This letter is directed to Saanich council and in particular to those on council who are saying that Saanich is taking a huge step back with environmental protection. Our group has consistently stated that we believe that there should be a responsible EDPA in place that applies to significant development activity. But the EDPA is a minor component of protecting and maintaining the environment, compared to what is really needed for biodiversity protection and enhancement in Saanich. This is not an issue of landowners versus the environment. It is an issue of landowners and the environment.
We ask council to provide the evidence that shows the positive environmental impact of the EDPA from 2012 to 2017. How much area on private land has been protected? How many areas of “highest biodiversity” have been maintained on private land? What monitoring has been done to show the effectiveness of this bylaw?
The EDPA is a very limited conservation tool and will only impact small areas of Saanich, even over many decades. We believe that a much more comprehensive program is needed, one that covers all Saanich lands. It should be a program that works co-operatively with landowners, environmental groups and other stakeholders.
We believe that council’s unanimous motion on biodiversity and stewardship will be the beginning of a far more effective direction forward, and will be a model for other communities in the CRD and province, with a far more co-operative and encouraging approach. Saanich will be seen as environmental leaders, far beyond what some of you believe to be true today.
We have viewed hundreds of properties and have seen many properties that have been required to plant native plant gardens in exchange for a building permit, where no native plants existed before. We have seen many natural state covenants that have been required that are covered by invasive species.
Some of the council members were willing to view multiple properties, to actually see what was on the ground and understand the significant issues of mapping and implementation. Many scientists have indicated the issues of unsupportable mapping.
We believe that all of council needs to take a leadership role to both heal the divided community and improve biodiversity in the District of Saanich. We are waiting for Saanich council to stand up and say that they are committed to finding or providing significant resources to restore the highly degraded ecosystems in Saanich Parks, especially Garry oak ecosystems and to replace the invasive grasses that volunteers have no expertise in dealing with. These are the ecosystems that council members have pointed out as the most important in Saanich, and yet no action has occurred.
There needs to be an assessment of what resources are needed to maintain these ecosystems on public properties, as these ecosystems are mostly gone from private properties.
Council also needs to lead and provide a co-operative landowner stewardship program that encourages individuals to enhance their properties with native species, possibly by having the district provide inexpensive or free native plant material. Many Saanich landowners are already good stewards of their properties. More will be with education and knowledge.
It is time to help encourage all residents of Saanich with a vision that will be much more readily accepted, and include raising awareness, gaining support, promoting private land stewardship and doing this in cooperation with citizens, as indicated in the Saanich OCP and the Rural Local Area Plan.
Anita Bull, president
Saanich Citizens for a Responsible EDPA
