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Setting the record straight with the Times Colonist, on Saanich Council’s refusal to write a letter to the Provincial Government asking for the removal of provincially mandated housing targets for the municipality.


By Sasha Izard

March 18, 2026


Yesterday, I wrote the following article:

Saanich Council Ditches Motion to write to the Provincial Government to Remove the Provincially Mandated Housing Target Order for the District. – CRD Watch Homepage

The article was about Item G.1. on the agenda for the March 16, 2026 Saanich Council Meeting.

After writing the article on March 17, I sent the following email to Andrew Duffy, and to the editors at the Times Colonist:

Hello Andrew, and TC staff:

Yesterday at the March 16, 2026 Saanich Council meeting item G.1. – Council rejected the motion to write to the province to scrap housing targets.

It would make sense for the TC to write a follow-up article to this.

Saanich councillors want province to scrap housing targets – Victoria Times Colonist

Thank you,
Sasha Izard

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Today, on March 18, the TC published an article on the subject, which may or may not be edited by the time you see it. I’ve taken screenshots of the version published today to document it.

Saanich sends motion on housing targets to committee – Victoria Times Colonist

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This evening I wrote another letter to Andrew Duffy and the editors at the TC:

Thank you for publishing an article on this, but I find the article is misleading:

Saanich sends motion on housing targets to committee – Victoria Times Colonist

Toward the beginning of the article it states:

“Council spent 90 minutes debating asking the provincial government to remove the targets or at least change how success is measured, but failed to reach a consensus Monday night. The motion will now go to the mayor’s housing affordability standing committee.”

This is not accurate. The council did find a consensus.

As was written later in the article:

“The original motion brought by councillors Judy Brownoff and Susan Brice asked the mayor to write to the Housing Ministry asking that the targets for Saanich be removed, arguing that the factors influencing housing delivery lie outside municipal control, which means approved projects sometimes aren’t completed.”

[…]

“That motion was voted down, however. The majority of council suggested the targets were important as they reflect housing need in the district, which needs goals to reach for.”

So there was consensus, the majority voted it down, and suggested the targets were important.  So why does it say there wasn’t consensus at the beginning of this article?

CONSENSUS Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

Also, the TC article began:

“The motion will now go to the mayor’s housing affordability standing committee.”

That isn’t accurate.  The motion to scrap the housing targets failed, and that motion is not going on to a committee for more debate.  Rather a different motion is going to the committee.

They made a new motion, which does not call for the removal of the housing targets, which is to go forward to the Mayor’s standing committee, which has on it the Chair of the UDI Capital Region development lobby, Mr. John Bourcet, who was placed on the standing committee by Dean Murdock, as the “member of the community at large”.  The UDI is the same development lobby that pushed the targets to the Province, and was consulted by the Province on the creation of those targets under Non-Disclosure Agreement.

The Government of British Columbia had top figures in the most powerful lobbying organization for development and real estate interests in the province, sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as they advised the Province on adopting mandatory/enforceable targets for municipalities and for other upcoming housing legislation to be able to override local government autonomy. – CRD Watch Homepage   

Housing Affordability1 SC.pdf

Please modify the TC article to be clear and accurate for the public.  The Council by majority rejected the motion to write to the province to remove the housing targets. Their attempt to place a different motion in the paperwork after they already voted down the motion on the agenda, is obscurantist at best.  The news media should not play a role in obscuring council decisions.

Thank you,

Sasha Izard

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Index of articles regarding questionable media coverage of local government and public participation. – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles revealing major lobbying influence on B.C. Provincial Housing Bills and Housing Targets. – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles regarding lobby events and other meetings between government and lobbyists. – CRD Watch Homepage

The House that Mayor Dean Murdock built: Why was a UDI Director/UDI Capital Region Chair, appointed by Saanich’s Mayor, to the Saanich Housing Affordability Standing Committee? – CRD Watch Homepage

The Fox in the Henhouse?  Chair of Development/Real Estate lobby Chapter/lobby Director, now reappointed to Saanich Mayor’s Committee, voted in favour of phases 2 and 3 of the District’s Housing Strategy.  Council followed suit unanimously. – CRD Watch Homepage