At Sooke Council's direction, the District's Community Economic Development Committee has visited the archives and extracted the 2011 Sooke Region Cultural Plan and its proposed update produced by the Sooke Program of the Arts (SPA) Committee in 2022. The CEDC got the conversation started in December with guest speakers JP Ellson (author of the SPA report and former SPA Chairperson), Sooke Fine Arts Society Executive Director Jen Hayward, its President Jeff Head, former SFAS President Sally Manning and Sooke Arts Council board member William Wallace.

All agree that the arts locally is robust, vibrant and capable of significant growth as three intersecting dynamics - the arts, tourism and the local economy - are harnessed and developed.

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

The CEDC meets again tomorrow to discuss what we heard and potential next steps. 

* Action on the #1 recommendation in both the 2011 Cultural Plan and the 2022 Sooke Program of the Arts update, i.e. creation of an independent arts steering committee 

* The need to source funding for a part-time paid coordinator to guide this group 

* Seek collaboration with the T'Sou-ke First Nation on arts projects and events via the Memorandum of Understanding working group. 

* Possibility of encouraging, through zoning, a business enterprise (aka cultural district) area in the town core as per JP's recommendation in the 2022 report. (The District will be undertaking a full revision of the 2014 Zoning Bylaw in 2027.) 


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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

Current District of Sooke financial support for the arts  
District 2025 Budget – drawn from Council’s annual budget allocation 
- Community Grants Program - $65k 
- Sooke Philharmonic Society - $7k
- VI Film Commission - $2k
- Harmony Project Sooke - $7k
- Amber Academy Sooke - $7k 
- Sooke Community Arts Council - $9k
- Sooke Fine Arts Society - $16k 
 
The Sooke Program of the Arts Reserve Fund is estimated to have a 2025 year-end balance of $136k
 
Community Grants 2025
- Friends of Sooke Parks Society – $4k (Solstice Walk, the Spooky Pumpkin Walk) 
- Sooke Community Choir - $2.5k 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

<clip from 2019> The SPA Committee is returning a year after the sad passing of its former chairperson, the irreplaceable Cllr. Brenda Parkinson. In keeping with tradition, it will feature a mix of public members (hopefully a number of fine returnees among them) and one representative each from the Sooke Arts Council and the Sooke Region Historical Society.  Other organizations will be considered. The new committee will, I imagine, be asked to initiate action on the previous group's top recommendations -- the painting of the town centre's three crosswalks (featuring, in turn, a rainbow, musical notes and the combo of whale's tail and leaping salmon) and a makeover of the tourism kiosk at Evergreen Mall. The new committee will also have license to conjure fresh ideas that will (to quote the existing terms of reference) "foster public awareness, recognition, education, support and celebration of the community arts in Sooke." (The Whiffin Spit memorial wall is also a legacy of Brenda's SPA committee; the staff recommendation for a display space for memorial plaques in Quimper Park near the Spit parking lot is being brought back by Mayor Tait for reconsideration Monday night; this is to ensure staff will work with the new committee and in consultation with the T'Sou-ke on a dignified, effective, respectful and yet also unique and artistic memorial facing the harbour.) 



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Vancouver Regional Library - Sooke 

- Sooke Region Museum + Staff 
- Museum Gift Shop 

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

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

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


Miscellaneous 

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


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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CRD Arts Commission 2025
* Marian Alto (Chair, Mayor of Victoria) 
* Carey Smart (Vice Chair, Oak Bay)
* Andrea Boardman (Oak Bay) 
* Sherry Epp (Metchosin)
* Colin Plant (Saanich)
* Paul Brent (Southern Gulf Islands)
* Jeff Bateman (Sooke)
* Gerry Lemon (View Royal) 
* Karel Roessingh (Highlands) 

CRD Manager, Arts & Culture Support Services - Chris Gilprin 
Former executive director of the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. 

- CRD Arts & Culture website homepage 
- Impact Reports – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 
 
- Statistics Canada and other third-party reports (health, economic, social impacts of the arts) 
- Arts-based survey of CRD residents (2016) 
 
- Public Art in the Capital Region (data base of 180 public art works) 
- Directory of Non-Profit Arts Organizations in Greater Victoria 
 
- CRD Arts Service Strategic Plan 2015-18 (approved March 2015) 

Grants 
Adjudication by the CRD Arts Advisory Council 
-Comprised of a dozen arts professionals and chaired in 2025 by multi-disciplinary Victoria-based artist Sarah Reid. The council's recommendations are forwarded for approval to the CRD Arts Commission. 

CRD Bylaw 2973 established the Arts Advisory Council (AAC) “as an independent community-based body to provide advice to the CRD” on matters relating to the Arts Service.

The AAC’s mandate is to act as an arm’s length adjudication body for the Arts Development funding programs and to advise the Arts Committee on policies that foster and promote:
 
• Support of the arts in the community,
• Public awareness of and involvement in the arts,
• The creation, exhibition and performance of artistic works, and
• The development of artistic and other requisite skills, and shall advise the CRD Arts
Committee of measures which the Council considers to be conducive to these ends.
• Other appropriate duties as assigned by the Arts Committee from time to time." 
 
Grant Opportunities 
- Arts Funding home page
- Video overview (YouTube)
- Arts & Culture Grant Recipients 2017-Present 
- Greater Victoria Grant Writing Handbook (Victoria Foundation, 2018) 

Operating Grants ($2.4m annual budget) 
Stable, reliable funding open to arts group of “regional significance” who have been in operation for at least two years with annual budgets of at least $90k and guided by a Board of Directors. Available as either annual or multi-year grants. 
2025 recipients:   Notice of Significant Concern (NOSC) 

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

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

Six applicants will be accepted for a pilot version to launch in spring 2025. If successful, the program would expand to 30 groups in 2026.

"• Developing mentorships for arts leaders internally or between organizations.
• Making shifts to business models and organizational structures.
• Forming strategic partnerships with other organizations, including resource sharing.
• Sectoral initiatives that benefit multiple arts organizations in the Capital Region.
• Cross-sectoral initiatives that create collaborations between arts and other sectors or industries.
• Planning for leadership succession from founding and longstanding leaders.
• Addressing organizational life cycle questions, including potential mergers and closures."

2025 Grant Results 
* Project Grant - January uptake (second uptake in April) 
​- See March 26 agenda, pp. 14-51 (includes analysis of each application) 

"At the January 2025 deadline of Project Grants, 34 applications were received, higher than the 4-year average. No applications were ruled ineligible by staff. The total request from eligible applications of $316,020 was significantly higher than the 4-year average. 17 grants were awarded with a higher-than-average award amount and four applications are funded at the full amount of their request. The applicant success rate of 50% was lower than average, in part due to the high number of applications."  (One Sooke-based grant application by Choral Evolution was declined.)  

​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) 

CRD Project Grant recipients from Sooke in the first two years (2019/20) of our participation in the service: 
Sooke Fine Arts Society ($10k) 
Harmony Project Sooke ($2k) 
Sooke Community Choir ($2k)
Sooke Folks Music Society ($2k) 
Sooke Festival Society ($1.5k) 
Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra ($5k) 


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

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

Related: CRD Performing Arts Facility Service 
Establishing Bylaw No. 4445 

Performing Arts Facilities Select Committee
- Terms of Reference 

- Stage One: A Public Conversation about Performing Arts Facilities in the CRD (2020, PDF file attached below) 

Core beliefs: 
- Performing Arts in the CRD are regional in nature and our regional facilities attract audiences, volunteers and artists from all over the CRD, regardless which municipality or electoral area they live in. 
- The arts are a valued aspect of our region’s cultural health and need support to ensure their ongoing sustainability. 
- Like our municipal and regional parks systems, there can be government support for both municipal and regional facilities for performing arts. 
- As this will be a new regional service, it is understood there will be an evolution to the service as new facilities are developed and older facilities are renovated/replaced. Some proposed components of the new service to be considered: 

1. The new Arts Facilities Service is intended to consolidate and replace the two current CRD services (Royal and McPherson) into one new service: The Regional Performing Arts Facilities Service. 

2. The new service is intended to have a broader scope than just the two facilities referenced in Item #1 above. It will also support the Charlie White Theatre (located in the Mary Winspear Centre on the Saanich Peninsula) as well as future theatres that are regional in nature being considered in the Westshore. As additional spaces are developed, they can also be considered. 

3. The service will support both regionally/municipally owned and not-for-profit society-owned theatres. For-profit theatres, school-based and church-based performing arts facilities will not be supported by this service. 
​


ii) Westshore Arts Centre Intermunicipal Committee 

Committee of west shore councillors in support of the JDF Performing Arts Centre Society
Karel Roessingh, Gery Lemon, David Grove, Colby Harder, Sharie Epp, Jeff Bateman, Chris Fraser, Judith Cullington

Juan de Fuca Performing Arts Centre Society 
"Our mission is to build a regional theatre and associated arts infrastructure in a community consisting of the rapidly growing British Columbia municipalities of Colwood and Langford, together with the Districts of Metchosin, Highlands and Sooke, the Town of View Royal and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, representing a population of approximately 79,000 people." 

President: Judith Cullington
Vice-President: Chris Fraser 
Directors: Duc Le (Treasurer), David Stocks, Dorothy York 

- West Shore Community Arts Centre: Preliminary Feasibility Study (Oct. 2022) 
- Development Study (City of Colwood, 2013) 

Proposed Space

• a theatre of about 350 seats (smaller than was previously recommended) with lobby
• a variety of smaller rooms that can be used for recording, teaching, classes, workshops, meetings
• a space with a sprung floor (suitable for dance)
• classroom spaces
• space for exhibiting
• a dedicated art room and pottery studio
• a small space for recording/podcasting
• space for gathering
• storage – by user groups, those who may teach/instruct etc., and regular users
• a café or similar
• accessible and inclusive spaces and programs – physically accessible for all; inclusive of all with any interest level and ability in the arts; every age and cultural background; welcoming

- Artists' Workshop with Alex Sarian and Cascadia Architects - Sat. April 26, 2025, Elements Casino 
- Purpose: To ground-truth spaces identified above with performing arts organizations in the region 
- Sarian is CAO of The Arts Commons in Calgary and the author of The Audacity of Relevance 
- Former senior executive at the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts in NYC  
- Cascadia Architects is a Victoria-based architectural firm that will develop a working sketch of the facility 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The split vote was a largely predictable outcome based on earlier comments. It provides one of other meaty campaign issues as the stage is set for the 2026 municipal election 10 short months from now (Oct. 15).  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Procedural Fairness
Mr. Clarkston produced a series of submissions this year as in 2022. One claim, taken up and repeated by others, is that waterfront landowners were not given fair notice. With all due respect, this group is one of many in our town of 17,128 (summer 2025 estimate) residents. Starting in 2020, the District has necessarily sent notifications to the entire community that the OCP review was underway. These were circulated via all available mediums, and, in turn, triggered word-of-mouth sharing (via chain emails to some degree) as is the norm in all communities.  Among recent District efforts, one page of the four-page flyer included with all tax notifications sent in May focused on the 2025 restart of the OCP.  There is a point where citizens must be proactive and many have been. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* North Saanich PROW (Property Responsibility on Waterfront) Association 


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Agendas

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DOS Committee Structure and Function Policy (2020) 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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


Miscellaneous re: Sooke Community Economic Development 

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

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

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

* Promote Sooke to investors/entrepreneurs/tourists.

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

* Develop Sooke business/investment attraction promotions materials

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

British Columbia 

First legislative session in 2026 set for February 18 to
May 28 (41 days in total) 

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Other Provincial Parties

Conservative Party of BC 
* 2025 news and commentary portal

BC Green Party 
* Media releases  


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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

​- Investment Policy Framework (Nov. 22) 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

- Support for Strategic Industries, including steel and softwood lumber 


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

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


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



​

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

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

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

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

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

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

​

Update: Nov. 7, 2025

* BC Issues Independent Reports On E-Comm Cost Management (Province of BC) 

* Report Says BC Needs Clearer Oversight of 911 System (CBC News, Nov. 7) 

​Two new reports released by the Province ... 

* Emergency Communications Service Delivery Model in British Columbia  ... "Conclusion: There is a criticality associated with defining the future of the Provincial role within the emergency communications sector to address current state challenges, optimize operations within the sector, and ultimately protect public safety. Moving to a model where the Province actively manages the sector, with a role defined in legislation, will mitigate the risks currently observed with a complex stakeholder environment without a unified, clear governance framework."

* Independent Review of E-Comm Emergency Services in British Columbia. Outlines 17 findings and 26 targeted recommendations across three workstreams - governance, finance and operations. 

"Within E-Comm, the current 23-member Board has become too large to facilitate effective strategic decision-making. Its size has led to slower decisions, reduced engagement on critical issues, and challenges in maintaining institutional continuity.

Additionally, the executive leadership approach has tended to focus on immediate operational demands, with infrequent updates to the strategic plan.Financially, rising costs, unpredictable levies, limited transparency, and short-term budgeting cycles create uncertainty for funding agencies and hinder long-term planning. Operationally, the absence of defined benchmarks or performance targets makes it difficult to assess service quality. Quality assurance processes are primarily reactive, triggered by complaints or incidents rather than ongoing monitoring, and resilience gaps have been identified during major incidents.

To address these challenges, this report outlines 26 recommendations. One key recommendation calls for the Province to clarify and define its role in emergency communications and align legislative mechanisms to support clarity in roles and responsibilities, effective governance, performance management, and the ability to influence impacts to public safety. The remaining recommendations focus on E-Comm, emphasizing the need to strengthen governance, enhance financial planning and transparency, introduce clear performance measurement and quality assurance frameworks, standardize contracting practices, and improve redundancy and resilience." 


District of Sooke Council resolution endorsed at the UBCM Conference, Sept. 2023 

Endorsed EB 31 - Funding for 911 Services 
"Whereas the existing funding structure of the 911 emergency communications system does not account for internet and cellular revenues flowing to telecommunications companies, meaning that cellular users do not pay for the 911 services available primarily through cell phones; 

THEREFORE be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of BC to work with local governments and telecommunications service providers to implement a 911 levy on cellular devices, to address current and future financial challenges associated with the delivery of 911 services." 

"The Resolutions Committee notes that the UBCM membership has consistently endorsed resolutions seeking the creation of a call answer levy on cellular devices to fund 911 emergency services (2023-SR2, 2021-EB7, 2012-LR1, 2011-B13, 2009-B10).

The membership also endorsed a more wide-ranging resolution 2022-EB42 which asked the Province to work with UBCM to develop a new provincial mandate and structure for 911 service delivery, with a focus on improving the governance, funding and operations. As well, the membership endorsed 2024-EB40, which asked for a governance review “...with a goal to assure reliable, affordable, and sustainable services for all communities.”


Original Post: March 8, 2025 

Who you gonna call when emergency strikes? 9-1-1 of course. And who's going to pay for this essential service? Effective April 1, we in Sooke must pay our share to the tune of what amounts to a 3.5% tax increase once a full year of billings kick in next year. Ouch, especially given that this is a first-time cost for the municipality. Previously and traditionally, 9-1-1 costs have been covered by Ottawa (30%) and the Province (70%).  

Seemingly another classic download of senior government costs onto local taxpayers. The Province, however, argues that, under the Provincial Municipal Police Unit Agreements and the Provincial Policing Service Agreement, local governments are wholly responsible for 9-1-1 services.  

Impacted South Island mayors are riled. As much as they appreciate the critical work, unquestioned professionalism and essential nature of the emergency call service, they reached a breaking point yesterday and sent a letter to Premier Eby stating that "we will not sign the E-Comm agreements or make any payments to E-Comm." This because of their "profound frustration and disappointment with the Province's refusal to delay the implementation of police dispatch costs to our communities' taxpayers."  

This letter follows at least five years of lobbying, advocacy meetings and a welcomed but finite three-year deferral on costs (aka "transitional funding") that ends on April 1. Most recently the Mayors wrote Eby in late January this year seeking the following commitments, all replicated in their March 7 correspondence: 

1. Maintain 100% transitional funding until the E-Comm review is complete and actionable solutions are implemented.

2. Address the funding inequity between South Island municipalities and other jurisdictions, ensuring consistent and fair treatment across B.C.

3. Introduce a telecommunications levy to offset 9-1-1 dispatch costs and align with funding models in other provinces.

4. Engage in meaningful consultation with our 10 South Island municipalities on this issue.

Solicitor General Gary Begg replied on Feb . 20 with a firm no.  He notes that under the Provincial Municipal Police Unit Agreements and the Provincial Policing Service Agreement, local governments are responsible for 9-1-1 services and hence this is not another download.  

.<clip> "In accordance with the terms of your Municipal Policing Unit Agreements, your communities must assume responsibility for all police dispatch costs. I also encourage you to finalize and sign your service agreements with E-Comm as soon as possible."  In the meantime, "an independent review and investigation into the governance, financial and operational effectiveness of E-Comm and 9-11 service provision in the province" began in December. When complete it will include future funding recommendations that may deliver relief. 

The 10 local governments are Colwood, Duncan, Ladysmith, Langford, Metchosin, North Cowichan, North Saanich, Sidney, Sooke and View Royal. All face significant tax hikes this year in paying for area 9-1-1 service based out of the South Island 9-1-1 Police Dispatch Centre that opened in Saanich in March, 2019.  In Sooke's draft 2025 budget, E-Comm is pencilled in at $254,927 -- or a 2.5% tax increase. That's to cover the nine-month period after charges begin on April 1. A full year next year takes the price tag to near $325k.  

A 2021 UBCM resolution asking the Province to introduce a levy on cell phone bills so as to underwrite 9-1-1 service. In response, the Solicitor General of the day wrote: "Ministry staff will undertake further work to explore funding mechanisms to support 9-1-1 services, such as the establishment of a call answer levy on wireless phones and, in recognition that this is a cross-ministry issue, will work with colleagues at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs ... 9-1-1 is an optional service and is delegated to municipalities. The communities have an option to use E-Comm or provide an alternate service."

E-Comm 9-1-1 President and CEO Oliver Grüter-Andrew is an invited guest of Sooke council on Monday night, and so I'm preparing this explainer as necessary homework. Cllr. McMath, a 9-1-1 employee herself, asked that this invite be sent and so we're counting on her to be present in leading the questions with her unique perspective. I'm confident we'll treat the messenger kindly and not shoot him given that the costing decisions are entirely down to decisions made the Province through the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. 

Starter
This definitive Jan. 30 Capital Daily story by Sidney Coles. 

E-Comm 9-1-1
Website 
"E-Comm is the dispatch partner of more than 70 police and fire agencies. It owns and operates the largest multi-jurisdictional radio network of its kind in British Columbia, allowing first responders to communicate their essential messages effectively and securely. It provides a variety of secure, mission-critical technology services that support its own operations and those of its public safety partners."t + Public Education FAQ 

​Public Safety Answering Point 
"A call centre responsible for answering calls to 9-1-1 for police, firefighting, and ambulance services. The PSAP has trained 9-1-1 operators that are responsible for dispatching the appropriate emergency services or transferring calls to the appropriate emergency response agency for the dispatch of services." (CRTC)

Statistics 
​E-Comm is responsible for 99 per cent of the province’s 9-1-1 call volume. In 2024, E-Comm’s provincial 9-1-1 call volume was 2,049,856 calls. Of the 9-1-1 calls E-Comm directs to emergency services:

• 58 per cent of calls were for police
• 35 per cent of calls were for ambulance
• 7 per cent of calls were for fire

- Leadership Team (includes bios of the CEO and other management). Mr. Gruter-Andrew was hired in 2017 following positions with the Provincial Health Services Authority and the University of British Columbia. 

Legislation - E-Comm was established in 1997 through the BC Emergency Communications Corporations Act 

Strategic Plan (2025) + PDF 
"As an organization built literally from the ground up, E-Comm has achieved many milestones in the course of our 20 years of service. We have shown we can save lives and protect property through helping 9-1-1 callers and supporting our first responder partners. We have become leaders in emergency communications through our new digital radio system and other technical innovations. This leadership is grounded in our smart, capable people and their ongoing collaboration with our many partners, whom we respect and value. The dedication of those who work in emergency services cannot be overstated." 

Transformation Plan + 2024 update (released Feb. 28, 2025)
Highlights 
* 98% of 9-1-1 calls in 2024 were answered in 5 seconds or less,  the best service level since 2016.
* On behalf of the police agencies it serves, E-Comm exceeded service level targets for police emergency calls in the Lower Mainland, answering 90% of police emergency calls within 10 seconds and 91% on Vancouver Island.
* E-Comm also exceeded its service level for fire emergency, answering 94% of fire emergency calls within 15 seconds. 
* 80% of police non-emergency calls for Lower Mainland police agencies E-Comm serves were answered within 3 minutes or less (up from 63% in 2023 and 44% in 2022).

Short-Term Priorities
* Open and develop the Vancouver Island Operating Centre. Establish a second operating centre in the Lower Mainland to enhance overall operational resilience, including during a disaster." 

* Next Generation 9-1-1 Implementation: Deploy the technology upgrades associated with Next Generation 9-1-1. Review call-taking and dispatch practices at E-Comm. Provide province-wide thought leadership and change management to ensure a smooth transition to Next Generation 9-1-1."

NG911 
The new system – called Next Generation 9-1-1 – replaces decades-old analog technology in emergency communication centres with a digital network, allowing dispatchers to get to urgent calls faster and laying the groundwork for receiving texts, photos, and videos from callers in the future. (Global News) 

- About NextGen 911 
- CRTC role and oversight 
- NextGen 911 Backgrounder (Association of Public-Safety Communicators of Canada) 

- Updated timeline to March 2027 for NG911 implementation (CRTC decision, Feb. 28, 2025) 
"Telecommunications Service Providers have made the necessary upgrades and are prepared to move to NG9-1-1. However, the Commission has heard that most provincial, territorial, and municipal emergency service organizations will not be able to make the necessary upgrades in time.Accordingly, a majority of interveners in this proceeding have asked the Commission to extend the deadline to transition to NG9-1-1. These interveners include key 9-1-1 stakeholders, such as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada. These interveners noted that unless the deadline is extended, Canadians in areas that have not transitioned to NG9-1-1 could lose access to 9-1-1 when existing networks are decommissioned. This would cause an unacceptable risk to public safety." 

Province of BC Investment
- Investment in 911 Network Supports Safer Communities (BC funding announcement, March 1, 2023)
"E-Comm, which handles 99% of B.C.’s 911 call volume, is leading Next Generation 911’s implementation in most B.C. municipalities. Pending approval by the legislative assembly, the Province’s $150-million investment will help offset local governments’ costs for transitioning to Next Generation 911 and be divided into two parts: $90 million will be provided to E-Comm for technological upgrades; and $60 million will be provided to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to defray costs, such as staffing, training and quality assurance. 

South Island Call Centres 
E-Comm 9-1-1 South Island Call Centre
- opened on March 5, 2019 
- serves the Victoria, Saanich, Central Saanich and Oak Bay police departments as well as 11 RCMP detachments in CentralSouthern Vancouver Island, namely: Integrated Roadside Safety Unit, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan, North Cowichan/Duncan, Outer Gulf Islands (includes Pender, Galiano and Mayne), Salt Spring Island, Shawnigan Lake, Sidney/North Saanich, Sooke, South Island Traffic Services, West Shore (includes City of Langford, City of Colwood, Town of View Royal, District of Metchosin, District of Highlands, Songhees First Nation and Esquimalt First Nation).
- calls for fire and ambulance are re-routed 

- At Saanich's BC 9-1-1 Centre, 'first-first responders' ready for anything (Times Colonist, Jan. 6, 2025) 
"The South Island 911 Police Dispatch Centre has 110 staff who handled about 100,000 police emergency calls and 160,000 non-emergency calls in 2024 alone. Since the $13.1-million facility was built by the Capital Regional District in October 2017 — and local police agencies consolidated their dispatching and emergency calls there — more than 1.4 million calls have come through" “We are often referred to as the first, first-responders,” operator Kuzi Mujakachi said. “Every second counts so we are trained thoroughly to navigate every situation and every call, whether it is de-escalating someone on the phone who is screaming to listening into the background noises and seeing what we can determine from this call, the nature of it, just from the audio that we’re hearing.” It is about being firm and compassionate at the same time, and getting the reason for the call and an address as quickly as possible to send help, she said. 

Vancouver Island Emergency Dispatch Centre, Langford 
BC Emergency Health Services oversight ... BC Ambulance Dispatch Centre 
Serving all of Vancouver Island, Powell River and the surrounding Gulf Islands, the Vancouver Island Dispatch Operations Centre in Langford receives on average 250-300 emergency calls per day.
​- Clinical Response Model 

Miscellaneous 
- Future Sooke taxpayer cost: Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU). Implementation date TBD with Sooke responsible for the costs (though Mayor Tait and council have repeatedly lobbied the Solicitor General for relief or a break of some kind.)  Initial estimate is $350k per year, i.e. a 3% tax hike likely to start in 2026.   Joining VIIMCU is an insurance policy of sorts that protects Sooke from one-time, usually six-figure investigation costs associated with murders and other major crimes.
 
- Emergency Communications Service Public Emergency Delivery (Ministry of Justice, 2015) 
Funding Questions 
- How does local government in your community currently fund 911 PSAP?
- Will local governments be able to fund these and enhanced services such as NG911 in the future?
- What funding model options exist and would be successful? Why or why not?
- With respect to existing funding for emergency communications, what works well, needs improvement, or could be done differently?

- 911 Central Island: Study of Call Taking Alternatives (2015) 

- North Island 9-1-1 
The Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) answers all 9-1-1 calls. PSAP is handled by E-Comm in Vancouver. The North Island 9-1-1 Corporation has an agreement with E-Comm to perform this function. E-Comm provides PSAP 9-1-1 call answering for the North Island 9-1-1 Corporation, the Metro Vancouver region and 25 other regional districts in B.C. E-Comm also provides dispatch services for 36 police and fire departments." 

​Images
- E-Comm 911 Strategic Plan Priorities 
- Ministry of Health Standardized Hospital Colour Codes policy (2011) 

The question mark is necessary since we are still several steps short of the finish line, with further council input ahead and a Andre De Grasse/Femke Bol-style lunge to the tape in the face of a persistent headwind ... 

November Updates
- Public hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6 PM. 
- The District's Let's Talk, OCP site has been updated with the final updated version of Bylaw #800 (top of right-hand column) 
- Another package of OCP correspondence has been posted covering the period 

- Council made a series of approx. 30 changes at its meetings of Nov. 6 and Nov. 10. Second reading was given to the bylaw on Nov. 10, allowing the District to schedule the public hearing.

2025-417
MOVED by Councillor Jeff Bateman, seconded by Councillor Al Beddows:
THAT Council give second reading to the Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800, 2022, as amended to incorporate the changes identified at the November 6 and 10, 2025 Committee of the Whole meetings, as outlined in the Summary of Proposed Edits; AND THAT Council direct staff to schedule a Public Hearing for the Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800, 2022, as amended.
CARRIED
Opposed: Councillor Herb Haldane and Councillor Kevin Pearson
 

Morning-after (Oct. 28) update:  Council has opted to schedule a special council meeting in November (date TBA) at which we as a group of seven will ask questions and suggest final input that will be incorporated into the public hearing package. Community members will next be welcome to speak at the public hearing, again with no fixed date at this point but earlier scheduled tentatively for Monday, Dec. 8.

Another 30 minutes of public comment was presented last night, focused as a legislative requirement on the OCP process to date, not its content (as Deputy Mayor Pearson clearly articulated at the outset.)  Last night we did hear opposition from some on various themes expressed previously over the months and years, but we were also urged to move forward to a public hearing by the likes of  former CRD Director Diane Bernard and former Councillor/CRD Director Ron Dumont. Both noted the extended timeframe and the ample public input to date, with Dumont adding wisely that dissension is to be expected and that council cannot be expected to please everyone.

I sincerely hope supporters and critics alike take the time to read the refined and updated OCP. As I said last night, clarity has been added (in the Development Permit Area guidelines in particular) and I too believe the document is ready again for primetime consideration and final review.  

- District's OCP home page  
- District's Let's Talk OCP micro-site 
​
Tonight's Council meeting is another landmark in Sooke's pilgrim's progress towards a new Official Community Plan, the successor to the current 2010 model and the third since incorporation.

* A final round of public input is now complete and the latest What We Learned (see pp. 183-306) report has been received by the Land Use and Development Committee (Oct. 7) and Council (Oct. 14).

* This input joins the other thick stacks of feedback packaged in ...
* April 2021 - Phase Two What We Heard Report (see right-hand links column here) 
* November 2021 - Phase Three What We Heard Report (see right-hand links column here) 
* Sept. 27, 2022 public hearing (see meeting minutes at end of this post) 
* Committee of the Whole minutes of July 17, 2023 (pp. 183-188) 
​* Council minutes of July 10, 2023 

* Council  is receiving an updated "red-line" version of the draft bylaw and a companion Table of Changes tonight

* We can then act directly on the next step -- rescinding second reading of Bylaw #800 from Sept. 27, 2022 and scheduling a public hearing for later this year

* Additionally, we can redirect the document for feedback either to the Land Use & Development Committee or schedule a special meeting at which the updated version can be debated and discussed by council, with or without still further community input. 

* This timeline is necessitated by the following ... 
i) The Province's Bill 44 requires all BC municipalities to complete new OCPs that incorporate Bill 44's Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing regulations by its Dec. 31 deadline. (See its "Proactive Planning" requests in full.) 
ii) We are long past due to get this critical document updated and completed. 

Back on July 15, a majority of council voted 4-1 in moving ahead with a final opportunity for public engagement. Councillor Pearson voted against while Cllr. McMath was absent. The former would like the current OCP to remain in place with addition of the required new housing legislation.  

Newly elected Cllr Haldane was in the audience on July 15 and stated he will be voting with Pearson to either affix the Province's required new land-use legislation to the existing OCP and leave it as is for now ... or seek an exemption in the Dec. 31 deadline from the province. Both have held firm on this strategy in meetings between then and now. 

Worth noting that the version we're working with now does indeed include the required Provincial content. As you'll read in the following, this new OCP is also a significant and necessary modernized upgrade on the 2010 model. There are relatively few updates in the latest red-line edition of the draft bylaw (pp. 795-1043) outside of the Development Permit Area Guidelines.

The OCP's climate targets (pg. 46) are now aligned with those of the Sooke 2030 Climate Action Plan, i.e., a 50% reduction in community GHG emissions by 2030, a goal approved by council in 2021 as an aspirational yet admittedly impossible number exceeding the equally impossible -40% target mandated to all local governments by the Province of BC. The latest 2024 GHG stats for the region are to be released by the CRD next month, however Sooke's emissions in 2022 (see item 4.4, appendix B, pg. 61) were 64k tonnes of CO2e, up +22.6% from the 2007 baseline. This is a direct and unavoidable result of our doubled population growth. (The good news is that our per-capita emissions are down from 5.1 to 3.9 tonnes per person annually, a 20%+ decline since 2007. The Sooke Climate Action Plan identifies and urges continued personal action while requiring whole-of-organization climate leadership by the District.)  

Within the Community Policies - Housing section's "Enhance housing affordability" objectives, a new policy line (4.9.4.5, pg. 135) reads: "Streamline development application and permitting to improve efficiency and reduce cost that impact housing affordability." As Mr. Riley notes, this "reflects Council's commitment to streamlining permitting and approvals as a means of supporting attainable and affordable housing delivery, consistent with Bill 44 and the District's Housing Needs Report." 

On the recommendation of the BC Archeological Branch and given the rich First Nations heritage hidden in plain sight throughout this coastal community, a new policy statement and action item (#4, pg. 157)  asks this and future councils to consider development of a "Heritage Management Policy" in partnership with the Province and the T'Sou-ke Nation. (I'll ask whether this includes First Nations and settler heritage; Sooke has its small share of heritage buildings as documented by a Sheila Whincup-edited Sooke Region Museum team in their book 101 Historical Buildings of the Sooke Region (1985). The late Cllr. Brenda Parkinson was keen for the District to develop a heritage bylaw or community registry of such buildings. (Examples: Ladysmith, Town of Qualicum, District of Oak Bay.) 

The lion's share of changes and simple-language clarifications are focused in Part 7, Development Permit Areas (pg. 171 onwards). The District has listened carefully to the feedback of the building/development community  and made dozens of revisions to "improve clarity, legal defensibility, and administrative efficiency" as Director of Community Planning Jayden Riley states in tonight's report. These respond point-by-point to feedback provided in recent engagements with the development community and the Sooke Builders Association. The latter produced a table of recommended changes as part of this summer's community feedback. 

Kudos to both parties -- the building sector for itemizing its long-standing concerns with chapter-and-verse references to the draft OCP, and Mr. Riley for his precise, clearly communicated responses. This exchange has certainly helped me, for one, better understand the nature, purpose and limitations of the DPA guidelines, a required (Local Government Act) section of all OCPs.  

While I'm taking the following out of context, these replies to the SBA from Riley within the latest What We Learned report are useful in understanding that the DPAs are, as stated, guidelines to be check-listed by staff as future development plans are submitted for District approval: "Intent is to provide high-level guidance to encourage awareness and innovation, not add new technical requirements that would increase costs and extend timelines ... Policy intended as broad direction, not a mandate ... Not intended to create rigid requirements or to conflict with other guidelines with the BC Building Code or the Sooke Building Code ... Not intended as a requirement nor to override market preferences or Building Code standards ... Guidelines should provide direction for best practices, but cannot impose technical standards beyond the Building Code ... DPAs (must be) aspirational, practical and within the District’s authority."

Among the latest set of referral comments in tonight's agenda (pg. 1061-1091) from the CRD, the Department of Fisheries & Oceans Canada, the Archeological Branch and various DOS departments, I'm moved to share a clip from the District's Land Development Technician Nikki Zerr.  She notes that the current OCP's Development Permit Area guidelines have caused confusion: "Historically," she writes, "the existing DP process for subdivision proposals has proven to be redundant, resource intensive and lacking clear evaluative parameters. This has led to administrative inefficiencies and prolonged processing times, without adding demonstrative value to the subdivision approval process."  

The current set of three DPAs, in other words, are seemingly a root cause (among others) of the well-documented dysfunction we so routinely have heard about from the building community these last 15 years. The new proposed DPAs are set to stand with the modernized Development Procedures Bylaw #900 (2024) and Subdivision and Development Standards Bylaw #925 (2025) in ushering in a new era when implemented with recommendations of the Development Application Process Review (2024, see agenda pp. 117-174). To quote Riley,  Sooke is "open for business" while still honouring the OCP's community direction for our collective future.

As a layman on the outside looking in, I'm now near fully convinced that these new DPA guidelines will serve the everyday working relationship between developer/builders and District staff well. I deeply appreciate the care and close attention that both sides have paid to reforming and enhancing the ground rules underlying what is ideally a cooperative and co-dependent relationship. The guidelines will serve their professional interactions and, more importantly, the community as a whole well over the OCP's lifespan.

Final point: The Province has also mandated that all Official Community Plans be reviewed on a five-year cycle, and so in addition to the inevitable amendments, Sooke will be formally tweaking and refining its OCP again in 2030.


Quotes from the Planning Department's Oct. 27 OCP report
* Read Manager of Community Planning Jayden Riley's report in full on pp. 497-506 of the Oct. 27 Council agenda 
* I've cut-and-paste broad swathes of it below for my own work purposes and ready access in future  
* See pp. 795-1043 for the second set of "red-line" changes based on public input since July 2025
* See pp. 507- 794 for the first set of red-line changes based on public input since October 2022 
* See pp. 1045-1079 for the complete Table of Changes documenting all changes to the draft OCP 
* See pp. 1093-1327 for a "clean" version of the OCP as revised and minus red-line mark-ups 


Item 10.2 OCP Bylaw 800 
Recommendation: Rescind second reading of OCP Bylaw 800 and schedule a public hearing 
 
 "These refinements enhance clarity, usability and legal defensibility, producing a single, coherent framework to guide growth to 2050. 
 
The revised OCP maintains the community’s long-term vision of a vibrant, net-zero- emissions small town that balances growth, affordability, and environmental protection. It ensures consistency with provincial housing requirements and alignment with the District’s key supporting plans, including the Climate Action Plan, Transportation Master Plan, Parks and Trails Master Plan, and Housing Needs Report.
 
 In January 2025, Council endorsed the OCP Restart and Next Steps report and approved a focused work plan to complete the bylaw by year-end in accordance with Bill 44. Council directed staff to undertake a comprehensive update, incorporating amendments to satisfy Bill 44 within the OCP Bylaw No. 800.
 
This approach recognized that, while Bill 44 required all local governments to incorporate housing-needs reporting and provisions for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH), those updates alone would not address the broader clarity, usability, and alignment issues identified during the 2022–2023 review.
 
Phase I red-line: Edits clarified Development Permit Area intent, triggers, and exemptions; removed redundant or overly prescriptive language; and updated references and statistics. Cross-references were added to the Climate Action Plan (2022), Transportation Master Plan (2020), Parks and Trails Master Plan (2020), and Housing Needs Report
(2019/2024 update), reinforcing the OCP’s umbrella role.
 
Phase 2 red-line: integrated legislative updates under Bill 44 with refinements from engagement and internal review. Key changes included clearer Development Permit Area language and exemptions, refined Foreshore DPA wording, strengthened cross-references to major plans, and final mapping and formatting improvements.
 
Phase II produced a single, internally consistent, and legally defensible OCP reflecting five years of policy development, professional diligence, and community input – ready for second reading (as amended) and Public Hearing.
 
Proactive Planning aspects to be dealt with by all British Columbia OCPs as required by the Province: 
1. Enable SSMHU 
2. Housing Needs Report projections 
3. Seven classes of housing types
 
Updating the OCP solely to meet these requirements – without addressing structural inconsistencies, outdated references, and long-standing interpretation issues – would have perpetuated the same implementation challenges that have hindered the existing Bylaw 400.
 
Proceeding with the comprehensive OCP update allows the District to achieve compliance and create a modern, legally defensible framework that supports housing delivery, environmental protection, and climate resilience in a unified way.
 
This comprehensive approach fulfills all legislative requirements while reinforcing Sooke’s vision of a compact, connected, and sustainable community. It provides Council with a single, modern OCP – one that integrates provincial housing obligations, environmental stewardship, and local priorities into a unified and implementable framework, avoiding the risks of piecemeal amendments or interim policy fixes. 

Development Permit Area Framework
 A key focus of the OCP review has been modernizing the Development Permit Area (DPA) framework to improve clarity, legal defensibility, and administrative efficiency. The updated OCP establishes nine DPAs that address environmental protection, energy and water conservation, and the form and character of new development. 
 
Under OCP Bylaw 400 (2010), only three broad DPAs were designated. These covered wide objectives with limited guidance, leading to interpretation gaps, inconsistent application, and uncertainty for both staff and applicants. 
 
The new framework corrects these issues by providing clear intent statements, defined boundaries, plain-language objectives, and well-structured exemptions, ensuring stronger alignment with Section 488 of the Local Government Act.
 
A single Development Permit (DP) application will continue to apply, even when multiple DPAs overlap. Staff and applicants simply confirm that designs or environmental management plans meet all applicable guidelines or qualify for exemptions. This structure promotes a more transparent, consistent, and efficient review process without adding procedural burden.
 
By expanding the number of DPAs while refining their scope and clarity, the District has improved predictability, accountability, and confidence in implementation. The framework better reflects community values, provides clear expectations for applicants, and supports staff in delivering consistent, legally sound permitting decisions.
 
DPA 1 – Energy and Water Conservation / GHG Reduction
 Legal advice: staff confirmed that municipalities cannot regulate or require the use of specific building materials, internal systems, or components covered by the BC Building Code through Development Permits.
 
Accordingly, all references to internal building materials or embodied-carbon metrics
were removed. The focus has shifted toward building siting, orientation, landscaping, and exterior design — aspects that directly influence energy performance and are clearly within local jurisdiction.
 
To preserve the District’s climate leadership role, an “informational guidance” note was added to encourage voluntary best practices in lifecycle carbon accounting and GHG reduction. This guidance is explicitly non-regulatory; a Development Permit cannot be refused on this basis. This approach balances statutory compliance with continued
climate action ambition.
 
 DPA 3 – Foreshore Area
 The revised DPA 3 now applies only to land‐altering activities within roughly 15 metres of the natural boundary of the sea that could affect slope stability, drainage, or shoreline habitat.
 
The intent statement has been rewritten in plain language to clarify that the DPA’s purpose is to protect environmental and geotechnical stability – not to regulate routine property maintenance. 
 
Activities such as gardening, lawn care, pruning, invasive‐species removal, and hazardous‐tree work are explicitly exempt when completed in a way that maintains slope and shoreline integrity.
 
Existing single‐family dwellings are not affected, and foreshore property owners can continue normal use and maintenance. Only new or substantial development involving land alteration within the buffer may require a permit.
 
A proportionate approach applies ~ minor works, such as removal of a single hazardous tree, may be supported through a brief memo from a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) or Arborist, while larger projects – such as shoreline stabilization or retaining wall construction – require more detailed professional input. 
 
The 15‐metre buffer functions as a guideline rather than a fixed limit, allowing site‐specific adjustments where a QEP or geotechnical professional confirms that stability and habitat values are maintained. The updated guidelines also clarify coordination with archaeological assessments, DFO authorizations, and other regulatory approvals.
 
Collectively, these refinements make DPA 3 a clear, balanced, and defensible tool that safeguards shoreline ecosystems and public safety while maintaining practical flexibility for landowners.
 
 
Structure, Clarity & Accessibility
 - The updated OCP improves clarity, tone, and usability while maintaining the overall structure and policy direction established through earlier engagement. 
 
- Prescriptive or technical language has been softened to guide decision-making and avoid unintended regulatory barriers.
 
- Development Permit Area guidelines now clearly distinguish between requirements and encouraged best practices
 
- Housing policies more directly support small-scale multi-unit and infill development in alignment with Bill 44. 
 
- Supportive language around housing diversity and affordability ensures the plan reflects both community values and emerging provincial priorities.
 
- The two previous Town Centre DPAs (“Core” and “Waterfront”) have been consolidated into a single, unified DPA. This reduces duplication and provides one set of form and character guidelines for the Town Centre, Sooke’s primary growth area.
 
- New images, infographics, and updated statistics enhance readability and engagement
without altering policy intent. 
 
- Following adoption, an updated OCP webpage will make the document easier to navigate by topic, such as DPAs, growth management, or land use designations – consistent with modern municipal best practices.
 
These improvements ensure the OCP is visually clear, accessible, and user-friendly for residents, applicants, and staff, reflecting the District’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in communicating planning information. 
 
Implementation and Costing 
- Implementation will occur gradually through Council’s Strategic Plan, Five-Year Financial Plan, and annual work programs. 
 
- Each action will be advanced as resources, grant opportunities, and Council priorities allow.
 
- In this way, the OCP serves as a “roadmap” toward community goals such as achieving net-zero emissions, expanding housing diversity, and improving mobility – recognizing that progress will occur incrementally over the 25-year horizon.
 
- Public questions about cost were addressed directly: adoption of the OCP does not create new or immediate financial obligations. The plan functions as a strategic framework that informs budgeting and helps prioritize actions when funding or capacity becomes available.
 
- Some policies, such as promoting net-zero buildings or low-carbon infrastructure, are aspirational, setting a direction consistent with the Climate Action Plan (2022) and other master plans. Implementation will depend on evolving technology, resources, and partnerships.
 
- By maintaining this forward-looking but flexible approach, the OCP provides clear direction without adding fiscal pressure, allowing the District to advance its long-term vision responsibly within Council’s established means and priorities.
 
 
Alignment with Council Direction and Community Values
 - The updated OCP strikes a balance between long-term community vision and day-to- day practicality, ensuring Sooke remains both a desirable place to live and a community that welcomes responsible investment.
 
- Looking ahead to 2050, the plan emphasizes compact growth, environmental protection, and climate resilience while maintaining a predictable and supportive development environment.
 
- Throughout its evolution, the OCP has upheld its core vision of managing growth efficiently, protecting natural assets and rural character, and advancing a transition toward a low-carbon future. 
 
- Refinements made through the Phase I and II processes strengthen this vision and improve clarity for applicants, residents, and staff – guiding development without adding unnecessary procedural or financial barriers.
 
- The OCP recognizes that public interest is multifaceted: protecting the environment, improving housing choice, and supporting economic opportunity are interdependent goals. 
 
- A well-planned community requires both strong environmental standards and a transparent, consistent development review process. The updated plan achieves this through clear policies and proportionate regulatory tools, such as refined DPA guidelines and exemptions, that maintain environmental integrity while providing confidence and predictability for applicants.
 
- In this way, Sooke remains “open for business” in alignment with community expectations. The OCP balances aspirational vision with practical implementation, ensuring growth contributes to, rather than conflicts with, Sooke’s environmental and social values. 
 
- It is a forward-thinking yet grounded plan that reflects community input, supports sustainable development and responsible fiscal management, and fosters an investment climate that is both welcoming and well-defined.
 
Final Frame Public Engagement 
 - Public feedback expressed general support for the revised OCP. Residents emphasized the importance of environmental protection, greenspace access, and compact growth centred on the Town Centre, while encouraging implementation that remains fiscally responsible. 
 
- Feedback from the development community was more mixed, focusing on potential implications for housing delivery and interpretation of certain policies. However, input was detailed and constructive. Staff met with development representatives, provided written clarifications, and incorporated appropriate refinements into the Phase II red-line version now before Council.
 
Next Steps and Legislative Procedure 
- Because OCP Bylaw No. 800 has been substantially amended since its original readings in 2022, staff recommend that Council rescind the previous second reading and re-read the bylaw as amended prior to scheduling a new Public Hearing. 
 
- This approach ensures that the version before Council is the clean, consolidated bylaw, reflecting all refinements made through the 2025 engagement process, technical review, and legislative updates under Bill 44.
 
Conclusion
- The revised Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800 is the culmination of five years of community dialogue, technical work, and Council direction. 
 
- The two phases of red-line updates demonstrate a methodical, transparent approach to policy development, balancing public feedback with legal and legislative requirements.
 
- The document before Council now provides a clear, forward-looking, and implementable framework for managing Sooke’s growth to 2050. 
 
- Giving second reading (as amended) will enable the District to move confidently toward Public Hearing and final adoption before year-end, ensuring a modern, legally sound, and community-supported plan for Sooke’s future."
 

Further Reading 

Foundations 
- District's OCP home page  
- District's Let's Talk OCP micro-site 

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

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

​Minutes from the Sept. 27, 2022 OCP Public Hearing

"Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800, 2022: The Mayor provided an overview of the proceedings for the meeting and reviewed the steps that have led to the Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 800, 2022, arriving at this public hearing.

Public Input (35 speakers):
- William Wallace, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour, specifically supporting the protection of parks and agricultural lands.
- Alan Dolan, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour, acknowledging the importance of development, and the need to improve safe pedestrian connectivity, noting that resistance to the approval of the OCP seemingly comes from those reluctant to view the effect of climate change.
- Susan Clarke, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour of encouraging the approval of the OCP to assist the future Council with solid steps towards a commitment to action climate change initiatives.
- Kief Elliott, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour noting that he participated in most of the engagement opportunities and advised that bylaws would be reviewed to harmonize with the OCP once adopted, providing additional opportunities for discussion and debate on the effects of individual issues.
- Malcolm McNaughton, a Langford resident, spoke in opposition as the document is missing feasibility and cost impacts, suggesting that further analysis and consultation are required in advance of approval.
- Patrick Marsden, a Saanich resident, spoke in opposition as the bylaw will negatively impact the building and development community.
- Lily Ma-Sen, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour offering appreciation for the committees' work on the document and supporting the land use policies, as they will encourage town core growth.
- Keith Rimstad, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour suggesting there are details that can be finalized once a guide has been created and that no plan will address all concerns for the community.
- Chris Moss, an Otter Point resident, spoke in favour advising that no one document can accurately predict or plan the future and that the guidelines included in the current version are more than adequate to support the community.
- Michael Thorton, a developer in the community, spoke in opposition to the bylaw, specifically the financial impacts on developers.
- Roland Alcock, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour of providing support for adoption as the plan displays a commitment to climate change mitigation and addressing transportation challenges.
- Brian Butler, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition to restrictive land use designations, impacts on development, and a requirement for further consultation.
- Susan Belford, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour of supporting the culmination and careful consultation undertaken with a broad spectrum of the community, the clear and concise policies, advising that the OCP needs to be for the people who live in the community, not just those who build in it.
- Jeff Zigay, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition citing concerns related to the lack of cost impact estimates associated with implementation and the lack of current town core development, even though the previous OCP also encouraged core growth.
- Karine Bordua, a Langford resident, spoke in opposition to the costs associated with the implementation of the plan and concerns with several areas which seemingly limit resiliency.
- Doug Bexson, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition as the document goes beyond guidance offering limited flexibility through prohibiting language.
- Gisela Kumar, a Sooke resident (via written submission read aloud by Ellen Lewers), expressed opposition as the community does not require an increase in high-density housing but rather should encourage residents to consider limiting their impact on the area.
- Ellen Lewers, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition encouraging reduced development to maintain a small-town appeal.
- Steve Anderson, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, suggesting public engagement was not adequate and the plan is an unbalanced representation of the community’s vision.
- Ramsay Milne, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, citing difficulty in the general understanding of language utilized in the document and the associated delays and cost impacts of the proposed Development Permit process.
- Rob Anderson, an Otter Point resident, spoke in opposition, reiterating previous comments and concerns about the consequences associated with the proposed policies.
- Ryan Chamberland, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, suggesting a delay in approval and reinvesting in conversations with the community on the plan.
- Herb Haldane, an Otter Point resident, spoke in opposition, stating that the document is idealistic and radical, and will create divisiveness.
- Mick Rhodes, an Otter Point resident, spoke in opposition, noting there is no mention of waterfront access.
- Helen Ritts, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour, providing an overview of the comprehensive public engagement undertaken by the committee, consultants, and staff, to ensure community voices were heard and encouraged Council to move the plan forward.
- Jay Ryan, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, citing the lack of quality consultation due to the pandemic.
- Scot Taylor, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, suggesting additional public input be undertaken in advance of approval and that there was not enough consultation with the First Nations.
- Dave Saunders, a Colwood resident, spoke in opposition, with concerns about density and that the unintended consequences of implementing this plan should be examined.
- Don Brown, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, stating that implementation will mean applying rules rather than principles and as they are written will create an adversarial process rather than a collaborative approach.
- Eliane Hamel, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, with concerns with the consultation being undertaken during the pandemic, and questioned the deliverables and cost impacts.
- Anna Russell, an Otter Point resident, spoke in favour, noting that the current OCP does not meet the needs of the community and a new plan is required.
- Robin Holm, a Sooke resident, spoke in favour, supporting the new plan and advising that changes can be made along the way if required, it's not set in stone.
- Cindy Ross, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition, suggesting additional consultation is required and expressing concerns with Development Permit Areas.
- Natalia Saddington, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition highlighting the cost impacts associated with the heavy climate action initiatives.
- Lorraine Pawlivsky-Love, a Sooke resident, spoke in opposition suggesting further community consultation and cautioned rushing to the adoption with a divide in the community." 

Council Discussion
* Clarity regarding cost impacts associated with climate goals and proposed initiatives.
* The Master Plans, adopted by Council and in use for planning the community, are in place and utilized for projects such as traffic and parks.
* Concern that the OCP is a significantly large document with a multitude of layers, which is not easily read cover to cover, and that this has led to some confusion among readers.
* Desire to conduct further engagement with enhanced communication to the public, to ensure all affected parties are afforded the opportunity to fully discuss the impacts and enhancements the document contains.
& Reminder that the OCP is a visionary document, and the removal of the Development Permit Areas (DPA) will not be a quality revision worth consideration.
* Concerns with the financial impacts of implementation are unknown.
* More time is needed to provide education on the development processes, to ensure everyone fully understands the requirements and associated outcomes.
* Appreciation was offered to the members of the public who attended and provided their comments.
​
2022-267
MOVED by Councillor Al Beddows, seconded by Councillor Tony St-Pierre: THAT Council close the public hearing and do not consider 3rd reading of the bylaw; AND THAT the bylaw, public input, and minutes from all meetings will be presented to the new Council for their consideration.
​
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY In Favour: Mayor Maja Tait, Councillor Jeff Bateman, Councillor Al Beddows, Councillor Ebony Logins, Councillor Megan McMath, Councillor Tony St-Pierre, and Councillor Dana Lajeunesse

Update - Nov. 2025

- SD #62 Strategic Plan 2025-2029 (adopted Sept. 23) 
- Strategic Plan 2021-2025 Final Report

- Financial Statement 2024/25 and Analysis Discussion paper (board meeting, Sept. 23, pp. 50-110) 
- 2025-28 Financial Plan + slidedeck (pp. 32-23, June 24) 

- Anticipated growth in 2025/2026: 400 new student registrations for total student count of 13,700. 
- 2025/26 Operational Plan (pp. 83-99, June 24) 

- Summer 2025 construction update (pg. 14, Aug. 26 board agenda). Includes mechanical upgrades ($585k) and parking lot expansion ($707k) at John Muir; exterior painting ($65k) at Poirier; re-roofing ($470k) and field remediation ($200k) at Saseenos Elementary; and inclusive washrooms ($790k) and new gym bleachers & gym floor improvements ($150k) at EMCS. 

- Land disposal agreement for portion of Saseenos Elementary property to enable the Ministry of Transportation and Transit's Idlemore intersection project (pp. 74-78, June 24 board agenda)  
<clip> "The project aims to improve safety and traffic flow, enhance pedestrian infrastructure and add vehicle access to the community north of Saseenos Elementary School. To achieve requested access, a portion of the Saseenos Elementary School site totalling .489 acres (.198 hectares) would need to be disposed to MoTT to build highway infrastructure. The Ministry of Transportation and Transit project will include making significant improvements to parking and school site access supporting enhanced safety for the school community." 

- North Langford Secondary announcement + slide deck (pp. 6-13). Built for 2,000 new students on 12-acre property near Costco, construction to begin in 2027 
- Design principles for future school builds + Ministry of Education "simplified design guidelines" (pp. 29/30, Oct. 28)

- SD #62 District Literacy Framework 2025-2029 (pp. 6-21, Oct. 7 agenda) 
"The Sooke School District is committed to facilitating comprehensive, responsive, and evidence-aligned instructional approaches, in alignment with and striving for the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care’s definition of literacy: the ability to understand, critically analyze, and create a variety of communication forms, including oral, written, visual, digital, and multimedia, to accomplish one’s goals." 

- Enhancing Student Learning Report 2024/25 (pp. 143-197) 
"The Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL) is a Ministry policy that formalizes the province’s commitment to continuous improvement in BC’s public education. The Enhancing Student Learning Reporting Order (ESLR) requires each district to report annually on student learning outcomes and publicly provide evidence and analysis on strategies that enhance student learning and success."

- NA’TSA’MAHT Enhancement Agreement  (pp. 17-37, May 27 board agenda) 
"A five-year working agreement developed by our school District, all local Indigenous communities and partners, and the Ministry of Education. The goal of the agreement is to maintain and enhance our collective ownership to improve the success of Indigenous students, create safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environments, and provide learning opportunities based on the First Peoples Principles of Learning for all students, staff, and communities. There are two goals:

 One Mind Goal: To progress individual Indigenous student success K to 12, leading to a Dogwood diploma and supporting pathways to employment beyond graduation that reflect student choice and voice.

 One Spirit Goal: To build understanding of Indigenous histories, cultures, and ways of knowing and being, for the purpose of creating safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environments K to 12." 

- Flourish! School Food Society 
"Operates a comprehensive school food program in Sooke School District (SD62). The program prepares home cooked meals and aggregates and distributes grocery items from a central food distribution centre and delivers them to participating schools each day ... Their kitchen prepares and distributes over 1,100 meals daily to 22 schools. Their grocery program provides an additional 2800 snack servings of food each day to 30 schools." 
​- Ministry of Education - Delivery Models for School Food Programs (July 2025) 


Original Post - March 12, 2025
Council and CAO Gray are set for Sooke's fourth Memorandum of Understanding meeting with the trustees of School District #62 this evening. Preparing myself by gathering this homework, diving deep into the SD62 website in learning more about its remarkable range of programs and services, and following up on my March, 2021 State of Sooke's Youth Nation blog post. 

BC Education Legislation 
- School Act (1996)
- Teachers Act (2024 updated) 
​- Independent School Act (1996) 
- First Nations Education Act (2007) 
- Glossary 

BC Ministry of Education and Child Care 
"The purpose of the British Columbia school system is to enable the more than 570,000 public school students, 89,000 independent school students, and more than 4,500 home-schooled children enrolled each school year, to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to contribute to a healthy society and a prosperous and sustainable economy."  + January, 2025 mandate letter to Hon. Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care 

​- home page 
- BC Course Curriculum
​- References for curriculum transformation in BC 
- Learning Pathways (literacy and numeracy skills) 

- Core Competencies K-12 curriculum
"The Core Competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need in order to engage in deep, lifelong learning. Along with literacy and numeracy foundations, they are central to British Columbia’s K-12 curriculum and assessment system and directly support students in their growth as educated citizens." 
1. Communicating and Collaborating 
2. Thinking (Creative, Critical, Reflective) 
3. Personal and Social (Awareness, Responsibility, and Positive Personal and Cultural Identity) 

BC School Trustees Association
- BCSTA advocacy focus areas cited on its website: i) Recruitment and Retention of Staff; ii) 
Capital and Deferred Maintenance Funding; and iii) Inclusive Education and Student Success.
- 2022-2025 Strategic Plan  

- Excerpt from Election 2024 advocacy template: "Capital and Deferred Maintenance Funding: Schools are more than mere buildings; they are the environments where future generations embark on their educational journeys. Many of BC’s schools are in urgent need of repairs, updates and seismic upgrades. To ensure that our learning environments are safe and reflect the needs of 21st century learning, adequate capital and deferred maintenance funding is needed. There is a need for recognition of these challenges and adjustments to budgeting for school districts." 


Memorandum of Understanding between SD62 and District of Sooke signed in early 2022 
Subsequent meetings held on Feb. 15, 2022; Jan. 30, 2023; and June 29, 2023 

* Collaborative advocacy with the Province on shared priorities
* Sooke's population increases and need for new schools
* Explosive population growth in Langford and Colwood requiring new schools 
* Traffic and safety issues at schools on Hwy #14
* Sooke Elementary's future
* Future for school land purchased in Sunriver 
* Expansion of Edward Milne Community School 
* Safety and parking issues at John Muir in particular 
* Impacts of planned MOTT roadwork on Hwy #14, including Idlemore and Church
* Saseenos Elementary's future  
* Promise and potential of The Village Initiative and The Foundry 
* Playground expansion - new facility at John Muir in 2024
* Sport court box utilization at Sunriver
* School crossing guard program 
* Safe Routes to Schools and the walking school-bus initiative
* Finite funding available from Ministry of Education & Child Care given its province-wide mandate  


Sooke School District #62
(website homepage) 
School Stats
Enrolment (as of Sept. 2024)
Approx. 4.3% annual growth, or 400 new students annually (enough for a new elementary school)  

- Elementary: 6,083
- Middle: 2,974
- Secondary: 4,241
- Special needs students: 1,387
- International students: 260

- Teachers: 670
- Principles & Vice-Principles: 71
- Educational Assistants: 449 in 2023
- Support staff: 273 

Executive Team
- Superintendent: Paul Block 
- Secretary Treasurer: Brian Jonker
- Deputy Superintendent: Monica Braniff 
- Associate Superintendents: Dave Strange & D'Arcy Deacon 
- Executive Director, Human Resources: Fred Hibbs 

Board of Education 2022-2026
Cendra Beaton (Chair) 
Allison Watson (Vice Chair)
Amanda Dowhy (Past Chair) 
Russ Chips
Christine Lervold
Ebony Logins 
Trudy Spiller 

​Archive of board meeting agendas and minutes 

Strategic Plan 2021-2025
* Draft Strategic Plan for 2025-2029 included in the Feb. 25 agenda pp. 100-113. Quarterly reports are tabled at meetings in November (Quarter 1: July- September), February (Quarter 2: October-December), May (Quarter 3: January - March) and September (Annual Report including Quarter 4: April to June).

Operational Plan 2024-2025 
- Includes Engagement, Learning and Growth priority areas. 
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a leading cross-category priority 
- Implementation of the K-12 Literacy Framework in middle and secondary schools 
- Student participation and voice 
- Collaborate with Sc’ianew, T’Sou-ke and Pacheedaht Nations and with Na’tsa’maht Indigenous Education to establish a new Indigenous Education Council (re: Bill 40, School Amendment Act, 2023) 
- Develop an asset management plan 
- Make progress towards CleanBC 2030 targets 
- Introduce SD62 Ethical Framework to board decision-making 
​- BC Digital Literacy Framework 

Budget Planning 
See amended annual budget in the Feb. 25 agenda pp. 79-96 
​- Current and past budgets 
- 2025 Financial Plan 

2024/25 Budget
- Total Expenses: $231,779,556 
- Total Revenue:  $257,308,544 
- Ministry of Education funding: $227,630,702 
- MOE funding based on a per-student allocation of $8,915

Capital Funding 2024/25
"The Capital Fund includes capital expenditures for land, buildings, buses and other tangible capital assets. The 2024/25 budget includes $29.6 million in anticipated total capital additions. Significant capital projects include:
~ Expansion Program (EXP) – $22.3 million for the prefabricated classrooms at David Cameron Elementary and Ruth King Elementary
~ School Enhancement Program (SEP) – $0.85 million for a HVAC upgrade at Willway Elementary and $0.45 million for roofing upgrades at Crystal View Elementary
~ Carbon Neutral Capital Program (CNCP) – $0.5 million for energy upgrades at John Muir Elementary
~ Playground Equipment Program (PEP) – $0.195 million for a new playground at John Muir Elementary
~ Childcare Centre - $5.1 million for a new childcare centre at Colwood Elementary. 

School Inventory 
- 26 schools
- 20 in Langford and Colwood
- All mapped on the School Locator 

Schools in Milnes Landing (Sooke Region) Zone 
- Edward Milne Community School + staff (Principal Mike Bullock) 
- Journey Middle School + staff (Principal Darren Russell) 
- Sooke Elementary School + staff (Principal Krista Leakey) 
- John Muir Elementary School + staff (Principal Tamara Deleenheer) 
- Ecole Poirier Elementary + staff (Principal Tess Vally) 
​- Saseenos Elementary + staff (Principal Gordon Johnson) 
- future Port Renfrew Elementary ($12m funding announced in March, 2024) 

- SD #62 Healthy Schools, Healthy People program + sample newsletter 
- SD #62 Mental Health resources 
- Sooke Schools International Students Program 

Long-Range Facilities Plan 2023 
Executive summary: "SD62 is at a tipping point: The School District encompasses the municipalities: District of Sooke, City of Colwood, City of Langford, District of Metchosin, District of Highlands, Township of View Royal and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area. In BC, in the last two census cycles, Langford has been the fastest growing mid-size municipality. As a result, for the past several years SD62 has been one of the fastest growing school districts in the Province, and the construction of new seats in the District has not been able to keep up with the enrolment growth.

With an average utilization rate across the District of 112%, the District is now at a point where either new capital construction or temporary accommodation is the only remaining tool to alleviate pressure on its schools. Currently, SD62 has one of the highest numbers of portables, when compared to enrolment, in the Province, and approximately 11% of its students are being taught in portables, many of which are past their expected useful life, instead of in permanent facilities.

If no additional capital projects are approved over the next 5 years, the overall District utilization rate is projected to grow to over 120% by 2027, and to over 130% by 2032, and SD62 will have to add over 50 additional portables to alleviate the seat shortfall. This is estimated to cost the District a present day value of approximately $20 million. 
Recently, the District has been awarded pilot projects at two schools for prefabricated additions of 8 classrooms each. These two projects are scheduled to open in the fall of 2024, and will present significant cost savings to the District, as the additions will replace portables.

SD62 is in desperate need of more, immediate, enrolling space in permanent facilities, and is committed to prioritizing simplified repeat designs and prefabricated solutions to reduce the time line for the delivery of major capital projects." 

Replaces the 2018 Long Range Facilities Plan 

Future Priorities
Milnes Landing (Sooke) 

In Development
- Sooke Elementary seismic upgrade/replacement with an additional 150-200 seats 
- Seismic replacement for Port Renfrew Elementary (50 students) 

Short Term (up to 5 years) 
- Addition to EMCS of new modular section for 300 more students 

Mid-Term (up to 10 years) 
- Seismic upgrades at John Muir Elementary and Saseenos Elementary 

Long-Term (10 years+) 
- "New elementary school: based on projected community growth, Sooke will require a new elementary school. It can be investigated whether the existing land holding is the best location for a new school site, or if this land can be used in a sale or land swap, for a location on the west side of Sooke."


North Langford & North Colwood
- Recent: Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School (700 seats; opened in Nov. 2022) 
- Recent: PEXSISEN Elementary (500 seats; opened Sept. 2022) 
- Expansion of Ruth King and David Cameron elementary schools (+190 seats each) 
- Short-term: New North Langford elementary (480 students) and secondary (1200 students) schools  
- Mid-Term: Seismic replacements at various schools 

South Langford & South Colwood 
- Recent: Royal Bay Secondary expansion (+600 seats; opened in Sept. 2020)
- In Development: New South Langford elementary school (480 students)
- Short-term: New South Colwood elementary school (480 students) 
- Mid-Term: Sangster Elementary replacement (300 students) 

Future School Sites 
"The District owns all of its school sites, the Board office site, as well as five additional vacant sites for future new schools. With development progressing on the south of the island, limited properties remain that can be acquired by the District to meet future needs. Vacant sites that the District owns for future development, are:

~ Skirt Mountain Site 1380 Flint Ave, Langford - 6 acres
~ City Gate High School Site 2382 City Gate Blvd, Langford - 12 acres
~ Latoria Road Site 678 Latoria Rd, Colwood - 11 acres
~ South Colwood Site Royal Bay - 7 acres
~ Sooke River Site 2438 Phillips Rd. - 5 acres

Seismic Upgrade Priorities
~ Sooke Elementary (Medium priority, latest upgrades in 1967 to BC's oldest, still operating elementary school - 1911) 
~ Port Renfrew Elementary (Medium, built in 1970)
~ John Muir Elementary (Medium, 1970)
~ Saseenos Elementary (Medium, 1959)
~ Willway Elementary (H3, 1977)
~ Millstream Elementary (Medium, 1959)
~ Savory Elementary (Medium, 1965)

Sooke Analysis within the Facilities Plan
"Looking at the census data, we can see that the population of Sooke has grown from 8,238 in 2011 to 15,583 in 2021. Even though the population has grown, we also see that the average age is going up, as is the % of the population over 65 years of age. The population of Sooke is aging: where the median age in 2016 was around 40, in 2021 it has gone up to 42.6, and the % of people over 65 in that time increased from 15 to over 19%. The overall population growth therefore does not translate equally into more school aged children: the population between 2016 and 2021 grew by 2,314, or 25%, however the population of children between the ages of 5-19 only grew by 175, or 10%."

Colwood Analysis
"Colwood has a younger population than the regional average, however the overall population is slowly aging. In 2016, the median age in Colwood was 40.9 years, and in 2021 this had gone up to 42.3. The population of school-age kids, however grew by 10.10% in those years, compared to the overall population growth of 12.5%. Colwood 2038 projects a 35% population increase by 2028 and an additional 16% increase by 2038 where it is anticipated the majority of growth will be in the Seaside, Royal Bay, Colwood Corners and Latoria neighbourhoods. It is expected that the number of apartments will grow and by 2038 will account for 39% of the housing mix." + 2018 Jack Knox article on Royal Bay Secondary. <clip> "The West Shore continues to boom. The Sooke district’s enrolment, which was 8,272 a decade ago, hit 10,800 this year and is projected to increase by a further 1,800 over five years." 

Langford Analysis 
"One of the fastest growing communities in BC and the largest of the municipalities that SD62 operates in. It has seen explosive growth over the past 10 years: With its 2021 census population of 46,584, it was the fastest growing municipality in BC over 5000 residents, and the third fastest in Canada, with a 31.8% growth compared to 2016. 
Of the communities that SD62 operates in, Langford has the youngest population, with an average age of 39.1 (2021 census). The pace of both residential and commercial development and the relative affordability of housing compared to surrounding communities, will continue to attract a younger population. Approximately 12% of the population is older than 65. The Central and North Langford areas are where the School District will see the most explosive growth over the next 10-20 years: with the population of Langford projected to grow by over 60,000 people over the next 30 years, and its relative affordability, the area is an attractive location for young families and newcomers."


District of Sooke Advocacy 
- Meeting with Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh at the Sept. 2024 UBCM Conference
i) Request information on the plan for schools in the Sooke School District's Milnes Landing (aka Sooke) region; and 
ii) Advocate for efforts to secure fair funding and new school developments for Sooke, such as the new Sooke Elementary and Sunriver Elementary, in response to the area's fast-growing population and given the current focus on Langford and Colwood in SD #62’s five-year capital plan. 

- UBCM meetings with former Education Ministers Whiteside and Fleming, 2018-2023 


Miscellaneous 
- SD #62 Safe Schools 
- resources for mental and sexual health, traumatic events, online safety, substance use. 

- ERASE Reporting Tool ~ "The ERASE Report It tool is an online, anonymous reporting tool where students can report anything they find worrisome or concerning directly to their school/school district’s safe school coordinators. Examples of behaviours or incidents to report include: Bullying/Cyberbullying; Harassment; Social Media; Sexting; Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour; Concerns about Adults; Concerns about a school; Racism/Discrimination; Drugs or Alcohol; Weapons or Gang Activity; Threats; Violence or Fighting; Mental Health Concern; Suicide; Vandalism or Property Damage; School Attack/Shooting; Or anything else that is worrisome or concerning." 

- Student behaviour patterns:  2019 infographic produced by SD62's Healthy Schools, Healthy People program 

- McCreary Centre Society - 2023 BC Adolescent Heath Survey + South Island results 

- The Youth Engagement Project: A Youth Perspective on Developing a Youth-Friendly Sooke (2014, see file attached to this 2021 blog entry) 

- Statistics Canada reports in the 2016 census that there are 3,085 residents under the age of 19 in Sooke ~ 775 of them aged 10-14 and 760 aged 15-19.  Boys outnumber girls marginally (as is the case nationally and internationally for sound evolutionary reasons.)  (update) 

-  Human Early Learning Partnership EDI Wave 7 Sooke School District #62 Report - "an overview of patterns and trends in early child development for Wave 7 (2016-2019) and explores change over time from Wave 2 (2004-2007)" + PDF
- Early Development Instrument (EDI) report - 2023/24 
- questionnaire issued to kindergarten students since 2001 (i.e., Wave 1) 
- focuses on physical health & wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language & cognitive development, communications skills and general knowledge 
- critical for early intervention strategies 

- UBC researcher Bill Warburton’s report (2023) on the importance of upstream intervention in keeping youth out of the justice system (shared on from the Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee) 

– Youth Justice Services: Strengthening Abilities and Journeys of Empowerment ~ presentation by the Hon. Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development (June 2024) 

- Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is the official recognized voice of parents at the school level.  Every parent of a child registered in a school has a right, under the School Act, to belong to the PAC. The PAC meets monthly to consider school and community issues of interest and concerns of parents and our kids.  Parents who are informed and are committed to their children’s education can and do enhance the quality of learning.

- Edward Milne Community School Society + archive of annual reports, 2010 to present 

​- Safe Paths to Schools: Sooke Report (2016) 

- Sooke Soccer Youth Programs + other local sports leagues 

* SEAPARC
* Sooke Family Resource Society
* T'Sou-ke Nation Youth Centre
* Rotary Club of Sooke
* Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program
* Westshore Centre for Learning and Training
* Sooke Transition House Society

Youth Engagement 
- UBCM Best Practices + Youth Engagement Toolkit Guide (2012) 
- FCM Municipal Youth Engagement Handbook
- UVic/Province of BC Toolkit 
- Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Heath - Youth Engagement 
- Pan-Canadian Joint Symposium for School Health - Youth Engagement Toolkit 
- 100 To Zero: Age-Friendly Planning (Plassurban, Victoria) 
- Maple Ridge Youth Development Wheel 
- BC Chamber of Commerce: A Focus On Youth Entrepreneurship (2020) 
- A Seat At The Table: A Review of Youth Engagement in Vancouver (McCreay Centre Society, 2009) ​
​- National League of Cities (US): Promoting Youth Participation 

​- Local Government Awareness Week (third week of May annually) 
- City of Calgary Mayor's Youth Council 
- City of Victoria Youth Council
- City of Duncan Junior Council + Terms of Reference + Article + sample minutes 
- Squamish Youth Strategy 

Miscellaneous
- Screen Time and Activity Among Canadian Youth (Stats Can, 2017) 
​- Exercise and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Stats Can, 2020) 

- ParticipACTION Impact Report (2024) 
- Children and Youth Report Card (2024) 

- Family Influence: The ParticipACTION Report Card For Children and Youth (2020) 
- Better With Age: The ParticipACTION Report Card for Adults (2019) 

- Canada's Youth Policy (2020) + Young Canadians resource page
- UN International Youth Day (annually on Aug. 12 since 2000) 
- UN Youth 2030: Youth Strategy 

- A Pathway To Hope: A Roadmap For Mental Health and Addictions Care (Province of BC) 
- Mental Health Commission of Canada: Mental Health Strategy for Youth (2016) 
- BC Children's Hospital Kelty Mental Health Centre: Youth and Young Adults 
​- CMHA BC: Youth Helping Youth (Peer Support) 

The Village Initiative: Sooke/Westshore 
The Village Initiative (TVI) "is an inter-disciplinary network of more than 60 organizations sharing a commitment to the vision of healthy and thriving children, youth, and families across the Sooke and West Shore communities ... TVI took root when the Sooke School District and Island Health started a conversation with community partners, recognizing that the health and wellbeing of children, youth, and families are best supported through an all-hands-on-deck approach – a Village. The urgency of our mission has only been underscored by the global pandemic and its impact on children, youth, and families." 

- Project Plan for Sooke-Westshore Shared Space Network and System (March, 2022)
- Space survey results (2021)
​- Sooke/Westshore Community Health Profile (2022) 

The Village Initiative member organizations
(stewardship committee organizations in green) 

Beacon Community Services
BGC South Vancouver Island
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Capital Region Food & Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable
Children’s Health Foundation
Citizen’s Environment Network in Colwood
City of Colwood
City of Langford
Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria
District of Sooke
Family Services of Greater Victoria
First Nations Health Authority
Food Share Network
Goldstream Food Bank
Greater Victoria Local Immigration Partnership
Greater Victoria Public Library
Hulitan Family and Community Services Society
Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
Island Health – Mental Health and Substance Use, Children, Youth and Families, Public Health, Priority Populations
Island Health – Public Health
Island Métis Family & Community Services Society
John Howard Society of Victoria
Juan de Fuca Performing Arts Centre Society
KidSport Greater Victoria
Langford Residents Association Society
Learning through Loss
MCFD Child & Youth Mental Health
Mennonite Central Committee
Military Family Resource Centre
Mustard Seed Food Bank
OneAbility
Pacific Centre Family Services
PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence)
RCMP
ReImagine West Shore Community Society
Rotary Club of Sooke
Royal Roads University
Salvation Army
Saunders Family Foundation
SEAPARC Leisure Complex
Sea To Tree Health & Wellness
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Vancouver Island
Sooke Family Resource Society
Sooke Food Bank
Sooke Region Communities Health Network
Sooke School District
Sooke Shelter Society
Story Studio
Threshold Housing
Thrive Social Services
United Way of Greater Victoria
United Way Southern Vancouver Island
​University of Victoria Centre for Youth & Society
Vancouver Island Regional Library
Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees
Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society
West Shore Arts Council
West Shore Chamber of Commerce
West Shore Parks & Recreation
Westshore Town Centre
WorkLink Employment Society
YMCA-YWCA of Vancouver Island
Youth Hope Haven Foundation