Few things in Saanich have caused as much outrage in recent years as the Environmental Development Permit Area bylaw. While a name like that might elicit a huge yawn, residents are wide awake to its implications.
Tonight, those residents will have another chance to bring their concerns to Saanich councillors at a five-hour (yes, you read that correctly) meeting at Pearkes Recreation Centre.
The bylaw tries to preserve sensitive ecosystems by restricting what more than 2,000 property owners, many of them with waterfront, can do to their properties.
The bylaw states that 鈥渁lteration of land, subdivision and construction are prohibited within an environmental development permit area鈥� without an exemption. Some exemptions have been turned down even when registered biologists have stated that rare ecosystems and vital habitat are not affected or present on the properties.
With homeowners worried that their property values will plummet and others determined to preserve biodiversity, a meeting three months ago had to turn away many people. Hence the need for the much bigger venue for tonight鈥檚 meeting from 6 to 11 p.m.
Mayor Richard Atwell tried unsuccessfully to have the bylaw removed, but if it is to stay, it is clear that something has to be done to repair it.
While few would disagree with the need to preserve the forests and meadows that give Saanich its character, the implementation of the bylaw has pitted residents against each other and undermined the trust between taxpayers and Saanich staff.
Homeowners need to know that the bylaws that have important effects on them will be applied fairly and in a manner that makes sense to them. Their experience with the EDPA does not make sense to them.
Saanich Citizens for a Responsible EDPA Society proposes a voluntary stewardship program that would apply to all except new subdivisions. That is something council should consider, although the dangers of a voluntary system are obvious. Everyone can think of a good reason why someone else should do the volunteering.
The group has also suggested a scientific advisory committee that would report to council.
Councillors are clearly committed to listening. They must also be prepared to change a bylaw that isn鈥檛 working.
