From Mayor Haynes:

Planning to restart municipal services that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic is well underway at the District of Saanich. On June 1, Council endorsed staff’s framework for restart report which provides an outline to work from as we move toward our “new normal” operations.

Our first priority is always the health and safety of our staff and residents. We carefully review and follow guidelines and requirements from the provincial health officer, WorkSafe, and the province’s restart plan in addition to our internal Occupational Health and Safety best practices. Restarting is a complex process as there are many external factors that influence our work.

Saanich’s restart will not look the same as other communities. Municipalities across the region, and the province, approached closures and service interruptions differently, so our restart plans won’t look the same either.

As we reopen facilities and resume services, it’s important to remember that our new normal will not be business as usual. To restart, we must have new safety controls in place, which may change how we previously delivered services to our residents. We are still committed to service excellence; some services will just look different in a post-pandemic world.

We will share more information as we resume services and reopen facilities over the coming months. Please visit our website for the most up-to-date information at saanich.ca/COVID-19. We will also share updates on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.