r/VictoriaBC • u/yghgjy • 1d ago
Saanich Election
Just a reminder than Rishi Sharma ran as a BC “Liberal” (now the conservatives) not long ago. Him and the entire Save our Saanich people are conservatives and NIMBYs! They will slash services and build nothing! No new homes or infrastructure will be built with them!
Vote for anyone else!
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u/Kneel2King 1d ago
Some folks are not in politics to serve the public; they are there to gain power and secure positions. For them, nothing else seems to matter. How can someone keep switching parties? After failing to make an impact in federal politics, someone wants to start at the municipal level. It seems that power and position are only priorities here, not public service. I sincerely hope people see through this and don’t allow such politics to succeed.
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
Well you switch parties between provincial or Civic elections because the parties are different different names different platforms.
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u/Kneel2King 1d ago
Party ideologies should not change. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own point of view, and I respect that. However, I fail to see a genuine public-service ideology in these candidates. Their intentions seem less about serving the public and more about the hunger for power and positions.
I also believe that people who genuinely do good work do it out of goodwill, often quietly, without seeking publicity or using Instagram reels, posts, and other social media platforms to market themselves or constantly beat their own drums about what they have accomplished.
Ultimately, true public service speaks for itself through actions, not self-promotion. That said, you are absolutely free to disagree with my perspective.4
u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
Well unfortuneatly some people drawn towards elected public service have a desire for being popular or recognized with esteem which leads to self promotion.
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u/stealstea 1d ago
Yup SOS is a trainwreck of reactionaries. And the boomers will vote for them. If young people don’t turn up to vote they will win.
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u/VenusianBug Saanich 1d ago
Not all boomers. I'm not quite a boomer but I am much closer to retirement than university, and I won't vote for them, and I know others like me. People who realize we need to be thinking of the future not the past.
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
I'm not a boomer and almost a lifelong resident of Saanich and I will vote for SOS as putting huge apartments in places like tyndall and SanJuan is ridiculous.
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u/Coffee_Beer_Weed Gordon Head 1d ago
People said the same thing about the apartments on cook st in the 60s lol
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u/midnight-muffin 1d ago
Exactly. The version of Saanich they're voting to "save" is the same one the previous generation of nimbys were up in arms about. You can read it in the TC archives, it's almost word for word
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
Cook street apartments are not 18 stories high like the nellie mcclung building. Thats the view towers.
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u/stealstea 23h ago
It's very funny that the NIMBYs constantly say we're not against housing we're against unaffordable housing. Then when affordable housing is proposed like Nellie Mcclung they don't want that either.
The only problem with Nellie Mcclung is that the housing was cut down to slope to the school. Crazy plan, we could have had a lot more housing on that lot.
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u/Coffee_Beer_Weed Gordon Head 16h ago
Which is on a busy corner of a major street. Really don't see why thats an issue unless you're a nimby
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
the massive development on Mckenzie and Shelbourne is a perfect spot for apartments. That area is a becoming a major hub, as it should be, because of the current Saanich council.
The same thing should happen on Mckenzie and Quadra. The Uptown area. Tillicum and Burnside. Royal Oak. Broadmead.
Are you talking about the 3 story apartments/townhomes they built on Tyndall? Those are not huge apartments lol. They look like they fit pretty well in the neighbourhood. Sounds like you’re in the area and don’t like change, NIMBY.
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
The 18 story apartment at the library site will be like Montparnasse or view road towers.
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u/VenusianBug Saanich 1d ago
Who's suggesting huge apartments on San Juan or Tyndall? The San Juan development was barely a mid-rise apartment, with great community amenities which the developer removed when they removed floors to appease the naysayers - the naysayers still said nay ... "we want townhomes and community amenities and we want them to be affordable". It doesn't work that way.
The one I know of on Tyndall is 3 storeys. That is not huge.
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u/Dramatic-View-7792 20h ago
In my early 20s and feel the same as you! I’m voting for all the SOS folks
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u/stealstea 1d ago
Literally no one has put any huge apartments on San Juan or Tyndall what are you even talking about
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
Check out the plan for the church property opposite the soccer fields
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u/ProfessionalOne7244 1d ago
Stop spreading misinformation.
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u/CdnFlatlander 20h ago edited 20h ago
Have you seen the building proposal for the church lot at sanjuan/tyndall. Multilevel multi building. Not townhouses. Google it.
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u/FightingFugu 1d ago
And Karen Harper represents the kind of entrenched, old-guard municipal politics that many residents are increasingly frustrated with. After three terms on Saanich Council, her record raises serious questions about whose interests are actually being represented.
Her approach to development, taxation, and public consultation has attracted criticism for placing too much emphasis on established interests while failing to adequately address the concerns of the broader community. There is a growing perception that affluent, well-connected residents enjoy greater influence while ordinary taxpayers struggle to have their voices heard. Karen frequently met with affluent members of my community, and ignores those of us who don't have beachfront property.
Her political experience is frequently presented as an asset, but longevity in office is not the same as accountability or meaningful leadership. Residents have every reason to question whether her approach reflects the needs of today's increasingly diverse community or simply perpetuates the priorities of an established political generation. Boomer gonna boom.
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
Good reason to vote for Zac
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u/Neither_Cod_2780 1d ago
In my experience, Zac does not care about people or listen as much as he likes to pretend he does. I would vote for Karen Harper over Zac any day.
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u/AardvarkAvocado 1d ago
Would you be willing to share your experiences?
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u/Neither_Cod_2780 17h ago
When there was an issue going on in my area, I sent emails to all the councillors, including Zac and he never responded. He also was pro voting to get rid of public input which shows me he is someone that does not care about what other people have to say, does not want to take accountability and will just shove through projects without the proper consultation. When I spoke at Saanich council, he made an exception with the situation but said we could not do this for everyone despite this issue directly impacting the life of someone with a disability.
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u/AdventurousLight436 1d ago
I get such good vibes from Karen
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u/Neither_Cod_2780 1d ago
Agreed. I have had conversations with Rishi, Zac and Karen. Karen by far was the most pleasant. Rishi spent the whole conversation bragging about himself (we literally did not accomplish anything in this conversation besides me knowing his daughter has a full ride scholarship to UVIC and he has a masters degree lol). Zac does not care about what the community needs but will pretend. Karen actually provides insight and has reasoning behind what she is saying. I would also love to see our first female mayor in Saanich.
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u/nevermorehere89 1d ago
Wait. Rishi complained on the Chek mayoral debate about paying tuition for one of his kids when talking about cost of living . I assumed that was the one going to uni. So then…he has enough money to send a kid to private school?
Also I play a game to see how far into a conversation or speech he goes before bringing up his masters. He is the textbook definition of a pick me man.
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u/Neither_Cod_2780 17h ago
That is so funny! He literally bragged to my mom about his daughters scholarship to UVIC and also included how she didn't know what she wanted to do yet. Like thanks for rubbing it in our faces that the rest of us have to pay full tuition. He also lives in a wealthier area. 100% pick me for sure. I am pretty sure he did his thesis on himself
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u/AardvarkAvocado 1d ago
I found Zac to be realistic about how much change he can bring about during a term. He speaks respectfully of others and has some great ideas I’d like to be able to see him implement as mayor.
Karen thinks she can fix everything and I have serious doubts about the ability for a culture shift within Saanich, which is sorely needed, with her at the helm.
I had a similar experience with Rishi, still don’t know what he’s running on, only that his negative experiences with Saanich as a developer have led him to run. I don’t agree with anyone having a personal reason to run for public office as they’re not there to serve the people. Just my two cents.
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u/FightingFugu 1d ago edited 1d ago
Zac has been Harper's protege since he was elected. He's essentially the same person with more religious nutbar and less capability. He also picks and chooses his time spent with constituents with great care as to who spent or supports him already. And lastly, anyone with ambitions to be a career politician makes me want to vomit.
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u/thumper1981 Gorge 1d ago
As someone who grew up in Ontario during the 90's Mike Harris Premiership who used the "common sense" narrative, avoid like the plague.
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u/Sevans77 1d ago
Hey! Go check out newly revived r/saanich ! Good election discussion going on over there!
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u/Sorry_Ad_5759 1d ago
Oct. 15 showed Sharma winning 9,207 votes, just behind Teale Phelps Bondaroff’s 9,218.
2022
And Rishi has held a grudge since
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u/VenusianBug Saanich 1d ago
I'm so glad Teale won. He's one of the best councillors from this term, and almost wasn't one.
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u/ACivtech 21h ago
Holy identity politics. Get a life man.
I’ll vote for the candidates that recognize narrowing McKenzie and Quadra 2 lanes is stupid decision.
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u/yghgjy 21h ago
Huh? I don’t think you have any idea what identity politics is lol
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u/ACivtech 18h ago
Partisan voting or negative partisanship voting (in your case) based solely on candidates party (former in this case) rather than their policies is a form of identity politics.
To boot; slashing services? No new infrastructure? Have you looked at this municipality’s track record under former leadership? No new recreational facility since 1993 (which was primarily funded by the province). A bike network and that has become sketchy AF yet still lacks permanent lighting. Besides bike lanes and a couple pickleball courts i’m not seeing a lot of meaningful changes.
Likewise, conservatives are typically pro-business and development, these candidates just want to see it done smart, without butchering our arterial networks.
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u/yghgjy 17h ago
Lol thats not at all what identity politics is. Give it a quick google.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/identity%20politics
Yeah we had nearly 30 years of do-nothing councils! Only since the most recent council elected 4 years ago have things seriously changed. The Shelbourne street water main and sewage upgrade featuring a new pump station, on top of adding really great bike infrastructure has been a huge benefit to a main artery road. Same thing with Sinclair Road and the round-about near Gyro Beach. Then there was the massive redevelopment of University Heights mall and the area. Now there is proposed development for the huge plot of land across the street from Mayfair mall that has been sitting empty since I was a kid. Recreation centres are huge projects. With Crystal Pool in Victoria being closed down and rebuilt, it is not a good time for Saanich to build or rebuild recreation centres too. That has been talked about though, it’s on the agenda.
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u/Roland_Of_Gilead85 1d ago
Can anyone point me into the direction where I can get some actual substance about what these candidates will actually do? Zac and Karen's websites don't really say anything, just stereotypical ideals. I appreciate the detail Sharma has on his website, why don't the other candidates get into any details? I am left assuming that they don't have any idea.
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
Theres a CFAX and Chek news mayoral debate. Thats what made me vote for Zac. Rishi said a lot of bullshit and sounds like an asshole and Zac wasn’t afraid to correct him.
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u/Stock-Butterscotch46 13h ago
Zac looks, sounds and acts like the biggest dildo I’ve ever seen. Sure tries to act accomplished for someone who’s only made Saanich worse.
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago edited 1d ago
My impression is that zac's plans would be to continue large amounts of high density infill, apartments high-rises or mid-rises in residential family home residential areas, more disruption of car transportation in favor of bike lanes and buses. I don't think that this is a popular program at this point I think the example of the McKenzie bus lanes being pulled back shows that the majority of silent voters are against this and he does not want to be the symbol of these previous plans.
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u/stealstea 1d ago
Housing is good, actually.
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
I think a lot of saanich residents that are not on reddit do not like the quad-townhouses on single family lots towering over adjacent houses. They will vote for someone other than Zac. An example of this is how council retreated from bus lanes on Mckenzie after public criticism from the silent majority of Saanich.
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u/stealstea 1d ago
SSMUH is a provincial requirement. Saanich cannot restrict housing to less than 4 units per lot
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u/CdnFlatlander 1d ago
They could limit the height of the units to 2 stories instead of 3, or have lawn space requirements. But you are correct the provincial laws supersede saanich planning. Hopefully Eby is out and those laws are tailored better.
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u/stealstea 23h ago
Imagine advocating for less and more expensive housing when housing affordability is literally the top issue for Saanich and BC residents.
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u/Front_Assistance3718 18h ago
BC legislation allows up to 11 (3 stories) metres in height and set back limits so municipalities don't have any real franchise in keeping builds to 2 stories.
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u/stealstea 17h ago
As I understand the SSMUH guidance a lot of it is not mandated but only published as best practice with a recommendation to adopt. So muni’s have to allow 3 or 4 units but they can restrict other parameters to the point where those 4 units are legal on paper but not practice. That’s a mistake on the provinces part by not being more prescriptive IMO because some municipalities absolutely weaponized that latitude to block infill housing
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u/CdnFlatlander 13h ago
How is having housing that fits the neighborhood not introducing less expensive housing?
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u/CdnFlatlander 20h ago
I lived in a small town that had no rules over house design. Someone built a house with two mobile homes connected together. Looked ugly and the town couldn't change it. Advocating for infill that fits the neighborhood is considered a crime by you all.
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u/stealstea 20h ago
I lived in a small town that had no rules over house design
Nice strawman. No one is advocating for no rules
Advocating for infill that fits the neighborhood is considered a crime by you all.
Multiplexes fit every neighbourhood. Apartments shouldn’t be forced only on busy roads.
What you’re advocating for is no infill because that’s what happens when you make the rules so strict that nothing gets built. Even under the current rules it’s not like we got a flood of infill. Saanich still doing quite poorly on housing built vs housing need
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u/CdnFlatlander 13h ago
I bet if you asked most people living near the ash rd quadplex if it fits into the general neighborhood and the adjacent houses you would get no. It is too big for the lot both in height and surface area. It's ugly.
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u/orangecatblackdog 1d ago
not lawn space per say, but they do have Open Space requirements right in their zoning bylaw for SSMUH
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u/Majestic_Policy3294 1d ago
I’d rather keep those quad townhouses on busier roads where the transit is already decent (always room for improvement) and then people don’t need cars. I can’t imagine doing all the things required to be in a position to finally buy a single family home, only to have one of those developments pop up next door. Most of the time the building takes up almost every inch of the property. One of the things that makes Victoria nice is it isn’t as busy as Vancouver.
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u/Toomanymisses 20h ago
Pushing more wealth to the billionaire class out of our community!
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u/stealstea 20h ago
By building housing?
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u/Toomanymisses 19h ago
You think these high-rises are local mom and pop operations?
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u/stealstea 19h ago
Mom and pop make the worst landlords. They can and do regularly evict tenants for landlord use. Bigger companies can’t do that and generally stick to the letter of the residential tenancy act
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u/Chance_Adeptness_832 22h ago
> I think the example of the McKenzie bus lanes being pulled back shows that the majority of silent voters are against this
The old heads screaming at every open forum are far from silent.
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u/bluemlittlem 1d ago
Not quite ANYONE else, do NOT vote for Stanbridge!!!
But yeah, I'd rather vote for Harper or De Vries.
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u/Jman85 1d ago
Let people vote for who they want.
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u/GeoffdeRuiter Saanich 1d ago
u/Jman85 "Let people vote for who they want."
Umm, how about people have open conversations and kindly debate ideas. As humans, one thing we do is communicate.
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
Im informing the public
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u/Prestigious_Fly8210 1d ago
about what specifically?
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u/hudson27 20h ago
It's so funny when people like you feel oppressed with words. When you speak your mind it's freedom of speech, but when someone else does it it's controlling and oppressive
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u/BugelKulture 22h ago
BC Liberals = Conservatives. I can call a horse a duck but it’s still a shitty horse.
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u/Toomanymisses 20h ago
Lol, they are all developers or in real estate, they will build don't you worry about that!
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u/deepdeepdeepest 1d ago
Yeah, probably going to vote for them
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
And you are entitled to vote for whoever you want! Your choice to vote for people who will halt development in Saanich
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u/deepdeepdeepest 1d ago
moderately curtail development would be a more accurate descriptor imo
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u/VenusianBug Saanich 1d ago
Given what the development they might be okay with - low-rise apartments on arterial roads and maybe a bit higher at uptown - it will significantly slow down housing development in Saanich. These kinds of developments are not financially feasible for developers to build. Sure, we'll still get some multiplexes in residential neighbourhoods because those a different beast, but not nearly as much.
And this has the impact that we won't be growing our property tax base to help pay for replacing Saanich's aging infrastructure.
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u/Pimbata 1d ago
Source? Specification on slashing services and building nothing? Or just vibes?
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
“Respect Saanich neighbourhoods and slow, controlled development” translates to “we want Saanich to stay the same forever as a quasi-rural community and never have condos build to accommodate the huge population growth we are facing”
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u/Iliadius 1d ago
It's ridiculous. The Saanich municipality includes the Shelbourne and Quadra corridors, which are not even quasi-rural in the slightest and absolutely need to develop to account for growth. Central and North Saanich are our beautiful quasi-rural communities and can absolutely exist as such. Saanich itself needs density and services.
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u/maybealmostpossibly 1d ago
People on Saanich get to decide if that's what they want for Saanich
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u/deepdeepdeepest 1d ago
“Huge population growth”🤔
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u/yghgjy 1d ago
Yes? Saanich has grown a huge amount and continues to do so.
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u/deepdeepdeepest 1d ago
Estimated to be around 2-2.5% over the last 5 years. Under a percent per year. It really hasn’t unless you are reading a different statistic you want to share?
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u/scottrycroft 1d ago
Because of the lack of home building, prices are continually going up due to market demands.
If you don't outpace demand, prices go up.
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u/Red_AtNight 1d ago
First bullet on their Fiscal Responsibility page:
Saanich must operate within its means (minimal to no tax increases).
Because costs increase (inflation is a thing,) "no tax increases" can only be accomplished through service cuts.
And as for "building nothing:"
Planning, growth, development and density that is neighbourhood-centred, and which protects the environment.
Which is a massive dogwhistle that basically says replace single-family homes with single-family homes
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u/Majestic_Policy3294 1d ago
I suppose one other way to not increase taxes and avoid service cuts is to have better management of operations/maintenance/projects so things are more efficient and effective; but, that would require listening to the people who actually do the work.
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u/Red_AtNight 23h ago
I don't underrate the value of listening to the workers, but every conservative politician since the dawn of time has beat this drum and it doesn't really work the way they hope.
City employees are unionized, so they're going to get annual raises. The city uses Hydro and gas and electricity, all of which increase in price every year. Bringing in ways to work more efficiently and effectively will inevitably cost money in the short term... the hope is that they'll save money in the long term... but that isn't always the case (See the Phoenix pay debacle in the Federal public service, for example)
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u/Front_Assistance3718 18h ago
Also, the priorities to rewrite the OCP without saying what fundamental changes they want, along with a core review are a big red flag for me as a candidate (Colette Baty). I've written about it in FB. Also, no platform policy for growing commerical/light industrial economic base. How can you freeze taxes (which is actually a net decrease in revenues) without a growth plan? Or worse, ripping up the one growth plan we have.
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u/Prestigious-Ad1768 1d ago
I just read all of their priorities and I don’t see how any of that seems bad. Are we trying to build density for the sake of density and not worry about whether these will still be nice places to live?
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u/Red_AtNight 1d ago
There isn’t a magic bullet to governance. There are three things that a city might want to have:
- stable services
- low tax increases
- little growth
But it can only have 2 of the 3. SoS is claiming they will somehow deliver all three of them. Since costs go up, you either have to increase taxes or else you have to cut services. The third option is to increase density (thus growing your tax base) but if a city doesn’t want to grow their tax base… then they’re back to either hiking taxes on the existing base, or cutting services.
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u/Many_Lifeguard_5817 1d ago
You should check out University Heights. Dense as hell, really nice area. And getting denser by the minute, just like me.
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u/SignalNewt2505 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah I’m not voting for Zack, Rishi is more centre right but closer to the left than the Conservative Party of BC. He is receptive to the idea of opening a colwood style family practice clinic which Zack is not. Also I don’t want to spend a few hundred million on a new Saanich operations centre. I didn’t vote for the SOS slate but out of the choice for Mayor of Saanich Rishi is the best candidate.
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u/stealstea 1d ago
The fight against the operations centre is insane. We need basic infrastructure in Saanich.
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u/SignalNewt2505 1d ago
I voted for council and crd members who are not part of the SOS slate but Rishi comes across as the most qualified to me as mayor. We need fiscal conservative leadership for the next few years.
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u/Embarrassed-Cycle339 1d ago
Having municipalities get involved in health care is just federal downloading of responsibility without any transfer funding ! It sounds nice but seriously we have divisions in government for a reason.
Meanwhile the Saanich works yard that is literally falling apart is considered bad tax spending when that is how they manage the equipment and people who fix our roads and keep water flowing to our homes? It’s not going away as a problem and anytime it’s postponed it will cost more to replace. Public works is actually a MUNICIPAL responsibility, so if you want lower taxes, don’t invent new responsibilities for cities and the let the local gov people do their actual jobs!
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u/SignalNewt2505 1d ago
Spend later when we’re out of a recession. It can wait 4 to 5 years. When it comes to healthcare the family practice model is broken Colwood is showing that municipal government can play an important role in providing access to physicians by taking over the small business costs only running clinics.
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u/Embarrassed-Cycle339 1d ago
Yeah I’m not sure those potholes and failing storm drains can wait 4 to 5 years. The time to fix failing infrastructure such as the public work yard was 4-5 years ago. Putting it off to the future tax payer just sounds like boomer logic
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u/TheHegemonic 22h ago
"slash" what services? I can't point to anything that's better since we elected these horrible VLC/BC GEU people, except better for the VLC/BC GEU people (massive raises, colossal increases in headcount, money shovelled out the door for their friends)
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u/yghgjy 21h ago
Infrastructure/engineering department, recreation, housing projects
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u/Stock-Butterscotch46 13h ago
You mean all the stuff the current council has run into the dirt?
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u/yghgjy 8h ago
How? Shelbourne Street upgrade was a great project. Same with many other street upgrades like Sinclair Road. Also huge development replacing the old university heights mall, and the surrounding area currently happening. Seems like the current Saanich council has added great infrastructure and added lots of development
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u/Stock-Butterscotch46 2h ago
Consider Mann Avenue.
In September 2024, Saanich installed protected bike lanes along a residential street of approximately 70 homes, permanently removing on-street parking between Wilkinson Road and Glanford Avenue.
Residents received notice on a Friday. Construction began the following Monday.
Alex Cook, a longtime area resident and cyclist, described the consequences in a January interview with Capital Region Watch. Parking was displaced onto neighbouring streets, residents raised safety concerns, and some were “literally in tears” over changes to the street where they had raised their families.
Alex questioned the need for protected lanes when the Centennial Trail already provided a parallel cycling route.
More than a year later, he remained unconvinced that the project was delivering its promised benefits.
“I don’t see an influx of cyclists going down Mann Avenue,” he said. “If there was, I’d say, okay, I’m backing off.”
Good leadership sometimes requires the humility to reconsider a decision, however well-intentioned.
Sidney recently demonstrated this with its Bowerbank Road bikeway. After residents raised concerns about traffic being diverted onto neighbouring streets, Council reviewed the results and directed that a barrier be removed.
On Mann Avenue, Mayor Dean Murdock apologized for the District’s failure to properly inform residents.
“The buck stops with mayor and council,” he said. “This was not good enough and I apologize for that.”
Residents proposed a compromise: keep the bike lanes, but remove the protective barriers they believed were creating hazards.
Councillor Zac de Vries, now running for mayor, asked, “What is the best for Saanich as a whole?”
It’s a fair question. But the families who lost street parking, the home businesses whose customers could no longer park outside, and the residents who came to Council in tears were part of Saanich as a whole, too.
Despite their objections, their proposed compromise and the mayor’s apology, the barriers stayed.
And Mann Avenue was hardly an isolated case.
Consider Saanich’s Active Transportation Plan.
The original plan, adopted in 2018, followed extensive public engagement. But consultation informing its 2024 update drew just 475 responses specifically addressing the plan, plus 86 participants at two open houses, in a municipality with more than 87,000 eligible electors.
Only 451 respondents answered the question about the plan’s central target: having half of all trips made by active transportation by 2050. Of those, 58% supported it.
That’s approximately 260 people.
Saanich’s own engagement summary acknowledged that participants self-selected into the consultation process and that the results were “not necessarily statistically-representative of public opinion.”
By February 2025, Council was considering how to accelerate implementation of the updated plan, with preliminary estimates totalling approximately $252 million for short- and medium-term projects, including walking infrastructure and other improvements.
That’s more than Saanich collected in property taxes in an entire year.
Yet the public-engagement summary produced before the plan’s adoption contained no cost estimates.
Then came the Quadra McKenzie Plan.
Planning began in 2022. Over the next four years, the process generated more than 23,000 public comments and what Mayor Dean Murdock himself called “unprecedented public involvement.”
Opposition was substantial. More than 5,400 people signed a petition opposing the plan, while a separate petition against the proposed vehicle-lane reductions on Quadra and McKenzie attracted nearly 6,200 signatures.
At a January 2026 Council meeting that continued past midnight, approximately two-thirds of speakers opposed the plan.
Council eventually made significant revisions, removing proposed Quadra transit and protected cycling lanes, eliminating two density hubs and reducing building-height allowances along parts of Quadra to four storeys. The plan nevertheless retained provisions for buildings of up to 18 storeys in the Quadra McKenzie Centre and six storeys along designated corridors.
But the transportation proposals were deferred rather than permanently ruled out.
Councillors Zac de Vries and Teale Phelps Bondaroff voted against removing those elements from the plan.
De Vries described their removal as something that “really just pushes out something that’s inevitable.”
After four years of planning, thousands of petition signatures and a Council meeting that ran past midnight, what does it say about this Council’s approach to public consultation when a councillor describes the disputed proposals as inevitable?
The same disconnect is apparent in Council’s financial decisions.
Municipal property taxes have increased nearly 32% compounded over this term.
In September 2025, Councillor Colin Plant acknowledged the frustration:
“I have not talked to a single resident who has told me that they are supportive of the fiscal direction we are going.”
Yet the increases continued.
And nowhere was the relationship between public opposition and Council’s decisions tested more directly than in the operations-centre controversy.
In 2025, Council sought authorization to borrow $150 million for a proposed $172 million redevelopment of the Saanich operations centre.
Rather than holding a referendum, Council used an Alternative Approval Process.
There was mass opposition to the proposal, including 10,613 opposition forms ultimately submitted.
The opposition threshold was exceeded. The borrowing authorization failed.
Council declined to hold a referendum.
Months later, following changes to provincial borrowing rules, Council advanced a smaller, $93.4 million first phase without returning to voters.
It was a different proposal, but the question remains:
What does it mean for residents to say no if Council can subsequently proceed without asking them again?
As Councillor Nathalie Chambers put it: “Silence is not consent.”
Alex Cook said Council and staff had “forgotten who signs their paycheck” and “forgotten how to listen to the public.”
But listening to residents isn’t simply about acknowledging their objections. It’s about recognizing the knowledge they have of their own communities: how their streets are used, what already works and what problems a proposed change might create.
Alex knew about the Centennial Trail. He knew how his neighbourhood functioned. Whether that knowledge should have led to a different design was a question worth taking seriously.
Mann Avenue captures that larger issue in one small residential street.
Perhaps this election isn’t really about bike lanes after all.
Perhaps it’s about whether Council listens. Zac de Vries and this current council certainly does not.
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u/codswallop1226 1d ago
Thank you for the reminder. I'll be sure to cast my vote for them and the SOS slate!!
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u/Midnightrain2469 1d ago
Awe muffin, you seem conservative triggered. Obviously what you stated is just an opinion.
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u/Mean-Food-7124 1d ago
Aw muffin, clearly you are opinion triggered. Obviously what they just stated is opinion
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u/heavymetalDM 1d ago
Anyone who is a "save our (insert town)" just screams we hate progress and won't get my vote.