Victoria's newly elected representatives hold their inaugural council meeting Thursday (Dec. 8) at 2 p.m.
Early in this new term, expect re-elected Mayor Dean Fortin to guide his eight councillors in whittling down their priorities for the coming three years.
"The first thing is to bring council together and start working as a team," Fortin said. That means pinning down five to seven priorities, "digging deep on how we're going to accomplish them, and moving forward."
Staying focused was key to getting things done during the last term on council, he said. "In the past, Victoria was often accused of started 1,000 things and finishing nothing."
After Thursday's ceremonial meeting, the real work of council begins Dec. 15.
In the coming days, the three new members elected to council are also making an effort to reach out to citizens.
Shellie Gudgeon, Lisa Helps and Ben Isitt will be available for questions and feedback at two open-door events.
"I am delighted to be able to continue the conversation and harness this community’s collective wisdom and engage the citizenry,” said Gudgeon in a release.
They takes place at 899 Fort St. on Wednesday (Dec. 7), from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday (Dec. 10), from noon to 5 p.m.