After five months of public consultations, the controversial Quadra-McKenzie Plan (QMP) returned before council and had residents fuming on Monday night (July 7).
During a nearly five-hour meeting – with more than three dedicated to public input – the full room erupted multiple times in applause, cheers and boos, prompting brief stoppages. On a few occasions, verbal insults flew from one audience member to another as tensions boiled over during discussions of controversial topics.
So much so that Mayor Dean Murdock and Coun. Zac de Vries issued statements following the meeting, denouncing "aggressive or threatening" behaviours.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that some members of the public were met with hostility, intimidation, and even verbal abuse simply for showing up to support the plan,” Murdock said “No one should ever be sworn at or made to feel unsafe for participating in a public meeting.”
Monday's meeting was held to receive the revised draft of the Quadra McKenzie Plan. After nearly two hours of deliberation, council voted via a split decision to move the plan to another phase of public consultation set to begin in August.
After months of public input, Saanich staff presented a revised version of the plan with key changes addressing concerns around building heights, density, and corridor design.
The revised draft reduced land use intensity in parts of Quadra North by cutting the number of properties designated for six-storey development and scaling back the size of corridor hubs. More parcels were redesignated for townhomes and apartments, limited to three or four storeys. Conversely, the maximum building height in the Quadra McKenzie Centre was increased from 18 to 24 storeys.
In addition, design concepts for vehicle lanes along McKenzie Avenue were removed and will instead be considered through a separate process in collaboration with BC Transit.
A vocal opposition
As the public input period began, a long line of residents, both in person and online, addressed council, with most voicing their vehement opposition to the project.
“This revised plan is a disaster in the making for many reasons, primarily environmental, and in regard to the massive traffic congestion on Quadra that it will cause,” said Saanich resident Sacha Izard, an outspoken critic of the plan. “The revised plan by staff effectively ignores what the public have been saying.”
A few minutes later, Save Our Saanich co-founder Nancy DiCastri objected to the revised draft she argued “ignores the needs and values of the existing community.”
“This plan continues to be an aspiration which is steeped in an ideology that just doesn't work for the majority of the community,” she said. “You have tens of thousands of people living here right now that don't, and never will, aspire to this plan.”
Following DiCastri, Saanich resident Katherine Whitworth took the microphone to oppose the plan, citing concerns about its density and the vehicle travel lane designs for McKenzie Avenue, which she said “need to be permanently removed.”
“I sincerely hope the council will put back the word community into… the Quadra McKenzie plan,” she said. “At present, it hardly feels appropriate when you are doing exactly the opposite of creating a livable community.”
Tensions flared early in the meeting when attendees applauded a speaker, prompting Murdock to interject and threaten to “clear out the chamber.”
“Everyone has the right to feel welcome and respected in this chamber, and applause is not conducive to a respectful environment for those who may not share your perspective,” he said. “Now your viewpoint is welcome, but the commentary and the heckling is not, and I mean it when I say this room will be cleared if we cannot maintain order tonight.”
Despite widespread opposition, a few residents voiced their support for the plan.
“When the original iteration of the Quadra McKenzie plan was put forward, we were excited that (it) would result in a vibrant community with lots of opportunities along these major corridors,” said Saanich resident Brad Weldon. “We were really disappointed when most of the feedback the community seemed to provide was negative and seemed to be focused on people's own interests instead of the interests of the rest of the community.”
Council deliberation
Following a heated public input session, Coun. Colin Plant proposed adjourning the meeting around 11 p.m., with plans to amend the revised draft on July 15.
“I don't want to send this out to the community for input because, in my estimation… the changes that we asked for have not been significant enough,” he said. “Sending out this plan is a recipe for failure because we will be finding ourselves in exactly the same position in six months.”
Although Plant welcomed the staff’s work, he took issue with several points, including building heights.
“Why wouldn't we try and fix this train wreck… now then wait five months to have the same debate if we know these are where the red flags are?” he asked.
“In my opinion, there are not enough changes and therefore I cannot accept supporting (the plan).”
Before concluding the meeting, Murdock shared his final thoughts, expressing support for moving the plan to the next phase of public consultation, despite disagreeing with some elements of what he called “a very thoughtful plan.”
“I do not view this as a train wreck,” he said. “There are probably lots of things in here that members of the public are not going to agree with, but I think it undermines the planning process and the credibility of the folks who've worked so hard on putting it together.”
Although Couns. Colin Plant, Nathalie Chambers and Mena Westhaver opposed the motion, it passed with majority support.
According to the staff report, public engagement is set to take place from August to October, with open houses, webinars, surveys and stakeholder outreach planned. Feedback will help shape the final version of the plan, which is expected to go to council for possible adoption this winter.
