The Mayor Doesn't Run Saanich.
Its Most Powerful Employee Does.

The department he built wants to license secondary suites. This year's Financial Plan, like the two before it, lists a review of "the potential of business licenses for secondary suites." The next line commits staff to seeking out unlicensed businesses and raising more licence revenue. A licensing regime for short-term rentals is already being built, with applications expected in January. The department's budget is up 42 per cent since 2023.

On April 27, staff told Council there are eight to nine thousand rented suites in Saanich with no licence. A legal suite needs an Occupancy Permit under the BC Building Code. That means outside designers, licensed electricians and plumbers, a third on-site parking space with an EV outlet, and permit fees that double when the work came first. One owner told Council his designer alone charged $30,000. Another said the work to satisfy the building and bylaw departments would cost $300,000. Legalizing an existing suite starts at about $100,000.

If you own the suite, that is your bill. If you rent it, it is your home. An owner who can't pay has two choices: close the suite or raise the rent. Nobody is against safe suites. The question is who pays, and who decides.

It started with parking. In 2021, Reems brought Council a parking plan that added a licensing manager and three new bylaw officers. Page 8 of his report said it would let Saanich pursue "a licensing program for rental housing." That's a lot more than parking tickets.

You don't vote for the CAO. Council hires him. Before October 17, ask every candidate at your door: will you hold a public review of the CAO, and will you take licensing of secondary suites off the list?