UBCM GRANT APPLICATION – ADMIRALS ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council authorize Staff to apply for the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) - Strategic Priority Fund (Capital Infrastructure Stream) to support the Admirals Road Active Transportation Improvements Project, identified in the 2025-2029 Financial Plan.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Option #2: Council may direct staff to apply for the Strategic Priority Fund (Capital Infrastructure Stream) to fund a different project within the Financial Plan. However, staff recommend the Admirals Road project due to its priority in transportation capital planning, and because the financial benefits are the greatest compared to other eligible projects.

BACKGROUND:

The basic details of the funding program are as follows:

Type of infrastructure: generally municipal infrastructure including recreation and community energy systems, excluding Town Halls / Public Works buildings (full list appended in Attachment 1);
Schedule requirement: project is ineligible if (1) the project start date is later than two years after grant approval and (2) project completion is later than five years after grant approval;
Eligible costs: acquiring, planning, designing, constructing or renewal/ rehabilitation of a tangible capital asset or natural asset in British Columbia;
Funding limit: a maximum 100% of eligible costs to a maximum of $7 Million.

Recommended Project and Alternative Projects

Staff recommend applying for this fund for the Admirals Road Active Transportation Improvements Project (C-180 of the 2025-2029 Financial Plan), for the following reasons:

This project relies significantly on grant funding: per Schedule 3.2 of the Financial Plan, the project is predicated on acquiring $3.75M in grants and contributions (other funding contributions come from DCC’s and Casino Revenue);
The project would be eligible for potentially $300k in 2026 for design services, and up to $3.7M for construction in 2027;
Success in acquiring the fund could see a complete alleviation of Casino Revenue use ($300,000);
This project is identified as one of the top priorities in the Town’s Active Transportation Master Plan and is multi-faceted and complex given the need to engage many governmental (local and provincial), First Nations, and local engagement.
With the implementation of BC Transit’s Route 40 in January 2026, ridership can improve with corridor upgrades to Admirals Road: known to be an equity deserving region per the Active Transportation Network Plan Baseline Conditions Report.

Previous Council meetings have had much discussion regarding Admirals Road including the need to review and adopt a design concept prior to construction. The fund allows for a phased funding approach whereby applicants identify how the project will be phased: in this case staff will phase the project as “Phase 1: Design” and “Phase 2: Construction”. Council’s review and adoption of a design concept would occur under Phase 1, and Phase 2 would not occur until Phase 1 is complete. A table of alternative eligible projects is included in the table below complete with reasons why the Admirals Road project takes priority:

Project	Budget	Reasons Why Admirals Rd Takes Priority
C-109 Sewer Gravity Main Upgrade – Fort Victoria to Pheasant Lane	$1,840,000	79% of the project is funded through DCC’s. Available grant funding would be only $380,000 and this is already funded through reserves.
C-032 Playground Replacement Program (Chilco Park)	$185,000	20% of the project is funded through DCC’s. Available grant funding would be only $148,000 and is already funded through reserves.
C-128 Intersection Improvements – Helmcken Rd at Watkiss Way	$1,166,500	While Schedule 3.2 of the Financial Plan states that the project requires $599k in grant funding, Council has directed staff to report back on an additional option that impacts the project scope, schedule and budget. It may not be possible to provide a meaningful grant application as a result.
Various Rehabilitation and Renewal Programs (Traffic Signals, Bridges)	$30k-$150k	Projects are currently covered by reserves and informed by the Town’s Asset Management Strategy.

There are several projects within the Financial Plan, specifically the 2026 year, that are undergoing schedule review. The uncertainty of these projects will (1) not allow staff to apply for those projects, or (2) result in a low probability of grant success.

ANALYSIS:

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

Impact Area	Implications
Community Impact:	Higher probability of delivering the Admirals Road Active Transportation Improvements as this project is dependent on grants.
Financial Implication:	Grant approval would put less reliance on the use of Casino Revenue ($300k). The fund has the potential to fully fund a significant portion of the construction phase of the project if successful ($3.7M).
Inter-governmental Relations Impact:	Significant engagement with local governments (Saanich, Esquimalt), the Province (Ministry of Transportation and Transit), BC Transit, and First Nations (Xwsepsum and Songhees First Nation) are required. Staff will be obtaining letters of support from as many of these interested parties as possible to improve the chances of grant funding.

ALIGNMENT:

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

Document	Alignment
Strategic Plan:	Strategic Priority A, Goal 1: Shift primary transport mode within View Royal away from vehicles to walking, cycling and transit.
Official Community Plan:	OCP engagement has confirmed that traffic congestion is one of the top priorities of the Town to address. Creating a more accessible corridor on Admirals Road will offer View Royal residents with more transportation choices to improve their ways of getting around.
Other Policy Documents:	Active Transportation Network Plan (2023): Action Plan 1A (Immediate) – Implement Admirals Road pedestrian and cycling facilities from Island Hwy to Hallowell Rd.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

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

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

The Admirals Road project itself will have public participation in its program, in conjunction with the parallel Transportation Master Plan (inform, consult).

TIME CRITICAL:

The application deadline is September 12, 2025. Time is of the essence to obtain Council report in order to meet the deadline (the next schedule Council meeting is September 2, 2025)

CONCURRENCE:	Initials	Comments
Chief Administrative Officer	SS	I concur with the recommendation.

REVIEWED BY:	Initials
Director of Corporate Administration/Deputy CAO	NR
Director of Finance & Technology	NR
Director of Development Services	NR
Director of Engineering	IL
Director of Protective Services	NR

ATTACHMENTS:

Info Sheet – Strategic Priorities Fund Eligible Projects
Project Summary C-180

UBCM GRANT APPLICATION – ADMIRALS ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT