Bylaw
Bylaw No. 923 — Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service Establishment Bylaw No. 923, 2026
The question on the ballot
“Are you in favour of the Comox Valley Regional District Board adopting Bylaw No. 923 to create a new Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service for the acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance of community parks, trails, and associated facilities within the Service Area?”
Who this affects
This proposal applies only to the Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A on Vancouver Island, including Royston, Union Bay, and Fanny Bay. It does not apply to Denman Island or Hornby Island.
View a map of the Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area
Voter eligibility
Eligible resident and non-resident property electors may vote if they meet the applicable qualifications and registration requirements for the general local election.
Learn more about voter eligibility and registration
What is being proposed
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is proposing a new Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service for the Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A.
The proposed service would support community parks, trails, and related facilities in the Baynes Sound area.
Currently, one shared service supports parks and trails in:
- The Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A
- Electoral Area B
- Electoral Area C
If approved, the shared service would be reorganized into two separate services:
- Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service
- Electoral Areas B and C Parks and Trails Service
What would change
If the bylaw is approved:
- The Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A would have its own parks and trails service
- The Baynes Sound service would have its own priorities, budget, and work plan for local parks and trails
- Property taxes collected through the Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service could be used only for parks, trails, and related facilities in the Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A
- Property taxes collected through the Electoral Areas B and C Parks and Trails Service could no longer be used for parks and trails in the Baynes Sound area
- The Electoral Area Services Committee and CVRD Board would continue to approve the service budget each year through the five-year financial planning process
What would stay the same
The CVRD would continue to manage and maintain parks, trails, and related facilities in the Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A.
The proposed change is about how parks and trails are funded and how service priorities, budgets, and work plans are set. It would not change public access to existing parks and trails.
Parks and trails in the proposed Baynes Sound service area
Examples of parks and trails that would be managed and maintained by the proposed Baynes Sound service include:
Explore all CVRD parks and trails
Why this is being proposed
The proposal follows a review of the current shared parks and trails service for Baynes Sound and Electoral Areas B and C.
In December 2025, the Electoral Area A Director initiated a process to consider concerns about service equity and related matters within the existing arrangement. Representatives from the participating areas met over several months with support from an independent facilitator to review options.
In June 2026, participants identified a proposed approach that would:
- Create a separate parks and trails service for Baynes Sound
- Maintain a separate parks and trails service for Electoral Areas B and C
- Provide temporary financial contributions from the Baynes Sound service area to the Electoral Areas B and C service to support the transition
Transitional financial contributions
Creating a separate Baynes Sound service would reduce the funding available to the current shared service for Electoral Areas B and C. To help those areas adjust to the new funding arrangement, temporary annual contributions would be made to the Electoral Areas B and C Parks and Trails Service. These contributions would come from property tax requisitions from the Baynes Sound portion of Electoral Area A.
The contributions would decrease each year and end after Year 6:
- Year 1: $82,666
- Year 2: $68,888
- Year 3: $55,110
- Year 4: $41,333
- Year 5: $27,555
- Year 6: $13,778
- Year 7 and each year after: $0
Cost and property taxes
A residential property in the Baynes Sound area assessed at $875,000 — the average assessed value in 2026 — currently contributes about $143.25 per year to the existing parks and trails service.
If the bylaw is approved, the Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service budget would be considered each year through the CVRD’s five-year financial planning process.
Based on current service levels, costs, and revenues, the overall cost of the proposed Baynes Sound service is expected to be similar to Baynes Sound’s current share of existing services.
Future property-tax impacts may change based on:
- Annual budgets
- Assessed property values
- Service priorities
- Decisions made through the annual financial planning process
The bylaw also sets a maximum annual requisition: the maximum amount the service may collect through property taxes each year. This limit reflects Baynes Sound’s proportional share of the current shared service.
The maximum would be:
- $1,303,002, or
- $0.50 per $1,000 of net taxable value of land and improvements,
whichever amount is greater.
This does not mean that this amount would be collected every year. The actual amount collected would be set through the CVRD’s annual financial planning and budget process.
What happens if the bylaw is not approved
If the bylaw is not approved, the current shared parks and trails service for Baynes Sound and Electoral Areas B and C would remain in place.
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