Accessing Saanich Digital Services from Abroad

Like most other public bodies and institutions, the District of Saanich defends against frequent cyber-attacks, which often originate from outside North America. As a result, Saanich has deployed a mechanism called a geo-fence, a kind of digital network barrier which requires citizens to be physically located within North America in order to be granted access to digital services such as our website saanich.ca.

For users travelling abroad, we recognize this mechanism can limit the accessibility of our services. The purpose of this article is to outline ways a user travelling abroad can continue to access necessary services, pay bills and more.

MySaanich Portal

The MySaanich portal is used primarily for information regarding your property and accounts.  If you need information quickly while outside of North America, you can email the relevant departments who are happy to assist:

Business Licensing: businesslicence@saanich.ca

Property Tax: propertytax@saanich.ca

Utility Billing: utilitybilling@saanich.ca

General inquiries: onlineservices@saanich.ca

Online Payments

The ecommerce site, as it is run by a third-party payment supplier, is also blocked for users outside of North America. However, there are alternative methods of payment which include online banking and pre-authorized payments. The District of Saanich is registered with most large banking institutions, please see your financial institution for instructions on how to pay bills as the exact method differs by institution.

Alternatives

As the Saanich websites are blocked based on IP addresses, it is possible to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to mimic a Canadian IP address and proceed to  Saanich websites as normal.

NOTE: Saanich does not recommend any VPN service in particular. Please do some research and select one of your own choosing.

Example using SurfShark:

This example is our suggested best practice. Please refer to the user manual for whichever service you choose.

Step 1: Download and Install Surfshark VPN

  1. Visit the Surfshark website:
    Go to Surfshark’s official website.
  2. Download the Surfshark app:
    • Choose the appropriate version based on your device (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, etc.).
    • Click Download and follow the on-screen instructions.
  3. Install the app:
    • Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the setup instructions.

Step 2: Log in to Surfshark

  1. Open the Surfshark app.
  2. Log in using your account credentials (email and password) or create a new account if you don’t have one.
  3. If two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled, enter the code sent to your email or phone.

Step 3: Connect to a Canadian Server

  1. After logging in, you’ll see the Surfshark app’s home screen.
  2. Select a location:
    • In the search bar, type Canada or scroll through the list of available countries to find Canada.
    • Click on Canada to connect automatically to the best available server.
  3. Wait for connection confirmation:
    • Once connected, the app will show a message saying Connected with a green icon.

Step 4: Verify the Connection

  1. Open a web browser and visit whatismyipaddress.com or any similar site to check your IP address.
  2. Ensure the displayed location is Canada to confirm your VPN connection is active.

Step 5: Customize Surfshark Settings (Optional)

  1. Kill Switch: Enable the Kill Switch feature to automatically disconnect from the internet if the VPN connection drops.
    • Go to Settings > Connectivity > Kill Switch and toggle it on.
  2. CleanWeb: Enable CleanWeb to block ads, trackers, and malware.
    • Go to Settings > Features > CleanWeb and toggle it on.

Step 6: Disconnect from the VPN

  1. To disconnect, click the Disconnect button on the app’s home screen.
  2. You can reconnect later by selecting any server location or clicking Quick Connect