District of Oak Bay
News Release

                                                                               
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2020

Statement on the CRHD Board’s consideration of Oak Bay Lodge

The proposal to consider using Oak Bay Lodge as a temporary COVID-19 related hospital facility and as temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness came by way of Motion without notice during the Capital Regional District Board meeting on July 8, 2020. The CRD Board supported the motion to investigate the feasibility of using Oak Bay Lodge for alternate temporary uses.  This motion does not approve the conversion of the facility to a homeless shelter. 

Oak Bay Lodge is currently owned by Island Health with a planned change in possession to the Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD) in late August. This proposal is in a very early developmental phase and overlaps with municipal, regional, and provincial mandates.  Prior to this proposal, there was an approved process in place for assessing future use of the Oak Bay Lodge lands which the District continues to support with an emphasis on community involvement.  Prior to the pandemic, public consultation was tentatively scheduled to commence in September, and will be led by the CRHD when initiated. 

The District will work with our partners on short and longer term proposals for Oak Bay Lodge while prioritizing the interests of the Oak Bay community. The review of possible options for alternate uses will be discussed at a future meeting of the CRHD Board.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

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

Capital Regional Hospital District:
Michael Barnes, MPP
Senior Manager, Health and Capital Planning Strategies
250-360-3114
mbarnes@crd.bc.ca