2017 Budget Information

As presented in the financial plan, the 2017 operating budget totals $224.5 million and the capital budget totals $51 million.

Combined with utility fees, the overall costs to homeowners would result in a 2.91% increase from 2016 and 2.98% increase for businesses.

On November 24 Council received the Victoria Police Department's budget request which was $277,000 higher than previously included in the draft Financial Plan. Including this additional expenditure request, the total budget is $224.8 million and if a tax increase is approved as the funding source for the increased request from VicPD, the overall increase including utilities would be 3.1% for homeowners and 3.18% for a typical business.

Read the 2017 VicPD Provisional Budget [PDF - 771 KB]

Learn More:

Read the full Financial Plan [PDF - 25.4 MB] or peruse the Budget at a Glance [PDF - 5.6 MB].

Budget Highlights:

  • Provides $250,000 in funding for the City’s Affordable Housing Reserve
  • Support for arts and culture with over $1.4 million including public art, festivals, special events, Butler Book Prize, Artist in Resident and Poet Laureate program
  • Invests approximately $27.5 million in the City’s parks, recreation and facilities, including 137 parks, 72 hectares of parklands, 207 hectares of natural landscape, 40 playgrounds, 23 tennis courts, 12 off-leash areas, 45 sports fields and 100 City facilities
  • Completion of the Parks and Open Space Master Plan
  • Park Improvement Plan for Topaz Park
  • Completion of Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre Feasibility Study to explore future facility and amenity options
  • Crosswalk installations or upgrades at nine locations
  •  Dallas Road Seawall rehabilitation
  • Clover Point shoreline remediation
  • Invests $70.2 million in public safety (police, fire and bylaw)
  • Implement #Biketoria cycling network on Pandora Avenue, Fort Street and Cook Street
  •  Replaces aging pipes and underground infrastructure, including some of the City’s oldest pipes installed in 1891, to ensure clean water and environmental protection for the harbour and City’s natural areas
  • $4.9 million in continued funding for the Greater Victoria Public Library
  • Local area neighbourhood plans – completion of plans for Fairfield, Gonzales and Victoria West. Commencement of plans for Rockland, Fernwood, North Park and the North and South Jubilee neighbourhoods.
  • Completion of the Arts, Culture and Events Master Plan
  • Advancing options for the Fire Department Headquarters
  • Lead local community events and programs for Canada’s 150th celebrations, themes "The Year of Reconciliation"
  • Continued implementation of the Gorge Waterway Management Plan
  • Introduce a new Open Data Portal and refresh the City’s website
  • Funding for parking customer service improvements including credit card "tap and go" functionality in parkades and additional payment options