A North Saanich food hub that would get a generous capital boost thanks to a resident's donation of $750,000 is closer to reality but not yet approved.
At the Aug. 18 council meeting, public participation brought both praise (the majority) and pushback: “I say build it and they will come,” said a woman from White House Stables, while resident Ian Munro countered, “Is this really necessary?”
After receiving a staff report and presentations on the hub, council directed staff to proceed with a conceptual site layout, but were not yet ready to approve the hub or accept a $750,000 gift in principle.
That gift was announced earlier this year at an April 28 council meeting. Local resident Greg Warner calls his hefty contribution a "starter kit," envisioning a community-driven project that can be expanded upon as resources and time permit.
The proposed farm hub would address lack of adequate facilities for processing, packing, storage and distribution, a challenge for smaller and medium-sized farms.
Warner has now clarified that the gift must be accepted by the district no later than Nov. 30, 2025.
On Aug. 18, council received a staff report on the food hub, which includes survey results, site considerations, updates on capital cost estimates, and explores funding options for the initial start-up building that could potentially be 1,000 to 1,200 square feet.
Council unanimously approved a motion to direct staff to conduct a conceptual site layout for two potential sites with a deadline of Oct. 27 – though they included an amendment. While staff initially planned for a site layout for a 1,000-square-foot hub, several councillors expressed concern over basing the layouts only on that size, considering the project could very likely be expanded.
Coun. Phil DiBattista highlighted that Central Saanich and Saanich, who have also created reports for similar farm hub projects, discussed 10,000 square feet with the idea of further expansion. "The phased approach I'm OK with, but the reality is we're talking about something that is just too small," he said. “I prefer to see the concept of … what would 5,000 square feet look like to start.”
Staff referenced the fact that the gift being presented was "almost like a starter building" and that they would be "prudent in planning the site" so it has expanding potential.
However, DiBattista maintained his request.
“Costs to build are going up and up and up. So I’d rather spend more money now and save that later,” he said.
However, a motion to approve the food hub service or the gift in principle failed 4-3, with DiBattista joining Couns. Jack McClintock, Celia Stock, and Kristine Marshall in opposition, while Mayor Peter Jones, Coun. Irene McConkey and Coun. Sanjiv Shrivastava were in favour.
McClintock was the most vocal in his critiques. He pointed out that only 11 per cent of North Saanich farmers took part in the survey and only six of those farmers said they would be willing to invest $1,000 to $5,000 to help fund a facility that meets their needs, provided that the investment is recouped over five years.
“It appears as though the 11 per cent of farmers that answered the survey were not really prepared to either invest any money or invest time of their own,” McClintock said. “So those items of the survey concern me a lot.”
Staff said they have yet to look at the potential revenue stream, which they said would help offset operating costs.
McClintock said he's "willing to be persuaded," but without a detailed business plan, he did not think there was enough information in the staff report to make an informed decision.
Stock said McClintock had “valid concerns” but was on board with approving the first three motions that came from staff. Marshall agreed.
“I see Coun. McClintock’s concern for sure, but I agree we can’t have a fulsome business plan until we move forward with at least understanding what the site looks like,” Marshall said.
Council will review conceptual site layouts Oct. 27.
