Electoral areas are communities outside municipal boundaries, often referred to as rural or unincorporated areas. As a regional district, the CRD is responsible for administration and delivery of local services in the Juan de Fuca, Salt Spring Island and Southern Gulf Islands electoral areas.
Each electoral area is represented by a director, who is elected directly to the CRD’s Board of Directors. The CRD Board has established, by bylaw, a number of commissions to provide community input into the delivery of specific CRD services in the electoral areas. The Board may also establish committees to provide advice and recommendations in relation to a CRD service or potential service. The Electoral Areas Committee has been established by the CRD Board Chair as a standing committee to oversee and make recommendations regarding services in electoral areas.
Residents only pay for services provided to their specific area. This may include a mix of local services (within one electoral area) and broader services offered at the regional and sub-regional level. Land use planning services for Salt Spring Island and Southern Gulf Islands electoral areas are provided by the Islands Trust; the CRD provides community and land use planning for the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.