June 30 update
Context: The current and previous councils have been guided by the Transportation Master Plan. We directed staff to implement the TMP's recommendations strategically and progressively, resulting in the $17m in largely grant-funded costs for the north-south bypass links on Otter Point, Church and Charters. As these roads were built, design of the eastern half of the bypass route (at a 25m cross-section to accommodate active transportation as required in the TMP as a prerequisite for federal and provincial grants) has progressed to near complete status.
- Council's current strategic plan (2024-27) prioritizes, as one of five focus areas, "infrastructure investment and multi-modal transportation networks." Getting a referendum question on the ballot has been council's intent since 2022. Yet said referendum has now proven premature, as council decided on June 22, since the District has yet to hear back on its federal grant applications. Therefore the price tag ($50m or about 40% less if Ottawa kicks in) is too uncertain for taxpayers to properly assess how much the road will cost each of us over the 30-year loan repayment schedule. Without that certainty, making a yes or no vote on a firm and binding borrowing question on the Oct. 17 ballot is simply not possible.
- A plebiscite question gauging community opinion about the bypass would necessarily be equally vague, argued the four on council who voted against Mayor Tait's motion that staff provide a report and sample questions. (I was in favour since I was curious to see staff's recommended questions and didn't want to dismiss them sight unseen).
- Bottom line: Best practices have been rigorously followed, a land acquisition strategy is in place, design blueprints are ready and road-width options for the CP5 section of the route (orange on the map above) are on the table. All the puzzle-pieces short of a significant grant from a senior government are available for the next council to schedule a referendum in due course and potentially get the next phase of this generational project over the line. (All of us on this council have stated that we are not in favour of bypassing voters by launching an Alternate Approval Process to secure the funding.)
- Sooke News Mirror article: Sooke Traffic Fix Takes Election Detour (June 27). Features interviews with Mayoral candidates Beddows and Pearson. Both agree the CP5 section of the route must be built, though they differ on details. Pearson: "This is not a square-one exercise. We have plans in place. We have traffic studies. We understand the situation." Beddows: "We knew going to the public to borrow $50 million was out of the question. That would take away all our borrowing capacity for the next two decades and mean a tremendous tax increase."
- Sooke First news release - June 25. My take: Council has known a referendum was not possible once it was clear in the spring that the federal grant results would be delayed. Pearson states the project is "moving at an unacceptably slow pace." A much more affordable business case for sections of the road was presented to council in 2014, so I'm unclear of when we can track the start of "slow" in a story that can be traced back still further to the failed referendum brought forward by Mayor Evans' council in 2005. The relatively narrow "no" vote that year was not based on funding and tax implications, as I understand it, it was driven in large part by concerns that a new road would impact safety in a school zone and run through an environmentally sensitive area. The SF statement that "the question of whether the bypass is required has long ago been settled by senior government" requires detail, depth and documented references, especially in context with other traffic diversion options and the Ministry's role in accelerated Sooke Road improvements. Haldane states that a plebiscite is pointless and would cost staff time and money. Yes, some staff time would be required to prepare a question and supporting material, yet there is no additional election cost in adding a ballot question.
- Mayor Tait on CFAX - "If you're going to do it, you should do it right ... (This council is) out of time and term, and at this point council has resolved to put a pause on this. We're heading into an election. With a new council on board perhaps they can workshop it and find a solution."
- CFAX commentary (June 25, first 15 minutes) by Mike Kozakowski, Sooke resident and editor of the on-line real estate and development newsletter Citified. His points echo the SF view: The proposal at 25m is "significantly overbuilt" and the 15.2m cross-section would be efficient and affordable interim solution; the Province demands it; development potential along the route will help fund it (and fast-tracking approvals for other Sooke development projects will provide tax revenue); a T-intersection at SEAPARC will cut costs (as Haldane argued on June 22) vs. a roundabout + Kozakowski's Oct. 3, 2024 commentary (starts at 3:24) upon the partial reopening of Charters Road. <clip> "Charters Road is a de facto bypass if you choose it to be."
- Pearson has stated that the Connected by 14 petition signed by 4,168 individuals (mostly during the Charters closure; no indication of how many are Sooke residents) is evidence enough that the bypass must proceed. The petition's authors (unknown; edit: Susan Jones) quote Sooke First and shared its press release in recent petition updates.
June 23 Update
Council (six of us minus Cllr. McMath) last night decided that ongoing cost and road design uncertainties made it impossible to proceed with either a borrowing referendum or a non-binding plebiscite question during the fall election. See the council agenda pp. 73-95.
The community will need to wait for the right combination of factors -- successful senior government grant applications, Development Cost Charges and required tax dollars -- to align so that taxpayers can get an exact read on how much of the $50m full-route cost they'll need to cover in annual taxes long-term over 30 years. Only then could a borrowing referendum be scheduled. (All of the current council has stated its opposition to an Alternative Approval Process for a project of this size and cost.)
Frustratingly, Ottawa has not come through with its verdict on a $16.9m federal grant application to the Housing Infrastructure and Communities Canada Active Transportation Fund submitted in February, 2025. Its fate was promised no later than early this year. Yet the Carney government has been recalibrating its grant programs under the Canada Strong banner and no word – whether thumbs up, down or sideways – has been received to date about the status of applications to pre-Carney funding programs. Neither have we heard results of a $7m application to the UBCM Strategic Priorities Fund.
We did get ballpark cost clarity about the partial CP5 route (from Charters to the proposed roundabout at SEAPARC) and three road-width potential configurations that council felt would be a more realistic ask of Sooke ratepayers.
At short notice, Director of Operations Jeff Miller was able to price out four road-width options for CP5. These are rough “Class D” estimates for a 30-year loan at the current 4.7% borrowing rate and so the final cost could be plus or minus 25%.
These estimates for average assessed Sooke households include land acquisition and do not factor in the $14m in project costs that would be eligible with successful grant applications:
1. 25m configuration (two travel lanes, centre turning lane, boulevard/bioswale, multi-use trails on both sides)
$27.5 million total cost
$21 per month =$252 per year = $7,560 over 30 years (12.58% tax increase)
Cross-section image: Attachment 3 in the agenda (pg. 87)
2. 25m configuration (two travel planes, 6m "planting strips" on both sides to allow for future road expansion
$25.1 million total cost
$19.18 per month = $230 per year = $6,900 over 30 years (11.48% tax increase)
Attachment 4 in the agenda (pg. 89)
3. 20m configuration (minus turning lane, multi-use trail one side only)
$22.8 million total cost
$17.41 per month = $209 per year = $6,267 over 30 years (10.4% tax increase)
Attachment 5 (pg. 91)
4. 15.2m configuration (narrow planting strips for street trees, no turn lane, multi-use trail one-side only
$20.5 million total cost
$15.72 per month = $189 per year = $5,659 over 30 years (9.4% tax increase)
Attachment 6 (pg. 93)
Staff report: ""It should be noted that if future demands require the ROW be expanded to the 25 ROW width there will be a cost associated with this activity. To do this work it is most likely that the road will have to be closed to use for approximately one to two years to complete the work. The cost in 2026 dollars to expand S3 (20m) is in the order of a magnitude of $13,500,000 with S4 (15m) being an order of a magnitude of $20,000,000."
Council considered two motions:
1. "THAT Council directs staff to continue negotiations with the necessary private property owners for the acquisition of various land parcel segments needed to complete the Throup Road/Phillips Road Connector based on the approved cross-section of 25m." ... This was defeated on the grounds that a roughly estimated $700k in land acquisition costs along the corridor is premature pending public approval of the route in part (CP5) or whole. [Negotiated deals are to be conditional on the project going ahead. Expropriation is an option.]
2. "THAT Council directs staff to bring forward a report on a non-binding plebiscite regarding continuation of the Throup Road/Phillips Road Connector project for community opinion to be expressed on October 17, 2026." ... Defeated on the grounds that without accurate costs, it would be impossible for voters to make an informed yes/no decision. I voted in favour of Mayor Tait’s motion given that i) this was a request for a staff report and we’d not seen the proposed question that we rejected sight unseen; ii) no additional election budget costs are required for an additional question; and iii) elections are a rare opportunity to check the community's pulse and pinch points at this time of an affordability crisis.
And so the next council will work to secure grants while using the near-complete road designs to move things forward - logically to a referendum since the Alternative Approval Process is deemed a non-starter for projects of this size and taxpayer impact.
As a reminder, here's what has been accomplished to date as directed by the 2020 Transportation Master Plan ...
* Three critical north-south corridors -- Otter Point, Church and Charters -- that feed into the bypass have been built over the last six years, largely through $17m in grant funding. The Charters/Sooke Road intersection with right-turn lane is the next significant MOTT project following on from the Idlemore intersection.
* The bypass design, based on the Transportation Master Plan’s 25m “complete street” profile, has been progressed to near-final tender-ready status on the three portions of the route from the Church roundabout to Phillips at Sooke Road. Provincial and federal grants require this level of detail as a condition of application.
* Land owners along the full route (including private-property owners, SEAPARC, the Sooke Community Association and the Sooke Region Museum) have been consulted initially as negotiations begin as guided by a formal land acquisition strategy
* Roundabout has been designed at SEAPARC and Phillips. (Haldane suggested a cheaper option would be T-intersection given less land involved and reduced need for earthworks; Miller noted Sooke's roundabout-first policy, increased possibilities for a new point of congestion and higher ratio of traffic accidents at t-intersections as per ICBC data)
* Traffic Impact Analysis indicates that 30% of all Sooke Road westbound afternoon traffic (about 6,000 vehicles) would divert onto the new route at Phillips.
* Stormwater analysis and design, as well as geotechnical investigations, soil sampling, and archeological assessments have been completed
* Coordination with service providers -- CRD (water mains) and BC Hydro (electricity) – to ensure those essentials are accommodated.
Council is divided on whether to proceed with the no-frills basic 15.2m option or more generous future-proof wider versions that will likely be required as Sooke doubles in size over the next three decades. The staff report warns that road closures and significant added costs will be necessary should the 15.2 version need expansion:
Update June 2026
Time, as it does, has moved swiftly on since I wrote this post 15 months ago. What was intended to be an October borrowing referendum for the connector road (aka bypass) from the Church roundabout along Throup to the Phillips connection with Sooke Road may now become a plebiscite. Council's next decision point on this will be at the meeting of Monday, June 22.
A binding referendum question has grown problematic largely because we have not heard back on two critical federal government grant applications that would effectively cut project costs by 40% ~ a voting determinant for homeowners facing a long-term repayment plan on whatever Sooke must borrow and also in context with other municipal tax increases (police, fire, asset management, union contracts and community service agreements, as I never tire of mentioning).
Council recognizes that the full $50m price tag minus any grants is too big a bill for Sooke ratepayers to carry alone. As such, the focus has turned to what Council as a whole has determined to be the most impactful third of the proposed route, designated CP5 (as indicated on the orange section of the map above, if indeed you can see it at this size; a larger map here) from Throup at Charters east to SEAPARC at Phillips.
The price for this section (with grants) would be in the neighbourhood of $15-20m depending on the road width selected - a basic version comprising two lanes and one-sided multi-use trail to the ideal but more expensive "complete street" as recommended in the Transportation Master Plan. The other two connector sections - CP 4 and CP 6 -- would await action in future.
Regarding the federal grant applications: The Carney government introduced its Build Communities Strong Fund last November, nine months after the District's application and the concomitant promise from Ottawa that we'd learn its fate by early this year. As I understand it, at least, the programs to which Sooke applied have been rolled into the new Build Strong program with its $5 billion in annual funding ... in particular the Build Communities Strong Community Funding Stream (which promises to deliver $2.5 billion annually to cross-Canada applicants in 19 project categories -- local roads included.)
A string of funding announcements have indeed rolled out from Ottawa in recent months, but none related to Sooke. Director of Operations Jeff Miller intends to report back to Council at the June 22 meeting on the status of our applications.
As for the Province, Council and the District has been lobbying for Hwy 14 upgrades since I was elected in 2018 and long before -- through Ministerial meetings, advocacy letters, MOTI presentations at regular council meetings and the established MOU relationship that ensures regular communication between District and Provincial staff. The Province points to the $120m it has invested in highway improvements in our region since 2017, and promises more through phased improvements in future (continuing this summer with the Idlemore intersection).
Yet the message clearly sent by former Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon (2024) and former MLA Ravi Parmar is that we must get our municipal road act together through, as Parmer said, by building the Throup connector. This would solve a "distribution issue" on our secondary roads once Hwy 14 drivers reach the town centre, the latter stated. Current MLA Dana Lajeunesse also recognizes the need to build the connector road and improve the internal network, as demonstrated by his letters of support for the federal grants submitted in Feb. 2025.
Some $17m (largely grant funded) in north-south road configurations on Otter Point, Church and Charters have got us to the point where the eastern half of the connector is ready for primetime given sufficient funding, and there's the rub and the reason why partial rather than full project funding is worth considering now.
To get (re)grounded in this complicated process, please start with this substantial District website explainer released following the May 25 meeting. I'll share the link in full to encourage you to read it: https://www.sooke.ca/news-and-public-notices/posts/may-25-2026-council-meeting-update-phillips-road-throup-road-connection
<clip> "The District has not yet decided whether a borrowing referendum or non-binding plebiscite will be part of the October 2026 General Local Election. Council will revisit the matter after receiving more information about grant funding, project costs, and design options as a part of the next report, anticipated in June 2026.”
The many moving pieces -- costs, grant and tax implications -- are captured in Mr. Miller's staff report on pp. 55-71 of the May 25 agenda
My Facebook synopsis as shared on June 1 when this blog was in the midst of a month-long malfunction repaired the other day ... "Thanks to Cllr. Beddows’ motion, we will receive three quotes for various widths of the section from Charters to Phillips (designated section CP5) with sidewalk, bike lane and/or multi-use trail. This will likely be received at the June 22 council meeting.
* The results of $23.9m in federal active transportation grant applications are not expected to be known by the BC Referendum Act deadline (early July) required for provincial approval of a borrowing referendum question on the Oct. 17 ballot. [Related: Province of BC Assent (Referendum) Voting Procedures + Ministry of Municipal Affairs Guidebook on Referendums + Community Charter: Approval of the Electors + Local Government Act: Assent Voting].
* Council agrees the $50m price tag (without grants) for the complete route from Church to Philips at Sooke Road is too rich for #Sooke taxpayers at this time given other municipal tax increases (police, fire, asset management, union contracts and support of community groups). Funding the full build-out without grants amounts to $474 more per year for the average assessed homeowner. (With grants the annual tax increase would be approx. $225).
* Rather than a binding borrowing referendum question, council is poised to advance a plebiscite question gauging community support to borrow the approx. $15m required for build-out of CP5 linking Phillips at SEAPARC to the Charters/Throup intersection. This price is to rise or fall dependent on the three road-width options requested by Cllr. Beddows.
* A ‘yes’ vote gives the next council a green light to borrow funds to complete a partial but significant portion of the route, signaling clearly to the Province that we are doing our part with the municipal road network and that we fully expect action on further Hwy 14 improvements (notably the right-turn lanes at Phillips, Charters and Church off Sooke Rd. as well as near-term work on the Charters intersection).
My questions focused on the Charters intersection with Sooke Road, where plans are well advanced for a stoplight and right-hand turn lane. My thinking was that if other route phases prove too expensive, let's at least ensure that this phase of work has necessary District funds to both complete it and also purchase land and make widened road improvements to the section of Throup Road from Charters west to the Church roundabout (CP4 in purple on the map). This improvement in itself might prove to be a mid-term solution by diverting considerably more traffic off Sooke Road onto secondary streets. I was seemingly alone in thinking this was a valid short-term option, however, and the focus went to the CP5 section.
Council will also be receiving the requested report on a Gathering Place plebiscite (non-binding) question intended for the Oct. 17 ballot. It would ask whether voters want the next Council to authorize borrowing of “up to” (i.e., a maximum) of $5m to build and operationalize. Details in this latest entry on my blog (which I frustratingly can't access at the moment following a malfunction or possible hack the other day.)"
Traffic Solutions: Sooke's Wish List
1. The connector route as first envisioned in Sooke's 2001 Transportation Plan.
2. Continued phased work by the Province on Hwy 14 improvements, including (starting this summer) the Idlemore intersection project, then the Charters Road intersection (designed and budgeted to a significant degree) and the addition of what may be game-changing right-turn lanes off Sooke Road at Phillips, Charters and Church.
3. Patiently staying the course with the 2020 Transportation Master Plan and improving the local road network as grants and developer contributions allow. The TMP's "Complete Streets" chapter (pp. 38-51) focuses on ...
i) Joint planning with the Province on "Hwy 14, the Grant Road connector and associated municipal streets" through the MOU agreement between the District and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure;
ii) Improved street network connectivity through new arterial, collector, town centre and local roads (see the planned dotted line routes on Map 6, pg. 43). This includes the "ultimate build-out" of desired road connectons to Sunriver (via Pascoe Rd.), Eustace to Maple, Gatewood to Grant Rd. West, and Henlyn to Otter Point Rd. via Foreman Hts. Also marked on this map is an ultra-long term bypass at our northern boundary that will only ever happen should Sooke become a vastly larger community. This is absolutely not intended in our current "small town, big heart" OCP, however the South Island continues to grow and one foreseeable, albeit distant, future for us includes a four-lane Hwy 14 that would accelerate development and population growth here.)
4. Commuter traffic volume reduction through Community Economic Development, i.e. local job creation guided by a hopefully near-term, grant-funded employment lands strategy prioritizing under-utilized industrial and commercial land in Sooke.
5. Continued advocacy with BC Transit for improved local and regional service
6. Input by Sooke's CRD director and council into the CRD's new Regional Transportation Service as it works on regional traffic solutions of diverse kinds, including light-rail commuter service on the E&N line between Langford and downtown Victoria.
7. Optimize traffic light timing to ensure westbound flow.
[ A set of local traffic solutions were proposed by an independent Sooke group in Sept. 2024 when the Charters closure created traffic armageddon (as documented in this blog entry). <clip> "Tonight's council agenda (pp. 59-87) features a critical analysis of the seven short-term traffic solutions proposed by the Sooke Traffic Committee (STC), an ad hoc group created this summer by the Chamber and the Sooke Builders Association (scan down to the July 29 update for details.)
The agenda includes reports from Watt Consulting Group’s Nadine King (pp. 63-72), Sooke’s Director of Engineering and Operations Jeff Carter (pp. 73-80) and M4 Consulting’s Michelle Mahovlich (pp. 81-87). The latter is Langford's former Director of Engineering and one of the advisors to this independent group.
All conclude that the one best short-term fix is continued work on efficient timing of stoplights at Sooke River Road, Phillips, Church and Otter Point Rd. so as to favour the westbound afternoon flow. The other six ideas from this group are variously judged by King, Carter and Mahovlich to have little short-term impact on westbound congestion, require complicated courses of action and/or must necessarily follow on from the long-identified big-budget connector road addition.]
Original Post - Feb. 24, 2025
Starting Points
- District's TMP Implementation page.
Related from this blog:
* Hwy 14 - Condensed & Updated (through Sept. 2024)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Congestion & Safety (June 1, 2024, Charters closure edition)
* CRD’s Proposed Transportation Authority (May 23, 2024)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Summer 2022 (July 22; updated through opening of the 4 lanes in June 2023)
* What's Next For Sooke's Evolving Road, Sidewalk and Roundabout Network (Jan. 20, 2021)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Spring 2019 (March 23, 2019)
* Fresh Paint, Familiar Refrain for Sooke Road (Nov. 17, 2018)
- A policy rationale for the connector route is presented in the Feb. 24, 2025 agenda pp. 41-44 as part of the grant submission package to the federal Active Transportation Fund. It includes reference to Strategic Plan priorities, community wellbeing, climate impacts and community economic development as per fund guidelines.
- District Council's 2024-2027 Strategic Plan .... Strategic Areas of Focus under Infrastructure Investments and Multi-Modal Transportation: "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."
Feb. 24 Update: Council moved that a borrowing referendum question be scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 as part of the next municipal general election. By then, the District's share of the costs will be better known following the promised early 2026 outcome of the federal grant application. It will also allow due public debate based on a full-scale information package to be produced by the District and set to include line-item cost breakdown, traffic impact studies, amortized costs of the borrowing over its 30-year lifespan and other critical details. This also gives time for the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) to fund its complimentary updates to Sooke Road. Unanimous vote in favour by the four of us present (Beddows, St-Pierre, Tait and myself. Pearson on holiday, McMath an absentee due to work obligations.) There were six members of the public (one a baby in arms) present for this decision.
Feb. 23: Tomorrow evening Council will review the latest iterative approach to building out critical sections of Sooke’s internal transportation network. It is contingent on both a successful borrowing referendum and approved grants through Ottawa’s Active Transportation Fund (which, if successful, would reduce the now $49m price tag for the Throup/Phillips section to $28m). See the agenda pp. 21-44 for the staff report from Operations Director Jeff Carter and his team.
A referendum update follows on agenda pp. 45-60. It includes a variety of taxpayer impacts based on interest rates, term length and whether or not grant applications succeed. Council is asked to vote on whether to schedule this "assent borrowing opportunity" with the near-term (TBD) by-election(s), as a standalone or in tandem with the Oct. 2026 municipal general election. We're told grant results will be known late this year/early next, and so we're being nudged towards the election 2026 option. So many ducks to align and preparations to make in a project of this size so as to give the public all it needs for an informed yes/no vote.
Holding back while clearly signalling we're ready to move ahead with a referendum will motivate, I sincerely trust, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit to announce and fund its share of complimentary Hwy 14 improvements (i.e., the Idlemore intersection project, the right-turn lanes at Phillips and Church and also at the signalized Charters intersection). Letters of support have been requested by the District from multiple local and provincial stakeholders, and those will need to be collected and compiled.
Action on our municipal road network has been demanded by the Province and there is a quid pro quo at play in which we expect promised actions on its part in the near-term should we go to referendum or even if not given all the work already tackled under the TMP.
Cllr. Beddows has made the excellent point that additional right-turn lanes off Sooke Road may be a game-changing traffic solution that would steer much more traffic onto Charters and Church, thus rendering the connector route unnecessary for the foreseeable future, saving significant tax increases for debt repayments and protecting the natural lands and wildlife corridors in the SEAPARC and golf course area. In this event, upgrades would be needed from Charters east to the Throup/Church roundabout, a far more digestible price tag.
Time must also be given for full public input to inform the referendum. I picture extraordinarily lively town halls and the formation of "Vote Yes" and "No" lobby groups as was the case when the 2006 connector route referendum was (sadly, frustratingly) defeated. So goes democracy.
What's missing to date is the hard data, traffic projections and detailed cost spreadsheets that must inform the referendum debate. As I wrote in my Bill 44 blog post last week: "In the months ahead, District staff will need present a comprehensive and persuasive cost/benefit analysis of why this bypass is a game changer -- one with full reference to the existing traffic impact studies -- if indeed this referendum is to pass the smell test and succeed in a 50% + one vote. Approx. $200 (?) per residential household annually over as long as 30 years is no small ask, especially in such uncertain economic times and given all the other best practices we're asking residents to fund, i.e. the asset management reserve fund, 24/7 policing, a fully unionized fire department and substantial overall District staffing levels, no matter that we're currently one of Vancouver Island's lowest-taxed communities.”
Implementation of the 2020 Sooke Transportation Master Plan
- The TMP and Parks & Trails Master Plans were endorsed by council on Oct. 13, 2020
- TMP Update - Oct. 28, 2024 (pp. 19-33)
- Connector project update - Feb. 24, 2025 (details below; see the agenda pp. 21-44)
- UBCM Priorities Fund Grant Applications - Sept. 8, 2025 (pp. 71-150) <clip> "This Funding application is for $7,000,000 towards the Throup Road Connector Active Transportation Project. This project includes arterial road upgrades to the Phillips corridor from Highway 14 to the north side of SEAPARC, where a 3-leg roundabout will connect the Phillips Corridor to Church Road roundabout, inclusive of arterial road upgrades to Throup Road. This is the same project that Council has supported for previous funding applications this year under the Federal Active Transportation Fund (ATF) and the Community Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF). Both the ATF and CHIF funds, as well as the UBCM Strategic Priorities Fund, allow for grant stacking. Further, the District's commitment of $42,791,200 under the UBCM-SPF fund has already been committed in the previous ATF and CHIF funding applications. If the District is successful with all three funding applications, funding up to $29,000,000 for the Throup Road and Phillips Road Connector Active Transportation Corridor Project may be secured."
Complete TMP Projects
Preliminary (i.e., as directed by the 2008 TMP)
- Wadams Way: District paid for road, adjacent multi-use trail ($450k) was 60% funded by the Province
- Press release: Pre-Election Grand Opening (Sept. 27, 2014)
- Sooke Road roundabout at Evergreen Mall: Completed November, 2015
- Project costs: $9.1m ($6m from Province; $3.1m from District)
- Town centre sidewalk from Church to Otter Point Rd. constructed by MOTI in conjunction with roundabout
Phase 1: Otter Point Road Active Transportation Corridor Project
- Sooke Road to Wadams Way - 430m of sidewalks, 720m of bike lane, crosswalk at Grant Rd.
- Total project cost: $2.1m (with $1.9m from the federal/provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program)
- Contract awarded to Hazelwood Construction Services, Nanaimo (which had recently completed a MOTI contract for shoulder widening on the West Coast Rd. between Otter Point and Woodhaven).
- Engineering by On Point Project Engineers, Langford
- completed Nov. 2021
Phase 2: Church Road Corridor
- Total project cost: $1.84m inclusive of design, construction, project contingency, engineering field services, contract administration, and project management.
- Tender awarded to Hazelwood (July 12, 2021 - agenda pp. 193-94) ... second lowest of six bids received
- Sidewalks, bike lanes, road resurfacing, utilities upgrades
- $500k grant from the BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant Program
Phase 3: Church Road Roundabout
- Total project cost: $3,797,631
- Church Road Roundabout and Intersection design - Nov. 23, 2020 council meeting (agenda pp. 151-52)
- Tender for the construction work awarded to Hazelwood Construction Services at council meeting of July 24, 2023 (see agenda, pg. 183)
- Hazlewood's was the only proposal received from the tender process.
- Funding Sources
$1.5M Growing Communities Fund (from the one-time BC program; Sooke received $5.939m)
$1.7M Road DCCs
$0.8M Community Building Fund and Casino Fund
- Substantial completion in May, 2024
Phase 4: Charters Corridor
- Total project cost: $6.9m
* $3,579,041 BC Growing Communities Fund
* $2,220,000 Road Development Cost Charges
* $111,711 Canada Community Grant Fund (aka Gas Tax)
* $1,039,247 from additional grants/funds
* $487,962 from CRD Infrastructure and Water Services
- Tender awarded to Hazelwood at council meeting of July 24, 2023 (see agenda, pp. 181-82)
- Note: Phases three and four tendered to Hazelwood given construction efficiencies and its successful execution of earlier phases. Higher bids were received from Vimex Contracting ($7.4m) and Don Mann Excavating ($7.9m)
Upcoming
Phase 5: Charters & Sooke Road Intersection
- Four-legged signalized intersection
- Total project cost: $3.5m
- MOTT anticipated to pay 50% of costs
- Grant application pending for $500k
- Planned construction in 2026/27
- BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants application #1 - Nov. 27, 2023 (see agenda pp. 35-38). Denied.
- BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program application #2 - Oct. 28, 2024 (see agenda pp. 23-33), includes new phased map of corridor project and engineering blueprint of intersection on pg. 29.
- Application #2 successful - $500,000
Phase 6: Throup and Phillips Road Connector
- Total project cost: $49,791,985 (includes 20% contingency to cover cost overruns)
- Grant application amount: $16,901,991
- District contribution: $32,889,209
- less Development Cost Charge contributions: ~ $5m
- From Church Rd. roundabout to Phillips exit onto Sooke Road
- Proposed construction: 2026-2029
- Now recontexualized as a single project (as opposed to phases in previous strategies)
- Project at 75% functional design
- Land acquisition required from properties along corridor and SEAPARC
- Extensive contingencies built into the $49m price tag to account for potential inflation & cost factors (therefore final costs may be significantly lower)
* 20% best-practice overall contingency ($10m)
* 10% inflation for contracted services at time tender is awarded ($5m)
* 2% costs for potential remediation of contaminated soil ($2m)
* 12% allowance for contracted management services ($6m)
Phase 7: Otter Point Active Transportation Corridor Continuation
- Total project cost: $2,096,602 (includes 30% contingency)
- Grant application amount: $884,930
- District contribution: $1,211,672
- Continuing the sidewalk and bike lane from The Park View north past the Municipal Hall to Rhodonite.
- "Completes the missing active transportation link connecting the Broom Hill area to John Phillips Park and the Stickleback Trail"
- 50% conceptual design
- Proposed construction: 2027
Phase 8: Hwy 14 Active Transportation Continuation
- Total project cost: $9,669,615 (includes 30% contingency)
- Grant application amount: $5,801,769
- District contribution: $4,987,248
- West Coast Rd. sidewalks and shoulder bike lanes from Ed Macgregor Park to Whiffin Spit Rd.
- "MOTT will not fund sidewalks along highways" but a successful grant will "incentivize the Ministry to complete a road resurfacing project."
- Proposed construction: 2028
Phase 9: Wadams/Otter Point/Grant Road West Continuation
- Project cost estimate: $12m
- Proposed construction: 2030
[Cost Estimates made by McElhanney and Associated Engineering]
During the Charters closure ...
Options for Engagement on Sooke Traffic Concerns
Council agenda - Sept. 9, 2024 (pp. 267-284)
THAT Council direct staff to enhance existing community engagement initiatives to support as follows:
a) Support local businesses;
b) Create an online portal for traffic-related reporting;
c) Connect with local schools and organizations on traffic solutions; and
d) Develop and promote a carpooling application;
AND THAT Council direct staff to present options for increasing communication and engagement service levels in the 2025 budget deliberations.
AND FURTHER THAT Council direct staff to present options for increasing communication and engagement service levels in the 2025 budget deliberations to support new initiatives, as follows:
a) Develop a traffic dashboard to provide real-time traffic data, updates on ongoing projects, and historical traffic patterns;
b) Partner with BC Transit to promote public transportation through campaigns and local stories about positive user experience
c) Launch enhanced public awareness campaigns to inform residents about traffic-related topics, potentially including traffic safety workshops;
d) Create interactive traffic simulations to visualize the impact of proposed changes and gather resident feedback; and
e) Support local businesses in putting in bike racks.
Carried Unanimously (Person & McMath absent)
Short-Term Traffic Solutions Presented by the Sooke Traffic Committee
(Sept. 23, 2024 pp. 59-87)
Received by council for information. Carried Unanimously (Lajeunesse absent)
Details in this blog entry. Agenda includes reports from WATT Consulting, Michelle Mahovlich and the Chamber-initiated Sooke Traffic Committee (Jim Hartshorne, Shannon Russell, Herb Haldane, Britt Santowski, Mike Kozakowski, Deb Schenk, Dana Lajeunesse, Tracy Snow, Dave McClimon, Kevin Pearson - non-official council involvement by DL and KP; I and others of us on council weren't invited).
Grant Funding Possibilities
Federal Active Transportation Fund
- federal government website landing page via the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
"Up to $500M will be available for active transportation capital projects across Canada. This includes a minimum of 10% of total funds set aside for Indigenous recipients ... Projects that are determined to be eligible will be further evaluated against the program's merit criteria. Final project selection is undertaken with a view to balancing funding support by taking into consideration such factors as regional distribution, the type of project, and equitable access."
- Application deadline: February 26, 2025
- Projects must be complete by March 30, 2030
- Unlimited number of project requests up to a maximum of $50m
- Grants will cover up to 60% of costs per project
- Grants can be stacked with other funding sources
- Active Transportation Fund grant windows will open again in coming years as part of a "Targeted Funding" approach
- The fund is a component of the federal government's $3b Canada Public Transit Fund
Sooke's grant request = $25,246,754 (i.e., 5% of total available national grant funding in the current funding window; other opportunities will follow if we receive partial funding; yes, the District is ambitious)
1. Throup and Phillips Road Connector Active Transportation Corridor ($16,901,991)
2. Little River Active Transportation Trail - Sunriver Way Access ($1,658,064)
3. Otter Point Active Transportation Corridor Continuation (John Phillips Park lot to Rhodonite - $884,930)
4. Highway 14 Active Transportation Continuation (Ed Macgregor Park to Whiffin Spit Road - $5,801,769)
Frequently Asked Questions
<clip> "Capital projects involve new infrastructure construction, enhancement of existing infrastructure, and/or improvements to design and safety features that encourage increased active transportation.Eligible capital projects may include:
"Is a municipal attestation or endorsement from Council required for a municipal applicant? "Municipal applicants do not require a municipal Council endorsement, resolution or other form of attestation at the time of application. Should the project funding be approved, such an attestation may be required as a condition of the funding agreement."
Long-Term Borrowing Referendum Update
Feb. 24, 2025. See the agenda pp. 45 to 60
"The District of Sooke has key capital Transportation Master Plan projects that need debt financing, as outlined in its 2025-2029 Five-Year Financial Plan, at a total budget of $49.79 million (Appendix 1). With $5 million of DCC and other funding available, the maximum amount of funds the District needs to borrow to finance these projects is up to $44.79 million ($49.79 million - $5 million and including contingency). With a successful federal Active Transportation grant of $16.90 million, this borrowing amount will be reduced to $27.89 million." (from the staff report, pg. 46)
- Council options
i) Tag the referendum onto a near-term by-election for one councillor and possibly Mayor
ii) Hold a borrowing referendum on a standaloneTBD voting day after the by-election
iii) Tag it onto the municipal general election ballot on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
Staff recommendation: "If Council's preference is to receive confirmation on grant funding prior to a referendum then it is recommended that the District conduct the assent voting (referendum) in October 2026. By this time, the District will have the necessary information to inform the public and meet the grant funder’s required timeline. Additionally, combining the referendum with the general local election is a cost-effective option."
Draft Referendum Question "Are you in favour of the District of Sooke adopting the Loan Authorization Bylaw No. XXX to authorize the borrowing of up to $XXXXX for the purpose of building roads with an active transportation path located at XXXXXX, Sooke, BC?"
Cost implication scenarios for taxpayers
The Municipal Finance Authority of BC's current long-term (30-year) borrowing rate is 4.36% See MFA long-term borrowing rates backgrounder. A long-term loan is locked in for its first ten years at a set interest rate, then renegotiated based on current interest rates at time of renewal. Interest rate trends have been declining since a peak of 4.97% in fall 2023.
1. Without Active Transportation Grant (at 4.36% interest rate)
- $45m principal
- annual principal payment = $876k
- annual interest payment = $1,972,426
- annual debt repayment = $2,848,768
- Cost per average assessed Sooke household (2024 figure) = $272 per year for 30 years
- If interest rate was 3.5% = $169 per year
2. With Active Transportation Grant (at 4.36% interest rate)
- $28m principal
- annual principal payment = $545,654
- annual interest payment = $1,228,130
- annual debt repayment = $1,773,784
- Cost per average assessed Sooke household (2024 figure) = $169 per year for 30 years
- If interest rate was 3.5% = $146 per year
"This annual payment could be further reduced if the District increases its contribution and reduces the loan principal. Staff will be exploring any non-property tax funding sources to reduce the overall taxpayer costs."
Related: Why Construction Costs On Public Infrastructure Projects Are Skyrocketing - Dan Baxter, Progressive Contractors Association of BC (Vancouver Sun, Oct. 1, 2024)
Budget 2025 Public Survey
- Slide deck
- What We Heard Report
<clip> pg. 16 "The timing of the budget survey, coinciding with the Charters Road closure, gave the District a valuable opportunity to check in with the community on its transportation needs—especially for Highway 14 and the local road network. This feedback is important as the District considers ways to accelerate the implementation of its Transportation Master Plan, which outlines a strategic 10-year vision for enhancing transportation.
Residents were also asked to prioritize up to three solutions for reducing congestion on Highway 14. Results included:
1. Alternate Routes: 225 votes; 68.4%
2. Improve local roads and how we travel around Sooke: 171 votes; 52%
3. Road Widening and expansion: 148 votes; 45%
4. Improve public transportation: 138; 41.9%
5. Local employment: 125; 38%
BC Active Transportation Grants Awarded to Sooke
2014/15 - Galloping Goose - Sooke Connector Trail - $75,352
2019/20 - DeMamiel Creek Connector - $145,665
2021/22 - Active Transportation Church Road/Throup Road - $500,000
2021/22 - Multi-modal Active Transportation Upgrades - Church Road Corridor - $500,000
2023/24 - Active Transportation Charters Road South Streetscape - $500,000
2023/24 - Little River Multi-Use Trail - $500,000
2024/25 - Active Transportation Throup Road Corridor Improvements - $500,000
(source + grant home page)
Federal Grants to Sooke Since 2002
- Search results from the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada database
- Infrastructure Canada total funding to Sooke: $47.1m
- Gas tax revenue: $7.7m
- Highway 14 corridor grants: $30m
- Little River Crossing: $1,307,610
- T'Sou-ke Community Complex and Health Care Centre: $3,893,335
Trail Connection to Sunriver
Context: Active Routes to Schools
Phase 1: Ponds Corridor
Cost: $2.1m
Completed in 2021
Phase 2: Little River Trail & Bridge
- District's Little River Multi-Use Trail home page
- Cost: $2,869,000
- BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program application - Nov. 27, 2023 (see agenda pp. 35-57; engineering drawings begin on pg. 39)
- Environmental Development Permit - Sept. 23, 2024 (see agenda pp. 125-200; Environmental Management Plan begins on pg. 133)
- Little River Pedestrian Crossing contract to Regehr Contracting Ltd. - $1,943,749.30 - Jan. 13, 2025 (agenda pp. 21-65)
- Site preparation underway, trail and boardwalk construction begins in spring, completion date this fall
Upcoming
Phase 3: Little River Active Transportation Trail - Sunriver Way Access
- Total project cost: $2,763,411 (includes 30% contingency)
- Grant application amount: $$1,658,064
- District contribution: $1,105,377
- Proposed construction: 2027
- Remediating the very steep access point to the future Little River (Demamiel Creek) Trail from its Sunriver Way northern access point. Construction of two retaining walls over 150m to reduce grade according to standards set in BC's Active Transportation Design Guide.
Business Case Study (2014) for Phillips/Charters Section
Mayor Milne and his council directed staff to produce the Business Case: Grant Road Connector Project - Phillips to Charter Roads (Nov. 2014). Total estimated cost for this section of the route was $3,808,439. The line-item budget presented in the report included "site works, removals, road works, drainage, wetland crossing, miscellaneous expenses and a 25% contingency ... The District’s share of $1,269,480 ($3,808,439 less possible (federal) Building Canada - Small Communities grant funding of $2,538,959) will be financed by $774,383 in Development Cost Charges, $305,569 from capital reserves and $189,528 from taxes."
Other highlights and rationales as identified in this report:
- "The District engaged a consulting firm to develop traffic simulation models and estimate total trip distances in base case and in a project case scenarios. Travel projections for the project are based on a PM Peak of 640 vph = 6,400 vehicles per day. The model estimated that 18.6 million kms would be driven in a base case scenario and 14.6 million kms annually under the project scenario, resulting in a savings of 4 million kms annually. Operating costs savings from this reduced trip distance are estimated at $1 million annually based on $0.25 per kilometre.
- "Time savings due to the improved network and reduced idling are estimated at 147,000 hours per year, which results in a savings of $1.47 million annually based on a time value of $10/hr."
- "Taking an estimated 6,400 vehicles per day off the busy Highway 14 (Sooke Road) may result in reduced accidents. Highway 14 (Sooke Road) has a high accident frequency resulting partly from having many access points. The project will alternatively provide a safe parallel route through the town core and reducing the need to use many of the current access points. Typical calculations value one fatality at $1,000,000 and an injury at $250,000. Annual savings are estimated at $290,000 per year taking into account estimated property damage costs and personal injury costs."
- Under social benefits: "Pedestrians and cyclists are forced to use the highway to complete the connection to several schools, the recreation centre, and the town core. Local transit service is not possible within this disconnected network ... Not having a parallel road network in the District forces all local and through traffic onto the highway. Turning volumes are high and put a strain on the road capacity. Travel distances are also significantly longer for local trips as residents must drive to the highway and then re-enter the community at another cross street. The high level of access points along the highway contributes to the high accident frequency in Sooke."
- "Only one small portion of road right-of-way remains to be formally secured. This portion is owned by the Capital Regional District and subject to stewardship by the SEAPARC Commission (governing body of the SEAPARC recreation centre). Approval for the dedication has been received by the SEAPARC Commission Board. The District and the Capital Regional District have an agreement in principle to facilitate the transfer of the subject lands in return for the District providing access and additional parking at the SEAPARC leisure centre from the connector. This has already been incorporated into preliminary design work."
- "Preliminary design work and stakeholder consultations have already taken place for what was previously going to be one large project. The District decided instead to break the project into more manageable phases and has recently completed Phase 1 (Wadams Way) on time and under budget. Support letters have been received by the District for the entire Grant Road Connector Project and also for this particular project, Phase 2 (Phillips Road to Charters Road). Community support for the project is clearly evidenced by the project’s inclusion in the District’s Official Community Plan and Transportation Master Plan documents."
Miscellaneous
From This Blog
* Hwy 14: Condensed & Updated (June 13, 2024)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Congestion & Safety Edition (March-June, 2024)
* CRD’s Proposed Transportation Authority (May 23, 2024)
* Highway 14 Revisited: Four-Lane Opening Edition (July 22, 2022)
* What's Next For Sooke's Evolving Road, Sidewalk and Roundabout Network (Jan. 20, 2021)
* Highway 14 Revisited: Spring 2019 Edition (March 29, 2019)
* Fresh Paint, Familiar Refrain for Sooke Road (Nov. 17, 2018)
Previous Sooke Referendums
May 1, 2016 ”Residents of Sooke and Juan de Fuca have voted to buy a 23-acre golf course for future recreational use. The owners of DeMamiel Creek Golf Course accepted a $1-million offer from SEAPARC, subject to the referendum. SEAPARC will transfer $250,000 for the purchase and the remaining $750,000 will be financed over 15 years at a fixed rate of about 3 per cent.” Results: 978 YES … 209 NO. (Times Colonist) (Referendum conducted by the CRD.)
Nov. 2014 Two "plebiscites" that the CivicInfo BC database files with other referendums
i) "Would you support the District of Sooke working with the community to develop multi-use community centre facilities? YES or NO" Result: 3072 YES ... 631 NO.
ii) "Should the District of Sooke join other municipalities in renewing and restating its opposition to the expansion of oil tanker traffic through Coastal BC waters? YES or NO" Result: 2618 YES ... 1137 NO.
Nov. 15, 2008 “Are you in favour of the Capital Regional District Board adopting Bylaw No. 3525, “Sooke Region Museum Service Establishment Bylaw No. 1, 2008” to establish a service for the District of Sooke and a portion of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area for the purpose of contributing $25,000 annually to an endowment fund and $50,000 annually to an operating fund for the Sooke Region Museum YES or NO?” Result: 2857 YES ... 398 NO.
November 19, 2005 - Boundary extension into portions of East Sooke (including Grouse Nest and Silver Spray/Sooke Point). Result: Successful. (votes unknown). Two preliminary stories on the subject from the News Mirror's Dan Ross re: preliminary open house and council's vote for a referendum.
January 22, 2005 - Connector road borrowing referendum. 2900 votes cast, according to the Times Colonist, with the "No" side winning by 300 votes. The question sought approval for a $2.6m borrowing to pair with $4m in federal and provincial infrastructure grants. An initial attempt to move this foward via the Alternate Approval Process failed when more than 10% of eligible Sooke voters filed counter petitions.
At this point, Sooke had no engineered sidewalks whatsoever having been built out to rural standards while part of the Capital Regional District. Background: See Sooke Borrowing Referendum report just prior to voting day from the Sooke News Mirror's Robin Wark. <clip> "The connector project includes a new two-lane road complete with sidewalk, curb and gutter, from the gazetted Gatewood Road (located halfway between Pyrite and Otter Point Roads) to Church Road, near Throup Road. The Highway 14 project will upgrade two km of the road from just west of Atherley Close to Charters Road. It includes sidewalks on both sides, widening to allow for left turn lanes, curb and gutter, a median, 75 more streetlights and a traffic light at Sooke and Charters Road ... the projects would cause a maximum tax increase of $56.62, based on the average home assessment of $187,000."
Urban Systems' Highway 14 Corridor Study (Dec. 2008)
Prepared for MOTI, not available online; I have a single page from it with the following conclusions:
"* The capacity of the existing two-lane Highway 14 corridor is being reached and will continue to degrade with increased traffic volume associated with continued growth and development in the District of Sooke.
* Difficult road-way geometry, limited access control, and increasing traffic volumes contribute to safety performance concerns along the corridor.
* It is unlikely that four laning of Highway 14, either in the form of the proposed '5-lane concept' through Sooke's urban core or the proposed #14 realignment in the rural areas, will be considered viable improvement options.
* A combination of other improvement measures will be required to address the identified performance deficiencies over the long term in both the urban and rual areas of Sooke and the Highway 14 corridor."
The Summer of Sooke's Driving Discontent (2024)
The Charters closure and the resultant discontent from our commuter population ended more or less in lockstep with the improved road's reopening in September. Always worth a read as a reminder of local sentiment back then are Britt Santowski's traffic impact surveys. (see the Sept. 9, 2024 agenda, pp. 649-718)
Adoption of Current TMP in Oct. 2020
From the somewhat wayback file, here's how the District was planning to move forward on the road network following approval of the 2020 Transportation Master Plan. Remarkable progress to date yet so much still to accomplish (including the future connection of Wadams Way to Grant Road West via an Otter Point Rd. roundabout as planners eventually progress to the western half of the bypass).
The TMP states that "Highway 14 experiences traffic volumes up to 20,000 vehicles per day. Otter Point Road is the busiest Collector Road with volumes up to 9,500 per day." The projected Average Daily Traffic entering Sooke in 2038 will be 25,000 vehicles. See the map on page 41.
Directions Within Sooke's Pending Official Community Plan
Sooke’s pending OCP includes 14 action items related to transportation in its Implementation Plan (see pp. 161-162). Our OCP, like all others in BC, is to be renewed by Dec. 31, 2025. The transportation priorities (all either ongoing or short-term) include:
* "Update the existing MOU with MOTI in order to realize shared multi-modal objectives for Highway 14, the Grant Road Connector and associated municipal streets"
* "Ensure that school site design provides safe access in relation to Highway 14"
* "Support work-from-home, teleworking and co-work spaces in the town centre, carpooling, car share operators and other initiatives to reduce commuter travel"
* "Continue to work with BC Transit and MOTI to identify, plan and construct transit priority measures" as well as expanded regional and local service.
* "Town Centre parking management study" and review of on-and-off street parking management practices.
Behind the Eight Ball: Trumpian Context
All the above is logical in blessedly normal times. Yet these clearly are not that given looming trade wars, retaliatory tariffs, resultant recessions and who knows what next fresh hell/madness from King Donad. Our privileges, even more than is already happening in this age of polycrisis, are being severely tested. There's likely an argument to be made that the District’s best practices and next-generational thinking/spending be paused until sanity prevails. Then again, costs will only rise and this is a project intended for both this and multiple next-generation Sooke residents.
Context: The current and previous councils have been guided by the Transportation Master Plan. We directed staff to implement the TMP's recommendations strategically and progressively, resulting in the $17m in largely grant-funded costs for the north-south bypass links on Otter Point, Church and Charters. As these roads were built, design of the eastern half of the bypass route (at a 25m cross-section to accommodate active transportation as required in the TMP as a prerequisite for federal and provincial grants) has progressed to near complete status.
- Council's current strategic plan (2024-27) prioritizes, as one of five focus areas, "infrastructure investment and multi-modal transportation networks." Getting a referendum question on the ballot has been council's intent since 2022. Yet said referendum has now proven premature, as council decided on June 22, since the District has yet to hear back on its federal grant applications. Therefore the price tag ($50m or about 40% less if Ottawa kicks in) is too uncertain for taxpayers to properly assess how much the road will cost each of us over the 30-year loan repayment schedule. Without that certainty, making a yes or no vote on a firm and binding borrowing question on the Oct. 17 ballot is simply not possible.
- A plebiscite question gauging community opinion about the bypass would necessarily be equally vague, argued the four on council who voted against Mayor Tait's motion that staff provide a report and sample questions. (I was in favour since I was curious to see staff's recommended questions and didn't want to dismiss them sight unseen).
- Bottom line: Best practices have been rigorously followed, a land acquisition strategy is in place, design blueprints are ready and road-width options for the CP5 section of the route (orange on the map above) are on the table. All the puzzle-pieces short of a significant grant from a senior government are available for the next council to schedule a referendum in due course and potentially get the next phase of this generational project over the line. (All of us on this council have stated that we are not in favour of bypassing voters by launching an Alternate Approval Process to secure the funding.)
- Sooke News Mirror article: Sooke Traffic Fix Takes Election Detour (June 27). Features interviews with Mayoral candidates Beddows and Pearson. Both agree the CP5 section of the route must be built, though they differ on details. Pearson: "This is not a square-one exercise. We have plans in place. We have traffic studies. We understand the situation." Beddows: "We knew going to the public to borrow $50 million was out of the question. That would take away all our borrowing capacity for the next two decades and mean a tremendous tax increase."
- Sooke First news release - June 25. My take: Council has known a referendum was not possible once it was clear in the spring that the federal grant results would be delayed. Pearson states the project is "moving at an unacceptably slow pace." A much more affordable business case for sections of the road was presented to council in 2014, so I'm unclear of when we can track the start of "slow" in a story that can be traced back still further to the failed referendum brought forward by Mayor Evans' council in 2005. The relatively narrow "no" vote that year was not based on funding and tax implications, as I understand it, it was driven in large part by concerns that a new road would impact safety in a school zone and run through an environmentally sensitive area. The SF statement that "the question of whether the bypass is required has long ago been settled by senior government" requires detail, depth and documented references, especially in context with other traffic diversion options and the Ministry's role in accelerated Sooke Road improvements. Haldane states that a plebiscite is pointless and would cost staff time and money. Yes, some staff time would be required to prepare a question and supporting material, yet there is no additional election cost in adding a ballot question.
- Mayor Tait on CFAX - "If you're going to do it, you should do it right ... (This council is) out of time and term, and at this point council has resolved to put a pause on this. We're heading into an election. With a new council on board perhaps they can workshop it and find a solution."
- CFAX commentary (June 25, first 15 minutes) by Mike Kozakowski, Sooke resident and editor of the on-line real estate and development newsletter Citified. His points echo the SF view: The proposal at 25m is "significantly overbuilt" and the 15.2m cross-section would be efficient and affordable interim solution; the Province demands it; development potential along the route will help fund it (and fast-tracking approvals for other Sooke development projects will provide tax revenue); a T-intersection at SEAPARC will cut costs (as Haldane argued on June 22) vs. a roundabout + Kozakowski's Oct. 3, 2024 commentary (starts at 3:24) upon the partial reopening of Charters Road. <clip> "Charters Road is a de facto bypass if you choose it to be."
- Pearson has stated that the Connected by 14 petition signed by 4,168 individuals (mostly during the Charters closure; no indication of how many are Sooke residents) is evidence enough that the bypass must proceed. The petition's authors (unknown; edit: Susan Jones) quote Sooke First and shared its press release in recent petition updates.
June 23 Update
Council (six of us minus Cllr. McMath) last night decided that ongoing cost and road design uncertainties made it impossible to proceed with either a borrowing referendum or a non-binding plebiscite question during the fall election. See the council agenda pp. 73-95.
The community will need to wait for the right combination of factors -- successful senior government grant applications, Development Cost Charges and required tax dollars -- to align so that taxpayers can get an exact read on how much of the $50m full-route cost they'll need to cover in annual taxes long-term over 30 years. Only then could a borrowing referendum be scheduled. (All of the current council has stated its opposition to an Alternative Approval Process for a project of this size and cost.)
Frustratingly, Ottawa has not come through with its verdict on a $16.9m federal grant application to the Housing Infrastructure and Communities Canada Active Transportation Fund submitted in February, 2025. Its fate was promised no later than early this year. Yet the Carney government has been recalibrating its grant programs under the Canada Strong banner and no word – whether thumbs up, down or sideways – has been received to date about the status of applications to pre-Carney funding programs. Neither have we heard results of a $7m application to the UBCM Strategic Priorities Fund.
We did get ballpark cost clarity about the partial CP5 route (from Charters to the proposed roundabout at SEAPARC) and three road-width potential configurations that council felt would be a more realistic ask of Sooke ratepayers.
At short notice, Director of Operations Jeff Miller was able to price out four road-width options for CP5. These are rough “Class D” estimates for a 30-year loan at the current 4.7% borrowing rate and so the final cost could be plus or minus 25%.
These estimates for average assessed Sooke households include land acquisition and do not factor in the $14m in project costs that would be eligible with successful grant applications:
1. 25m configuration (two travel lanes, centre turning lane, boulevard/bioswale, multi-use trails on both sides)
$27.5 million total cost
$21 per month =$252 per year = $7,560 over 30 years (12.58% tax increase)
Cross-section image: Attachment 3 in the agenda (pg. 87)
2. 25m configuration (two travel planes, 6m "planting strips" on both sides to allow for future road expansion
$25.1 million total cost
$19.18 per month = $230 per year = $6,900 over 30 years (11.48% tax increase)
Attachment 4 in the agenda (pg. 89)
3. 20m configuration (minus turning lane, multi-use trail one side only)
$22.8 million total cost
$17.41 per month = $209 per year = $6,267 over 30 years (10.4% tax increase)
Attachment 5 (pg. 91)
4. 15.2m configuration (narrow planting strips for street trees, no turn lane, multi-use trail one-side only
$20.5 million total cost
$15.72 per month = $189 per year = $5,659 over 30 years (9.4% tax increase)
Attachment 6 (pg. 93)
Staff report: ""It should be noted that if future demands require the ROW be expanded to the 25 ROW width there will be a cost associated with this activity. To do this work it is most likely that the road will have to be closed to use for approximately one to two years to complete the work. The cost in 2026 dollars to expand S3 (20m) is in the order of a magnitude of $13,500,000 with S4 (15m) being an order of a magnitude of $20,000,000."
Council considered two motions:
1. "THAT Council directs staff to continue negotiations with the necessary private property owners for the acquisition of various land parcel segments needed to complete the Throup Road/Phillips Road Connector based on the approved cross-section of 25m." ... This was defeated on the grounds that a roughly estimated $700k in land acquisition costs along the corridor is premature pending public approval of the route in part (CP5) or whole. [Negotiated deals are to be conditional on the project going ahead. Expropriation is an option.]
2. "THAT Council directs staff to bring forward a report on a non-binding plebiscite regarding continuation of the Throup Road/Phillips Road Connector project for community opinion to be expressed on October 17, 2026." ... Defeated on the grounds that without accurate costs, it would be impossible for voters to make an informed yes/no decision. I voted in favour of Mayor Tait’s motion given that i) this was a request for a staff report and we’d not seen the proposed question that we rejected sight unseen; ii) no additional election budget costs are required for an additional question; and iii) elections are a rare opportunity to check the community's pulse and pinch points at this time of an affordability crisis.
And so the next council will work to secure grants while using the near-complete road designs to move things forward - logically to a referendum since the Alternative Approval Process is deemed a non-starter for projects of this size and taxpayer impact.
As a reminder, here's what has been accomplished to date as directed by the 2020 Transportation Master Plan ...
* Three critical north-south corridors -- Otter Point, Church and Charters -- that feed into the bypass have been built over the last six years, largely through $17m in grant funding. The Charters/Sooke Road intersection with right-turn lane is the next significant MOTT project following on from the Idlemore intersection.
* The bypass design, based on the Transportation Master Plan’s 25m “complete street” profile, has been progressed to near-final tender-ready status on the three portions of the route from the Church roundabout to Phillips at Sooke Road. Provincial and federal grants require this level of detail as a condition of application.
* Land owners along the full route (including private-property owners, SEAPARC, the Sooke Community Association and the Sooke Region Museum) have been consulted initially as negotiations begin as guided by a formal land acquisition strategy
* Roundabout has been designed at SEAPARC and Phillips. (Haldane suggested a cheaper option would be T-intersection given less land involved and reduced need for earthworks; Miller noted Sooke's roundabout-first policy, increased possibilities for a new point of congestion and higher ratio of traffic accidents at t-intersections as per ICBC data)
* Traffic Impact Analysis indicates that 30% of all Sooke Road westbound afternoon traffic (about 6,000 vehicles) would divert onto the new route at Phillips.
* Stormwater analysis and design, as well as geotechnical investigations, soil sampling, and archeological assessments have been completed
* Coordination with service providers -- CRD (water mains) and BC Hydro (electricity) – to ensure those essentials are accommodated.
Council is divided on whether to proceed with the no-frills basic 15.2m option or more generous future-proof wider versions that will likely be required as Sooke doubles in size over the next three decades. The staff report warns that road closures and significant added costs will be necessary should the 15.2 version need expansion:
Update June 2026
Time, as it does, has moved swiftly on since I wrote this post 15 months ago. What was intended to be an October borrowing referendum for the connector road (aka bypass) from the Church roundabout along Throup to the Phillips connection with Sooke Road may now become a plebiscite. Council's next decision point on this will be at the meeting of Monday, June 22.
A binding referendum question has grown problematic largely because we have not heard back on two critical federal government grant applications that would effectively cut project costs by 40% ~ a voting determinant for homeowners facing a long-term repayment plan on whatever Sooke must borrow and also in context with other municipal tax increases (police, fire, asset management, union contracts and community service agreements, as I never tire of mentioning).
Council recognizes that the full $50m price tag minus any grants is too big a bill for Sooke ratepayers to carry alone. As such, the focus has turned to what Council as a whole has determined to be the most impactful third of the proposed route, designated CP5 (as indicated on the orange section of the map above, if indeed you can see it at this size; a larger map here) from Throup at Charters east to SEAPARC at Phillips.
The price for this section (with grants) would be in the neighbourhood of $15-20m depending on the road width selected - a basic version comprising two lanes and one-sided multi-use trail to the ideal but more expensive "complete street" as recommended in the Transportation Master Plan. The other two connector sections - CP 4 and CP 6 -- would await action in future.
Regarding the federal grant applications: The Carney government introduced its Build Communities Strong Fund last November, nine months after the District's application and the concomitant promise from Ottawa that we'd learn its fate by early this year. As I understand it, at least, the programs to which Sooke applied have been rolled into the new Build Strong program with its $5 billion in annual funding ... in particular the Build Communities Strong Community Funding Stream (which promises to deliver $2.5 billion annually to cross-Canada applicants in 19 project categories -- local roads included.)
A string of funding announcements have indeed rolled out from Ottawa in recent months, but none related to Sooke. Director of Operations Jeff Miller intends to report back to Council at the June 22 meeting on the status of our applications.
As for the Province, Council and the District has been lobbying for Hwy 14 upgrades since I was elected in 2018 and long before -- through Ministerial meetings, advocacy letters, MOTI presentations at regular council meetings and the established MOU relationship that ensures regular communication between District and Provincial staff. The Province points to the $120m it has invested in highway improvements in our region since 2017, and promises more through phased improvements in future (continuing this summer with the Idlemore intersection).
Yet the message clearly sent by former Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon (2024) and former MLA Ravi Parmar is that we must get our municipal road act together through, as Parmer said, by building the Throup connector. This would solve a "distribution issue" on our secondary roads once Hwy 14 drivers reach the town centre, the latter stated. Current MLA Dana Lajeunesse also recognizes the need to build the connector road and improve the internal network, as demonstrated by his letters of support for the federal grants submitted in Feb. 2025.
Some $17m (largely grant funded) in north-south road configurations on Otter Point, Church and Charters have got us to the point where the eastern half of the connector is ready for primetime given sufficient funding, and there's the rub and the reason why partial rather than full project funding is worth considering now.
To get (re)grounded in this complicated process, please start with this substantial District website explainer released following the May 25 meeting. I'll share the link in full to encourage you to read it: https://www.sooke.ca/news-and-public-notices/posts/may-25-2026-council-meeting-update-phillips-road-throup-road-connection
<clip> "The District has not yet decided whether a borrowing referendum or non-binding plebiscite will be part of the October 2026 General Local Election. Council will revisit the matter after receiving more information about grant funding, project costs, and design options as a part of the next report, anticipated in June 2026.”
The many moving pieces -- costs, grant and tax implications -- are captured in Mr. Miller's staff report on pp. 55-71 of the May 25 agenda
My Facebook synopsis as shared on June 1 when this blog was in the midst of a month-long malfunction repaired the other day ... "Thanks to Cllr. Beddows’ motion, we will receive three quotes for various widths of the section from Charters to Phillips (designated section CP5) with sidewalk, bike lane and/or multi-use trail. This will likely be received at the June 22 council meeting.
* The results of $23.9m in federal active transportation grant applications are not expected to be known by the BC Referendum Act deadline (early July) required for provincial approval of a borrowing referendum question on the Oct. 17 ballot. [Related: Province of BC Assent (Referendum) Voting Procedures + Ministry of Municipal Affairs Guidebook on Referendums + Community Charter: Approval of the Electors + Local Government Act: Assent Voting].
* Council agrees the $50m price tag (without grants) for the complete route from Church to Philips at Sooke Road is too rich for #Sooke taxpayers at this time given other municipal tax increases (police, fire, asset management, union contracts and support of community groups). Funding the full build-out without grants amounts to $474 more per year for the average assessed homeowner. (With grants the annual tax increase would be approx. $225).
* Rather than a binding borrowing referendum question, council is poised to advance a plebiscite question gauging community support to borrow the approx. $15m required for build-out of CP5 linking Phillips at SEAPARC to the Charters/Throup intersection. This price is to rise or fall dependent on the three road-width options requested by Cllr. Beddows.
* A ‘yes’ vote gives the next council a green light to borrow funds to complete a partial but significant portion of the route, signaling clearly to the Province that we are doing our part with the municipal road network and that we fully expect action on further Hwy 14 improvements (notably the right-turn lanes at Phillips, Charters and Church off Sooke Rd. as well as near-term work on the Charters intersection).
My questions focused on the Charters intersection with Sooke Road, where plans are well advanced for a stoplight and right-hand turn lane. My thinking was that if other route phases prove too expensive, let's at least ensure that this phase of work has necessary District funds to both complete it and also purchase land and make widened road improvements to the section of Throup Road from Charters west to the Church roundabout (CP4 in purple on the map). This improvement in itself might prove to be a mid-term solution by diverting considerably more traffic off Sooke Road onto secondary streets. I was seemingly alone in thinking this was a valid short-term option, however, and the focus went to the CP5 section.
Council will also be receiving the requested report on a Gathering Place plebiscite (non-binding) question intended for the Oct. 17 ballot. It would ask whether voters want the next Council to authorize borrowing of “up to” (i.e., a maximum) of $5m to build and operationalize. Details in this latest entry on my blog (which I frustratingly can't access at the moment following a malfunction or possible hack the other day.)"
Traffic Solutions: Sooke's Wish List
1. The connector route as first envisioned in Sooke's 2001 Transportation Plan.
2. Continued phased work by the Province on Hwy 14 improvements, including (starting this summer) the Idlemore intersection project, then the Charters Road intersection (designed and budgeted to a significant degree) and the addition of what may be game-changing right-turn lanes off Sooke Road at Phillips, Charters and Church.
3. Patiently staying the course with the 2020 Transportation Master Plan and improving the local road network as grants and developer contributions allow. The TMP's "Complete Streets" chapter (pp. 38-51) focuses on ...
i) Joint planning with the Province on "Hwy 14, the Grant Road connector and associated municipal streets" through the MOU agreement between the District and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure;
ii) Improved street network connectivity through new arterial, collector, town centre and local roads (see the planned dotted line routes on Map 6, pg. 43). This includes the "ultimate build-out" of desired road connectons to Sunriver (via Pascoe Rd.), Eustace to Maple, Gatewood to Grant Rd. West, and Henlyn to Otter Point Rd. via Foreman Hts. Also marked on this map is an ultra-long term bypass at our northern boundary that will only ever happen should Sooke become a vastly larger community. This is absolutely not intended in our current "small town, big heart" OCP, however the South Island continues to grow and one foreseeable, albeit distant, future for us includes a four-lane Hwy 14 that would accelerate development and population growth here.)
4. Commuter traffic volume reduction through Community Economic Development, i.e. local job creation guided by a hopefully near-term, grant-funded employment lands strategy prioritizing under-utilized industrial and commercial land in Sooke.
5. Continued advocacy with BC Transit for improved local and regional service
6. Input by Sooke's CRD director and council into the CRD's new Regional Transportation Service as it works on regional traffic solutions of diverse kinds, including light-rail commuter service on the E&N line between Langford and downtown Victoria.
7. Optimize traffic light timing to ensure westbound flow.
[ A set of local traffic solutions were proposed by an independent Sooke group in Sept. 2024 when the Charters closure created traffic armageddon (as documented in this blog entry). <clip> "Tonight's council agenda (pp. 59-87) features a critical analysis of the seven short-term traffic solutions proposed by the Sooke Traffic Committee (STC), an ad hoc group created this summer by the Chamber and the Sooke Builders Association (scan down to the July 29 update for details.)
The agenda includes reports from Watt Consulting Group’s Nadine King (pp. 63-72), Sooke’s Director of Engineering and Operations Jeff Carter (pp. 73-80) and M4 Consulting’s Michelle Mahovlich (pp. 81-87). The latter is Langford's former Director of Engineering and one of the advisors to this independent group.
All conclude that the one best short-term fix is continued work on efficient timing of stoplights at Sooke River Road, Phillips, Church and Otter Point Rd. so as to favour the westbound afternoon flow. The other six ideas from this group are variously judged by King, Carter and Mahovlich to have little short-term impact on westbound congestion, require complicated courses of action and/or must necessarily follow on from the long-identified big-budget connector road addition.]
Original Post - Feb. 24, 2025
Starting Points
- District's TMP Implementation page.
Related from this blog:
* Hwy 14 - Condensed & Updated (through Sept. 2024)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Congestion & Safety (June 1, 2024, Charters closure edition)
* CRD’s Proposed Transportation Authority (May 23, 2024)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Summer 2022 (July 22; updated through opening of the 4 lanes in June 2023)
* What's Next For Sooke's Evolving Road, Sidewalk and Roundabout Network (Jan. 20, 2021)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Spring 2019 (March 23, 2019)
* Fresh Paint, Familiar Refrain for Sooke Road (Nov. 17, 2018)
- A policy rationale for the connector route is presented in the Feb. 24, 2025 agenda pp. 41-44 as part of the grant submission package to the federal Active Transportation Fund. It includes reference to Strategic Plan priorities, community wellbeing, climate impacts and community economic development as per fund guidelines.
- District Council's 2024-2027 Strategic Plan .... Strategic Areas of Focus under Infrastructure Investments and Multi-Modal Transportation: "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."
Feb. 24 Update: Council moved that a borrowing referendum question be scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 as part of the next municipal general election. By then, the District's share of the costs will be better known following the promised early 2026 outcome of the federal grant application. It will also allow due public debate based on a full-scale information package to be produced by the District and set to include line-item cost breakdown, traffic impact studies, amortized costs of the borrowing over its 30-year lifespan and other critical details. This also gives time for the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) to fund its complimentary updates to Sooke Road. Unanimous vote in favour by the four of us present (Beddows, St-Pierre, Tait and myself. Pearson on holiday, McMath an absentee due to work obligations.) There were six members of the public (one a baby in arms) present for this decision.
Feb. 23: Tomorrow evening Council will review the latest iterative approach to building out critical sections of Sooke’s internal transportation network. It is contingent on both a successful borrowing referendum and approved grants through Ottawa’s Active Transportation Fund (which, if successful, would reduce the now $49m price tag for the Throup/Phillips section to $28m). See the agenda pp. 21-44 for the staff report from Operations Director Jeff Carter and his team.
A referendum update follows on agenda pp. 45-60. It includes a variety of taxpayer impacts based on interest rates, term length and whether or not grant applications succeed. Council is asked to vote on whether to schedule this "assent borrowing opportunity" with the near-term (TBD) by-election(s), as a standalone or in tandem with the Oct. 2026 municipal general election. We're told grant results will be known late this year/early next, and so we're being nudged towards the election 2026 option. So many ducks to align and preparations to make in a project of this size so as to give the public all it needs for an informed yes/no vote.
Holding back while clearly signalling we're ready to move ahead with a referendum will motivate, I sincerely trust, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit to announce and fund its share of complimentary Hwy 14 improvements (i.e., the Idlemore intersection project, the right-turn lanes at Phillips and Church and also at the signalized Charters intersection). Letters of support have been requested by the District from multiple local and provincial stakeholders, and those will need to be collected and compiled.
Action on our municipal road network has been demanded by the Province and there is a quid pro quo at play in which we expect promised actions on its part in the near-term should we go to referendum or even if not given all the work already tackled under the TMP.
Cllr. Beddows has made the excellent point that additional right-turn lanes off Sooke Road may be a game-changing traffic solution that would steer much more traffic onto Charters and Church, thus rendering the connector route unnecessary for the foreseeable future, saving significant tax increases for debt repayments and protecting the natural lands and wildlife corridors in the SEAPARC and golf course area. In this event, upgrades would be needed from Charters east to the Throup/Church roundabout, a far more digestible price tag.
Time must also be given for full public input to inform the referendum. I picture extraordinarily lively town halls and the formation of "Vote Yes" and "No" lobby groups as was the case when the 2006 connector route referendum was (sadly, frustratingly) defeated. So goes democracy.
What's missing to date is the hard data, traffic projections and detailed cost spreadsheets that must inform the referendum debate. As I wrote in my Bill 44 blog post last week: "In the months ahead, District staff will need present a comprehensive and persuasive cost/benefit analysis of why this bypass is a game changer -- one with full reference to the existing traffic impact studies -- if indeed this referendum is to pass the smell test and succeed in a 50% + one vote. Approx. $200 (?) per residential household annually over as long as 30 years is no small ask, especially in such uncertain economic times and given all the other best practices we're asking residents to fund, i.e. the asset management reserve fund, 24/7 policing, a fully unionized fire department and substantial overall District staffing levels, no matter that we're currently one of Vancouver Island's lowest-taxed communities.”
Implementation of the 2020 Sooke Transportation Master Plan
- The TMP and Parks & Trails Master Plans were endorsed by council on Oct. 13, 2020
- TMP Update - Oct. 28, 2024 (pp. 19-33)
- Connector project update - Feb. 24, 2025 (details below; see the agenda pp. 21-44)
- UBCM Priorities Fund Grant Applications - Sept. 8, 2025 (pp. 71-150) <clip> "This Funding application is for $7,000,000 towards the Throup Road Connector Active Transportation Project. This project includes arterial road upgrades to the Phillips corridor from Highway 14 to the north side of SEAPARC, where a 3-leg roundabout will connect the Phillips Corridor to Church Road roundabout, inclusive of arterial road upgrades to Throup Road. This is the same project that Council has supported for previous funding applications this year under the Federal Active Transportation Fund (ATF) and the Community Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF). Both the ATF and CHIF funds, as well as the UBCM Strategic Priorities Fund, allow for grant stacking. Further, the District's commitment of $42,791,200 under the UBCM-SPF fund has already been committed in the previous ATF and CHIF funding applications. If the District is successful with all three funding applications, funding up to $29,000,000 for the Throup Road and Phillips Road Connector Active Transportation Corridor Project may be secured."
Complete TMP Projects
Preliminary (i.e., as directed by the 2008 TMP)
- Wadams Way: District paid for road, adjacent multi-use trail ($450k) was 60% funded by the Province
- Press release: Pre-Election Grand Opening (Sept. 27, 2014)
- Sooke Road roundabout at Evergreen Mall: Completed November, 2015
- Project costs: $9.1m ($6m from Province; $3.1m from District)
- Town centre sidewalk from Church to Otter Point Rd. constructed by MOTI in conjunction with roundabout
Phase 1: Otter Point Road Active Transportation Corridor Project
- Sooke Road to Wadams Way - 430m of sidewalks, 720m of bike lane, crosswalk at Grant Rd.
- Total project cost: $2.1m (with $1.9m from the federal/provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program)
- Contract awarded to Hazelwood Construction Services, Nanaimo (which had recently completed a MOTI contract for shoulder widening on the West Coast Rd. between Otter Point and Woodhaven).
- Engineering by On Point Project Engineers, Langford
- completed Nov. 2021
Phase 2: Church Road Corridor
- Total project cost: $1.84m inclusive of design, construction, project contingency, engineering field services, contract administration, and project management.
- Tender awarded to Hazelwood (July 12, 2021 - agenda pp. 193-94) ... second lowest of six bids received
- Sidewalks, bike lanes, road resurfacing, utilities upgrades
- $500k grant from the BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant Program
Phase 3: Church Road Roundabout
- Total project cost: $3,797,631
- Church Road Roundabout and Intersection design - Nov. 23, 2020 council meeting (agenda pp. 151-52)
- Tender for the construction work awarded to Hazelwood Construction Services at council meeting of July 24, 2023 (see agenda, pg. 183)
- Hazlewood's was the only proposal received from the tender process.
- Funding Sources
$1.5M Growing Communities Fund (from the one-time BC program; Sooke received $5.939m)
$1.7M Road DCCs
$0.8M Community Building Fund and Casino Fund
- Substantial completion in May, 2024
Phase 4: Charters Corridor
- Total project cost: $6.9m
* $3,579,041 BC Growing Communities Fund
* $2,220,000 Road Development Cost Charges
* $111,711 Canada Community Grant Fund (aka Gas Tax)
* $1,039,247 from additional grants/funds
* $487,962 from CRD Infrastructure and Water Services
- Tender awarded to Hazelwood at council meeting of July 24, 2023 (see agenda, pp. 181-82)
- Note: Phases three and four tendered to Hazelwood given construction efficiencies and its successful execution of earlier phases. Higher bids were received from Vimex Contracting ($7.4m) and Don Mann Excavating ($7.9m)
Upcoming
Phase 5: Charters & Sooke Road Intersection
- Four-legged signalized intersection
- Total project cost: $3.5m
- MOTT anticipated to pay 50% of costs
- Grant application pending for $500k
- Planned construction in 2026/27
- BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants application #1 - Nov. 27, 2023 (see agenda pp. 35-38). Denied.
- BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program application #2 - Oct. 28, 2024 (see agenda pp. 23-33), includes new phased map of corridor project and engineering blueprint of intersection on pg. 29.
- Application #2 successful - $500,000
Phase 6: Throup and Phillips Road Connector
- Total project cost: $49,791,985 (includes 20% contingency to cover cost overruns)
- Grant application amount: $16,901,991
- District contribution: $32,889,209
- less Development Cost Charge contributions: ~ $5m
- From Church Rd. roundabout to Phillips exit onto Sooke Road
- Proposed construction: 2026-2029
- Now recontexualized as a single project (as opposed to phases in previous strategies)
- Project at 75% functional design
- Land acquisition required from properties along corridor and SEAPARC
- Extensive contingencies built into the $49m price tag to account for potential inflation & cost factors (therefore final costs may be significantly lower)
* 20% best-practice overall contingency ($10m)
* 10% inflation for contracted services at time tender is awarded ($5m)
* 2% costs for potential remediation of contaminated soil ($2m)
* 12% allowance for contracted management services ($6m)
Phase 7: Otter Point Active Transportation Corridor Continuation
- Total project cost: $2,096,602 (includes 30% contingency)
- Grant application amount: $884,930
- District contribution: $1,211,672
- Continuing the sidewalk and bike lane from The Park View north past the Municipal Hall to Rhodonite.
- "Completes the missing active transportation link connecting the Broom Hill area to John Phillips Park and the Stickleback Trail"
- 50% conceptual design
- Proposed construction: 2027
Phase 8: Hwy 14 Active Transportation Continuation
- Total project cost: $9,669,615 (includes 30% contingency)
- Grant application amount: $5,801,769
- District contribution: $4,987,248
- West Coast Rd. sidewalks and shoulder bike lanes from Ed Macgregor Park to Whiffin Spit Rd.
- "MOTT will not fund sidewalks along highways" but a successful grant will "incentivize the Ministry to complete a road resurfacing project."
- Proposed construction: 2028
Phase 9: Wadams/Otter Point/Grant Road West Continuation
- Project cost estimate: $12m
- Proposed construction: 2030
[Cost Estimates made by McElhanney and Associated Engineering]
During the Charters closure ...
Options for Engagement on Sooke Traffic Concerns
Council agenda - Sept. 9, 2024 (pp. 267-284)
THAT Council direct staff to enhance existing community engagement initiatives to support as follows:
a) Support local businesses;
b) Create an online portal for traffic-related reporting;
c) Connect with local schools and organizations on traffic solutions; and
d) Develop and promote a carpooling application;
AND THAT Council direct staff to present options for increasing communication and engagement service levels in the 2025 budget deliberations.
AND FURTHER THAT Council direct staff to present options for increasing communication and engagement service levels in the 2025 budget deliberations to support new initiatives, as follows:
a) Develop a traffic dashboard to provide real-time traffic data, updates on ongoing projects, and historical traffic patterns;
b) Partner with BC Transit to promote public transportation through campaigns and local stories about positive user experience
c) Launch enhanced public awareness campaigns to inform residents about traffic-related topics, potentially including traffic safety workshops;
d) Create interactive traffic simulations to visualize the impact of proposed changes and gather resident feedback; and
e) Support local businesses in putting in bike racks.
Carried Unanimously (Person & McMath absent)
Short-Term Traffic Solutions Presented by the Sooke Traffic Committee
(Sept. 23, 2024 pp. 59-87)
Received by council for information. Carried Unanimously (Lajeunesse absent)
Details in this blog entry. Agenda includes reports from WATT Consulting, Michelle Mahovlich and the Chamber-initiated Sooke Traffic Committee (Jim Hartshorne, Shannon Russell, Herb Haldane, Britt Santowski, Mike Kozakowski, Deb Schenk, Dana Lajeunesse, Tracy Snow, Dave McClimon, Kevin Pearson - non-official council involvement by DL and KP; I and others of us on council weren't invited).
Grant Funding Possibilities
Federal Active Transportation Fund
- federal government website landing page via the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
"Up to $500M will be available for active transportation capital projects across Canada. This includes a minimum of 10% of total funds set aside for Indigenous recipients ... Projects that are determined to be eligible will be further evaluated against the program's merit criteria. Final project selection is undertaken with a view to balancing funding support by taking into consideration such factors as regional distribution, the type of project, and equitable access."
- Application deadline: February 26, 2025
- Projects must be complete by March 30, 2030
- Unlimited number of project requests up to a maximum of $50m
- Grants will cover up to 60% of costs per project
- Grants can be stacked with other funding sources
- Active Transportation Fund grant windows will open again in coming years as part of a "Targeted Funding" approach
- The fund is a component of the federal government's $3b Canada Public Transit Fund
Sooke's grant request = $25,246,754 (i.e., 5% of total available national grant funding in the current funding window; other opportunities will follow if we receive partial funding; yes, the District is ambitious)
1. Throup and Phillips Road Connector Active Transportation Corridor ($16,901,991)
2. Little River Active Transportation Trail - Sunriver Way Access ($1,658,064)
3. Otter Point Active Transportation Corridor Continuation (John Phillips Park lot to Rhodonite - $884,930)
4. Highway 14 Active Transportation Continuation (Ed Macgregor Park to Whiffin Spit Road - $5,801,769)
Frequently Asked Questions
<clip> "Capital projects involve new infrastructure construction, enhancement of existing infrastructure, and/or improvements to design and safety features that encourage increased active transportation.Eligible capital projects may include:
- Building or enhancing infrastructure for active transportation, such as multi-use paths, sidewalks, footbridges, separated bicycle lanes, and connections to other roadways (recreational trails are only eligible provided they can also be used for transportation, i.e., connecting to destinations, services or amenities);
- Enhancing active transportation infrastructure, including design considerations in which there may be no net gain in kilometres of infrastructure, but include quality improvements that support greater usage;
- Building or enhancing design features and facilities that promote active transportation, such as storage facilities, lighting, greenery, shade, and benches; and
- Building or enhancing safety features which promote active transportation, such as crosswalks, medians, speed bumps, and wayfinding signage.
"Is a municipal attestation or endorsement from Council required for a municipal applicant? "Municipal applicants do not require a municipal Council endorsement, resolution or other form of attestation at the time of application. Should the project funding be approved, such an attestation may be required as a condition of the funding agreement."
Long-Term Borrowing Referendum Update
Feb. 24, 2025. See the agenda pp. 45 to 60
"The District of Sooke has key capital Transportation Master Plan projects that need debt financing, as outlined in its 2025-2029 Five-Year Financial Plan, at a total budget of $49.79 million (Appendix 1). With $5 million of DCC and other funding available, the maximum amount of funds the District needs to borrow to finance these projects is up to $44.79 million ($49.79 million - $5 million and including contingency). With a successful federal Active Transportation grant of $16.90 million, this borrowing amount will be reduced to $27.89 million." (from the staff report, pg. 46)
- Council options
i) Tag the referendum onto a near-term by-election for one councillor and possibly Mayor
ii) Hold a borrowing referendum on a standaloneTBD voting day after the by-election
iii) Tag it onto the municipal general election ballot on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
Staff recommendation: "If Council's preference is to receive confirmation on grant funding prior to a referendum then it is recommended that the District conduct the assent voting (referendum) in October 2026. By this time, the District will have the necessary information to inform the public and meet the grant funder’s required timeline. Additionally, combining the referendum with the general local election is a cost-effective option."
Draft Referendum Question "Are you in favour of the District of Sooke adopting the Loan Authorization Bylaw No. XXX to authorize the borrowing of up to $XXXXX for the purpose of building roads with an active transportation path located at XXXXXX, Sooke, BC?"
Cost implication scenarios for taxpayers
The Municipal Finance Authority of BC's current long-term (30-year) borrowing rate is 4.36% See MFA long-term borrowing rates backgrounder. A long-term loan is locked in for its first ten years at a set interest rate, then renegotiated based on current interest rates at time of renewal. Interest rate trends have been declining since a peak of 4.97% in fall 2023.
1. Without Active Transportation Grant (at 4.36% interest rate)
- $45m principal
- annual principal payment = $876k
- annual interest payment = $1,972,426
- annual debt repayment = $2,848,768
- Cost per average assessed Sooke household (2024 figure) = $272 per year for 30 years
- If interest rate was 3.5% = $169 per year
2. With Active Transportation Grant (at 4.36% interest rate)
- $28m principal
- annual principal payment = $545,654
- annual interest payment = $1,228,130
- annual debt repayment = $1,773,784
- Cost per average assessed Sooke household (2024 figure) = $169 per year for 30 years
- If interest rate was 3.5% = $146 per year
"This annual payment could be further reduced if the District increases its contribution and reduces the loan principal. Staff will be exploring any non-property tax funding sources to reduce the overall taxpayer costs."
Related: Why Construction Costs On Public Infrastructure Projects Are Skyrocketing - Dan Baxter, Progressive Contractors Association of BC (Vancouver Sun, Oct. 1, 2024)
Budget 2025 Public Survey
- Slide deck
- What We Heard Report
<clip> pg. 16 "The timing of the budget survey, coinciding with the Charters Road closure, gave the District a valuable opportunity to check in with the community on its transportation needs—especially for Highway 14 and the local road network. This feedback is important as the District considers ways to accelerate the implementation of its Transportation Master Plan, which outlines a strategic 10-year vision for enhancing transportation.
Residents were also asked to prioritize up to three solutions for reducing congestion on Highway 14. Results included:
1. Alternate Routes: 225 votes; 68.4%
2. Improve local roads and how we travel around Sooke: 171 votes; 52%
3. Road Widening and expansion: 148 votes; 45%
4. Improve public transportation: 138; 41.9%
5. Local employment: 125; 38%
BC Active Transportation Grants Awarded to Sooke
2014/15 - Galloping Goose - Sooke Connector Trail - $75,352
2019/20 - DeMamiel Creek Connector - $145,665
2021/22 - Active Transportation Church Road/Throup Road - $500,000
2021/22 - Multi-modal Active Transportation Upgrades - Church Road Corridor - $500,000
2023/24 - Active Transportation Charters Road South Streetscape - $500,000
2023/24 - Little River Multi-Use Trail - $500,000
2024/25 - Active Transportation Throup Road Corridor Improvements - $500,000
(source + grant home page)
Federal Grants to Sooke Since 2002
- Search results from the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada database
- Infrastructure Canada total funding to Sooke: $47.1m
- Gas tax revenue: $7.7m
- Highway 14 corridor grants: $30m
- Little River Crossing: $1,307,610
- T'Sou-ke Community Complex and Health Care Centre: $3,893,335
Trail Connection to Sunriver
Context: Active Routes to Schools
Phase 1: Ponds Corridor
Cost: $2.1m
Completed in 2021
Phase 2: Little River Trail & Bridge
- District's Little River Multi-Use Trail home page
- Cost: $2,869,000
- BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program application - Nov. 27, 2023 (see agenda pp. 35-57; engineering drawings begin on pg. 39)
- Environmental Development Permit - Sept. 23, 2024 (see agenda pp. 125-200; Environmental Management Plan begins on pg. 133)
- Little River Pedestrian Crossing contract to Regehr Contracting Ltd. - $1,943,749.30 - Jan. 13, 2025 (agenda pp. 21-65)
- Site preparation underway, trail and boardwalk construction begins in spring, completion date this fall
Upcoming
Phase 3: Little River Active Transportation Trail - Sunriver Way Access
- Total project cost: $2,763,411 (includes 30% contingency)
- Grant application amount: $$1,658,064
- District contribution: $1,105,377
- Proposed construction: 2027
- Remediating the very steep access point to the future Little River (Demamiel Creek) Trail from its Sunriver Way northern access point. Construction of two retaining walls over 150m to reduce grade according to standards set in BC's Active Transportation Design Guide.
Business Case Study (2014) for Phillips/Charters Section
Mayor Milne and his council directed staff to produce the Business Case: Grant Road Connector Project - Phillips to Charter Roads (Nov. 2014). Total estimated cost for this section of the route was $3,808,439. The line-item budget presented in the report included "site works, removals, road works, drainage, wetland crossing, miscellaneous expenses and a 25% contingency ... The District’s share of $1,269,480 ($3,808,439 less possible (federal) Building Canada - Small Communities grant funding of $2,538,959) will be financed by $774,383 in Development Cost Charges, $305,569 from capital reserves and $189,528 from taxes."
Other highlights and rationales as identified in this report:
- "The District engaged a consulting firm to develop traffic simulation models and estimate total trip distances in base case and in a project case scenarios. Travel projections for the project are based on a PM Peak of 640 vph = 6,400 vehicles per day. The model estimated that 18.6 million kms would be driven in a base case scenario and 14.6 million kms annually under the project scenario, resulting in a savings of 4 million kms annually. Operating costs savings from this reduced trip distance are estimated at $1 million annually based on $0.25 per kilometre.
- "Time savings due to the improved network and reduced idling are estimated at 147,000 hours per year, which results in a savings of $1.47 million annually based on a time value of $10/hr."
- "Taking an estimated 6,400 vehicles per day off the busy Highway 14 (Sooke Road) may result in reduced accidents. Highway 14 (Sooke Road) has a high accident frequency resulting partly from having many access points. The project will alternatively provide a safe parallel route through the town core and reducing the need to use many of the current access points. Typical calculations value one fatality at $1,000,000 and an injury at $250,000. Annual savings are estimated at $290,000 per year taking into account estimated property damage costs and personal injury costs."
- Under social benefits: "Pedestrians and cyclists are forced to use the highway to complete the connection to several schools, the recreation centre, and the town core. Local transit service is not possible within this disconnected network ... Not having a parallel road network in the District forces all local and through traffic onto the highway. Turning volumes are high and put a strain on the road capacity. Travel distances are also significantly longer for local trips as residents must drive to the highway and then re-enter the community at another cross street. The high level of access points along the highway contributes to the high accident frequency in Sooke."
- "Only one small portion of road right-of-way remains to be formally secured. This portion is owned by the Capital Regional District and subject to stewardship by the SEAPARC Commission (governing body of the SEAPARC recreation centre). Approval for the dedication has been received by the SEAPARC Commission Board. The District and the Capital Regional District have an agreement in principle to facilitate the transfer of the subject lands in return for the District providing access and additional parking at the SEAPARC leisure centre from the connector. This has already been incorporated into preliminary design work."
- "Preliminary design work and stakeholder consultations have already taken place for what was previously going to be one large project. The District decided instead to break the project into more manageable phases and has recently completed Phase 1 (Wadams Way) on time and under budget. Support letters have been received by the District for the entire Grant Road Connector Project and also for this particular project, Phase 2 (Phillips Road to Charters Road). Community support for the project is clearly evidenced by the project’s inclusion in the District’s Official Community Plan and Transportation Master Plan documents."
Miscellaneous
From This Blog
* Hwy 14: Condensed & Updated (June 13, 2024)
* Hwy 14 Revisited: Congestion & Safety Edition (March-June, 2024)
* CRD’s Proposed Transportation Authority (May 23, 2024)
* Highway 14 Revisited: Four-Lane Opening Edition (July 22, 2022)
* What's Next For Sooke's Evolving Road, Sidewalk and Roundabout Network (Jan. 20, 2021)
* Highway 14 Revisited: Spring 2019 Edition (March 29, 2019)
* Fresh Paint, Familiar Refrain for Sooke Road (Nov. 17, 2018)
Previous Sooke Referendums
May 1, 2016 ”Residents of Sooke and Juan de Fuca have voted to buy a 23-acre golf course for future recreational use. The owners of DeMamiel Creek Golf Course accepted a $1-million offer from SEAPARC, subject to the referendum. SEAPARC will transfer $250,000 for the purchase and the remaining $750,000 will be financed over 15 years at a fixed rate of about 3 per cent.” Results: 978 YES … 209 NO. (Times Colonist) (Referendum conducted by the CRD.)
Nov. 2014 Two "plebiscites" that the CivicInfo BC database files with other referendums
i) "Would you support the District of Sooke working with the community to develop multi-use community centre facilities? YES or NO" Result: 3072 YES ... 631 NO.
ii) "Should the District of Sooke join other municipalities in renewing and restating its opposition to the expansion of oil tanker traffic through Coastal BC waters? YES or NO" Result: 2618 YES ... 1137 NO.
Nov. 15, 2008 “Are you in favour of the Capital Regional District Board adopting Bylaw No. 3525, “Sooke Region Museum Service Establishment Bylaw No. 1, 2008” to establish a service for the District of Sooke and a portion of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area for the purpose of contributing $25,000 annually to an endowment fund and $50,000 annually to an operating fund for the Sooke Region Museum YES or NO?” Result: 2857 YES ... 398 NO.
November 19, 2005 - Boundary extension into portions of East Sooke (including Grouse Nest and Silver Spray/Sooke Point). Result: Successful. (votes unknown). Two preliminary stories on the subject from the News Mirror's Dan Ross re: preliminary open house and council's vote for a referendum.
January 22, 2005 - Connector road borrowing referendum. 2900 votes cast, according to the Times Colonist, with the "No" side winning by 300 votes. The question sought approval for a $2.6m borrowing to pair with $4m in federal and provincial infrastructure grants. An initial attempt to move this foward via the Alternate Approval Process failed when more than 10% of eligible Sooke voters filed counter petitions.
At this point, Sooke had no engineered sidewalks whatsoever having been built out to rural standards while part of the Capital Regional District. Background: See Sooke Borrowing Referendum report just prior to voting day from the Sooke News Mirror's Robin Wark. <clip> "The connector project includes a new two-lane road complete with sidewalk, curb and gutter, from the gazetted Gatewood Road (located halfway between Pyrite and Otter Point Roads) to Church Road, near Throup Road. The Highway 14 project will upgrade two km of the road from just west of Atherley Close to Charters Road. It includes sidewalks on both sides, widening to allow for left turn lanes, curb and gutter, a median, 75 more streetlights and a traffic light at Sooke and Charters Road ... the projects would cause a maximum tax increase of $56.62, based on the average home assessment of $187,000."
Urban Systems' Highway 14 Corridor Study (Dec. 2008)
Prepared for MOTI, not available online; I have a single page from it with the following conclusions:
"* The capacity of the existing two-lane Highway 14 corridor is being reached and will continue to degrade with increased traffic volume associated with continued growth and development in the District of Sooke.
* Difficult road-way geometry, limited access control, and increasing traffic volumes contribute to safety performance concerns along the corridor.
* It is unlikely that four laning of Highway 14, either in the form of the proposed '5-lane concept' through Sooke's urban core or the proposed #14 realignment in the rural areas, will be considered viable improvement options.
* A combination of other improvement measures will be required to address the identified performance deficiencies over the long term in both the urban and rual areas of Sooke and the Highway 14 corridor."
The Summer of Sooke's Driving Discontent (2024)
The Charters closure and the resultant discontent from our commuter population ended more or less in lockstep with the improved road's reopening in September. Always worth a read as a reminder of local sentiment back then are Britt Santowski's traffic impact surveys. (see the Sept. 9, 2024 agenda, pp. 649-718)
Adoption of Current TMP in Oct. 2020
From the somewhat wayback file, here's how the District was planning to move forward on the road network following approval of the 2020 Transportation Master Plan. Remarkable progress to date yet so much still to accomplish (including the future connection of Wadams Way to Grant Road West via an Otter Point Rd. roundabout as planners eventually progress to the western half of the bypass).
The TMP states that "Highway 14 experiences traffic volumes up to 20,000 vehicles per day. Otter Point Road is the busiest Collector Road with volumes up to 9,500 per day." The projected Average Daily Traffic entering Sooke in 2038 will be 25,000 vehicles. See the map on page 41.
Directions Within Sooke's Pending Official Community Plan
Sooke’s pending OCP includes 14 action items related to transportation in its Implementation Plan (see pp. 161-162). Our OCP, like all others in BC, is to be renewed by Dec. 31, 2025. The transportation priorities (all either ongoing or short-term) include:
* "Update the existing MOU with MOTI in order to realize shared multi-modal objectives for Highway 14, the Grant Road Connector and associated municipal streets"
* "Ensure that school site design provides safe access in relation to Highway 14"
* "Support work-from-home, teleworking and co-work spaces in the town centre, carpooling, car share operators and other initiatives to reduce commuter travel"
* "Continue to work with BC Transit and MOTI to identify, plan and construct transit priority measures" as well as expanded regional and local service.
* "Town Centre parking management study" and review of on-and-off street parking management practices.
Behind the Eight Ball: Trumpian Context
All the above is logical in blessedly normal times. Yet these clearly are not that given looming trade wars, retaliatory tariffs, resultant recessions and who knows what next fresh hell/madness from King Donad. Our privileges, even more than is already happening in this age of polycrisis, are being severely tested. There's likely an argument to be made that the District’s best practices and next-generational thinking/spending be paused until sanity prevails. Then again, costs will only rise and this is a project intended for both this and multiple next-generation Sooke residents.
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