PROW has represented the interests and concerns of our membership in communications with the District of North Saanich:
- PROW felt the District’s rules on tree-cutting within the 15m setback were unclear, so presented a set of questions to the District. The response from District staff may prove helpful to waterfront owners planning to trim or remove trees or bushes.
Learn more here. - PROW requested that the District deal with two issues of critical importance to waterfront owners: i) the implementation of the Marine Task Force Report; ii) the consequences of rising sea levels. Council agreed to address these issues in the Strategic Plan within 12 months.
- PROW dissuaded the District from increasing the Development Permit Area #1 from 15m to 30m.
- Prior to Municipal Elections PROW sends a questionnaire on waterfront issues to all Council candidates and provides our membership with those responses.
PROW has marshalled support for individual waterfront owners when they have applied to maintain or improve their properties:
- A waterfront owner who wished to build a new dock applied to the District for water surface rezoning, but was denied. With PROW’s encouragement, the owner reapplied. PROW wrote letters of support and spoke in favour of the application at Council meetings. The rezoning application was approved on July 16, 2012. The development permit application for the dock was approved on September 23, 2013.
- A waterfront owner who refurbished a dock was required to seek rezoning from M-6 to M-5. At Council meetings, PROW spoke in favour of the rezoning. The application was approved on June 2, 2013.
- Waterfront owners living on a high-bank property wished to build a staircase to provide access to the waterfront but encountered opposition from Council. PROW assisted by circulating a petition, writing letters to Council and speaking in favour of the application at Council meetings. The application was approved on March 16, 2009.
PROW has represented the interests and concerns of our members in communications with other associations and other orders of government:
- PROW met with federal and provincial representatives to discuss the proposed National Marine Conservation Area Reserve for the Southern Strait of Georgia, seeking clarification of how this new area would impact waterfront owners. Learn more here.
- PROW attended a series of meetings in 2010 and 2011 regarding the Sidney/North Saanich joint Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
PROW has invited knowledgeable speakers to make presentations on topics of interest to waterfront owners at Annual General Meetings:
- 2014 – Representatives from Parks Canada delivered a presentation on the possible impacts on waterfront property owners of the National Marine Conservation Area proposed for the Southern Strait of Georgia. Learn more here: Two pdf files attached to insert here: Letter to Private Tenure Holders April 26 and Spring 2012 Update.
- 2013 – John Readshaw, P.Eng. spoke on environmentally sound methods of mitigating the effects of rising sea levels. See his presentation here.
- 2012 – Prominent lawyer John Alexander spoke on legal considerations surrounding governance of waterfront properties and the importance of property lines. PROW strongly recommends that waterfront owners be aware of the precise location of their waterfront property lines, as the outcome of an application may be affected by the location. Learn about the BC Land Surveyors here.