Victoria, BC– Robert Lapham, Capital Regional District (CRD) Chief Administrative Officer is pleased to announce the Board of Directors for the CRD, the Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD) and the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC). The elected officials that are appointed to the CRD Board also serve as the Board members of the CRHD and starting this term CRD Board members are also appointed as the Board members of the CRHC. The Directors of these Boards elected the Chairs and Vice-Chairs for the upcoming year at their inaugural meetings today.
Colin Plant has been elected as the CRD Board Chair and Denise Blackwell has been elected as the CRD Board Vice-Chair. The CRD Board Chair will lead a 24 member Board of Directors comprised of locally elected mayors and councillors appointed by their councils and directly elected directors representing Salt Spring Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and the Juan de Fuca electoral areas. The Chair will establish standing committees, formalizes committee structures, and appoints committee chairs and vice-chairs. The Chair represents the Board and is their chief spokesperson.
In his candidacy remarks, Chair Plant said his top priorities are to build positive relationships and work together to advance Board priorities in a respectful environment. “Our communities have given us the responsibility and the opportunity to lead. And while we all come to this Board with different experiences and different geographic needs, we all want the same things: a prosperous future, a healthy environment, prudent use of taxes and effective governance.”
Denise Blackwell has been elected as the CRHD Board Chair and Colin Plant has been elected as the CRHD Board Vice-Chair. The CRHD, a corporation of the CRD, is committed to improving and sustaining the region’s health infrastructure through its funding partnership with Island Health.
Lisa Helps has been elected as the CRHC Board Chair and David Screech has been elected as the CRHC Board Vice-Chair. The CRHC is a wholly-owned, non-profit corporation of the CRD, developing and managing affordable housing for low income families, seniors and persons living with disabilities across the region.
One of the first orders of business the CRD Board will embark upon is identification of CRD Board Priorities, which will drive organizational initiatives over the next four years. Former Metro Vancouver Board Chair Greg Moore has been hired to facilitate the priority-setting process. CRD Chief Administrative Officer Robert Lapham will work closely to support this process, which will include a review of progress on previous CRD Board priorities, regional strategies and service delivery plans.
In accordance with provincial legislation, representation on the CRD Board balances varying population bases with community interests. Each local government receives one vote for every 5,000 population and receives one director for every 25,000 population. Chairs and Vice-Chairs are elected each November.
The CRD has more than 70 commissions, some regional in scope, such as the Water Supply Commission, some sub-regional, such as the Panorama Recreation Commission, and many local with delegated authority that include a significant amount of work undertaken by many commissioners who volunteer their services in the Southern Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Island and Juan de Fuca electoral areas.
For the complete list of 2019 Board Directors, please visit: https://www.crd.bc.ca/about/board-committees/board-representation
Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD is the regional government for 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, serving more than 392,000 citizens. Guided by its Board, the CRD works collaboratively to create a sustainable, livable and vibrant region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
-30-
For media inquiries, please contact:
Andy Orr, Senior Manager
CRD Corporate Communications
Tel: 250.360.3229
Cell: 250.216.5492