have expanded their preservation efforts by launching a petition that asks elected officials to keep Saanich green.
Stefanie Cepeda, a spokesperson for the group, said the reflects the growing concern that Saanich is favouring development ahead of the natural environment.
Saanich is not moving fast enough to replace a rescinded bylaw designed to protect environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs), and unless something changes now against the backdrop of rapid growth, Saanich risks losing its few remaining green and natural spaces in little time, she said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 almost now or never,B次元官网网址� said Cepeda, in describing the perceived urgency of the situation.
The petition B次元官网网址� which launched two weeks ago B次元官网网址� asks signatories to commit themselves to B次元官网网址渧oting for candidates who will KEEP SAANICH GREENB次元官网网址� in the upcoming municipal election Oct. 20.
B次元官网网址淭here is strength in numbers, and only a few hundred votes can change the results of a municipal election,B次元官网网址� it reads.
The petition B次元官网网址� which has so far drawn 149 signatories B次元官网网址� is at least the second of its kind that has launched in recent weeks.
launched a campaign that urges Saanich council to work with regional and provincial authorities to purchase and perserve a piece of green space that B.C. Hydro plans to sell as surplus.
is said to be the largest remaining unprotected natural space in southern Saanich, where it has become a popular recreation space and commuting corridor for pedestrians and cyclists alike.
But its future use remains uncertain, and several voices have argued that the general preservation of green space will be crucial as Saanich incrases residential density.
B次元官网网址淲e must not pit green space preservation against housing development,B次元官网网址� the petition reads. B次元官网网址淧rogressive cities do both. They create more housing and preserve green space as the number of residents increases.B次元官网网址�
Cepeda cited that specific effort to preserve B次元官网网址楰ings ParkB次元官网网址� as evidence that the public wants Saanich to do more than just encourage development. Elected officials need to look at the bigger picture, she said.
Cepeda, meanwhile, said she and others in her North Quadra neighbourhood remain in the dark about plans for a subdivision in an area once subject to a bylaw designed to protect sensitive ecosystems.
Love Developments plans to 12 units on land once subject to the Environmental Development Permit Area (EDPA) bylaw rescinded earlier this year. According to the official description, the applicant plans to consolidate four existing lots on Milner Avenue, then subdivide them.
According to Cepeda, the developer has proposed a tree covenant to protect 127 of the Garry oaks on the property, while cutting down the remaining 39 trees, measures that she believes will be insufficient to protect the ecosystem at large.
B次元官网网址淲ithout the full ecosystem to support them, the Garry oaks will also disappear over time as they reach the end of their lifespan without new trees growing to replace them,B次元官网网址� she said earlier this summer.
Cepeda said at the time that the application represents the predictable outcome of SaanichB次元官网网址檚 decision to eliminate the EDPA in predicting that more will come forward.
Notably, staff B次元官网网址� not council B次元官网网址� will decide the fate of the subdivision application, a source of frustration for Cepeda.
Saanich staff said earlier this summer that they B次元官网网址渨ould anticipate that a preliminary decision would be reached later this year.B次元官网网址�
Cepeda acknowledged that the recently launched petition would benefit her neighbourhoodB次元官网网址檚 case. But it is not just about her neighbourhood, because what has happened in her neighbourhood is happening across Saanich, she said.
Residents elsewhere have expressed similar concerns about the loss of green space in their respective neighbourhoods and the petition voices their concerns as well before it is too late, she said.
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