The District of Saanich is offering several new opportunities for public engagement to coincide with the release of the District’s draft Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (BCS) and draft Urban Forest Strategy (UFS) update.
Community members are invited to provide feedback via a questionnaire and two open houses (see details below).
The BCS and updated UFS will provide guidance on how to manage, protect, connect, and enhance the District’s biodiversity and urban forest , while recognizing other key Council priorities such as increasing housing opportunities and providing active transportation options.
The updated UFS is a plan to reflect Saanich’s urban forest needs and the community’s vision for its future, building on the achievements of the 2010 plan. This renewed strategy acknowledges anticipated challenges and opportunities and provides a new vision and action plan for how we will respond and manage a healthy, resilient urban forest.
The BCS provides a roadmap to protect, connect, restore and enhance biodiversity in Saanich through policy, operations, and enhanced stewardship initiatives.\
Both strategies will be posted online in the near future.
Public engagement opportunities
Community members are invited to participate in the following ways:
In person open house
May 14, 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Cedar Hill Golf Course clubhouse.
Online open house
May 16, 7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom
Questionnaire
A questionnaire will be live from approximately May 9, 2024 to May 24, 2024 on HelloSaanich (link forthcoming — check this page).
More information about the Urban Forest Strategy update can be found at saanich.ca/urbanforeststrategy.
More information about the Resilient Saanich and the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy is available at saanich.ca/biodiversity.