Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen credits his Danish roots for instilling in him the importance of being open to change, yet protective of community.
Growing up in the little town of Ballerup, near Copenhagen, plays into Jensen’s desire to ensure people living in Oak Bay — from citizens living in low-rent homes to those in iconic mansions — share a sense of belonging.
“Danes have always been reform-minded and open to change, but at the same time try to build a community,” Jensen said. “Hyggelig” means a sense of cosiness and community — and “that’s what we have in Oak Bay,” he said.
The Jensen family immigrated to Montreal in the late 1950s, planning to stay in Canada for a few years. They never left.
Jensen, 65, received an engineering degree and two law degrees from universities in Canada and the United Kingdom. He married Jean Thomson, a Montessori teacher, in 1984. The couple has two sons: Nicholas, 28, and Stewart, 22.
Jensen has worked as a lawyer throughout B.C. In 1996 he was elected to Oak Bay council and served for 15 years before becoming mayor in 2011.
He will be sworn in as mayor for a second term during the inaugural council meeting on Monday. He said he has a mandate to reduce the large population of deer in the community and potential for human-deer conflicts.
“People want something done about the deer. They are very concerned about personal safety, the safety of their children and pets,” Jensen said.
Jensen expects a pilot project in Oak Bay will start with a cull of about 25 deer as part of a multi-year strategy. Approved traps have been ordered, contracts are being arranged, permit applications have been submitted and the city is working with First Nations to take the carcasses.
Jensen is also focused on ways to build community. While campaigning, he said, he heard a high level of satisfaction with the work that’s been done in Oak Bay over the past few years.
“I like to think of them as the Danes of the [capital region] — the Danes are often said to the the happiest people in the world,” Jensen said.
However, challenger Cairine Green garnered 2,197 votes to Jensen’s 3,640, suggesting not all are happy in Oak Bay.
Her supporters rallied around her call for change and the need for more open government and consultation with the community.
Jensen countered that the city is committed to hosting regular town hall meetings, continuing to update its website and in the near future to phasing in webcasting of council meetings.
“Public engagement has really come to the forefront,” Jensen said.
Much of the work accomplished over the past few years has not been the stuff of headlines, but it has created a sound fiscal platform and foundation for the future, he said. That includes the Oak Bay’s new Official Community Plan and a commitment to hiring a district planner.
“We’re in the process of hiring a planner,” Jensen said. “One of the planner’s first jobs is to implement the community plan.”
The planner will be directed in the first six to 12 months to create a public process for the development of a housing strategy and housing guidelines, he said.
There’s a desire to protect established neighbourhoods and streetscapes “at the same time as moving Oak Bay forward,” Jensen said.
Regionally, one of Jensen’s main goals is meeting federal regulations that require sewage treatment to be in place in the region by 2020.
Jensen said he wants the “greenest” and most affordable option.“We have to find a solution, it’s as simple as that.”
A proposal to build a sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt collapsed this year.
“I trust when the core area liquid waste management committee comes back together there will be a renewed energy and renewed purpose in getting this done,” Jensen said.
