Fraser Work, who served as Victoria’s point person on bike lanes, the ban on single-use plastic bags and other high-profile issues, is leaving the city to take a job with the District of Tofino.
A former commander in the Canadian Navy, Work has served as Victoria’s director of engineering and public works since 2015.
He was also the chief sustainability officer, leading climate leadership and zero-waste programs aimed at reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“I think it’s good for Tofino and too bad for us,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said Friday.
“He’s been here for four years and he’s made a tremendous contribution to the city in so many ways — particularly with respect to preparing us for climate change.”
Work will take over as Tofino’s director of infrastructure and public works at the end of March.
An avid surfer, Work and his wife, Gillian Hurst, bought property in Tofino a number of years ago.
“We spend a lot of time up in Tofino and adore it,” he said. “We got engaged there, we got married there, we spend a lot of our time up there.”
So when he heard about a job opportunity with the district, it seemed like a good fit.
“My wife’s a physiotherapist and we were told that there is a healthy demand for more physio. And my little girl is starting kindergarten in 2020.
“We were looking at it all going: ‘Hey, this seems like amazing timing for us to maybe do a move.’ ”
Looking back at his time in Victoria, Work pointed to the city’s work on bike lanes, the completion of the Johnson Street Bridge and the ban on single-use plastic bags as significant accomplishments.
“The climate file has been a really exciting one for me and I’ve been really honoured to work with the city and the community on trying to boost our planning and our actions to support a more sustainable future,” he said.
Work said it was fascinating as well to see the plastic-bag issue move from being “an environmental advocacy issue into a more mainstream community-based issue about values and what we want to see as far as a future without some of these wasteful items.”
But he said the most rewarding aspect of the job was working with a team of people on engineering and transportation issues “to do our very best to make the city work every single day.”
Bob MacPherson, Tofino’s chief administrative officer, said the district is excited to have Work join its team.
“There are a number of pressing projects on the go in Tofino, such as waste-water treatment, and Fraser’s strong and diverse skill set will further assist the district in achieving our asset management and infrastructure goals,” he said in a statement.
Helps said the city will rely on Work’s three assistant directors until a new director is selected. “Big shoes to fill, but I think we can count on them to take the reins while we look for a replacement,” she said.
