Husband, father, grandfather, dog's companion, positive communities advocate, BC ministry employee - Provincial Forest Pathologist, life-long student, home improvement aficionado. 

My family and I are recent transplants to the Oaklands community (5 years), after 20+ years in the View Royal (VR) community.  During our time there I volunteered on advisory committees to the VR town council, and was the president of the VR community association.  The most consistent message from these experiences was that residents often share a commonwealth of interests, and that communities are made up of people that are connected because services were designed to meet their needs.

I have wandered the world for an education learning from others in formal venues (B.Sc. - Uof Alberta, Edmonton: M.Sc. - Uof Adelaide, Australia: Ph.D. - Uof Laval, Quebec), but also equally importantly, in informal (non-institution) venues.

My family and I are involved with the settlement of new Canadian families from Syria.  Understanding their background and guiding them through the unfamiliar but necessary steps for personal autonomy has been very rewarding.  I play men's hockey, I read a wide range of literature, both fiction and non-fiction, and I appreciate the aesthetic characteristics of the Oaklands community.

As VP, Harry wants to live in a community that has a high level of engagement, that has fun, and that continues to ask itself "are the services the community needs being provided?” and “is the community well connected and involved in public life?“ 

It is hard to believe but come September 2015 I and my family will have been here in Oaklands for 17 years having moved from the West Kootenays! And what an experience it has been to live in such a vibrant community with so many advantages. Not only do my wife and I live here in the City of Victoria but our adult son and daughter do as well. Our son, wife and 10 month old grandson live on Scott St. and our daughter, husband and two sons live just off the edge of Oaklands on Vista Heights. Their eldest son attends Oaklands Elementary School. My wife and I feel very blessed to live in such close proximity to our daughter and son's families and especially our 3 grandsons. We also moved my wife's mother here 4.5 years ago and she is a resident of Kiwanis Pavilion, an awesome residential care facility.

I work for the Ministry of Children & Family Development and have now worked for the Provincial Government since 1985 starting out in the West Kootenay area. Since moving to Victoria my wife has worked for a variety of not for profit organizations all of whom have provided support services in the human services field most recently in the area of supports and services to the frail and elderly.

We left Victoria to work in England for a total of 3.5 years in early 2003 but had to return for ageing parent care related concerns. When we first came back we did consider buying somewhere else in the Capital Region but when we considered all of the benefits to being in Victoria and Oaklands in particular, we abandoned the idea. To have such easy access to shopping, medical offices, RJH Hospital, entertainment, green spaces and parks / playgrounds is clearly a huge benefit. We see ourselves ageing in place within this community.

My wife and I have been involved on the periphery of the Association for a number of years through a variety of issues and concerns. Bridey and I were also active participants in the United Way Community Tables project. I had been attending AGM's regularly with the exception of the time we were abroad. It seemed to me it was time to move off the edge of involvement and become actively involved in the heart of the Association and so stood for election as a member of the Board of Directors at the AGM this spring. I will now invest time and energy in the work of building the Associations connections with the whole of Oaklands as someone who lives on the north side of Hillside Ave. I do hope that I can make a contribution to the betterment of programs and supports and services provided by the Oaklands Community Association to the community as a whole. Please feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions or concerns that you would like me to bring forward to the Board. I can only truly represent the views of those who reside in Oaklands if you make your voice heard. It is my job to represent you and not my own agenda!

David moved to Oaklands in April of 2016 having spent approximately 10 years exiled to the mainland to complete his studies and begin his career in natural resource management. David holds a Master’s of Resource Management (Planning) from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Victoria. He currently works as for the BC Environmental Assessment Office and is the Co-Chair of the Oaklands Land Use Committee.

In his spare time, David enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and two young children Kate and Dylan. When parenting duties allow, David enjoys playing rec league hockey, skiing, kite surfing, mountain biking, and playing guitar (badly).

Brenda Turner has worked in Oaklands for over 25 years. She bought the daycare she operates in the neighbourhood 10 years ago. The daycare is often out and about around the neighbourhood supporting the community.

In her spare time, Brenda enjoys traveling, taking photographs, and reading - she does not own a computer or cell phone! She holds a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, a Bachelor of Education as well as Early Childhood Education and Infant Toddler diplomas.

  

Andrew Lauzon - Director

Andrew moved with his young family to Oaklands in the spring of 2013. After spending five years on the East Coast his family has happily become accustomed to life in Victoria. They are all active in the Oaklands community and can regularly be found in the parks around the community centre.  Andrew holds a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy from Saint Francis Xavier University. He currently works for the Royal Canadian Navy and is a member of the Oaklands Human Resources Committee.

Andrew enjoys spending his free time exploring the outdoors with his wife and three children.

 

 

Melissa Root - Director

Melissa Root worked for the Oaklands Community Association as an employee for three years, and is actively engaged in the Oaklands community both as a mother of two young boys and an awesome community advocate! Melissa has a long history of employment with the non-profit sector and is very interested in continuing to help Oaklands become the best community possible!  

 

 

 

Alex McCumber  - Director

Alex McCumber and his family are new to Oaklands, having recently joined us from Vancouver! Alex brings his experience as an architect with extensive training and professional experience with land use and planning, public consultation, mediation, functional programming, as well as building planning and design. Alex is looking forward to making a valuable contribution to the Oaklands community.