Similar to counties in other parts of Canada, regional districts serve only to provide municipal services as the
local government in
areas not incorporated into a
municipality and in certain regional affairs of shared concern between residents of unincorporated areas and those in the municipalities, such as a stakeholder role in
regional planning. In those predominantly rural areas, regional districts provide services such as
land use planning,
building inspection, solid-
waste management, and some responsibility for community
fire protection. Most land nominally within a regional district is under the control of the provincial government, or in the case of national parks and offshore waters, the federal government.
Indian reserves located within the boundaries of regional districts are likewise excluded from their jurisdiction and infrastructure, and there are varying levels of collaboration between
First Nations governments and regional district boards. Regional districts are governed by boards of directly and indirectly elected directors. Municipalities appoint directors to represent their populations (usually the mayors), while residents of unincorporated areas (which are grouped into
electoral areas) elect directors directly. The votes of directors from municipalities generally count more than those of directors from electoral areas, and larger municipalities have more votes than smaller ones. For example, both
North Saanich and
Metchosin appoint one director to the
Capital Regional District board of directors, but the vote of North Saanich's director counts three times as much as the vote of Metchosin's appointee. ==List==