Attachment 3: TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY AND SURVEY

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY AND SURVEY

BACKGROUND

The Town of View Royal is interested in better understanding the community’s needs and preferences for communications and public engagement to better inform future public engagement activities. The input collected through the survey will assist in informing future public engagement approaches including the Official Community Plan, master plans and various projects. Broad awareness-raising of the opportunity to participate in the survey is necessary to hear from a broad spectrum of the community.

KEY TOPICS

ENGAGEMENT APPROACH

Raising Awareness of Public Engagement Survey

• Media release
• Town e-newsletter at launch and reminder closer to survey closing.
• Ads in Blackpress Goldstream Gazette newspaper
• Social media at launch, and weekly until survey closes
• Posters in coffee shops, bulletin boards, recreation centre, etc.
• Letters to community groups
• Prize incentive [gift card to View Royal business]

Input channels

• Online survey Monday, June 24 - to Wednesday, July 31.
• Canada Day outreach booth [in-person feedback]
• Dedicated email/correspondence

COMMUNITY GROUPS AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

1. View Royal Community Association
2. School PACs [View Royal Elementary, Eagle View Elementary, Craigflower Elementary, Shoreline Middle School, Marigold Elementary, St. Joseph’s Elementary, and Spectrum High School]
3. StrongStart
4. Scottish Cultural Centre
5. View Royal Climate Coalition
6. View Royal Ecological/Parks Habitat Restoration Volunteers (Green team)
7. Veins of Life Watershed Society
8. Friends of Victoria Migratory Bird Sanctuary
9. Esquimalt Anglers
10. View Royal Facebook groups: VR Community Connection, Friends of View Royal,
11. Westshore Chamber of Commerce
12. View Royal Garden Club
13. Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee
14. CNIB Victoria
15. Disability Resource Centre
16. Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre/Intercultural Association
17. Royal Canadian Legion
18. Our Place Society

To foster inclusion and create meaningful engagement with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, staff will reach out to the Nations to learn how they would like to be engaged in the Official Community Plan, master plans and other projects in the Town.

Draft Survey Questions

DEMOGRAPHICS: Who are we hearing from?

1. Do you live in View Royal? a. Yes b. No

2. If YES, how many years have you been a resident of View Royal? a. Less than 2 years b. 2 to 5 years c. 5 to 10 years d. More than 10 years

3. If YES, which neighbourhood do you live in? [insert list] Not sure

4. If NO, which community do you live in? a. Colwood b. Esquimalt c. Esquimalt Nation d. Saanich e. Songhees Nation f. Other _____

5. Age a. under 13 b. 14-18 c. 19-29 d. 30-49 e. 50-65 f. 65+

6. Do you rent or own your home? a. Rent b. Own c. Other _____

7. What is the main language spoken at home? a. English b. French c. Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) d. Spanish e. Tagalog f. Other_______

8. Do you identify as having a disability? Yes/no

   If YES, how would you describe your disability? Check all that apply: Mobility Disabilities Hearing Disabilities Vision Disabilities Sensory Disabilities Mental Illness Other_______ Rather Not Say

SURVEY QUESTIONS:

Interest in public participation on Town matters

1. On a scale of 1 to 5, how interested are you in providing input on the Official Community Plan, master plans, and projects? (1 being not interested at all, 5 being extremely interested)

2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how interested are you in providing input on Town programs, services and decisions? (1 being not interested at all, 5 being extremely interested)

3. Have you provided input to the Town in the past year? Yes No

4. If you have not provided input in the past, please share why? [open-ended]

Topics of interest

1. What topics are you most interested in receiving information about? [select all that apply] [random order] Housing and land-use [e.g. new developments, rezoning, variances, etc.] Business information [e.g. Economic development, business licencing] Financial [e.g. Annual budget, property taxes, utilities] Environment and sustainability Transportation [e.g. roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, parking] Parks and trails Public safety [e.g. fire, police, emergency preparedness] Arts and Culture Policy or bylaw changes Long term/master plans [e.g. Official Community Plan, parks, active transportation plans] Garbage/recycling Council agenda and decisions Recreation [e.g. facilities, programs, registration] Jobs and volunteer opportunities Online services None Don’t know Other __________________

2. What topics are you most interested in providing input on? [select all that apply] [random order] Housing and land use [e.g. new developments, rezoning, variances, etc] Economic Development [e.g. economic growth, home-based businesses, business licencing] Financial [e.g. Annual budget, property taxes, utilities] Environment and sustainability Transportation [e.g. roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, parking] Parks and trails Public safety [e.g. fire, police, emergency preparedness] Arts and Culture Policy or bylaw changes Long term/master plans [e.g. Official Community Plan, Parks and Trails Master Plan, Housing Strategy, Urban Forest Master Plan, Transportation Plan, etc.] Recreation [e.g. facilities, programs, registration] None Don’t know Other __________________

Meaningful engagement

3. What does meaningful public engagement look like to you? [open-ended]

4. How can the Town better support public engagement opportunities with all residents and property owners in View Royal? [open-ended]

Preferred channels to receive information

5. How do you prefer to receive Town information? [select all that apply] [random order] Newsletter Newspaper Radio Television Town website Social media Email to Councillor or staff person Hand-delivered notices Signage Council meetings Town’s Subscription Service (RSS Feed) Other _______________

6. How do you prefer to provide input? [select all that apply] [random order] Online surveys Mail-in or drop-off survey In-person open house/Information session In-Person Workshop/Focus group [facilitated, diverse members] Online open house or information session Online workshop/focus group Walking tours and site visits Participating in advisory committees or working groups Public meetings [e.g. Council. Town Hall] Speaking at Council meeting Phone/Email staff / Council member Social media comments Phone survey Other: [open-ended]

Barriers to participation

7. What currently prevents you from participating in Town public engagement opportunities? [open-ended]

8. How can we make engagement on Town-led projects easier for you? [Open-ended] [e.g. notice, time of day, location, accessibility]

Feeling heard

9. What would make you feel that your ideas and feedback had been heard? [open ended]

Strengths

10. What does the Town of View Royal do well in terms of communication and engagement and should continue? [open-ended]

11. If you were in charge, what are the 1-2 things you would do to make it easier for residents to stay informed and provide input to Town staff and Mayor and Council? [open-ended]

In 2024, the Town will begin a review to update the 2011 Official Community Plan (OCP). Part of this review includes identifying opportunities for how residents can participate in the OCP planning process. The next few questions are specific to public engagement on the OCP.

Official Community Plan

12. What OCP topics are you most interested in providing input on? [select all that apply] [random order] Land use and urban design Housing Transportation and mobility Economic development (e.g., sustainable economy, expand local business, home-based businesses, etc.) Natural environment, sustainability and climate change Infrastructure and services (water conservation, sewers, green infrastructure, stormwater management, waste management, public safety, fire protection, etc.) Parks, trails and recreation Arts and culture Community facilities and social well-being Development permit areas and design guidelines None Don’t know Other __________________

13. What would motivate or make it easy for you to provide input into the Official Community Plan for the Town of View Royal? [open-ended]

14. Would you consider participating in a committee to inform the Official Community Plan [OCP] or specific topic related to OCP? Yes/no

Closing

15. Is there anything more you’d like to add? [open-ended]

16. OPTIONAL: Enter to Win a gift card at a local business in the Town of View Royal.