- I attended the grand opening of the new Henderson Rec Centre expanded facility. What a wonderful addition, with new equipment, new programs and staff that make a difference to our health and well-being. I encourage you to visit the facility and try out all the equipment. While the elliptical is challenging, I can see that once you get your footing, balance and coordination, it is a healthy experience! (Much like being a Council member). Check out the new putting green too!
- I voted with Council to approve a number of requests for street closures to accommodate block parties and July 1st Canada Day celebrations. As I have said before, these are great community events that enhance a feeling of belonging and neighbourhood cohesion.
- The Oak Bay High School re-development is closer to reality. I voted with Council to receive the latest report from the School District that identifies well known Farmer Construction, the company that will build the new high school. This is a milestone for the School District, our Municipality and Oak Bay and I look forward to following the project, estimated to be completed by 2015. If you have any questions, please contact the Advisory Committee, who are Mayor Nils Jensen and Councillors Michelle Kirby and Tara Ney.
- The OCP renewal project is moving along well, with an update report to Council by Consultant Catherine Berris. The Official Community Plan Advisory Committee (OPAC), of which I am a member, endorsed a plan to make the community survey available to every household in Oak Bay. This could have been a controversial item, when the Consultant originally suggested that the survey would be random and sent to only a per centage of households. But community feedback and concerns expressed by many of us on OPAC resulted in the Committee’s recommendation to Council that the survey should go to all Oak Bay households. I also learned that the validity of the survey relies on the rate of return or response, not on the number of households who receive it. OPAC, Municipal staff and the Consultant have been diligent about the process to date, especially about inclusion, and over the summer months, the survey will be developed based on community feedback received at two Open Houses and a variety of Visioning Workshops. The results of these sessions were summarized by the Consultant and provided to Council. This summary is available on the Municipal Website and the survey will be conducted in early fall.
Questions? Let’s talk and please feel free to contact me anytime. Thank you and have a great Canada Day Weekend.