In an effort to aid local councils and community members, the Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition (SPEC) is launching Check-Up!, a three-year program to monitor the implementation of the environmental principles in each of the District of Central Saanich, Town of Sidney and District of North Saanich’s OCP’s. Using Check-Up! we plan to measure the progress of each municipality towards achieving stated outcomes. These outcomes will focus on such critical factors as sustainability, collaboration and public engagement and will be reported annually based on the results of public surveys.
“Our goal,” says Bob Peart, SPEC’s Coordinator, “is to ensure that the health of the natural environment on the Saanich Peninsula remains vibrant”.
This goal is best accomplished by fully engaging the public and by the three municipalities cooperating and aiding each other in managing important natural assets such as the forest canopy, coastal shoreline, watersheds and our agricultural lands.
“Nature doesn’t recognize municipal boundaries so it is essential that the three municipalities collaborate with each other to ensure the future sustainability of our communities,” says Peart.
In 2021, in partnership with a number of key organizations on the Saanich Peninsula - including the W̱ SÁNEĆ Leadership Council – SPEC developed a Bioregional Framework for the management of the Saanich Peninsula that described a holistic nature-based approach to achieve environmental and community health across the peninsula. SPEC then advocated for the adoption of its key principles into each of the Central Saanich, Sidney and North Saanich OCPs.
“It’s now time to ensure that the key principles in these OCP’s are implemented in a cooperative style and publicly transparent manner to ensure the Saanich Peninsula remains a wonderful positive place to work, play and raise a family”, says Peart.
SPEC is a collection of independent groups and organizations that have come together to advance a bioregional approach for the Saanich Peninsula and further the values associated with environmental protection and community health.
SPEC has chosen to launch this initiative through PlaceSpeak.com because PlaceSpeak provides an authenticated civic engagement network. Participants can engage with confidence that the information provided is digitally secure and that they are engaging with other people within their community.
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