District of Oak Bay Releases First Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan

The District of Oak Bay is pleased to announce the publication of its first Draft Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan that will be presented to Council at the September 27, 2021 meeting.

The objectives of the Plan are to:

• forecast recommended infrastructure spending for the next 50-100 years,
• recommend funding levels required to support long term infrastructure replacement, and
• develop different options to address the forecasted funding gap.

A significant portion of the District’s water, sanitary sewer, storm, and road assets are past their recommended useful life with many other assets well through their recommended useful life and due for replacement imminently. Replacement of these assets is critical and will come at a significant cost. While historic and current funding levels are not sufficient to replace assets at the recommended pace. Council has provided the strategic direction to address this issue through developing an asset management program, increasing funding, and expanding capital programming.

Asset Management BC (AMBC) has recently endorsed the District’s process of creating the Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan as a step to achieving financial sustainability. Asset Management BC is a community of individuals, organizations and agencies learning, collaborating, and developing best practices in asset management.

Funding for infrastructure replacement is proving to be a significant challenge for communities across Canada. The condition of the infrastructure is deteriorating, forcing local governments to significantly increase capital output, rapidly increasing the need for funding. Oak Bay Council has made substantial progress in closing the forecasted 100-year funding gap by significantly increasing infrastructure replacement funding every year since 2018, reducing the forecasted gap by $445M. The Plan recommends how to close the remaining estimated $460M 100-year funding gap.

"I’m very pleased to see the District’s first ever Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan, which will help maximize system reliability and minimize lifetime infrastructure costs. Over the last few years Council and staff have worked diligently to address the historic underfunding of Oak Bay’s infrastructure by allocating additional funds and increasing the amount of infrastructure renewal being delivered,” said Mayor Kevin Murdoch.

The District encourages residents to provide input on the Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan. Members of the public who would like to share their input at the September 27, 2021 Council Meeting can do so in the following ways:

1. Provide written comments via mail, drop off at Municipal Hall or email meetings@oakbay.ca before noon on the day of the meeting to have your input shared with Council through the Agenda.
2. Pre-register to speak to Council by phone at the meeting by emailing meetings@oakbay.ca before noon on the day of the meeting and providing your name and the number you will be calling from to receive instructions on how to dial in and participate in the meeting.
3. Phone in during the live meeting – details on how to phone in are published on meeting agendas.
4. Join the meeting by Zoom using the meeting details on the front page of the Agenda for the September 27, 2021 Regular Council Meeting and raise your hand when provided an opportunity by the Mayor.

The Council Meeting will be livestreamed on the District’s Civicweb Portal.

The Draft Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan can be viewed at: https://www.oakbay.ca/municipal-hall/plans-and-reports

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Kevin Murdoch, Mayor
District of Oak Bay
250-896-4983
mayor@oakbay.ca