Collaborative Solutions

Good decisions start by listening to the people who live here.

I started my term when our community was extremely concerned having paid ~$400,000 of taxpayer money to an urban development planning consultancy to update the district’s 2007-Official Community Plan (OCP).  

My 2022-election platform promised that going forward, we will supplement the collected data with respectful and wide-ranging input from residents of North Saanich to devise collaborative solutions to the challenges of our community in the climate change era. 

Recognizing that our community is blessed with a number of residents with expertise in community planning, agriculture, land management, marine research, environmental sustainability, data analysis, and much more, I undertook to advocate to solicit and include the wealth of local expertise to foreground local concerns within the context of regional and global trends in revising our OCP. 

This collaborative approach has guided my work on all the ten committees and working groups that I have been a part of during my first term on council. 

 

Engaging Local Community Expertise

North Saanich has the expertise we need—right here in our community.

One of the first things we did as a new council was to establish a Mayor’s Official Community Plan Advisory Committee (MOCPAC) and four Working Groups (Housing & Planning, Agriculture & Food Security, Climate, Environment and Ecology and Marine & Waterways). Aside from councillors as chairs and alternates, the committee and working groups were populated by twenty-one community volunteers and experts. 

We held thirteen public community meetings, and all meetings were open to the public and webcast for those who could not attend in person. Agendas and minutes of meetings were also made available to the public. The Committee and its four Working Groups provided vital information to incorporate into the draft OCP. 

I have much gratitude and deep respect for the incredible wealth of knowledge and dedication of the community members who selflessly and generously gave their time and expertise to further our common goals.

I will continue to ensure residents’ knowledge and voices shape the decisions that affect our community.

Accountability: Fiscal and Natural

What we cannot measure, we cannot improve.

The thoughtful review of the OCP not only honoured extensive community input in making policy choices, it also carefully weighed the financial and environmental implications of various options.  

Our OCP strives to protect the ecological value of our farms, forests, and hedgerows, the rural community character of North Saanich, while also accounting for the costs of creating and upgrading infrastructure in North Saanich. To attain this, I have been advocating for developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and success. 

The summary of MOCPAC states the vision for the OCP as follows:

North Saanich’s OCP needs to be developed within the context of climate change and housing pressures and be reflected in a land/water use management scenario that builds on the context and recommendations outlined above by both MOCPAC and the Working Groups. In this manner, we can remain a community of diverse neighbourhoods, quiet countryside and abundance of natural features surrounded by the sea – amidst an agriculture community that is protected and farming sustainably.

Strengthening Food Security & Food Policy

Protecting farmland means protecting our future.

I have consistently championed for preserving agricultural holdings and supporting food production in North Saanich. During my term, I worked extensively with local food growers to find viable solutions to connect, train, and collaborate in increasing land use for food production within our community to address the logistics of food security for ourselves and our neighbours. 

Aside from my work on the agriculture committees, I chair the working group for the Harvest Hub, which is a community donor-funded initiative to support local food systems, and which I’m very excited to see getting close to completion.

I will continue to work closely with local and regional initiatives such as Closing the Supply Gap, Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiative (CRFAIR), and South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), as well as the Doughnut Economics Action Lab’s (DEAL) evolving work on policies to support resilient food systems. Local land. Local food. A more resilient North Saanich.

Environmental Sustainability

Planning for tomorrow, not just today.

As councillor, I have encouraged the district to conduct long-term environmental impact assessments of any future plans and policies to maintain the high quality of life for current and future residents of North Saanich in partnership with our neighbours.

I have introduced important policy tools such as the UN Sustainability Goals and the Environmental Performance Index (EPI)  in the OCP to encourage data driven policies for a sustainable future. I support the Bioregional Framework for the Saanich Peninsula. 

Going forward, I will work to establish a natural Assets Management Inventory to harness advances in data, science, and technology for policymaking in the district. 

I will continue to encourage the council to create a disaster risk-reduction strategy and a viable emergency preparedness response and recovery policy for our community. I also hope to work closely with the W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians and other local initiatives.

A resilient community is one that protects its natural environment and prepares for the future.

Sensible Sustainable Housing

Housing for people, not development for development’s sake.

North Saanich needs housing that meets real community needs—not development for development’s sake. I support diverse, sustainable housing that meets provincial requirements, that’s already addressed in the OCP, while protecting the rural character, trees, agricultural land and greenspace that define our community.

Housing should reflect our actual demographics and responsible population growth, while working with the natural landscape and reducing its environmental footprint.

Most importantly, neighbourhoods should be designed for people: safe for seniors to walk, safe for children to play and connected to the green space around them. We can provide needed housing while preserving the character, livability and natural environment that make North Saanich home.

Respecting Rural

What we have preserved—and what we continue to protect.

North Saanich is indeed the land where “it is truly good to be”.  Our district has a unique combination of being a major regional transportation hub, while also stewarding a significant share of forest, farms, and foreshore in the region.

The presence of diverse research and teaching organizations in our district and its vicinity (such as the Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Centre for Plant Health Research), we also have the possibility of creating North Saanich and the Peninsula as a centre for excellence for local solutions to globally connected challenges.

I hope you will support me in continuing to work with council, staff, and residents to retain the rural, green, agricultural, and community-oriented character of North Saanich.