[0:04] Services committee for Thursday, September 24th, 2026. We'll call this

[0:11] meeting to order. Respectfully acknowledge that the Coast Salish nations

[0:15] on whose traditional territory this meeting takes place. Recording in

[0:19] progress. I'd also like to welcome Mr. Brettslav, who's our

[0:23] new general manager of RECs and PERK Services. Welcome. To

[0:33] Get an approval for the agenda as presented in today's

[0:37] package. If I get a mover, thank you Director Wallace.

[0:42] And seconded by Director Salter, any discussion. Seeing none. Motion

[0:49] to approve. And that's a unanimous. Moving on to item

[0:57] four, adoption of the minutes, the following minutes be adopted.

[1:01] Oceanside Services Committee for June 25. 2026. Can I get

[1:06] a mover? Director Salter, second invite director Wallace. Any discussion.

[1:11] All those in favor. Seeing none opposed, that's carried. Item

[1:18] number five correspondence that the following correspondence be received for

[1:21] information. Item 5. 1 from the administrator. Oceanside Minor Hockey

[1:28] Association, regarding the Oceanside Minor Hockey Association to host the

[1:33] U13A Female Provincial Championships March 2027. And I believe the

[1:40] letter for support is now moot because they have been

[1:46] granted this, if I'm not mistaken. And so we'll just

[1:51] have a motion to receive, please. Someone make that. Director

[1:56] McClain and seconded by director Salter. Any discussion on motion

[2:00] to receive. Seeing none, all those in favor. And that's

[2:05] proved, seeing none opposed. Item 5. 2, Lighthouse Recreation. Regarding

[2:10] services report September 2026. And can I get a motion

[2:15] to receive for information. And Director O'Brien, seconded by Director

[2:22] Sultan, any discussion on the Lighthouse Recreation Services Report for

[2:26] September 2026. And seeing none, all those in favor. Seeing

[2:33] none opposed, that is carried. That's the chair. Yes, go

[2:37] ahead. Sorry, we skipped over the 5. 1 so quickly.

[2:40] I just had one question. Sure, yes, please go ahead.

[2:43] They are formerly requesting access to the pond in those

[2:46] four days. Is that something we would need to motion

[2:49] for? Or is that something? Sure, question through to staff,

[2:52] I guess. I'm not sure who B isn't Jenifer, I

[2:56] believe. Is it? Go ahead. Yes, they have put in

[2:59] the request for the facilities they need, and we're able

[3:01] to meet that request. Thank you. Okay, next on the

[3:09] agenda is item 6. 1, which is Oceanside Recreation Services

[3:13] Quarterly Update. And that's for Q2, April to June, 2026,

[3:18] and I'll hand it over to staff for verbal update

[3:20] to a company, What's in the Agenda. Thank

[3:30] you. The data in the second quarter continues with the

[3:32] same trend of demonstrating strong community demand for recreation services.

[3:37] Adult and senior participation remained a key driver in all

[3:39] areas, which is not surprising giving our local demographic. While

[3:44] some of the program participation shifted to outdoor and drop

[3:47] - in opportunities, the data highlights the success of ongoing

[3:50] adaptation of the delivery model and collaborative planning with our

[3:54] community partners to offer diverse opportunities throughout the district. Aquatics

[3:59] has experienced an increased demand for swim lessons, particularly in

[4:02] this preschool programs leading to additional classes and higher pool

[4:06] admissions. IRINA Operations saw growth in the drop - in

[4:09] hockey program, public skating and facility rentals with revenue continuing

[4:13] to benefit from the strong year - round ISOMAD. In

[4:17] addition to the delivery of programs coordinating equitable access to

[4:21] the facilities as AIA component of the recreation service to

[4:25] improve access and transparency staff have launched real - time

[4:28] online booking calendars for local fields, courts and braven song

[4:33] aquatic center, receiving very positive feedback from users. With schedules

[4:37] and booking now available to view online, residents and users

[4:40] can see when facilities are available and how they can

[4:42] use these public assets. Overall, the quarter to demonstrate a

[4:48] strong participation, responsive service delivery, and continued investment in accessible

[4:52] and sustainable recreation across the district. And if you have

[4:55] any questions about this report, I'm happy to provide some

[4:57] clarification. Thank you so much, opening the floor to any

[5:02] questions for staff regarding the report. Oh, director Wallace, please

[5:10] go ahead. Thank you. I know I rarely ask questions.

[5:13] It's confusing. Uh, thank you for the report. I have

[5:16] a comment and then I question. So under financial implications,

[5:20] I believe this report and all of the attachments they're

[5:24] in are referencing the three northern recreation services. So that's

[5:27] Oceanside Place, Raven Song Pool, and then District. Or Northern

[5:31] Recreation is the name of the service. The financial implications

[5:35] include the information that it's within the financial plan, but

[5:40] moving forward, and I don't know if we need a

[5:42] motion or not, but I think a breakdown of the

[5:44] financial implications by contributing areas. So areas EF, GH, Parksville,

[5:51] and Qualicon Beach, um, showing what the actual implications are.

[5:55] And so I'm envisioning a table from left to right

[5:57] across the top or the areas down the left -

[6:02] hand side or the three services. And what the projected

[6:05] financial implications are, because it's very difficult for people to

[6:08] navigate the financial plan process. And although this suggests that

[6:12] whatever was adopted as part of the five - year

[6:15] financial plan for 26 to 2030, it does not indicate

[6:19] what the proposed increases may be for 2027. And I

[6:23] think that these reports provide an opportunity, especially this particular

[6:27] report, because it's setting up for just prior to the

[6:33] financial plan process. Um, this is an opportunity for us

[6:36] to get some more transparency out to people so they

[6:40] have further understanding of the services that are shared upon

[6:43] District 69. And so, um, whether I need a motion

[6:47] to change a report format or not, I'm not sure.

[6:52] Um, we also, you know, hear this at the board

[6:54] from time to time, about from financial implication report information

[6:57] being a little more comprehensive. Um, but insofar as the

[7:02] reports that we've received, I was curious about the facility

[7:09] usage hours for Oceanside Place Arena. So that's attachment one.

[7:15] And I probably asked this last time. So what it

[7:17] shows is the usage hours are down five percent. It

[7:20] shows the capacity line in the dark green and then

[7:24] the hours used. So we're close to the capacity line

[7:27] of those three segments of service hours. But what I'm

[7:31] not clear about is the overall combination of facility usage

[7:37] hours and the capacity that we're using to that. So

[7:40] are we 80 percent? Is it an iterative process whereby

[7:45] when we hit 85 percent usage, we need to look

[7:47] at more staff in order to open up other hours.

[7:50] So it's not explicit at what capacity the facility is

[7:54] running at. So I'm wondering if you could clarify the

[8:00] actual chart for facility usage hours. It's showing down five

[8:04] percent, but what could be the factors to contribute to

[8:08] that reduction in usage hours, please. Thank you.

[8:19] Thank you for the question through the chair. The specific

[8:23] reduction for five percent actually is primarily almost entirely due

[8:28] to the loss of the afterschool program on the pond,

[8:32] um, with the increase of afterschool services being offered in

[8:35] the schools after school at primarily at Oceanside Elementary School,

[8:39] which was the primary driver of the participants of the

[8:42] afterschool program on the pond. Um, there's now service at

[8:45] the school. So that program was no longer needed. So

[8:48] the five percent specifically is exactly that program. It's no

[8:52] longer being offered. That's also the direct result in the

[8:55] loss of all the children's programming during that time period,

[8:59] if you notice on the other graph there, there's a

[9:02] shows zero programming for children during this quarter, which was

[9:06] that specific program. In regards to capacity, we have discussed

[9:12] this before and I totally, I appreciate the question again

[9:15] today to make sure we're clear right now, the capacity

[9:19] for the arena is measured in a 24 hour period.

[9:23] But it's not used overnight. So it is very heavily

[9:28] used and we're seeing capacity over the 90 percent range

[9:33] in those three to seven or nine PM times during

[9:35] the week. And then also heavily on the weekend. But

[9:39] of course over after 10 p. m. at night, it's

[9:41] not very frequently used. And during the day, we see

[9:45] moderate use, um, of the facility. So looking at 2027,

[9:49] we're hoping to bring, uh, more detailed reports with new

[9:56] timelines for prime and non prime. And so then you'll

[9:59] see quite clearly over 70 percent usage during prime times

[10:04] and under 70 percent usage during non - prime times.

[10:08] Your question. Thank you. Yeah. That was very thorough. And

[10:12] just my only follow - up question then is, is

[10:14] the already in recreation program funding the, uh, the afterschool

[10:18] program at, at the school, or is that through the

[10:21] school district. No, the RDN is not funding that program.

[10:25] It is through the ministry of education. Thank you very

[10:29] much. Thank you, Director Wallace. Any other questions for staff.

[10:36] McLean. Uh, well, I think director Wallace had two questions

[10:40] there. Oh, okay. But, uh, sometimes she asked them together.

[10:44] The first one was the reporting format for the financial

[10:48] implications section. And if we need a motion to change

[10:52] that or if that's something that staff will take away,

[10:55] come back. With what she did. Oh, I apologize. Uh,

[11:00] well, I do have a motion arising on the report.

[11:04] Uh, well, let's wait until number seven. I thought, uh,

[11:08] any other questions for staff before we move on. And

[11:11] seeing none, can I get a motion to receive her

[11:15] report. Move my director, salter, seconded by director Wallace, any

[11:20] discussion. Seeing none, kind of get, uh, all those in

[11:24] favor. And seeing none opposed that motion carries now. Director

[11:31] McLean was very excited to get to number seven. Business

[11:34] and rising from delegations and correspondence. And since I have

[11:36] two motions, I believe from directors on today's agenda, uh,

[11:40] we'll start with director McLean's. Please go ahead. Thank you,

[11:44] Chair. Uh, this is a rising out of the Q2

[11:47] report. So I might reference back to that, but, uh,

[11:51] my motion is that the next review of RADIAN Recreation

[11:54] Facility Admission rates include a report on the options and

[11:58] financial implications of implementing a small admission fee for the

[12:02] golden age category. And if the second arrow, I'll speak

[12:05] to. Him by Director O'Brien. Go ahead. Thank you, Chair.

[12:11] Uh, so this is rising out of specifically the Raven

[12:15] song facility and the fact that revenues are down, even

[12:20] though usage is up and stuffed it identify part of

[12:24] that is, uh, the golden age category continues to grow

[12:28] as we look at the demographics of our region that

[12:31] probably will continue to grow. And currently there's no fee

[12:34] at all. Which is fine. Um, but when we do

[12:38] the review, I would like to see what would be

[12:41] the implications of adding a small fees. Like a dollar,

[12:45] two dollars, whatever, a nominal fee and what that would

[12:48] do to the revenue, uh, for that facility. And all

[12:53] of a facility is. So that's why I'm making the

[12:55] motion. Sure. Thank you, Director McClain. And any discussion, please

[13:00] director Wallace. Go ahead. Yeah. Thank you. I, um, happy

[13:03] to support the motion. I think, uh, certainly this comes

[13:06] up. I think it comes up for the arena as

[13:09] well, but when would be the next review, um, that's

[13:13] the first question I have about the motion thing. Thank

[13:19] you for the question. Uh, the review is currently underway

[13:23] at this time. Um, with the anticipation to be bringing

[13:27] it to the committee in 2027, the bylaw for the

[13:30] fees and charges does expire in 2027. So this is

[13:33] very timely. Follow up. Excellent. Uh, any other questions or

[13:41] discussion on the motion. Uh, my current feelings are, you

[13:48] know, of course it's nice to give a break to

[13:50] a certain age category, but you might have single moms

[13:52] with kids, et cetera. I want to revenue is down.

[13:54] Um, ideally we could have, you know, some sort of,

[13:57] uh, means tested for admission, but I don't think we're

[14:00] going to get there. And so, uh, I would welcome

[14:02] a report on the Golden Age category. Seeing the motion

[14:07] is on the floor and we don't have any other

[14:11] directors who want to speak to it. Can I see

[14:13] a hands for all those in favor. And seeing none

[14:17] opposed that motion passes. Oh, did I see a question?

[14:20] Okay. Uh, and then I believe director Wallace, did you

[14:24] have a motion rising from delegations and correspondence as well?

[14:29] Thank you. So I've provided as much notice as possible

[14:32] and emailed the committee prior to the meeting just prior.

[14:35] I will admit. And, um, my motion is that staff

[14:39] provide a report to the board regarding noise concerns. Let

[14:43] me get the right one here. My apologies. I'll start

[14:48] again that staff provide a report to the board regarding

[14:51] noise concerns from residents located adjacent to Oceanside Place Arena

[14:55] and potential mitigation options. And if the seconder I can

[14:58] speak to that. Yes. Thank you. You're, uh, Director Brian

[15:03] Seconds. Please go ahead and speak. Yeah. Thank you. So

[15:04] I do, um, I have received a number of complaints

[15:07] from, um, the area, uh, surrounding Oceanside Place Arena. And

[15:13] I know that staff is engaged with those residents to

[15:15] this point. But I think sooner or later there will

[15:18] be information coming to the board. And I just wanted

[15:20] to represent those residents concerns by bringing that motion today

[15:24] so that it is, I'll say, uh, on the list

[15:28] of things that are, um, the priorities. Thank you. Any

[15:32] other discussion, the motion on the table. Director, Brian, please

[15:36] go ahead. Thank you, Chair. And, uh, through to, uh,

[15:40] director Wallace, could you beat a little more specific if

[15:44] you would, uh, director Wallace anyways and what those, uh,

[15:48] noise complaints, aren't they? Noise complaints that could be, uh,

[15:52] mediated or remediated by, um, uh, parksville bylaw team, because

[15:57] we do have noise bylaws in place. If you could

[15:59] be a little more specific on what the complaints are,

[16:04] I'd be happy to hear that. I'm guessing it's an

[16:07] HVAC machinery that's been recently added, but, uh, I'll pass

[16:11] over to direct Wallace. Yes. There were some changes made

[16:13] to equipment at the facility. And that's when the complaints

[16:17] started to arrive. So it's a mechanical. And it's interesting

[16:22] that you bring up the, it's literally on the boundary

[16:25] of Parksville in area G. And so there may be

[16:28] a lot, maybe a bylaw in the city of Parksville

[16:30] that I'm unaware of. And, um, uh, but it's a,

[16:34] I don't think that's relevant. I it's my understanding that

[16:37] some of the noise concerns are being explored for mitigation

[16:41] and that, um, it is possible. And so it is,

[16:44] it is happening, but this motion is to represent those

[16:47] residents who have brought those complaints forward. Thank you. Sure.

[16:53] Follow up director Byron. Please go ahead. Thank you, Chair.

[16:55] So as I understand it, um, mitigation could be solved

[16:59] by, um, construction related and not by law enforcement to

[17:04] tell those machines to be less noisy. So okay. So,

[17:08] uh, we are looking at ways of doing that. I

[17:10] understand staff is looking at that as well. Okay. That's

[17:14] okay. I just want to make sure if I have

[17:16] to take any direction from my position here to help,

[17:19] uh, ease the situation. It sounds like it's under control.

[17:21] Thank you. I'm not an engineer, but I'm guessing it'd

[17:24] be some sort of soundproof, uh, kind of wall that

[17:27] goes around 360, but still lets it vent out the

[17:29] top, but they have much smarter people than me that'll

[17:32] be handling that, uh, any other discussion on the motion

[17:36] for the noisy machinery on the roof. And seeing none,

[17:42] all those in favor. And seeing none opposed that motion

[17:46] passes. Uh, and, uh, I believe this is, uh. This

[17:54] is going to be, uh, director Rogers last Oceanside Services

[17:58] Committee meeting. So we're not going to have a big

[17:59] roast. I ask you if you did want a roast

[18:01] and you said, yes, you enjoy roasts. And that's not

[18:04] exactly, didn't sound like what I was going to mean.

[18:07] Uh, but I think, uh, you know, I'm relatively new

[18:10] here, of course, but I think we all appreciate, uh,

[18:13] your service to the Oceanside, uh, services committee over the

[18:16] years, Bob, uh, thank you very much. And if any

[18:19] other directors want to speak to it, definitely please go

[18:22] ahead. I'm sure we'll have a bigger one at the

[18:24] board because I think we still have one more meeting,

[18:26] but director Wall, let's go ahead. I will take this

[18:28] opportunity. Thank you. So I do want to commend director

[18:31] Rogers for the work that you've done in the news.

[18:33] And I think that I recall the day when we

[18:35] had a boardroom full of people with a very large

[18:38] petition for pickleball courts at Jack Bagley Park and to

[18:43] see that facility come to fruition and all of the

[18:46] work over many, many years that you put in to

[18:49] see that facility in partnership with this society that manages

[18:52] the hall in collaboration with the school district. I think

[18:56] it's a prime example of how electoral area directors can

[18:59] make a significant recreational difference in their areas. And I

[19:02] think you should be absolutely commended for that work. So

[19:05] thank you. Thank you, Director Wallace and director McLean. Did

[19:11] I see your hand go up? No. Okay. Uh, well,

[19:14] thank you that, uh, leaves nothing, but, uh, any new

[19:17] business besides those motions that we dealt with. I'm not

[19:20] aware of any director Wall. Let's go ahead. Um, just

[19:22] a question through the staff at this point whether there

[19:24] is opportunity to work together on financial implication reports, uh,

[19:31] in particular, regarding the three services that all the different

[19:33] areas and district 69 share. I'm not sure does staff

[19:37] require motion for that for a different, um, presentation of

[19:41] the financial information. And if so, I'd be happy to

[19:44] make one. Thank you. Well, I think that the, um,

[19:50] I guess I would like to hear a little bit

[19:51] more about, um, I'm sorry I had to pop out

[19:54] for a rather urgent personal call. And so I didn't

[19:59] hear the entirety of what was said. I guess I

[20:04] want to, uh, we, we will create whatever reports the

[20:07] board asks for without, without a doubt. Um, the, uh,

[20:13] we, we want to make sure that the reports have

[20:18] enough information to serve the purpose of the report at

[20:23] the same time. We've heard many, many times over and

[20:25] over again about the length of agendas. And we're trying

[20:28] to keep as succinct as possible so that the report

[20:32] serves as particular purpose was enough information to put the

[20:35] board into decision making position and nothing additional to that

[20:39] so that we have that, uh, as much succinctness as

[20:42] we can attain. So, um, I think the, the answer

[20:46] is standing offer to engage in whatever the board thinks

[20:52] it's useful. At the board meeting, at its committee meetings,

[20:56] um, happy to, happy to work on whatever would be,

[20:59] uh, make those reports better and more useful for the

[21:01] decision makers. Yep. Thank you. And just to clarify what

[21:06] I had suggested comes from certainly me hearing from residents

[21:10] about the difficulty they have and navigating the complexity of

[21:13] the service delivery models and Oceanside. And so for example

[21:16] this report actually touches on, you know, pages 210, 212,

[21:21] 213, 215, 216 and 217 in the financial plan. And

[21:25] unless you know where those actual pages are, what the

[21:27] services are called and then who pays what into what

[21:30] services. The statement that we are currently receiving in the

[21:34] report where it states the 2026 to 2030 financial plan

[21:37] includes the budget for the work outlined. Although that is

[21:41] an entirely true statement, it is also subject to change.

[21:45] And furthermore, it's divided between electoral areas and municipalities. And

[21:49] so I think what I had talked about was, um,

[21:52] a chart. So a standard process in financial implications for

[21:57] services where municipalities and electoral areas are jointly funding areas

[22:02] EFGH parksville and the town of call can beach and

[22:06] what the contributions are, um, captured in a chart. And

[22:10] so that chart doesn't have to change with every report

[22:13] requires a lot of business analysis. It's literally helping residents

[22:17] navigate. What are the services called? How does this fit

[22:21] into the financial plan? Where can they find the information?

[22:24] And then they are able to determine what are the

[22:27] increases or not, uh, for the financial plan over that

[22:31] period. And I think that that just, it saves certainly

[22:35] saves directors a ton of time because that is literally

[22:37] the process I walk through with people when they have

[22:40] questions about it. Well, if they don't know the name

[22:42] of the service and what we're talking about on a

[22:44] report that's page 52 of the financial plan, that's not

[22:48] helpful. And so I'm suggesting that the financial implications, um,

[22:53] be standardized and that they be referenced to the financial

[22:56] plan so that when we receive a report that it

[23:00] can help residents clearly navigate that larger and more complex

[23:05] financial plan systems. So they, they know that in 2026

[23:10] to 2030 that we have a bylaw that's funding these

[23:14] services and these would be the projected costs. And here's

[23:18] how it relates to each of the partners who participate

[23:21] in the service. And I, I think that's not like

[23:24] that's a good summary of information. It's not entirely overly

[23:26] detailed, but it certainly helps people understand if they live

[23:29] in the city of Parksville, what they're contributing to and

[23:33] attaches it to that transparency that we're all struggling with

[23:36] because of the breadth of services that are delivered. So

[23:39] that was a lengthy description of the conversation we'd had

[23:43] earlier, but I'm hearing it's too, it's too difficult actually

[23:47] for me to word emotion that captures that, but certainly

[23:50] the objectives I think have been stated. So if that's

[23:53] enough information for stock, we could leave it there. It

[23:56] is what I would say is two things. So that's

[23:59] totally achievable, of course. Absolutely. Um, and so I'll take

[24:02] that back with our CFO and, uh, leadership team and

[24:05] talk about, uh, talk about, uh, inserting that into, into

[24:11] various memos. There's certainly we have that table go in

[24:15] from time to time when we're contemplating a change of

[24:19] some sort. Um, uh, I just wanted to remind the

[24:24] committee as well that we will be changing the way

[24:27] we present the financial plan to concentrate more on the

[24:31] individual services as opposed to the amalgamation just because the

[24:34] amalgation is of, of, of all of the services together

[24:37] really isn't a helpful or useful number. It's not managed

[24:40] and governed at that level. And, um, so, um, so

[24:44] no, thank you very much. I think that's, that's totally

[24:46] adequate. That's all the information we need. Uh, thank you.

[24:51] I'm guessing that the page numbers to the financial plan,

[24:54] it's easier to reference kind of a living, changing document

[24:57] than to grab, grab a chart, uh, and put it

[25:00] in static when those numbers could change. But, uh, it

[25:03] sounds like stuff are going to be on top of

[25:05] it. Okay. With all of that said, can I get

[25:07] a motion to adjourn. Director O'Brien and seconded by director

[25:12] Wallace, all those in favor. Seeing none opposed or adjourned.

[25:16] Thank you, everybody.

Oceanside Services Committee

Agenda

Transcript