PERIOD REPORT
DATE: January 27, 2025 Report No. P&R-26-002
TO: Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Steve Knoke, Parks and Recreation Director
SUBJECT:TITLEParks and Recreation Third - 2024 Period Report
Body
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Parks and Recreation Department from September 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Parks Services
Parks Highlights
• Lampson Forest: Site prepared; 6 trees and 11 shrubs planted; irrigation and pathways installed; lighting plans ongoing.
• Peony Garden: Beds designed, installed, and irrigated; 32 yards of soil and mulch applied; 10 tree peonies and 7 herbaceous peonies donated; 49 perennials and grasses planted.
• Garden Renovations:
o Rhododendron Garden (north-facing bed)
o Memorial Park (north and south beds)
o Ken Hill Park sign bed
• Seasonal Displays: 12 flats of winter annuals (approximately 432 plants) at Municipal Hall.
• Community Engagement: Native plant education at École Victor Brodeur (155 students); invasive species removal; BranchOut event at Saxe Point Park.
• Sports Field Improvements:
o Bullen Park: Removed and sodded 3 diamond infields; created 2 soccer fields; spiked and reseeded post-Ribfest.
o Brodeur Sports field: Top-dressed with sand and seed.
• Infrastructure and Amenities:
o Repaired and refinished 10 benches
o Prepared 14 new boards for Lacrosse box
o Installed new pathways
o Topped up woodchip paths
o Replaced 4 garden boxes
o Purchased Electric Truck as per Fleet Replacement Plan
o Cleared vegetation at Rec Centre
• Major Projects: Greenshores for Shoreline Development finalized; certification underway.
• Event Support: Ribfest, Celebration of Lights, Remembrance Day.
• Environmental Stewardship: Ongoing collaboration with GWAS on Salt Marsh improvements in Gorge Park.
Urban Forestry
• Public Trees
o Pruned: 47
o Removed: 11
o Planted: 48 (36 boulevard, 12 natural area)
Invasive Removal
• Total Volume Removed: 109 m³
• Total Area Removed: 336 m²
• Breakdown:
o Original: 29 m³, 286 m²
o Macaulay Point: 16 m³, 50 m²
o Gorge: 24 m³
o General Parks: 40 m³
Private Tree Permits
• Removal Approved: 32
• Removal Denied: 8
• Pruning Approved: 8
• No Permit Required: 10
• Pending/Cancelled: 3
• Total Applications: 31
Park Bookings
• Saxe Point Park - 7 weddings
• Esquimalt Gorge Park - 23 (farmers market, 5 filming, 5 picnic, 5 special events, 2 schools)
• Bullen Field - 7 (4 sports user groups, 2 special events, 1 picnic)
• Memorial Park - 6 (farmers market, 1 picnic, 1 special event)
• E-Trailer - 1 special event
2. Facility Maintenance
Maintenance staff continue to work on the overall cleanliness of all our facilities, continually aiming for a higher standard. Work continues to occur on asset management and long-term capital planning. Facility maintenance worked with our GHG consultant to develop strategies to reduce GHG emissions from the Sports Centre and the Recreation Centre.
Sports Centre
• Support of the Annual Ribfest Event:
o Transported and set up 250 tables and 1200 chairs to field
o Set up large marquee tents and pop-up tents
o Supplied and set up power throughout the field
o Supported the event and assisted with requests during the event
o Teardown of all tents, tables, chairs, and power units supplied after the event
• Installation of arena hockey ice was completed
• Support of the annual Celebration of Lights event
• Crowsnest lighting project completed
• Christmas lights and decorations installed
• Support of the Curl BC event
o Leveled and edged main arena ice over two nights to ensure flat ice
o Unloaded all event supplies and equipment, and loaded it into the building
o Hands on support throughout the event while also keeping the building clean and safe
• Pickleball courts were removed and stored away for the off season
• Curling hallway scrubbed and waxed in preparation for curling season
• All air handling units serviced (belts & filters)
• Compressor #3 and drive motor were rebuilt
Recreation Centre
• The annual maintenance period, pool shutdown was busy this year. Staff completed a long list of work including:
o Removal and installed new tots pool and hot tub filters, including new gravel and sand in both
o The lifestyle pool circulation pump replaced
o Steam room was retiled and cleaned and sanitized
o Steam room generator rebuilt
o Repaired and retiled many sections of the main pool deck
o Grouted all three changerooms
o Painted and repaired all benches in the pool area
o Repaired door frames in pool area
o Refinish stair railings
o Rebuilt pool ladders
• RJC Structural Engineers completed and assessment of the main pool tank and provide an opinion of probable costs report. This report provided us with short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term recommendations for the main pool tank.
Work undertaken during this assessment was:
o Tile surface review
o Acoustic sounding
o Hazardous materials
o Sealant review
o Concrete review
o Electrical review
• Reception Desk - safety enclosure project was started
o Removed wall and installed new door in Reception Programmer office
o Planning of project design completed
o New glass and doors ordered
• Tots pool pump was replaced
• Scrubbed and waxed Fernhill, Kanaka, and Craigflower room floors
• All air handling units serviced (belts and filters)
• Kitchen ceiling was repaired after water damage from a failed pipe
• Christmas lights installed around exterior of building and at the adventure park
• 30 Christmas trees were built and staged in preparation for Christmas Tree Village
• New TV’s were installed in the weightroom and atrium
Gorge Park Pavilion
• Support of the Winter Bazaar
• Support of annual Esquimalt Lantern Festival
• Support of the Island Fitness Conference
• Installed new hydraulic child steps in both lower bathrooms
• Steam cleaned partition walls and cloth chairs
• Replaced the transition strips on the flooring in lower and upper halls
• New compound and odour control system installed for sewage pump station
• All exterior doors throughout the building repaired and reinforced with rivets
• Replaced failed toilet and urinal sensors on 3 toilets
• Serviced all air handling units (filters)
• Weddings and events, including set up, take down, and hands on support
3. Recreation Services
Marketing and Registration
|
Pass Sale for this period |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Single Admission |
31,786 |
29,589 |
|
10 Admission |
889 |
781 |
|
25 Admission |
328 |
355 |
|
1 Month |
312 |
264 |
|
3 Month |
318 |
320 |
|
6 Month |
148 |
129 |
|
Annual |
485 |
505 |
|
Regional |
56 |
41 |
• Esquimalt Parks & Recreation social media platforms continue to have a strong following; 4044 followers on Twitter (down from 4185 last period), 7871 on Facebook (up from 7472 last period) and 3140 on Instagram (up from 2653 last period).
Fitness
• Registration for Fitness Programs for Children, Youth and Adults was 1271 participants. This is up 762 from the 2024 3rd period.
• The weightroom had 33,497 drop-ins. This is down from 34,350 in the 2024 3rd period.
• Drop-in Fitness classes had 7666 attendants.
• Drop-in Sports had 2421 drop-ins, down 160 compared to the 2024 3rd period.
• 40 youth participated in the Regional Weightroom Orientation, educating them on safety in the weightroom, as well as gym etiquette and some basic fitness knowledge. This is on par with the 2024 3rd period which had 36 Youth participants.
• The Ultra (Slow) Triathlon went ahead for the second year with 17 participants. The goal was to complete 42.2 kms of running, 4kms of swimming, and 180 kms of biking in the month of October.
• Fitness continued the holiday initiative, “12 Days of Fitmas” to increase awareness of Esquimalt Rec’s drop-in fitness classes. Over 40 people participated. This year, Fitmas Party classes were introduced. In this class, instructors rotated every 15 minutes for an hour and a half giving participants a chance to experience different teachers.
Arts, Culture, Social & Special Interest Programs
• Music Together - 107 registrations vs 65 in the same time period of 2024.
• Guitar Lessons - 34 registrations vs 43 in the same time period of 2024.
• Adult Art Classes - 61 registrations vs 50 in the same time period of 2024.
• Japanese Language, Culture and Cooking Classes - 47 registrations vs 23 in 2024
• NEW Beginners Watercolour - 14 registrations
• Preschool Dance - 67 registrations vs 59 in 2024.
• School Age Dance - 24 registrations vs 22 in 2024.
• School age art classes - 94 registrations vs 81 in 2024.
• Drop-in attendance numbers maintained strong for the 50+ Weekly Drop-in Programs, including: Conversation Café/ Mah Jong/ Bridge - 3 times a week/ Musica Jam - had 90+ people attend their holiday sing along in December/ Mexican Train Dominoes/ Ukulele Club/ Kint & Crochet/ Writer’s Group/ Euchre/ Scrabble/ Cribbage/ Painting
Child, Youth and Family Services
• After school care was full with 78/78 participants. Before school care had an average of 52/78 children over this period.
• 2 camps were run over the winter break. The camps averaged 38/40 participants over the 5 days of camp. This is up from the 33/40 averaged participants registered in the 2024 winter break camps.
• Esquimalt Licensed Preschool ran with 16/16 children in our Mon/Wed/Fri class compared to 10/16 children in 2024.
• The Japanese Immersion program ran weekly at the Gorge Park Pavillion with an average of 5 children compared to 3 children in 2024.
• Tues/Thurs Licensed Nature preschool class started September with 14/14 children and ended December with 12/14 children. This program did not run during this period in 2024 due to lack of registration.
• Everyone Welcome Playgroup with the Esquimalt Neighborhood House continued to run each Thursday.
• MIJO Taekwondo ran 2 programs between Sept-Dec for preschoolers and were at capacity and over capacity at 22/22 and 23/22 children compared to 2024 with 15/22 children in each.
• Preschool Soccer ran 2 programs between Sept-Dec with 12/12 and 11/12 children enrolled compared to 12/12 and 9/12 children in 2024.
Children’s Programs
• Kindergym Birthday Parties were fully booked with a waitlist on each Saturday/Sunday during this period.
• Child soccer ran for ages; 6-8yrs with 12/12 children and 9-12yrs with 10/12 children compared to 12/12 and 7/12 children in 2024.
• KATS Tennis free program ran at full capacity in both 5-8yr and 9-11yr programs.
• The Rhythmic Gymnastics program dropped to 5/12 participants from 12/12 in 2024.
• Home Alone class ran in October and November at full capacity with 20/20 participants.
• Vic City Basketball at L’école Brodeur, ran an extra program making it 4 programs at 10/10, 9/10, 9/10 and 4/10 children slightly increasing numbers from 2024.
• Badi-Star Badminton at L’école Brodeur ran 2 child, youth and adult programs at 20/20 each increasing from 14/20 participants in 2024.
• MIJO Taekwondo ran 19 programs for children, youth and adults at the Rec Centre between Sept-Dec including 2 new Boxfit courses increasing from 14 programs last year
Youth Programs
• Teen Night programs continued to run on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, with Saturdays remaining the most popular night. Attendance averaged 18 youth on Thursdays, 75 youth on Fridays, and 65 youth on Saturdays. While Thursday and Saturday teen nights have remained consistent with 2024, Friday numbers are up from the 55 average participants in 2024.
• LGBTQ+ Social Night continues to run every Tuesday Night in the Teen Centre from 7:00-9:00 pm with an average attendance of 15 youth.
• Raven’s Club at Rockheights Middle School restarted this year and ran every Wednesday after school from 3:00-5:00 PM, with an average of 11 youth participants. This program did not run last year.
• Several new registered youth programs were introduced:
o A Youth Culinary Cuisine with 9 participants.
o A Comic and Zine Making Youth Workshop with 6 participants.
o An Improv program with 3 participants.
• Two new youth leadership initiatives were successfully introduced:
o Youth Leadership Training Step 2, including Standard First Aid certification and employment readiness training with 15 youth participants.
o Youth Leadership Special Events Training with engaged 17 youth participants. Many of these youth have already volunteered at events such as the Celebration of Lights.
Aquatics
• 0 new auxiliary lifeguards/swim instructors were hired, lowering our staff to 75 from 85 in 2024.
• Swimming lessons were provided to 822 participants in 2025 up from 782 in 2024.
• 65 candidates took part in advanced aquatics training courses in 2025. Similar to the 68 candidates in 2024.
• Waterfit classes averaged 35 participants. Similar to the 32 average participants in 2024.
• The pool continued full hours of operation (119 hours a week).
• The pool was rented out to 6 regular groups for swim clubs, sport training and free diving courses. This is the same as 2024.
Arena and Curling Programs
• The Introduction to Hockey child program ran 2 classes of 6 participants.
• Noon Hour Drop-In Hockey program ran with 525 total participants and 24 participants signed up on the waitlists.
• The Learn to Skate program had 61 total participants and 8 private skating lessons. This is down 6 participants from the 2024 3rd period report.
• The Learn to Skate program ran with 74 total participants and 3 private skating lessons. This is up 13 participants from the 2024 3rd period report.
o This includes our new Adult Learn to Skate Program that had 7 participants in our first course.
o School Age level 1 was the most popular with 15 participants and 14 waitlisted.
• The weekend Everyone Welcome Skates averaged 145 skaters, up 20 compared to 2024 3rd period.
• Cougars Pond Hockey had 63 participants, down 46 compared to 2024 3rd period.
• The Stick & Puck Hockey program had 106 participants, up 1 compared to 2024 3rd report.
• The Halloween Skate ran on Oct 30th and kids in full costume receive free admission to this event.
• The Skate with Santa event was held on Saturday December 6th, with approximately 200 people in attendance. Santa, Elsa, and Anna also attended the event.
• The Saturday and Sunday Skating Birthday party rentals ran with 16 total bookings and 3 waitlisted
• Over the holiday break, 5 additional daytime and evening everyone welcome skates were offered. These skates had between 75-115 participants attend each ice time.
• The BC Curling Provincials were hosted at the Archie Browning Sports Centre. The event ran December 26 - January 5. This event made use of the entire Sports Centre and had games running on both the Curling Arena and Arena.
• The Learn to Curl Program ran at full capacity with 24/24 participants. This is the same as 2024.
• 2025’s Curling ice rental hours remained consistent with 2024’s 1085.50 hours of curling activity.
• Wheelchair Curling league was offered this October with good participation, ranging between 5 - 10 curlers each week.
• Arena ice rentals remain highly popular, attracting a diverse range of user groups. Each day, the ice is used by a variety of participants, including the Victoria Cougars, minor and adult hockey leagues, ringette teams, speed-skating, and private bookings.
Community Development and Events
• Ribfest returned to Bullen Field from Sept 5-7, 2025. The event consisted of live entertainment and food + beverage vendors. Esquimalt Parks and Recreation hosted the Kid zone, offering free activities such as a bouncy castle, crafts, lawn games, and facepainting. Island Elite Cheerleading joined the Kid Zone on Saturday to provide demos.
• Story Fest returned to Esquimalt Town Square on September 27th, 2025. This event was in partnership with the Greater Victoria Public Library and the Esquimalt Lion’s Club. We hosted 9 performers and 6 community groups throughout the day. The Lion’s Club offered a by donation BBQ, and we received a generous donation of over 200 books by 1000x5 community literacy group.
• The Township Community Arts Council hosted Lantern Fest at Esquimalt Gorge Park on September 26th. The Pavilion and park were decorated with lanterns and puppets created by local artists. The event included live music, a lantern procession, and food trucks.
• The Senior’s Appreciation Tea ran on October 1st with 69 participants in attendance. Seniors were invited for tea, coffee, and light snacks, served by Esquimalt Fire, VicPD, and the Recreation staff team. The event was moved into the Jubilee Hall to allow for more space and dancing. Macaulay school choir and the Esquimalt Ukulele Club performed for this event.
• In collaboration with Esquimalt Fire Rescue Services, the Halloween Spooktacular was run at the Fire Hall on Oct 31st. In addition to the bouncy castle, photo booth, crafts, and movie, we added a Trick or Treat alley. 4 Local community groups decorated tents and handed out treats to the community. The Esquimalt Community Garden joined with their giant pumpkin to run a “guess the weight” contest sponsored by Country Grocer. The Lions Club ran a by-donation BBQ, serving hotdogs and hot chocolate to attendees.
• On Nov 11th, a Remembrance Day procession and ceremony was held in Memorial Park run by CFB.
• The Holiday Celebration Lunch was held on December 6th, with 88 attendees, marking an increase from 86 in 2024. To enhance accessibility, the Esquimalt Neighbourhood House generously sponsored 12 tickets for senior community members. The event featured a locally sourced menu, catered by an Esquimalt-based provider, with volunteers assisting in serving food and beverages, including the Mayor, members of Council, Esquimalt Fire, Esquimalt Neighbourhood House, Esquimalt Recreation Team, and VicPD. The entertainment included a performance by the Macaulay School Choir and the Esquimalt Ukulele Club. Country Grocer made a generous donation of the event’s centerpieces.
• Esquimalt Parks and Recreation hosted the Annual Christmas Tree Village throughout December, featuring 33 decorated trees by local community groups & businesses in the Recreation Centre atrium and Sports Centre lobby, up from 26 trees in 2024. Voting took place online via the Esquimalt Parks and Recreation Facebook page and in person at the Rec Centre. The People’s Choice Award went to the Eves of Destruction Roller Derby Club.
• The Celebration of Lights event took place on Sunday, December 7th. The event began with performances by students from Macaulay and Brodeur schools, hosted by Theatre al Dente, followed by the parade. Afterward, attendees enjoyed a visit with Santa, hot chocolate, hot dogs, popcorn, and live entertainment. The parade featured around 25 entries, and approximately 800 people participated in the after-parade activities.
• The Holiday season was wrapped up with two festive events; photos with Santa and the Jolly Jingle Story Mingle, both were held at the Recreation Centre.
• A volunteer group that formed from the Summer Branch Out Social events has been meeting on the first Monday of each month to remove invasive plants at Saxe Point Park. In addition, we hosted 19 volunteers from CFB Esquimalt in early October who assisted the parks team with invasive plant removal.
• The Social Saturdays Series continued to run in the Archie Browning Lounge. This series remains popular with the 19yr+ community.
o Pub Quiz Night w/ Benji Duke: 79/100 attendees
o Wine & Paint Night w/ Barbara Morris: 32/32 Participants
o Murder Mystery w/ Enigmatic Events: 49/50 participants
o Karaoke Night w/ Theatre al Dente: 23 attendees
Gorge Park Pavilion
• During this period there were 401 Bookings in the Pavilion. These included weddings, celebrations of life, birthday parties, church and community group gatherings, wedding anniversaries, retirement parties, conferences, symposiums, annual general meetings, and holiday parties. This is up from 298 bookings in the 3rd period of 2024.
• Several special events took place in the fall including the Island Fitness Conference, Head & Tail of the Gorge Regatta, and the Winter Bazaar with over 110 vendors that attracted 3000 people to the Pavilion.
• 90 parking lot bookings were made with Abstract as they come close to completing the new residential building across from Gorge Park.
II. COMMITTEES
The Environmental, Parks and Recreation Committee met on Wednesday November 26th 2025 at 630pm