CRD Board Chair Geoff Young
Inaugural Address
January 2012
Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the first Capital Regional District Board meeting of 2012 and to thank you for re-electing Director Hill and me toour Vice Chair and Board Chair positions.
would like to acknowledge our 14 returning Directors for your support and contributions in 2011. We have enjoyed many successes together this past year, and I look forward to working with you and our 9 new directors in the year ahead.
I would now like to provide a brief overview of some of the major priorities on the horizon for the coming year.
As you are well aware, it is a challenging time in terms of budgets and as a board I expect we will be committed to keeping costs down wherever possible. However, as we well know, some of our commitments with regard to parks land acquisition, the Regional Sustainability Strategy, waste diversion, and of course wastewater treatment for the core area, will be cost drivers in the coming years. I’ve asked Vice Chair Hill to chair the Finance Committee with Director Cross as vice-chair.
I have asked Director Ranns to chair the Planning, Transportation and Protective Services Committee for the coming year, with Director Derman as vice-chair. A responsibility for this committee will be to grapple with the issue of our urban deer population and identify the steps we should be undertaking to address this challenge. A sub-committee formed of interested directors may be an appropriate way to consult with the public on this issue.
The key area of focus for 2012 is updating the Regional Sustainability Strategy priorities and resetting a course for the future. Defining where growth and development should happen in the region, the updated plan will serve as the new version of the current Regional Growth Strategy, which was first adopted in 2003. Consultation with municipalities and with the public will form an integral part of the process.
Regional Sustainability will continue to serve as the over-arching theme for the new 2012-2014 Corporate Strategic Plan, which will be completed this year.
Other priorities for 2012 include the development of the Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Service Feasibility Study. Undertaken with the assistance of consultants, the Regional Transportation Plan will establish a new vision for a regional transportation network as well as guide its development and relationship to land use.
The Transportation Service Feasibility Study will respond to the Board’s interests in establishing a regional transportation service, including transit.
This specific issue of transportation planning and transit governance, and the associated issue of transit and transportation funding, will require discussions with the Provincial government as well as with the public. I am asking Director Leonard and Fortin to chair and vice-chair a special committee dealing with these issues. A number of directors have expressed interest in serving in the area of transportation, and I have noted your preferences, but I would prefer to wait until the members of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission are appointed before appointing other members to this committee.
Another major priority for 2012 is the Core Area Wastewater Treatment Project. After several years of research, planning and public consultation, the CRD submitted its final Liquid Waste Management Plan to the Provincial government last year.
The plan has been approved and, subject to funding, work will begin this year. I have asked Director Blackwell to continue to chair this committee which will focus on: establishing a project office and a Commission to administer the program, initiating the procurement process and finalizing the tripartite agreement with Canada and the Province of B.C. Director Wergeland has agreed to vice-chair.
In the coming year, CRD Integrated Water Services will continue with the rehabilitation of the Leech Watershed, while working with Environmental Protection on the review and determination of carbon offset values for the Leech and Weeks Lake lands. Work will also continue on the Water Management Strategic Plan with a presentation to the Regional Water Supply Commission.
I have asked Director Desjardins to chair the Environmental Sustainability Committee, with Director Mendum as vice-chair. I would like us, during this term, to contemplate some more concrete thinking towards integration of water and sewer services regionally.
To promote this more integrated approach, several programs that previously reported through the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee will now report to the Environmental Sustainability Committee. These programs include: Stormwater, Harbours and Watersheds; Source Control; and Inflow and Infiltration.
There are several exciting initiatives planned for the Environmental Sustainability Department this year.
CRD Environmental Engineering will complete the Core Area Inflow and Infiltration Management Plan, as well as the feasibility study and business case for wastewater heat recovery for the University of Victoria, Arbutus School, Queen Alexandra Hospital and Queenswood.
Heat recovery through potable water will also move forward with the completion of a feasibility study and business case for Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Environmental Resource Management will continue its focus on the development of a new Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan for the CRD. This year will also see the implementation of a comprehensive kitchen scraps diversion strategy, aimed at extending the finite lifespan of Hartland Landfill.
Additional waste diversion programs include the introduction of an expanded curbside recyclables collection program, which starting in May 2012 will include poly-coated containers. The CRD will also implement additional stewardship collection programs with industry for goods such as power tools, sewing equipment and large appliances.
2011 saw the creation of Environmental Partnerships to serve the education and outreach needs of our region. With the development of a 5-year implementation plan for the Regional Source Control Program and numerous outreach events, Partnerships will continue to showcase integrated environmental messaging throughout 2012.
The coming year will also be a busy time for CRD Regional Parks. I have asked Director Brice to chair the Regional Parks Committee, with Director Hicks as vice-chair.
2012 will see the completion of the Regional Parks Strategic Plan and Financial Plan, which will set the direction for regional parks and trails over the next decade and beyond.
Another key priority for Regional Parks is the assessment of lands acquired at Jordon River that may not have regional park value. This process will help determine whether the lands are ecologically significant and need to be maintained as park land.
Work also continues on the E&N Rail Trail project. This year, it is hoped that two new trail sections will be opened to the public: Esquimalt Rd. to Admirals/Colville intersection (2.5 km of new rail trail) and Admirals/Colville intersection to Island Highway (2.3 km of new rail trail). However, uncertainty with regard to the future of the E&N as a rail line continues to make it difficult to plan how to move forward on this project in the most economical way.
The region will also be undertaking a number of housing initiatives. One such project is the construction of Vergo, the Capital Region Housing Corporation’s first housing project to be built and operated without ongoing federal or provincial operating subsidies. Scheduled for completion in May 2012, this new 18 unit complex will provide affordable rental housing for families of moderate income.
A project to build an envelope remediation at Beechwood Park has also been initiated and the CHRD is working with the Vancouver Island Health Authority to complete a comprehensive long-term seniors residential care capacity and demand study for the region.
Finally, the region will be updating the affordable housing component of the Regional Sustainability Strategy and launching Phase 2 of the Housing for the Homeless Procurement Action Plan.
2012 will be a busy year for CRD support services. Corporate Services will continue to enhance the delivery of financial, Information Technology and GIS, risk management, property management, real estate and arts development.
Key priorities for Executive Services in 2012 include: continued work towards the launch of a new and improved CRD public website, the roll-out of a social media strategy for the CRD, and initiation of the third CRD employee survey.
I would like to suggest that there are some new emerging areas of focus for our organization that may require some select standing committees of the Board as the year progresses. I have mentioned transportation governance. Another of these topics is our relations with First Nations.
We all recognize that the CRD exists within the traditional territories of many First Nations, as well as including within its boundaries a large aboriginal population that live off-reserve.
The work we do has a direct effect on these communities and these people, and it is work best done with their involvement and participation. It is only with this real intention that we will create a meaningful and workable government to government relationship.
Again, a number of directors have expressed interest in working in this area. Besides respecting as much as possible the wishes of directors with regard to committee assignments I will also be trying to balance work loads to some extent and those directors servicing who have been named to only one committee can expect a greater probability of being asked to sit on one of the specific-topic committees I have mentioned, but not yet named.
I am confident that the CRD is well prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We are blessed to live and work in a beautiful part of the country, one where clean water, an attractive natural environment and an environmentally conscious populace set the stage for successful regional government. I know that the coming year will bring many successes and will see the CRD continue to provide responsible, sustainable stewardship of this region.
Thank you again for your hard work and commitment.
