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Fire hazard area plans go ahead

North Saanich will proceed with its process to revamp the interface fire hazard regulations in the district after a discussion prompted by its newest council members.

“That council take the necessary steps to suspend the operation of the provisions of item 14.5 of the Official Community Plan — Development Permit Area No. 3 Wildfire Hazard, until such time as the council has received and approved a report, setting out the necessary amendments required to bring that section into proper conformity with the factual situation, relating to the legal provisions and situation of those properties, that should be included in the designated permit area to be show on an amended Development Permit Area map,” said a notice of motion penned by councillors Dunstan Browne and Craig Mearns and added to the Feb. 7 council agenda.

Council decided to have staff look at the options, which were presented in a report to council at the Feb. 14 committee meeting.

Mearns said that after phone calls around the lower island asking about similar development restrictions he found “there is no consistency.”

Mearns preferred option two presented by staff, to proceed with an OCP amendment to delete the map and discus a new development permit designation and guidelines in the future.

“I think we have to have a hard look at it,” he said. “First of all there should be a really good information and education policy.”

Mayor Alice Finall said that anecdotal phone calls don’t provide the information council needs to make the decision.

“Experts in the province have provided standards for wildfire hazard prevention,” she said using the analogy of an earthquake. “We don’t know when earthquakes will strike but most of us are required to carry insurance. We don’t know when a wildfire will strike but there is certainly anecdotal evidence that we’ve had them.”

“One of the last things I want is further confusion,” said councillor Cairine Green who made the motion to replace the existing map with the one staff presented in the report — expected to be the one that will be in the final draft.

“It’s still unclear to me how these boundaries are drawn,” said councillor Peter Chandler, saying he’d feel like he didn’t have answers when the map came up for public hearing — necessary for any change to the official community plan. “What we’re contemplating here is making some changes to the OCP without realy knowing why, but  assuming it will be supported by the CWPP (community wildfire protection plan).”

“We would have the full amount of information provided by staff and our consultant … and if needed, more fine tuning of the map,”  Finall said.

Hearing the direction of discussion, Green pulled her motion to put forward a third option.

“It is the ultimate safety of the entire community that we’re concerned about,” Green said.

Council opted, in a unanimous vote, to not make changes until the CWPP is complete leaving them to consider all changes at the same time. Municipal staff hope to have the report ready near the end of the month.

Councillor Dunstan Browne was not part of the discussion. At the start of the meeting council allowed a member of the public to video tape the proceedings. Browne took exception.

“I’m leaving the meeting,” he said. “I won’t be present if you allow this to be video taped without bounds … without knowing a reason for it being video taped.”