FAQ

The Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) is a strategic plan adopted by the RDN Board that directs long-term planning for sustainable growth in the region. It is a commitment made by member municipalities and electoral areas to collaborate and ensure sustainable growth management by taking into account shared services, our unique natural environment and available resources.

To learn more about the RGS bylaw, implementation actions and monitoring progress towards the RGS Goals, visit the RDN webpage, here.

The Regional Growth Strategy participating jurisdictions are the four municipalities (Nanaimo Lantzville Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach and seven electoral areas (Areas A, C, E, F, G, H). 

• A: Cedar, South Wellington and Cassidy;
• C: Extension, Nanaimo Lakes, East Wellington/Pleasant Valley;
• E: Nanoose Bay;
• F: Coombs, Hilliers, Errington;
• G: French Creek, San Pareil, Dashwood, Englishman River
• H: Bowser, Qualicum Bay, Horne Lake, Spider Lake.

Although Gabriola, Decourcy and Mudge Island (Area B)  are represented on the RDN Board of Directors, the RGS does not apply to them because, for land use planning purposes, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. 

There are three First Nations (Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As and Qualicum) whose territories lie within the area subject to the RGS. These lands are reserve lands and come under the jurisdiction of those communities. 

The Local Government Act sets requirements for regional districts with adopted regional growth strategies to consider whether the strategy must be reviewed for possible amendments, at least every five years. Since the last RGS review was conducted more than six years ago, staff initiated a preliminary review that indicated a few policy areas in need of updating. These areas relate to select land use and servicing and housing policies as well as updates to the RGS indicators/targets and demographic information since the last census period (2016).

The RGS Consultation Plan (located in the document library) outlines the legislative requirements to consult, and the region wide approach in which those interested and affected will be provided opportunities to comment on the proposed amendments. This is achieved by incorporating the Guiding Principles of the RDN Public Consultation/Communication Framework1 into the implementation of the plan, whereby, “Anyone likely to be affected by a decision … have opportunities for input into that decision”.

The RGS Review consultation, while placing a priority on stakeholder engagement, also provides numerous opportunities for the broader community to be involved. The will make use of the RDN Get Involved, social media, media releases, newspaper ads, and newsletters. Additionally, RDN planning staff are available for meetings and anybody who wants to be involved will have an opportunity to provide input either electronically or directly through staff.

Policies and land use designations in a Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) is only one component of managing growth in the region. The RGS provides the policy framework for directing growth and land use activities. The detailed policy and regulatory tools that define the permitted land uses are found in Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning bylaws. 

To ensure consistency between the RGS and OCPs, each member municipality's OCP must include a Regional Context Statement that identifies the relationship between the OCP and the matters addressed in the RGS, such as land use and mobility, housing, environmental protection and economic resiliency.

Intergovernmental Advisory Committee is a forum of government representatives from local and provincial government, other jurisdictions and agencies identified by the Ministry to help coordinate actions, policies and programs as they relate to the strategy in accordance with the Local Government Act. 

Housing needs reports are a way for communities to better understand their current and future housing needs. These reports can help identify existing and projected gaps in housing supply by collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information about local demographics, economics, housing stock, and other factors. A housing needs report is critical to developing a housing strategy or action plan.

In accordance with the Local Government Act, Housing Needs Reports are required to report on the following data:

• housing units required currently and over the next five years,
• number of households in core housing need, and
• statements about key areas of local need.

While the regulations on Housing Needs Reports do not provide direction on the type of community and stakeholder engagement that must be completed, the RDN recognizes the importance of stakeholder input to validate data and to assist in providing additional context not captured by statistical data. To address this 3 stakeholder workshops with representatives from social service organizations, developers, non-profit housing providers and local government were held in 2019.

The purpose of the regional Soical needs Assessment is to assess social needs and services within the region to guide future planning and programming to improve access to social supports for all citizens. The approach aligns with the key priority areas established in the the provincial TogetherBC, British Columbia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy(External link), which are:

• Programs for families, youth and children
• Social supports and services
• Access to housing and homelessness
• Access to healthy and affordable food
• Safe, affordable transportation
• Discrimination and stigma

This work was undertaken in partnership with the City of Nanaimo, District of Lantzville, Gabriola Island Trust Committee, and the Town of Qualicum Beach. 

It is supported by community partners including the Oceanside Health and Wellness Network, Nanaimo Area Health Network and the Gabriola Health and Wellness Collaborative. The resulting strategy will also be developed by engaging with the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As and Qualicum First Nation communities.

The  RDN Transit Redevelopment Strategy is a collaborative effort between the RDN, the City of Nanaimo and BC Transit and seeks to involve municipalities and First Nations, community organizations, front line transit staff, transit passengers and the public.  

The goals of the Transit Redevelopment Strategy (TRS) are:

1. Review what has been accomplished so far;

2. Analyze the system and community plans; and

3. Deliver a detailed year-by-year priority plan to make RDN Transit the best it can be over the next five years.

Further details are available on the project's Get Involved webpage, here.