Why Do We Have Regional Governments?

Regional districts arose out of a need for greater regional cooperation and equitable cost-sharing between municipal areas and rural areas. Regional districts help achieve regional economies of scale, and provide flexible service arrangements in which residents only pay for the services they receive.
A regional district is made up of municipalities, electoral areas, and in some cases, Treaty First Nations, each of which have representation on the Regional District Board. Regional governments provide services to both electoral areas and municipalities in the region. This includes solid waste management, emergency planning, economic development and regional parks. Services are also provided exclusively to Electoral Areas; land use planning, bylaw enforcement, fire protection as well as water and wastewater systems.

What is an Electoral Area?

Electoral areas are the communities located outside municipal boundaries, often referred to as rural or unincorporated areas. Each electoral area is represented by a director, who is elected directly to the regional district Board of Directors.

CVRD Electoral Areas:

What is a Municipality?

Municipalities can be classified as either a town, village, district or city depending on the size of their population and geographic area. The B.C. government sets out legislation that provides municipalities with the authority for things like, planning parks, community water systems, local police, roadways and parking, and flexibility to respond to the varying needs and changing circumstances of each community. The province regards municipalities as autonomous, responsible and accountable government directed by democratically elected councils.

CVRD Municipalities:

• City of Duncan
• District of North Cowichan
• Town of Ladysmith
• Town of Lake Cowichan

How Regional CVRD Services are Financed

Every service has its own group of participants and only those participants pay for the service. Each service has its own separate budget – revenues and costs cannot be shifted from one service to another and no service is permitted to run an operating deficit.
The main revenue source for regional district services is the property value tax, which is based on assessed value. Parcel taxes (i.e. a flat rate for each lot in the service area) and fees are other minor revenue sources. Property value and parcel taxes are collected on behalf of the regional district by other governments. In participating electoral areas, taxes are collected for the regional district by the province’s Surveyor of Taxes. In participating municipalities, regional district taxes are collected by the municipal governments.

Who Does What?