May 23 - Oak Bay gets housing orders

Good morning !

The provincial government-appointed adviser looking into why Oak Bay missed its housing targets says the municipality’s reputation for being anti-development isn’t helping.
The City of Victoria is helping—if you’re looking for a place to responsibly dump that old laptop or cellphone.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

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NEWS

BC orders Oak Bay to make changes to its bylaws to build more housing

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has once again called out Oak Bay for not meeting its housing targets and is enforcing recent recommendations from an independent adviser under the Housing Supply Act. 

Kahlon says Oak Bay has not come close to reaching its housing goals and is on track to fall short again by the end of the year.

In December, the municipality was one of two—West Vancouver was the other—to face criticism from Kahlon for not coming close to the targets set in 2023, when 10 municipalities were assigned objectives for new homes over five years.

In 2023, Oak Bay had a target of 56 homes but only built 16—29% of its goal. It must have 665 new homes built by 2028.

Recommendations for Oak Bay

In Jan., the ministry appointed James Ridge as an adviser to help solve Oak Bay’s housing approval problems. Ridge’s recommendations will be enforced by the ministry under the Housing Supply Act.

In his report, Ridge wrote the advisers found that Oak Bay is "making reasonable efforts to meet the housing targets," but its "longstanding reputation for being anti-development" is a hindrance to housing approval. The report also said the municipality’s claim that it has "units in the pipeline" is accurate.

Two of Ridge’s recommendations, including changing "seriously outdated parking bylaws," will be enforced by the ministry under the Housing Supply Act. 

By the end of January 2026, Oak Bay must:

• Amend its development application procedures bylaw to delegate minor variances to municipal staff 

• Amend its parking facilities bylaw to a minimum of one parking stall per unit (the bylaw currently requires a minimum of more than one parking stall per unit)

The province has given Oak Bay 30 days to respond before the directives are issued.

Kahlon also said the ministry would not push for a housing development at Carnarvon Park, an idea floated multiple times in 2024.

Read the full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Blanshard paving: Fort to Broughton today, 7am-7pm. One-lane traffic on Blanshard, Broughton closed. [City of Victoria] 

Expect road closures for the Oak Bay Half Marathon on Sun.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

New spots to dispose of chip bags, old laptops, and cellphones

The City of Victoria has created more options for people looking to get rid of soft plastics and used electronics.

Flexible plastics, such as chip bags, foam packaging, and small electronics, such as laptops, can now be dropped off at a weekend recycling hub at 1234 Yates, near Camosun, every Sat. and Sun. from 9am to 3pm, starting this weekend and running until December. 

You can also drop off materials at collection tents being set up at the Moss Street, James Bay, and Oaklands markets.

The “Beyond the Curb” pilot project is a response to the results of a city survey, which asked residents their thoughts on recycling.  

“Approximately 64% of residents report barriers to recycling these materials,” the city said on its website. 

“This pilot aims to provide convenient options, raise awareness, and reduce landfill waste,” it said. The city’s Zero Waste goal is to cut landfill waste by 50% by 2040. 

Drop-off at the city’s new site and the markets is free, and there will be supervisors at each location to let people know what is and isn’t accepted.

A list of acceptable items includes:

• Small electronics (laptops, phones, keyboards, remote controls, or anything with a cord that can be carried under one arm)

• Flexible plastics (chip bags, cereal bags, produce netting, zipper lock bags, and wrappers)

• Foam packaging (meat trays and protective packaging)

The Bottle Depot on Queens, along with Return-It locations in Esquimalt and Sidney, and various recycling depots such as GFL Environmental on Dunford, remain among drop-off options.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🦆 Duck family gets highway help: A Westshore RCMP officer and other highway drivers brought traffic to a halt near Admirals to guide a duck and its ducklings—which had to be chased down by three people—off the road. [Watch the video]

🛒 H Mart at Mayfair Mall opened yesterday after years of delays.

🏃 Healing Hearts Run 2025 to create awareness about the profound impacts of infertility, pregnancy, and infant loss. [Tomorrow at Royal Roads]

🎾 Since 2013, the Society for Kids at Tennis has transformed underserved children's lives through sport. The program took off in its first year, providing tennis lessons to around 2,000 children yearly. Recently, the program passed the 20,000 participant mark. Read more about how retired physician Sy Silverberg and his wife came up with the idea.*

🎣 Fly fishing in the early 20th century: See people fishing at the Cowichan River in 1934 and 1943. [Facebook photos] *Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Police are still looking for Saanich construction site speedster
The driver sped through the work zone at University Heights on Tue. to avoid a traffic stop. Two workers had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Patrol officers, a canine unit, and traffic enforcement officers all responded but were unable to locate the driver. A vehicle similar to the one police were searching for was found abandoned a short distance from the site. Police were still searching for the driver yesterday. [Times Colonist]

CRD applies APP to borrow $33M to buy Sooke land near H20 supply
Under an AAP—alternative approval process—10% of eligible voters (31K+ residents) must submit formal opposition to the district’s ask, which in this case, is to borrow $33.3 million to buy a plot of land next to the region’s drinking water supply at the Sooke Lake reservoir. The CRD wants to acquire the land from the Kapoor Lumber Company to help safeguard the water supply. [CHEK]

BC-Washington state visits drop by half on Victoria Day long weekend 
Slightly more than 18K vehicles with BC licences crossed the border to Washington state over the weekend, compared with 37K last May long weekend. Those crossing the border back to Canada faced extra-long wait times. US Border Control said the additional outbound inspections were to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, though they have mostly argued it is crossing in from Canada. The mayor of Blaine—a Washington town reliant on Canadian tourism—says she hopes these long wait times don’t become the norm, as it could put Canadians off visiting even more. [Vancouver Sun]

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🗓️ Things to do

🎵 Lunchtime Concerts at Market Square: Enjoy live music every Friday in May. Market Square's lower courtyard. Today. 12-1pm. [Info]

📚 Annual book sale by CFUW Saanich Peninsula supports local students. Mary Winspear Centre. Today. 1:30pm-5pm. [Info] 

🤣 Leanne Morgan: The southern comedian brings her hilarious and heartwarming standup tour to the Royal Theatre. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎶 A Whole New World: Songs from Movie Musicals: Celebrate the magic of Disney with this live tribute. McPherson Theatre. Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info] 

🎨 Date Night Wheel Throwing: Learn to create pottery together in this fun wheel-throwing class for two. No experience needed. Touci Ceramic Studio. Tomorrow. 6pm. [Info]

🍤 Spot Prawn Festival: A two-day seafood celebration featuring grilled whole prawns, signature dishes from top local chefs, and live music. Finest at Sea. Tomorrow & Sun. 11am–5pm. [Info]

🧠 Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience: A public talk by Dr. Fred Chou exploring the psychological research on intergenerational trauma and resilience in the Asian diaspora, specifically focusing on his research on this topic within the Chinese Canadian community. Royal Roads. Also online. Mon. 11am. [Info]

🏃 Oak Bay Half Marathon: One of Victoria’s most scenic races, offering a half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a 1K kids run through Oak Bay on a closed road course. Sun. 7am. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: CRD and Tsawout First Nation reach MOU; Langford’s revised OCP proposal to go public next month; Rotating strikes over at Lifelabs. [May 22]

An Art Gallery of Greater Victoria move downtown is part of the harbourfront proposal. [CTV]

The Westshore’s best: family-friendly restaurants. [Tasting Victoria]

You’re drinking the ‘best-tasting’ tap water in BC, according to the BC Water & Waste Association. [BCWWA]

Fernwood Catwalk: Meet the meows of the neighbourhood on this walking tour, May 31. 

Extra-long witch’s hair hanging on a tree next to Englishman River. [Facebook photo]

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