Newsletter: July 10, 2021 - Is Oak Bay Protecting its Natural Assets?
Asset Management - Part One
Addressing the Infrastructure Crisis was a cornerstone of this Council’s election promise more than two and a half years ago. This commitment was the result of the two previous Councils’ majorities under-funding infrastructure improvements and over-spending on less important and lower priority issues and initiatives.
Therefore it is difficult to understand that:
Council is following the last Councils footsteps by moving forward with development priorities. Cutting down and removing natural assets for expanded building footprints and replacing them with costly engineered assets is not good policy or practice. Nor is it what residents voted for.
Natural assets stop overloading the storm drain system, provide shade, and many health benefits, as well as protecting against climate change (see Appendix #1 for full list of the benefits trees provide).
This information has been provided in:
The District is spending one third of the Infrastructure Budget on pipe breaks and leaks. It is not known how much the flooding cost that resulted from the stormwater systems inadequate capacity. The Director of Engineering has stated many times his department is under-resourced if more infrastructure work is to be done.
The District, however, has added more expensive administration Staff to report what infrastructure work is required but has not hired staff to do it. Also, the District has yet to develop a framework to prioritize this work and a timeline to complete it. A framework was recommended in the comprehensive 2015 Opus Asset Consultant Report
Our expanded Planning Department has spent most of their time, and that of consultants, and a lot of tax dollars on developments and densification initiatives. It would have been much more beneficial to residents and Council for Planners to have researched and provided all of the available natural and other asset management information.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective
Oak Bay’s Sustainability Report (see Website Municipal Hall) States, “Oak Bay is committed to principles of environmental sustainability and so policies and programs are periodically reviewed to ensure goals are being met.” Presumably, climate change and natural asset preservation and management would fall under this definition.
However, as indicated, evidence of meeting this commitment to “environmental sustainability” is hard to locate. The District declared a climate change emergency and formed a Climate Action Group over two and a half years ago. Therefore important measures that the District has control over should have been recommended by staff and implemented by now.
Important actions that mitigate climate change should have been identified and prioritized in the Climate Action Group’s recommendations such as preserving our natural assets. This includes mature trees, vegetation, green space and soil.
The June 28, 2021 Asset Management Update report confirms that even if these important recommendations had been included they would not have been considered. The Report states, “Advisory Body Recommendations with Minutes Excerpt (If Applicable) Not Applicable.”
It seems to us that if Council, staff and the Climate Change Action Group wanted to begin mitigating climate change, preserving and integrating natural assets with asset management would have been the place to start.
After all, natural asset integration information has been available for years now and five months ago Oak Bay Watch provided the District with a successful Eco working model to copy. It has been difficult to understand what and whose agenda is being followed. It is clearly not the agenda residents voted for or spelled out at meetings and in surveys.
(Much more informative Asset Management update information will be provided in Part Two)
“Nothing is inevitable if you are paying attention” Oak Bay Watch
Oak Bay Watch is a volunteer community association and its members have a variety of professional backgrounds in both the public and private sector.
*******Please help us continue to provide you with information about Community concerns and Council decisions and actions. Oak Bay Watch members also help community groups with their specific development concerns. Donate to Oak Bay Watch - even $5 or $10 dollars provides expenses for door- to- door handouts and helps us maintain our website. Oak Bay Watch is committed to ensuring the Community gets the full range of information on budget, governance and all key development issues – a well-informed opinion cannot be made without this.
(Please use Donate Button at bottom of oakbaywatch.com Home Page)
Keep informed and sign up for our newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
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Appendix #1
Asset Management - Part One
Addressing the Infrastructure Crisis was a cornerstone of this Council’s election promise more than two and a half years ago. This commitment was the result of the two previous Councils’ majorities under-funding infrastructure improvements and over-spending on less important and lower priority issues and initiatives.
Therefore it is difficult to understand that:
- The infrastructure crisis was not mentioned in two Strategic Planning Workshops that were held on February 23/25, 2019, just after the October 2018 election. However, the minutes of those meetings recorded that approximately a hundred other items were considered. These included single-family neighbourhood densification initiatives: densification that if approved will result in significant negative impacts on Oak Bay’s failing infrastructure and the environment.
- Perhaps this is why the District’s three lengthy and complex infrastructure reports of June 29, 2021: the Asset Management and Infrastructure Capitol Program; the Asset Management Policy and the Asset Management Strategy failed to have any specific reference to preserving Oak Bay’s natural assets. Our natural assets are much less expensive and are as important, if not much more important, than adding costly engineered physical assets.
Council is following the last Councils footsteps by moving forward with development priorities. Cutting down and removing natural assets for expanded building footprints and replacing them with costly engineered assets is not good policy or practice. Nor is it what residents voted for.
Natural assets stop overloading the storm drain system, provide shade, and many health benefits, as well as protecting against climate change (see Appendix #1 for full list of the benefits trees provide).
This information has been provided in:
- Several Oak Bay Tree and Heritage Symposiums held in recent years,
- In the March 10, 2021 Oak Bay Watch Newsletter that referenced the Gibson BC’s highly regarded, exemplary Natural Asset Eco Strategy and,
- A basic google search that will provide a wealth of additional information, that includes reports in gov.bc.ca. https://www.assetmanagementbc.ca/. ”Climate Change and Asset Management”; “Integrating Natural Assets into Asset Management”; “The Role of Operations and Maintenance in Asset Management”; and “Land Use Planning and Asset Management”.
The District is spending one third of the Infrastructure Budget on pipe breaks and leaks. It is not known how much the flooding cost that resulted from the stormwater systems inadequate capacity. The Director of Engineering has stated many times his department is under-resourced if more infrastructure work is to be done.
The District, however, has added more expensive administration Staff to report what infrastructure work is required but has not hired staff to do it. Also, the District has yet to develop a framework to prioritize this work and a timeline to complete it. A framework was recommended in the comprehensive 2015 Opus Asset Consultant Report
Our expanded Planning Department has spent most of their time, and that of consultants, and a lot of tax dollars on developments and densification initiatives. It would have been much more beneficial to residents and Council for Planners to have researched and provided all of the available natural and other asset management information.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective
Oak Bay’s Sustainability Report (see Website Municipal Hall) States, “Oak Bay is committed to principles of environmental sustainability and so policies and programs are periodically reviewed to ensure goals are being met.” Presumably, climate change and natural asset preservation and management would fall under this definition.
However, as indicated, evidence of meeting this commitment to “environmental sustainability” is hard to locate. The District declared a climate change emergency and formed a Climate Action Group over two and a half years ago. Therefore important measures that the District has control over should have been recommended by staff and implemented by now.
Important actions that mitigate climate change should have been identified and prioritized in the Climate Action Group’s recommendations such as preserving our natural assets. This includes mature trees, vegetation, green space and soil.
The June 28, 2021 Asset Management Update report confirms that even if these important recommendations had been included they would not have been considered. The Report states, “Advisory Body Recommendations with Minutes Excerpt (If Applicable) Not Applicable.”
It seems to us that if Council, staff and the Climate Change Action Group wanted to begin mitigating climate change, preserving and integrating natural assets with asset management would have been the place to start.
After all, natural asset integration information has been available for years now and five months ago Oak Bay Watch provided the District with a successful Eco working model to copy. It has been difficult to understand what and whose agenda is being followed. It is clearly not the agenda residents voted for or spelled out at meetings and in surveys.
(Much more informative Asset Management update information will be provided in Part Two)
“Nothing is inevitable if you are paying attention” Oak Bay Watch
Oak Bay Watch is a volunteer community association and its members have a variety of professional backgrounds in both the public and private sector.
*******Please help us continue to provide you with information about Community concerns and Council decisions and actions. Oak Bay Watch members also help community groups with their specific development concerns. Donate to Oak Bay Watch - even $5 or $10 dollars provides expenses for door- to- door handouts and helps us maintain our website. Oak Bay Watch is committed to ensuring the Community gets the full range of information on budget, governance and all key development issues – a well-informed opinion cannot be made without this.
(Please use Donate Button at bottom of oakbaywatch.com Home Page)
Keep informed and sign up for our newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
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Appendix #1