TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: July 7, 2025 Report No. EPW-25-010
TO: Council
FROM: Joel Clary, Director of Engineering & Public Works
SUBJECT: Designating a Servicing Officer
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council give first, second and third readings to Officers Bylaw, 2025, No. 3154,
as described in Staff Report EPW-25-010.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The purpose of this report is for Council to consider designating a Servicing Officer for the Township.
BACKGROUND:
The enactment of Bill 16 by the Province on April 25, 2024, introduced significant changes to the Local Government Act, including the creation of a Servicing Officer role. This role authorizes local governments to require additional works and services as a condition of building permit issuance. Specifically, the changes allow municipalities to obtain land for road right-of-way from property owners seeking a building permit, limited to the lesser of:
i) 10 metres in depth, or
ii) The difference between the current road width and 20 metres.
In Esquimalt, this will primarily translate to road widening on the development side to increase the road right-of-way to 20 metres. For example, if the existing road fronting a development is 18 metres wide, the developer may be required to provide 1 metre of road dedication, the remaining 1 metre being the responsibility of the property owner on the other side of the road, should they require a building permit.
In addition, changes under Bill 16 permit municipalities to require up to 5 metres of right-of-way, also as a building permit condition, for "sustainable design features and transportation infrastructure that supports walking, bicycling, public transit or other alternative forms of transportation." The addition of sustainable design features is intended for "energy and water conservation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilience," as noted elsewhere in the Local Government Act. An example of th...
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