Central Saanich Motion

On Monday night, Central Saanich Council unanimously passed the following motion that opposes the closure of Saanichton Elementary:

Whereas, the District of Central Saanich (the “District”) Council and Saanich School Board are elected as trustees to represent the community interest, and

Whereas, Saanichton Elementary School is an integral part of the fabric of our community, and

Whereas, the School Board is proposing to close Saanichton Elementary School and consolidate the student population into a new school in the District of North Saanich, and

Whereas, the District has the legal authority to legislate and regulate the future use of the Saanichton School site, and

Whereas, the District is a signatory to the Capital Regional District, Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) and the proposed new school site is outside of the urban containment boundary contained in the RGS, and

Whereas, there will be increasing pressure on the District to upgrade East Saanich Road to address increased travel demand, and

Whereas, the School Board has provided no consideration for a safe walking or biking route between the Saanichton village and the new school site, and

Whereas, the Saanichton School site is in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and the School Board has made no consideration in its business case for remediation of the site back to its original agricultural use, and

Whereas, the School Board and the District are empowered to enter into a partnership to maintain the viability of Saanichton School, and

Be it resolved that the District state its opposition to the proposed closure of Saanichton School in a letter to the School Board and include an invitation to the School Board to explore options that will enable the continuation of Saanichton Elementary School.