While “Rosalie’s Village” sounds great, that’s a small amount of housing compared to what could be achieved if government got out of the way of people building and earning.
Saanich staff and council routinely obstruct construction of residential accommodation.
Besides their own ideology – exemplified by contradictory planning reports and the devious behaviour of trying to go behind a community’s back to amend an OCP – they pander to NIMBYs.
One couple objected to an infill development near Mount Douglas because they’d no longer have as much open space behind their deep property, as did an individual objecting to better use of an old school property on Carey Road – “they’ve got their piece of the rock, no one else can have any” is their attitude. Their game is to use other’s property at no cost to themselves.
The result is high property costs.
On the earning side of the balance, municipalities and other levels of government have laws and bureaucracies that impede people earning money to pay rent.
I challenge Saanich council to change its ways, to support honest people who want to build and earn.
Keith Sketchley
Saanich