Strong Powers, No Independent Oversight
Saanich bylaw officers have extraordinary powers over your homeβbut zero independent oversight.
The Problems
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Entry Demands Backed by Daily Fines
For your home, the law requires your consent or a warrant. But Saanich's bylaws make refusing entry an offence: obstruction carries fines of up to $10,000 with each day a separate offence, plus up to three months imprisonment and prosecution costs (Building Bylaw 9529 s.4.7; Zoning Bylaw 8200 s.11, expanded 2021). This is practice, not theory: the District's own file notes, released under freedom of information, record an officer answering a resident's refusal with an on-the-spot obstruction ticket threat, and the District's written inspection notices pair entry demands with the full $10,000 per day penalty recital. Consent demanded under threat of accumulating daily fines is not free consent. -
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$100K+ Liens, No Appeal
Section 57 property encumbrances have no independent review. A $100 ticket gets an adjudicator; a six-figure lien does not. -
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Court-Rejected Methods
Saanich v. Kinney, 2025 BCSC 1132: at para. 62 the Court held that the building official's deposed statement was "conclusory and without an evidentiary foundation" and declined to find the alleged Building Code contraventions proven. -
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Zero Oversight
750 BC bylaw officers, 0 face independent civilian oversight. Complaints? They investigate themselves.
What We're Asking For
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1
Independent Oversight
Extend OPCC jurisdiction to bylaw officers under Police Act s.36, so complaints aren't investigated in-house. Legal argument filed β -
2
Value for Taxpayers
Review and roll back the 2021 expansion that grew enforcement powers and costs without adding accountability. Costs up ~200%; satisfaction down. -
3
Reconsider at Council
Ask Council to review the 2021 enforcement expansion against its own 2018 Bylaw Enforcement Policy and report publicly on the results. -
4
Accountability for Conduct
Where serious enforcement irregularities are alleged, they should be reviewed by an appropriate independent body rather than the department itself.
Who We Are
A resident-led, public-interest initiative β not a political party and not a single complaint.
Saanich Building & Bylaw Reform is run by Saanich residents and property owners who became concerned about how the District's building and bylaw enforcement powers are being used β and about the lack of independent oversight of those powers.
Our aim is straightforward: fair treatment for residents, responsible use of taxpayer money, and accountability through the ordinary democratic and legal channels available to any citizen. We build our case on the public record β council decisions, budgets, BC Stats survey results, court rulings, and freedom-of-information releases.
If you share these concerns, the most useful things you can do are simple: read the source documents, read the election briefings, and vote on 17 October.