Fact Check: West Shore RCMP Project Approval Timing

City Fact Check: West Shore RCMP Project Approval Timing

Incorrect Statement: There is ample time for municipal councils to review the project before the March Capital Regional District (CRD) meeting.

Fact Check: There are several mandatory approval steps required before and after the CRD Board adopts the Service Establishment and Loan Authorization Bylaws. The timing of these steps directly affects when the CRD can proceed with borrowing.

While the bylaws could be considered by the CRD Board on March 11, 2026 at the latest, several prerequisite approvals must occur before that meeting happens. These approvals typically require two to three months to complete.

Once all three municipal councils have approved the Validation Report and provided consent to the bylaws, the bylaws must be submitted to the Inspector of Municipalities for review. This review generally takes 8–10 weeks, and its timing is outside the CRD’s control.

After receiving Inspector approval, the CRD Board may adopt the bylaws. Adoption triggers a 30 day quashing period, during which the bylaws may be challenged. Once that period concludes, borrowing can proceed when the Certificate of Approval is issued by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Municipal Finance Authority of BC completes the borrowing documentation. These post-adoption steps typically take about eight weeks.

In addition to these structured government timelines, and as noted in other fact checks regarding this project, there remains a risk of losing the existing IPD team to other projects due to uncertainty and delays.

These factors underscore the importance of securing approval from all municipalities by the end of January. Any longer than that risks missing the March CRD bylaw adoption window and will jeopardize the project.