On November 16th, 2020, Council unanimously adopted the Electric Mobility (E-Mobility) Strategy to support a rapid transition to electric vehicles and e-bikes in Saanich.
The Electric Mobility Strategy outlines 38 actions in five focus areas:
- Electric bikes (e-bikes)
- Electric vehicles (EVs)
- Home and workplace charging
- Public charging network
- District leadership
Together, these actions will help to accelerate the uptake of electric mobility in our community, recognizing the important role it plays in achieving our climate targets. The strategy was developed based upon extensive research on electric mobility, as well as input from stakeholders and the public.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the development of the Electric Mobility Strategy.
How was the Electric Mobility Strategy developed?
The Electric Mobility Strategy was developed in a 6-phase process, as shown in the graphic below.
Process for Electric Mobility Strategy Development
In 2018 and 2019, there was considerable public and stakeholder engagement about electric vehicles and e-bikes in Saanich and the Greater Victoria region, including:
- Engagement on electric vehicles and e-bikes as part of the Capital Region EV and E-Bike Infrastructure Planning Project;
- Plugging the Gaps Event: a conversation about EV charging for people who live in condos and apartment buildings;
- Engagement with the development industry and other stakeholders as part of developing EV charging infrastructure requirements for new developments in Saanich; and
- Three phases of engagement between May 2018 and September 2019 as part of updating Saanich’s Climate Plan.
Together, these engagement activities provided valuable information concerning the support of Saanich residents for electric vehicles and e-bikes and for climate action more generally, as well as the barriers and challenges to making the transition to EVs and e-bikes. This is summarized in:
In developing the Electric Mobility Strategy, Saanich staff reviewed the previous engagement findings described above, conducted research on best practices and the experiences of leading jurisdictions, and analyzed relevant data. Through this research and analysis, staff identified proposed actions that the District of Saanich might take to support electric mobility in Saanich.
Two rounds of engagement were conducted with the public and stakeholders as follows:
- Members of the public and key stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the draft actions through an online survey, which was available from February 14, 2020 until March 8, 2020.
- Feedback was incorporated into the draft Electric Mobility Strategy. Members of the public and stakeholders were then invited to provide feedback on the draft strategy via a second online survey from September 8 – 27, 2020
There were over 370 survey and written responses as part of these two rounds of engagement. A summary of engagement is available: Electric Mobility Strategy Summary of Public and Stakeholder Engagement, October 2020. Thank you to everyone who participated in the development of the E-Mobility Strategy!