Saanich's Official Community Plan

Saanich Council has opened public discussion of its draft Official Community Plan (OCP). The discussion of the OCP is a once-in-fifteen-year opportunity to consider our community's vision and protect and enhance the quality and character of this great place we call home.

The draft OCP is called "Sustainable Saanich," and, for the most part, it lives up to its name. Climate change and environment are given top-billing and most of the policies on the subjects are thoughtful and considerate. Many of the detailed actions to confront our climate challenge are missing from the plan, but a promised "Climate Change and Energy Action Plan" is supposed to fill in the missing steps.

Though the document is on the whole excellent, some sections are disappointing. The transportation section offers little more than platitudes with regard to supporting BC Transit and the Rapid Bus line. Transportation accounts for 53% of our region's greenhouse gas emissions. We will never achieve our reduction target of one-third by 2020 with diesel-powered buses. We must have a bolder vision for transportation. We should be considering the feasibility of building a light rail system and expanding our pedestrian and cycling networks.

Affordable housing is also given considerable space, but with the exception of some talk about legalizing secondary suites, there are no substantial proposals for dealing with our affordable housing crisis.

Agricultural land receives significant attention, but beyond previously-stated commitments to respecting the Urban Containment Boundary there are few policy initiatives to protect and enhance local food production. That is rather ominous, given global commodity prices and food shortages, increased transportation costs as fuel prices soar, and the growing interest in eating fresh local produce.

Saanich staff deserve credit for a tremendous public engagement process that should be a model for other communities. Saanich left few stones unturned in the quest for public input into the process.

The OCP shapes the vision of our community. Every municipality in the region reviews their OCP this year. I encourage everyone to take part in this important process and help shape our region's future.