Housing divides candidates for North Saanich councilor during forum

Three distinct factions emerged from the cohort of 12 councilor candidates, who faced the public at Monday’s all-candidates forum hosted by the Mary Winspear Center and co-sponsored by Black Press Media.

The first faction was made up of candidates critical of the substance, process and premises of the Official Community Plan (OCP) review which caused considerable controversy, if not deep conflict, within North Saanich.

Among them are incumbents Celia Stock — “I stand for maintaining the rurality of North Saanich” — and Jack McClintock, who described the OCP as a foundational document that shouldn’t be rushed.

Both had previously voted against drafting a new OCP and had constantly questioned the process from their perspective. The two also used their time to highlight what they see as successes in creating more housing in North Saanich through secondary suites and other measures, challenging the claim that North Saanich needs more accommodation.

A trio of other non-incumbent candidates also offered a comparable message. Sanjiv Shrivastava, who is simply running under Sanjiv on the ballot, said he was running because the disconnect between the community and the OCP created what he called “an urgent need to help with constructive resistance to the destruction of North Saanich”. He added that North Saanich can become a Canadian model of sustainability in the age of climate change by leveraging local expertise. He also argued earlier that a lack of supply was not the reason for the current shortage, pointing to other factors.

Irene McConkey also cited the OCP process as a motivating factor. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she said.

Perhaps the most radical of these voices was Terri Rolph, who vowed to “repair” the damage done by past decisions and “enhance” North Saanich’s role on the peninsula as an “oasis of rural spaces.” and natural”. She then questioned widespread concerns about housing.

“I’m not sure what people mean by housing shortage,” she said, adding that Sidney is “exploding” with housing, as are Langford and View Royal. “There are so many places very close by that offer accommodation,” she said. “So the supply and demand issue, I think, is unproven, that there really is a supply and demand problem everywhere.” Later, she also championed the quality of transit from, to and through the Saanich Peninsula.

Rolph’s statement on the quality of local transport drew a challenge from Morgan Mikkelsen, who belongs to the second category of candidates emerging from the forum. He, along with other candidates, such as Phil DiBattista, Jen Rennison, Erin Giesbrecht and Maya Tse-Cotton, widely heralded themselves as fresh, younger voices who would help restore trust between the board and the community by addressing voters concerned about the process, while advocating for more housing.

The audience, for example, learned from DiBattista that 70% of North Saanich’s workforce commutes from outside the community. “These are people who need one-bedroom and two-bedroom rental options,” he said. Giesbrecht agreed with the need for more housing in areas where it makes sense without specifying them, just as Mikkelsen did.

Rennison, who spoke before Rolph, used his time to try to defuse the OCP as a source of controversy. OCP is a vision for the community and anyone who fears condominiums “and all these huge developments going on” should know that developers still have to go through a rigorous process, he said. “I ask that we continue with the OCP and depend on your advice that you choose not to let those tall buildings go up, but to develop those pockets that won’t affect the rural feel of North Saanich.”

The candidates, who offered a fuller defense of additional housing and the prior process, represented the third and smallest faction among the councilor candidates.

Majid Varasteh said he is running because he wants to help young people enter the local housing market without ruining North Saanich’s rural culture through a sensible infill program. He then argued that North Saanich could increase its tax revenue by allowing more people to live in the community, adding that residents could not just throw away the keys to stop others from coming.

“(Dean Park) is pretty dense and there are a lot of places that get similar,” he said. “So let’s get together, talk about it, cooperate and do it, then more people will join our beautiful city.”

Incumbent Brett Smyth said Monday’s forum offered proof that different perspectives could be heard on housing, which is needed. “We may be a rural and farming community, but we owe something to the whole CRD. We need to do some of our fair share when it comes to housing.

Tara Keeping is also a candidate for councilor but did not attend Monday’s forum.

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