Update December 12, 2016 - appendices to the survey, including a comparision between random sample responses and on-line responses, now available here.

Update November 7, 2016 - a report on the survey was considered at the November 4 priority session and is available here.

Results from a recent Oak Bay Community Satisfaction Survey (the survey) released on Monday October 31, 2016 reveals that Oak Bay residents are largely pleased with their community and the services that they receive. Residents who responded almost universally rated the quality of life in the District as good or very good (99%) siting safety, natural beauty of the area, accessibility or proximity to key services such as shops and schools, good municipal services, and a strong sense of community as key satisfaction factors.

The survey also encourages Council to pay attention to several local issues such as sewage treatment and sewer services, and to seek more effective control over deer. Concerns highlighted in the survey ask Council to consider the impacts of overdensification and to preserve green space. Improved infrastructure planning, housing affordability and preserving a sense of community are other notable themes.

The intent of this survey, which took place during the last two weeks of September, is to provide the District with information regarding the awareness, use, and satisfaction with current service levels, as well as information regarding perceptions of potential future directions. 

The District commissioned NRG Research Group to design and conduct the survey and 414 households participated – 400 residents were surveyed by telephone (random digital dialing) and 14 by email invitation. Based on our population and sample size, the maximum margin of error for the total sample is ±4.6%, 19 times out of 20. The District also offered an open link to the survey posted on the District website in parallel with the telephone survey enabling all interested Oak Bay resident to access the survey online. The results of the web survey will be presented at a later date.

“This has been a very helpful exercise,” said Mayor Jensen. “The extensive feedback captured in the survey gives staff and Council a sense of what is working well, where we need to improve, and what initiatives and concerns are priorities for our residents.  Considering the breadth of programs and services we deliver to our residents each day, I was pleased to see that 8 out of 10 residents who participated felt that they are getting good value for their tax dollars. As important, the feedback also indicates that we need to do a better job with our community planning function and identifies some of the issues to be addressed. This is good public dialogue – positive reinforcement and healthy criticism. We live in one of the most enviable communities in the Capital Region, and we want to ensure that we understand what is important to our citizens, and that our decision making reflects community interests and values.”

The specific objectives of the Community Satisfaction Survey were to:

• Identify the most important local issues to residents of the District of Oak Bay
• Gauge satisfaction with overall quality of life, overall level and quality of services provided by the District, and specific services offered by the District;
• Understand perceptions of value for tax dollars;
• Determine the types and sources of information desired by residents, as well as preferred contact method for future contact;
• Measure reactions to the perception of whether there is an over population of deer in Oak Bay and potential approaches to deal with it, and the potential building of a dog park in the District; as well, gauge sentiment on potential investments in infrastructure (including bike and pedestrian paths and parks and trails), traffic congestion, reducing the number of boats posing a risk to the environment or navigation off Oak Bay shores, and other services; and,
• Gauge responses to potential approaches to funding future large projects, as well as strategies for balancing funding and service levels.

Survey Highlights Include:

While there is room for improvement, data suggests that when it comes to quality of life, residents are happy:

The service with the highest satisfaction level is parks and trails (95%), followed very closely by recreational and cultural facilities (93%). Satisfaction is also high with police services (87% are very or somewhat satisfied), sports and recreation programming (85%), road maintenance (84%), and water and sewer services (81%).  Nearly eight in ten (78%) rate traffic management as satisfactory, while three quarters (75%) rate fire services as satisfactory. 

The few respondents who rate the overall quality of life as poor or very poor cite concerns with bylaw enforcement and road closures as reasons for their dissatisfaction.

Data also offers insight into future planning considerations:

Dog Park:

• Respondents are divided on this issue.
• 60% are in favor and 34% disagree.

Agreement tends to be fairly strong in terms of priorities for the future for Oak Bay, especially related to walking and biking infrastructure, and preserving heritage homes.

• 63% of respondents agree that “The District of Oak Bay should provide more pedestrian paths,” “More staff resources and funds should be dedicated to preserving heritage homes in Oak Bay,” and “The District of Oak Bay should develop more parks and trails”.
• 62% agree with the statement, “Bike paths and bike lanes should be a priority for the District of Oak Bay” and 57% agree with “The District of Oak Bay should spend more time and resources to reduce the number of boats posing a risk to the environment and/or navigation off Oak Bay shores”.

Issues relating to traffic congestion and parking appear to be lower priorities for residents.

• 51% of respondents agree with the statement “It is difficult to find parking in commercial areas in Oak Bay” while 37% agree that “Traffic congestion is a problem within Oak Bay” and 28% agree that “It is difficult to find parking in my residential neighbourhood”.

Urban deer:

• 70% of respondents feel that there is an overpopulation of deer in the District of Oak Bay.
• Those who feel there is a deer overpopulation in the District of Oak Bay are likely to support an increase in property taxes to fund efforts to reduce the deer population.
• 70% say they would support such a tax increase; 28%, on the other hand, say they would oppose a property tax increase to fund efforts to reduce the deer population.
• 78% of those who feel there is a deer overpopulation in the District of Oak Bay would support a deer cull, assuming this was the only option available to the District to reduce the deer population.
• 20% would oppose a deer cull even if it were the only option available to control the deer population.

Infrastructure funding:

• 61% of respondents say they would prefer that the District of Oak Bay set aside funds each year to fund future large projects, while 21% would prefer that the District borrow funds.
• Another 8% would ideally raise taxes to meet demands, while 3% would prefer some combination of saving, borrowing, and taxation.
• 2% indicate that their preference would depend on the particular project.

Balancing budgetary requirements with revenue levels: 

• 30% of respondents support an increase in taxes in order to maintain current service levels as well as contribute to reserve funds for future projects.
• 18% support an increase in taxes to maintain current service levels, but without the contributions to reserve funds.
• 67% of all respondents selected an option that would increase taxes in order to maintain or expand service levels, sometimes paired with the ability to contribute to reserve funds.
• 21% of respondents would prefer an option where service levels were cut, whether to maintain current tax levels or to decrease them.
• 48% in all select an option that would maintain current service levels through increased taxes, while 19% choose an option that would allow for expanded or enhanced service levels via an increase in taxes.

“On behalf of Council, I’d like to thank the residents who took the time to provide feedback and inform the Community Satisfaction Survey,” said Mayor Jensen. “This information is intended to help Council make better decisions that reflect the needs, wants and concerns of our residents. This survey is not a mandate to raise or lower taxes. The information collected, however, provides important perspectives on municipal services, as well as insight into some of the more challenging issues we need to address as a community as we move forward.”

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