November municipal update - Victoria-by-the-Sea
It’s November already! The Victoria Historical Association is hosting a Remembrance Day ceremony outside the Community Hall. The details are included below.
In this edition:
1 - From the Mayor’s Desk
2 - 🌺 Remembrance Day Ceremony details 🌺
3 - Are you our next snow-shoveller at the schoolhouse? :) ❄️❄️❄️
4 - Changes in municipal staffing coming March 2024 - a note from CAO Anna Keenan
5 - Municipal Sustainability working group Expressions of Interest
6 - RFPs for 2024 tenancies of the Welcome Centre & Leard’s Lighthouse
7 - Upcoming Council & Committee meetings
8 - Update on Capital projects
9 - Provincial news relevant to municipalities
10 - Thank you volunteers!
1 - From the Mayor’s Desk
I want to thank residents who provided feedback on my last update. There were several good ideas for how our municipality could increase its revenues and address the significant sustainability issues it faces.
Last month, Council moved to create a working group to look at the various options available and hopefully gather the advice it needs to move forward in the coming months. Unfortunately, those who we invited to participate declined (each for their own reasons), so we will continue a discussion on next steps at the November council meeting.
At the most recent semi-annual meeting of the Federation of PEI Municipalities, Robert Lantz, the Minister of Housing, Land and Communities provided his personal views on the challenges facing small municipalities across the Island by indicating that he supported the expansion of municipal boundaries as a way to provide the needed revenues to provide good government as contemplated in the Municipal Government Act. Given the Minister’s public comments, I have requested the folks at Municipal Affairs to provide more information about options our municipality might have to expand current boundaries and the impact it would have on our administrative responsibilities.
As we head towards the end of the year, I want to acknowledge the many challenges that exist in our lives today with inflation, global conflicts and an environmental crisis. I know it is not easy, but I would encourage you to reach out to your family, friends and neighbours, support our local businesses and show gratitude for the good things in life. It’s these small acts of kindness and community togetherness that make us all feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. Over the last several months, Leslie-Ann and I have seen firsthand what community means to getting through the most challenging of times.
Together, we can build a community where we can all thrive.
Finally, congratulations to Councilor Jean McCardle who completed the trek on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain over the last several weeks. She walked over 800 kms which is quite the feat. Welcome back to PEI! Is the Island Walk next?
— Mayor Martin Ruben
2 - 🌺Remembrance Day Ceremony Details🌺
The Victoria Historical Association will hold its 12th annual Remembrance Day Service on Saturday, Nov 11 outdoors at Victoria Community Hall.
We will be returning to our pre-COVID format, with formal service beginning at 10:45 followed by the community program. Those wishing to place wreaths please bring them along and inform the volunteers of the names to be read.
Wreaths can be purchased from any Royal Canadian Legion Branch. Closest ones are Borden and Kingston. Light refreshments following at the Landmark.
🌺🌺🌺 Lest We Forget. 🌺🌺🌺
3 - Are you our next show-shoveller at the Schoolhouse?
If you are looking for some casual work over the winter season, we are looking for someone who can help with shovelling snow & salting/gritting access paths this winter at the Historic Schoolhouse.
Role responsibilities:
On Fridays, weekends and public holidays: ensuring that two access paths are kept clear of snow, and are safe for pedestrians between 8am and 10pm:
around the mailboxes and up the steps.
a path to the accessibility ramp, and up the ramp, if there are event bookings in the schoolhouse or if there is a heavy snow.
On days when the office is open: responding to municipal staff requests on an as-needed basis (ie, in the event of heavy snowfall that would be too time consuming for office staff to clear themselves)
Salt/grit: Working with municipal staff to keep supplies stocked, and minimising salt use (to avoid corrosion of metal mailboxes) while ensuring pedestrian safety.
Placing snow fencing and driveway markers, to minimise drifting, as required.
We will pay $17.50 per hour of work, on an as-needed basis, every 2 weeks.
If this sounds like a good fit for you, please email victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com or call 902 658 2541.
4 - Changes in municipal staffing coming Feb-March 2024 - a note from CAO Anna Keenan
Dear residents of Victoria,
I’m regret to have to inform you all that I will be leaving the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) post with Victoria on March 4 of next year, as I’ve accepted a job offer with Charlottetown, as their (first-ever!) Sustainable Transportation Officer. Sustainable Transportation has been a passion of mine for 20 years, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity that this exciting new role presents.
That being said: I am sad to be leaving Victoria! Since moving to PEI I’ve always loved the village, and in my time working here, as I’ve gotten to know the community in even more detail, I’ve found many more things (and people!) to love and appreciate. I will be cheering Victoria’s Council on from the sidelines after my departure.
I have suggested that Council should initiate a hiring process for a new CAO to align with my departure time, 3.5 months from now, so that there is no need to appoint an interim, and I can hand over to the next CAO directly. I will make myself available to the next CAO for advice during their first few months on the job.
I am reporting to Council on my workplan to ensure that the highest-priority tasks are addressed before my departure: the updated Official Plan, the Emergency Plan submission, as well as capital projects and a draft of next year’s budget, which the new CAO will be able to finalize with Council, before the end of March.
I’d like to thank all the residents of Victoria who provided kind words and practical support and guidance during my time here so far. I look forward to continuing to serve the community to the best of my ability until my last work-day.
— With thanks, Anna Keenan, Chief Administrative Officer
5 - Municipal Sustainability working group Expressions of Interest
At the last Council meeting, Council passed a motion to form a working group on Municipal Sustainability, and identified a shortlist of potential participants in that group - former Mayors and Deputy Mayors of Victoria who are not currently serving on Council. Those invited each declined the invitation, for various reasons, and therefore at the upcoming Council meeting there will be further discussion about the path forward.
To help inform Council’s decision, please email staff at victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com if you would be interested in volunteering on a working group looking at Municipal Sustainability, or if you have suggestions for a process that Council can follow to address sustainability concerns. Staff will gather comments and expressions of interest and present them to Council for their consideration at the November 13 meeting.
6 - RFPs for 2024 tenancies of the Welcome Centre & Leard’s Lighthouse
As per the new policy for annual RFPs (Requests For Proposals) for seasonal tenancy of municipal properties, we have published an RFP for both Leard’s Lighthouse and the Welcome Centre, for the 2024 summer season and potentially beyond.
If you (or someone you know) wishes to submit a Proposal, please find the details and the application form here. Proposals are due by November 30.
7 - Upcoming Council and Committee Meetings
Council - Monday November 13, 6:30pm
Planning Board - Tuesday December 5, 6pm. This will be the first open meeting of the Planning Board in many months! At this meeting, the Planning Board will consider a new draft of the Official Plan, created after the PB’s review of legal advice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this meeting to observe the board’s deliberations and decisions on the new draft.
Should the planning board approve the new draft, an opportunity for public input (comments, feedback, concerns) will be scheduled in early-to-mid January, with a formal Public Meeting. After that meeting, the Planning Board can finalize the Official Plan and recommend it to Council for adoption!Water & Sewer Corporation Board - The Board may meet on Monday November 13, or Tuesday November 14, to approve bids on the Wharf Lift-station Replacement Project. To be confirmed on November 8.
As per our Procedural Bylaw, Agendas and packages for meetings will be published on the website 2 days in advance, at www.rmvictoria.com/agendas-and-minutes
8 - Capital Projects Update
Replacement of water line across the Causeway Bridge: Island Coastal has had delivery of the specialized materials from Ontario. We are expecting them to schedule the installation during this month
Installation of Generators to provide backup power to the water pumphouse, the schoolhouse, and the wastewater treatment facility: Excavation, installation of electrical wires and switches, and propane lines has occurred for this project (you can see some of the work by the schoolhouse parking lot, behind the pumphouse, while you’re picking up your mail), and we expect concrete pouring will happen in the coming weeks, before the ground freezes. The generators themselves, and propane tanks, should arrive and be connected by February.
Replacement of the sewage lift-station on the Wharf: After the restaurants closed for the season, the old lift station was dismantled and fully inspected, which gave our consulting engineers the important information they needed to finalize designs and issue tenders and addenda, which you can find here. Bids are due this Thursday. We hope that bids come in under budget, so that approval can occur quickly, which will allow the work to be completed before restaurants re-open and lobster season begins in the spring.
Heatpump installation at the Community Hall (Victoria Playhouse) and Fire Hall: Electrical panel upgrade is complete at the Fire Hall - we are now awaiting heatpump installation there. Electrical upgrades at the Community Hall are being scheduled ASAP!
9 - Provincial News relevant for municipalities
The Province is inviting Island residents to share their opinion on potential changes to the Planning Act.
The Planning Act governs provincial and municipal planning including how land is used, what structures are permitted within zones, and development in coastal areas. The changes would clarify the appeal process for planning decisions of municipalities and the provincial government.
People can view the proposed changes and provide their input by written submission at: Proposed Changes to the Planning Act: Public Consultation until November 20, 2023.
Code of conduct training available for municipal leaders
The province has developed code of conduct training for municipal leaders that will strengthen local governments and benefit elected officials, municipal staff and the public. The training will strengthen elected leaders’ knowledge of the code of conduct requirements, help them to address inappropriate behaviour, and increase their understanding of the procedures for filing a formal code of conduct complaint.
“Constituents expect their municipal councillors to perform their duties respectfully, effectively and responsibly. We want to ensure that councils have the tools they need to carry out good governance, while at the same time, respecting a municipality’s authority to manage their own affairs. The goal is to support collaboration among municipal leaders and enhance a local government’s ability to provide good governance to their communities.” - Housing, Land and Communities Minister Rob Lantz
Current municipal elected leaders will have until March 31, 2024 to complete the training. Going forward, elected leaders are required to take code of conduct training within six months of being appointed, elected or re-elected.
10 - Thank you volunteers!
Thank you to Michael Stanley and Paul Sheridan for their assistance packing away picnic tables in the municipality’s parks for the end of the season. We have successfully kept the washroom facilities in both parks open until this date (it is much easier when tourism traffic is so much less than in the summer!), and they will have their plumbing drained to be closed up for the winter in the coming weeks.
Thank you to Richard Boulter, neighbour to the Schoolhouse, for always being so willing to help around the building… letting people in when they’ve forgotten their own keys, keeping an eye on the lights and the heating systems, and the electrical panel. And even giving the grass one extra mow voluntarily this year, and tying down the lids of garbage bins during Hurricane Lee. Your contribution is noticed and deeply appreciated.
In addition, all the volunteers currently serving on Council and Committees deserve recognition and appreciation for their service. Give the following folks a pat on the back next time you see them, they’ve been putting in good work!
Planning Board - Janet Lauzon, Susan Oxley, Ben Smith, Shelley Trainor, Eric Gilbert.
Water & Sewer Corporation Board - Hilary Price, Pat Smith, Linda Gilbert, Ben Smith.
Council - Linda Gilbert, Ben Smith, Jean McCardle, Tom Wright, Eric Gilbert, Shelley Trainor, and Martin Ruben.
That’s all for this month! See past issues at www.RMVictoria.com/newsletters
Questions? Feedback? Info for a future newsletter? Photos you’re willing to share?
Contact Anna & Marsha at victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com
Regular office hours: Mon-Thurs, 9:30am-12noon & 1-3:30pm.
Rural Municipality of Victoria, 730 Victoria Road, Victoria, PE, C0A 2G0, Canada