June Municipal News 2023
Welcome to this month’s community news. This newsletter is put together by your Rural Municipality of Victoria staff team, Anna & Marsha.
For best enjoyment, we suggest reading this month’s newsletter while sipping your morning coffee in the June sunshine. :)
In this edition:
1- From the Mayor’s desk
2- Canada Day Celebrations
3- Victoria Playhouse and Pride Weekend!
4- New staff, and gratitude to Allan Marshall
5- A word from the South Shore Watershed Association
6- Victoria Park & Amar’s development proposal
7- Water & Sewer updates
8- Summer waste management
9- Upcoming Council Meetings
10- Got a bike trailer?
Please note: on Monday 26th, the municipal office will be open 9:30am - 12 noon only. And on Monday July 3 we are closed, due to the Canada Day long weekend.
1- From the Mayor’s desk
Hello neighbours!
Happy Summer!! Lucky are we that get to live in Victoria By The Sea, especially as this beautiful weather is finally upon us.
The past month has been a busy one, with many projects underway. Some we can see progress on, others not yet, but do know that your Council and Municipal Staff are working hard to move forward on the many priorities of our community. This includes Victoria Park, public washroom upgrades, causeway water repairs, generator quotes, boardwalk repairs, municipal insurance verification, lawncare, hiring maintenance staff, development permits, IRAC appeals, Emergency Preparedness Planning, Municipality Planning Policies, heat pump grants for the Community Hall and Firehall… to name a few items we are working on.
We welcome two new staff to our Municipality for the summer maintenance season, Philipe and Damaris. Thank you both for the work you will be doing this season to help our village stay clean and beautiful.
We will also be welcoming back Martin Ruben to his role as Mayor, when he returns from Ottawa in July. Welcome back Martin!
Thank you to our amazing Council/Municipal Team and community residents for supporting me as acting Mayor since February. I have learned so much and valued this experience.
We have critically important work in decisions ahead and I am confident in our Team’s ability to gather information, engage residents and ensure we move forward effectively for our community.
I look forward to continuing to learn and lead in our beautiful Village.
I wish everyone a safe, healthy and sunny summer season ahead.
Shelley Trainor
2- Canada Day Celebrations
The community has come together and (even in the absence of grants) the traditional Canada Day celebration in Victoria is happening again! With thanks to Brenda Boudreau, Eric Gilbert and others for their coordination and communication of the plans.
While this year there won’t be fireworks, fun will be had by all on Saturday, July 1:
Food, cake and pop is being donated by Landmark & Lobster Barn, for residents and visitors alike - deep thanks.
Doug Gallant and Band will be playing for charitable donations (Which last year amounted to $500 for the food bank!)
Don Northcott will - as in past years - be donating rose bushes to each resident at no cost.
The Victoria Historical Association will have a presence
Volunteers are operating the BBQ (Thanks Sheldon, Mike and Richard B!), and
the Victoria Fire Department will lead the traditional parade!
3- Victoria Playhouse and Pride Weekend!
The Victoria Playhouse has an impressive season of programming coming up. July 8th is the official opening of SHIRLEY VALENTINE, starring brand new Artistic Director Johanna Nutter. “Preview Tickets” are a great deal at just $25 (July 6, 7, & 8).
And on Pride Weekend, July 28-30, two very special shows are taking place. Both shows are ‘Pay-What-You-Feel’ (tickets from victoriaplayhouse.com or the box office). In addition, join the traditional PRIDE PARADE on SUNDAY at 12noon, starting from the top of Main Street!
You can check it all out ALL the season’s programming from the Playhouse at VictoriaPlayhouse.com or call their box office at 1-800-925-2025.
4- Welcome to new seasonal staff, and gratitude to Allan Marshall
We’ve had some changes in our municipal summer staffing this year.
We welcome Phil Lamarche, who has recently started as our Seasonal Maintenance contractor. He works Wednesdays through Sundays to keep the central washrooms open, and will do basic maintenance of gardens, benches, etc, on our municipal properties.
Phil lives near Hunter River and is a kind, practical person and a good communicator. If you see this new face around town, please introduce yourself. Welcome, Phil!
In July and August, Phil will also be joined by Damaris Tamminga, a local student from a farming family. Between Phil and Damaris, we will be able to open both the central washrooms, and the washrooms in Victoria Park, 7 days a week, during the peak of the summer season.
At this time, we also want to recognize and thank Allan Marshall, a local resident and member of the Victoria Fire Department, who has been doing seasonal general maintenance work in the village for the past 19 years. This year, Allan has chosen a different job that better suits his needs. We want to recognize Allan for his immense contribution to the life of the village, over so many years.
5- A word from SSWA - South Shore Watershed Association
Juliana Granzoti from the SSWA sent the following submission:
The SSWA covers over 100 km of coast in the South Shore area of PEI. We have researched over the years different methods & practices to best combat the effects of coastal erosion. Coastal erosion is a natural process that has been intensified by the effects of climate change and land use.
The need for shoreline protection will become increasingly important, which is why we would like to share and suggest some methods to help decrease the rates of bank loss:
You could start by refraining from mowing and having heavy foot traffic at least 15 meters from the cliff's edge; That could be achieved by sharing a staircase to the beach, leaving natural coastal vegetation to thrive, and planting salt-tolerant shrubs, such as Northern Bayberry, Wild Roses, Spiraea Latifolia, Winterberry, and Aronia.
By keeping the coastal natural areas thriving, we advise the use of only nature-based protections on the shore, therefore, you will provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, such as the endangered Bank Swallows.
Feel free to reach out to us by checking out www.sswa.ca, our social media (@SSWAPEI), or email at sswa@sswa.ca
6- Victoria Park & Amar’s development proposal
The municipality has been involved in 2 recent meetings regarding Amar’s proposed aquaculture development in what is currently Victoria Park, on the causeway. We intend to maintain full transparency with residents about the municipality’s involvement in this significant file, so are sharing this update.
The first meeting took place at Innovation PEI on June 13, with representatives of Amar, the Department of Economic Development, and the PEI BioAlliance. The second meeting on June 22 was on-site, and included representatives from the Department of Environment, and Don Jardine from the UPEI Centre for Climate Change & Adaptation. CAO Anna Keenan and Councillor Eric Gilbert attended both of these meetings on behalf of the municipality.
Anna & Eric joined these meetings to describe to potential applicants the municipal interests, processes and requirements outlined in our Development Bylaw, and placed emphasis on the municipal interest in preservation and enhancement of recreational space and visual amenity, and environmental protection, including addressing the rapid coastal erosion at the site.
Councillor Gilbert shared the history of the site with the visiting provincial government reps. Here, he is describing the location of the old farmstead, now fully eroded.
It is important for residents to be aware that the municipality has not yet received any formal development or rezoning proposal, and does not yet have a collective position on the development. We have heard a wide variety of opinions on the development from residents, and we welcome a application being brought forward for formal consideration by the municipal Council and residents.
The land in question (Victoria Park, and the adjacent property to the East) is owned by the province, and therefore any rezoning or development application by Amar - or any changes to the current use and facilities on the site - requires provincial support. It is still unclear whether the province will be supporting Amar’s application, or what conditions the province may place upon Amar’s proposal. Ensuring that the 15m buffer zone from the high tide mark is respected, and that effective erosion controls are put in place, is a key provincial concern. Compliance with federal environmental law around endangered species on the site (Bank Swallows) must also be assured.
During the site visit, Don Jardine from the UPEI Climate Adaptation Centre emphasized the need for the province & Amar to engage a coastal engineer in the design of any erosion controls at the site, to ensure long-term effectiveness of the work.
The RMV has asked the province to consider either transferring ownership of the park to the municipality, or granting the municipality a new long-term lease with more open conditions on it than the current lease, so that the town may be more directly involved in crafting proposals for the future of the land and coastline. There has been no provincial decision on this request yet.
Moving forward, the ball is not yet “in our court”:
First, the province needs to make a decision on the ownership/lease arrangements for the land, and if they would support Amar’s proposal.
Second, Amar needs to make a formal proposal to the municipality.
Then, if and when a formal proposal is received, our Development Officer and Council (or the Planning Board if so delegated) would carefully review the proposal. We would be required to host a public consultation meeting on the zoning amendment request, as per our development bylaws.
Finally, Council’s decision would only occur after due diligence. Such a decision could be either a ‘yes’, a ’no', or a 'yes with conditions’.
For now, the municipality is waiting for the province & Amar to reach their decisions.
For more information, residents can view the presentation that Amar shared at their informal community info-session in December.
Also relevant is the Climate Change Vulnerability Study and Adaptation Report, available on our website.
7- Water & Sewer updates
We are looking for one more resident to join the Water & Sewer Commission. If you are interested in joining, please email victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com
The Commission meets when required (every few months). In the next few months, the Commission is expected to review and decide on proposals for the 3 water & sewer capital projects that have been approved for this year.
The engineering plans for both the Wharf project and the two Generator projects are close to finalization. Once the municipality receives engineer-stamped plans, we can ask for bids to fulfill those requirements, and the bids can be assessed by the Water & Sewer Commission.
For the Causeway water-supply project, the engineering package, and all required permits, has now been finalized! The tender was posted to the provincial tenders website, and with the Construction Association of PEI.
Given labour shortages across multiple sectors, it has been hard for many municipalities to secure contractors and affordable quotes for construction work in the past year or two. So, if you have any connections to companies capable of doing this work, please point out the opportunity for them to make a bid!
The tender closes on June 29, so we hope to very shortly have comparative proposals for the Water & Sewer Commission to consider!
8- Summer waste management
Having heard feedback from the public and businesses near the wharf, the municipality is making some changes to garbage management practices during the busy summer season, while using our modest municipal budget appropriately. Waste cans were not set up during June, but will be in place for the start of the peak season in July.
In addition, signs have been placed in Victoria Park, encouraging visitors to help keep Victoria beautiful by taking their waste home with them after a visit; no bins will be placed in Victoria Park this year. We feel that this may be a better solution than having bins at the park which regularly overflow (with the rubbish to then be picked up and distributed by the wind).
Further changes will be made in 2024. If residents have any observations or feedback on waste management as the summer season progresses, municipal staff would be glad to receive that input.
9- Upcoming Council Meetings
Meetings currently scheduled in July include:
- Council, 10 July at 6:30pm (Open to the public)
- Planning board, 17 July at 4pm. (Closed to the public for consideration of legal advice received, as per the Municipal Government Act. The planning board anticipates another 3 closed meetings before their review of legal advice is complete and open meetings recommence.)
Meeting packages, containing the agenda and any reports or background information for issues to be discussed at the meeting, are posted on the Agendas & Minutes webpage 2 days in advance. Zoom links are also posted on that page shortly before the meeting begins.
10- Got a bike trailer?
If you have a bike trailer that you aren’t using - even if it’s in rough shape and needs some work - please contact the municipal office; we have an idea for how we can use it in the community, during the summer months! victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com
Questions? Feedback? Info for a future newsletter? Photos you’re willing to share? Contact Anna & Marsha at victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com