North Saanich council considers response to provincial housing report

The housing ministry made four directives for North Saanich to better meet its housing targets

North Saanich council considers response to provincial housing report Published 4:30 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2026 North Saanich council has asked the district CAO to extend a provincial deadline for the district to respond to a report and proposed directives from the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs for the district to meet its proposed housing targets. At a committee of the whole meeting on Monday, July 14, council moved to ask for the two-week extension to address the June 16 report from CBRE Development Strategy and Consulting Group, which lays out 19 recommendations to the district, along with four directives from Minister Christine Boyle.

The report recommended the district extend the Urban Containment Boundary (UCB) to support development up to six storeys and to loosen restrictions of secondary suites and accessory buildings, which were among the most controversial of the recommendations to residents who spoke at the committee meeting, and some council members. In a draft letter to Boyle’s office, the district said “many of the recommendations build upon work that is already underway,” and they have been implementing their housing policies through the ongoing zoning bylaw, which complements the Official Community Plan that was finalized in July 2025.

They said the district is already developing development and amenity cost charges and improving the development approval process, and they are open to reducing parking requirements and exploring accessory development potential, which were among Boyle’s directives. The letter, however, noted that they did not agree with reducing minimum lot sizes and expanding subdivision opportunities. At the meeting, couns.

Sanjiv Shrivastava and Kristine Marshall, along with Mayor Peter Jones, raised concerns around the residential capacity change that would come with the changes, and questioned if the district had the infrastructure to address their perception of population growth, like police and fire services, parking, transit and parkland. “Council believes it is important to balance the Housing Target Order with the objectives of the Regional Growth Strategy. As the district continues implementation of its new Zoning Bylaw, it intends to recalibrate the proposed zoning framework to ensure that both the quantity and location of future housing opportunities support provincial housing objectives while remaining consistent with the Regional Growth Strategy and the Official Community Plan,” noted the draft letter.

In August 2024, the housing target order came into effect, establishing a five-year target of 419 housing units by July 2029. Their first-year target was 60 units, though the district only delivered 12 units. In January, CBRE Development Strategy and Consulting Group was appointed as an independent advisor to assess the reasons for the underperformance, prompting the report that was released on June 16.

One could argue the problem stems from the years-long process of developing the OCP, which sowed divide in the district between those who were open to new development and those who wanted to better preserve rural character – leading to the first consulting firm Modus quitting mid-process and the district having to develop its own OCP from scratch. Jones explained to the committee that he first ran for council after Modus showed at the Dean Park area and limited consultation to 10 residents of the same 800 that live in the neighbourhood.

“We are being criticized, which is the residents and council, by the CBRE report, that we did not consult properly with the residents for our new OCP. Yes, we did. And when I look back at my comment with regard to Modus, they did not.

So we stand on the high ground in regard to engaging with our residents, engaging with council members as well. So I have a major, major problem with the CBRE report,” he said, adding that it feels like reading the Modus draft, which created categories for infill and small lot residential, and recommended reducing the minimum lot size to facilitate infill. If the province agrees to extend the response by two weeks, the district will have to respond by July 31.

A special council meeting will be held before then to facilitate community engagement regarding the draft response. Residents are invited to share feedback to corportateservices@northsaanich.ca.