Mayor Rishi Sharma says he plans to call for a moratorium on new bike lanes, but has no intention of removing existing ones.
Photo via the District of Saanich.
The “Save Our Saanich” (SOS) elector organization ran six candidates for mayor and council in this month’s municipal election, all of whom were elected. Three incumbent councillors who were not part of the slate, Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Colin Plant, and Nathalie Chambers, were re-elected.
In an interview with the Martlet, Rishi Sharma, the newly elected mayor of Saanich who ran as part of the slate, said that one of the first things he wants to do is a 100-day review of the district’s budget.
Part of that review, according to Sharma, will look at the district’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP). The ATP was a plan first approved in 2018, and aims to improve “walking, cycling, and rolling” in the district. Part of the plan includes increasing bike lanes and sidewalks in the district, allowing residents to travel more safely without a car in Saanich.
Sharma, on his platform, said he would call for a moratorium on bike lanes if elected. Sharma told the Martlet that he hopes to pause construction of new bike lanes during this 100-day review period, and that the district will assess from there.
“There’s an active transportation plan … what’s in that project? What did they propose, and why? Staff now has the ability to just move forward and rush through. Where is the council’s discretion? Where is the council’s responsibility? Because if something happened and goes awry, then council could just say, ‘Well, staff did it.’”
According to the district’s website, the ATP is Saanich’s “long-term guide for investing in walking, cycling, and rolling over the next 30 years.” Much of the district’s planning and implementation is done by district staff, but council ultimately controls the budget, targets, priorities, and decisions to update the ATP.
Online, some community members expressed concerns that SOS would remove already existing bike lanes. Sharma said that was not something they were considering at this time.
During the review period, Sharma said he also wanted to look at committee structure, including where expenditures go and if the structure could be improved. Sharma previously told the Martlet that he wanted the Saanich Youth Council, which had a pilot project that started last November and ended in July, to become a permanent fixture. At the UVSS all-candidates debate in October, moderated by the Martlet, all SOS candidates in attendance (Graham Wright was not at the debate) said they supported the creation of a student representative position who can attend council meetings and speak on behalf of students.
Sharma said he still wants to create a permanent youth council for the district, and that his new colleague, returning councillor Nathalie Chambers, suggested a First Nations Committee as well. Sharma said he has reached out to the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation regarding a potential committee.
In Sharma’s platform, he said he wanted to hold open office hours as mayor and more open forums. Sharma said he still intends to do both, and that he might hold some of these discussions on campus. Sharma also said he would “love to” meet with student leaders such as the UVSS director of campaigns and community relations position, which is currently held by Tam Aljundi.
As B.C. held both the municipal elections and provincial election at the same time, new councils will also be going into their terms with a new provincial government. Since his win earlier in October, Sharma said he has been reaching out to provincial leaders to build relationships.
“Who’s in which ministry? How can it impact us [and] UVic of course? How are we going to get that [UVic] housing back on the table?”
In February, the B.C. government delayed a 510 bed housing project by five years. Saanich’s outgoing council unanimously voted to have former mayor Dean Murdock write to the province to “reinstate” the funding.
Sharma told the Martlet this advocacy may include a joint letter with Oak Bay. He said he intends to raise the issue with returning mayor of Oak Bay, Kevin Murdoch. Since the new term has just started, the exact extent of advocacy, and how the new provincial government will respond, is yet to be seen.
Saanich’s council meeting schedule, agendas, and previous meeting minutes are available here.
