The way Oak Bay staff and elected officials deal with residents’ concerns and improving weaknesses in the system will be discussed at the next community forum, sponsored by the Community Association of Oak Bay.
The forum is part two of the Oak Bay Tomorrow, Creating our Future series and will be held after the association’s annual general meeting at Oak Bay United Church on Saturday, March 29 at 1 p.m. The last forum, held in January, focused on educating the public on the workings of the Official Community Plan.
Association board member Joseph Blake said this discussion is not about criticizing the district, but to find deficiencies and find ways to improve communication.
“We want to know what has been your experience with the municipality, both high points and low points,” Blake said. “Our role as an association is to be a conduit between (residents and the municipality).”
Some examples include how the municipality has dealt with major issues in Oak Bay such as new home developments and redevelopments such as the Clive apartment building. Other issues may include the handling of the deer cull, Blake said.
He said finding ways to make Oak Bay an even better community to live in and foreseeing and mitigating future problems will also be discussed.
“Our biggest problem is probably going to be infrastructure replacement,” Blake said. “And there is the sewer system.”
Blake hopes people coming to the forum will also join the association, which costs $10.
The AGM will see the election of new board members and a new president as current president and association founder Tom Croft is stepping down.
More information about the association and its publication, the Oak Bay Connector, can be found at caob.ca.