People ‘from away’ are frequently surprised to discover the mental image they held of Victoria is usually larger than the civic limits of the City of Victoria. You see, the greater Victoria area actually encompasses several neighbouring municipalities. From Sooke to the southwest to Sidney to the north, there are 13 municipalities in all.
Another thing newcomers discover is that the Capital Area is not a monotonous, one-size-fits-all community! Each municipality in the area is unique, with it’s own distinct personality. If you are thinking about moving to the area, you need to do some groundwork before writing your offer on your new home. Skip that important step, and chances are excellent that next spring will see a ‘For Sale’ sign on your property.
My own ‘take’ on each of the municipalities is posted in a sister website of mine, and rather than repeating those posts here, I’ve just linked to them. Each post there also has links to related third party websites – look for ‘Links to More Information’ on the right hand side of each page. Hopefully, this info will, at least to a certain extent, acquaint you with the local area and lessen the groundwork needed.
Here’s the list:
With this number of neighbouring municipalities, you may wonder how issues that spill over into more than one municipality can possibly get resolved! Things like transportation corridors and other infrastructure such as water and sewerage services.
That’s where the Capital Regional District enters the picture. Representation from each of the municipalities, as well as from three ‘electoral areas’ (Juan de Fuca, Saltspring Island, and the southerns Gulf Islands) comprise the Capital Regional District (the ‘CRD’). And yes, as you likely suspect, the CRD is another layer of government. There is enough government here for everyone!
Without delving into the niceties of jurisdictional relationships between the CRD and its constituent parts, it’s likely adequate to say generally that the CRD’s primary role is to provide leadership and collaborative planning for issues involving a plurality of local jurisdictions. This ranges from regional population growth strategies, to regional trails and parks to infrastructure for a regional water supply, sewerage system and regional waste disposal.
As an aside, no issue is more pressing at the moment than that of secondary sewage treatment for Victoria and many local municipalities. Debate continues as to whether secondary treatment is essential or even desirable, but the Province of British Columbia has decreed treatment will proceed, and has imposed deadlines on the CRD to produce preliminary and final plans. We are going to hear and read about it for some time to come.
In addition to the CRD and municipalities, the Capital area has a number of First Nations communities. Development within the reserves does not fall within the jurisdiction of their surrounding municipalities, and not unlike the municipalities, each adds to the diversity and interest of the area.
In summary, the Capital area is an interesting mosaic of jurisdictions and communities, each with its own ’culture’, its own vision for its future, and its own notion of how it can achieve its vision within its regional context. It all makes for interesting times at the southern edge of Vancouver Island.
Bye for now,
...Victoria's blogging real estate professional.
