Elector Approval may be required for a variety of service and project initiatives undertaken by the Comox Valley Regional District. In many cases, Elector Approval can be sought through an Alternative Approval Process or Referendum. The tables below provide summaries of recent Elector Approval Processes.
For more information call 250-334-6000 or contact us.
Previous Alternative Approval Processes
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AAP Closed Project Results February 18, 2025 Union Bay Firehall 73 Responses
(7%) - PassedThe purpose of Bylaw No. 844 is to authorize the borrowing of an amount not to exceed two million, seven hundred, fifty-five thousand dollars ($2,755,000) for the purpose of constructing and equipping a new firehall under the Union Bay Fire Protection Service. The debt servicing costs will be recovered over a period not exceeding 25 years through the annual requisition for the service. It is estimated that the debt servicing costs associated with the borrowing will cost the average residential property approximately $203 per year until the debt is retired.
News ReleaseFebruary 18, 2025 New Artificial Turf Field 2,123 responses
(3.7%) - passedThe purpose of Bylaw No. 848 is to authorize the borrowing of an amount not to exceed three million dollars ($3,000,000) for the purpose of constructing and equipping a new artificial turf field under the Comox Valley Track and Fields Service. The debt servicing costs will be recovered over a period not exceeding 10 years through the annual requisition for the service. It is estimated that the debt servicing costs associated with the borrowing will cost the average residential property $10.98 per year until the debt is retired, however, a tax increase is not projected due to a corresponding reduction in reserve contributions.
News ReleaseFebruary 18, 2025 Housing Supports 5,038 responses
(8.1%) - passedBylaw No. 850 will enable the CVRD to create and provide support to a non-profit housing corporation that would deliver affordable, non-market housing to the Comox Valley.
News ReleaseFebruary 18, 2025 Homelessness Supports 3,698 responses
(7.9%) - passedThe purpose of Bylaw No. 851 is to increase the maximum annual allowable requisition for the Comox Valley Homelessness Supports Service to the greater of $550,000 or $0.02732 per $1,000 of assessed value. Bylaw No. 851 enables the CVRD Board to consider the provision of increased funding to community-based organizations to address homelessness in the Comox Valley.
News ReleaseJuly 5, 2021 Rural Roadside Garbage Collection Northern:
410 Responses (12.17%) – Not Passed
Central:
1630 Responses (15.27%) – Not Passed
Southern:
370 Responses (15.67%) – Not Passed
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) proposed the establishment of rural roadside garbage and recycling collection services in 11 neighbourhoods throughout Electoral Areas A, B and C. This proposal followed a strong response from the community to a survey in summer/fall 2020 that showed support in many areas. Bylaw No. 648, 649 and 650 would authorize the CVRD to establish services for the roadside collection and disposal of garbage and recyclable materials within the service areas. The services would provide a convenient waste management program for residents that support increased waste diversion, reduced greenhouse gas emissions as well as reductions in the long-term costs of the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre landfill. The services were proposed to be fully funded through utility fees estimated to a maximum of $250 annually. A property tax would not be used to recover any of the costs for this service with the final utility fees being confirmed following a public procurement process for a collection contractor(s).
July 5, 2021 Sewer System Conveyance Project Loan Authorization 17 Responses (0.06%) - Passed The Comox Valley Sewerage Service treats raw sewage (wastewater) from homes and businesses in Courtenay, Comox and K’ómoks First Nation. The Sewer System Conveyance Project proposed to replace and upgrade the pipes and pump stations that move wastewater to the sewage treatment plant. These improvements address the environmental risks of the current pipeline location within the foreshore of the Comox estuary and the intertidal zone along the Willemar Bluffs.
News ReleaseJuly 5, 2021 Puntledge North and Baynes Sound Community Facilities Puntledge North:
20 Responses (0.19%) - Passed
Baynes Sound:
6 Responses (0.15%) - Passed
Community halls within the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) rural areas provide an important focal point for local residents and are used to host a wide range of athletic, social, cultural and recreational activities. The CVRD provides operational funding support each year to community halls within Electoral Areas C (Puntledge – Black Creek) and B (Lazo-North), including Black Creek, Halbe, Dove Creek and Merville and Electoral Area A (Baynes Sound - Denman and Hornby Islands), including Royston, Fallen Alders, Union Bay, Fanny Bay and Ships Point. This funding has traditionally been provided by way of grant-in-aid services which required annual applications from each non-profit society that operate the halls.
In an effort to provide consistent and stable funding to support such public facilities, the CVRD proposed to amend the existing Black Creek Community Centre Contribution Service to change the service name and expand its purpose, boundaries and maximum requisition. The amended service would be known as the Puntledge North Community Facilities Support Service, and would provide consistent funding to support the maintenance and operation of community halls within the local area, including Black Creek, Halbe, Dove Creek and Merville. In Area A, the CVRD proposed to create the Baynes Sound Community Facilities Support Service. The service would provide consistent funding to support the maintenance and operation of the community halls noted above within the service area.
News ReleaseJuly 5, 2021 Saratoga Beach Mosquito Management 24 Responses (2.22%) - Passed Following several seasons of resident reports of recurrent adult mosquito nuisance, the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) was approached by the Saratoga and Miracle Beach Residents Association to investigate the potential creation of a regional district service to provide mosquito control. Several studies were carried out which indicated the potential for a mosquito control program within a selected area to be undertaken in accordance with a Pest Management Plan (PMP).
The proposed establishment of a formal mosquito management service and PMP provides the regional district with the authority to undertake such activities as well as ensure adequate expertise and resources.
News ReleaseDecember 7, 2020 Greater Merville Fire Service - Auxiliary Fire Hall Eight Responses (0.29%) - Passed The CVRD provides the Greater Merville Fire Protection Service and contracts with the City of Courtenay for fire suppression services. The CVRD has committed to construct, equip and operate a new auxiliary fire hall to be located at the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society property at Williams Beach Road and the Island Highway. This new fire hall is to be managed in collaboration with Oyster River Fire Rescue.
A consultant’s report recommended the development of an auxiliary fire hall, centrally located within the Greater Merville area to provide the following benefits:
- Improved life-safety of the residents within the service area
- A responding fire hall within eight kilometers of the residents which may lead to reduced fire insurance premiums
- Delivery of medical first responder program within the service area
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AAP Closed Project Results January 17, 2019 Denman island Community Facilities One Response (0.12%)- Passed
In response to a request from the Denman Island Seniors and Museum Society, the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) Board of Directors considered an amendment to Bylaw No. 564 being “Denman Island Community Facilities Service Establishment Bylaw, 1992” to amend the Denman Island Community Hall Service to provide funding for the Community Hall and Denman Activities Centre and increase the maximum requisition.
News ReleaseMarch 16, 2018 Water Treatment Project 31 Responses (0.06%) - Passed The Comox Valley water system provides drinking water to 45,000 residents and is not compliant with the provincial surface water treatment objectives guideline.
The history of water quality issues in the Comox Valley dates back to before 2005, when Island Health (then VIHA) ordered the CVRD to complete a Watershed Risk Assessment, which identified major risks to the Comox Lake water source. In 2013, after two years of continuous water quality monitoring and sampling, Island Health approved a plan to build a deepwater intake and ultraviolet (UV) treatment, deferring its earlier requirement of installing a filtration system. That deferral however was withdrawn in 2015 after numerous extreme rain events caused several Comox Lake tributaries to experience high erosion, carrying large amounts of sediment into the Lake, and triggering the need for boil water notices.
The new treatment system will eliminate the need for turbidity-related boil water notices, remove the risk of viruses, parasites and bacteria in our drinking water, provide a secure supply of reliable, high quality drinking water and meet provincial health standards.
News ReleaseAugust 18, 2017 Civic Centre Regional Office Building 828 Responses (0.07%) - Passed The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) developed a financing strategy for its Tax Neutral Civic Centre – Regional Office Building Project based on redirecting the current lease amount and reserve fund contribution toward the debt repayment. Under this strategy, instead of paying rent with no building asset, the CVRD would make debt payments with ownership of a community asset at the end of the term.
News ReleaseDecember 11, 2015 Denman Island Parks Service Zero Responses - Passed Prior to this alternative approval process (AAP), Denman and Hornby Islands had a shared community parks and greenways service. Recommendations from a community services report taken to the electoral areas services committee on August 10, 2015 recommended splitting that service into individual services to allow each island to better manage its own interests.
News ReleaseJune 13, 2014 Curling Centre Upgrades 423 Responses (0.89%) - Passed An October 2013 Meyers Norris Penny LLP independent review of the Comox Valley Curling Centre options provided in the RDH report recommended three options. The option considered to be most cost-effective was to renovate the curling rink and perform minimum work to the supporting services at an estimate of $1.9 million
News ReleaseApril 17, 2014 Hornby & Denman Islands Heritage Conservation Zero Responses - Passed The proposed bylaws would establish area-specific heritage conservation services on Hornby and Denman Islands. January 16, 2014 Arts & Culture Grant Service Bylaw No. 278 42 Responses (0.26%) – Passed Bylaw No. 278 would establish the electoral areas arts and culture grant service for the purpose of providing funding to societies and non-profit organizations that own and / or operate arts or culture facilities in the Comox Valley to assist with the protection, preservation, maintenance and promotion of said infrastructure.
Previous Referenda
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Referendum Date Project Results November 27, 2021 Hornby & Denman Islands High Speed Internet YES 1192 votes cast (94%)
NO 81 votes cast (6%)On November 27, 2021 a referendum for the proposed Hornby and Denman Islands high-speed internet initiative was held. The official results have been tallied and the community has voted in favor of moving forward with the project. 94% of voters were in favour of establishment of the service, authorizing the necessary borrowing and entering into an agreement with CityWest, the telecommunications service provider. Voter turnout was 55% of the estimated eligible electors.
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See the Project Page for more details. -
Referendum Date Project Results September 17, 2016 Mount Washington Resort Community Fire Service YES 102 votes cast (84%)
NO 19 votes cast (16%)At the time, the Mount Washington Resort Community had no fire protection service. In 2015, the resort and concerned citizens requested that the CVRD consider establishing a fire protection service.
June 18, 2016 South Sewer Service Referendum (two separate questions) See below The South Sewer Project was a community wastewater (sewer) treatment system proposed for Royston and Union Bay that included a mainly gravity-fed collection system and a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the area. Collected wastewater would be treated at the WWTP and then piped to connect with the Comox Valley Water Pollution Control Centre’s outfall at Cape Lazo.
The first phase of the project included 950 homes – the core residential hubs of Royston and Union Bay, plus the Kilmarnock neighbourhood. The project was to be in partnership with the K’ómoks First Nation, which owns land in the area.
News ReleaseSouth Sewer Service Loan Authorization Bylaw
- YES 282 votes cast (29%)
- NO 681 votes cast (71%)
Partnership Agreement
- YES 238 votes cast (25%)
- NO 729 votes cast (75%)
April 18, 2015 Hornby Island Fire Hall Construction Loan Authorization YES – 616 votes cast (83%)
NO – 126 votes cast (17%)With more than 45 years of service, the Hornby Island fire rescue department identified a need to replace the aging and unsafe fire hall so as to better serve the citizens of Hornby Island with medical first responder, fire protection, technical rescue, and ambulance services. Inspections and engineer's reports found the fire hall was an unsafe workplace for the fire fighters, had functional and spatial deficiencies and would have performed poorly in a moderate earthquake.
The proposed Hornby Island fire protection service (fire hall construction) loan authorization bylaw would provide funds to assist with the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) building a new Hornby Island fire hall.
News ReleaseNovember 16, 2013 Roadside Collection YES 1153 (27%)
NO 3139 (73%The service would include weekly pick up of garbage and recycling in the CVRD electoral areas A, B and C, excluding Denman Island, Hornby Island, the Royston garbage collection area and the Mount Washington resort community.
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