Presentation: Official Community Plan Update: What We Heard Report #3 – Vision Engagement Survey

Official Community Plan Update: What We Heard Report #3 – Vision Engagement Survey

Committee of the Whole – January 13, 2026

Purpose & Background

Follow-up on the feedback provided via the Vision and Guiding Principles survey, completed between January 24 and February 18, 2025.
Engage with the public to gather feedback on the 3 draft vision statements and 11 draft goals via a Vision survey.
Use feedback and comments from the Vision survey to inform the development of a first draft of the OCP, expected in the spring of 2026.

Diagram showing the three phases of the OCP update: Phase 1: Vision, land use, housing & special planning areas (Jan - Nov 2025); Phase 2: General policies, regional context statement, & implementation strategy (Oct 2025 - Oct 2026); and Phase 3: Development permit areas & guidelines (TBD 2026/2027)

Engagement Summary

Vision survey was open between July 18 and September 7, 2025, and received a total of 85 responses.
To support participation, the project team promoted on social media platforms, the Town’s website, stakeholder emails, View Royal E-Newsletter, and posters.

Social media engagement metrics showing 11 posts on Facebook with 19,625 views, 11 posts on Instagram with 658 views, and 8 posts on X/Twitter with 4 likes

Preferred Vision Statement

Respondents preferred Vision Statement Option 3 (42% of respondents)

View Royal, located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples, is a flourishing community. View Royal continuously strives to have coastal and forested landscapes, commercial services, and recreational amenities within walking, rolling, cycling, driving distance, or public transit from each neighbourhood. Through thoughtful environmental stewardship and forward-thinking climate action, natural amenities are preserved for current and future generations. While retaining its charm, the Town provides diverse and affordable housing types and economic development opportunities, which enhance the overall community wellbeing. As a gateway community in the Greater Victoria region, living in View Royal is accessible and attractive for all.

Some participants were confused without a reference to a date or timeframe and misunderstood the statement as a reflection of the Town’s current state.

Feedback on Draft Goals

Goal	Strong Support	Some Support	No Support
Goal 1 – Mobility & Connectivity	64%	27%	5%
Goal 2 – Diverse & Affordable Housing	53%	35%	10%
Goal 3 – Growth Management & Community Character Preservation	40%	38%	19%
Goal 4 – Preserving & Protecting Natural Amenities	81%	15%	4%
Goal 5 – Community Well-being	64%	26%	9%
Goal 6 – Community Safety & Security	87%	11%	2%
Goal 7 – Climate Action & Resilience	53%	39%	7%
Goal 8 – Economic Development	45%	43%	8%
Goal 9 – Reconciliation	51%	32%	12%
Goal 10 – Community Input & Governance	69%	28%	4%
Goal 11 – Regional Partnerships	56%	36%	5%

Demographics

96% of respondents are residents of View Royal
The majority of respondents (24%) live in the Helmcken neighbourhood.
The majority of respondents are between the ages of 35 to 39 years old (14%) or the ages of 60 to 64 years old (14%).
28% of respondents moved to View Royal within the last 5 years.
The majority of respondents (44%) found out about the Vision survey through social media.
54% of respondents said they completed the Community Growth survey
41% said they completed the Vision and Guiding Principles survey
40% of respondents indicated this was their first time engaging in the View Royal 2050 OCP review and update

Recommendation

THAT the report titled “Official Community Plan Review Update: What We Heard Report #3 – Vision Survey Engagement” by the Senior Planner, dated December 12, be received for information.