PERIOD REPORT
DATE: September 28, 2026 Report No. P&R-26-012
TO: Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Steve Knoke, Parks and Recreation Director
SUBJECT:TITLEParks and Recreation Second- 2026 Period ReportBody
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Parks and Recreation Department from May 1, 2026 to August 31, 2026.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Parks Services
Publicly owned trees
• Trees pruned - 70
• Trees removed - 20
• Trees planted - 0
Invasive Removal
• Total cubic meters of invasive plants removed: 60.5m3
• Total square meters of park land cleared: 220m2
Privately owned trees (tree permit/developments)
• Trees approved for removal - 17
• Trees denied for removal - 6
• Trees approved for pruning - 9
• No permit required (not protected tree) - 11
• Total number of tree cutting permits waiting for more information or cancelled - 11
• Total tree cutting permits applied for - 39
Parks Highlights
• Refinished 15 picnic tables
• Refinished 10 benches
• Added 36 yards of fibar wood chips to Paradise playground surfacing
• Cleared sidewalk of weeds from admirals to tillicum on Craigflower
• Top-dressed and seeded Brodeur field
• Top-dressed and seeded Memorial park lawn
• A flail mower contractor was hired to clear invasives at Macaulay Point Park, Wurtele boulevard.
• 550 bulbs were ordered and planted for the summer and fall displays.
• 3,700 annuals were planted for the summer/fall displays.
• Prepped Macaulay Point Park for 13th Annual Fort Macaulay Days.
• 2 Branch Out Community Stewardship events occurred at Esquimalt Gorge Park.
• Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy, underway alongside municipal partners
• Adventure Park Splashpad opened for the season on May 17th 2026.
Parks Bookings
Saxe Point:
• Total Bookings- 50
• Weddings - 30
• Picnic - 13
• Filming - 3
• School - 2
• Summer story series - 9
• Summer Camps - July and August 5 days a week
Esquimalt Gorge Park:
• Total Bookings - 41
• Wedding - 21 (2 under willow tree, 19 Pavilion Garden)
• Picnic - 19
• Special Event - 2 (Japanese Cultural Fair, Tsukino Matsuri)
• School - 7
• Esquimalt Farmers Market - 12
Macaulay Point Park:
• Total bookings - 6
Memorial Park:
• Total bookings - 30
• Picnic - 1
• Special Event - 10
• Esquimalt Farmers Market - 17
• TCAC Music Fest - 8 days
• School - 1
• Summer Camps - July and August 5 days a week
Bullen Field:
• Total bookings - 180
• Sports - Grass Volleyball, Softball
• Special Events - 17 (Buccaneer Days, Jazz fest, Neighbourhood Party)
• Outdoor movie - 4
Brodeur Field:
• Total bookings - 85
Lampson Park:
• Total Bookings - 131
• Users - Lions Minor Baseball Association, Hampton Little League, GVBA
2. Maintenance Department
Sports Centre
• Scrubbed both barrel roofs, removing all of the lichen, dirt and debris
• Repainted all interior spaces including hallways and bathrooms
• All exterior walls were pressure washed and painted
• Pickleball courts were installed and repainted
• HVAC units serviced
• Flashing and gutter repairs
• Set up and support for multiple community events
• Capital and Supplemental projects:
o Arena refrigerated slab project (ongoing)
o EV charger parking spots installed in conjunction with BC Hydro
Recreation Centre
• Acid pump for the main pool was replaced
• Sink replaced in the accessible washroom
• UV system serviced
• All HVAC units serviced
• Serviced chemical pumps and lines
• Minor repairs and daily cleaning
• Completed painting of:
o Constance Cove
o Pioneer A & B
o All storage rooms
o Splash Park washrooms
• Capital and Supplemental projects:
o Reception Desk safety enclosure complete
o Sauna heater redesign
o Pool windows maintenance
o Recreation Centre roof work underway, section replaced through priority planning
Pavilion
• Solar Panels and roof cleaned
• Child accessible stairs installed in lower washrooms
• New flush valves installed in lower washrooms
• Flooring repairs completed in upper and lower halls
• Partition walls steam cleaned
• Lower Hall C repainted
• All HVAC serviced
• Minor repairs and daily cleaning
• Set up and support for multiple weddings and major events
3. Recreation Services
Gorge Park Pavilion
• Gorge Park Pavilion Bookings: The Pavilion hosted 299 bookings during this reporting period compared to 338 last year. There were less individual room bookings but an increase from 17 to 28 full facility bookings.
• BC Association of IB World Schools Spring Conference: A three-day professional development conference for 100 attendees was hosted at the Pavilion from May 29 to 31
• Interesting People 4: On July 28, the pavilion hosted one day of the Interesting People conference again this year which is an annual invitation-only event that focuses on encouraging attendees to build personal connections with interesting people in interesting venues across Victoria.
• Tsukino Matsuri: On August 9, the Pavilion hosted the Tsukino Matsuri event for a celebration of animation and culture. People could pay to attend the activities in the Pavilion, but there was also a market area set up along a path in the park which was free for anyone to visit.
• 26th Annual Japanese Cultural Fair: On August 29, the Pavilion hosted the 26th annual Japanese Cultural Fair, attracting over 1,000 attendees. The free event featured a variety of demonstrations, performances, and presentations celebrating Japanese cultural traditions in both the Pavilion and the park.
• Wedding Season Rentals: The Pavilion saw steady bookings for the 2026 wedding season, with 38 weddings and receptions of various sizes scheduled.
• The Pavilion continued its successful partnership with the Esquimalt Farmers Market for its fifth consecutive year, operating on Mondays from June to September 2026.
Sport Centre and Recreation Centre Facility Rentals
• 354 contracts were issued for rentals at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre compared to 236 in 2025.
• 327 contracts were signed for rentals at the Archie Browning Sports Centre compared to 153 in 2025.
Fitness and Sports
• Registration for fitness programs remained strong with 836 participants, an increase from 680 registrants in the second period of 2025.
• Drop-in fitness classes rose to 8,122 in 2026 from 7,329 in 2025.
• Participation in drop-in sports increased to 3,113 from 2,796 in 2025.
• Visits to the Wellness Centre increased to 30,808 from 26,793 in 2025.
• A total of 20 youths completed the youth weight room orientation compared to 53 in the second period of 2025.
• Staff collaborated with contractors, offering a total of 10 pickleball programs per week compared to 16 registered programs per week in 2025. 226 participants registered in programs compared to 451 in 2025.
• In 2026, there were a total of 201 court rentals booked for the May-August period.
Aquatics
• 119 community lessons with 451 participants. An increase compared to 108 community lessons with 457 participants in 2025.
• 13 advanced aquatics courses with 144 participants. Compared to 17 advanced aquatics courses with 174 participants during this period in 2025.
• 20 water fit classes per week with an average of 36 participants, compared to an average of 24 participants during this period in 2025.
• The pool continued to run at normal hours of operation (119hrs/week).
• 8 new aquatics staff were hired for the fall, bringing our staff total to 88 Lifeguards and Swim Instructors.
Marketing
• Esquimalt Parks & Recreation social media platforms continue to have a strong following; 4,025 followers on X (formerly Twitter) (down from 4,059 last period), 8,200 on Facebook (up from 7,763 last period) and 3,310 on Instagram (up from 3,067 last period).
• The parks/recreation section of the municipal website continues to be the most predominantly viewed content on the website with three of the top five pages being parks and recreation related content.
• Parks & Recreation continues to work with Roger’s media to promote programs and events via radio on both Ocean (98.5) and Jack (103.1).
• Parks & Recreation has continued to use targeted advertising through demographic-based podcasts, with Roger’s media.
Licensed Out of School Care
• Program capacities remained unchanged from 2025, with 78 spaces available in Before School Care and 79 spaces available in After School Care.
• After School Care remained at full capacity throughout May and June with 79/79 participants enrolled, demonstrating continued strong demand for licensed out of school care spaces.
• Before School Care maintained stable enrollment throughout May and June with 58/78 participants enrolled, consistent with registration trends experienced in previous years.
• The Early Dismissal Day program on April 30, 2026 had 37/40 participants.
• The Pro-D Day program on May 15, 2026 had 34/40 participants.
Preschool
• Licensed Preschool (M/W/F) class: 15/16 participants which was the same as in 2025
• Licensed Nature Preschool (Tu/Thu): 13/14 participants which was higher in comparison to 6/16 in 2025
• Preschool camps ran 8/10 weeks of summer with a consistently full roster of children (15/15)
Youth and Leadership Programs
• ETC Teen Night programs continued to run throughout the summer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Friday was our most popular evening, followed closely by Saturday.
• The May-June attendance average for our ETC drop-in programs:
o Tuesdays (LGBTQIOA+ Community and Allies Night) averaged 10 youth compared to 17 in 2025
o Wednesdays Raven’s Club at Rockheights ended on June 3rd with an average attendance of 5 youth
o Thursdays averaged 13 youth compared to 22 youth in 2025
o Fridays averaged 68 youth compared to 55 youth in 2025
o Saturdays averaged 54 youth compared to 60 youth in 2025
• Between May-June we ran drop-in programs at Victor Brodeur (newly offered in April 2026).
• Our July-August attendance average for our drop-in programs:
o Tuesdays (LGBTQIOA+ Community and Allies Night) averaged 14 youth compared to 22 in 2025
o Thursdays averaged 16 youth compared to 18 youth in 2025
o Fridays averaged 54 youth compared to 56 youth in 2025
o Saturdays averaged 54 youth compared to 63 youth in 2025
• We offered 2 Youth Programs:
o Year-Long Youth Leadership (STEP 1) Jan - June: 11/16 participants
o Whisk It Up! Baking: 12/12 participants
• We offered 10-weeks of summer camp programming for youth
o Camps ran from 12 - 4 PM daily with 15 youth
o Two of the weeks belonged to our Youth Leadership Program training wherein youth were in camp from 9 - 4 with the Youth Services Supervisor.
o Our most popular camps were Youth Leadership STEP 1 (waitlist of 7), Youth Art Studio (waitlist of 2), and Camp 4 Foodies (waitlist of 10)
o One week of youth camp was cancelled (week 10) due to low registration
• The Youth Leadership Training Program (STEP 1 & 2) successfully ran again.
o We had 38 volunteer youth leaders this summer. 15 youth completed their Leadership course(s) and volunteered their time, while 23 were returning volunteers from previous courses or summers. Compared to 10 youth volunteers returning from previous training programs in 2025.
o Youth completed between 80 - 120 hours volunteering with our summer camps and events.
Martial Arts and Sports (Child, Youth, Adult)
• MIJO Taekwondo ran 7 programs for preschool, children, youth and adults.
o Saturdays saw 60 participants as compared to 63 in 2025
o Tuesdays saw 77 participants as compared to 40 in 2025
o ADDED Thursdays 68 participants as compared to 0 in 2025
• Badi-Star Badminton ran 7 programs for children, youth, and adults
o The programs had 47 participants compared to 55 in 2025
• Kids Soccer ran 3 classes in 2026
o 3-5 years: 12/12 participants same as in 2025
o 6-8 years: 12/12 participants (with waitlist) same as in 2025
o 9-12 years: 5/12 participants compared to 12/12 in 2025
• KATS Tennis ran 2 school-aged programs (same as in 2025):
o 5-8 years: 16/16 with a waitlist (same as in 2025)
o 9-12 years: 16/16 with a waitlist (same as in 2025)
• H.A.P.P.Y - Home Alone Program ran 1 school-aged program
o 21/25 participants comparable to 22/25 participants in 2025
• Island Rhythmic Gymnastics ran 1 school-aged program
o 6-12 years: 8/12 participants compared to 12/12 in 2025
• LittlUniverse ran 2 school-aged programs
o 8-14 years: 7/16 participants compared to 8/8 in 2025
o 6-9 years: 17/17 participants (with waitlist) compared to 17/17 in 2025
School-Aged Summer Camps
• Camp programming expanded from 9 weeks to 10 weeks in 2026. Capacity was also increased in several program areas, including morning and afternoon unlicensed extended care and all outdoor camps, with registration limits increasing from 20 to 24 participants. In addition, a new Inclusion Program registration option was introduced to better support children with diverse needs and enhance access to camp programming for participating families.
• All licensed camps ran at or near capacity throughout the summer, averaging 20/20 participants per week.
• Morning and afternoon unlicensed extended care capacities were increased from 20 to 24 participants per week to accommodate growing demand. Afternoon extended care averaged 20/24 participants weekly, with weeks 1, 3, and 7 experiencing lower registration levels at 11/24.
• Morning licensed extended care also averaged 20/24 participants weekly, with several weeks reaching full capacity. The lowest registration occurred in Week 3, with 11 vacant spaces, followed by Week 7 with 9 vacant spaces.
• Specialty Camps (ages 6-7) maintained 20 participants and operated at or near capacity throughout the summer.
• Specialty Camps (ages 8-11) ran at 19/20 or 20/20 participants. Capacity was increased to 21 participants in some older specialty camp offerings to help accommodate demand.
• Adventure Kids (ages 9 - 11) operated at full capacity in 6 out of 10 weeks.
• Trekkers (ages 8 - 9) reached full capacity in 4 out of 10 weeks.
• Funseekers (ages 6 - 7) experienced lower registration compared to other outdoor camps, averaging between 2 and 7 available spaces per week. Registration improved toward the end of the summer, with Week 10 reaching full capacity at 24/24 participants.
Arts, Culture, Social & Special Interest Programs
• 50+ Weekly Drop-In Programs have seen steady numbers throughout the spring and summer
o Music Jam enjoyed an end of year party late June and then took their annual summer break
• New program Longsword Flow Fundamentals had 8 people registered for the summer session.
• Shoshinkai Iaido continued to see strong registration with 19 people registered for the spring session and 14 people for the summer session
• Summer Paint Nights were very successful with 23 in July’s session and 19 in August’s session
• May and June programs saw high registration to end the school year
o Kids Cooking classes had full registration at 20 kids for each spring session
o Dance classes saw 22 kids registered for school age and 45 in preschool
o Guitar classes saw steady numbers with 23 people registered for school age, youth, and adult
o Beginner’s Watercolour had 14 people registered between two sessions
Community Development and Events
• Buccaneer Day BBQ - The annual Buccaneer Day BBQ kicked off the lively Buccaneer weekend. This Pirate themed lunch was celebrated with the dedicated planning committee with burgers, a live performance from Macaulay Elementary School, and the Bilge Water Band. Volunteers from the Fire Department and VicPD assisted with food service during the event. 54 people attended this historical event, compared to 55 last year, including Mayor and members of our Township Council.
• Buccaneer Day Pirate’s Den -The events team turned Bullen Field into a Pirate’s Den (Kid Zone) for the Buccaneer weekend. We offered free family-friendly activities such as a bouncy castle, lawn games, photo booth, pirate hats, button making station, and a fruit table (generously donated by Country Grocer). Theatre Al Dente attended on Saturday to promote their services and offer a green screen photo booth along with costumes. The Military Family Resource Centre attended on Sunday to host a craft booth. In addition to the Kid Zone- the Rec staff along with youth volunteers, ran the Little Buc’s Olympics on Bullen field. Participants were timed as they ran through a series of obstacles.
• Social Saturdays- We hosted 3 Social Saturday in the lounge events in the spring/early summer;
o Music Bingo - 59 people attended
o Pub Quiz with Benji Duke - 100 people attended (sold out)
o Murder Mystery Night with Enigmatic Events - 39 people attended
• Neighborhood Party - the event took place on Bullen Field. It was a vibrant event with local community groups, live performances, a Lion’s Club BBQ, ice cream food trucks, and Urban Rec Volleyball, along with a kid’s zone hosted by the Rec team. We hosted a Kid’s Market where we provided 10 local youth with a table and chairs under the market tent to sell their handmade goods. There were performances from Rhythmic Gymnastics demos, musical theatre, and music from our in-house Ukulele Club. Approx. 250 people attended the event with 800 attending the previous year.
• Four Esquimalt Summer Outdoor movies happened on Bullen Field with 300 attendees at each movie. The movies were sponsored by Flying Squirrel. Each week there was a food truck (Country Crepes, the Hot Dog Guys, Lexi’s Ice Cream and Treats). Flying Squirrel attended weekly with popcorn, mini donuts and a prize wheel.
• Park Activation Series - we hosted two free family-friendly events in our local parks in July and August.
o Teddy Bear Picnic - This is a free event for families located in Captain Jacobson Park. It consisted of lawn games, temporary tattoos, teddy bear story time, teddy bear picnic, themed music, crafts, and a stuffy show and tell. We offered iced tea and juice boxes. Around 65 people attended, with children aged 1-8 years with their families/caregivers and their stuffed animals.
o Play Time - Families of all ages were invited to join us at Memorial Park to try out an assortment of sports equipment, lawn games, and a craft station run by youth volunteers. 20 community members attended the event and 3 summer camps were at the park, bringing around 50 kids to the event. This was a free event with participants ranging in ages from 1-12 years old along with their caregivers.
• Stories in the Park entered its 4th year, taking place in Saxe Point Park. This year we featured stories by Canadian authors followed by a themed activity. We saw 40-50 people attend each week (345 total) which is consistent with numbers from 2025.
• We supported 6 Community Block Parties between June and August.
• The Community Development department functioned in a support role for the following community events:
o Buccaneer Days
o Fort Macaulay Historical Tour
o Esquimalt Farmers market every Thursday in Memorial Park and every Monday in Esquimalt Gorge Park
o Memorial Park Music Fest - every Tuesday night in Memorial Park over the summer
o TD Victoria International Jazz Fest
o SNAFU-Unexpected Spectacles
o Alectoria Theatre
o Japanese Cultural Fair
Arena Programs
The dry floor was removed for construction.
II. COMMITTEES
The Environmental, Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee met on June 24, 2026.
• Recreation Strategic Planning complete and presented to council July, 2026