Public Safety & Social Stability

A commentary by an architect and urban design planner who has worked for more than 30 years in downtown Victoria Throughout Greater Victoria, more - and more diverse - housing is becoming a collective regional agenda, but care for urban quality and contextual scale should be integral to that quest. Continue gathering a healthy concentration of downtown growth, but there is no need for emphasis on excessive vertical tall towers. Keep to moderation, and foster vital streetscape

The biggest public backlashes against Victoria City Council (2023–2026 term) centred on a few recurring themes that generated the highest public anger, media coverage, and engagement across X (Twitter) and Facebook: Short-term rental (STR) restrictions (especially 2023–2024 provincial alignment and local implementation): Landlords, hosts, and tourism advocates saw it as economic harm and scapegoating. CHEK News coverage of delay motions drew thousands of views and dozens of r

Setbacks in Saanich’s single‑family areas are often dismissed as technical zoning details, yet they are one of the most powerful tools shaping the municipality’s character, ecological health, and quality of life. Far from outdated, setbacks remain essential to preserving the green, spacious, and safe neighbourhoods that define Saanich. In a moment of rapid policy change and densification pressure, it is worth remembering why setbacks exist, and why they matter. Setbacks prote