Official Community Plan Review

At the Regular Meeting of Council held December 5, 2022, the Mayor's Official Community Plan Advisory Committee (MOCPAC) was established.

The purpose of the Mayor’s Official Community Plan Advisory Committee (MOCPAC) is to provide advice to the Mayor on matters specifically related to the Official Community Plan (OCP) currently under review.

Members of the public are invited to attend meetings in person or to view via livestream. Details on the MOCPAC, meeting dates, agendas, and minutes can be found on the District of North Saanich meeting portal. You can also subscribe for updates to stay informed on MOCPAC meeting dates.

LINKS:

• Mayor's Official Community Plan Advisory Committee Terms of Reference
• Mayor's Official Community Plan Advisory Committee Working Groups Terms of Reference

Membership:

Official Community Plan Advisory Committee

Mayor Jones

Councillor Shrivastava

Councillor McConkey

Councillor Stock (Alternate)

Bob Peart

Alan Osborne

Terry Chow

Bernadette Greene (Alternate)

Working Group: Housing & Planning

Councillor Shrivastava

Councillor McConkey

Councillor Stock

Alan Osborne

Spring Harrison

Laurie Kelly

Working Group: Agriculture & Food

Councillor Shrivastava

Councillor Stock

Councillor McConkey

Irfane Fancey

Kristine Marshall

Bernadette Greene

Sarah Hughes (Alternate)

Working Group: Climate & Environment

Councillor Shrivastava

Councillor Stock

Bob Peart

Nancy Balcom

Marilyn Olsen

Working Group: Marine & Waterways

Councillor Shrivastava

Councillor McClintock

David Tonken

Ian Bruce

At the April 3, 2023 Regular Meeting of Council, Council directed staff to notify MODUS that the District of North Saanich will not be requiring them to complete draft and that the termination of their contract is effective as soon as reasonably possible after the receipt of the District's collected data.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

At the January 30, 2023 Regular Meeting of Council, the following motions were passed:

1. That Council direct staff to resume work on producing a draft Official Community Plan (OCP) based on the work undertaken by MODUS and staff;

2. That Council direct staff to incorporate future work conducted by the Mayor’s OCP Committees into the draft and bring the draft back to Council for consideration;

3. That Council direct staff to disband the OCP Staff Advisory Working Group (AWG) and advise and thank the members accordingly.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

At the Regular Meeting of Council held December 5, 2022, Council passed the following motion regarding the Official Community Plan:

That pursuant to Section 141 of the Community Charter, Council approve the establishment of the Official Community Plan [OCP] Advisory Committee as proposed by Mayor Jones and further select three councillors and one alternate council representative to serve on the committee.

The following motion by Councillor DiBattista was withdrawn:

That Council direct staff to plan a workshop/information session in January of 2023 where staff can update council as to the process undertaken with regards to community engagement related to the OCP through phase 1, 2 and 3 and review the process of how the 6 major themes and the 30 recommendations were developed.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

At the Regular Meeting of Council held November 21, 2022, Council voted in favour of the following motion, stopping the drafting of the Official Community Plan:

1. That Council rescind the following resolutions from the August 15, 2022 Regular Council meeting:
   • 443 - That Council receive the Official Community Plan Review - Phase 3 Engagement Summary & Recommendations Report PCS-22-050. A 444, and 447 adopted at the Regular Council Meeting of August 15, 2022.
   • 444 - That the Main Motion be amended to include "and endorse" after "receive".
   • 447 - That Council direct staff to proceed with drafting the Official Community Plan as per the recommendations in Table 1 (recommendations 1-30) and approach as outlined in Staff Report No. PCS-22-050.
2. That Council direct staff that any further work on a draft of the Official Community Plan be stopped until Council has undertaken further consideration and discussion of all aspects requested by the community; to be based on the existing vision and objectives of the current OCP and the role of North Saanich in the 2018 Regional Growth Strategy, with particular emphasis on Environment and Natural Assets, Agriculture and Food Security, Climate Change and Marine and Foreshore.

3. That staff report back to Council with an outline of next steps.

Timelines and next steps are still to be determined and we will provide updates as they become available. Please subscribe for project updates to stay informed.

The Phase 3 Engagement Summary & Recommendations Report provides a comprehensive review of the engagement activities and the feedback received. The recommendations seek to address the feedback received through the third phase of engagement alongside technical planning analysis.

The table below is an excerpt from the Phase 3 Engagement Summary & Recommendations Report (see Recommendations Section) and summarizes the Council endorsed recommendations. These recommendation represent key changes and the proposed approach to guide the development of the draft OCP. it is important to note these recommendations are not a comprehensive list of all the changes or updates that will be considered while developing the draft OCP. Other policy ideas from the scoping report (March 2020), high level review of the current OCP (May 2022) and other foundational documents previously endorsed by Council will also be referenced during the development of the draft OCP.

On August 15, Council received and endorsed a detailed Phase 3 engagement summary report with 30 recommendations to help inform drafting an OCP, based on what was heard. Council directed staff to draft an Official Community Plan (OCP) per the 30 outlined recommendations. Once drafted, the plan will be presented to Council and North Saanich residents in 2023 for review and another phase of public engagement.

Over two months, nearly 800 people provided feedback on the draft vision, goals, and potential land use scenarios and policy directions related to the six OCP themes: agriculture and food systems, marine and land-based natural environment, climate action, healthy communities, jobs and the local economy and housing and affordability. Responsive to public input and a desire to reach as many perspectives as possible, several in-person opportunities, including two open houses, resident dialogue sessions and a Southeast quadrant workshop were offered, in addition to an online survey and virtual open house. There were also meetings with the OCP Advisory Working Group and the District’s Commissions.

All the input received is captured in a comprehensive engagement summary report, available at: https://www.connectnorthsaanich.ca/15055/widgets/61172/documents/86788

Based on what was heard, several shared values and key takeaways, as well as 30 recommendations emerged. The recent phase of engagement underlined congruence around six key areas that will help underpin the drafting of the plan.

1. Apply a climate lens throughout the entire OCP
2. Protect the environment and agricultural lands
3. Include First Nations at the table
4. ‘One size fits all’ policies may not work in all instances
5. No sprawl; and
6. Collaborate across jurisdictions and with neighbours

Staff will now draft the OCP and present to Council in early 2023 marking the end of Phase 3. At this meeting Council would have to opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback, and request changes. The project team would also present the Phase 4 engagement and communications plan, work plan and budget and Council would have the opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback and request changes and direct the next steps in the OCP review.

Southeast Quadrant Workshop	McTavish Open House

We would like to thank the many North Saanich residents who provided feedback on the Official Community Plan (OCP) review during our third phase of public engagement.

Phase 3 opened on May 16 and closed on June 12, 2022.

Hundreds of residents participated in the survey and visited the online and in-person open houses, where they spoke to the project team, asked questions about the OCP review process and materials, and provided feedback.

Additionally, residents from the district’s “Southeast Quadrant” participated at a special workshop tailored to address their community’s specific needs and hopes for the future. The Project Team also hosted seven dialogue sessions with various community, resident, and environmental groups as part of the engagement process.

Results from the survey, and feedback from the open houses, workshop, and dialogue sessions will be captured in a comprehensive engagement summary and will be presented to Council at the Council Meeting on Monday, August 15.

This report will document the engagement process, including who participated, what was heard at each activity, and how the feedback is recommended to be used to shape the draft OCP.

In 2023, the draft OCP will be presented to North Saanich residents for review and another round of engagement.

Southeast Quadrant Workshop, June 1, 2022

Today, the District of North Saanich kicked off its latest round of public engagement on the Official Community Plan (OCP) review.

The OCP guides decisions on how lands will be managed and reflects the community’s values and vision for the next 20 years. It will guide decisions on things like land use, infrastructure investment, and mitigating and adapting to climate change. It is adopted as a bylaw and informs Council and community decision-making.

“Residents can help shape a vision for North Saanich that protects our greatest attributes and responds to the emerging and varied needs of our community,” said North Saanich Mayor Geoff Orr. “This spring, we are continuing in-person and virtual conversations with North Saanich residents to generate ideas and capture feedback, welcoming as many diverse perspectives as possible.”

The district’s population is projected to grow by almost a thousand people: from 12,235 in 2021 to 13,000 in 2038.

Six interconnected OCP themes, informed by previous phases of engagement, will guide the OCP conversations: agriculture and food systems, marine and land-based natural environments, climate action, healthy communities, jobs and the local economy and housing and affordability.

To reach as many residents as possible, there are a variety of ways North Saanich residents can participate. Check out the key dates for more information on the OCP engagement activities!

A survey invites participants to review the draft vision, draft goals, and potential policy directions that are being considered as the District looks to develop a draft OCP. The survey, which closes on June 12, is available online at connectnorthsaanich.ca/ocp, and hard-copy versions are available at Municipal Hall (1620 Mills Road).

The District is also offering several in-person events for residents to learn more and provide feedback. These in-person events include two open houses and a workshop for residents in the district’s “Southeast Quadrant”: the McTavish, Bazan Bay, Terraces, and Eaglehurst neighbourhoods.

No registration is required to attend the in-person open houses. Both locations are accessible and offer activities for children.

The District is also offering a virtual open house over Zoom, recognizing that this provides more flexibility for people with busy work lives, family commitments, and other circumstances that prevent attending in-person events.

A number of local resident and environmental associations, as well as the OCP’s Advisory Working Group, have been invited to participate in dedicated community dialogue sessions.

We hope to see you soon!

On Monday, May 2, at a Regular Meeting of Council, North Saanich Council directed staff to move forward with the next phase of public engagement on the OCP review.

Council discussed a staff report on the OCP that provided Council with the draft engagement event plans and survey, background materials, and the high-level review of the current OCP.

After providing feedback on these materials, Council endorsed the Phase 3 engagement event plans and survey with some amendments; all engagement activities will take place in late May and early June.

Council also endorsed the background materials document and the high-level review of the current OCP, as outlined in the Staff Report and amended by Council.

Council also directed staff to add an additional dialogue session, with environmental groups to the Phase 3 Engagement Plan. Council identified Peninsula Streams, Friends of North Saanich Parks, SeaChange Conservation, Saanich Inlet Protection Society, Friends of Shoal Harbour, and the Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition as candidates for inclusion in this session.

The third round of engagement on the OCP will begin on Monday, May 16.

Detailed information about the various engagement activities, including times, dates, and locations for in-person open houses; times and registration details for a virtual house; and a link to the survey will all be available on this page on May 16.

North Saanich residents will also receive information about these activities in the mail, see them in advertising in the Peninsula News Review, and see them in social media and conventional communications from the District of North Saanich.