Saturday January 31, 2026 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The City of Langford Community Advisory Committee met on January 27, with an agenda fully devoted to complete the assignment of funds to community groups or agencies up to a total of $100,000.
The full available amount of $100,000 was assigned to 24 groups or organizations that are deemed to be either located in Langford or serving some identified need within the Langford community. Five other asks were not approved.
The City’s 2026 budget potentially earmarks $100,000 for grants in aid.
The funding recommendations are now up for approval by City of Langford council.
Committee profile:
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is chaired by City of Langford Councillor Keith Yacucha. The two other elected representatives on the committee are Councillor Colby Harder and Councillor Mark Morley. Are three are serving their first term as elected politicians.
The other five members on the committee are not elected but volunteered to be on the committee: C Foxall, F Johnson, N Lehman, M McDonald, R Plomp and J Whiteway.
Five city staffers also attended the meeting.
This year’s process:
In each of the last three years, the process by which the CAC has determined the assignment of grants in aid has changed completely each year.
This year’s categories were loosely around whether the organization was located in or locally serves the Langford community. A second tier was groups that may be located beyond Langford but provide some service within or for Langford. Another set was for groups outside of Langford but which provide a service that is useful to the region including Langford. Applications had been accepted up to mid-December.
Last year the committee struggled with trying to assign groups by categories like sports and food security.
Several school parent organizations had come forward last year, but only one this year. This year the message from the committee was that the provincial government or school districts (which are funded by the province) should be providing funds for playgrounds.
However, two high school grad-season events were recommended for funding, those being the Dry Grad events at Belmont Secondary and Royal Bay Secondary.
Chiseling down the total grant funding to $100,000 saw a bit of perfunctory number crunching toward the end of the nearly three-hour evening meeting.
A lot of meeting time was used up by the Chair repeating the same message after deliberation of nearly every group as to nearly every group or organization seeking volunteers. That message might have been more efficiently encouraged by the committee at the start and end of the meeting, especially as the night was long for all concerned and would not have seemed negative if an applicant was not currently seeking volutneers (which could be for many reasons).
Earmarked funds:
The following funding amounts for 24 applicants were earmarked for review by Council at an upcoming meeting (the next two upcoming meetings are on February 2 and February 17):
- a. Belmont Dry Grad: $4,000
- b. Goldstream Food Bank: $7,000
- c. Salvation Army Connection Point Church and Resource Centre: $6,000
- d. Theatre Al Dente Society: $2,000
- e. Access West Shore Society: $600
- f. Royal Bay Secondary: $1,200
- g. Big Brothers Big Sisters: $6,000
- h. Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria: $6,000
- i. Colwood Creek Park Community Garden: $2,500
- j. Juan de Fuca Lacrosse Association: $2,000
- k. Juan de Fuca Navy League: $6,400
- l. Rewired Recovery (SoberFest): $5,000
- m. Sport Assist: $5,000
- n. Victoria Brain Injury Society: $3,000
- o. Westshore Football Association: $2,000
- p. Westshore Community Concert Band: $4,000
- q. Soroptimist International Victoria Westshore: $2,000
- r. Peer Progress Collective: $1,200
- s. Edward Milne Community School Society: $2,000
- t. Take a Hike Youth Mental Health Foundation: $2,500
- u. Victoria Sexual Assault Centre: $10,000
- v. Peninsula Streams Society: $5,000
- w. Vancouver Island Hispanic Network Society: $4,000
- x. Its Not Magic It’s Community: $600
Funding was not approved for:
- a. Happy Valley Elementary Playground: $10,000
- b. Greenegin Karate Society: $10,000
- c. KidSport Greater Victoria: $10,000
- d. Healing Hands for Diabetes Foundation: $10,000
- e. Tennis BC: $10,000
Relying on groups and volunteers:
Funds granted to third-party entities like groups and non-profits are considered to be a key source of labour for things that City sees outside its own direct responsibility.
Many of the groups that were approved for funding do have paid organizers, but there is frequently a need to also rely on volunteers. That differes from services that the City sees as its own responsibility which are entirely delivered by staff or by contract with vendors.
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NEWS SECTIONS: LANGFORD | WEST SHORE LOCAL