OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN – PROPOSED REGIONAL CONTEXT STATEMENT

OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN – PROPOSED REGIONAL CONTEXT STATEMENT

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council refer the Regional Context Statement, as provided in Attachment A, to the Capital Regional District Board for consideration of acceptance.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to seek approval from Council to refer the Town’s Regional Context Statement in the final draft of the Official Community Plan (OCP) to the Capital Regional District (CRD) Board for consideration of acceptance.

BACKGROUND:

In accordance with the Local Government Act (LGA), each municipality within the CRD is required to include a Regional Context Statement (RCS) in their OCP to demonstrate how it aligns with the CRD’s Regional Growth Strategy (RGS). A RGS is a plan adopted by a regional district to guide decisions on growth, change and development within its boundaries and is guided by legislation in the LGA. Section 428 of the LGA establishes the purpose of a RGS as promoting human settlement that is socially, economically, and environmentally healthy, and that makes efficient use of public facilities and services, land and other resources.

CRD’s RGS contains specific objectives related to urban settlement patterns, housing, transportation and mobility, ecological protection and conservation, sustainable infrastructure services, economic development, climate action, and community safety and well-being. The Town’s proposed RCS is provided in Section 16 of the final draft OCP (refer to Attachment 1), and it identifies the policy sections and directions that align with the CRD’s RGS in a clear and concise manner.

Throughout the OCP review and update, staff have kept the CRD informed of the Town’s project timeline. The CRD also reviewed an early version of the draft RCS to ensure that the Town’s RCS format and content is aligned with the RGS. Town staff received some preliminary feedback for consideration related to the proposed table layout versus a paragraph format.

ANALYSIS:

Council had the opportunity to review and discuss the proposed RCS at the Committee of the Whole meeting on June 9, 2026. There were no Committee resolutions for Council’s consideration, pertaining to the RCS that would trigger further amendments prior to referring the RCS to the CRD. Should Council pass a motion to refer the Town’s RCS to the CRD, then the CRD Board must respond by resolution within 120 days, indicating whether it accepts the RCS.

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

• Community Impact: The LGA requires that the Town’s OCP aligns with the regional district’s RGS to ensure that the Town’s growth, change and development is consistent with the regional’s social, economic and environmental objectives.
• Financial Implication: There are no financial implications associated with this report.
• Inter-governmental Relations Impact: The Town must refer the RCS to the CRD for approval.

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

Strategic Plan: Organizational Excellence

• Providing strong, strategic policy and data-based governance
• Demonstrating collaborative leadership and effective shared decision-making within the community and with our regional partners, including First Nations.

Sustainable Development Goal 1: Managed Growth Official Community Plan (OCP) review to align with Housing Needs Report and Zoning Bylaw, update Development Permit Area design guidelines, and other aspects of the OCP.

Community Engagement & Good Governance Goal 2: Strong constructive relationships with neighbouring municipalities, Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation in the CRD.

Official Community Plan: The current RCS in the 2011 OCP was adopted by Council in February 2020 following CRD Board's adoption of a new RGS in 2018. The current RCS would be repealed and replaced with the proposed RCS.

Other Policy Documents: N/A

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

[X] Inform [ ] Consult [ ] Involve [ ] Collaborate [ ] Empower [ ] N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

This report is time critical as the acceptance of the proposed RCS by the CRD board should occur prior to the adoption of the new OCP.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENT:

Attachment 1: Final OCP draft