Q4 2015 Highlights - VictoriaHall/Documents... · In 2015, there were fewer internal promotions at 38% compared with 60% of advancements being internal in 2014. This number is influenced

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #1: INNOVATE AND LEAD

• The City recently hired a Manager of Strategic Real Estate and a new Manager of Bylaw and Licensing Services in quarter four. Peter Rantucci joined the City of Victoria team on February 15 as the new Manager of Strategic Real Estate. Previously the General Manager at BC Transit, Peter has led the Regional Transit Systems group, overseeing 78 transit systems across British Columbia. Prior to this position, Peter worked within various Provincial ministries in senior leadership roles overseeing contract management and corporate projects. Nancy Johnston joined the City of Victoria as the new Manager of Bylaw and Licensing on January 18. Nancy has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Waterloo and over 13 years’ experience in Bylaw Services and 10 years as a paid on-call firefighter in Whistler. Nancy’s approach to compliance begins with strong customer service. She is passionate about the sport of triathlon and is a three-time Ironman Canada finisher who looks forward to competing at the Victoria 70.3 this year, also for the third time.

• Under the direction of the Deputy City Manager, the Manager of Strategic Real Estate is a new position, created to develop and manage the acquisition and disposition of all forms of land and buildings in conjunction with the City’s strategic direction. The new position oversees the provision of real estate services for the City based on valuation and investment analysis methodologies and underscored by a triple bottom line perspective. Based on the real estate philosophy set by Council, Peter will work with senior management to identify and prioritize land interests and acquisitions to meet needs identified in capital plans, provide expert advice in expropriation of land or interests in land; and identify and dispose of surplus City lands. He will also be responsible for negotiations and drafting agreements of purchase and sale.

• In quarter four, the City received two financial reporting awards from the Government Finance Officers Association: the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting Excellence for its 2014 Annual Report and the 2015 Distinguished Budget Presentation for its 2015 Financial Plan.

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• The process for monitoring and reporting on the City’s operational plan commitments continues to be enhanced. The 2016 operational plan is being developed in tandem with the budget process.

• For the first time in 2015, all work plan items were aligned with the City’s 13 strategic plan objectives. This aims to shift quarterly reporting to objective-based performance reporting, from one based on departmental responsibility. Establishing key performance indicators and aligning all of the City’s work under strategic objectives will continue to be the focus for 2016, providing a complete picture of the value for tax dollars. This will provide enormous efficiencies for preparing the 2015 annual report and measuring progress towards strategic objectives.

• During the fourth quarter of 2015, recommendations were presented on proposed regulations for medical marijuana-related businesses. Council directed staff to communicate regulations being considered broadly to the public, and invite feedback in an online survey and at an engagement event in February, and report back public feedback to Council for consideration. A Town Hall was held on February 22, 2016. Preliminary engagement with affected businesses, residents and other stakeholders took place in quarter three. Valuable feedback was collected regarding current operational practices, industry best practices, health and safety concerns, and perspectives of the general business community through in-person meetings, telephone conversations, written submissions and visits to local businesses. Due to the increased interest and correspondence received, an online survey was created to capture public input. Informed by both the information collected through preliminary engagement and a best practices review, staff have also consulted with members of the Victoria Police Department to develop a set of proposed regulations for medical marijuana-related businesses.

• In an effort to promote a culture of continuous improvement, a Service Review Policy was presented to Council for consideration in November and approved. With this policy as the guiding document, the City will undertake two reviews of City services on an annual basis. One of the two reviews has been identified and will be the Parks maintenance and service review and the development of maintenance standards.

• Recommendations for comprehensive governance changes to align Council business practices with the Strategic Plan were presented to City Council in quarter four. A new Council Procedures Bylaw was adopted on January 28, 2016. Governance changes were implemented in February and include the consolidation of the Planning and Land Use and Governance and Priorities Committee into one Committee of the Whole, in addition to adjustments to committee and Council schedules and agendas.

• The City’s Human Resources web page “Why Work for the City” was enhanced to promote the professional career, development opportunities and benefits offered to City employees.

• In quarter four, the City’s Human Resources team participated in the job fair at the University of Victoria to provide information to students on career opportunities with the City, and how to apply and find out more information on City services.

• Work began on improving the City’s communications to internal candidates who are unsuccessful in job competitions, with an offer for career development advice. In 2015, there were fewer internal promotions at 38% compared with 60% of advancements being internal in 2014. This number is influenced by the 24 Parking Ambassador positions hired late in 2015.

• Although the number of hours of sick time increased in 2015 by 14% over 2014; the number of hours lost to workplace injury decreased in 2015 by 37% over 2014.

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2015 Council and Committee Meeting Breakdown

Meeting Type

Open and

Closed

Open Only

Closed Only

Total Meetings

Planning and Land Use Committee

10

12

0

22

Governance and Priorities Committee

20

25

6

51

City Council

25

3

2

30


Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of job competitions

191 42 56 36 42

176

% of promotions/internal movement

60% 59% 35% 21% 38%

38% (avg)

# of learning hours # of learning events

4,009

109

1,828.50

30

1,665.75

34

282.20 7

1,469

32

5,245

103

# of employee forums

2 0 1 0 1

2

# of hours of sick time used

39,354 12,099 11,184 10,636 10,991 44,910

# of hours lost to workplace injury

13,610 1,945 1,700.50 2,090

2,793

8,528

# of full-time equivalents

786.73 782.73 787.48 796.48 796.48 796.48

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of Council and Committee meetings

74

*30

*25

*18

30

103

(*Updated metric.)

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #2: ENGAGE AND EMPOWER THE COMMUNITY

• In November, initial engagement on the Biketoria cycling network by Gehl Studios, 8 80 Cities, and Alta Planning + Design included the establishment of a technical advisory committee, a kick-off weekend of public events including the "Biketoria Summit", and a pop-up bike lane, and three neighbourhood salons in three different areas of the city. These engagement activities were an opportunity to share the recommended network and proposed cycling facilities and to start to test preferred options with the community in terms of connectivity, potential separations, and benefits and impacts along various corridors. An estimated 2,500 people have participated to date, and further engagement will occur in quarter one 2016. In January, a report was presented to Council on the public engagement to date, which has been broad, and has attracted a lot of interest and constructive feedback. However, the project has moved quickly, and further engagement is still required with neighbourhood residents and businesses, and their associations, before recommending a cycling network to Council. There are a few specific areas where impacts are greater, or perceived to be greater, and in areas where limited alternatives exist to address some community concern. In particular, more detailed engagement is required within neighbourhood urban villages. In January, Cook Street businesses submitted a petition to Council opposing any protected lanes on Cook Street. Staff have followed up to provide accurate information and have offered a meeting. In December, staff also indicated a meeting for neighbourhood associations representatives would occur for an update on the early feedback received through the public engagement process, and to discuss further public engagement opportunities specific to their neighbourhood needs. This meeting was scheduled for the first week of February.

• In January, the University of Victoria launched its #Biketoria course. Officially known as Geography 491: Advanced Topics in Geography, the course will provide students the opportunity to look into the City’s Biketoria initiative. The UVic course is offered by Professor Trisalyn Nelson and will take place downtown in the Capital Regional District’s boardroom.

• Preparations for the 2016 budget consultation took place in quarter four for roll-out in early January. Engagement consisted of a town hall with an e-town hall component on January 21, where Victoria citizens could speak in person, or submit questions or comments via Twitter, Facebook and an online submit form. City Councillors and the City’s leadership team were on hand for real-time response to citizen’s questions and comments. Residents also had the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft budget by way of an online survey until Friday, January 29. Public input will help inform Council’s budget decision-making that will be completed in May.

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• A proposed neighbourhoods model was presented to and adopted by the Governance and Priorities Committee in November, recommending a mandate and model informed by Victoria citizens and based on best practices to better champion vibrant, engaged neighbourhoods.

There is a tremendous opportunity to shift from project and problem-based neighbourhood engagement to focusing on place-based opportunities at a neighbourhood level. Greater ability exists to harness community potential, energy and ideas to draw on the community’s strengths and increase the City’s responsiveness to enquiries, concerns and opportunities. The new model provides an opportunity to take a more holistic approach to supporting neighbourhoods and for improving coordination within the City’s operations, increasing communications cross City departments and externally, and providing overall better service to citizens. Actions for the first quarter of 2016 include developing a dedicated neighbourhood web presence; creating a framework for public space and placemaking grants; developing neighbourhood tool kits for community-initiated projects; introducing a “Planning 101” series; developing a Youth Engagement Strategy; and to begin work on Neighbourhood Action Plans to align with the Local Area planning process. A new monthly update will also be introduced, which compiles neighbourhood-based updates and items related to recent Council decisions, capital projects, public consultation, and developments for Councillor Liaisons to share with their respective neighbourhood associations.

• In an effort to provide citizens with a better connection to their local

government and be responsive to community requests, a proposed public use policy was developed to enable members of the public to book spaces in City Hall for meetings and events. Council directed staff to pilot the usage of City Hall for public events and report back in six months. The first wedding ceremonies are scheduled to take place in May 2016.

• Building on earlier input received from the community in 2012, in

October a two-day collaborative design workshop was hosted with stakeholders to develop new concepts for the public realm areas around the Johnson Street Bridge. The bridge project presents an opportunity to revitalize a central waterfront part of Victoria and key areas of both Victoria West and downtown neighbourhoods. The sessions included discussions around use of space, connectivity, accessibility, types of art, and placemaking. Participants worked in groups to develop new concepts on paper that were then used by a landscape architect to create renderings that will be shared with the broader community in early 2016. Citizens will be invited to identify preferred elements, design, and priorities for the spaces through both in person and online engagement activities.

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• Aligned with national Tree Appreciation Day, the City used the hashtag: #30DaysofTrees for the month of November to highlight the importance of Victoria’s urban forest and educate residents on the role trees play in shaping the city’s landscape and providing a healthy environment. The hashtag was primarily used on Instagram, where the City is still building a following, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to providing educational facts, the hashtag was used to promote Tree Appreciation Day, a community tree planting day, as well as an apple tree giveaway contest. The #30DayofTrees social media campaign garnered a high level of engagement considering the number of posts delivered. It was the first time the City ran the campaign over a month span and it was the first time the City ran a social media contest.

• In October, Council was provided a summary on the North Park co-design workshop that took place in the third quarter with the community. Council endorsed the neighbourhood's recommendation that the paving along Cook Street from Pandora Avenue to Caledonia Avenue be deferred pending approval of a new cycling network in 2016. Council also directed staff to provide support for a visioning exercise that may be used to inform the community's Local Area Plan. The pavement along Cook Street from Pandora Avenue to Caledonia Avenue is deteriorating and requires a new asphalt surface. As part of the upgrades to the pavement, the City took a complete streets approach and examined what other improvements could be made to coincide with the upgrades to Cook Street. A co-designed approach to engage the community on what improvements they would like to see was introduced. The North Park Neighbourhood Association, the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network and the Fernwood Community Association designed the engagement process with support from City staff where needed. A workshop, walking tour, survey and ideas board were used to solicit ideas for improvements to the corridor from the community.

• The City continued its commitment to citizen engagement. In 2015, the City engaged with 4,759 people at public engagement events in contrast to 3,500 people in 2014, an increase of 36%. This would be due in part to the City holding 82 engagement events in 2015 compared with 25 events in 2014, an increase of 228%. The number of online surveys the City received from the public almost doubled in 2015 with 5,344 compared to 2,800 in 2014, equating to an increase of 90.86%.

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

City Website

o # of unique visitors

o # of total visits

o % of traffic via mobile visits

o # of mapping data sets added to open data to date

Webcasts o # of viewers of webcasts o # of unique visitors o # of total visits o total page views o % viewed by desktop o % viewed by mobile

781,985 1,271,016

30%

23

20,326 14,355 16,180 225,962

85% 15%

196,010 672,684

33%

not available

8,878 4,465 5,441 99,403 89% 11%

222,070 343,164

36%

70

6,672 3,311 3,900 47,785 98% 2%

239,519 358,815

39%

1 new set

8,536 3,886 4,841 47,907 94% 6%

261,236 412,879

28% 0

8,362 6,496 8,362 86,737 93% 7%

918,835 1,787,542

26%

71

19,882 16,575

19,882 195,504

93% 7%

Social Media

o # of Facebook likes o average organic

reach

o # of Twitter followers

o YouTube channel o # of

subscribers o views of all

videos to date

o LinkedIn # of followers

o Instagram: # of

followers (launched March 2015)

9,862 1,446

18,551 -

2,500 - 0

9,879 1,575

21,425

37

10,120

895

280

10,266 3,354

22,500

40

12,212

1,058

498

10,763 1,481

5,407

68

25,705

1,214

1,005

11,186 1,440

27,300

84

34,010

1,349

1,500

11,186 1,440

27,300

84

34,010

1,349

1,500

VicMap:

o Desktop: # of unique users

o Mobile: # of unique users

28,771

7,262

8,214

4,174

9,028

2,456

8,724

3,594

10,370

4,470

10,370

4,470

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

Garbage Collection Widget Statistics:

o total # of households signed up for active reminders - email, text, phone, Twitter, iCalendar

o # of personal garbage calendars downloaded to date

o # of unique households have accessed this service ((Note: not unique users)

6,512

8,960

13,928

7,136

10,425

14,830

7,875

10,918

15,515

8,086

11,070

16,385

8,554

11,342

17,232

8,554

11,342

17,232

# of Freedom of Information requests received # of Freedom of Information requests closed

86

83

28

16

48

36

24

20

24

27

124

99

# of Bylaws consolidated

0

20

11

4

0

35

# of total page views of Development Tracker page (launched in May 2015)

0

0

2,808

1,550

1,463

5,821

# of citizens engaged in person at City events

3,500

48

2,401

918

1,392

4,759

# of surveys completed

2,800 38 2,075 1,129 2,102

5,344

# of public engagement events

25

5

38

27

12

82

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of media enquiries (2014 # based on average of seven media enquiries per day)

2,500

-

To be tracked in future

-

To be tracked in

future

-

To be tracked in

future

-

To be tracked in

future

-

To be tracked in

future

# of media releases

180

25

45 28 38

136

# of dog licences sold

6,500

4,621

1,026 584 261

6,492

**Online Transactions: Business Licensing

o # of transactions o $ value

Dog Licensing


(launched December 2015)

Homeowner Grant o # of transactions o $ value

Other


Parking (municipal ticketing)


Property Taxes


Property Taxes PAWS


Property Taxes Prepayments


3,347 $469,186

- -

7,324 $4.53 million

62 $69,811

62,875 $1.7 million

9,069 $36.35 million

28,603 $10.09 million

1,470

$458,640

1,839 $285,041

- - - -

25 $21,425

13,995 $389,170

540 $372,631

8,078 $3 million

571 $239,077

168 $25,048

- -

6,897 $4.32 million

33 $56,297

12,891 $353,158

8,003 $34.44 million

5,395

$2 million

233 $88,047

83 $10,809

- -

908 $545,490

36 $33,180

13,113 $362,355

2,109 $12.32 million

8,659 $5.35 million

340

$83,301

1,572 $202,360

1

$30

63 $35,595

19 $5,910

11,972 $325,605

338 $361,014

8,440 $4.01 million

512

$129,030

3,662 $523,257

1

$30

7,868 $4.9

million

113 $116,812

51,971 $1.43 million

10,990 $47.49 million

30,572 $14.37 million

1,656

$539,455

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

Property Taxes Mortgages


Utility Billing


Utility Billing PAWS

o # of transactions o $ value TOTAL TRANSACTIONS:

TOTAL VALUE:

2,024 $7.35 million

36,531 $15.57 million

4,120 $2.01 million

155,425

$78.60 million

- -

8,709 $3.64 million

693

$394,237

34,531

$8.34 million

947 $4.89 million

10,160 $3.64 million

1,189

$423,720

45,916

$50.23 million

1,104 $2.85 million

10,335 $4.32 million

1,436

$629,718

38,123

$26.51 million

- -

9,656 $4.66 million

969

$589,540

33,542

$10.32 million

2,051 $7.75 million

38,941 $16.25 million

4,287 $2.04 million

152,112

$95.40 million

(**Expanded and updated this section to include all online transactions.)

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #3: STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE IN PLANNING AND LAND USE

• In quarter four, the 2015 Development Summit Action Plan was approved. One of the key actions was to consider delegating approval authority to staff for some types of development applications to help streamline the application process. Delegation options were brought forward and Council directed staff to prepare bylaw amendments to permit delegation.

• A new program for accelerating local area planning was approved by Council which will result in the development of 10 new neighbourhood plans over the next three years in close collaboration with neighbourhood associations, residents and businesses. Work is now underway on the Burnside-Gorge local area plan. Over the next three years, 10 new neighbourhood plans will be created for Victoria. New plans for Fairfield, Gonzales, and Victoria West are set to begin in March. Work to update plans for Fernwood, Jubilee, North Park, Rockland and Fort Street Corridor will occur in 2017 and James Bay, Hillside Quadra, Oaklands plans will be updated in 2018. Sequencing of new neighbourhood plans was based on consideration of neighbourhood characteristics, recent development pressures, and existing working relationships between neighbourhoods. New neighbourhood plans will focus on neighbourhood village centres and transportation corridors, and also identify community priorities for each neighbourhood. The plans will help guide new commercial and residential development and capital investment such as cycling and walking paths, priorities for parks improvements and upgrades, public art, and placemaking opportunities.

• Last spring more than 1,000 citizens of the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood provided input through a number of events held in the community, including both City and citizen-led workshops, meetings with key stakeholder groups, and an online survey. In January and February 2016, a second phase of engagement presented the community with opportunities to identify preferred options for how the neighbourhood could change to achieve some of the key themes identified in earlier engagement. Input opportunities included two neighbourhood walks, three open house events, two design workshops and an online survey. A new draft neighbourhood plan will be shared with the community in the spring for feedback.

• Improvements to the City’s Sidewalk Café Bylaw were presented to Council this quarter, including new design guidelines to guide the review of sidewalk cafes and changes to the application process to improve customer service. Public consultation on the proposed improvements will be undertaken in the first quarter of 2016.

• Internal process improvements commenced this quarter regarding building permit file management, review, and the approval process.

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• In the fourth quarter, the City established a strategic real estate office. The role of this function is to develop a land inventory and strategies for acquisition and disposal; identify upcoming capital projects, and work with other departments to review real estate implications and opportunities, develop tools and resources to liaise on real estate and land development needs, and lead all acquisitions, disposals, lease agreements, and land tenure initiatives. A six-month implementation report will be coming back to Council in April 2016.

• The Fixed-Rate Density Bonus Policy study was completed and brought forward to Council in July. The study proposed a policy for a fixed-rate bonus density system for areas outside of the Downtown Core Area. Coriolis Consulting presented the report findings and staff recommended that further study be undertaken to consider the matter of community amenity contributions more holistically to align with the recommendations that emerged out of the Mayor’s Housing Affordability Task Force regarding affordable housing contributions. A follow-up report is anticipated in the second quarter of 2016.

• This quarter, 33 electronic filings at the land title office were completed (e.g. housing agreements, statutory rights of way, development permit notices, covenants, easements, etc.).

• A range of documents required for the subdivision and development of the Capital Park lands were filed for registration at the Land Title Office by the City’s Legal Services team.

• In December, a maintenance planner was hired to improve the planning and coordination of maintenance of City buildings. This is an important element of facilities management and planning.

Q4 2015 Major Development Applications

Site Application Type Status / Notes Estimated Project Value

Burnside/Gorge

605-629 Speed & 606-618 Francis – ground floor commercial with residential above

Rezoning/DP Applicant working with Land Economist regarding value of Land Lift.

No construction value provided

Downtown

816 Government – mixed use Rezoning/DP/HAP COMPLETE 20,000,000 1312-1314, 1318 Wharf (Northern Junk) – ground floor commercial with residential above

Rezoning/DP Applicant reconsidering plans

20,000,000

727 Johnson – Heritage Revitalization with additional two floors

Rezoning with potential HAP

Just in

755 Caledonia – ground floor commercial with residential above

DP with Variance COMPLETE Under $2,000,000 – no cost provided

613 Herald DP with Variance Advancing to Council

$3,200,000

Fairfield / Gonzales

1303 Dallas (Clover Point Pump Station)

Rezoning PH scheduled then postponed

2,000,000

913 – 929 Burdett Avenue and 914 – 924 McClure - seniors at Mount St Angela

Rezoning/DP/HAP Awaiting revisions from applicant.

3,800,000

1041 Oliphant - residential Rezoning/DP Advancing to PLUC 8,200,000

1101 Fort – mixed use DP COMPLETE 6,000,000

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Fernwood

1310 Gladstone – mixed use OCP Amendment/ Rezoning/DP

Awaiting further information from applicant prior to advancing to PH

Under $2,000,000 – no cost provided

1146 Caledonia - residential OCP Amendment/ Rezoning/DP

Advancing to Hearing.

$750,000

1144-1154 Johnson Street/1406 Chambers - residential

Rezoning/DP Awaiting revisions from applicant

$12,000,000

Harris Green

1029 View Street (Juke Box) mixed use

DP with Variance COMPLETE 18,000,000

951 Johnson Street (Dan Cox) mixed use

DP with Variance Advancing to Council

36,000,000

Hillside-Quadra

2813-2887 Quadra (Quadra Village) – residential

Rezoning/DP New owners proceeding with apartment development. Requires CALUC meeting

2,250,000

2560 Quadra DP with Variances Advancing to ADP 1,900,000 James Bay

Ogden Point Master Plan Planning exercise that will lead to a new Zone

GVHA leading and at public engagement stage. Submission of major Rezoning Application expected in early 2016.

Capital Park HAPs and HDs associated with 5 heritage houses

HAPs complete. HDs go back to Council once properties have been relocated. Post HAP revisions are proposed.

Jubilee (North and South)

Royal Jubilee Hospital Master Campus Plan

Planning exercise that will lead to new Zone

Campus plan complete. Requires rezoning

Turner Block – mixed use

Rezoning and DP Application submitted Dec 2015

10,000,000

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North Park

1002-1012 Pandora (St. Andrews School) – ground floor commercial with residential above

Rezoning/DP COMPLETE 49,836,000

Oaklands

N/A Rockland

1070 Joan Crescent (Craigdarroch Castle)

Rezoning/HAP Advancing to PH $1,525,000

1040 Moss Street (Art Gallery)

Rezoning/HAP COMPLETE $13,800,000

1745 Rockland – townhouses Rezoning/DP COMPLETE $2,300,000 Victoria West

701 Tyee (Lots H & J Railyards) - residential

DP/MDA Amendment

Advancing to Council early 2016

$2,684,800

353 Tyee Road (Dockside) – mixed use

Rezoning, MDA Amendments and OCP Amendment

Working on Amendments to MDA and satisfying other conditions.

$196,384,000

353 Tyee Road (Dockside) – affordable housing (Council directed priority processing)

Rezoning and MDA Amendments

COMPLETE

International Marina Development Permit with Variances

Applicant working on plan revisions and providing further information.

Legend:

DP – Development Permit Application REZ – Rezoning Application HAP - Heritage Alteration Permit Application OCP - Official Community Plan Amendment MDA - Master Development Agreement Under $2,000,000 – no cost provided in application submission Sites with “COMPLETE” status are included to note progress.

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

$ value of heritage grants to Victoria Civic Heritage Trust to administer Building Incentive Program $ value of private investments leveraged from these grants (Source: Victoria Civic Heritage Trust)

$420,000

$17.07 million

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

$420,000

$950,000

Heritage # of heritage designations Heritage Alteration Permit: # of permits issued # of applications received Heritage Minor Amendment Permit: # of applications received

8

13 -

34

7 3 7 7

2 2 5 9

1 3 3 3

4

13 3 4

14

21 18

23

Community Association Land Use Committee # of notices generated for committee meetings # of meetings

18,053

38

5,631 9

5,212

18

5,946

10

2,207 6

18,996

43

Meetings # of Board of Variance meetings # of Advisory Design Panel meetings

16 9

4 2

6 2

6 3

4 2

20 9

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of Heritage Advisory Committee meetings # of Technical Review Committee meetings (includes special meetings)

8

24

3 6

3 6

4 7

3

10

13

29

Applications # of rezoning applications # of development permit applications # of development variance permit applications # of development permit minor amendments applications # of board of variance applications

38

52

13

57

37

9

*16 5

*22 9

4

14 2

19

10

8

*7 7

*19

12

8

17 4

25 8

29

54

18

85

39

Permits # of construction permits issued $ value of construction permits # of building permits issued # of plumbing permits issued # of electrical permits issued

3,452

$156 million

758

951

1,604

885

$46,492,361

162

234

435

868

$44,728,322

192

261

368

847

$72,658,679.66

198

248

381

826

$70,845,317.93

194

213

391

3,426

$235 million

746

956

1,575

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of demolition permits issued (also included in total number of building permits) # of signage permits issued # of Occupant Load Application permits issued

34

88

17

21

23

10

19

22 6

19

20 0

10

26 0

69

91

16

(*Updated metric.)

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #4: BUILD FINANCIAL CAPACITY OF THE ORGANIZATION

• In quarter four, Council gave preliminary approval to a draft 2016 financial plan to seek input from the public before finalizing early in 2016. As presented in the draft financial plan, the 2016 operating budget totals $221 million and the capital budget totals $51.2 million. The proposed budgets would result in an overall property tax increase of $2.8 million or 2.31%. Combined with utility fees, the overall costs to homeowners would result in a 2.05% increase from 2015, and 2.19% for businesses. The public provided input on the draft 2016 financial plan during public engagement in January. The 2016 budget will be approved in May.

• Provincial legislation was amended in December 2015 to enable the City of Victoria to pursue implementation of a parking adjudication model. A report was presented to the Governance and Priorities Committee on January 21, 2016 demonstrating how this model would enhance customer service. With this model, customers who dispute their tickets will benefit from a transparent and fair escalation process. Customers who historically had to attend provincial court to await for their dispute to be heard will have the opportunity to appear before an independent adjudicator at a specified date and time. Hearings may be conducted by telephone or video conference at City Hall. Operational efficiency will improve with parking staff no longer spending time in the provincial court system waiting for hearings to occur. In January, City Council directed staff to prepare the Bylaw Notice Dispute Adjudication Bylaw and related fee bylaw.

• In quarter four, the City appointed BDO Canada as its external auditor. BDO Canada is one of the leading accounting and advisory firms in Canada. The company audits over 150 Canadian municipalities and dozens in British Columbia.

• The City’s Financial System (JD Edwards) was successfully upgraded to a newer version 11 months ahead of schedule.

• Preparations were underway this quarter to introduce online billing for dog licence renewals. Launched January 20, 2016, it enables Victoria residents to renew their dog’s licence online by entering the account number from their Dog Licence Renewal Notice or by searching by address and entering payment information. A 2016 dog tag will then be mailed to the pet owner.

Dog licences can also be renewed at City Hall, the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre, Victoria Animal Control Services, the SPCA and 12 local businesses. Applications for new dog licences must be made in person. Dog owners who renewed on or before February 29 saved $20 and were entered into a draw to win the first dog tag of the year (0001) and the associated bragging rights of owning the City of Victoria’s ‘Number One Dog’.

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• Work that began in the first quarter to inventory and assess the condition of all City facilities was completed in the third quarter, and a report was presented to the Governance and Priorities Committee on October 22. The work will guide and prioritize long-term capital investments and acquisition, informing the 2016 financial plan and key decisions on specific properties including the Victoria Fire Department Headquarters and the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre. Consultant Morrison Hershfield was retained based on their technical ability, experience and proposed methodology for the project.

• This quarter, the Victoria Conference Centre and Spectrum Marketing continued its engagement with interested parties on philanthropic and corporate naming rights for the facility, based on direction from Council. Opportunities continue to be pursued and are anticipated to be concluded by the end of April 2016.

• To ensure the safety of Victoria citizens and property, the Victoria Fire Department invested in the purchase of a 2006, one-hundred foot ladder truck for $500,000 rather than purchase a new 2015 aerial model for $1.8 million, effectively saving the City $1.3 million.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #4: BUILD FINANCIAL CAPACITY OF THE ORGANIZATION

Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of grants received (measured annually) $ value of investment

30

$16.9 million

To be

confirmed for future reports

To be


To be


To be


31

$17.2 million

$ value of investment interest earned (measured annually)

$2.75 million

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

$2.76 million

$ value of growth/new property tax assessment revenue

$1.37 million

n/a

$2.33 million

n/a

n/a

$2.33 million

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #5: CREATE PROSPERITY THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Based on public input, the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development and Prosperity developed the Making Victoria: Unleashing Potential Economic Action Plan, which was adopted by City Council on October 29. The plan identifies six primary “engines" to drive Victoria’s businesses, generate jobs, raise household incomes, and increase well-being over the next four years. The six engines include: Advanced Education and Research & Development; the Ocean and Marine sector; Experiential Tourism; Government; Technology; and Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups and Social Enterprise. Each engine has its own set of draft objectives, actions and metrics to advance and measure progress.

• The new “Business Hub” was softly launched on December 15 at

City Hall. The Business Hub is an action item of the Economic Action Plan that supports the six engines and is designed to streamline and demystify business and development processes at City Hall; make it easier to do business in Victoria; advise on how to reduce unnecessary red tape; connect entrepreneurs with the resources they need; and accelerate the development of a vibrant downtown. City staff are now in the process of developing an implementation plan to achieve the actions outlined in the Economic Action Plan. Also in December, the City began recruiting for the new position of Business Ambassador, who will lead the Business Hub’s operations. The position is anticipated to be filled early in the first quarter of 2016.

• In November, a new regional economic development organization was presented to and approved at the City’s Governance and Priorities Committee meeting. This new regional model and strategy for economic development on South Vancouver Island is an opportunity for the City to join other partner municipalities and private sector organizations across the region to take a historical step in developing a new regional entity for economic development to grow sustainable prosperity and well-being region-wide for the long term.

• Following the success of the City’s San Francisco trade mission in September, the partners involved agreed to invest in a reverse mission to take place from February 17 – 19, 2016 in Victoria.

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• In November, the City held its first collaborative meeting with the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, Camosun College and other private sector-interested organizations to discuss the creation of a downtown “City Studio”, one of the action items in the Economic Action Plan’s “Advanced Education and Research & Development” engine. The City Studio will provide university and college students the opportunity to work with City of Victoria staff on projects. The projects would be guided by the City’s Strategic Plan, annual Operational Plan, and the Economic Action Plan. In January, an available City-owned space at 738 Johnson Street was approved for lease and classes were offered.

• Building on the success of parking improvements implemented over the past year, in quarter four the City focused on preparations to roll out new parking initiatives in January to continue to improve customer service.

o Three weeks of intensive training in December provided an excellent opportunity to build the new Parking Ambassador team and introduce consistent standards and expectations for this new parking service. With the support of local agencies, the team undertook classwork and on-foot training in the field.

A large focus was placed on learning about City services and functions outside of the parking service area. Ambassadors participated in comprehensive training in parking regulations and the City’s service philosophy. They also received customer service and safety training, met with downtown businesses, Victoria Police, the Downtown Victoria Business Association, and

participated in presentations by staff from multiple departments to learn more about the City’s programs and services. They also introduced themselves to businesses downtown, gaining familiarity with the technology and policies in place to support them in their positions.

o Effective, January 1, all City parking services are now offered by City of Victoria staff. The Parking Ambassador model provides greater ability to offer a parking experience consistent with customer service objectives and the needs of the community. The City’s new Parking Ambassador team provide professional and customer-oriented parking services and information in the Capital City.

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o The City’s parking review function is now part of the Public Service Centre at City Hall, making it a “one-stop shop” for parking. Previously, parking customers would often enter City Hall wondering where to pay or have a parking ticket reviewed, and need to walk across Centennial Square (sometimes in inclement weather) to the Parking Review Office. The office was small and outdated, with customer interaction limited to conversations between sliding windows. Having the parking review function available at the Public Service Centre makes it easier to find and improves the customer’s experience. The review process has a turnaround of five business days.

o While previous parking enforcement uniforms were dark and para-military in style, the Parking Ambassadors’ apparel are brighter, more modern with an active outdoor appeal. This more approachable look consists of a blue and grey, waterproof, Gore-Tex, fleece and dry-fit jacket, with a reflective City logo on the front and “Parking Ambassador” on the back. A blue dry-fit golf shirt (both long and short sleeve versions), black pants and runners complete the ensemble. The new uniforms have been locally sourced and are designed to make the Parking Ambassadors approachable and easily identifiable downtown. Each Ambassador also wears a City photo ID card.

o Previously, contracted parking enforcement officers have travelled in golf-cart style motorized vehicles and on white scooters. City mobile parking ambassadors now travel on blue and black, Hondo Giorno scooters. The new vehicles have a retro, sporty look and feel. Two hybrid vehicles will arrive early in 2016. The scooters and hybrids were purchased locally.

o To improve and streamline two-way communications between Parking Services and parking customers, one phone number (250.361.0260) and one email address ([email protected]) will be used and promoted in all communications materials.

o Previously, each of the City’s five parkades had its own SafeWalk phone number to call and request a security guard to accompany you to your vehicle. We moved from five phone numbers to one (250.686.3715) to request the City’s SafeWalk service. This new number will be updated in all communication materials and is already noted on all parkade signage and the City’s website. New SafeWalk cards are now available.

o The ParkVictoria app has been in place for one year. The

app makes it easier to pay for on-street parking on the go from an iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet. The free app can be downloaded at the App Store or Google Play and is available as a mobile web application. While popular, more focused promotion of the app will help increase awareness and the percentage of ParkVictoria on-street parking transactions, with a goal of moving achieving 20% of transactions in the app by the end of 2016. The app’s benefits to the City include the reduction of paper purchased and coin counting costs associated with pay station payments.

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o In the fourth quarter, some of the guard railings were replaced at View Street Parkade to improve safety and aesthetics. In Q1 2016, railings will be installed on the parkade’s helix exit ramp.

o In early 2016, the View Street Parkade entrance will be

renovated to improve safety, aesthetics and operations. The work will including moving the sidewalk and curb outward to improve visibility and create separation from vehicles exiting the facility. Entry and exit gates will be installed to improve operations.

• The following work took place during the fourth quarter involving the Victoria Conference Centre (VCC):

o The American Contract Bridge League confirmed its biennial event will return to Victoria in 2017. This event was last held in the destination in 2011 and will bring an added 7,000 delegate days with strong economic impact for the region.

o 18 contracts were executed in this quarter for future conferences, including 10 city-wide

events:

o Union of BC Municipalities (2016) o Insurance Brokers Association of BC (2016) o Victoria Yoga Conference (2016) o 17th Annual Privacy and Security Conference (2016) o Payne's Marine Trade Show (2016) o American Contract Bridge League Tournament (2017) o Professional Convention Management Association 2018 Canadian Innovation

Conference (2018) o Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (2018) o Truck Loggers Association (2018) o BC Teachers' Federation (2019)

o The Victoria Conference Centre hosted the three-day Meeting Encore FAM tour for a third

party in early October. Four third-party meeting planners with Victoria prospects were in attendance, as well as two potential clients from Fountain Tire (Edmonton) and Telus (Calgary) respectively.

o The Victoria Conference Centre team’s marketing initiatives resulted in an increased number

of city-wide conference bookings by 40% from 25 in 2014 to 35 in 2015.

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o 2015 rental revenue at the Victoria Conference Centre exceeded its budget by 4.11% as

noted below.

Expected Rental

Revenue:

Actual Rental Revenue 2015:

Variance:

$912,000

$949,500

+ $37,500 or + 4.11%

o The City’s new Manager of Strategic Real Estate who started in February will look to revise

the RFP process for Crystal Garden within the first quarter of 2016.

Q4 2015 Victoria Conference Centre Events and Delegates (48 Events)

Start Date

End Date

Description

Delegates

10/9/2015 10/11/2015 GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon 2015 8,000

10/15/2015 10/16/2015 RE/MAX of Western Canada Activate Conference 2015

580

10/28/2015 10/31/2015 Canadian Dental Hygienists Association National Conference

420

11/6/2015 11/7/2015 Infectious Diseases Update 2015 375

11/7/2015 11/9/2015 Payne's Marine Trade Show 2015 400

11/26/2015 11/28/2015 The Royal Society of Canada 2015 Annual General Meeting

420

12/3/2015 12/4/2015 BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association - 49th AGM and Winter Celebration

470

10/6/2015 10/8/2015 Office of Chief Information Officer Connect 2015 460

10/3/2015 10/4/2015 Cargill Gala Awards Evening 170

10/17/2015 10/17/2015 Sheet Metal Workers International - 75th Anniversary Banquet

260

10/21/2015 10/21/2015 Peak Financial Group 20

11/12/2015 11/13/2015 TBD Holdings - Tax Update 2015 69

11/14/2015 11/14/2015 Health First Annual General Meeting 180

11/14/2015 11/14/2015 Island Savings Holiday Celebration 348

10/2/2015 10/3/2015 Mid-Life Crisis Show 800

10/18/2015 10/18/2015 Cruise Ship Centers Tradeshow 600

10/24/2015 10/24/2015 Vitamin Shop 2015 Trade Show 330

11/27/2015 11/29/2015 Out of Hand 27th Annual Artisan Fair 4,500

10/2/2015 10/2/2015 UVic Vancouver OCI's 125

10/5/2015 10/5/2015 LandlordBC AGM 168

10/5/2015 10/5/2015 Dentistry in the Digital Age 150

10/6/2015 10/6/2015 Save on Foods Service Awards Dinner 310

10/10/2015 10/10/2015 NDP Rally 1,200

10/19/2015 10/23/2015 Chartered Professional Accountants of BC (CPABC) 70

10/19/2015 10/19/2015 Green Party of Canada - Election Night! 700

10/20/2015 10/23/2015 Citizenship and Immigration 175

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Q4 2015 Victoria Conference Centre Events and Delegates (48 Events)

Start Date

End Date

Description

Delegates

10/23/2015 10/23/2015 Learning Disabilities Association of Vancouver Island Annual Fall Conference

230

10/24/2015 10/24/2015 Art of the Cocktail 2015 840

10/26/2015 10/26/2015 Inclusion BC Press Conference 10

10/27/2015 10/27/2015 Premier's Innovation & Excellence Awards 700

10/27/2015 10/27/2015 College of Dental Surgeons of BC Educational Workshop

63

10/29/2015 10/29/2015 Alan Salmon & Associates Incorporated 110

11/1/2015 11/1/2015 Colette Baron-Reid - Messages From Spirit 250

11/6/2015 11/6/2015 Your Fantastic Dental TEAM 170

11/7/2015 11/7/2015 26th Annual Island Fitness Conference 230

11/10/2015 11/10/2015 TaxCycle Suite Tour 65

11/16/2015 11/20/2015 Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC)

58

11/18/2015 11/20/2015 Gold Medal Plates - A Celebration of Canadian Excellence

480

11/19/2015 11/19/2015 CI Investments 2015 Fall Road Show 70

11/20/2015 11/21/2015 LifeFit by Back Fit 300

11/21/2015 11/21/2015 Fight 4 The Cause - Charity Boxing Classic 2015 1,200

12/5/2015 12/5/2015 St. Michaels University Holiday Party 830

12/5/2015 12/5/2015 Seaspan Victoria Shipyards 2015 Holiday Party 490

12/7/2015 12/7/2015 Sendial Luncheon 365

12/7/2015 12/7/2015 Evening with Gabrielle Bernstein 397

12/12/2015 12/12/2015 MAXIMUS BC Health Inc 350

12/13/2015 12/13/2015 Fairmont Empress and Vic PD 500

12/18/2015 12/19/2015 Shaw Cablesystems Holiday Party 1,180

Total Delegates 30,118

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #5: CREATE PROSPERITY THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# unique ParkVictoria app users (in different quarters) (App was launched Dec 5, 2014)

1,387

3,064

6,190

7,746

9,298

13,857

# of ParkVictoria transactions

3,765

29,538

48,052

56,891

73,472

207,953

# of on-street transactions # of City parkade transactions

2,757,602

785,512

653,614

289,975

677,242

310,645

695,835

334,511

694,323

347,699

2,721,014

1,282,830

# of events held at VCC

181

*39

*53

*23

60

175

# of delegate days at VCC

97,827

*28,776

22,708

*9,963

35,143

96,590

$ value of events at VCC (based on delegate days @ average delegate spend)

$44,022,150

*$12,949,200

*$10,218,600

*$4,483,350

$15,814,350

$43,465,500

# of VCC contracts signed for future conferences

43

*19

*10

*15

18

62

(* Updated metric.) Note: 2016 metrics will be informed by City of Victoria’s Economic Action Plan.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #6: MAKE VICTORIA MORE AFFORDABLE

• Two housing workshops were held with Council in October to consider each of the recommended actions arising from the Mayor’s Housing Affordability Task Force. Each of the Task Force’s actions were analyzed, and pros and cons were presented. Council directed some actions be absorbed into projects currently underway, while others were identified as new work items for 2016, and some were directed for further examination and follow up.

Established in April by City Council, the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability presented its recommendations to Council on July 16. The role of the Task Force was to consult with community stakeholders to develop recommendations on innovative housing policy solutions, including measures within municipal jurisdiction that will improve housing affordability and increase the supply of affordable housing units, which is defined as a unit that a household of low to moderate income can afford to live in.

• In the fourth quarter, Council approved two Victoria Housing Reserve Fund applications for two projects: 1) up to $297,000 to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul to assist in the development of 42 units of supportive affordable rental housing as part of Rosalie’s Village in the District of Saanich (4351 West Saanich Road); and 2) $20,000 to the Victoria Native Friendship Centre to assist in the development of two additional units of supportive affordable rental housing as part of the phase two development of Siem Lelum (120 Gorge Road East).

• On December 4, the City hosted a free Housing First Workshop at City

Hall featuring a presentation by Dr. Sam Tsemberis, the founder of the Housing First movement in the United States. The workshop was designed for those interested in and working on housing, homelessness and the provision of healthcare to vulnerable citizens, and provided an opportunity for discussion and collaboration among participants. Meeting notes captured the discussion and are available at www.victoria.ca/sheltering

• The evening before the Housing First Workshop, City Hall was the venue for the premiere screening of the US & THEM. Filmed over a decade, US & THEM is a feature documentary about the unlikely friendships that develop between four homeless and addicted people in Victoria and local filmmaker Krista Loughton. Her own battles with depression become part of the film’s narrative; Loughton sets out to help them, but they end up saving her. Dr. Tsemberis participated in the screening.

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of new housing units

361

*222

183

*270

350

1,025

# of total new dwelling unit construction in Victoria neighbourhoods (excluding secondary/garden suites)

182

211

171

236

315

933

# of total dwelling unit conversions (excluding secondary/garden suites)

145

-

-

Measured Annually

Measured Annually

78

# of total secondary suites (including new construction and conversions)

31

9

9

14

14

46

# of total garden suites (including new construction and conversions) *Not able to currently track separately from secondary suites

3

0

3

2

*0

0*

# of inspections performed

8,725

2,264

2,291

2,081

2,000

8,636

# of demolitions

55

*17

*14

*15

8

54

# of rental units (affordable rental) created by Housing Reserve Fund

65

0

0

45

(in Saanich)

44

(42 in Saanich)

89

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of purpose-built rental units approved through building permits issued (excluding secondary and garden suites)

24

181

0

242

260

683

% of overall vacancy rate in City of Victoria (Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)

1.3%

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

.6%

$ value of average sales price for single family $ value of average sales price for condominiums $ value of average sales price for townhouses (Source: Victoria Real Estate Board)

$612,784

$349,324

$473,938

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

$651,810

$353,409

$488,861

(*Updated metric.)

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #7: FACILITATE SOCIAL INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY WELLNESS

• Face-to-face meetings and targeted consultation in the third and fourth quarters informed draft medical marijuana regulations, which the public were invited to provide input in quarter one 2016. A report on the engagement results and revised draft regulations will go to Council in April.

• The City launched a “School to Swim” program at the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre. Recreation staff worked in conjunction with three local schools and the United Way to reduce barriers to allow 40 local families in need to access swimming lessons last fall.

• In November, Council directed the City to allocate up to $85,000 in 2016 operating funding and up to $45,000 in capital funding to establish a one-year pilot project storage facility for the belongings of people who are homeless. In February 2016, the City advertised the opportunity to seek a service provider that will develop and operate the proposed storage facility for a one-year period.


Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre

# of visits # of registrants # of online registrations* # of in person/by phone

# of registered programs # of camp registrants # of drop-in fitness classes # of drop-in fitness participants # of aqua-fitness classes # of aqua-fitness participants # of children who learned to swim (*Online registration launched August 18, 2014)

250,000 5,223 398* 4,825

1,703

1,982

963

6,367

816 8,858

1,929

Available annually

1,694 251

1,443

354

Available in Q3

279 1,310

216 1,312

596

Available annually

2,022 379

1,643

254

Available in Q3

286 1,807

221 5,151

427

Available annually

2,821 451

2,370

675

1,599

168 1,190

136 2,713

794

Available Annually

1,657 169

1,488

733

101

252 1,893

221 4,106

366

256,000 8,464 1,250 6,944

2,016

1,700

985

6,200

794 13,282

2,183

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of City parks

72

72

72

72

72

72

# of playgrounds

40

40

40

40

40

40

# of ball diamonds and soccer fields maintained

45

45

45

45

45

45

# of outdoor fitness equipment locations maintained

4

4

4

4

4

4

# of bookings of Royal Athletic Park # of people attending Royal Athletic Park

76

70,000

4

1,530

26

17,655

*49

40,904

0 0

79

60,089

# of skateboard parks maintained

1

1

1

1

1

1

# of bicycle parks Maintained

1

1

1

1

1

1

# of public docks maintained

3

3

3

3

3

3

# of dog leash-optional areas

12

12

12

12

12

12

# of public washrooms in parks

17

17

17

17

17

17

# of tennis courts maintained

23

23

23

23

23

23

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of community/senior centres City owns and maintains # of community/senior centres City leases (Victoria Silver Threads on Richmond)

9 1

9 1

9 1

9 1

9 1

9 1

# of senior centres maintained

3

3

3

3

3

3

(*Updated metric.)

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #8: ENHANCE AND STEWARD PUBLIC SPACES, GREEN SPACES AND FOOD SYSTEMS • In December, work was underway to prepare the City-owned building at 1240 Yates Street for use as

MyPlace Transitional Home, a 24/7 shelter to assist those without homes for four months who were camping at the Super Intent City on the grounds of the Provincial Courthouse. MyPlace opened on January 4 and is currently a temporary home for 40 individuals transitioning to services and homes.

• In this quarter, a Food Systems Coordinator was hired to lead the City’s urban agriculture policy development and implementation. Their role will be on updating guidelines and policies to support growing food in Victoria. The report will come to Council for consideration in spring 2016.

• Triathlon Canada relocated their head office to Victoria’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

• In summer 2015, the community was invited to generate ideas for what they would like to see at Vic West Park. Based on this input, in October, a list of improvements was proposed to the community to help finalize the plan. The improvement plan for Vic West Park was completed in quarter four, and implementation will begin in spring 2016. Improvements will include a fenced dog off-leash area and field enhancements to the primary ball diamond and new bleacher seating; space for a community garden; a larger improved playground with natural play areas and play equipment; a new picnic area and community ‘Play Box’ filled with sports equipment; improvements to the ‘beginners’ bowl in the skate park; and washroom and pathway upgrades. The beginner bowl skate park, playground and dogs off-leash area improvements are scheduled for 2016. Other improvements will commence in future years.

• In the fourth quarter, the City of Victoria upgraded Begbie Green, a half-acre community space located in the North Jubilee neighbourhood. Located near the intersection of Pembroke and Begbie Streets, before the improvements, Begbie Green included a passive green space with mature trees and greens.

Three design options were taken to the community during the first round of community feedback in the summer. A second opportunity for feedback in the fall helped refine the final designs. Improvements included the installation of a small central plaza, garbage cans, bike racks, and the removal of a portion of Pembroke Street to create more parkland. Two new multi-use pathways and a new pedestrian pathway were added -- all of which are universally accessible and paved. A new 1.5-metre grassy knoll and split-rail fencing along both sides of Shelbourne Street are now key features. Traffic signage was also improved. One unhealthy tree was removed and three new trees were planted. Fruit trees and blueberry bushes were also planted at 2020 Shelbourne Street across from Begbie Green.

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• Emergency repairs were completed to Phase 1 of the Dallas Road bluffs, located below the Harrison Yacht Pond. The work consisted of repairs to the washed out pathway and the installation of large boulders. The path and boulders play a significant role in protecting the embankment and cliffs from erosion. Additional work is planned for early 2016.

• In quarter four, construction by City staff was completed on the Moss Maiden garden sculpture, located behind the Cameron Bandshell. It has generated a lot of interest and positive feedback from the community.

• In 2014, the City applied for a Licence of Occupation from the

Province, which would be used in conjunction with the Zoning Regulation Bylaw to regulate public use of the Selkirk Water. There is concern regarding the impact that unregulated marine activities, including long-term anchoring of vessels in the Selkirk Water, is having on the marine environment, adjacent City parks and residents.

The Province approved the City’s application for a Licence of Occupation in quarter four. In early February, the City invited the community to attend an information meeting to learn more about the proposed changes to the management of the Gorge Waterway that would be presented to City Council in a report on February 18, 2016. The report recommended City Council initiate a rezoning process to amend the current Gorge Waterway regulations to

allow anchoring for a period of up to 48 consecutive hours, but not exceeding 72 total hours in a 30-day period. Due to the fact that a full ban on anchoring has been tested by a BC Court of Appeal decision regarding anchoring in West Kelowna, the proposed approach for short-term anchoring minimizes the current impacts to the environment and residents, while respecting constitutional rights and federal jurisdiction. City Council approved the recommendation, and a community meeting will be scheduled to obtain public feedback on the proposed approach, which will inform a report to Council.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #8: ENHANCE AND STEWARD PUBLIC SPACES, GREEN SPACES AND FOOD SYSTEMS

Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of applications to remove trees from private property # of tree removal permits issued for private property (within scope of Tree Preservation Bylaw)

Not

available

38

Will track in future

11


15


22


14


62

# of pruning permits issued for private property

57

9

15

27

27

78

# of trees planted on public property

190

48

41

0

55

144

# of trees removed from public property

Not

Available

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

109

# of City-owned trees

*32,718

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

Measured annually

32,753

# of annuals produced in nursery (for hanging baskets and beds)

Not

available

0

61,535

23,188

1,900

86,623

# of edible demonstration gardens

2

2

2

2

2

2

# of hanging baskets on downtown lampposts

1,344

n/a

1,290

n/a

n/a

1,290

# of City playgrounds upgraded

4

0

0

2

0

2

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #8: ENHANCE AND STEWARD PUBLIC SPACES, GREEN SPACES AND FOOD SYSTEMS

Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of Parks calls for service

3,300

635

864

962

943

3,404

# ladybugs releases on downtown street trees # Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Predatory Midge)

92,000

500

0

(unavailable) 0

0

(unavailable)

149,500

0 0

0 0

0

149,500

# of km of City-owned boulevards

300km

300km

300km

300km

300km

300km

# of hectares of parkland

191

191

191

191

191

191

# of rain gardens

9

9

9

9

9

9

# of cemeteries maintained (Ross Bay Cemetery, a national heritage site on 11 hectares, Pioneer Square)

2

2

2

2

2

2

# of cubic metres of woodchips from residential branch chipping service

230

230

n/a

n/a

0

230

# of cubic metres of residential leaves collected/composted

6,200

Manually compacted

n/a

n/a

n/a

2,030

2,030

Machine compacted

(*Updated metric.)

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #9: COMPLETE A MULTI-MODAL AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

• In quarter four, City staff continued to work with local engineering and planning firm, Urban Systems in partnership with leading international cycling organizations Gehl Studios, 8 80 Cities, and Alta Planning + Design, to design and support the implementation of a world-class “all ages and abilities” cycling network for Victoria. A new proposed network conceptual design was presented to the Governance and Priorities on October 22 and shared with the community for feedback. More engagement with stakeholders in specific areas along the corridors is required before presenting a report to Council.

The #BIKETORIA network will include up to eight “all ages and abilities” bicycle corridors throughout the city, forming an active transportation network to service the downtown core and surrounding villages within Victoria.

Public feedback, ongoing communications and consultation, best practices and world class expertise will inform the network’s "hub and spoke" framework – recommendations for eight, key active transportation corridors will be developed for City Council to consider for implementation

in spring of 2016.

An all ages and abilities bicycle network is designed to be suitable, safe and comfortable for most people riding bikes regardless of their ability and experience, through the use of high quality, separated bicycle facilities.

• City staff and Engineering Design continued to work collaboratively in quarter four on a detailed design for a 1.2 kilometre, two-way protected cycling facility on Pandora Avenue from Cook to Store Streets. It will be the first fully protected bike facility in the City of Victoria. A progress report to Council in January noted the project has reached 60% design maturity and final detailed design will be completed by March 2016. Pandora Avenue will be the first all ages and abilities active transportation network. Construction is planned for completion in 2016.

Further consultation will focus on liaising with affected residents, business owners, customers and cyclists, and there are a few specific properties where further consultation and design refinement are required.

• Construction of the Douglas Street retaining wall project began in the fourth quarter. Construction of a portion of the project by a contractor to install 115 twelve-metre-long anchors has been completed. The Public Works Carpenter Shop will construct the four-metre high, 110-metre long concrete wall surface in the first quarter of 2016. This project is a good example of value-added engineering solutions resulting in lower tender prices than originally estimated for the work.

• In the fourth quarter, the City received $211,610 from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) gas tax agreement for the Craigflower Road/Skinner Street bike lane project that was completed in 2015.

• Capital construction transportation projects completed resulted in $34,000 in funding from ICBC’s Road Safety Program. The Road Safety Program contributes funding towards projects where an enhancement will contribute to improved road safety and reduced collision claims.

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• In December, new proposed skateboarding regulations were approved by City Council, and staff were directed to proceed with proposed amendments to the Streets and Traffic Bylaw, Ticket Bylaw, and Parks Regulation Bylaw that would permit the use of skateboards, roller skates, in-line skates, and non-motorized scooters on all City streets, and require skateboarders and users of other similar modes of transportation to follow the same rules of the road as cyclists, and eliminate associated impound provisions, effective February 1, 2016. Communications to increase public understanding on how skateboarders can integrate in City streets will occur in March. Staff will also write a letter to the Province of BC advocating for a provincial standard within the Motor Vehicle Act for skateboarding helmets, similar to cyclist regulations. A follow-up report will be presented to City Council in June 2016 with any observations/considerations related to skateboarding safety in the City.

• In response to an email from a member of the public, the City painted new lines at Dallas and Dock Roads to better define parking stall spaces designated for those with disabilities.

• An Accessibility Working Group was approved in August and recruitment occurred in the third quarter. The first formal meeting took place in November, however, some members were already engaged and participated in the Johnson Street Bridge Public Realm workshop held in October. The committee will harness the expertise of people in the community with experiential knowledge of accessibility issues, to provide advice to Council and staff on accessibility improvements to City infrastructure, facilities and policies.

• Joint procurement with the District of Saanich to purchase 13 electric vehicles to capitalize on over $100,000 in potential rebates provided by the Province of BC, resulted in the contract being awarded in the fourth quarter. The collaboration between the two municipalities will see the City purchase nine vehicles and the District of Saanich purchase four, with a rebate of $8,250 per vehicle. The joint purchase saves the municipalities thousands in tax dollars upfront on their fleet purchases in addition to the ongoing operating savings from the electrification of these vehicles. An estimated savings of nearly $3,000 per vehicle compared to gas vehicles and seven tonnes less of carbon is projected over the lifetime of the vehicles. This translates into cumulative energy savings of $39,000 and 91 tonnes over the lifetime of the 13 vehicles. The vehicles will be delivered to the two municipalities in the first quarter of 2016.

• A report was presented to Council on November 19 on the design work for the two bridges to connect the David Foster Harbour Pathway at Heron Cove and Raymur Point, in the James Bay neighbourhood. Council directed staff to proceed with detailed design and costing for two steel pony truss multimodal bridges at Heron Cove and Raymur Point, at 39 metre and 49 metre lengths respectively. Funding for these projects is in place through a City of Victoria allocation of $3.1 million. ln 2014 and 2015, the City was approved for $1.4 million in funding from the Trans-Canada Trail Foundation and $440,000 from Bike BC towards the completion of connection gaps at Heron Cove and Raymur Point, as well as connections around the Johnson Street Bridge. Additionally, donations had earlier been provided from VanCity for $100,000 and the David Foster Foundation for $50,000. The City has engaged consulting firm Morrison Hershfield to provide conceptual and detailed designs and construction drawings for these bridges, as well as the surrounding landscape.

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• Work on the Johnson Street Bridge continues to progress. This fall crews completed installation of more

than 50 precast concrete girders that will form the base of the new bridge deck. On the surrounding streets, a new traffic signal pole was installed on Store Street and the final layer of asphalt was installed on Harbour and Esquimalt Roads completing most of the west side road works that can be done prior to the installation of the new bridge. A new bike box was also installed on Harbour Road at Esquimalt to provide better access to Galloping Goose users commuting into downtown. As part of the continued effort to reduce the footprint of the construction area, landscaping in the area known as Michael Williams Green, was completed and work began to finish the boulevard areas along Esquimalt and Harbour Roads and was completed in January.

• Work is currently underway for assessment and remediation options for the Ship Point Marine Wall.

• The annual holiday two-week Public Works food drive in early December resulted in the collection of 2,701 pounds of food and $3,045 in cheques for donation to Mustard Seed to help local families in need.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #9: COMPLETE A MULTI-MODAL AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of km of road paved

2.3km

0km

1km

1.3km

0m

2.3km

# of new crosswalks installed # of crosswalks upgraded (PRIDE rainbow sidewalk)

3 -

0 0

1 0

1 1

1 0

3 1

# of sidewalk projects completed

5

0

0

3

1

4

# of metres of new sidewalk installed

680m

0m

0m

285m

155m

440km

# of metres of new bike lane

1,500m

200m

0m

30m

0m

230km

# of new bike racks installed

14

0

12

0

0

12

# of bus shelters installed

3

0

1

1

0

2

# of new LED pedestrian countdown signals

6

0

0

6

0

6

# of major street rehabilitation projects completed

8

0

2

3

0

5

# of local street rehabilitation projects completed

6

0

4

2

0

6

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #10: NURTURE OUR ARTS, CULTURAL AND LEARNING CAPITAL

• In early October, the City partnered with the Greater Victoria Public Library to launch the call for nominations for Victoria’s 2016 Youth Poet Laureate. The deadline for submissions was October 26. On January 14, 2016, Ann-Bernice Thomas was announced as Victoria’s new Youth Poet Laureate. Serving as a champion for youth and the literary arts, Victoria’s Youth Poet Laureate seeks to inspire and engage local youth to share their stories and artistic voice through both the spoken and written word. A spoken word artist and screenplay writer, Thomas is in her second year of study at the University of Victoria, double majoring in Creative Writing and Theatre Production.

• In December, City Council attended an arts and culture staff presentation and cultural planning workshop. The objectives were to build a common understanding of the current model of cultural service delivery in Greater Victoria and the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders; review the current level of cultural investment by the City and how funding is allocated; and to further our understanding about cultural planning, the various approaches, and why local governments undertake culture plans.

• In January, Council approved the project plan for the City to embark on the development of an Arts and Culture Master Plan, which will include a cultural policy. The Arts and Culture Master Plan project will be a year-long process of cultural assessment, research, and community engagement undertaken to chart a course for Victoria's future cultural development. The plan will be a comprehensive, strategic and integrated policy framework to advance key direction in the City's Official Community Plan (OCP) and Strategic Plan towards the goal of a common vision, policy framework and action plan for arts and culture. The planning process will be divided into three phases with completion in the winter of 2017, and will include public engagement. Phase 1 will involve the mapping and assessment of Victoria's cultural resources, building on the mapping completed in 2010 and maintained annually by the community. The Cultural Resource Framework, developed by Statistics Canada, will define the scope of inventory management. This phase will also include developing and approving the Terms of Reference for the project's Steering Committee and the appointment of its members, issuing a Request for Offers (RFO) to secure a cultural planning consultant, drafting the engagement strategy, and reviewing existing City planning documents and best practices in North America. Phase 2 will include broad community engagement to inform and guide the development of a Cultural Policy document. The purpose of the policy will be to provide a vision, guiding principles, goals and strategic priorities for the Arts and Cultural Master Plan. The draft Policy will be available for public feedback prior to Council presentation and approval. Phase 3 will include the development of the City's draft Arts and Culture Master Plan that turns the approved Cultural Policy into action items for implementation over a five-year period. Each action will align with the broader goal and strategy approved in the Cultural Policy. The public will have an opportunity to review and comment on the draft Plan prior to presentation and approval by Council.

• There were 98 film permits issued in 2015 compared with 83 in 2015 – an increase of 19%. To support

local film production, the City voted unanimously in January 2016 to maintain the same level of funding for the Greater Victoria Film Commission as in 2015.

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• There was a significant increase in the number of City-programmed outdoor events that were held in Centennial Square in 2015 – a total of 107 events compared with 60 in 2014; an increase of 78%.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #10: NURTURE OUR ARTS, CULTURAL AND LEARNING CAPITAL

Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

# of calls to artists

1

0

1

2

0

3

# of public art pieces

85

85

85

86

86

86

# of block parties

27

1

3

21

1

26

# of outdoor festivals and events City financially supports (Includes FIG, Strategic Plan Grants, and other direct cash funding. Not in-kind.)

29

3

9

23

4

39

# of special event permits issued

311

20

77

75

41

213

# of film permits issued

83

31

34

20

13

98

# of attendees at Canada Day celebrations

45,000

n/a

n/a

40,000

n/a

40,000

# of City-programmed concerts at Beacon Hill Park # of City-programmed concerts at Centennial Square

44

60

0

0

4 0

39

107

0 0

43

107

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #11: STEWARD WATER SYSTEMS AND WASTE STREAMS

RESPONSIBLY

• In quarter four, the City continued to support the CRD’s Eastside Committee’s planning on wastewater treatment. In January, the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee (CALWMC) voted to begin consultation on a number of approaches to wastewater treatment in the Core Area. The CALMC is now ready to receive public feedback on the options developed by the project’s engineering consultants. These options are high level, not detailed designs. Public input will help the committee to understand public priorities, which will help inform the direction of the Core Area wastewater project. The CRD’s engagement will consist of open houses, and online survey, and a direct mail package to all residents to Eastside and Westside residents in the region.

• An evaluation report will be presented to Council in the second quarter of 2016 on the City’s new bins that were introduced downtown in June and piloted until the end of October. The bins have three separate receptacles for garbage, recycling, and compostable food. They are designed to promote recycling, to remove food scraps from being thrown into the garbage, and to reduce the amount of waste being sent to the Hartland Landfill. The evaluation will measure the amount of items diverted from the garbage into recycling and compost areas, and the amount of cross-contamination that occurs, to determine the trial waste bins’ effectiveness.

• In the fourth quarter, the review of the City’s garden and yard waste drop-off service on Saturday at the Public Works Yard and the Branch Chipping program was completed. Results of the review will be presented to City Council in the second quarter of 2016.

• The City is participating as an intervenor in the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion National Energy Board (NEB) hearings. This provides the City the opportunity to submit questions and evidence and present an argument on whether or not the project should be approved. The City’s written submission was filed with the NEB and posted on its website in May. As a result of a timeline change, Mayor Helps and Councillor Ben Isitt were rescheduled to make the City’s oral arguments on January 25 in Burnaby. The City of Victoria believes that the National Energy Board must dismiss Tran Mountain’s application because the project is not in the public interest and the risks to communities located along the tanker shipping route far outweigh any potential benefits.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #11: STEWARD WATER SYSTEMS AND WASTE STREAMS RESPONSIBLY

Measurement

2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

2015

# of kilometres of sewer upgrades

1.29km

0km

2.1km

.13km

0km

2.23km

# of kilometres of stormwater system upgrades

9.78km

.32km

1.416km

.26km

.085km

2.08km

# of kilometres of water system upgrades

2.11km

.13km

.68km

.24km

.80km

1.84km

# of properties participating in stormwater utility rebates # of properties participating in stormwater utility credits (Launched in Q2 2015)

0 0

0 0

0 0

10

22

4 9

14

21

# of tonnes of residential garbage collected # of tonnes of residential organics collected

3,388

1,827

880

467

880

495

919

504

995

521

3,674

1,087

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #12: PLAN FOR EMERGENCIES INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE SHORT AND LONG-TERM

• A review of emergency response within the harbour continued in quarter four, including operational response capabilities, staffing and training requirements. Currently nine members have been trained to operate Fire Boat 2 and staff orientations are ongoing.

The marine program was active this quarter. Fire Boat 1 responded to a derelict boat in the Gorge Waterway and installed absorption booms to mitigate the further environmental impact of oil leaking from the sunken boats. The Fire Boats have been vital in the Fire Department’s coordinated responses with the Canadian Coast Guard and transportation of VicPD staff to incidents. Fire Boat 2 was utilized in collaboration with Legislative Services to provide transportation for a Bylaw Officer to confirm a sunken

vessel in the Gorge Waterway. In addition, there was a planned response with Public Works to transport a carpenter to conduct repairs to a City-owned dock in an area only accessible by boat.

• The Victoria Fire Department continues to enhance its public

education programming. In October, the department was active supporting the 2015 Fire Prevention Week theme “H ear the Beep Where You Sleep – Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm”. Fire Prevention Week was launched with the opening ceremony at City Hall following a staff fire drill. The week continued with Suppression and Prevention staff conducting fire drills and presenting fire safety messaging at 11 schools making contact with 3,200 children. The department partnered with Dominos to visit customers’ homes and reward them with a free pizza if they had a working smoke alarm.

• The Victoria Fire Department continued to utilize

the new “Home Fire Escape Teaching System” through collaborative education sessions conducted by Suppression and Prevention staff at preschools and elementary schools. The presentations have been received with huge success and the department has received positive feedback from teachers, care providers and children. During quarter three, staff provided 16 sessions, making contact with 795 children. This program will continue to evolve in 2016 to target older age groups.

• The interest expressed to date in the Victoria Fire Department Headquarters market sounding process continues to be confidential, so the specific details cannot be shared publicly. However, an in-camera update report was presented to Council at the September 17, 2015 Governance and Priorities Committee meeting, outlining the exploratory results of the market consultation step of the process.

A report was presented to City Council on February 4 on the cost analysis of the options to either renovate or replace the headquarters, and funding options for consideration. Council approved the recommended procurement strategy to replace the headquarters. A lessons learned

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report on the Johnson Street Bridge will be presented to Council before a request for proposals is issued.

• The upgrade to the Fire Department’s Manager Software is now complete to the credit of Smith Brownlee and Associates, and the City’s IT and Fire Department staff. The process was complex as it involved upgrading several versions of the program. There are ongoing adjustments to the system to support the higher demand of the program. This upgrade is integral to moving forward with a data review and the installation of the new mobile data terminals (MDTs) in fire apparatus. IT in collaboration with the Victoria Fire Department provided several training sessions to Fire Department staff, and the MDTs are now in operation on fire apparatus. These mobile data terminals provide vital response information to staff while responding to or on scene at an incident. The next step is to put the remaining terminals into service in the Fire Prevention Division for fire inspections. In 2016, the focus will be on data categorization, enhanced metrics to better represent the Fire Department’s response characteristics and best practices in data management and reporting.

• In December, the new Child Passenger Seat Education program was

rolled out. This program, provided by Fire Department staff, teaches the public how to safely install a child passenger seat, choose the correct type of seat for a child, and information related to safety recalls. These education sessions are offered by appointment Monday – Friday at the Victoria Fire Department Headquarters, located at 1234 Yates Street.

• As part of a restructuring of the Victoria Emergency Management

Division, a recruitment is in progress for a Deputy Fire Chief - Emergency and Logistical Operations, who as part of their role, will be the Emergency Coordinator. The closing date for the competition was January 11, 2016.

• The Polaris Ranger All-Terrain Vehicle is now in service and

ready for emergency response. To increase the Polaris’ response capability, it has now been equipped with a snow plow. This plow provides the ability to promptly clear snow in front of apparatus bays to assist with efficient response. The Polaris with the snow plow attachment can access areas not accessible by other vehicles and will supplement the City’s snow clearing capability.

• The E-One “Bronto” aerial apparatus purchased in September 2015 has been transported from the Brookline Fire Department in Brooklyn, Massachusetts to the Canadian contractor 1200 Degrees in Quebec. While there, the aerial will go through testing to meet the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada’s standards. Once testing is completed, the aerial will require painting and transportation to Victoria.

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• The Mechanical Division experienced a decrease in internal fire apparatus services, from 160 in 2014 to 112 in 2015. The reduction is a result of an increased fourth quarter focus on external fire apparatus testing and maintenance. This efficiency has enabled the Mechanical Division to meet the departmental apparatus standards, in addition to providing the valuable services to regional partners. In 2015, the regional fire apparatus servicing increased to 44 from 36 in 2014. The additional servicing through the Mechanical Division has increased revenue from $18,309 in 2014 to $25,682 in 2015, an increase of $7,373. The Department is reviewing its apparatus replacement schedules to meet NFPA Standards for fire apparatus and the Department’s operational requirements. In the current fleet, there has been a reduction in the Victoria Emergency Management Agency apparatus with the 1971 Mobile Command vehicle being disassembled and sent to auction. Due to the age of the fleet, increased maintenance and repairs are expected in 2016, increasing costs, potential down-time of apparatus, and allocation of staff hours.

• The integration of the Company Inspection Program combined with Fire Prevention staff inspections have increased the amount of inspections completed in 2015. There has been an increase from 1,586 to 2,676 inspections completed. In 2016, the inspection districts will be reallocated to increase efficiency to better meet the established frequency of inspections.

• As part of the ongoing Emergency Management review, the need to improve the Emergency Management Radio System to efficiently and effectively communicate across the City during an emergency event was identified. This enhancement included the addition of four base stations, 20 portable radios, 22 mobile radios, and a portable repeater. The existing and new portable repeaters were reprogrammed to utilize the frequency more efficiently providing more communication capability, increasing the stability of the system. The addition of the second portable repeater provides a back-up in case of failure of the primary repeater. Base stations have been installed at the VicPD Emergency Operations Centre, Public Works, Parks Department, and Victoria Fire Department dispatch. The portable and mobiles will be distributed among Public Works and the Parks Departments. The mobile radios are to be installed in selected Public Works and Parks Department vehicles which will be beneficial for response in emergency events. In this upgrade process, the Victoria Fire Department was able to reduce costs through a trade-in program through Motorola with some of the City’s old mic phones for a credit. Secondly, the Mechanical Division will be installing 22 mobile radios into the Public Works and Parks Department vehicles, eliminating the need for third-party services. The roll-out of this equipment will begin in January following an orientation session for staff.

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

Response: # of Victoria Fire Department calls for service # of structure fires # of fires contained to room of origin # of mutual aid requests

6,645

67

25 4

1,767

10 6

11

2,045 8 7

16

1,974

17

13

15

1,955

32

14

13

7,741

67

40

55

Fire Prevention: # of inspections (prevention and business)

1,586

635

817

750

474

2,676

Life Safety Education: # of people who attended public workshops/talks (includes emergency preparedness, fire safety, school tours, hoarding, school education program, card seat installation)

4,890

946

210

1,500

3,995

6,651

Firefighter Development Training: # of aggregate training hours

14,898

4,500

4,300

3,200

4,000

16,000

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Measurement

Total 2014

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Total 2015

Evacuee Assistance: # of team activations # of people assisted

12

187

2

10

2 6

3 9

4 4

11

29

Fleet Management: # of services performed on Victoria Fire Department apparatus # of services performed on Regional fire apparatus

160

36

30 7

27

11

27 8

28

18

112

44

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #13: DEMONSTRATE REGIONAL LEADERSHIP

• City Council supported in principle the proposed Regional Strategy and Model for Economic Development in South Vancouver Island, provided that a majority of municipalities (7/13 at a minimum) participate in the new Regional Strategy and Model for Economic Development in South Vancouver Island. City Council also agreed to allocate $129,545 from the unspent portion of the 2015 approved budget allocation for economic development for the purposes of creating a new regional economic development organization, subject to municipal inclusion on the Funding Partner’s Council and subject to the creation of the new entity. City Council appointed Mayor Helps as a designate to sit as a voluntary member of the Funding Partner's Council to represent the City of Victoria for an initial term of three years, and appointed Councillor Lucas as alternate.

• In the third quarter, the City summarized Victoria residents’ input that the CRD collected during its public engagement on the draft Regional Sustainability Strategy. In the fourth quarter, the CRD Board decided not to pursue this strategy, and instead directed CRD staff to update the existing Regional Growth Strategy. The draft 2016 Regional Growth Strategy was presented to the CRD Planning, Transportation and Protective Services (PTPS) Committee on February 24, 2016. At this meeting, CRD staff sought direction on sending the draft strategy to municipal councils and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Land Use Committee to provide feedback prior to the bylaw adoption process. The CRD Board will receive a PTPS Committee report on March 9 recommending that CRD municipal councils be invited to provide comment on the draft Regional Growth Strategy through an informal referral by May 18, 2016.

• In November, Council passed a motion to write to the Provincial and Federal governments, including the Premier, the Prime Minister, local MPs and MLAs, Ministers responsible for Housing, Health and Finance, requesting that they work jointly and separately on developing mechanisms to maintain a rent supplement program for the more than 20,000 low-income members in housing co-ops and that Council call upon the Federal Government to commit now to reinvest the savings from expiring federal housing agreements to share the costs of funding this program.

• City staff continue to work closely with the CRD to support the regional process on determining potential sewage locations. Weekly meetings occur with CRD staff to anticipate future processes, should a treatment facility be located in Victoria. In Quarter 4 of 2015, and Q1 of 2016, focus has been on Rock Bay, however, recent CRD decisions in March 2016 to consider Clover Point in Fairfield, will result in additional staff consideration regarding this site. There are a number of planning and land-use considerations, as well as public engagement. There are considerable capacity considerations related to this project, which may impact other projects or require additional resourcing.