LETTER: Saanich’s plans put pressure on Mount Tolmie residents

I disagree with Saanich Mayor Dean Murdoch’s rebuttal to the Mount Tolmie Community Association on so many fronts with respect to consultation over the Shelbourne Valley Action Plan. Firstly, the official community plan (OCP) was rushed through in May 2024, a year before it was mandated by the province. Based on talking to my neighbours and friends, nobody knew about it until after it was passed. This was a failure of the municipality to inform the public. Those who did know had overwhelmingly objected to it, but were ignored by a majority of council. I chose to live on a no-through street of primarily low-rise homes to distance myself from corridors. Yet this TOA (transit-oriented area) will allow up to 18-storey buildings (about half the height of Mt. Tolmie) on our street. Not only will these buildings tower over single-family homes, but ironically also dwarf the recent developments of six storeys on Shelbourne and McKenzie. When I raised this issue with one councillor, they mistakenly believed that the TOA was mandated by the province. If a councillor doesn’t know this, what would one expect from the public? Another feature of the OCP is allowing building heights up to 12 storeys on Shelbourne Street, McKenzie and Cedar Hill Road. This is a three-sided attack on the Mt. Tolmie community designed to squeeze residents out and create another Metrotown. So when council is determined to rewrite the Shelbourne Valley Action Plan and push the Quadra McKenzie Plan to fit their well-laid-out agenda, evident in the official community plan, people will become frustrated and not heard. Michael Riefman Saanich