PERIOD REPORT
DATE: January 26, 2026 Report No. ADM-26-005
TO: Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Deb Hopkins, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:TITLECorporate Services - 2025 Third Period Report
Body
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Corporate Services Department from September 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
1. Staff Time Distribution
The table below illustrates how staff in Corporate Services spent their time during the third period of 2025. This is intended to provide information on the main areas of focus for the team. While not an exhaustive list of all tasks undertaken, the identified categories include activities outlined in Attachment 1.
Period 2 of 2025 was the first time that Corporate Services reported out on time distribution of departmental activities. Now, with another data set to include, the department can also report on trends over time. The chart below contains data from Period 2 and Period 3 of 2025 and calculates the average time spent per category. This will help us to identify trends over time and can highlight black swan events and their impacts.
As expected, there is variability in the order of the categories and the allotted percentage of time between the two periods based on the annual business cycles. Period 2 illustrates a dramatic drop in meeting support time as it includes the Council summer recess when there are no regular Council or Committee of the Whole meetings taking place, although some advisory body meetings continue to meet throughout the summer without a scheduled break.
2. Corporate Services
+ Number of Committees reduced from five in 2021 to four in 2022
* Reduced the number of agendas produced when there is a closed meeting scheduled prior to an open
meeting by combining them into one
# New metric added in 2024
^ Revised process for Advisory Body agendas to include Corporate Services staff review
Highlights:
• Recruited and onboarded staff for the Municipal Hall Reception pilot project.
• Completed annual advisory body recruitment and conducted annual orientation session.
• Prepared comprehensive amendments to Council Procedure Bylaw, 2022, No. 3081 and developed Council Policies for Fundraising and TAG Days and for Proclamations and Ceremonial requests.
• Coordinated development of Roles and Responsibilities Guidelines document for the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee and participated in a special orientation session for appointed members.
• Presented the 2026 Annual Meeting Schedule, and the 2026 Council Internal and External Appointments to Committees, Commissions, and Boards.
• Initiated planning for the 2026 General Local Election.
• Attended conferences/training including LGMA Corporate Officers Forum, Records Management technology information sessions, Signs of Lekwungen Walking Tour, TabFusion Administrators training, de-escalation training provided by VicPD, Parliamentary Procedure, BC Human Rights Code, BC Human Rights Introduction to Systemic Discrimination, BC Ombudsperson Fairness in Practice.
3. Records, Information, and Privacy Management
* New metric established
Highlights:
• Completed the Township’s revised Records Classification and Retention Schedule (RCRS) and introduced it to municipal staff.
• Updated and prepared current TAB 9.4 for upgrade to TabFusionRMS Software as a Service environment; Conducted User Acceptance Training and created new admin manager and end user training materials.
• Made substantial progress to the Privacy Management Program including approval and implementation of new Freedom of Information Bylaw No. 3177, new Privacy Policy ADMN-84, new Video Surveillance Policy M-ADM-16, implementation of new Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA), updated Privacy Breach and Correction of Personal Information procedures and forms, and regular communications established with municipal staff containing relevant information, training, and tips.
4. Archives
Highlights:
• Provided images to Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse in response to a research request. Images were used on newly installed lighthouse information signs enabling collective storytelling with credit given to the Township of Esquimalt.
• Initiated two special projects: Making Women Visible: Reclaiming the Female Identity in Archival Photo Records and Changing Esquimalt Neighborhood 2025 (photographic recording).
• Participated in three very successful community outreach activities/events including a historical presentation to the Esquimalt Seniors Community Centre, the Archives Interactive Open House with over 100 attendees, and a display at the Bay Street Armoury Open House for the 150th Commemorative Celebration of General Sir Arthur Currie.
• Attended training and development including the following workshops, conferences, and seminars: Managing an Oral History Program, Archival Innovations: Archives in the 21st Century, Collections 2030 and Beyond: Activating Heritage Collections for Sustainable Development, From Boxes to Browsers: A Digitization Roadmap for Small Institutions and Storing Paper Collections with Limited Resources.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Overview of CS Task Categorization
2. 2025 Period 3 Council Resolutions
3. 2021-2025 FOI Request Dashboard