This is a key issue in my platform for 2018. Saanich has been called a “suburb” of Victoria ... which we are not. Victoria is our neighbour.
We are a District municipality who has grown predominantly as a bedroom community with some businesses. Times are changing, Saanich is the largest municipality on Vancouver Island. Plus 50% of land is inside Urban Containment Boundary (this is where municipal infrastructure is already located) and 50% Rural/farmland.
I have owned and operated two businesses in this region for almost 20 years. I have also co-owned and operated a ski school and shop on a mountain up North. I know how hard it is to make a dollar and how to evaluate expenses. I have been an entrepreneur for a good part of my working years. It is the reason I feel very strongly that Saanich needs an Economic Development Strategy and why I brought forwarded the following motion from the Planning, Transportation and Economic Development Committee, which I Chair:
“That Saanich Council direct staff to include the development of an Economic Development Strategy in the Strategic Plan update, to attract, support and maintain businesses throughout the District in order to diversify the tax base and maintain Saanich’s vibrant and high quality of life.” (Adopted unanimously by Saanich Council August 13, 2018)
Saanich has been changing, from where people live and travel outside Saanich for their jobs, services and supplies, to a municipality that is a more inclusive place ... a place for all ages and abilities.
Tourists are now seeing what Saanich has from our beaches, trails, Mount Douglas, Horticultural Centre, to the new Sports Tourism Commission located in Commonwealth Place. With the growth of Sports Tourism another motion I brought forward from PTED :
“That Council consider hotel development; and further, that the District work collaboratively with the tourism industry, through Tourism Victoria, to highlight Saanich’s numerous assets, and to support sustainable tourism growth throughout the region.” (March, 2018)
With the development of long range plans with our community, we have set the vision, but also the possibilities to create where growth will happen, opportunities for businesses and take away guess work of builders what we expect.
Such long range plans also provide opportunities to financially plan our infrastructure needs. Plans like the Shelbourne Valley, Active Transportation and soon to wrap up is our Uptown-Douglas corridor one.
Saanich contributes to growing our economy through our work projects. A new adopted plan was our Strategic Facilities Master Plan highlights a 20-year plan.
This plan looks at the strategic management of the District's publicly owned assets over the next twenty years with the goal of maintaining and improving services that residents rely on. The plan takes into account the District's anticipated population and demographic growth trends along with changes in services, standards and practices, building codes and the wear and tear that the facilities experience on a daily basis.
Finally, creating opportunities to grow Saanich’s economy does not mean at the expense of our Quality of Life, which we all enjoy and why we decided to live in Saanich. From amazing green spaces, parks, trails and even those lovely planted islands (a senior reminded me how much she enjoyed them the other day) and so much more.
I know some may say Quality of Life is a buzz statement but here are two different definitions of Quality of Life, which I think resonates what we feel:
Quality of life is the general well-being of individuals and societies, outlining negative and positive features of life. It observes life satisfaction, including everything from physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, safety, security to freedom, religious beliefs, and the environment (Wikipedia).
WHO (World Health Organization) defines Quality of Life as an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns. It is a broad ranging concept affected in a complex way by the person's physical health, psychological state, personal beliefs, social relationships and their relationship to salient features of their environment.