April 16, 2024

Recognition of Royal Canada Air Force Centennial

We were pleased to recognize the Royal Canadian Air Force Centennial on April 1 by lighting the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre in Air Force blue. This event celebrates the men and women who have and continue to serve Canada at home and aboard. The RCAF were attempting to break the world record for the number of landmarks illuminated in 24 hours (not sure if they made it!) The RCAF website lists thousands of buildings around the world illuminated in recognition of the positive impact the RCAF has had worldwide as well as centennial activities, projects and special events. #RCAF100 #100YearsOfFlyingBlue

Parksville’s 2024-2028 Financial Plan  

Council recently approved the 2024-2028 provisional financial plan bylaw. Meetings are scheduled for April 29 to consider the amended financial plan bylaw, tax rates bylaw and water and sewer rates bylaws, and May 6 for adoption of bylaws considered at the April 29 Special Council meeting. Both meetings will be held at 1 pm in the Forum, 100 Jensen Avenue East.

Parksville residents and taxpayers are encouraged to provide input and feedback on the financial plan by attending meetings, reviewing information on Let’s Talk Parksville and providing comments by email to Council@parksville.ca or on Let’s Talk Parksville.

Next Steps for Parksville’s Transportation Master Plan            

We are nearing completion of the second of three phases of the transportation master plan process. This first phase included data collection at major intersections within the City, an open house, online survey, base conditions assessment, and meetings with interested groups and organizations. These activities were collected into a What We Heard report and a Base Conditions Assessment report which summarized the findings and helped to define the overall ambitions of the community to respond to identified challenges.

The second phase saw the development of a series of options (grouped into capital projects, near-term planning, quick progress, and policy and guidelines) which attempt to respond to identified challenges in ways that support the overall objectives of the project and align with the desire for Parksville to be an active, accessible, and safe community. These ideas were presented to the community at the second open house in February and combined with the results of an online survey, the feedback from the session will help the transportation master plan team refine the options and prepare initial recommendations. The second online survey, open from March 6 to April 5, received about 700 completed surveys. The next step in phase two is the completion of the second What We Heard report which will be available on Let’s Talk Parksville in May.

With the wrap up of the second phase, we look forward to the third and final phase which will focus on developing a series of practical recommendations for improvements over the coming years. The improvements will be costed, with identified funding sources and a plan for implementation. The recommendations will be presented to the community before being finalized and submitted to Council for consideration. More info and updates on Let’s Talk Parksville. 

Parksville's Canada Day Celebrations

We are planning a great family-friendly event which we hope will bring together Parksville and surrounding region residents and visitors to celebrate Canada’s 157th on July 1. We hope you will celebrate and connect with families, neighbours, and friends at our Canada Day festivities in Parksville. Canada Day in Parksville will look a little different this year with the City taking the lead and providing the funding. Although we continue to work on details, here’s what we have planned so far for Canada Day in Parksville. 

Things we’d like you to know about Canada Day in Parksville

• Free family-friendly fun in the sun kicks off with the Parksville Canada Day parade followed by afternoon activities in the Parksville Community Park.
• The Parksville Outdoor Theatre will feature Bobs & Lolo for the young and young at heart, and the band, The Apollos, will provide afternoon dance music.
• Buskers will entertain in the new gathering plaza from 1 pm to early evening.
• There will be a variety of food trucks in the parking lot by the sports fields from 11 am through early evening.
• There will be no vendors in the park and planned activities will finish around 7 pm.
• Sandcastle Drive to Arbutus Point will close to vehicles for the day with accessible vehicle parking available in the park and general parking in the parking lot behind the curling rink.

Parade and food truck application forms, along with Canada Day updates are available on Let’s Talk Parksville. We also have a Canada Day Facebook page. Email questions to canadaday@parksville.ca.

Emergency Preparedness Week

Emergency Preparedness Week is an annual event which takes place during the first full week of May – this year, May 5 to May 11. Technology plays a part in all our lives, which is why this year's theme for Emergency Preparedness Week is "Using technology before, during and after emergencies." Check out PreparedBC’s Emergency Preparedness Week webpage for some preparedness "tech tips."

Emergency Management Oceanside will be out and about in the community offering emergency preparedness advice, handing out home emergency planning resources and of course there will be EMO giveaways! Follow EMO social media for more details. 

Tsunami Preparedness Week

This week, April 14 to April 20 is Tsunami Preparedness Week. Check out the link for ideas to host a High Ground Hike, a great way to educate people about tsunamis and how to prepare for them. Learn more at PreparedBC.ca/HighGroundHike or get in touch at PreparedBC@gov.bc.ca.

REMINDERS AND THINGS TO KNOW…

Utility notices will have arrived in mailboxes and if you did not receive your notice, contact 250 248-6144 or cashier@parksville.ca. Payment is due April 30.

Water Restriction Stage 1 which allows watering of lawns between 7 pm and 7 am, any day of the week, is in effect for the remainder of this month. Stage 2 water restrictions are in effect from May 1 through September 30 (unless otherwise notified) and allow for every other day lawn watering between 7 and 10 am or 7 and 10 pm for a maximum of two hours. Please note vegetable gardens and fruit trees are exempt from watering restrictions. Questions should be directed to bylaw@parksville.ca.

No dogs on beaches please - Our beaches are subject to temporary seasonal “no dog” restrictions and Rathtrevor Beach and Parksville Bay Beach are closed until April 30 to limit disturbance of migrating Black Brant geese. This applies to on-leash and off-leash within the Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Management Area.

Recycle BC pop-up depot in Parksville will continue this year, accepting free of charge, flexible plastic packaging, white and coloured foam packaging, glass packaging and paper packaging and cardboard. Materials may be dropped off from 10 am to 3 pm at 1080 Industrial Way, Parksville. For dates and more info visit Recycle BC.

Next Council Meeting - Monday, May 6 at 1 pm

Our next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, May 6 at 1 pm. Here’s some general information for you:

• Meeting agendas are posted to the website on the Thursday before a Monday meeting. 
• Meetings may be viewed from webstreaming on our website, both live and archived. 
• We post meeting highlights to the website the day after the Council meeting, a great way to catch up on decisions made by Council at the meeting. 
• The public is welcome to attend meetings in person. Meetings are held in the Forum, 100 Jensen Avenue East.
• Comments may be emailed to council@parksville.ca. Residents wishing comments to be considered by Council prior to the meetings, should be received by 4 pm on the working day before the meeting.

CITY DATES

For more information:

Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications

250 954-3073; communications@parksville.ca

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