Two District of Saanich councillors brought forth a motion this week to request the BC government remove the municipality’s housing target, claiming the goal will be impossible to meet.
The Province assigned Saanich with mandatory housing targets in 2023 that were based on the District’s lack of housing and extremely low vacancy rate.
Saanich was tasked with building 4,610 net new completed housing units over five years.
In the first year, the District managed 338 net new housing units—counting 381 new builds, but with 43 housing unit demolitions.
Their target for the first year was set at 440.
In the second year, reports indicate Saanich built 442 units of their 601 goal.
Thus far, the District is hitting around 78% of their target cumulatively, with three years to go until the targets must be met.
As such, Saanich Councillors Susan Brice and Judy Brownoff have brought forth a motion to request that the Province lets the District off the hook for the remaining owed units.
These councillors claimed that Saanich has been proactive with housing measures, and it is the fault of factors that are outside the influence of the municipality that are slowing housing development.
“Even when Saanich approves projects, their viability ultimately depends on broader economic conditions and the ability of proponents to secure financing,” reads Brice and Brownoff’s motion.
They argue that using the benchmark of “net new completed units” is unfair, as council has approved a great deal more new housing than has actually been built. This is because approved developments have lacked financing and have faced delays in construction.
Furthermore, some provincial funding mechanisms utilized for housing development have been slashed from the BC budget, making building new homes that have been approved even harder.
“Given these realities, Saanich should not be held to targets set under materially different circumstances—particularly when the Province itself has withdrawn a major funding program that directly affects project outcomes,” the motion continues.
“Holding Saanich accountable for targets it cannot reasonably influence is neither practical nor equitable.”
The councillors say Saanich remains committed to advancing housing; however, maintaining the current targets is no longer reasonable when development depends on financial conditions and provincial support.
Councillor Zac de Vries spoke in opposition to the motion, saying that the logic behind it is flawed.
“For me, I focus my decisions based on the community’s interest, and when we’re talking about targets that are rooted in community housing need, and only meeting 75% of that rather than 100% of it, I see that on one hand as a modest target because it’s not going to meet the needs of everyone,” he said.
“On the other hand, given the timeframe, the time it takes to deliver housing, the complexity that goes with it, there is an ambition with those targets at the same time.”
He concluded by saying the “how” of building new housing rests with the District, and that was the point of the targets in the first place.
An amendment was made during the discussion that would change the wording of the motion to ask the Province to “review and reduce” the targets, rather than “removing” them.
This amendment was defeated.
Another amendment arose which sought to change the benchmark for the District’s responsibility to “approved development permits, approved building permits and rezoning applications” rather than completed units.
Ultimately the discussion was running late, past 10 p.m., and so it was moved that the motion be referred to a later council meeting where discussion can continue.
The motion to refer was unanimous.
In contrast to Saanich’s progress on the housing targets, the City of Victoria has delivered 2,359 net new housing units as of November 2025.
This represents 48% of its five-year goal of 4,902 units within just two years of this mandate.
