At a breakfast event held by the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Peninsula mayors spoke about last yearB次元官网网址檚 highlights, their goals for the future and how they might better appeal to businesses. Mayors answered questions from the moderator and audience on a variety of issues.
To start, MLA Adam Olsen encouraged business owners to tell him how the new employer health tax introduced by the province will affect their businesses.
Steve Price, mayor of Sidney, began by praising the speed and efficiency of the Town of SidneyB次元官网网址檚 planning staff, because B次元官网网址渨ithout them, we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be having the six or seven-week building permit turnarounds.B次元官网网址� Densifying the core continued to be a priority for Price, which he circled back to later in the event.
Like Sidney, Central Saanich is slated to update their Official Community Plan next year B次元官网网址� a document outlining, in broad terms, the priorities and vision of the community for the next 25 years. Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor mentioned access to and from the Pat Bay Highway as B次元官网网址渁n age-old issue,B次元官网网址� and praised Butchart Gardens, who he said had been B次元官网网址渇airly low keyB次元官网网址� about environmental improvement projects in their area B次元官网网址� including operating a pump out boat and cleaning up the surrounding waters. Reflecting its agricultural roots, Windsor said large drainage projects would be a priority. He reminded participants there is a March 15 public consultation on the future of Saanichton Village, held at the Log Cabin Museum from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
North Saanich Mayor Alice Finall highlighted last yearB次元官网网址檚 municipal hall renovation, with new solar panels and a battery bank to power the emergency operations centre. The Jubilee Park playground with its airplane play structure and four new pickleball courts at Wain Park were also a highlight of 2017, as was the sale of the the Dunsmuir Lodge lands (the central portion with the buildings to Homewood Health and the east and west portions to the Pauquachin First Nation). The future of Sandown continues to be a priority.
On the issue of transit improvements to Victoria International Airport, Finall said until BC Transit buses are better equipped for luggage, itB次元官网网址檚 unlikely. Price was in favour of more bus service to the airport, and Windsor was hoping to see more electric car charging stations.
When asked how they planned to tackle affordable housing, Finall was pleased to see B次元官网网址渁lmost 100 units of affordable housingB次元官网网址� in North Saanich, and said non-market housing was needed the most. She said about 45 per cent of residents cannot afford the high-end buildings that make up most new construction. They are moving towards an affordable housing policy which should be in place by the end of this term.
Price said a 56-unit building is under way in Sidney, and two more will go up soon. He acknowledged densification of SidneyB次元官网网址檚 core was controversial, B次元官网网址渆ven though itB次元官网网址檚 been in the OCP and land advisory plan for 20 years,B次元官网网址� which he said was B次元官网网址渒ind of backwards thinking.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e need those extra people in the core to keep the businesses sustainable for the whole year, not just in the summer months when the tourists come,B次元官网网址� said Price.
He also said some developments are higher end, but it frees up lower-end housing for others moving up.
Windsor said in the past, 90 per cent of development was single-family detached homes, which is the least attainable. A shift to multi-family residential developments is reflected in the Marigold Lands development, which Windsor said was a positive experience from the side of council.
On economic strategies, Finall said the North Saanich Flavour Trails have awakened regional interest in agricultural economic development, which has overtaken forestry as an important economic driver. She said money earned from agriculture stays in the community, leading to additional jobs and earning power (the multiplier effect).
Price said SidneyB次元官网网址檚 council had a B次元官网网址渇abulous working relationshipB次元官网网址� with the Sidney Business Improvement Area, and said B次元官网网址渘o other council has done as much to support business and we want to continue doing that.B次元官网网址�
The mayors had no strong position on amalgamation and looked to the province for more direction. Windsor said the province did a study (the Capital Integrated Services and Governance Initiative, or CISGI), and that with other NDP priorities, amalgamation studies did not seem to be a provincial priority. Finall pointed out that CISGI was focused on more efficient service delivery only (emergency services, for example) rather than combining entire municipalities.
When asked about the foreign buyersB次元官网网址� tax on real estate, which has expanded into the CRD, Windsor said about four per cent of buyers were foreign in Central Saanich, and he said he was told it would only become a problem if it increased to 10 per cent.
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
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