Matt McGeachie

Our approach to climate action centers on practical, hands-on environmental stewardship and protecting the natural infrastructure our community relies on.

As dedicated community advocates, we have consistently stood up for neighbourhood-centred planning that safeguards our local ecosystems. A major focus of our work has been opposing development projects that routinely clear-cut mature trees, erode our protective urban canopy, and destroy protected species. Maintaining mature tree canopy is one of the most effective, immediate ways a municipality can cool neighbourhoods, manage stormwater runoff, and capture carbon.

Through community advocacy and campaign alignment, we actively champion comprehensive planning that prioritizes environmental protection. This includes advocating for the re-establishment of a revised Resilient Saanich Technical Committee to oversee sensitive areas and ensure development plans are informed by expert science. We strongly support protecting and enhancing connected wildlife corridors between our parks and nature sanctuaries, creating buffer zones to prevent high-density encroachments, and safeguarding vital agricultural lands—like the Blenkinsop Valley—to preserve local food security and protect our watersheds.

Our top environmental priorities for the next four years focus on evidence-based local stewardship, protecting natural infrastructure, and ensuring development respects environmental constraints:

Strengthen the Tree Protection Bylaw: We will update and enforce the Tree Protection Bylaw to better manage exemptions that allow developers to routinely clear-cut mature trees and protected species. Preserving mature tree canopy—especially our endangered Garry Oak ecosystems—is our most effective municipal tool to cool neighbourhoods, mitigate heat, and manage stormwater.

Reconstitute the Resilient Saanich Technical Committee: We will review and reconstitute an independent, science-led Resilient Saanich Technical Committee. Saanich Council must be properly informed by scientific experts, ecological data, and qualified oversight when evaluating development proposals, sensitive areas, and biodiversity policies.

Establish Buffer Zones and Protect Wildlife Corridors: We will create strong environmental buffer zones around parks and nature sanctuaries to protect connected wildlife corridors from over-scale developments.

Thank you for reaching out and providing the opportunity to share our candidate perspective on the environmental, ecological, and economic future of our community.

As local candidates for office, our primary obligation is to maintain a sharp focus on the core duties, services, and infrastructure delivered at the municipal level. Municipal governments are most effective when they allocate taxpayer resources toward areas directly within local jurisdiction—such as protecting local tree canopy, stewarding municipal parks and watersheds, upgrading storm and flood resilience, supporting local active transport networks, and collaborating in good faith with local Indigenous communities.

Many of the broader regulatory, energy-market, and geopolitical proposals highlighted in your questionnaire fall squarely under provincial and federal mandates. While these are important discussions, municipal councils lack the constitutional authority, regulatory capacity, and funding mechanisms to implement or enforce policies of this nature. Attempting to take on non-municipal mandates distracts from essential local service delivery and risks imposing costs on local taxpayers that the municipality cannot effectively manage.

In evaluating these policy areas, we remain focused on the core municipal responsibilities where local council can make a direct impact:
1) Local Ecosystems & Parks: Protecting green spaces, building resilient stormwater infrastructure, expanding local tree canopy, and restoring municipal watersheds.
2) Resilient Infrastructure: Upgrading local storm, road, and community assets to withstand extreme weather events.
3) Active Community Planning: Supporting walkable neighbourhoods, supporting local farming activities and functional local transportation options.
4) Meaningful Collaboration: Consulting with First Nations on local land and water stewardship.

Delivering on our climate and environmental priorities requires a transparent, practical, and community-centred approach that translates policy goals into measurable local results:

Evidence-Based Council Decision-Making: We believe major planning decisions should be supported by reliable ecological data. Restoring a revised Resilient Saanich Technical Committee will help provide Council with better guidance when reviewing projects near sensitive ecosystems, mature tree canopy, or local watersheds.
Proactive Bylaw Enforcement & Accountability: Policies are only as effective as their implementation. We believe environmental bylaws should be applied consistently and effectively, providing clear expectations for tree retention, habitat protection, and stormwater management to ensure developer accountability.
Broad Public Engagement: True environmental stewardship involves the community. We will foster open, inclusive town halls and meaningful public consultation to ensure residents, neighbourhood associations, and local stewardship groups have a direct voice in environmental planning and park preservation.
Fiscally Responsible Stewardship: We support allocating municipal resources toward key natural infrastructure—including stormwater resilience, park maintenance, and watershed protection—balancing environmental benefits alongside our other municipal priorities and fiscal responsibilities.

By combining scientific oversight, strong community consultation, and disciplined fiscal management, we will ensure Saanich's environmental goals are effectively carried out over the next four years.