Council approved the new Zoning Bylaw, including limits on shipping containers in some zones, but a councillor objected that the rules add complexity and restrict affordable housing options. For the Keating extraction lands, Council chose to move ahead without an Advisory Planning Commission review or public hearing, while requiring a future road right-of-way to be secured and asking for an engineering review of the road straightening. A proposal to reserve land for a food hub was defeated, and a proposed inflation adjustment to the $40.50-per-square-metre amenity contribution was deferred for more information. During public feedback, residents raised concerns about a plainclothes armed police officer, road safety for cyclists, and rats in municipal ditches; Council also directed staff to poll the agricultural commission about holding a meeting.
Generated from the recording's captions and the official minutes.
What was discussed
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3.1 Agenda of the July 27, 2026 Regular Council Meeting
Routine: approve the meeting agenda with a revised report and an additional late presentation for the Keating Business District item.
Official wording: That the agenda of the July 27, 2026 Regular Council meeting be approved as amended by revising the report and adding a late presentation for item #14.1.2.
Five members of the public spoke. One asked what safeguards apply when an armed police officer is in civilian clothes; the Mayor said police governance belongs to the Central Saanich Police Board, not Council. The chair of the Advisory Planning Commission said the commission could not meet in July and would not meet again until September, delaying its review of short-term rentals. A resident criticized traffic control at road closures and warned that the hospital parking-lot work must protect cyclists and other vulnerable road users. Another resident described a rat infestation in municipal ditches and asked for a lasting, funded response; a fifth speaker urged Council to help the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Commission resume meetings. After councillors discussed the commission’s stalled meeting and funding arrangements, Council directed staff to poll its members about availability for a meeting at the District’s cost.
Agreement
The chair said police service policy is the responsibility of the separate police board under provincial law.
Councillors and staff acknowledged that the agricultural commission meeting had not been arranged and that its members’ availability needed to be checked.
Disagreement
A councillor suggested the person concerned about the armed officer could follow up with Council or attend a police board meeting; the chair said the police board was the appropriate forum.
A resident said the District had failed to protect vulnerable road users and challenged the chair’s response; the chair thanked the resident for the input.
Councillors differed on how to resolve the agricultural commission’s meeting and funding uncertainty; some described the deferral as leaving the issue in limbo.
Ask the Agricultural Commission members when they are available to meet, with the District paying the meeting costs.
Official wording: That staff poll the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Commission members on availability for a meeting at the District's costs, at their convenience.
Councillors praised the District’s 75th anniversary celebration and reported on regional accessibility and housing work. Councillor Newton described a project to catalogue accessible and adaptable homes, efforts to find meeting space for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community after its centre closed, and concerns about crosswalk markings that can direct visually impaired pedestrians into traffic.
Agreement
Councillors praised the staff and community work behind the anniversary event.
Councillor Newton said a regional inventory of accessible and adaptable housing would address a significant need.
13.1 Saanich Peninsula Hospital Parking Lot – Soil Deposit Application
The hospital sought approval for soil removal and deposit to expand parking at 2166 Mount Newton Cross Road. Staff said about 3,000 cubic metres of soil would be removed and 1,400 cubic metres placed, with fill coming from a North Saanich supplier and being deposited at an active mine site on Keating Cross Road. Staff confirmed that the outstanding permit information had been received, and Council approved the permit for issuance by the Municipal Engineer.
Agreement
Staff confirmed the required information had been received.
Council approved the application without opposition.
Approve the soil deposit application for expanding the hospital parking lots, allowing the Municipal Engineer to issue it after reviewing where the fill comes from, the deposit schedule, traffic plan and truck route.
Official wording: That the Soil Deposit Application, dated 13 July 2026, for expansion of the parking lots on 2166 Mt Newton Cross Road be approved for issuance by the Municipal Engineer upon receipt and review of the source of fill material, deposit schedule, traffic management plan and trucking route.
Council considered the District’s annual report to the provincial Ministry of Housing on its housing target order. Staff reported 24 net new homes received occupancy permits during the year and 462 more units in the project pipeline, including projects on Hoby Road and Verdier Road. Council approved the report and directed staff to submit it; Councillor Newton opposed.
Agreement
Staff clarified that completed units meant homes with occupancy permits.
The report and direction to submit it were approved by a majority.
Disagreement
Councillor Newton opposed approving the report; no reason for the opposition is stated in the transcript.
Approve the District’s BC Housing progress report for the year ending June 30, 2026, and have staff send it to the Ministry of Housing.
Official wording: 1. That the BC Housing Target Progress Report Form for Reporting Period 2 (July 1st, 2025 to June 30th, 2026) as presented in Appendix A be approved.
2. That staff be directed to submit the BC Housing Target Progress Report Form – Reporting Period 2 (July 1st, 2025 to June 30th, 2026) to the Ministry of Housing.
Council finalized Zoning Bylaw No. 2270. The changes allow traditional mobile homes as dwellings only in agricultural zones and set limits on shipping containers, including one per acre on agricultural properties under five acres and up to ten on larger properties. Containers on agricultural land must serve agricultural purposes. After Councillor Paltiel proposed an amendment, Council removed limits on agricultural container use for properties over 10 acres and on industrial lands generally. Council gave the amended bylaw third reading and adopted it. Councillor Graham opposed the main changes, third reading, and adoption, arguing that the rules add complexity, unnecessarily restrict containers in commercial and industrial areas, and limit a potentially affordable housing option.
Agreement
Staff said the District had received complaints about shipping containers but had no rules to address them; the new bylaw creates standards and a complaint-based enforcement tool.
Councillors agreed that the agricultural container rules could be revisited through the District’s upcoming agricultural area planning work.
Disagreement
Councillor Graham opposed added restrictions on containers, especially in industrial and commercial zones, and said mobile homes can be an affordable housing option.
Councillor Paltiel supported loosening the rules for larger agricultural properties and industrial lands; the amendment passed without opposition.
Councillor Newton questioned whether a ten-container limit would meet farmers’ needs and whether use restrictions could be enforced.
Change the zoning rules to allow mobile homes only as dwellings in agricultural zones, remove one existing subsection, set limits on shipping containers by zone, and require containers on agricultural land to be used only for farming. The adopted amendment also makes the container limit unlimited on agricultural parcels over 10 acres and on industrial land.
Official wording: 1. That draft Bylaw No. 2270 (Zoning Bylaw) be amended by replacing Section 2.5.3 with "The siting, erection or moving of a Mobile Home in the District is prohibited except for use as a dwelling unit in Agricultural zones."
2. That draft Bylaw No. 2270 (Zoning Bylaw) be amended by deleting subsection 4.5.6.3.
3. That draft Bylaw No. 2270 (Zoning Bylaw) be amended by replacing Section 4.7.1 with “Shipping Containers are permitted in the following Zones with the maximum number of shipping containers as follows:
Zone Number of Shipping Containers
Rural (RU-A, RU-F, RU-S) 1
Agriculture (A, A-F, A-H, A-M) 1 per acre for parcels under five acres
10 for parcels over five acres
Institutional (IN-G, IN-P) 1
Industrial (I-L, I-E) 5*
Commercial (C-S, C-I) 2
*Industrial maximum number of shipping containers does not apply to a business that leases, rents, or sells metal shipping containers.
4. That draft Bylaw No. 2270 (Zoning Bylaw) be amended by adding to Section 4.7.2, following 4.7.2.7 “Shipping containers on agricultural land shall be used solely for agricultural purposes and shall not be used for residential, commercial, or industrial storage unrelated to the agricultural use of the property.”
14.1.2 Keating Business District – Extraction Lands Rezoning
zoning development2 public speakers55:56 Watch · Read
Council considered turning former gravel extraction lands in the Keating Business District into light industrial development, alongside planning for a modernized municipal yard. Staff described possible industrial lots, future active-transportation connections, stormwater work, and a proposed $40.50-per-square-metre amenity contribution collected at building-permit stage. Two representatives of the landowners supported the proposal and urged Council to avoid delays; they said the contribution was acceptable and asked for flexibility on details to be settled in later approvals. Council chose to proceed without an Advisory Planning Commission referral or public hearing, while requiring the Keating Road right-of-way to be secured through the covenant at build-out and including the Mount Newton school site and municipal site within the urban containment boundary in the agreement. A motion to reserve land for a food hub was defeated. A proposal to raise the amenity rate with inflation after 36 months was deferred for a staff report, and Council instead asked for an engineering review of what would be needed to straighten Keating Cross Road.
Agreement
Council and the landowner representatives recognized the potential for industrial employment, tax revenue, and infrastructure improvements.
The $40.50-per-square-metre contribution was discussed as payable at building-permit stage, rather than upfront at rezoning.
Council agreed that the future road right-of-way should be secured and that the engineering requirements for road straightening should be examined.
Disagreement
Councillor Riddell and Councillor Newton wanted more public engagement, including a public hearing; Councillors Paltiel and Graham supported moving ahead without that delay. Councillors Riddell and King opposed the motion to proceed without an Advisory Planning Commission referral or public hearing.
Councillor King proposed reserving land for a food hub; Councillors Graham, Thompson, Riddell, Paltiel, and the chair opposed the motion, which failed.
Councillor Newton proposed an inflation adjustment to the amenity contribution after 36 months. Councillor Thompson wanted more information before deciding, and the motion was deferred for a staff report.
Move the extraction-lands rezoning forward without a public hearing, continue negotiating the community benefits and land covenants with the owners, and bring development permit applications for these lands to Council for approval.
Official wording: 1. That Council direct staff to provide notice of first reading of Bylaw No. 2278, Extraction Lands Rezoning, in accordance with the Local Government Act, and that no Public Hearing be held, as the proposed Zoning Bylaw is consistent with the Official Community Plan.
2. That staff continue to work with the property owners to refine the proposed community amenity contribution package based on the proposed $40.50/m2 of industrial floor area and finalize the terms of the Section 219 Covenants, consistent with Council's direction and priorities.
3. That the District commit that development permits related to applications on these lands come to Council for approval.
Require the Keating Road right-of-way to be secured as part of the covenant process, with the right-of-way in place by the time the lands are fully built out.
Official wording: That during the covenant process, the Keating Road right-of-way be secured at the time of build-out.
Have staff and the property owners find and protect a site for a food hub for locally grown and harvested food, report back on how to allow and secure it before the rezoning returns to Council, and exempt that site from the community amenity contribution.
Official wording: That staff work with property owners to identify and preserve a suitable location within the Extraction Lands for a food hub serving locally produced and harvested foods, and report back on the zoning, covenant, or other measures needed to permit and secure that use before the zoning amendment returns to Council and that land would be exempt from amenity contribution.
Set the community amenity contribution at $40.50 per square metre for 36 months after the bylaw is adopted, then increase it with inflation. Council deferred this motion while awaiting a staff report.
Official wording: That the amenity contribution rate of $40.50 per square meter be in effect for 36 months at the time of adoption of the bylaw, after which that value would increase at the rate of inflation.
Ask staff to report on the engineering work needed to straighten Keating Cross Road in the future.
Official wording: That staff report back with an engineering review of what would be required to build out the future straightening of Keating Cross Road.
16.1 Notice of Motion Submitted by Councillor Paltiel - July 20, 2026
community services
The agenda listed a notice of motion for a staff review of municipal fees, bonding, labour-agreement requirements, and servicing standards that may affect agricultural projects. The review was to include consultation with local farmers and the Agricultural Advisory Commission. The transcript does not capture discussion of this item or a decision.
Council voted to close the meeting under the Community Charter for matters involving land interests and confidential negotiations. The transcript does not include the full motion or the subsequent closed-session discussion.
Routine: move the meeting into closed session to discuss the listed land matters and confidential negotiation information.
Official wording: That Council convene a closed meeting pursuant to the following subsections of the Community Charter:
90(1) A part of a council meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered relates to or is one or more of the following:
(e) the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality (1 item).
90(2) A part of a council meeting must be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered relates to one or more of the following
(b) the consideration of information received and held in confidence relating to negotiations
(ii) between the municipality and another local government or between another local government and a third party (1 item), or
(iii) between the municipality and a first nation or a prescribed Indigenous entity, or between a first nation or a prescribed Indigenous entity and a third party (1 item).