Imagine watching your neighbourhood change — with oversized buildings towering above the rest, ignoring the very bylaws meant to protect your community’s character. 

We're calling on the BC Ombudsperson to investigate the rule-bending that’s happening in Saanich, BC. Our city, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, is celebrated for its biodiversity plan and environmental awards. But the bylaws that protect our communities are being quietly undermined by the very office meant to uphold them — Saanich’s Planning Department.

The same department responsible for major projects like the Quadra McKenzie Plan and the Trio Gravel Pit redevelopment in Cordova Bay is also at the centre of a growing public backlash. One house on Ten Mile Point has become a lightning rod for dissent — and a showcase of what can go wrong when those enforcing the rules start bending them.

This single-family home — nicknamed “The Observation Tower” — rises nearly a full storey above what the bylaw allows. After the variance was denied, the Planning Department approved it anyway by inventing a rule that doesn’t exist. Staff ignored the bylaw’s clear definition of height and created an off-the-books exception to justify their decision. When neighbours questioned this, senior staff — and even the Mayor — defended the fabricated rule instead of enforcing the bylaw.

The steel framing at this Ten Mile Point home rises nearly a storey above the height limit.

This is not an isolated mistake. It’s part of a systemic problem: planning staff rewriting bylaws through “interpretation,” giving some applicants special treatment while others must follow the rules.

When government staff can change the meaning of bylaws behind closed doors, fairness and trust disappear. Residents lose sunlight, privacy, and confidence in good governance.

We are asking the BC Ombudsperson to investigate Saanich’s Planning Department for:

• Misapplication of zoning bylaws and height limits
• Distortion of bylaw intent through invented interpretations and unauthorized exceptions
• Failure to ensure transparency and fairness in planning decisions

Let’s make sure municipal bylaws are binding, not bendable — and that no one is above the rules.

Sign and share this petition to demand accountability and restore public trust in Saanich’s planning process. This matters to everyone who cares about fair and transparent local government across British Columbia. Anyone can sign.

Supported by Save Our Saanich, a community coalition advocating for fairness, transparency, and integrity in local government.

Petition initiated by Franke James, an award-winning activist, artist, and author. She received the BCCLA Liberty Award and the PEN Canada Ken Filkow Prize for her work on free expression and government transparency. She lives in Saanich, part of Greater Victoria, with her husband and her sister.

Read the full Letter to the BC Ombudsperson: https://bit.ly/SaanichPlanningBCOmbudsperson