction Industry + stats, careers
* Miscellaneous related news clips re: permit delays across Canada 
* Quotes from Canadian Urban Institute's Mary Rowe
* Archive: Sooke Land Use & Development Committee 2011-2022 
* Comparison shopping: Other municipal website materials re: planning/development 

I started this one as a warm-up for the Sooke Builders Association luncheon on May 17 at the Sooke Legion. Absolutely required homework as the Province, local governments and the building community strive to overcome systemic procedural delays of the kind that bedevil municipalities across the country.  

The SBA's launch comes as the District addresses planning/building department staff shortages while also moving into the public consultation/bylaw review stage of its Development Approval Permit Review (DAPR). Along with 42 other BC communities that received these grants, Sooke intends to dramatically improve/streamline our permitting system.

This blog entry has expanded considerably since then as I delve into yet another area about which I have zero practical experience but much respect for the professionals at the District and those within our building community. I empathize with all sides and wholly trust in the mature, patient, collaborative and fair process leading to better outcomes.  

***********************************************************************************************************

Builders associations have existed in Sooke since at least 2009 when an earlier iteration of the Sooke Builders Association is mentioned in council minutes in reference to the "brown bag" lunches Sooke's then-CAO Evan Parliament was organizing with local builders. Herb Haldane has represented the association in delegations to council over the years since he left office, most recently earlier this year.  

This spring the SBA adopted a formal structure with the election of an executive led by Stellar Homes' Geoff Steele (President), Marsden Group's Patrick Marsden (Vice-President), MCW Property Services' Matthew Walsh (Treasurer), Keycorp Development and Marketing's Jim Hartshorn (Secretary), and Directors-At-Large Haldane (Haldane Homes), Dave McClimon (4M Bobcat & Trucking) and Peter White.

Steele's recent letter to the Sooke News Mirror captures the group's intentions, namely a desire to "create a positive partnership with Sooke council and staff to get things done in a cooperative way by discussing concerns and working together to resolve problems."  

Traditionally, of course, this has been a rather adversarial relationship here and across Canada -- wholly understandable given the red-tape frustrations of builders as they waltz with planning/building departments that must, by law, deliver permits based on exacting federal, provincial and municipal regulations.

Here in Sooke, staff and council have, since at least 2011, been continually urged to replicate Langford's famous 48-hour permitting turnaround commitment -- which, as was rarely made clear, only clicked in following untold months of necessary groundwork by applicants and municipal staff; it required submission of a complete building permit application, site plans, construction drawings, geotech review, professional engineer's report and completion of all City of Langford approvals. 

Speeding up Sooke's permit process was goal #1 identified early in the term of the 2012-2014 Land Use and Development Committee. In spring 2013, council directed staff to strive for faster approvals, however the requisite budget for additional staff wasn't forthcoming during this era of zero percent tax increases. A new Land Use committee was formed in 2018, and Head Planner Ivy Campbell was hired that spring (four years after former Director of Planning Gerard LeBlanc left the job).

Around this time, the Horgan government recognized that the province was facing a housing crisis after decades of inaction on the parts of Ottawa and the province. Its Homes For BC housing affordability masterplan (2017) was followed a year earlier by the Development Permit Process Approvals Review (final report, 2019) based on consultation with UBCM staff, local government officials, builders and developers, non-profit housing providers, academics and community representatives. 

In my time on council, we've built on the work of earlier councils and sought solutions to long-standing, seemingly intractable issues faced by communities everywhere - especially growing ones like ours that must constantly recalibrate staffing needs to match rising service demand yet foot-drag given tax implications.

Unlike previous councils that could call on building expertise around the table, we had no such representation from 2018-22 and yet still got some significant stuff done as initiated/implemented by staff led by CAO Norm McInnis, his before/after interim Don Schaffer and now Deputy CAO/Director of Financial Services Raechel Gray. 

Summary of District and Council initiatives, 2019-23 
- Council reps meet with 30 individuals from Sooke building community re: permit delays, March 20, 2019
- Two long-standing vacancies are filled: Director of Planning and Chief Building Official, 2019/20
- Sooke Building Bylaw adopted in June, 2020 (based on Municipal Insurance Association of BC model bylaw)
- Application Process and Development Tracking report to council, Jan. 11, 2021 (see pp. 4/5) 
- Launch of Sooke Development Tracker, March 2021 (video explainer) 
- Application for (April 26, 2021) and receipt of (Sept. 2021) $494k grant from UBCM Development Permit Approvals Program to modernize Sooke's permitting system 
- New Development Cost Charge bylaw adopted in July 2022
- Planning Department prepares next Official Community Plan for public hearing, Sept. 2022  
- Preparation of new draft Subdivision and Development Standards Bylaw underway, fall 2022 (top recommendation in the Transportation and Parks & Trails Master Plans.) 
- Consultant's report on Sooke building permit processes (pp. 5-23 of council's Feb. 27, 2023 agenda).
- New DCC credit, front-ender and latecomer policies (see pp. 33-57), May 15, 2023 
- 1Q 2023 Planning and Development Quarterly Report at May 23, 2023 council meeting (see pp. 219/20 + slide deck)  
- 50% time reduction in issuance of residential permits when properly submitted: 68 days (2019) vs. 34 days (2022) 

Most critical now is to secure our next Chief Administrative Officer as well as key staff for both the planning and building departments, both down in their numbers due to retirement, health issues and maternity leave.  

Ongoing is the analysis and revamp of the permitting system and related bylaws underway through the grant Sooke received via the UBCM.  We are one of 43 BC local governments to get this funding, all of them now generating reports on various timetables. Ours must be complete by March 15, 2024. A consultant is now being selected before the next round of stakeholder engagement gets underway. 

The new-look Sooke Builders Association luncheon upstairs at the Legion was a good next step. A full house of local builders and developers was in attendance along with Mayor Tait, Sooke's Director of Planning Matthew Pawlow and five of us from council. The Mayor reiterated how we're all in this together in building the complete, climate-adapted, multi-generational, safe, affordable, unspoilt, functional, aesthetically appealing, enjoyable and connected community envisioned in our current and pending OCPs.  As she said, we won't get there if builders/developers are not onside and actively involved over the long haul. 

Langford-Juan de Fuca NDP candidate Ravi Parmar shared his own positive vision for the region before introducing his former colleague Ravi Kahlon, BC Minister of Housing. Kahlon repeated what he had said at the UBCM Housing Summit in early April: We're in a national and provincial housing crisis, some municipalities are falling well short of their housing-need targets, and development/permitting processes must be dramatically modernized to get a full-spectrum of new homes onto the market ASAP. (But not necessarily, he added, communities that are meeting those targets. Unsaid: Sooke is arguably one of them.) 

Future monthly working and educational lunches are in the SBA's plans. And, to be sure, the executive will be organized and ready to bring their best OCP ideas forward for the Committee of the Whole relaunch on June 19. As will other voices in the community, I trust, all keeping things as hyper-efficient as possible by citing page numbers and section references to issues of concern. Bring it on, #Sooke! 

Starting Points

- UBCM Fact Sheets: Land Use Regulation + Planning and Procedures + Statutory Officials (incl. Approving Officer)

- District of Sooke Building Safety website page

- Newly launched (March 31) Permit Connect BC portal intended to simplify permitting processes  
- BC Permitting Strategy for Housing (Jan. 2023) 

- Province of BC Homes For People Action Plan (announced April 3, 2023) 
​- Bill 43: BC Housing Supply Act (Nov. 2022) 
- Technical briefing presentation

First wave of 10 BC municipalities subject to BC Housing Supply Act provisions announced May 31, 2023 
- Ministry of Housing press release 
- First cohort of municipalities to be monitored re: housing targets and selected according to criteria that ranks housing availability, affordability and urgent housing need: Abbotsford, Delta, Kamloops, North Vancouver, Oak Bay, Port Moody, Saanich, Vancouver, Victoria and West Vancouver. 

- The District has been notified that it is among an unspecified number of BC municipalities identified in the Housing Supply Regulation and "may be subject to a housing target assessment as part of a future cohort."  New batches of eight-to-ten municipalities will be selected every six months going forward. 

- "How Many Homes Do We Need to Build in Greater Victoria?" - Capital Daily, June 30, 2022 (includes infographic attached below indicating Sooke is ahead of its housing-needs target.) 

- The pending OCP states (pg. 30) that "it is estimated that Sooke will experience demand for an additional 1,813 residential units by 2030, an additional 1,567 units between 2030 and 2040, and an additional 1,658 units between 2040 and 2050." Total: 5,038 within a quarter century atop our current 6,431 units. (If, indeed, this and future councils balance all other factors -- notably the realities of our increasingly congested two-lane highway -- in accepting projected population increases and inviting this volume of new construction.)

- Sooke Housing Needs Report Effective April 2019, the Province of BC amended the Local Government Act (Division 22) to require that municipalities produce Housing Needs Reports every five years.  Sooke published its first such report in October, 2019.  It detailed Sooke's community context, housing supply, housing market characteristics, land utilization, current gaps in the housing supply, housing needs projections and best practices.  Related: CRD/Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Housing Needs Report (2020)

<clip> "Overall, Sooke is expected to display an additional net housing need for 2,014 owner-occupied and 439 renter-occupied housing units during the period 2016-2031."  

Findings and Focus Areas in Sooke Housing Needs Report 
- Address market-rate housing needs for all age cohorts
- Address non-market housing needs
- Enhance supply of rental housing
- Enhance housing affordability
- Facilitate development on vacant lands
- Prepare for growth in aged 65+ population 

- Municipal Housing Supply Benchmarking Study (Canadian Home Builder's Association of BC, 2021). Study of 13 BC municipalities (Victoria included) reveals that "the average approval timelines for municipal approval of development applications is 13-14 months for rezoning and development permits, and over 20 months for subdivision ... This report found that the approval timelines and government charges within the B.C. municipalities studied were among the slowest and highest, respectively, in Canada, with the exception of municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area in some cases."

From this blog:
- Housing 101: BC's Homes For People Action Plan 
- Our Sooke-Sized Building Boom (August 2022)

Key legislative documents
From Understanding BC's Building Regulatory System, Province of BC, 2015
"Each level of government has a role in regulating building. In Canada, the federal Constitution Act (1992) gives the provincial and territorial governments responsibility for regulating building and construction. In British Columbia, the Building Act gives the Province the authority to set the BC Building Code and other provincial building regulations. Setting regulations at a provincial level helps foster more consistent requirements throughout B.C.The Province gives local governments the ability to administer and enforce provincial building requirements, including the BC Building Code. Local governments also have powers of their own that govern related matters such as land use, property development or heritage conservation. In a nutshell, the Constitution Act gives the Province responsibility to regulate building and construction, and the Province gives local governments limited authority to administer and enforce the BC Building Code.  

MYTH: The Province sets ‘all the rules’ for building and construction.
FACT: Under the Building Act, only the Province can establish building requirements. However, local governments have authority over related matters, including the administration of building & construction in their communities, such as:
- Preparing official community plans;
- Adopting zoning bylaws that govern land use;
- Hearing rezoning applications, or applications for variances from zoning requirements;
- Regulating development;
- Enacting heritage conservation measures;
- Setting design guidelines for neighbourhoods;
- Determining development cost charges or community amenity contributions;
- Issuing development and building permits;
- Conducting building inspections; and
- Issuing building occupancy permits."

- National Building Code of Canada (2020)
"The NBC is the model building code in Canada that forms the basis of most building design in the country. It is a highly regarded model building code because it is a consensus-based process for producing a model set of requirements which provide for the health and safety of the public in buildings ... Model codes have no force in law until they are adopted by a government authority having jurisdiction. In Canada, that responsibility resides within the provinces, territories and in some cases, municipalities. Most regions choose to adopt the NBC, or adapt their own version derived from the NBC to suit regional needs."

- National Plumbing Code (2020)
- National Fire Code (2020)
- National Energy Code for Buildings (2020) 
"The National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) aims to help save on energy bills, reduce peak energy demand, and improve the quality and comfort of the building’s indoor environment. Through each code development cycle, the NECB intends to implement a tiered approach toward Canada’s goal for new buildings, as presented in the “Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change”, of achieving ‘Net Zero Energy Ready’ buildings by 2030." (Canadian Wood Council explainer) 

- Canadian Board for Harmonized Building Codes develops the national codes. Established in late 2022, it replaces the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes. The codes are updated every five years (next 2025). 
- Canada's Construction System: The Context for National Codes (National Research Council) 
- Longterm Energy Code Strategy (NRC, 2017) 


BC Building Act
"The Building Act is British Columbia’s first act dedicated just to building and construction. It was introduced in spring 2015. The act introduces three main changes to B.C.’s building regulatory system. The changes will modernize the system; increase efficiency and productivity; and support innovation"
- What Local Governments Need to Know About the Building Act 
- Building Act Guide + PDF brochure + (Province of BC) 
- Building Act Information (BC Building Officials Association) 
- MIABC Building Bylaw Project (2002)

- Consumer Protection in BC
(i.e., Homeowner Protection Act, Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, Builders Lien Act) 

- BC Codes online: Building, fire, plumbing 

- BC Building Code (2018) 
- What Is the BC Building Code (Courthouse Libraries BC)
- Amendments (five since 2018)

- BC Building Code Revision #2: Secondary Suites (December, 2019) 
"The Province of British Columbia is working to remove barriers to the creation of more affordable housing including secondary suites. Previously, secondary suites could only be built in single detached homes and could not exceed a certain size. Effective December 12, 2019, the BC Building Code will allow the construction of new secondary suites in more types of houses, such as duplexes and row housing. Size restrictions for secondary suites have also been removed. This will provide local governments with more options for land use planning ... Local governments are encouraged to review their bylaws to determine if the BC Code changes will have any impacts. Local governments may wish to amend their bylaws to remove any previous code references or if they decide to permit secondary suites in more building types." 

- BC Housing: Secondary and basement suites incentive pilot program (launching April 2024)
"The Province has announced a pilot, three-year financial incentive program to help interested  homeowners turn a portion of their home into a secondary or basement suite for the rental market. Beginning in early 2024, homeowners will be able to access a forgivable loan of 50% of the cost of renovations, up to a maximum of $40,000 over five years.  Over time, the loan can be forgiven if the homeowner meets all conditions laid out in the program, including renting their unit out at below market rates for a minimum of five years.  The pilot program is expected to be open to at least 3,000 homeowners for the first three years and will quickly help create new rental housing units within the existing housing supply, for much less than the cost to build a large-scale, multi-unit housing development." 

- Secondary Suites + Advisory + Secondary and Small Suites Policy, 2011 (District of Sooke)
- "Secondary Suites Causing Parking Congestion in Sooke" (Sooke News Mirror, July 14, 2021) 
- Secondary suite code requirements (Saanich)
- Secondary Suites PDF guide (City of Nelson) 
- Add A Second Unit In Your House (Province of Ontario, 2019) 

- BC Building Code Revision #5: Opt-In Zero Carbon Step Code (May, 2023)
"The Zero Carbon Step Code is a new addition to the BC Building Code that allows Authorities Having Jurisdiction to limit operational carbon from new buildings. While an optional standard at this time, the Province intends to make operational carbon limits mandatory over time, with the ultimate objective for all new buildings to be zero carbon by 2030." (BC Building Officials Association) 

The BC Zero Carbon Step Code (Zero Carbon Step Code): In 2021, the province released its CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 climate plan. It included a commitment that “all new buildings in the province must produce zero greenhouse gas pollution from their operations by 2030.” In 2023, the Province of British Columbia entered the Zero Carbon Step Code into regulation as the pathway to get there. As of May 1, 2023, local governments can reference the Zero Carbon Step Code in their building bylaws, if they wish." (Energy Step Code info bulletin) 

-  BC Building and Safety Standards info bulletin + guidelines for local governments + (May 1, 2023)
- Compliance Tools for Part 9 Buildings (newly revised Step Code checklist for builders and energy advisors) 

"The Zero Carbon Step Code sets a maximum annual amount of greenhouse gas emissions that each building is allowed to emit. The amount for each building is based on the proposed occupancy and the size of the building. The metric that is used is kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per square meter, per year. 

Similar to the BC Energy Step Code, the Zero Carbon Step Code has four levels each with a specific intent outlined below:

1. Emissions Level 1: Measure-only (requires measurement of a building’s emissions without reductions and is intended to build knowledge and capacity)
2. Emissions Level 2: Moderate Carbon Performance (in most cases, will require electrification of either space heating or domestic hot water systems)
3. Emissions Level 3: Strong Carbon Performance (in most cases, will require electrification of both space heating and domestic hot water systems)
4. Emissions Level 4: Zero Carbon Performance (in most cases will require the full electrification of a building)

- Zero Carbon slide deck 
- Adopted by City of Victoria and District of Saanich (May 2023)  + Victoria press release
- Central Saanich - Let's Talk Step Code files and PDF 
​- Saanich Zero Carbon PDF explainer + Saanich News article (March 31, 2023)
- Victoria Residential Builders Association feedback + Three Housing Myths Dispelled 

- Urban Development Institute Capital Region - March 2023 letter referencing Zero Carbon Step Code and recommending it be used by the federal government in the national Draft Policy Framework for Climate Mitigation. <clip> "BC has taken the lead with regards to carbon pollution in new buildings ... The province recently approved a tiered Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC) which allows local governments to set operating GHG emission limits in new construction, and by 2030 all new buildings in BC will need to be zero-carbon ready. UDI is pleased that the federal government's proposals are generally aligned with BC's approach, so there should be limited changes for BC builders." 

"Definitions: The Canadian Board for Harmonized Building Codes recommends the following working definitions be used to guide the development of code requirements:

A net zero emissions building or house has minimal operational and embodied GHG emissions, with remaining emissions offset through various mechanisms.

A zero or near zero operational emissions building or house is designed and constructed to minimize or eliminate operational GHG emissions through energy efficiency and energy source choice.

Emission factors represent the GHG emissions of energy sources (CO2e produced per unit of energy consumed).

Operational GHG emissions are related to the amount of energy consumed and the carbon intensity of the energy source used to operate a building. Operational GHG emissions are described as scope 1 or scope 2 emissions. 

- Scope 1 (Direct): GHG emissions that are produced from fuels that are combusted on site, primarily from combustion of hydrocarbons, e.g. fossil fuels. Equipment examples: Natural gas / propane / oil and solid fuel appliances; CHP system; gas engine heat pump.

- Scope 2 (Indirect): GHG emissions that are produced from energy sources that are generated off site, e.g. purchased electricity. Equipment examples: Electric equipment, equipment that uses purchased energy, district heating or cooling."

District of Sooke 

- Sooke ​Building Bylaw #780 (2020)
- Sooke Subdivision and Development Standards Bylaw #404 (2014), now undergoing a major overhaul 

- Sooke Building and Safety website page
- Building and Plumbing Permit Application Form

Municipal regulations must be consistent with the BC Building Code (2018, amended as recently as May 1, 2023. A new set of codes is expected to be approved by late 2023.)  They must also align with the British Columbia Building Act. 

As per this Province of BC website page:  "The BC Building Code is a provincial regulation on how new construction, building alterations, repairs and demolitions are done. This code sets minimum requirements for safety, health, accessibility, fire and structural protection of buildings and energy and water efficiency." 

​Sooke Building Bylaw #780 (2020) replaced the previous 2001 bylaw (which had been amended multiple times over its lifespan). The new bylaw is based almost entirely on the model building code for BC local governments prepared by the Municipal Insurance Association of BC in conjunction with lawyers versed in building law.

- Report to Council (Feb. 18, 2020) 
- Step Code Report (June 15, 2020; see pp. 3-79)
- Builders Virtual Meeting presentation (Oct. 22, 2020 slide deck) 
- Building Bylaw presented for first reading (Nov. 23, 2020; see pp. 185-404, includes survey results and feedback)

Sooke Development Cost Charges Update (2021/22)
Enabling legislation: Local Government Act, Section 19 - items 559 onwards 
Province of BC: Development Cost Charges
DCC Guide for Elected Officials 
​DCC Best Practices Guide 
Municipal Development Works Agreements 

District of Sooke DCC website page

Sooke Development Cost Charges Bylaw #775 (adopted July 12, 2022) 
- Road Program Projects – Pg 14
- Sanitary Program Projects – Pg 19
- Storm Program Projects – Pg 25
- Parks Program Projects – Pg 30
 
- Final Development Cost Charge Background Report (Urban Systems, 2021)
- Sooke DCC Brochure (Nov. 2022) 
- Let's Talk Sooke DCC page

Sooke Development Permit Approval Review (2021/23)
Sooke's building and development community continue to call, as builders in every municipality across the country routinely do, for reduced red tape and faster permit turnarounds. They've been doing so since at least 2009 in my research and likely for many years earlier. 

Following the release of the province's Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR) report in 2019 (scroll down for granular details on its findings), funding was made available through the UBCM Development Permit Approvals Program.  

Sooke's successful application netted a $494k grant  in Sept. 2021 that enables a top-to-bottom analysis and revamp of our permitting system based on recommendations from the 2019 report.  
- We are one of 43 BC local governments to get this DAPR funding
- The Ministry of Housing shared this update during last month's Housing Summit.) 

Since work on this grant began in later 2021, consultants have teamed with District staff to draft a new Development and Standards Bylaw and review the Building Permit application process.

​A progress report was presented at the council meeting of Dec. 12, 2022.  Staff have been training up on new digital review software (Tempest and Bluebeam Revu) as we heed the province's stated commitment to become a North American leader in digital permitting as the best possible way to speed up the process.

A follow-up report incuding a building permit process review conducted by LMH Consulting was included on pp. 5-23 of council's Feb. 27, 2023 agenda. 

- DOS service delivery fixes (timelines, roles and responsibilities) 
- e-application technology implementation 
- policies for incomplete applications (reject them at the get-go and clearly provide direction on what's required)
- education for staff and applicants 

The next step is a public (read: building/development sector primarily) engagement process to be led by a consultant drawn our way by this recent Request for Proposals. As you'll read therein (pp. 8/9), the District is seeking qualified professionals to assess development application processes and review current bylaws, staff capacity, communications tools and information technology. They are to engage with internal and external stakeholders, deliver and implement recommendations. Staff recommends that the contract be awarded to Urban Systems. 

Staff must deliver a final UBCM report by the March 15, 2024 deadline. 

Other communities with DAPR processes underway or completed include:  
- Regional District of Nanaimo - Oct. 2022 (see agenda pp. 80-176 for KPMG report) 
- Sunshine Coast Regional District (contract awarded to KMPG in Dec. 2022)
- Village of Cumberland Development Permits Approval Modernization (council report, March 27, 2023)
​- City of Fernie (consultant: McElhanney)
​- Town of Comox (final report, Jan. 2023)  
​- City of Vancouver: Permitting Improvement Program 
 
- City of Coquitlam DAPR + 2021 Progress Report Card (collaboration with Urban Development Institute) 
"The City previously handled its development planning referral process – during which applications are reviewed by internal departments and external agencies – through a labour-intensive process involving email and spreadsheets. Tracking was challenging and the manual steps slowed down turnaround times ... To streamline the review process, Coquitlam introduced a Granicus digital platform that stores all project data, automates communications to and from reviewers, consolidates responses, generates reports, flags issues and tracks processing times. The result has been a savings of up to 100 hours per project. Since 2019, the average time between development application submission and issuing of the first review letter has been reduced by 40 per cent."

- The City of Kelowna is the first to look at AI as a means to speed-up building processes and has promised to share its findings with all BC local governments. 

BC's Development Permit Process Review (2019)
All of the above localized reports address the challenges and recommendations identified in the final report of the Development Permit Process Approvals Review.  (Press release.) This consultation with builders associations, local governments, non-profit housing societies and others was recommended by the Horgan government's Homes For BC housing affordability masterplan a year earlier.  

At the outset, the review established a set of "effective and efficient" guiding principles ...  
1. ACHIEVES OUTCOMES IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: The approvals process is set up to support development that is strategically aligned with adopted community plans, supports community values, is strategically aligned with the public interest and results in high-quality built environments.
2. CERTAINTY: The requirements, timeframes and costs of development approvals are clearly outlined and communicated in advance or as early as possible in the application process. The expectations remain consistent throughout the process.
3. TRANSPARENT ACCESS TO INFORMATION: Decisions during the approval process are documented and communicated in a clear and timely manner. Application status is accessible to proponents and to all staff involved in the approval process. The public is informed.
4. COLLABORATIVE: Local governments and applicants work collaboratively to achieve desired outcomes. Where public involvement is appropriate, the process seeks public input early in the process and in an informed manner.
5. FLEXIBLE: The process achieves consistency while providing flexibility that enables developments in line with these guiding principles. Flexibility also allows for and even rewards innovation.
6. TIMELY: The development approval process occurs on timeframes that are appropriate to the level of complexity of the application. All parties, including local governments, proponents, provincial agencies, professionals, and others involved in the application process, provide needed input in a timely manner.
7. BALANCED: The development approval process strives to achieve a fair balance of costs and benefits to the public and the proponent.

The challenges common to builders and local governments across BC ... 
- incomplete or poor-quality submissions by applicants;
- increased complexity of building requirements; 
- inconsistent development permit guidelines; 
- contradictory advice from different local-government departments; 
- lack of transparency on the status of development applications; 
- lack of consistency of requirements between neighbouring local governments.

Appendix 7 (pp. 22-29) lists high priority ways to address these challenges ... cut-and-pasting from the report: 

* Lengthy and complicated internal staff development approvals process 
- Training and best practice guide to be used to optimize process
- Local governments make the internal process of development applications more effective and efficient

* Incomplete and poor-quality applications 
-  Developer training & best practices guide prepared by private sector with local government input.
- Local government to implement process changes to establish effective “gatekeeping” to keep poor quality applications from being received

* Inconsistencies between neighbouring municipal practices
- Create model development application checklists accessible by any local government
- Harmonize bylaws with neighbouring municipalities when possible

* Lack of funding/staff resources for development processes
- Local governments to increase staffing 

* Shortage of building officials
- Province and local governments to work with the Building Officials’ Association of B.C. to provide more opportunities for training, encourage transfers from related positions, allow local governments to train in-house
- Local governments to pursue building official retention and recruitment by creating a positive, healthy work environment, improve compensation package, consider sharing a pool of workers within a region 

* Staff delegation 
- Increase councils’ ability to delegate individual development approvals, including reframing legislation to make delegation the default with opt-in option for elected official review

* Public hearings
- Provincial review of public hearings and consideration of alternative options for more meaningful, earlier public input and in different formats

* OCP amendments and housing targets 
- Provincial policy review of OCPs with respect to development approvals - adoption process, update requirements, recommended levels of detail, streamlined process for minor amendments
- Provincial policy review to consider tying development approvals to housing targets

* Development Cost Charges and Community Amenity Contributions
- Provincial consideration of more reliable funding from senior government for municipal infrastructure to reduce dependency on development cost charges and community amenity contributions
- Pending more funding, local government best practice for the use of development cost charges and community amenity contributions including method of calculation (lift or fixed), early notice to owners/developers, fairness, in-stream protection

* Onerous local government requirements 
- Internal training on maintaining balance on requirements imposed through the development approval process

* Social housing 
- Recognizing social benefits (affordable/ special needs housing) as community amenities

* Subdivisions and Approving Officer
- Develop enhanced communication materials about subdivision processes for elected officials and the public.
- Prepare plain language guidance and checklists to explain the process.

* Preliminary reviews
- Develop model Preliminary Layout Approval review letters that give early direction and help avoid unexpected impacts on developer later in process

* Changes to Building Code
- Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Review policy for building code changes, including opportunities to provide in-stream protection, potential to provide earlier notice of upcoming changes and increased education to accompany changes. To support innovation, the Building and Safety Standards Branch could review opportunities to enable faster local government approval of innovative alternative solutions

* BC Hydro Engagement 
- Applicants to include early engagement with BC Hydro / utilities to avoid delays as a best practice

* Lack of training 
- Provide training on the development approval process for all participants involved in development applications and approvals (council members, planners, engineers, Approving Officers, fire prevention, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, health authorities, developers, etc.)

* Lack of access to and awareness of materials
- Create development approvals portal (similar to the BC Energy Step Code portal)


Building in Sooke
+ more (list in progress) 

- Alair Homes
- Anderson General (Roy Anderson) 
- Bigfoot Contracting (Tray Spaidal) 
- Bodnar Construction (Mike Bodnar) 
- Clark's Quality Construction
- Clarkston Construction (Paul Clarkston)
​- Coltart Construction
- Colibri Construction (Luke)
- Fenway Construction (Kevin Berger)
- Forget Construction (Mark Forget) 
- Haldane Homes (Herb Haldane)
- Island Elite Homes (Kevin Maycock)
​- Largo Construction
- Len Banner Construction
- Living Land Development
- Marsden Group (Patrick Marsden)
​- Martin Swift Construction
- Osa Construction 
- Rob Reid Construction
​- Sooke Bay Construction (Josh)
​- Stellar Homes (Geoff Steele)
- West Coast Design (Randy Clarkston, Laurie Wallace) 
- Yates Construction

Larger-Scale Developers
- Agius Builders (Grasslands, Meadowlands) 
- Aragon Properties (Wadams Farm) 
​- Butler Family (Erinan Estates + next phase)
- Farrell Estates (West Ridge Trails phases 1/2/3) 
- GT Mann Contracting (commercial/residential at former Mulligans) 
- Mid America Venture Capital (Country Grocer project near Hope Centre, rezoning) 
- Seacliff Properties (Bayshore Village, formerly known as Harbourview)
- Sunriver Estates 
- Totangi Properties (Woodland Creek) 
​- Westbrook Consulting (Viewpointe Estates + website)
- WestUrban Development (west-side, Brownsey Blvd.) 
- The Wild Group (Melrick Place) 

Miscellaneous
- 4M Bobcat and Trucking (Dave and Darcy McClimon)
- 660 Hardwood Flooring 
- J.E. Anderson and Associates (land development, surveying, engineering) 
- Butler Concrete and Aggregate (Travis Butler) 
- Compass Electric (Brian Banner)
​- DJ Fencing (David Peters) 
​- Drywall Medic 
- Gladiator Drywall (Blue Vasseur, Andy Turnbull) 
- Good Neighbours Fencing  
- Homewise Plumbing and Drainage 
- K.O. Exteriors 
- Menard Plumbing and Heating (Mike Menard) 
​- Northern Star Plumbing (Rob Brown) 
- Ocean Breeze Drywall (Russell Davies) 
- PLAN Contracting (Doug and Kelby Wittich) 
- RR Roof Rider (Vincent Cummings) 
- Sasquatch Home/Heat Pump Services 
- Sooke Gutter 

Edward Milne Community School TASK (Trades Awareness Skills and Knowledge) Program 
- "EMCS program forges new path for trades" (SNM, Oct. 15, 2020)
- Apprenticeships 
- Camosun College Dual Credit + SNM article (2013)

From the May 23, 2023 SD #62 Board agenda ... 
"SD62 Trades Awareness and Skills K-12 (TASK) Youth Work Awards. TASK is dedicated to fostering the growth and development of students interested in pursuing careers in the trades. Here are some notable accomplishments:
- Graduates: 26 graduates from all four SD62 Secondary Schools. The graduation ceremony witnessed over 80 attendees, including district staff, students, families, employers, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Child Care, Skilled Trades BC, and our valued community partners.
- Total Apprenticeship Hours: Over 30,000 hours reflect the commitment of our students to gain practical experience and develop valuable skills in their chosen trades.
- Red Seal Trades: Training in trades such as Carpenter, Cook, Electrician, Sheet Metal, HF Insulator, Autobody Tech, Metal Fabricator, and Welder, enabling students to gain expertise and industry-recognized certifications.
- Employer/mentor sponsors: Compass Electric, Farmer Construction, BC Regional Council of Carpenters, House of Boateng, White Spot, Mr. Mikes, Jacks Place, Flynn Canada, Wild Mountain, Composite Builders, Bin 4, Ocean West Marine, Tower Fence, and Fix Auto. 
- Four new programs in 2023/24: Two construction programs, one metal program, and a new automotive program. These expansions will accommodate up to 72 students annually." 

District of Sooke Planning and Building Departments
Responsibilities include long-range and current land-use planning; review of development proposals; providing council with advice on planning-related matters; building approvals and inspection services; and community marketing and investment. 

"Planning ensures that the OCP is relevant to evolving community priorities. It is responsible for the preparation of detailed planning studies and bylaws including, but not limited to, the Zoning Bylaw, Town Centre Plan and Housing Needs Report. This service area plays a key role in creating and supporting the implementation of the Building Bylaw, Transportation Master Plan, Parks and Trails Master Plan, Sooke 2030: Climate Action Plan, Community Economic Development Strategy and other documents that impact land development in Sooke."  

- Official Community Plan and Amendments
- Zoning Bylaw amendments (rezoning)
- Development Permit applications
- Agricultural Land Commission applications
- Development Variance Permit applications
- Housing agreements
- Sign permit appications
- Temporary Use Permits
- Building permits 
​- Input on building and subdivision applications 

Director of Planning and Development: Matthew Pawlow 
Manager of Community Planning: TBD (now hiring)
Senior Planners: Lauren Mattiussi,  Tara Johnson (mat leave until this fall) 
Senior Planning Technician: Kevin Kaiser
Community Economic Development Officer: Gail Scott 
Planning and Development Administrator: Susan Dyble 

Chief Building Official: TBD with recent retirement of Stan Dueck 
Building Official II: Tony Bastone, Brad Metzger
Building Official I: Vacant
Building Official Auxillary Pool: TBD

"Reporting to the Chief Building Official, the Building Officials are responsible for reviewing, processing, and issuing building permits, and providing technical information and assistance, as it relates to fire protection, life safety systems, building structures, health of occupants and energy efficiency, and ensure compliance with building codes, acts, bylaws, standards, and regulations."

"Building Officials are  responsible for overseeing that building and plumbing permits are issued and inspections are completed. (These inspections are) conducted in accordance with the provisions of the District Building Bylaw for compliance with the Provincial Building and Plumbing Codes, with the objective of protecting the health nd safwety of the public." (from the 2022 Council Orientation Manual) 

Delegated Authority: Guidelines for Decision-Making by Staff and/or Council  
As per Sooke Development Permit Delegation Bylaw No. 705 (2018), section 4

The Director of Planning and Development has been delegated the authority to consider for approval the following development permits:
a) Any single-family residential developments;
b) Any multi-family residential developments;
c) Commercial, industrial or institutional development with 2500 square metres or less of gross floor area;
 d) Development permits required for the subdivision or alteration of land, or construction of, addition to or
alteration of a building or structure; and
e) Amendments to existing development permits that do not exceed the authority granted in parts a, b, c or d.
 
The following development permits are exempt from the above and require consideration by Council. Development permits that:
i. Vary a Bylaw (Development Permit Variance applications);
ii. Form part of a Phased Development Agreement;
iii. Are within the Official Community Plan Development Area (DPA) #1 Town Centre;
iv. Are within a Comprehensive Development Zone in the Sooke Zoning Bylaw; and/or;
v. Are on lands owned by the District of Sooke. 

From May 23, 2023 Quarterly Planning and Development Report to council ...  
- In 2022, local governments within the south island were recruiting for over 100 various positions within planning and building departments.
- Up until recently, minimal interest was being shown in developing the waterfront. Staff are fielding more pre-application meetings to implement the OCP/Town Centre Plan.

Sooke resident suggestion for "reforming" the system ... 
~ From mistrust to trust
~ From precedence to case-by-case
~ From governments’ liability to service providers’ responsibility
~ From virtually complete risk adverse safety standards to risk assessment reasonability
~ From detailed uniform, prescriptive procedural, regulatory and technical rules to principles and objectives applied by professionals

BC Construction Industry 
- BC construction data (housing starts, house sales, building permits issued) 
- BC Major Projects ($20m+) Inventory (4Q - 2022; see pp. 18-20 for Vancouver Island) 
- Construction industry profile (WorksBC) 
​- Construction industry overview 
- CMHC Housing Markets, Data and Research 
- BC Residential Building Statistics and Trends Report (BC Housing, 2020) 
- WelcomeBC Immigration portal 

- Fastest Growing Industries: Construction (Vancouver Public Library, 2021) 
"Over the period 2021-2030, industry growth increases the labour force by more than 18,600 workers – up 10% compared to 2020. Industry must also address the need to replace an aging workforce, with an estimated 41,000 workers, or 22% of the current labour force, expected to retire. Combining retirement and expansion demands, the construction industry will need to recruit close to 59,650 workers over the coming decade. This demand may be partially met by up to 35,150 new entrants under the age of 30 available locally, but a significant portion of remaining demand will need to be drawn from other industries or other provinces." 

BC Construction Association
- BC Construction Industry Survey (2022) + PDF + Stat Pack infographic 
- mentorship program 
- BC Builders Code 
- Acceptable Worksite Policies -- Smaller Employers + Larger Developers 
​- Immigration Trends in the Construction Sector (2020)

Vancouver Island Construction Association 
Affiliated with the BC Construction Association: "We currently represent 450+ members. Our members represent 90% of the institutional, commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential construction sectors on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and coastal BC ... BidCentral, a suite of web-based products and services for the complete construction bidding process." 

Victoria Residential Builders Association 
- Contractor Listings 
- Trades/Suppliers/Services listings 

BC Building Trades 
"Established in 1967, the BC Building Trades represents 25 local craft construction unions belonging to 13 international unions. There are more than 45,000 unionized construction workers in B.C." 

Independent Contractors and Businesses Association 
"Representing 4,000 entrepreneurs, businesspeople, skilled construction professionals, independent contractors, sub-trades, and responsible resource development companies – who together employ 150,000 Canadians."

Careers in Construction website (BuildForce Canada) 
​- Types of Construction 
​- Construction Activity Across Canada (map) 
- Mythbusting 

- Construction Cost Index Calculator (Butterfield Development Consultants, Vancouver) 
Sample: Single Family Home, On Grade, Up to 2500 s.f., Medium Quality, in Victoria: Estimated Cost per Square Foot: $338.10 (incl. PST). The above represents the expected on-site construction costs in a normal, competitive environment. Areas are based on above ground, gross floor, calculations. Costs should be adjusted for site specific conditions." (no indication of when this calculator was last updated for current pricing) 

Miscellaneous 
Sooke Coverage 
- Sooke Builders Association Forms In Response to Frustration With City Hall (SNM, May 4, 2023)
- Sooke Aims to Slash Building Permit Delays (SNM, Feb. 17, 2022)
- Sooke Building Permit Application Backlog Hits Three Months (SNM, Feb. 9, 2022) 
- Building Permit Frustration At Boiling Point (SNM, March 19, 2019)
- Sooke Workers Struggle to Find Housing (SNM, Nov. 30, 2017)
- Waterfront Permit Issue Makes Waves (SNM, June 15, 2011)

Geoff Steele letter to the Mirror (May 11, 2023) ...  "The Sooke Builders Association is a newly incorporated non-profit society made up of home builders, subtrades, construction consultants and land developers building in Sooke.We aim to work together with the District of Sooke and other governing bodies to support quality construction and development in the area, and address issues impacting the industry. 

Our goal is to create a positive partnership with Sooke council and staff to get things done in a cooperative way by discussing concerns and working together to resolve problems. We recognize frustrations from both the public and staff as we navigate through the growing pains that Sooke has encountered over the years.

We believe that multiple voices coming at the district is not productive and hope that this association can help alleviate some of the burden that Sooke is dealing with right now on top of being understaffed.

We understand that council is looking at hiring a new CAO and we’re encouraged that the review of the new OCP will be part of their mandate.

We are very excited to be meeting with the Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon and hear, firsthand, about the government’s strategies for fast-tracking the delivery of new homes, increasing the supply of middle-income housing and how we can help those with the greatest housing needs.

Having the mayor, council and senior staff attend, will be a big part of the meeting and a great start to our partnership in creating a structure to support our growing community now and in the future."

Provincial News 
- "BC construction industry expected to cool in 2023/24 amidst high interest rates" (Castanet, May 4, 2023)
- "Residential sector poised to drive growth to 2032" (BuildForce Canada, April 28, 2023) 
- "BC government new investment in construction job training" (Business In Vancouver, April, 2023) + BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction press release 
- "Province announces one-stop-shop for homebuilding permits" (Times Colonist, January 2023) + Cautious Optimism
-  "New report outlines tough times ahead for BC construction industry" (Journal of Commerce, Nov. 2022) 
- "BC construction industry to lose 25,000 workers by 2028 due to retirement" (CITY News, May 2022) 
- "Revolutionizing BC's construction industry" (Douglas Magazine, Aug. 2022) 
- "Pressure building on construction industry bottom lines" (Business In Vancouver, Oct. 2022)
- "CHBA BC's Benchmarking Study Reveals Average 13-14 Month Wait Time for Building Permits" (Business Examiner, Oct. 24, 2022) 

- BC Chamber of Commerce re: Development Permit Timelines (2020) + DAPR (2022) 

- "Slow permit processes undermine Canada's competitiveness" (The Orca, Feb. 2020)
"In the length of time it takes to get a general construction project approved, Canada ranks 34 out of 35 OECD countries. It’s a telling and embarrassing statistic for a G7 economy. It takes nearly 250 days to get a permit in Canada – three times (168 days) longer than our competitors in the United States. In the OECD, only the Slovak Republic takes longer." (Chris Gardener, president, Independent Contractors and Businesses Association) 

​- "Want to See A Grown Man Cry? Try getting a building permit in Vancouver" (The Province, Sept. 22, 2022)
- "Developers in South Okanagan can expect delays" (Keremeos Review, July 2022) 
- "Extremely High volume of building permit delays in North Vancouver" (North Shore Post, March, 2022) 
- "No Progress On Planning Bottlenecks at City Hall" (London Free Press, Jan. 26, 2023) 
- "Permit Application Backlog Prompts White Rock to Seek Outside Help" (Surrey Leader, Feb. 2023) 
​

My notes from presentation by Canadian Urban Institute's Mary Rowe at the South Island Prosperity Project's Rising Economy Local Government Day, Nov. 15, 2022 

- "Urban planning is generally too predictive and too restrictive ... local governments have the false notion that they can control everything"

- "Municipalities must try harder to get out of the way ... They should enable and encourage more. Must learn to take risks, and yet governments of course are absolutely risk-averse. Ask the question: How can we get the balance right?" 

- "The pilot project is your best tool. Try them in a modest way: experiment with a different kind of speed bump or design look in a certain place." 
 
- "Human pattern settlement is often self-organized and a matter of trial and error ... You want to create conditions for people to take a flyer. Some things work, others fail. Local governments need to be more flexible and enable innovation.  Just try stuff!" 

- Example of the NORC (Naturally Organizing Retirement Community). <clip> "A NORC is more than just a housing design. In the case of New York’s program, NORCs coordinate a broad range of health and social services to help support older residents to age in their own homes. NORCs do so by facilitating and integrating the health and social services already available in the community while organizing additional services and supports necessary to help meet the goal of enabling older adults to remain in their community."


From my Jan. 24, 2021 blog post, shared in anticipation of a new such committee being formed later this year
Land Use and Development Committee 
This will be third time a Land Use Committee has been struck over the last decade. First was the Land Use & Environment Committee during Mayor Milne's term (2011-2014). Designed like the Finance & Administration Committee of the time to be a strong adjunct of council, 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 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. 
 
Council received a draft Building Regulation Bylaw in mid-February (see agenda, pp. 27-91). The COVID-delayed public engagement process outlined back then is moving ahead now with this month's survey and Thursday evening's feedback session intended for local builders and developers.  This is on top of earlier informal consultation, as noted in the staff report early this year: "This new edition of the bylaw has been under development for over one year, starting at the Development & Land Use Committee, followed by a heavy internal review, fulsome discussions with all affected staff and the building community, as well as several legal reviews throughout the process."  

(That said, there is definite pushback in the survey responses to the proposal that the new bylaw launch Sooke at Step Code level three. Echoing sharply critical feedback heard when the code was introduced in 2017, the Victoria Residential Builders' Association summarized its objections recently, noting "our builder’s estimate of the added cost for a BC Step Code Tier 3 home is $28,000 not including overhead. The home was modeled by a Certified Energy Advisor and this was the lowest cost option. The BC government has previously claimed the added cost is $3,945 for Tier 3." Housing affordability and margins are the issue. The VRBA is calling for BC to adhere to guidelines in the next update of the National Building Code of Canada expected in December.) 

With the OCP underway and a new zoning bylaw to emerge from it, the timing is definitely right for a new Land Use committee. It shapes up to be more balanced and inclusive than those in the past with one member each ideally coming from the following sectors: 

* Land Development Communitiy
* Home Builders Community
* Business Community
* Agricultural Community
* Environmental Climate Change Community
* Ocean and Fisheries
* Plus two members at large, one councillor and, in her ex-offico capacity, Mayor Tait. 

As the draft TOR states ... 

"Mandate: The objectives of the Committee are to encourage adherence to District of Sooke land use policies, and when presented with alternative solutions to achieving the strategic goals of the organization, provide policy recommendations or best practices to achieve the desired priorities. Topics for consideration:

• Secondary Suites
• Town Centre Development
• Shoreline-Waterway Interface
• Development Incentives
• Subdivision and Development Standards
• Sub-Regional Land Use Planning
• Agricultural Land Reserve Parcels
• Official Community Plan Analytics
• Zoning Bylaw Updates" 

Committee members
Councillor Tony St-Pierre (chair)
Susan Belford
Brian Butler
Paul Clarkston
Katarina Duke
Dave McClimon
Kyle Topelko

End of term report to council
(minutes, April 2022; presented to COW on June 20) 
​
"- climate action was not considered sufficiently during the committee's term;
- the community is well represented through a diverse and informed membership;
- members possess both expertise and passion;
- members had hoped to contribute more to the OCP's final draft;
- all recommendations have been acknowledged as valuable by Council;
- 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.

Subsequent to that meeting, further feedback was offered by a committee member in writing. In summary:
- members should be carefully selected for their subject-matter expertise to ensure appropriate and informed recommendations;
- responses to staff reports or items referred by Council should be sought from members who's expertise is relevant to the topic; and
- 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: 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) 


2012-14 notes from Land Use & Environment committee meetings ... 
Committee was formed by Mayor Milne in Jan. 2012. Meetings begin in February.  At first meeting, the committee identified priorities and working process ... 

"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." 

Need for "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). 

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. 

June 18, 2012  Item 4 ... 48 Hour Building Permit Processing. Committee discussion: 
"~ current process for applications with incomplete/pending information - staff work with the applicants.
~ builders required to have engineering documents related to trusses with 48 hour building permits - imposes additional costs to builders 
~ timeline for implementing 48-hour turnaround for building permits - additional training to staff is required/builders must be willing to provide the required documentation
~ financial impacts - council is not opposed to additional training
~ further cost implications to the District: only additional training of staff
~ builders currently wait up to 5 weeks for a building permit to be issued - need a more streamlined process to allow builders to conduct their business - onus is on the builder to provide the required documentation
~ covenants and requirements from other departments/governmental agencies must be addressed at time of or prior to building permit submission

MOVED to direct staff to obtain further input from the builders and affected parties in Sooke with respect to possible cost implications for 48 hour building permits and report back to Committee
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY" 

Nov. 19, 2012 "Randy Clarkston, Sooke resident, advised that the referral process for the District of Sooke is approximately 4 to 8 months whereas most other municipalities have a 30-day referral process." 

Feb. 18, 2013 Councillor Pearson requests that staff provide a report to committee on the 48 hour building permit process. Committee discussion ...
~ "eliminate requirements for submitting BCLS, Geotch, Truss drawings etc before a building permit is issued"
~ "ensure the requirements & process does not incur further costs to the applicant"
~ "ensure improved process for contractors, homeowners, residents." 
~ "streamline process"
~ "ensure the resident/purchaser is well protected" 

"Clarkston advised that with all the new changes in the Building Code and the requirements of BP applications, permits are going to cost approx. $10k. If engineers are required to sign off on all documentation, this will not provide for affordable housing." 

May 21, 2013 Councillor Pearson reported that a service review is currently underway by Mr. Howie, which will include recommendations to ensure improvements to processing timeframes." 

June 17, 2013 "CAO Gord Howie explained that the reason for a delay in the application process is sometimes due to incomplete applications, sometimes a lack of communication between both parties (staff and applicant) in sorting out what the interpretation of something may be." 

By fall, focus has shifted to work on what would become Bylaw 404 - Subdivision & Standards Bylaw #404, replacing Bylaw #65. No further mention of a 48-hour BP process nor any further reference to the promised staff report prior to what seems to be last meeting of the committee on April 22, 2014 (at which a preliminary draft of Bylaw #404 was presented). 


Comparison shopping re: municipal building permit website presence 
Inspired by a panel discussion on housing and permitting at the 2022 UBCM Conference in Whistler. Preliminary conclusion so far: Sooke's website content, checklists and advisories are absolutely solid for professional eyes, but not as accessible nor clearly communicated as some other municipal examples. 
 
SOOKE Our website home page for building is titled "Building Safety" and it's there that you will find drop-down links to application forms, advisories and bulletins. 
- Building Permit page
- Building Permit application form (15 pages with seven separate permit checklists) 
- Sooke advisory example (secondary suites) for comparative purposes

SIDNEY The overall website category is titled "Building Permits and Inspections" 
- Development Permit application (three pages, with checklist)
- Applicants in Sidney are directed to this how-to brochure
- Sidney advisory example (secondary suites) is a two-pager without extensive detail

SUMMERLAND Former Mayor Toni Boot stated (according to my UBCM notes): "Target for permit-turnaround in Summerland reduced to three weeks. If applicant does not get a permit within 30 days, they get a 20 percent reduction in fees."  The new system emerged through review by a "Development Process Advisory Committee comprised of reps from Chamber, building community, financial institutions and the designer/architect community." 
- Overall website category is titled “Planning and Building”
- that page leads to "Building" 
- Building Permit page + BP application form (9 pages with at-a-glance check list prominent):
- Summerland Secondary Suite info brochure  
- User-friendly guide for what to expect in the Part 9 building permit process: 

PARKSVILLE  Former Mayor Ed Mayne stated at UBCM: “What developers want from a local government is an open for business attitude backed by proven and reliable customer service.”
 - The department title is “Community Planning and Building” 
- Under “Building Department” is a PDF list of general information advisories and forms
- Planning Applications and Fees page: 
- Development Permit application (includes three checklists: main list + “sustainable community builder checklist” and “accessible community builder checklist” … also, unlike others, includes a schedule of current application fees)  
​- Parksville secondary suite advisory - version 1 + version 2 

Images: Sooke Planning and Development Quarterly Report, May 23, 2023 

Aftermath: Council voted unanimously in favour of the DP with variances following a 2.5 hour discussion with the applicants, staff and an extended period of public comment. Several of us expressed strong reservations regarding the lack of a site plan for future phases and the drive-thru component while also recognizing Seacliff had the necessary zoning as per 2009's CD-7 zone. I didn't raise the blue-sky proposal below because I asked staff for clarity about the reduced amenity areas in this phase one and heard that these requirement will be exceeded in future phases as per the exact requirements of the zoning. Views from Sooke Road apart from glimpses at the Goodmere Rd. entrance will be lost (though Cllrs Lajeunesse and Pearson noted that they couldn't see the ocean from Sooke Elementary when they were students there in the '60s and '70s); the commercial area's plaza, on the other hand, will have views of the harbour/basin for those visiting on foot and, in future, when using the future public pathways leading to the waterfront. The public feedback was mixed. Many echoed the concerns in the correspondence received beforehand; others (including the Sooke Chamber of Commerce) noted that the current property is a blank slate that should be developed in spurring town-centre mixed-use commercial/residential density as intended in Sooke's current OCP and Town Centre Plan.  


Original post: May 23, 2023
I want to publish this one before tonight's meeting, so apologies for the sprawl and a promise to do the necessary corrections, clarifications, typo and grammatical surgery, etc. in future ... 

Structure: 
1. Summary points
2. Introduction
3. Four variances in the CD-7 Zone to be deliberated tonight 
4. Property history
5. 2009-2023 timeline
6. Seacliff Properties 
7. Site details in general and tonight's Phase A proposal in particular 
8. List of reports prepared for the current and original applications
9. Public Pushback and Alternative Visions
10. Minutes from related 2009-2012 council meetings
11. Final thoughts for now 

Key points 
1. The CD-7 zoning applicable to the Seacliff Properties development permit was approved in June, 2009. That zoning is based on the full-scale masterplan provided by the original developer. It includes nature trails, boardwalk, marina and environmental protection areas (the cormorant-nesting trees). It was conceived in context of the 2001 OCP.

2. The applicant is sharing its plan for the upper-tier, Sooke Road-facing portion of the property only. No details nor commitments are provided for future phases.

3. The application is legal as per the approved zoning and wouldn't be coming to council if not for four requested variances. Regulatory "certainty" is the number one ask of the building/development community, and the CD-7 zone provides it.  

4. There's been significant community pushback in recent weeks.  This notably includes a letter signed by all members of the 2020-22 OCP Advisory Committee, who write in part:  "The developer's request for a building height of eight storeys, as well as drive-thru commercial, is contrary to the community's views expressed to us during the planning process and the 2022 draft OCP ... Please stay consistent with our community's vision and decline this proposal."

5. The proposal, IMO, is entirely solid and professional but lacking Sooke flavour and is business-as-usual urban routine. This spectacular, strategically important town-centre location demands something extraordinary for this and future generations. 

6. Unlike the original applicants during the rezoning process and at the public hearing nearly 15 years ago, Seacliff has held no open houses nor done any public engagement (as per its right given it has legal zoning)

7. We, as a community working with the applicant and the zoning, can arguably do better. 

My possible (quite likely naive but logical, I think) ask tonight
* That council deny the variances (on grounds related to the drastic lack of amenity space required by the zoning)

* This would give the District a period of grace to get our #Sooke house in order (i.e., completion of the Official Community Plan and a substantial start on the new zoning bylaw and refreshed Town Centre Plan)

* Creation of a task force focused on the town centre core and TC transitional designations comprised of reps from council, the District, the Sooke Builders Association, the Chamber, School District #62, developers and other players identified in the Terms of Reference. 

* This group (effectively a Town Centre Plan committee) would blue-sky how the OCP and other master-plan policies, values and practices could be applied. What is the best possible outcome for Sooke? 

* Once the task force reports out, we compare the resultant Made-In-Sooke/T'Sou-ke vision with the current proposal, see where the synchronicities align and renew the discussion. (Seacliff might even welcome a pause given that its hands must be full elsewhere with its massive west-shore Royal Beach, Westview and City Gate projects.)  

Okay that said, onwards with what i prepared this weekend ... 
It was envisioned as a game-changer for Sooke's waterside town-centre east end 14 years ago.  Yet Mariner's Village didn't progress beyond the first-phase mix of condos and town homes we're familiar with today. The five-storey building with its courtyard and sea views was a first taste of the density called for by our Town Centre Plan, adopted mere weeks before Mike Barrie's ill-fated six-phase project received its own zone (CD-7) within the Zoning Bylaw.

​That first cluster of 91 units was followed by the remarkable waterfront Harbourside and West Wind Harbour co-housing projects. Otherwise all has remained pretty quiet south of Sooke Road apart from rumours, flowering real estate signs and tentative first steps. 

The pregnant pause is over. WestUrban's pair of mixed-use commercial/residential buildings have been approved for  the westside of Brownsey Blvd. and green construction fencing now rings the property.  Slimline town homes are beginning to pop up on Aragon's Wadams Farm project at Church and Wadams. And the BC Housing modular complex across from Art Morris Park on Charters is open (now 30% occupied) with the twinned larger buildings on Drennan to follow in 2024. 

Now Vancouver-based Seacliff Properties is seeking a development permit with variations for the upper tier, Sooke Road-fronting portion of the former Mariner's Village  at Tuesday night's council meeting (see agenda, pp. 5-188). Future development sites in this immediate area are to on the west side of Goodmere and on the northeast-side of Sooke Road. Sooke Elementary School is also due for a major rethink/rebuild. 

The assumption is Seacliff will continue onwards in future with full development of the site in fulfilling the requirements of the CD-7 zone (agenda pp. 59-69), yet I'm not aware of any written commitments or references by the applicant to future phases of what it now calls Harbourview.  [This lack of clarity about its intentions for the property as a whole beyond the area now under consideration is a concern. The feedback from the T'Sou-ke First Nation (pg. 82) states as much: "The extent of the project is unclear (e.g., the project footprint) and requires clarification ... Please can the District of Sooke provide a description of the number of phases associated with the project and show extent of these on a map that also shows the archaeological site, the cormorant rookery and marine setback."  Agreed.]

Browsing the agenda from pg. 117 onwards, you'll see resident correspondence citing significant concerns about the project's impacts.

i) Eradication, in large part, of the current, character-defining postcard view of the harbour and basin from Sooke Road. (Interestingly, this view wasn't available until the current zoning was enacted and the roadside homes and vegetation was removed. But now over this last decade it has become a defining part of the Sooke experience)

ii) The addition of another drive-thru fast-food and drink enterprise to Sooke Road.

iii) The prospect of our first-ever eight-storey apartment building (duly permitted in the 2009 bylaw. It will front on a new portion of Lanark Road while adding at least 120 more vehicles to an already congested highway.)

On the flipside, it must be noted, nobody is quoting the reasons Mayor Evans and her council championed Mariner's Village as a smart-growth kickstater for mixed-use town-centre development.

Nor why Mayor Milne's council approved a similar, mixed-use development permit (now lapsed) in 2012 for the same phase as Seacliff is trying to advance tonight.  (In a consultant's report from a decade ago, Milne is quoted as saying: "Mariner’s Village creates new economic development opportunities, while providing infill in the town centre, and it reflects the principles of smart growth and good urban design. (It) will transform Sooke, through its revitalization of the town centre, and the creation of the heart of the community, all within an attractive urban space.”)

Scroll to the end of this post for a verbatim record of the minutes from those council and COW meetings. 

The four requested variances that are to be the focus of council's deliberations

1. Screening and Landscaping Requirements: Removal of requirement for 1.5m wide continuous landscaping along Goodmere and Lanark Road

2. Reduction of the minimum allowable Amenity Area from the required 10% (2,680m2, or 28,847 sq. feet) to 0.006% (164m2 or 1,765 sq. ft). (Amenity area in the bylaw under 807.11-d  is defined as "outdoor common space, provided on a lot for use and maintained by the residents of that lot and excludes yards, storage areas, off-street parking, driveways, or areas designated for use by an individual owner, such as Limited Common Property or individual patio/backyard/front yard areas.")

3. Development and maintenance standards for off-street parking: "The seven stratified townhouse units within Building C will be provided with individual garages accessed off of Lanark Rd. that will require them to back onto Lanark Road to exit or enter the parking space." 

4. Subdivision & Standards Bylaw requirement: Reduce width of a sidewalk from 4m to 2m to allow increase in boulevard landscapingn from 0m to 2m. (staff support this provided the applicant maintains the landscaping in perpetuity and that it not be a District responsibilty) 

Without these variances, the application would have been approved by staff as per their otherwise positive review of the zoning requirements (agenda pp. 71-75). [This said, I'm not clear why the OCP's Development Permit Area guidelines weren't reviewed in depth for this application as they were so rigorously with last winter's WestUrban application. I'll need to ask about that.]

A Little History 
From the 2009 archaeological report: "The project area is within the traditional territory of the T’Sou-ke and Scia'new First Nations ... The general subsistence pattern of the T’Sou-ke and Scia’new was focused on salmon fishing. They used reef-nets suspended between two canoes to catch large numbers of salmon. Reef-netting is a highly composite technology that required significant social organization to coordinate. Salmon was dried and stored and provided much of the annual diet. In consort with salmon and other fish species, the T’Sou-ke and Scia’new relied on hunting of deer, waterfowl and sea mammals, and the collection of shellfish and numerous species of edible plants as seasonally available.

In general, there are several medium to large sized shell midden sites along Sooke Harbour. Large middens in the Sooke area are generally interpreted as semi-permanent habitation sites or villages. These sites contain a large number and variety of artifacts and often contain human burials. Shell midden sites have been recorded away from the ocean and likely represent shorter-term camps. Inland non-midden sites are present, but are not as numerous and generally include lithic scatters and burial cairns.

One area of relatively level well to moderately drained terrain was identified in the southwest portion of 6569 Sooke Road and this area was considered to have high archaeological potential. Previously unrecorded archaeological site DcRw 55 was identified in this portion of the study area ... The study area has sustained a significant amount of disturbance from past residential construction, landscaping, service installation and land clearing. Midden deposits have been affected by bioturbation but otherwise appear intact. The lithic artifact identified in the field, just under the sod, was likely transported and deposited from another portion of DcRw 55. Historic debris including glass fragments and a square nail were identified in a few of the subsurface tests in the field. It is possible that this artifact was part of a different site that has since been destroyed as a result of years of land clearing and possible plowing."

Elida Peers prepared a post-settler history of the property as part of the Wittich Environmental report filed a year ago. 
It states that the land was owned circa 1870 by stonemason Jonas Throup and his family. They grew oats and planted an apple orchard, site of the Apple House (later moved to Maple Avenue near Millennium Park and coverted into a single-family home.) A barn on the property housed oxen.

Circa World War I, the property was split into two and roadside homes were built by the Richardson and Duncan families. One half eventually featured the multi-unit Sooke Motel,  built in 1969 and demolished in the 2000s. A roadside commercial building at the current site entrance first housed Richardson Building Supplies and later such tenants as Juan de Fuca Reality, Hallgren and Faulkner Solicitors, the Sooke Mirror newspaper, a florist shop and two drycleaning businesses.  The traffic light at this corner was installed in 2002, Sooke's second.  

2009-2023 Timeline
- March 21, 2009: Mariner's Village public open house
- April 20, 2009: Architect's presentation and overview to council 
- June 29, 2009: Public hearing on rezoning 
- July 13, 2009: Zoning Amendment Bylaw 270-57 adopted
(creating the Mariner's Village CD-7 zone within the Sooke Zoning Bylaw - see pg. 149-160)
 - Feb. 13, 2012: Development Permit issued for "Merchant's Landing," a four-to-six-storey mixed-use building with two floors of  commercial space, one floor of office space and 36 condo residences fronting Sooke Road
- March, 2012: Mariner's Village first phase residential (33 condos, 16 town homes) completed 
- 2015: Enters receivership with $20m debt - 2015 (Times Colonist article + Sooke News Mirror) 
- 2016: Purchased by Rowanwood, sold to Seacliff in ? 
- 2018: Mick Rhodes campaigns on turning the property into a waterfront park (SNM + What Is Your Vision Sooke)
- 2022: Seacliff Properties announces plans for Harbourview project utilizing using CD-7 zoning: July 2022 


Seacliff Properties 
This big-league Vancouver-based developer announced last summer (Times Colonist, Sooke News Mirror) that it had purchased the property from its former owner Rowanwood Capital Corp. Seacliff promised, as the headline said, to "breathe new life into the stalled (MV) Sooke development."

Our waterfront was thus added to Seacliff's sizeable South Island project list, currently topped by City Gate across from the Langford Costco (site of the Island's first Tesla Centre), the Westview housing development on Skirt Mountain and Colwood's Royal Beach (i.e., the waterfront parcel south of Metchosin Road in Royal Bay; it will feature 930 residences and 50 acres of oceanfront parkland). Over three decades the company's been involved with the construction of GM Place and the Bentall Centre in Vancouver, the 2010 Olympic speed-skating oval in Richmond, and Victoria's Hillside Shopping Centre.  

From the press release: "Seacliff Properties is excited to invest long-term in Sooke and move this much-anticipated project ahead. We're looking forward to working with the District to bring the high-quality amenities that will significantly enhance the area and be of great benefit to the citizens of Sooke. Our team is also excited to bring a multi-year employment opportunity which will create a ripple effect of jobs and economic benefits to local businesses."

​[Seacliff clearly recognizes the value of building quality neighbourhood communities. Amenities being provided at the 134-acre Royal Beach development, for instance, include an extensive trail network, a village plaza, outdoor amphitheatre, picnic shelters and BBQ pit, viewpoints and lookouts; public gathering areas, playgrounds and kids splash pads, a dog wash station and off-leash dog are,  outdoor fitness stations and a significant art and culture corridor which highlights the seaside beauty while reflecting on the mining and Songhees First Nations history of the site."]


Site Details in General and this Phase in Particular 
Amenities for the CD-7 zone were pre-determined in 2009 in negotiation with the original owners and are itemized in the bylaw: construction of a public boardwalk (for future connection with the Rotary Pier) and wharf area on the waterfront; a "nature trail" leading through a "green corridor" towards the water from the site's lonely but majestic oak tree; careful preservation of the cormorant-nesting trees; a multi-use public trail descending to the wharf; public washrooms; public art; a fund for flower baskets and banners; and contributions to the affordable housing fund. (Many of these items were costed out in 2009 dollar values, which is unfortunate given the rising costs of everything.) 

This recent Citified article explains the plans for Seacliff's first phase of three buildings -- roadside commercial with drive-thru, a second set of commercial buildings paired with town homes, and (brace yourself) an eight-story rental mid-rise that will translate as six-storeys when viewed from Sooke Road.

All told, the full property is zoned for 194 residences. This phase combined with the 49-units in the original existing building would bring the count to 147. This leaves 47 units for future phases, though it is noted that further density is possible once the zone's amenities are delivered. 

The three buildings proposed: 

* The structure closest to the current site entrance off Sooke Road is to be a one-storey commercial building with four commercial units (576 sq. meters), including a TBD drive-thru business. (Rumoured: Starbucks or a new location for Sooke's existing McDonalds). 

* Further east along Sooke Road will be a three-storey mixed-use building with 1,088m2 (11,711 sq. feet) of commercial space and seven townhomes accessible from Lanark Road. 

* Down the hill at the southern edge of where the food trucks parked these last few years will be an eight-storey building (Sooke's largest to date) featuring 91 multi-family, market-priced rental apartments. 

Aesthetic, environmental and quality of life aspects cited in Tuesday's report include:
- BC Energy Step Code level 2 and 3 construction as per the Sooke Building Code;
- low-carbon concrete to be used in construction (as per the City of Langford's Low Carbon Concrete Policy); ​
- three public art installations;
- a living (green) wall;
- a small amenity area for residents;
- pedestrian passageways through the site;
- raised, speed-bump style crosswalks on Goodmere and Lanark;
- 120 residential parking spaces (1.6 per unit);
- 52 commercial parking spaces;  
- EV charging roughed in for all parking stalls in the rental mid-rise with 12 active EV parking spots and availability of a single stage-2 EV charger;
- the roof of the rental building will be solar ready (but not equipped with panels);
- 98 bike stalls (80% of them indoors for residents);
- simulated wood panelling is to be used on exteriors

A covenant was finalized in 2010 dictating road work to be executed on a TBD schedule by MOTI should the DP be granted at this time:
- second eastbound lane along full frontage of property
- east-bound left turn lane into Sooke Elementary 

From the staff report: "The applicant has provided the community amenity space and pedestrian walkway as a view corridor" (?) 

Additional requirements requested by staff: 
- Rainwater Management Plan 
- Frontage works (sidewalks) on Sooke Road 
- Erosion and sediment control plan 
- Street tree planting plan 
- FireSmart landscape plantings 

T'Sou-ke referral: Acknowledgement that the property's one known archeological site -- a shell midden - was identified in an Archeological Assessment Study and must be treated with care and respect. 

From FOI releases ... 
Documentation prepared for the current DP application for Phase A
- Traffic Impact Assessment (Watt Consulting, July 4, 2022)
- Geotechnical Assessment (C.N. Ryzuk & Associates, May 13, 2022)
- Environmental Assessment (Corvidae Environmental Consulting, July 2022) 
- Harbourview Phase A Development Application (Seacliff, June 2022) 
- Harbourview Design Brief (Islander Engineering, June 30, 2022) 
- Rainwater Management Plan (Islander Engineering, June 30, 2022) 
- Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (WES Environmental, June 8, 2022)
- Sooke Historian Report (Elida Peers, June 3, 2022) 
- Serviceability Review (Stantec Consulting, April 19, 2022) 

Documentation for the original proposal in 2009: 
- Geotechnical Assessment (C.N. Ryzuk & Associates) 
- Conceptual Civil Design (Focus Corp.)
- Rainwater Management Plan (Focus Corp.)
- Environmental Impact Assessment (Trow Associates)
- Archaeological Impact Assessment (I.R. Wilson Consultants) 
- Traffic Impact Assessment (Boulevard) 
- Parking Study 
- Proposed Site Plan 
- Plans re: Marina Expansion, On and off-site servicing
- Merrick Architecture/Focus Development Permit application 


Public Pushback and Alternative Visions
Yes, this is a charged and emotional issue locally.  Council has over the last week received several dozen letters from the public (most included in Tuesday's agenda, pp. 103-188). ​Two-time majoralty candidate Mick Rhodes earned a significant number of votes with his well documented vision of purchasing the land and transforming it into a public park (see his update on pp. 169-179 of tonight's agenda). 

While there was no postcard view from Sooke Road prior to the 2009 rezoning (judging by period aerial photos and my failing memory), we've grown to love the widescreen panorama that was created when the property's existing two roadside buildings and a cedar hedgerow were removed from the edge of Sooke Road along with the motel and its parking lot at the foot of the slope.  

Much if not all of that view will be eradicated with the three new buildings. Correspondents also warn of still more traffic on an increasingly congested Sooke Road at a time when we're still in the relatively early days of building out the Phillips-Throup-Grant Rd. bypass.  

One submission last week that particularly made me jump to attention was signed by all seven members of the 2020-22 OCP Advisory Committee, a VIP group selected by the last council from a stack of applications we'd received. You'll find their letter on pg. 165 of the agenda.

They collectively write: "The developer's request for a building height of eight storeys, as well as drive-thru commercial, is contrary to the communty's views expressed to us during the planning process and the 2022 draft OCP ... The Sooke Basin personifies our community's character. It is a cherished public amenity. It provides potential development opportunities. The creation and embellishment of significant view corridors and green space must be a top priority ... Please stay consistent with our community's vision and decline this proposal."

Substantial submissions have also been received from the Juan de Fuca Community Trails Society,  2022 council candidate Anna Russell and Rhodes himself. Former Lions Club president Loren Christensen is concerned about the pace of growth and the lack of road infrastructure; he asks us to "stop now, let's take a breath!" (aka "the pause that refreshes," as my 2018 campaign slogan put it.) 

As Ms. Russell states, "there is still considerable room to negotiate in the public interest." She notes the lack of a full-site plan (unlike that supplied in the original 2009 proposal and on which the CD-7 zoning was closely based.) Given my experience with her on the Climate Action Committee and during the election campaign, I listen attentively to her invariably bright, articulate, thoroughly researched and respectful comments. 

Her asks (agenda pp. 181-188) summarized in brief: 

1. Protection of the view corridor from top of the site 
2. Completion of environmental assessment and rainwater management plans for the entire property, not just its top shelf
3. Echoing the T'Sou-ke request, a site plan for the entire property (as supplied in the original 2009 proposal and on which the CD-7 zoning was closely based) including clarification of how future public amenities and the zoning's amenity requirements are to be actioned. 
4. Denial of the drive-thru component on grounds that it doesn't match spirit of current and next OCPs
5. Heat pump and electric hot-water heating in all buildings 
6. More creative design (i.e., replace the simulated wood siding with the real thing - see BC's Wood First Initiative) 

Original MV Proposal: Minutes from 2009/2010 Council Meetings
Back in 2009, an exacting comprehensive development zone was added to the Sooke Zoning Bylaw (CD-7).

The development permit application stated: "Simplistically, the site can be divided into 3 sections each consisting of a third of the site. The uppermost or northern portion of the site is adjacent to Sooke Road and consists of a mixed-use type development with Commercial Retail, Offices, Multifamily Residential and Live/work units. 
 
The middle portion of the site also consists of Commercial Retail at grade along the Church Road extension with the remainder of this section consisting of multifamily residential condominiums and townhouses. 
 
The last portion or final third of the site is proposed to be a higher density form of residential development. While the buildings may extend up to 8 stories in height, they will terrace down blending in with the natural topography of the site. Locating these buildings at the lowest portion of the site allows the upland buildings waterfront views over them. 
 
A public wharf and commercial buildings with marina facilities, a restaurant and / or pub, and other commercial uses will extend out over the waterfront on piers."

The Mariner's Village CD-7 comprehensive development zone was approved in July, 2009 mere weeks after passage of Sooke's Town Centre Plan. The buzz is captured well in this What the Sooke entry from realtor Tim Ayres ... 

"Sooke is quickly becoming one of the province’s fastest growing communities. New neighbourhoods are under construction, new parks and trails being established, and new commercial developments are being undertaken. Perhaps the most exciting of these developments is the Mariner’s Village project. Mariner’s Village is a mixed-use, multi-phase waterfront development which will include condominiums and townhouses, a new marina, restaurants, shops, offices and more. Much more than just a subdivision, Mariner’s Village is the first step in the re-imagining of downtown Sooke. The town’s official community plan calls for enhanced development south of Sooke Road (Hwy 14) to improve public access and sight lines of our spectacular waterfront of the Sooke Harbour and Basin."

​Mayor Evans and her council championed the project, but I can't find any direct quotes from this group apart from the record of council minutes reproduced below. The next council led by Mayor Milne were also enthusiastic, as per this quote from Milne included in an undated (likely 2011) summary of the project written by Sooke's former Director of Planning Marlaina Elliott some years after she'd left that position: “Mariner’s Village creates new economic development opportunities, while providing infill in the town centre, and it reflects the principles of smart growth and good urban design,” Milne is quoted as saying. “Mariner’s Village will transform Sooke, through its revitalization of the town centre, and the creation of the heart of the community, all within an attractive urban space.”

The former motel and two existing Sooke Road-fronting homes were demolished (in part during firefighter training exercises.) Rock was trucked in and the property's vegetation (invasive species mainly) was cleared apart from what was protected in the new  zoning -- namely a solitary oak tree and the line of trees along what was (and still is) to be the site's primary public green space with a trail that would descend to a new section of boardwalk (which would link in time with the Rotary Pier and create a complete town-centre loop via Ed Macgregor Park on what is now known as the Sea Walk Trail.) 

A development permit was secured for the second (of a planned six) phases that would have built-out a Sooke Road-facing mixed-use building called Merchant's Landing; it was to feature a four-to-six storey building with two floors of commercial, one floor of medical offices, and 36 residential units above. Yet this got nowhere as Condor Properties ground to an end. I'm not aware of why the company went into receivership in 2015, but the project's prospects certainly weren't helped by an extended recession that froze anticipated local growth prior to the accelerated uptick we've seen in recent years.

Minutes from Sooke Council Meetings: 2009-2012
 
Mariner's Village presentation, April 20, 2009
"Mitch Sakomoto and Paul Merrick, Merrick Architecture, gave an overview of the Mariners Village concept plan. Focus and Condor Properties also attended the meeting.

Mr. Merrick stated that the Mariners Village proposition fits with the proposed Town Centre Plan as to road networks/ pathways and creating residential density mixed with commercial in the town centre.

Mr. Sakomoto stated that the development exists within several zones and proposes a comprehensive development zone with commercial residential nearest to Sooke Road, Commercial residential, multi-family residential, etc. The property is approximately 4.5 hectares, with the development proposing 90 units per hectare, keeping within required
setbacks. It is proposed that the marina will expand from the existing 30 slips to 150 slips.

The development proposes:
​
- to keep pedestrians walking through the site
- provide landscaped courtyards between the buildings
- promote walking and transit use
- to keep building heights at 4 stories on Sooke Road, higher near to the water as the waterfront property slopes down to the water
- underground parking
- to keep existing trees as much as possible
- to provide treed boulevards
- boulevards to encourage greater use of pedestrian sidewalks
- to install permeable pavers that can be textured for icy conditions
- rain gardens and bio-swales on the roads, with retention ponds so that water can filter down and through the property
sustainable design technologies in the buildings – geo-thermal, natural ventilation, etc.
- to consider community gardens on the roof-tops or in the court-yards buildings with non-combustible construction mix with some wood frame.
- six phase project

Council asked about bike lanes on the side roads and when the rezoning proposal will come forward. Gerald Christie advised the referrals have been sent out and when received and reviewed, staff will bring forward the rezoning.

The pump station will be located by the water and the developers are discussing shared use of the pump by other developers. The developers have spoken to adjacent property owner on water and they accept the siting of the pump station.

Evan Parliament advised that VIHA and local physicians have been in discussion with the District of Sooke staff concerning a new medical facility on this site. This would be a start of the commercial growth in the Town Centre; staff with Council approval will work to meet timelines for the medical facility.

Al Fontes advised that this is good proposal using green technologies; permeable pavers, bio-swales, wide sidewalks. There is a concern about bike lanes which requires 3 metres, but the development has already provided 22 metre wide lanes. The development is very pedestrian friendly. Upgrading will occur on Slemco Road.

Gerald Christie stated that this development fits well with the proposed Official Community Plan and Town Centre Plan and it has integrated most of what was envisioned for the Town Centre. This development illustrates what a 90 units per hectare development and 2 to 6 story buildings looks like when integrated with the right slope.

Council discussed the need to consider how pedestrians can move through the town centre from other parts of the Town Centre in respect to this development; entrances for bikes at Dover, Goodmere, Lanark, Slemko, etc. Parks and Trail Master Plan proposes boardwalk or trail through this area and bike lanes on Sooke Road.

Troy, Bear Mountain asked if the existing boardwalk would meet with this development and connect with the Galloping Goose. Connection to the boardwalk is planned, but there are private boat moorage and properties that must consent. When the Galloping Goose crosses the Sooke River, there may be access to the boardwalk via Sooke Road.

Mr. Christie advised that Staff are comfortable with moving ahead with the development proposal at this time, taking into consideration the status of the OCP and Town Centre Plan. Council suggested that an alternate bike lane could be incorporated into the development, perhaps on the shore.

Mr. Merrick stated that the developers have tried to configure the buildings and the development of the two cross and two water to Sooke Road arteries each to have different character; all existing in a broader fabric of the Town Centre and providing public pathways/trails and spaces. The purposeful treed area on the shoreline is meant to protect the embankment and provide a park land amenity."

First and second reading: June 15, 2009
B-3 Bylaw No. 405, Zoning Amendment Bylaw (270-57) 
​MOVED and seconded that Council amend Bylaw No. 405, Zoning Amendment Bylaw (270-57) to integrate amenity contributions with the zoning regulations for the Mariners Village Comprehensive Development Amenity Zone;
AND THAT COUNCIL hold a public hearing on proposed Bylaw No. 405 on June 29, 2009, and to direct the Corporate Officer to publish and deliver the statutory hearing notices with the two required newspaper notices appearing in the Sooke News Mirror. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Public Hearing: June 29, 2009
"Mayor Evans advised that any person who believes that their interest in property is affected by the proposed bylaws would be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard or to present written submissions at the public hearings.

Gerald Christie read and submitted a report detailing the bylaw process and provided Council with additional information as to a second covenant as part of this rezoning.

The second covenant specifically details the works and services required for Highway 14 as part of this development.
The applicants architect provided a PowerPoint presentation of the proposed development. Boulevard transportation provided information as to the traffic Impact Assessment.

A discussion ensued involving questions and comments from Council staff and the applicant’s representatives.
Chris Bryant, Sooke Road asked if an image from Sooke Road could be provided to be able to better understand the elevation view from Highway 14. The architect was unable to provide the view.

Sylvia Hallgren, Sooke Road, asked if details of the grade for the extension of Church Road could be provided. Al Fontes responded that the design is not complete and that the District of Sooke Bylaw requirement is a maximum 15% grade.
​
It was also explained that this is the public’s opportunity to address the proposed zoning of the property.
Richard Lambert, Sooke Road, asked if there was a bylaw controlling view scapes and that cycle lanes be considered within the development to take the cyclist traffic off Highway 14.

Mayor Evans called three times for submissions. Hearing none, she closed the public hearing at 8:05 pm. MOVED and seconded that Bylaw No. 405, Zoning Amendment Bylaw (270-57) be read a third time. CARRIED"

[Note: Minutes at this time did not include names of movers and seconders. Council meetings were not recorded prior to 2015. Council present at the hearing: Janet Evans, Sheila Beech, Dave Bennett, Bev Burger, Ron Dumont, Herb Haldane and Maja Tait. Staff: CAO Evan Parliament, Director of Finance Dave Devana, Council Clerk Lisa Ulracher, Director of Planning Gerald Christie, Director of Engineering Al Fontes and Fire Chief Steve Sorenson.]

Bylaw Adoption: July 13, 2009
B-1 Bylaw No. 405, Zoning Amendment Bylaw (270-57) - Mariner’s Village
MOVED and seconded that Bylaw No. 405, Zoning Amendment Bylaw (270-57) be adopted.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Development Permit for Phase 1 Residential: March 22, 2010
"Gerald Christie gave a short overview of the development permit application for Mariner’s Village. Mr. Merinick, consultant for Mariner's Village, gave a power point presentation on the preliminary master plan for the overall Mariners Village.

Features:
• Water access and water views – re-aligned internal roads for view
• Preserved the natural areas
• First phase 1A – 4 story condo
• Phase 1B coming in next couple of weeksCouncil discussed with Mike Barrie, Applicant and consultant:

• Entrance at Church Road and Sooke Road – will be designed for large trucks during construction; there must a safety plan for site;
• Commercial component will occur in subsequent phases
• Construction to start as soon as possible with proposed occupancy in one year
  MOVED and seconded to issue a Development Permit (PLN00758) to construct a thirty- three (33) unit residential building for Mariner’s Village Phase 1 located on Lot 1, Section 72, Sooke District, Plan 9020.
  CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Mariner's Village Phase 2 - Development Permit: February 13, 2012 
Gerard LeBlanc provided a PowerPoint presentation and overviewed the Development Permit to construct a five-storey building (aka "Merchant's Landing") fronting Sooke Road.
Council discussed:

Visual presentation
* Implementation of OCP guidelines
* CD zoning
* View Corridors
* Public Space
* Transit Stop
* Landscaping agreement

MOVED and seconded to issue Development Permit PLN00922 for the purposes of constructing a mixed use commercial/residential building located on Lot A, Section 72, Sooke District, Plan EPP16476.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

[Still no names attached to motions. Council at this time was led by Mayor Milne and featured Bev Berger, Herb Haldane, Rick Kasper, Kevin Pearson, Kerry Reay and Maja Tait.]

Council Discussion of New Zoning Bylaw: Dec. 3, 2012 
"Concerns that view corridor guidelines were not followed in the CD7 zone (Mariner’s Village)"


Final Thoughts For Now
Zooming out for context, I'm hardly alone in recognizing we're in a particularly ripe moment in Sooke's suddenly accelerated evolutionary history.  We have an Official Community Plan that is labouring to be born (and will be front-and-centre again at the Committee of the Whole meeting on June 19 at 1 PM.)  If adopted, it will be followed by a new Zoning Bylaw and, as mentioned, a refreshed Town Centre Plan.  (To repeat: The Mariner's Village rezoning aligns with the Town Centre Plan, which had been adopted earlier in 2009.)  

If I had my druthers, and I'm quite possibly being naive about the ways of this harsh, legalistic world,  I'd like to see this current DP with variations request paused until we do, indeed, complete the OCP and ensure we are all on the same page (as we theoretically already are with the current Town Centre Plan and will be all the more so when the refresh is completed.) 

To ensure progress is made towards that next town centre plan, council could create a task force to look explicitly at the OCP's proposed Town Centre Core and Town Centre Transitional land-use designations. This task force would involve key major citizens, community organizations and investors: Resident reps, the District, T'Sou-ke Nation, Sooke council, School District #62, Sooke Builders Association, the Chamber of Commerce, developers and others to be identified in a potential Terms of Reference. (Day after realization: I'm talking here about possible players Town Centre Plan committee, of course.) 

Their mission: Revisit the big picture using the current Town Centre Plan as a foundation and ensure its priorities are being closely followed as we continue to build out the heart of Sooke. I fear this isn't happening, that in the rush to get stuff done we're blowing this opportunity to preserve and enhance our very special place on the island. 

[Aside: My thoughts as I write this are influenced by my weekend replay of consultant Brent Toderian's public talk in the City of Langford last week (you'll find it at the bottom of this page). The celebrated former Vancouver and Calgary civic planner has been hired as a "growth, land development and city building" consultant and is following up on the work done over the past quarter century for Langford by the equally renowned Avi Friedman.

An initial contribution of Toderian's is the one-page "early guidance for development connected to the strategic plan update" included with Langford's May 18 agenda. <clip> "Council’s intention is to support growth with an emphasis on successful urban community-building, while increasingly emphasizing the quality of new higher density development, particularly in the context of livability, sustainability, affordability and development viability. The achievement of high-quality urban density will emphasize urban design and architectural design that results in engaging street-level activation and vibrancy, and an ambitious street tree canopy."

Visit Langford's May 18 council replay to hear from Toderian and heavyweight Strategic Plan consultant James Ridge, former North Vancouver CAO, in a formal council setting. Very informative for me as our current council moves towards our own new Strategic Plan (delayed as we necessarily focus on hiring a new CAO, our one/only employee, and advancing the OCP). The difference is that Langford is developing its first-ever Strat Plan whereas the District continues to action the previous council's plans, which in turn have roots in Strat Plans created by earlier Sooke councils.]

To be utterly, absolutely clear: We don't want to be Langford but we can learn from and apply best-practice at our smaller town scale. As Ridge says, land-use decisions are every local government's most powerful tool and that decisions made today will impact communities for generations.] 

Miscellaneous
- Mariner's Village Twitter feed (last updated Jan. 31, 2013) 
- "Waterfront Properties Ride A Rising Tide" - Douglas Magazine, 2012 
- Merrick Architecture unrealized project for Grouse Nest, 2016

The Capital Regional District executive team led by Chief Administrative Officer Ted Robbins will be at Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting, 1 PM at the Municipal Hall. They're in town to formally present the CRD's 2022 Annual Report and its highlights as captured in the slide deck included with tomorrow's agenda. (pp. 7-31).

As preparation, I'm assembling another collection of useful reference links on the subject at hand, most pulled directly from the vast depths of the CRD's website. I'm also following up on my CRD budget post from late 2019, by sharing, at page's end, the fiscal snapshot of service costs Sooke taxpayers will pay to our regional district this year.  The chart is taken from Appendix J on page 2 of this March 15 CRD board agenda. It sits alongside similar summaries for the CRD's dozen other municipalities and the unincorporated Juan de Fuca, Salt Spring and Southern Gulf Islands electoral areas. [The resulting tax increase in Sooke is 0.8% for those of us with average assessed homes ($827k). Scroll down for a line-by-line guide to the items on the service-fee menu.]  

All told, 16.6% of the bill you'll receive from the District at the end of this month will be forwarded to the CRD. Top perennial bite is for the operation, maintenance and strategic expansion of our recreation centre SEAPARC, to which nearly half of the requisition is dedicated.  Our share of funding for regional parks, CRD legislative staff, emergency services (including fire dispatch and the CREST telecommunications system), animal bylaw services and the Sooke Region Museum are the other bigger-ticket needs that we, as a municipality, are grateful is handled by our parent district with its staff capacity and multi-jurisdictional delivery. 

The first block of services at the top of the 2023 statement is financed by all households in the CRD. The second block lists "Sub-Regional" services that Sooke has opted into. We share costs for the museum with the JDF in a 70/30 split. Everyone in the region chips into the Capital Regional Hospital District and the long-term debt on various regional undertakings (which until recently had included SEAPARC, but that debt is now retired.) 

(PS This entry, like them all, is a work in progress) 

CRD Documents and Links

"The CRD offers a significant range of diverse services to its residents on a regional, sub- regional or local level. The choice of services is determined by the regional board but only with the support of the electors. Therefore, the breadth of services varies with each regional district according to its circumstances and local opinion. There are 27 regional districts in the province, ranging in size from the Stikine Region with about 740 residents to the Metro Vancouver Regional District with over 2.5 million residents. Regional Districts also serve in place of a Council where there is no municipality in areas called Electoral Areas. The CRD serves a local government role for the electoral areas of Juan de Fuca, Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands." 

CRD Governance 
- Overview
- How decisions are made + procedures bylaw 
- Public delegations 
- About CRD 
- Agendas and Minutes: CRD Board, Committees and Commissions
- Commission Handbook (2020) ​
- Best Practices Guide for Meetings (2022)

"The CRD is governed by three Boards – the Capital Regional District Board, the Capital Regional Hospital District Board and the Capital Region Housing Corporation Board. The CRD administration is led by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and a team of five General Managers that together comprise the Executive Leadership Team."

CRD Board 2022-2026: Chair Colin Plant, Vice-Chair Maja Tait 
- board advocacy (including correspondence and quarterly updates from 2019 to present + 1Q 2023)
​- consideration of a board code of conduct (Feb. 2023)

CRD Hospital District Board: Chair Kevin Murdoch
CRD Housing Corporation Board: Chair Zach De Vries

CRD Executive Leadership Team + Organization chart 
- CAO Ted Robbins
- Chief Financial Officer Nelson Chan
- GM, Parks and Environmental Services Larisa Hutchison
- Acting GM, Integrated Water Services Ian Jesney
- GM, Planning and Protective Services Kevin Lorette 
- GM, Corporate Services Kristin Morley 

Five Year Financial Plan 2023-2028
CRD Board Priorities: 2023-2026 
CRD Corporate Plan:  2023-2026 
Library of Plans and Reports 
​Community Needs Summaries (2021)
CRD Bylaws 
CRD Maps (includes individual regional parks and trails)

​Public Engagement Portal 
Current Initiatives 
Current Capital Projects
Past Projects and Initiatives

About the Region - 439,950 residents (up 2.1% since 2021) 
​Juan de Fuca Service Delivery Area (map) 

Regional Growth Strategy (2018)
 "The Regional Growth Strategy includes integrated objectives, incorporating policies, targets, maps and guidelines that together express a program of joint action by the Capital Regional District and local municipalities to achieve the regional vision."  It's reviewed every five years and legislatively requires a rewrite in 2038. 
​
- RGS Indicators Report 2022 
- Sooke RGS Context Statement + Revision documents (May 2022)
- "From the Ground Up" - Carine Green (2015)
​- RGS FAQ (2016)
- "Growth Strategy Splits CRD" (Times Colonist, Feb. 2017) 
​- Mediation Outcomes (2017)
​
- Province of BC guide to regional growth strategies 
- 2003 CRD RGS with amendments
- "CRD RGS 2003: Herding Cats on the Road to Sustainability" (University of Waterloo thesis)  

RGS 2018-38 Objectives
~ Significantly reduce community-based greenhouse gas emissions
​~ Keep urban settlement compact;
~ Protect the integrity of rural communities;
~ Protect, conserve and manage ecosystem health;
~ Deliver services consistent with RGS objectives;
~ Create safe and complete communities;
~ Improve housing affordability;
~ Increase transportation choice;
~ Strengthen the regional economy; and
~ Foster a resilient food and agriculture system.


First Nations Relations
- Special Task Force on First Nations Relations Final Report (2018)
- Modern Treaties 
- CRD Statement of Reconciliation 
- Territorial Acknowledgement Guidelines 
- Committee Terms of Reference
- Indigenous Employment Project + wise practices (April 2023)
- Indigenous Relations Operational Update (Sept. 2022) 
​- First Nations Communications Framework (April 2022) 
- Ecological Asset Management Plan (Feb. 2022) 
- Inclusive Governance and Decision Making + Honoraria policies (May, 2021)
- First Nation Relations Mandate Refresher (slide deck) + FN Inclusion in CRD Governance + Economic Development Partnership Model (Sept. 2020) 
- Forum of All Councils (Nov. 2019 - CRD directors and First Nations joint session) 
- FN Inclusion on CRD Standing Committees (Nov. 2019) 
- Overview of Neighbouring First Nations + Archeology Policies & Procedures (Feb. 2019) 

Climate Action 
- CRD Climate Action Service 
- Climate Action Strategy (October 2021) 
- CRD Board Advocacy Opportunities for Accelerated Climate Action (2019)
- Taking Action on Climate Change (2017)
- Corporate Climate Action Strategy (2016)

- Climate Projections for the Capital Region (2017; update due in 2023)
- 2022 Climate Action Progress Report (presented April, 2023)
"Overall, in 2022, the CRD progressed on several climate action initiatives and identified where focused efforts need to be made or increased to achieve targeted actions and outcomes. The overall status for the 2022 year was calculated as ‘opportunity for improvement’, meaning 50-75% of the yearly target of actions were progressed as envisioned within the Strategy’s five-year action plan." 

- Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (2020; stats for last year due later in 2023)
- Municipal GHG Statistics (2020; see pg. 61 for Sooke numbers)
- Climate Action Resources (for homes, schools, businesses)
- Climate Action To Go Kits (available through VIRL Sooke library)   

- Climate Action Inter-Municipal Task Force + Ann Baird report + 2009 Terms of Reference
- "CRD Board Rejects Central Saanich Request to Back Out of Climate Action Service" (Capital Daily, July 2022)
​- CRD request that all municipalities declare a climate emergency (2019)

Building Retrofits 
​- Home Energy Navigator Program (personalized help for home retrofits in collaboration with CityGreen Solutions; launched 2022) + case studies & resource library + register here 
- Residential Energy Retrofit Program Business Case (2021)

Charge Your Ride program
- Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Roadmap (2021)
- EV and E-Bike Infrastructure Planning Guide (2018)
- Zero Emissions CRD Fleet Initiative (Jan. 2022)

- Motion unanimously approved at the April, 2023 Environmental Services Committee meeting: "That staff consider increasing the level of ambition in our climate action policies."

- Carbon Budgeting History (Feb. 2023)  
- Reducing Single-Use Plastic and Polystyrene Items (2019) 

Regional Parks and Trails 
"CRD Regional Parks protects and manages more than 13,300 hectares of natural areas in 33 regional parks and 4 regional trails on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands." 

- Parks and Trails Strategic Plan: 2022-2032
"Vision: We have an expanded and connected system of regional parks and regional trails that are rich in biodiversity, respect Indigenous cultural heritage and use, inspire stewardship, are resilient to change, and provide enjoyable outdoor recreation experiences." + engagement page + "what we heard" summary 

- Preceded by:  Regional Green/Blue Spaces Strategy (1997) + Strategic Plans for 2000-2012 and 2012-2022 
- 2022 Regional Parks Strategic Update 
- 2016 Regional Trails Management Plan (Galloping Goose pp. 19-22) 
- Regional Trails Visitor Use Survey + Trail Widening Study (2019/20)
​- Parks Visitor Use Surveys (2018/19)

- Land Acquisition policies  
- New policy reports and documents (Sept. 2021) + Sustainable model for future acquisitions (April 2021)
"The CRD Board established a Land Acquisition Fund (LAF) in 2000 for the sole purpose of acquiring regional park land. The LAF was initially set at a rate of $10 per average residential household and has increased over time. In 2010, the LAF was renewed and an increase of $1 per year was approved.

In November 2019, the Board extended the LAF to 2029 at the rate of $20 per average residential household, with rates set to increase by $1 each year through 2025 to a maximum of $25 per average residential household. The LAF collected approximately $4 million in 2021 for regional park land acquisition.

The CRD's 2022 Financial Plan incorporates a new approach to land acquisition that leverages borrowing capacity to purchase land that would otherwise be unattainable on a pay-as-you-go savings model. This financing structure is anticipated to create a revenue stream that can be used to service up to $50 million of land purchases over 15 years, thereby leveraging a net increase in land values more than $100 million." 

​- CRD Land Acquisition Strategy 2020-21 (to be updated this year) 
​- Maps of Land Acquisitions 2000-2022
- Citified interview with CRD Real Estate Manager Stephen Henderson (2020) 

- East Sooke Regional Park addition near Anderson Cove (Oct. 2022)
- Admiral's Forest purchase as Juan de Fuca Community Park (Sept. 2022) 
- Kapoor Lands Acquistiion
- Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park addition (Dec. 2017) 
- Pemberton Pools on Sooke River (May 2017) 
​* North of Jordan River townsite (2012) 
- Sandcut Beach and other regional lands transferred from Western Forest Products (2012) + summary 
- Sooke Potholes (CRD and The Land Conservancy partnership) (2007) 
- Leech Watershed (sold by Timberwest to CRD) (2007) 

- Sea To Sea Management Plan (Ayum Creek, Kapoor, Sea to Sea, Sooke Potholes) (2010) 

- Mountain Biking Guidelines (2021)
- Mountain Biking Opportunities in Regional Parks (Nov. 2021): Report on relationship with South Island Mountain Biking Society (SIMBS) re: trails at Mount Work; progress on Sooke Bike Club trail maintenance at Mount Manuel Quimper; standardized mountain biking on-and-off trail signage; review of trail possibilities at Thetis Lake. 
- Mountain Biking Advisory Committee Report (Dec. 2020) + committee minutes 

- 2023 Parks Operational Update (May, 2023)
- Parks Capital Plan Update (March, 2023) 
- Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement Stats (Feb. 2022)
- Mosquito Management and Control Program + E&N Rail Trail + Conservation Strategy (Oct. 2021)  
- Parks Service Level Review (June, 2021)
​- Revenue Generation Strategy (Feb. 2021)
​- Mapping Sunken Vessels (Oct. 2019) + Abandoned Boats Update (June 2019)
- Invasive Species Program Update (March 2019)
- Parks For All: Action Plan for Canada's Parks Community (2018)
- Todd Creek Trestle Closure (2017)
- Sooke Hills Wilderness Park Reserve re-open for limited public use (2017)

- Sooke motion: Galloping Goose Dog Management KM 49-55 (Oct. 2020) 
- Compliance and Enforcement Program (2020)
- CRD dog management policies in District of Sooke (June 2020) 
- Dog Management Policy Framework (Nov. 2019) 

- Non-Migratory Canada Goose Management (July 2020) 

- Draft Conservation Strategy Framework (2010)
- BC Biodiversity Report Card (Wilderness Committee, 2021) 


Water Supply
"The CRD supplies bulk drinking water for residential, commercial, institutional, and agricultural uses to approximately 400,000 people throughout the Greater Victoria area by the Regional Water Supply (RWS) service. The RWS operates the watersheds, dams, reservoirs, treatment (disinfection) and transmission systems which supply municipal water systems at metered transfer points to each municipality and sub-regional water services. The CRD supplies water to sub-regional water services, including the Juan de Fuca Water Distribution Services, Saanich Peninsula Water Service, bulk water municipal customers, and eight First Nation communities."

- 20,550 hectares of CRD-owned, forested land in the Sooke, Goldstream and Leech watersheds.
- The area includes 11 dams and six reservoirs 

Regional Water Supply Strategic Plan (2017)
Regional Water Supply Master Plan (2022) 
​Greater Victoria Drinking Water Quality Annual Report (2021)
Juan de Fuca Drinking Water Distribution System (map) + overview
​Greater Victoria Sanitary Sewers (map) 

East Sooke Water Supply Study - see pp. 19-95 of the January 3, 2023 JDF Water Distribution Commission agenda 
Insights into how the area south from 17 Mile House to East Sooke Road might develop in the decades ahead. The report identifies four large parcels of land in this area on which developers envision placing 2700 homes. (see pg. 31).

"A water servicing study for the expansion of the Juan de Fuca Water Distribution System to unserviced areas experiencing water issues within the District of Sooke and East Sooke was undertaken. Consideration was made to expand service to properties based on existing zoning densities as well as future development and densification beyond current zoning to try and reduce the cost per connection. Results indicate that the expansion is administratively feasible but would require significant and costly infrastructure to service properties to current zoning. Any new required water servicing bylaws would need to be considered by the CRD Board for consistency with the Regional Growth Strategy."

From the Jan. 3, 2023 minutes: "Discussion ensued and staff stated that the report is presented for information in order to identify the feasibility and costs of expanding to those areas.
Staff responded to questions regarding:
• Costs and approvals processes if a developer wished to proceed.
* Other water systems and Improvement Districts processes.
* Well costs versus connection charges.
*Promotion of rainwater capture systems.
There is no recommendation, the report is for information only."

Transportation 
- Regional Transportation Plan (2014)
- Regional Transportation Report Card (2021)
- South Island Transportation Strategy (2020) 
​- Transportation Priority Areas + Implementation Strategies 
- Household Travel Destination Survey (2017; update due late 2023) 
- Transportation Service Feasibility Study (2014)
- Governmental roles within Greater Victoria (infographic) 
- Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan (2011) + Bikenomics in the Capital Region (2015)

Preliminary consideration for a regional transportation authority: See files on pg. 2 of Transportation Committee meeting agenda of May 17, 2023. <clip> "The CRD shares many of the same transportation goals as other metropolitan regions: Ease congestion during peak travel times, reduce emissions, and support higher rates of walking, cycling and transit use. Similarly, the CRD is not the only jurisdiction trying to integrate different transportation modes into a single planning framework, ensure the right authorities are in place and find dedicated funding to meet service levels." 

Summer 2023: "Broadly engage local governments, BC Transit, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), BC Ferries and the airport authority and analyze level of consensus of possible change."

Waste and Recycling
- Solid Waste Management Plan (2021) + Public engagement report + What We've Heard
- Waste Composition Study (2022)

​- Hartland Landfill 
- Waste diversion initiatives (ban on carpet, asphalt shingles, wood) + new tipping fees (April 2023)
- Hartland Renewable Gas Initiative + Landfill Gas Utilization (June, 2019)
- Options for Biosolids (April, 2023) + Monthly statistics
- Lafarge Cement options for biosolids and thermal waste (June 2022)

- Extended Producer Responsibility draft program (2023) 
- Curbside Blue Box Recycling 2024 and Beyond (June 2022) 
- Residential Curbside Recycling update (March 2022) 

- Inter-Municipal Waste Diversion Working Group
​- Solid Waste Advisory Committee home page  

Capital Region Housing Corporation 
- Community Need Analysis: Affordable Housing 
- CRD Role in housing 
​- Reaching Home and Regional Housing First Program Updates (March 2023) 
- Regional Housing Affordability Strategy (2018)
- CRHC Annual Report 2022 
- Reaching Home Program + FAQ

Capital Region Hospital District
- 10 Year Capital Plan: 2022-2032 
Operates the Royal Jubilee, Saanich Peninsula, the Victoria General Hospital, Queen Alexandria and other medical centres. It's top capital expenses in future include a 306-bed long-term care facility at Royal Bay, redevelopment of Oak Bay Lodge and a $200m "restorative health centre" at a TBD location. 

Regional Food and Agriculture 
- Strategy (2017)
- CRFAIR (Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Round Table) + research/reports 
- Foodlands Trust Business Case (2022)
- Regional Foodlands Access Program - Preliminary (2022) 

******************************************************************************************

Now for a line by line breakdown of the items in the CRD 2023 requisition statement (screenshot below) 

REGIONAL SERVICES

* Legislative and General Governance  

* GIS and Geo-Spatial Referencing System - Maintenance and updating of the South Island basemap (with photography, streets, topography and other optional layers) and the  CRD Community Map

* Community Health and Wellbeing 

* Regional Parks and Trails - "There are 32 regional parks and four regional trails in the CRD system, comprising over 13,200 hectares of land. Regional parks contribute approximately 27% to the region’s network of protected natural areas." The Parks 2022-32 Strategic Plan was approved in late 2022. 

* Climate Action and Adaptation - Climate Action Strategy (October 2021) + 2022 Climate Action Progress Report (presented April, 2023). 

* Land Banking & Housing - Building a reserve fund to purchase land for future Regional Housing First Program affordable housing projects

* Regional Goose Management - "Recent population studies commissioned by the CRD have shown that the Canada goose population in the capital region doubles in size every four years. This growing population has resulted in increasing ecological, economic, and social impacts to public and private lands, estuaries, and wetlands. The CRD intends to establish a Regional Canada Goose Management Working Group to take a coordinated approach to outreach and education, development of an egg addling program, coordination of Provincial and Federal permits, and conducting strategic harvests. The working group will involve representatives from local government, First Nations, stewardship groups, and key stakeholders impacted by the large goose population." (March, 2023) 

* Regional Planning Services - "The CRD provides information on and analysis of the region's population, development, land use, transportation, housing and employment trends. Developing, implementing, maintaining and updating a regional growth strategy supports regional sustainability and quality of life." + regional fact sheets 

* Regional Emergency Support Program - Responsible for the Regional Emergency Management Partnership, which provides local planning for the CRD in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness + 2022 Annual Report with details on the Capital Region Tsunami Information Portal and extreme heat planning + 2023-2027 Strategic Plan

* Hazardous Material Incident Response - "Hazmat spills may include chemical, radiation, biohazard, propane, oil and gas, flammable materials, industrial products and mixed waste. These may occur in transportation, industry, businesses and even homes, and may occur after an earthquake or flood ... Over 60 firefighters across the region are trained as Hazmat Response Technicians. The CRD provides a central store of specialized equipment, which is housed and maintained by the Central Saanich Fire Department." 

* South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre - "Operational costs for the two-storey, 1200-sq. meter post-disaster facility built and owned by the CRD and operated by E-Comm. Opened in 2019, it consolidates 911 call-answer and police dispatch services for central and southern Vancouver Island police", Sooke RCMP included.

* Regional CREST (Capital Region Emergency Service Telecommunications) Contribution - "CREST serves more than 50 first responder and public service agencies in the Capital Region -- fire, police and ambulance. Over 7.5 million calls per year go through the system, or one call every four seconds."  + 2021 Annual Report 


SUB-REGIONAL SERVICES 

- Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee - Dedicated since 1966 to educating the Greater Victoria community about the juvenile justice system and advocating on behalf of regional front-line service providers. + CRD Commission Bylaw 

- Traffic Safety Commission - "Reviews traffic safety in the capital region and makes recommendations through a committee to the CRD Board to help reduce or eliminate problems." Established in 1981. Current traffic safety programs and promotion of other programs includes Ready Step Roll Active Routes to Schools; Malahat safety (including advocacy for a point-to-point traffic camera pilot program); MOTI's Slow Down, Move Over campaign asking drivers to grant emergency vehicles safe passage; motorcycle safety; child-seat use; and distracted and impaired driving programs. It also recommends that municipalities start traffic safety commissions of their own. 

- CRD Arts and Cultural Services - Grant support for non-profit art organizations based in municipalities that contribute to this service, namely Saanich, Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Highlands, Metchosin, Sooke and Southern Gulf Islands. + 2020-23 Strategic Plan + 2023 Operating Grant Recipients + Database of funded recipients. [Sooke grant recipients since joining the service in 2019: Sooke Fine Arts ($11k, 2020/21/22),  Sooke Region Museum ($3k, 2021), Sooke Arts Council ($4k, 2020) and, in our first year with the service, Sooke Community Choir (2k), Sooke Folk Music Society ($2k), Sooke Festival Society ($1.5k), Harmony Project ($2k) and Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra ($5k).]

- Regional Housing Trust Fund - Contribution to the CRD's share of funding for affordable housing projects that are largely paid for by the provincial and federal governments under the Regional Housing First Program. [The new social housing complexes at Charters and Drennan are RHFP projects to be managed by the M'akola Housing Society. Drennan shoud be ready for occupany in late 2023/early 2024. The modular building at Charters/Throup built by NRB Modular Solutions has now welcomed occupants to one-third of its 75 units. Negotiations continue with BC Housing regarding occupancy details for the subsidized (13 units) and below-market units.  [Monthly rental prices for one-bedrooms in both projects range from $1,035-$1,300; two-bedrooms rent from $1,300 to $1,775; and three-bedrooms are $2,055.  M'akola selects tenants for the higher-end "near market" rentals. BC Housing uses its housing registry to identify tenants for the below-market units and it's working with the Sooke Shelter Society to fill the subsidized units.]

- Animal Care Services -  "We offer high quality Animal Care and Control with caring and experienced staff trained to look after all domestic animals. Our mission is to provide services with integrity, impartiality and efficiency with the goal of obtaining voluntary compliance. Our goal is to return lost pets to their owners. If this is not possible animals are well cared for at our Animal Shelter, and if unclaimed, animals are found suitable adoption or foster homes. It is the responsibility of dog owners to be aware of and follow animal regulations in the CRD. Failure to do so may result in fines, impounding, or other penalties. Bylaws vary by municipality." + Sooke Bylaw #392 

- Regional Growth Strategy - CRD staff to continue work on tracking RGS progress, with a scheduled five-year review expected this year. 

- SEAPARC Leisure Complex - About the SEAPARC Commission + Agendas and minutes + 2015 Strategic Plan (public engagement for a new plan is set to begin this year) + weight room and fitness studio expansion + CRD Community Needs Study: Recreation (2022)

- Fire Dispatch - "The CRD provides emergency fire dispatch for Juan de Fuca, Salt Spring Island, Southern Gulf Islands, Metchosin, Sooke, Highlands and Langford. The service operates out of Langford Fire Hall #1 utilizing contracted Langford Fire Department staff. Back-up services for the fire dispatch are provided through the BCAS dispatch centre in Langford." 

- Septage Disposal -  "The CRD provides outreach and educational services to industrial, commercial and institutional owners and operators to help promote the proper management of liquid waste that cannot be legally discharged to the sanitary sewer or the stormwater collection system." 

- Millstream Remediation - "Millstream Meadows is located approximately 10km north-northwest of Victoria in the District of Highlands. Millstream Meadows is a 32 acre site used as an unregulated landfill for septic discharge dating from approximately 1941 to closure in 1985. The site was privately owned from early 1941 until 1972. The Province acquired, owned and operated the site for a brief time in 1974, and then transferred ownership to the Capital Regional District (CRD) in 1984." 


LOCAL 

- Sooke Region Museum 
​- Strategic Plan (2015) 
- Sooke Region Historical Society + Constitution 

- Stormwater Quality Management 
- Green Stormwater Infrastructure 
- Design Guidelines for the Capital Region 

OTHER 
- Debt Servicing 
- Capital Regional Hospital District 

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 five.). 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 when first learning about neuroplasticity.) Please dive in if and as you wish. 

(Council candidates are invited to join me for a Local Government 101 education and refresh here and here.) 

* 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: Pause & 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) 

[I offer for your listening pleasure this Tom Tom Club (Talking Heads offshoot) tune from a bygone era when I was writing about music and the music industry in Toronto, never dreaming back then that I'd one day relocate to the far west coast, get interested in local governance and trade my IBM selectric for the iMacs on which I've typed so many wordy words. Oh, and my debut item still rings entirely true for me. Blessed beyond measure. Period. Full stop. End of post.]
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