Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins hopes to complete a number of projects, including the sewage treatment plant and the regional growth strategy, as the new chairwoman of the Capital Regional District.
During last Wednesday’s board meeting, Desjardins was elected after two ballot votes, the first of which resulted in a tie with previous chair and Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen
“I’m extremely happy and I feel very honoured that the CRD board elected me chair and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do to help move the CRD forward,” she told the Victoria News.
“We still hear and see there’s public dissatisfaction with the CRD and part of that is being able to be responsive to the public. It’s one of the things that I do as the mayor. I hope to bring that to the CRD as well.”
According to Desjardins, the board has lost its focus compared to previous years.
“We need to get some projects done. There have been a few projects that have been sitting around that if we are making progress, it certainly isn’t visible to the public,” she said, adding she hopes to complete the regional growth strategy, the sewage treatment plant and find a solution to deal with kitchen scraps, among other things.
Desjardins also hopes to sit down with staff about providing board members with more succinct information to allow them to make better decisions.
Desjardins has sat on the CRD board for the last six years and has chaired CRD committees such as environmental services and transportation and protective services.
David Howe, southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area director, was also re-elected as vice chairman.
