SUSTAINABILITY
Financial Increases & Service Delivery
Taxes, fees, and regionally-imposed costs (such as housing, schools, water, transit, and sewage treatment) are cumulatively weighing heavily on residents. While only about 60% of the tax bill is controlled by the municipality, we need to limit the areas we can control. This is especially true with property-tax funded services like BC Transit has increased their regional budget by 66% over just the last three years. In 2026, despite maintaining infrastructure increases, Oak Bay saw tax increases in the middle of our regional peers (six had higher increases, six lower). This is a sign of our investments paying off, but there is much to do.I am very grateful for the sacrifices made by our residents and businesses over the last 8 years to fund the replacement of essential assets, and am aware that careful work must be done to ensure we realize the financial benefits and keep costs down through the next four years.
Financial Sustainability:
To be clear, controlling costs at this time is not simple. Regulatory, insurance, and other costs are largely imposed, so Council needs to watch costs we can control, support internal improvements, and support our staff as they implement changes.
Priorities include:
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Maintaining our commitment to the necessary replacement of critical capital assets, essential for both safety improvement and cost reduction in the medium and long term.
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Continuing work on already underway operational changes and efficiency. These are likely to include:
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Leveraging new technologies to support staff and residents
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Utilizing service fees and new revenue sources, particularly for assets or upgrades driven by new development.
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Carefully using limited debt to smooth tax impacts over generations
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AND (perhaps most important) making hard choices: Council will need discipline to prioritize necessary services over "nice to have" options and to avoid taking on funding for areas of provincial responsibilities such as housing, social services, and healthcare. We be a great partner for the Province in these areas, but should not be assuming their funding responsibilities.
Sustainability:
Beyond financial carrying capacity, sustainability also refers to issues around climate change, transportation options, accessibility, and more.
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Oak Bay can be proud of both our internal greenhouse gas reductions and programs like the CoolKit that support home-based initiatives. Such programs must continue both for mitigation and adaptation, but must always be measured by the value per dollar and not by feel-good political goals.
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Oak Bay has the transportation planning benefit of being a lower density community, compact, and not a throughway to other destinations. Our demographics include a higher percentage of aged (and often mobility challenged) residents and visitors. Our unique geometry and demographics indicate that investment in pedestrian infrastructure and linked "light touch" cycling routes in alignment with the Active Transportation Plan is a good approach with sustainable costs. In all cases we must consider the needs of those less mobile and those without access to a car.
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Oak Bay has made use of the recently-formed Accessibility Committee to help guide improvements across the District, and their recommendations already form part of all new projects and improvements. The work of improving sidewalks, curb cuts, and intersection improvements continues under this plan.
All these initiatives must be considered under the very real fiscal constraints the District (and taxpayers) face.