The Capital Regional District is launching several major initiatives across Greater Victoria, from trail safety to waste management and climate action.
During its October board meeting, the CRD approved a consultant-led safety study examining multi-use trails, with particular focus on e-bike speeds and motorized personal mobility devices. The study will build upon existing safety improvements, which include the widening and lighting of six kilometres of the region's busiest trail sections. Staff will report findings through bi-annual updates on the Regional Trestle Renewal project.
The CRD is also moving forward with an updated wastewater management plan and reviewing a capacity request from Esquimalt Nation. The Core Area Liquid Waste Management Plan amendments aim to reduce infiltration and inflow into the sewer system, targeting the elimination of sewage overflows during storms at all facilities except Clover Point by 2030, with Clover Point targeted for 2045. Meanwhile, Esquimalt Nation has requested doubling its wastewater treatment allocation from 0.07 to 0.14 megalitres per day to accommodate growth, having reached 86 per cent of current capacity. The CRD has asked member municipalities to consider voluntarily transferring some of their allocated capacity by Oct. 25.
On the environmental front, the board reported success in its new Hartland Landfill policies, with 2,878 tonnes of wood and shingles diverted between January and July of this year. The policy changes, implemented in phases throughout 2024, aim to increase waste diversion rates. The CRD also continues to pursue its 45 per cent greenhouse gas emission reduction target from 2007 levels by 2030, with plans to expedite its Climate Action Strategy renewal in 2025 to ensure alignment with both 2030 targets and net-zero goals by 2050.
The board also approved a new CRD Accessibility Plan, developed with guidance from its Accessibility Advisory Committee. The plan, required under the Accessible British Columbia Act, incorporates principles of inclusion, adaptability, diversity, collaboration, self-determination, and universal design.
