Last fall, Colin Plant was elected to serve what he said would be his final one-year term as chair of the Capital Regional District.
Turns out he was wrong.
Plant, who was voted back onto Saanich council this fall, has been re-elected as chair of the CRD.
“The truth is, I had not intended to [run],” Plant told the board ahead of elections Wednesday. “At the end of the last term, I signaled I would not be putting my name forward again, then the election occurred and three things happened: We saw significant change at this table, we hired a new chief administrative officer [and] several directors encouraged me to run again.”
Plant said he felt he could bring experience and stability to a board that features 14 new faces among the 24 directors this term.
“We have had a very significant evolution in our board composition — two-thirds of us are new,” Plant said. “I am confident after talking with each of you that I can provide the stability and continuity between the last term and this one so that we will all be successful.”
Plant said given the changes in leadership around the region, there is opportunity “for a more cohesive and focused board that can work together.”
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait was elected as CRD vice-chair, while Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch was elected as Capital Regional Hospital District chair, with Sidney Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith elected as acting chair.
Saanich councillor Zac de Vries was elected as the Capital Regional Housing District chair, with Tait as his vice-chair.
Plant said the new board’s priorities will include transportation, housing, climate action and environmental stewardship, First Nation’s reconciliation and governance.
“There is some capacity for additional endeavors, so I don’t want this board to feel that there isn’t the opportunity to put its stamp on this term, so dream big,” Plant said during his inaugural address. “I really think with some of the changes around the region, this board has an opportunity to really reset and move forward.”
In his first address as chair of the Capital Regional Housing Corporation, de Vries said they will be working to ensure there’s a new program that is “both expanded and bold and perhaps even more innovative than the original regional housing-first program was.”
De Vries noted that with the province indicating housing is a top priority, the board has an opportunity to tackle complex care, homelessness, workforce housing and other challenges.
In his inaugural address as chair of the Capital Regional Hospital District, Murdoch said there is a sense of urgency around health care. “I think we can be part of that discussion,” he said, noting they can work to advocate for resources and move forward projects that may have been idle.
“The other half of this is working with Island Health and the province [to] find supports for more longitudinal care,” he said.
