Boundary Study for Electoral Area F

The Regional District of Nanaimo is pleased to announce that it has re-engaged the services of Neilson Strategies Inc. and Leftside Partners Inc. to lead the Boundary Study for Electoral Area F. Building on the work from the Electoral Area F Governance and Services Study, Allan and Sherry return to determine possible boundary scenarios within Electoral Area F, and identify some of the implications of the proposed boundaries on any future incorporation.

The study will take approximately eight to nine months and will begin in November 2024. The public will have opportunities to provide input on the potential boundary options to determine whether there is a desire to proceed with an incorporation study for a more in-depth analysis.

As the study unfolds this website will be updated. Register and subscribe by following this project to receive email notifications on the latest updates.

On March 13, 2024, correspondence was received from Minister Kang awarding the RDN a grant of $45,000 for a Boundary Study for Electoral Area F.

Building on the momentum of the 2022-2023 Electoral Area F Governance and Services Study completed in May 2023. The Ministry has provided a $45,000 grant to the RDN to undertake a boundary study in Electoral Area F as the next step in the study process.

In the May 2023, committee recommendation to undertaking an incorporation study for Electoral Area F, the RDN Board subsequently requested approval and funding from the Ministry for an incorporation study. In its evaluation of the request, the Ministry identified several reasons why proceeding directly to an incorporation study was not appropriate for Electoral Area F:

• The findings from the governance study included residents’ desire to have robust land use and planning bylaws in place to protect the rural environment. Many of these issues can be addressed through the Official Community Plan, which is currently being updated.
• Public participation rates for community outreach events held during the governance study were low.
• Incorporation of the entire Electoral Area is not viable due to the number of farms that would be impacted (i.e., farms are taxed at a higher rate in municipalities).
• There is not a strong sense of shared identity across the communities in Electoral Area F.
• The Electoral Area F Governance and Services Study did not specify which portion of the Electoral Area is most suitable for incorporation.

The Ministry recognizes there is a strong desire from the Regional District to build on the momentum of the Governance and Services Study. To address some of the mentioned concerns, the Ministry approved the undertaking of a Boundary Study. Such a study would help determine any viable geography within the Electoral Area F that would benefit from an incorporation study and provide opportunities for additional public engagement to bolster the findings of the governance study.