Policy Changes
Recomended Approaches
Natural Asset Management
The Saanich Peninsula and the WSANEC nation will work side by side to create an inventory for the natural assets on the Saanich Peninsula. These parties will also work to restore lost assets along with creating new ones.
Jurisdictional Cooperation
Collaboration between North, Central and South Saanich along with the WSANEC nation is necessary for future planning throughout all OCP’s within the Saanich Peninsula.
Planning for Connectivity
Allow parties to work together to map out areas of connectivity as well as add new features such as bogs, wetlands or waterways.
Allow supporting polocies that promote healthy ecosystem connectiviety.
Sensitive Area Inventory
Parties can map and create sensitive area ecosystems that can be updated in response to climate change developments.
Apply a “no net loss” rule by working with the outside parties to acquire inventory that will help protect the sensitive areas.
Development Permit Areas
Establish an interjurisdictional Development Permit Area (DPA) system that considers the sensitive ecosystems, riparian corridors and working landscapes as well as established parks and recognized forests on the Saanich Peninsula. Including all municipalities within the Peninsula is vital for full collaboration.
It is essential that DPAs be developed according to a fixed plan or system and not on an as needed basis
Once established it is important that the DPA system include a principle of ‘no net loss’ both across the system and within each DPA. This means that development projects impact on biodiversity are balanced or outweighed by measures taken to avoid or minimize these effects.
OCP General Principles and Policies
Encouraging and developing confidence in the decision-making partnership amongst all the parties/groups involved such as the WSANEC nation and their respective governing bodies, and the local governments of Saanich and Sidney.
Through this partnership among governing parties, collaborative action needs to be taken for changing environmental, social, and economic conditions that will affect this region in the future due to climate change.
Increasing inclusion with the public through community engagement opportunities such as; letter-writing campaigns (email, Facebook, PlaceSpeak), local presentations to residents, community events and meetings, and educational outdoor experiences to involved forests and watersheds in the Saanich Peninsula.
The supportive action towards minimal impact development in this region in-order to better protect specific aspects of the peninsula’s ecosystems is a key goal of the coalition and surrounding groups involved.
Encouraging a greater vison pf the bioregional freamework within the Peninsula's municpalities.
