West Shore RCMP Detachment Expansion - Municipal Consent for Bylaw Nos. 4692 and 4693

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL REPORT TO COUNCIL

TO: Council DATE: November 24, 2025 FROM: Scott Sommerville, CAO MEETING DATE: December 2, 2025

West Shore RCMP Detachment Expansion – Municipal Consent for Bylaw Nos. 4692 and 4693

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council consent to the Capital Regional District Board adopting Bylaw No. 4692 “West Shore RCMP Detachment Expansion Service Establishing Bylaw No. 1, 2025” and Bylaw No. 4693, “West Shore RCMP Detachment Expansion Loan Authorization Bylaw No.1, 2025”.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

At their regular meeting of November 12, 2025, the Capital Regional District (the “CRD”) gave 1st, 2nd, and 3rd readings to the West Shore RCMP Detachment Expansion Service Establishment and Loan Authorization Bylaws. This is a service to replace one of the buildings that currently houses the West Shore RCMP detachment.

This service is being established on behalf of the City of Colwood, City of Langford, and Town of View Royal who collectively own the current RCMP building. The original building has reached its end of life and must be replaced, an addition which was built in 1999 will remain and be incorporated into the new building.

In order to proceed with seeking approval from the Inspector of Municipalities, the CRD must first receive the consent of the participating municipalities, Colwood, Langford, and View Royal.

BACKGROUND:

The RCMP provides policing services to the West Shore, including to the communities of Colwood, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, View Royal, Songhees First Nation, and Kosapsum (Esquimalt) First Nation. The detachment is housed at 698 Atkins Avenue in Langford. The building and adjacent lands are owned by the City of Colwood, City of Langford, and the Town of View Royal. The detachment is comprised of two separate buildings which have been integrated; however, the original structure has reached its end of life and needs to be replaced.

Under the Municipal Police Unit Agreement and Police Act, the Province sets out the obligations for the municipalities with respect to what must be provided. One of the obligations is to provide accommodation for the detachment. The current detachment is fully occupied with little to no room for any further growth. In anticipation of the expansion, two additional spaces have been created for the RCMP to use until a new detachment building can be constructed. While this situation is not ideal, it will allow the operations to continue seamlessly during construction.

In order to ensure the construction proceeds as smoothly as possible, it was determined that creating a subregional service under the CRD would be the most efficient choice. The CRD has agreed to support this approach and has given the first three readings to both the Service Establishment Bylaw and the Loan Authorization Bylaw. These bylaws now require the consent of the participating areas. Pursuant to the Local Government Act, where the whole municipality is in the participating area, the Council may give consent on behalf of the electors.

DISCUSSION:

At its November 12, 2025, meeting, the Capital Regional District (CRD) Board gave the first three readings to two bylaws to support the expansion of the West Shore RCMP detachment at its current location at 698 Atkins Avenue in Langford. The bylaws include a Service Establishment Bylaw that creates a sub-regional service between Colwood, Langford, and View Royal, (the “Owners Group”) for the purpose of the new building, and a Loan Authorization Bylaw that permits up to $103 million in borrowing for construction. These costs include not only the direct building costs but also the land acquisition costs, insurance, project management, and sufficient contingency to ensure the project does not exceed the available funding. This decision builds on previous work by the municipalities and the CRD to formalize their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by all three Councils that outlines roles, responsibilities, the project's financing structure, and project management by the municipalities.

This project leverages the established collaboration within the Owners Group, as evidenced by their collective dedication to fire department mutual aid agreements, joint recreation services, and shared policing resources.

The MOU enables the CRD to borrow funds on behalf of the municipalities, who will repay the amount over twenty-five (25) years. This collaborative approach streamlines the process, clarifies each municipality’s role, and enables the municipalities to effectively address urgent space and public safety needs. The new construction will take place on the existing site, while continuing to utilize the existing newer building which will be integrated into the final design.

The West Shore RCMP detachment serves the rapidly growing communities of Colwood, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, View Royal, Songhees First Nation, and Esquimalt First Nation. The property is jointly owned by the City of Colwood, City of Langford, and the Town of View Royal, who are working closely with the Capital Regional District (CRD) to advance this critical public safety project. The public safety requirements of the West Shore region have outgrown the capacity of the existing detachment, built in the 1960’s and expanded in the late 1990’s. Temporary space has been secured at Langford City Hall, which provides only a short-term fix. A larger, modern facility is urgently needed to comply with the Police Act, maintain operational effectiveness, and improve officer and public safety.

Projects and processes of this nature offer limited opportunities for public input due to mandated requirements on building size, design, and associated costs. Because of this it is essential that the three municipalities exercise strong leadership by making decisions that act in the best interests of the community and fulfill their public safety obligations effectively. The three partner municipalities are collaborating closely to ensure the successful advancement of this critical project, with a focus on meeting established timelines and budgets to address the facility's urgent capacity demands. The municipalities are obligated to provide adequate space for the RCMP under the Municipal Police Unit Agreement and Police Act. Advancing the project by Council consent ensures that the project can proceed without the additional financial risks and delays presented by other approval methods.

The expansion project uses an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model, bringing together municipal representatives and a team of architects, engineers, and trades to collaborate on shared goals through transparent decision-making and efficient use of funds. This approach shares the risk among all participants including private contractors.

The IPD team will bring a report forward in the coming weeks that will verify that the project can be constructed within the $87.5 million target and meet the Owner Group’s requirements. Once deemed feasible, Colwood, Langford, and View Royal Councils will each decide whether to proceed.

Each Council will be asked to support the Council consent approach on behalf of the electors in each municipality. Once approved, both bylaws will be forwarded to the Inspector of Municipalities for final Provincial approval. In early 2026, a validation report will be brought forward to each Council to confirm the project can be constructed within the proposed budget, prior to final approval being granted to the project.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

The construction will be financed by the CRD on behalf of all three municipalities over a twenty-five (25) year term. The allocation of costs will be calculated based on a combination of population and parcel values.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS: