DEPARTMENTAL UPDATE
A monthly highlight report from various municipal departments including the CAO, Corporate Administration, Finance, IT, Development Services, Engineering, and Parks.
TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: April 1, 2026 FROM: S. Sommerville, CAO MEETING DATE: April 14, 2026
DEPARTMENTAL UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated April 1, 2026 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “Departmental Update” be received for information.
PURPOSE:
To provide Council with information from each department regarding material events and happenings at Town Hall.
BACKGROUND:
A report for the Committee of the Whole meeting to apprise Council of the highlights of significant activities of the Town.
INFORMATION:
Office of the CAO:
The CAO and Director of Development Services have participated in the Great Victoria Hotel Working Group meetings with the goal of attracting hotel development to View Royal. The CAO participated in the Local Area Administrators luncheon meeting, and in the West Shore RCMP IPD Team meetings as the Owner’s Representative on the Senior Management Team and looks forward to being replaced in this temporary role by Langford staff.
Corporate Administration:
The Spring/Summer newsletter was finalized and sent to the printers. This twice-yearly publication will be delivered to 5,720 View Royal residents and businesses over the coming weeks via Canada Post.
In the first quarter of 2026, the FOI Coordinator received a total of eighteen Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. This reflects the volume of formal access-to-information inquiries submitted during the period from January through March, highlighting the ongoing demand for transparency and public access to records.
The March edition of Inside View Royal was released, highlighting key Town updates, upcoming events, timely articles, and community news. Staff continue to support two important engagement initiatives – Budget 2026 and the Draft Official Community Plan – assisting with their launch and promotion.
In parallel, staff supported the release of two press announcements: the resignation of Councillor Kowalewich and the retirement of Fire Chief Paul Hurst. This support included writing, distribution, and promotion of both releases.
Staff are collaborating with the Town’s web provider on the Website Refresh project, the first major modernization of the Town’s website since its launch. Updates are focused on improving accessibility, simplifying the overall design, and reducing visual clutter.
The Archivist visited the Wilson Archives at St. Michaels University School, which houses an extensive repository of school history dating back to the early 1900s. During the visit, guests toured collections of photographs, trophies, and uniforms, as well as displays featured in other school buildings. Guests observed how materials are managed for preservation and access and shared some knowledge on maintaining ideal storage environments.
The RIM365 project reached 20% completion at the end of March, with the budget currently on track. The draft design plan is in final review, and an analysis of the system elements is underway to ensure the solution meets user requirements. Clean-up of the existing shared drives has begun in preparation for file migrations, while locating legacy paper documents has increased due to the ongoing volume of FOI requests.
Community Volunteers, Administration and Parks staff are in the early stages of preparing for the Canada Day event at Craigflower Manor, in collaboration with co-hosts Victoria Highland Games Society.
Staff continue preparations for the upcoming 2026 Local Government Election through meetings, workshops and training, including reviewing and updating relevant bylaws.
Corporate Administration continues to provide comprehensive support to Council in the preparation and coordination of Council, Committee of the Whole and Special Council meetings. In addition, staff assist colleagues across the organization by reviewing reports, preparing agendas, maintaining records, and updating bylaws and policies, ensuring all documentation is current, accurate, and aligned with legislative and organizational requirements.
Finance:
The Draft 2026 - 2030 Financial Plan overview and cost drivers was presented to Council mid-March. Public engagement for this year’s budget opened March 19 and closed on March 31. Survey results and comments will be provided to Council during budget meetings in April.
Staff have also been focused on finalizing the 2025 financial statements, in preparation for the year-end audit scheduled for April 6. As in recent history, the Town’s auditor, MNP, will conduct most of their audit work remotely.
Information Technology:
In March, Information Technology onboarded three new employees and initiated planning for project delivery, infrastructure upgrades, and replacements. Cybersecurity continues to be a priority, with an emphasis on maintaining up-to-date patching and security updates to support our cybersecurity posture.
Development Services:
In March, the Development Services team received a consistent number of planning and building enquiries related to land use, zoning, parking, etc. The department has received thirteen new applications, which are summarized in the following table:
| Application Type | Number of Applications |
|---|---|
| Rezoning | 1 |
| Development Permit | 0 |
| Development Variance Permit | 2 |
| Temporary Use Permit | 0 |
| Subdivision | 0 |
| Sign Permit | 3 |
| Board of Variance | 0 |
| Building Permit | 3 |
| Plumbing Permit | 4 |
In mid-March, the Town’s consultant, Urban Systems Ltd., submitted the first draft of the Official Community Plan (OCP). A survey was launched on March 20 to seek public feedback on the draft OCP. The survey closes on April 15. To advertise this final round of engagement on the OCP and encourage the public to submit feedback, staff mailed approximately 3500 – 4000 postcards to all residents and businesses in View Royal, which included a QR code and links to provide easy access to the survey. In addition, two ads were published in the Goldstream Gazette, and there have been multiple posts on the Town’s social media platforms to promote the survey. The comments received in the survey responses will be shared with Council, OCP Review Advisory Committee, and the public in a “What We Heard” report.
There was also an OCP Review Advisory Committee meeting on March 30. This meeting provided committee members with the opportunity to discuss the draft OCP and recommend changes for Council’s consideration.
The Building and Housing monthly reports are attached to this report.
Engineering:
Staff will be commencing the competitive bid process for garbage and food waste collection. With the current collection contract expiring in January 2027, it is important to start the process now to allow enough onboarding time for a potential new contractor.
Temporary summer student employment opportunities have been posted to help staff with the busy summer season.
Sewer & Drain
Construction has commenced for the Glenairlie Pump Station improvement project. Letters to neighbourhood residents notifying them of the project have been issued.
Streets & Roads
The Atkins Road sidewalk upgrade project is progressing on schedule and budget with the installation of new storm drains and preparation of the base gravel.
Atkins Road Sidewalk Prep
BC Hydro installed an additional gate at the north end of Highland Road by Munns Road. The gate was installed as part of a last-minute addition to their capital project to prevent vehicles from accessing their transmission line corridor. The gate lock is still accessible by the Highland Road property owners and by the Town’s staff for maintenance and emergency access.
As the gate was installed without the knowledge of the Town, the Town is actively pursuing better options with BC Hydro as there are now two gates within close proximity that need to be opened to access Highland Road.
Gate at Highland Road (by Munn Road)
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit has closed a portion of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail over Six Mile Road to repair a damaged bridge girder.
With spring around the corner, winter operations are winding down and the Town’s new boulevard maintenance contractor, Shield Landscaping Ltd., is beginning spring maintenance activities.
Development Servicing
3 Helmcken Road: Burnside Road West off-site improvements are ongoing. The contractor is working on curb, gutter and sidewalk installation.
Burnside Road West Progress
Parks
Staff are actively working on applying for FCM’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies that will aid in funding the Urban Forest Strategy program over the next two years.
Staff have been test driving medium to heavy duty zero emission vehicles in its continued effort to identify suitable EV replacements for the Town’s next medium to heavy duty trucks that are scheduled for replacement in the next few years. To date there are still no suitable replacements for the Town’s Ford F350 Dually Dump.
In anticipation of increase parks usage in the spring and summer, staff have begun pressure washing benches and picnic tables. Additionally, the baseball fields at Helmcken Centennial Park are being prepared for the upcoming ball season.
Baseball Field Prep
Installation of new decking is required at the Stewart Road end to maintain safety.
Stewart Road End Decking
The Gibraltar Bay gazebo replacement, conducted by the Strata and cost shared with the Town, appears to be completed.
Gibraltar Bay
The Greater Victoria Green Team (GVGT) had two consecutive days of activities in Portage Park.
On Friday, February 20, 2026, GVGT hosted a school event for twenty-five students, and three teachers from Shoreline Community School. On Saturday, February 21, 2026, GVGT hosted fifty-one residents and community members. In total, 19 cubic metres of invasive plants were removed, revitalizing the forest in the park.
On Saturday, March 7, 2026, Greater Victoria Green Team (GVGT) hosted thirty-seven community members at Edward Park for the removal of invasive plants. 17 cubic metres of invasive Scotch Broom were removed, and 674 square metres of the park was revitalized.
Protective Services:
This month realized the implementation of the staffing plan for 2026 with 4 career hires assigned to platoons. All 4 hires came from within the departments current paid on call ranks.
As a result of multiple hirings throughout the CRD, View Royal lost several paid-on call firefighters to other career departments. A recent hiring campaign to replace the vacant spots is underway, and we anticipate up to 8 new paid on call hires with a start date of Juny 2026.
The Bylaw Division has seen an increase in homeless encampments throughout the Town, specifically of E&N, CRD and private lands. These are becoming problematic in the Town has no jurisdiction in these areas and relies on the private landowners to manage the issues. Camps located in View Royal also continue to demand considerable time and resources from the Bylaw Department. We will continue to work with our partners in the RCMP and neighboring Bylaw Departments to manage the issue.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated April 1, 2026 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “Departmental Update” be received for information.
SUBMITTED BY: S. Sommerville, Chief Administrative Officer
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