Community Partnerships:
The social fabric of our communities and the health and wellbeing of citizens depend on solid and sustainable community partnerships. Collaboration and support are ever present in guiding our service delivery.
The CVRD has adopted four strategic drivers to help guide its service delivery: fiscal responsibility, responding to the climate crisis, community partnerships and Indigenous relations. Below identifies how CVRD services are responding to the community partnerships driver, reflecting statements made during the 2021-2025 budgeting process.
Art and Culture Grants
- This service provides grants to organizations and non-profit arts and culture organizations, some of which are also supported by local municipalities.
Denman Island and Hornby Island High Speed Internet
- Connectivity promotes community cohesion, dialogue and information sharing.
Economic Development - Denman Island
- The operating grants focus on economic, vitality, initiatives, grants and investments related to the community.
Feasibility
- Much of the work completed within these services includes consultation with multiple stakeholders and with the general public in project specific areas.
Fire - Cumberland and Bates / Huband
- Both of these services are provided by way of agreement, utilizing existing fire departments which, provides for efficiencies and economies of scale by partnering on fire services costs with the neighbouring municipality.
Fire - Denmand and Hornby Islands, Fanny Bay, Union Bay
- These services are managed by CVRD staff, with three being provided in combination with service agreements with local associations for the provision of bookkeeping and accounting of the operational grant. The Fanny Bay Fire Protection Service is managed directly by CVRD staff as there is no association.
Heritage Conservation
- The social fabric of our communities and the health and wellbeing of citizens depend on solid and sustainable community partnerships. Collaboration and support are ever present in guiding our service delivery.
- Staff will work closely with community partners to identify possible projects within these services.
Hornby Island Community Hall
- The social fabric of our communities and the health and wellbeing of citizens depend on solid and sustainable community partnerships.
- HIRRA and the volunteers that manage this hall are essential to maintaining that social fabric on Hornby Island.
LWMP
- Much of the work completed within this service includes consultation with multiple stakeholders and with the general public in project specific areas.
North and Baynes Sound Halls
- The CVRD supports the community halls, which provide direct community centre services to the citizens. In the last couple of years, the CVRD has facilitated hall partnership conversations to help guide the respective boards through COVID-19, and these conversations are expected to continue past COVID-19 as an information-sharing venue for all CVRD supported community halls.
Parks - Baynes Sound, B and C
- Parks works collaboratively with community groups on the design and delivery of park infrastructure, with conservation groups on the acquisition of parkland, and with other local governments on initiatives that span jurisdictions.
Planning, GIS, Bylaw Compliance
- Agriculture plan work will include significant engagement with community organizations.
Recreation Contribution - Denman and Hornby Islands
- The recreational activities and/or programs delivered with support of functions 605 and 606 are provided by and/or through the DIRA and HIRRA respectively.
Refuse Disposal - Denman Island
- This service is provided in partnership with DIRA. DIRA consults with their residents to set the service level requirements and costs.
Refuse Disposal - Hornby Island
- This service is provided in partnership with Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers Association.
- Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers Association consults with their residents to set service levels.
Rural Community Grants
- Past rural community grant recipients include organizations that offer or facilitate programs, projects, etc. supporting land protection, watershed education, stream monitoring and habitat rehabilitation and related activities.
Weed Control
- Delivery of the ‘Knot in My Property’ community initiative which is a collaborative effort between the CVRD and all local governments; delivery of the service largely through not-for-profit community groups and resident associations.
911 Answering
- This service provides financial support to the NI 9-1-1 Corporation which manages the provision of full 9-1-1 services to six regional district shareholders in Central/North Vancouver Island as well as fire dispatch services to the Cowichan and Peace River Regional Districts by way of contract.
- The NI 9-1-1 Board affirms the value of having an island based high value service in an ever competitive environment for fire dispatch services.
CV Emergency Program
- Continue working with all Comox Valley emergency services, key resources, and utilities on emergency planning.
- Continue working collaboratively with Hornby and Denman Island Emergency Preparedness Committees.
Emergency Program
- Working collaboratively with Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue to determine joint sustainable long-term administration and operational facility needs.
Fire - BCOB/ Merville/Mt. Washington
- These services are managed by the CVRD, in combination with a service agreement with a local association for the provision of bookkeeping and accounting of the operational grant.
Victim Services
- Each of these services supports a key partnership with a local community agency, commission or government which in turn provide valuable services to a broad cross-section of the community.
Cemetery, Airport, Shelter Land
- Each of these services supports a key partnership with a local community agency, commission or government which in turn provide valuable services to a broad cross-section of the community.
Community Justice
- Each of these services supports a key partnership with a local community agency, commission or government which in turn provide valuable services to a broad cross-section of the community.
CV Tourism Service
- This function provides a direct grant of $20,000 to support the Vancouver Island North Film Commission.
- The Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) made up of local businesses provides TVI with industry guidance and feedback.
- TVI also engages and collaborates with other community groups and organizations.
Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds
- The CVEG serves as a home to many community groups including, MusicFest, Rotary, Comox Valley Fall Fair, and various horse and canine clubs.
- The therapeutic barn is operated by the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Association, under agreement with the CVRD.
- Relationships with School District No. 71, for the provision of healthy programs for students.
- Relationship with LUSH Valley for the provision of hot meals and food hampers.
Recreation Complexes
- The CVSC and CVAC serve as a home to many community clubs, including minor hockey, ringette, figure skating, lacrosse and swim clubs.
- The Comox Valley Curling Centre is operated by the Comox Valley Curling Society, under the agreement, with the CVRD.
- Relationships with School District No. 71 (SD71) for the provision of healthy programs for students.
- Working with member municipalities on a regional low-income pass.
Recreation Grants
- This service provides grants to all municipal partner organizations as well as many non-profits that are regional in nature.
Track and Field
- This service is built on strong partnerships with SD71, the City of Courtenay, and the Town of Comox.
- The CVRD partners with SD71 and the City of Courtenay for the operation and maintenance of the track and synthetic turf fields at Vanier Secondary School.
- The CVRD partners with the Town of Comox for the operations and maintenance of the Highland field; staff have been working to develop a fixed agreement for this partnership.
- The CVRD, SD71 and CVUSC work together on an operating committee to ensure fair usage of the synthetic turf field.
- The CVRD partners with CVUSC to maintain field nets and equipment.
- The CVRD, SD71 and CVUSC partnership is working towards the construction of a field house next to the synthetic turf field.
Homelessness Supports Service
- The social fabric of our communities and the health and wellbeing of citizens depend on solid and sustainable community partnerships. Collaboration and support are ever present in guiding our service delivery.
- The key community partner is the Comox Valley Coalition to End Homelessness’ Leadership Team (representing the member agencies) who provide the expertise and leadership to execute projects and works with the various community partners to deliver housing and supports.
Regional Growth Strategy
- The social fabric of our communities and the health and wellbeing of citizens depend on solid and sustainable community partnerships. Collaboration and support are ever present in guiding our service delivery.
- The CVRD has partnered with multiple community partners on most projects, including School District No. 71, the Comox Valley Cycling Coalition, the Comox Valley Coalition to End Homelessness, the Community Health Network, Social Planning Society, as well as provincial agencies and ministries.
CV Sewage Service
- The LWMP process involves intensive consultation with stakeholders from within and outside the service area communities to select the preferred conveyance approach and levels of treatment at the CVWPCC.
- The service is also inherently a collaboration between service participants, which works closely with its neighbours to resolve issues and ensure palatable funding strategies to regional ratepayers for core upgrades and ensures the infrastructure invested meets the needs of all stakeholders.
King Coho Wastewater
- This service is provided to three freehold strata corporations in partnership.
CV Transit
- BC Transit and CVRD will be consulting with key stakeholders and partners as part of the transit future action plan.
- CVRD, BC Transit and member municipalities work together through the Transit Management Advisory Committee.
BCOB
- CVRD staff are working through the process for conversion of the Watutco Water System to become part of the BCOB WLSA. Further consultation with Watutco and its residents is planned for 2022.
- The BCOB WLSA is governed by the BCOB Services Committee, with representation from the CVRD and Strathcona Regional District (SRD).
CV Water Local Service Areas
- Projects are not significantly influenced by this driver.
CV Water System
- The service itself is a partnership between Courtenay, Comox and all three electoral areas working together to deliver high quality drinking water to approximately 50,000 community members.
- Implementation of the WPP is guided by the Watershed Advisory Group, with representation from all key watershed stakeholders.
Water - Denman Island
- DIWLSA and GLID are working together to develop a sustainable path forward for both services.
Water - Royton
- Partnerships with the City of Courtenay and the K’ómoks First Nation are being explored in an effort to reduce the costs of securing an alternate water source for the Royston WLSA.
Water - Union Bay
- The Union Bay WLSA is governed by the Electoral Areas Services Committee, with representation from each of the CVRD electoral areas.