In Saanich, four candidates are vying for the mayor’s seat. We asked each of them how they would make the municipality a better place and to outline their top three key initiatives. Here are their responses.
Richard Atwell
1. Addressing traffic and safety issues
2. Keeping taxes in line with inflation
3. Improving housing affordability
To improve livability in Saanich, we need concrete approaches to solving these top issues.
To address traffic and safety, we will establish a citizen-led traffic committee to address long-standing concerns regarding lighting, crosswalks, speed and neighbourhood traffic by putting decision making into the hands of citizens. We will improve affordability by transitioning to a zero-based budget based on last year’s actual expenses and we will justify future expenses by approving by departmental budgets by line-item. We will encourage smart densification which will focus density where it belongs on transit corridors to reduce traffic congestion. We will also fast-track affordable housing by allowing these projects to jump the queue so that they can be considered more quickly to minimize construction delays that increase costs.
Fred Haynes
1. Housing with recreation amenities and greenspace
2. Improved traffic flow and safe streets
3. Controlling tax increases
Work to enable current and future generations to live, work and play in Saanich. Improve our recreational facilities. Continue to address our needs for housing, resolve traffic congestion and protect green space to preserve our urban/rural mix. Focussing density along our corridors provides all three. Help families with children by securing more daycare and rental housing. Refocus priorities to address road safety. Reduce cut through trucks on residential and rural roads. Reduce deer populations using proven humane contraceptive techniques. Preserve the urban containment boundary and respect the Agricultural Land Reserve. Take pressure off residential taxes by expanding the commercial base in our core centers. Secure our fair share of “Smart City” economic development, and of funding supports from higher levels of government. Love each other.
David Shebib
Did not respond
Rob Wickson
1. Delivering truly independent, collaborative leadership for council and our community
2. Ensuring Saanich is affordable, vibrant, and sustainable
3. Establish Saanich as a municipal leader for our ideas, solutions, and opportunities
We need to work together as a council, as a community, and with our neighbouring communities on five key issues: housing affordability and smart planning; public health and homelessness; transportation; strengthening our business community; and fiscal responsibility
I have a plan for each of these issues. I have brought people together as a volunteer with the Gorge Tillicum Community Association, the Saanich Douglas/Uptown Corridor Study Advisory Committee, the Victoria and B.C. Chambers of Commerce, and the Moving Saanich Forward active transportation committee. With my leadership, we can make sure council and the community work together to make Saanich an even better place.