A fresh partnership is coming to the Oak Bay Marina restaurant.
On Aug. 5, the district announced an interim agreement with the Songhees Development Corporation, granting Songhees Events & Catering – a social venture committed to Indigenous employment, skill-building and cultural revitalization through Indigenous cuisine – exclusive use of the restaurant until the end of September.
Oak Bay, which owns the oceanfront eatery and Marina, called the restaurant's site one of "profound cultural and historical significance to both the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation," adding the project will “activate the space for community and cultural events, while contributing to reconciliation, relationship-building and collaborative exploration of the site’s long-term future.”
Mayor Kevin Murdoch expressed a similar sentiment.
"Council continues to explore meaningful ways our communities can build closer relationships and is pleased we were able to support Songhees Events & Catering in this way," he said.
A long-time community fixture, the restaurant opened in the 1970s and was taken over by the Oak Bay Marine Group in 1994, but it shuttered its doors in 2023 due to challenges related to labour shortages, supply issues and inflation. Since then, the district explained it “has not been actively marketed as council is in the process of exploring long-term options for the site."
The space will now be available for event bookings through Songhees Events & Catering.
When asked how the profits would be split between Oak Bay and the caterer, the district's said it doesn't "have additional information to share at this time."
Online, a social media post about the partnership has received a handful of comments, including one from a Facebook user who asked whether the change means a restaurant is opening in the space.
“This is focused on Songhees Nations' community and cultural events," Oak Bay responded. "For this short-term pilot project, the use will be events-based rather than a restaurant operation."
For more information about Songhees Events & Catering, visit: songheesevents.ca.
