Real ideas for a vibrant, affordable Saanich
Most of us in Saanich want the same things, but to deliver on our values, Saanich needs more than good intentions.
That’s why I’m running on a set of Saanich-specific ideas, formed through my experience serving community organizations, dealing with the municipality directly, and building a life here.
I also want to hear from you. If you have ideas for how we can build a more vibrant and affordable Saanich together, please reach out.
My Priorities
Taxes and Governance
Visible value for your tax dollars.
We all love Saanich’s parks, environment, and public services. But to maintain our quality of life with a reasonable tax burden, Saanich must ensure every tax dollar delivers visible, everyday improvements residents can see firsthand.
Focus on core services and get spending under control, by refocusing Saanich’s Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan guides the budget, but most of its “actions” are to write more reports, often with the expense of outside consultants. This taxation without implementation must end. I will push to refocus the municipality’s Strategic Plan on investing in our core public services and the frontline workers who deliver them, and ensure our spending leads to tangible results.
Restore fair, consumption-based water billing. I will fight to reverse the recent change where 50% of our water bills will be unavoidable fixed charges. Water bills should be based primarily on how much water you use, just like they are in neighbouring municipalities.
Actions, not visions: plan only for what we will actually deliver. Saanich staff produce comprehensive, award-winning plans to improve the urban forest, preserve biodiversity, deal with climate change, and more. But since they are drafted without realistic financial constraints, council shelves them at budget time and the actions often aren’t completed. Council must ensure that plans are focused on municipal-level issues and that we can afford to implement them with the resources we have.
Plain-language consultation. Public engagement, surveys, and consultation must seek real input from residents, including giving them the option to disagree, rather than forcing them to rank pre-determined options full of policy jargon.
Housing Affordability and Managing Growth
Working people should be able to build a life here.
I grew up in an immigrant family that relied on rental apartments, and today I’m restoring a 130-year-old heritage home here in Saanich. I understand the need for diverse housing options, as well as why so many people love the character of our neighbourhoods. Everyone says they want balanced, reasonable growth. I have ideas to make sure those homes are actually built.
More homes, reasonable densities. Apartments on major roads, multiplexes and townhouses in neighbourhoods, with reasonable heights and setbacks.
Expedited permitting for family-suitable homes, with public input. Saanich should create a community-selected catalog of pre-approved infill/multiplex designs and guarantee building permits in 10 business days, just like Kelowna did.
Achieve balance: manage growth while still getting new homes built. Strike a balance between regulating heights, setbacks, and parking, and ensuring enough homes are built for the next generation of Saanich residents to plant roots here.
Timelines for permits. The final step of Saanich’s ongoing “Permit Modernization Program” should be time-based goals for common permits that are benchmarked against peer municipalities in the region.
Reduce hidden costs to build new housing, especially for small projects. Benchmark our engineering requirements, bylaws, and design standards against neighbouring municipalities, and ensure any additional cost we impose is worth doing so.
Common-sense cost reductions to build gentle density such as basement and garden suites. Penticton removed the requirement to upgrade a water line when adding a basement suite, saving homeowners thousands on excavation costs. Saanich should review all similar requirements and apply common-sense “grandfathering” to conditions that are not life/safety issues, reducing the cost of adding suites to existing homes.
Support affordable, non-market housing. The free market alone can’t solve the housing crisis. I support fast-tracking and incentivizing non-market and affordable housing, especially on public land, and continuing Saanich’s Rapid Deployment of Non-Market Housing Program.
Preserve heritage buildings. Land use planning is also about what we want to keep. I will advocate to put heritage planning back on council’s strategic plan, including developing an anti-neglect bylaw and encouraging the Designation (protection via bylaw) of buildings already listed on the Saanich Heritage Register.
Transportation
Safe streets that keep our whole city moving.
Whether you’re walking your kids to school, cycling to run errands, or driving a truck for work, everyone deserves to move through Saanich safely and efficiently. Responsibly managing our growth means we need to make walking, cycling, and transit safer and more convenient, while making sure every project is guided by evidence and engineering, not ideology or "cars vs bikes” culture war.
Fix the Top 20 crash zones first. Saanich identified the 20 most accident-prone locations, yet most of the items in the Road Safety Action Plan are to conduct further study, write policies, and run education campaigns. We need infrastructure that makes our roads safe and efficient, not more reports.
Aim for a safe, connected network. According to Saanich’s Road Safety Action Plan, almost half of the recent crashes that resulted in a serious injury involved a person walking, cycling, or riding a motorcycle. Half of the fatal crashes involved a pedestrian. We need to complete the build-out of a safe walking and cycling network that connects to key destinations and regional trails.
Decouple urgent safety improvements from underground utility work. Saanich insists on bundling sidewalks and cycling infrastructure with other utility and roadway work, but this delays the work and turns everything into an expensive megaproject. If a crosswalk or sidewalk is urgently needed for safety, we should carry out a quick-build in those spots.
Fill in the gaps in our sidewalk and bike networks. Relying on developers to build road infrastructure in front of new developments hasn’t built a connected network that makes all modes safe for everyone. Saanich should consult the public to determine gaps in its infrastructure near the most important destinations (such as schools) and fill in these locations first.
Be transparent about costs. The $250 million cost of the Active Transportation Plan is bundled with other necessary roadway infrastructure, inflating the perceived cost. Saanich must transparently break out the costs of new infrastructure from essential road maintenance.
Environment and the Urban Forest
Growing our tree canopy as Saanich grows.
We are incredibly fortunate to live in a place defined by its urban forest and green spaces. Yet Saanich sits on $700K of unspent tree replacement money because the “easy” planting locations are exhausted. It’s essential that we figure out how to grow the tree canopy as Saanich grows.
Protect, prioritize, and plant trees where everyone can enjoy them. As Saanich grows, we need to prioritize planting shade trees along streets, sidewalks, and boulevards. Streetscape and transportation projects must include new trees, especially in tree-deprived areas, and recently-planted trees must be properly cared for.
Spend tree replacement money on trees. The $700K Urban Forest Reserve Fund, continues to grow, but half of our new trees (and 90% of street trees) are merely replacements. We need a plan to plant more trees, not just collect more money. The Fund can be spent on grants for planting on private property and on technology such as soil cells and suspended pavement to make trees viable in small spaces and under sidewalks.
A better tree bylaw. The Tree Protection Bylaw is currently being updated, so we have an opportunity to fix some of its issues while still protecting trees and enforcing replacement of ones that are cut down. We shouldn’t force Tree Protection Zones to be built around trees that are already approved for removal. We must also maintain reasonable allowances for removal in Rural Saanich, and removal near structures. We can protect our urban forest without micromanaging residents.
Jobs and the Local Economy
Protect the industrial and commercial lands that sustain good-paying jobs. Redevelopment in commercial, job-supporting areas must allow for commercial uses to return afterward. The Uptown Douglas area in particular should support jobs in addition to residential density.
Competitive permitting for businesses. Saanich doesn’t just need “faster” permitting, it must be the easiest and most cost-effective municipality in our region in which to to operate a business.
Support local businesses instead of chasing ones from elsewhere. Marketing campaigns to attract businesses and investment usually don’t succeed. We should focus on supporting businesses that are already here, and residents looking to start businesses.
A partner at city hall. When faced with permitting, licensing, or other issues, businesses should expect that economic development staff will be their advocates, helping them get their ideas and projects approved by the municipality.
Keep good jobs and everyday services right here in Saanich.
Affordability isn’t only about the cost of housing or taxes. It’s also about having access to good-paying jobs, amenities, and services close to home. Saanich can do more to become the most competitive place to run a business and create jobs in the region.
Amalgamation
Respect the voters’ decision. Amalgamation is a separate, non-binding ballot question from the council election. If voters vote no, Saanich continues business as usual. If voters vote yes, I’ll work in good faith to support a successful amalgamation.
Protect the character of Saanich. If amalgamation proceeds, the combined municipality must protect the Urban Containment Boundary, Saanich’s green spaces and natural environment, and our excellent public safety.
Aim for a lean organization. If amalgamation succeeds, we must ensure that the new, larger municipality continues to fund the frontline staff that deliver services, while avoiding the management expansion and bureaucratic complexity that often accompanies mergers.
Respect the voters’ decision either way, and protect what makes Saanich unique.
I’m not running as a pro-amalgamation or anti-amalgamation candidate. I’ll respect what voters decide in the non-binding referendum. But if the decision is to pursue amalgamation, there are some aspects of today’s Saanich that should be protected in the combined, future municipality.