North Saanich is facing the possibility of failing to meet its first-year housing target, according to a letter from B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon.
The letter, dated May 7, raised concerns about the municipality's progress in achieving the province's mandated housing goals.
Kahlon's letter highlighted that North Saanich had only achieved six net-new housing units, representing a mere 10 per cent of the year-one target of 60 units.
This assessment was based on the housing targets progress report submitted by the district.
The province has established a five-year housing target for North Saanich of 419 units, with a total of 60 units in year one, 128 in year two, 208 in year three, 303 in year four and 419 in year five. This total figure represents the minimum number of new housing units required to comply with the provincial housing target order.
“This limited progress, combined with only 10 instream units, indicates that the district is at risk of not meeting or making satisfactory progress toward its Year 1 target of 60 net-new units,” Kahlon wrote.
He further noted the perceived "insufficient detail" in the district's progress report, particularly regarding policies, partnerships and actions undertaken to boost housing supply, as well as information about withdrawn or rejected development applications.
The letter also stated ministry staff had offered to meet with district representatives to address these perceived deficiencies, but these offers were reportedly declined.
Communications and engagement manager Myles Dolphin clarified that district staff responded promptly to the ministry’s inquiries and indicated a willingness to collaborate.
According to Dolphin, all questions and requests from the ministry were addressed through a "constructive email exchange."
“In the ministry’s final communication, they reiterated their availability to meet should the district have any follow-up questions. Since staff were able to fully respond to the requests through written communication and had no further questions, a meeting was not pursued,” Dolphin explained.
He affirmed the district's commitment to maintaining open communication with the ministry and fulfilling all reporting requirements under the Housing Supply Act.
The district’s first annual report, covering the period from Aug. 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025, is expected to be submitted in mid-September this year, containing a comprehensive and detailed report that will address the ministry's concerns.
Kahlon’s letter also expressed hope that the district's soon-to-be-completed official community plan (OCP) "would place a strong emphasis on delivering housing supply and that the district would prioritize the processing of development applications and data collection to ensure it meets its housing targets."
The five-year housing target order for North Saanich took effect on Aug. 1, 2024 and will end on July 31, 2029.
The overall target of 419 units reflects 75 per cent of the total provincial housing needs estimate for the district.
Council shoots down motion to discuss letter
The minister’s letter was tabled at Monday's (May 26) regular council meeting, which also included a large agenda featuring the OCP draft update, the food hub feasibility study, funding for E-Comm 911 and a motion to fund the First Nations inter-tribal Powwow.
It was listed on the agenda as 'correspondence for council’s information' and would usually be read without discussion or recommendation from staff.
Coun. Jack McClintock proposed a motion to prioritize the minister's letter earlier on the agenda, saying it warranted a "fulsome" discussion.
However, his motion was defeated by a 4-2 vote, with Mayor Peter Jones and Couns. Irene McConkey, Kristine Marshall and Sanjiv Shrivastava opposing and Coun. Celia Stock supporting the motion.
McClintock explained, "It genuinely was worthy of discussion because there were some matters that were raised by the minister in his letter.”
He emphasized the importance of discussing a ministerial-level letter on a current topic in a public forum "where people can watch our council debate, if not at least discuss it."
“This would have given the public the opportunity to be more informed as to why these questions are being asked and to get some answers from staff,” he added.
“The answer could have been quite simple – a significant reason as to why staff declined to meet with ministry staff to discuss deficiencies in their progress report.”
McClintock said it was not his intention "to put staff on the spot and that the intention is to get questions answered.”
Peninsula News Review has reached out to Mayor Jones but has yet to hear from him.
Coun. Shrivastava, who voted against McClintock's motion, said, "As the minister’s letter clearly states, the first annual progress report is only due in September 2025 and the work on the bylaws review is still ongoing. The OCP’s first reading was on the council agenda (which was approved 5-1) and that any discussion about the letter could only have been hypothetical."
The proposed North Saanich OCP bylaw is currently under legal review, with results expected in time for the next council meeting on June 9.
A second and third reading may be conducted during a scheduled public hearing on June 23.
