Tree Protection Bylaw Review

At the Regular Meeting of Council on October 3, 2022, the District of North Saanich Council adopted a new Tree Protection Bylaw No. 1548 and rescinded Tree Protection Bylaw No. 935.

To find more information on the new Tree Protection Bylaw, including next steps and what the new bylaw means for you, please visit northsaanich.ca/trees

For enquiries, please phone 250.655.5454 or email planning@northsaanich.ca

On October 3, 2022 at the Regular Meeting of Council, Council will be presented with the Tree Protection Bylaw No 1548, Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1549, and the Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1550 for adoption.

View the agenda and information on how to participate.

To support the application of the new bylaw there will be educational guides, communications, and materials.

At the Regular Meeting of Council on Tuesday, September 20 at 7:00 p.m., Council will discuss the Tree Protection Bylaw Review.

Council will review a Staff Report titled “Tree Protection Bylaw Review – Phase 4 Bylaw Approval Process” and staff will present the Tree Protection Bylaw to Council for first, second, and third reading.

The meeting agenda, including the documents identified above, is available at Regular Meeting of Council - 20 Sep 2022. This page also includes information on how to participate in the Council meeting.

On Monday, July 11, 2022, at a Regular Meeting of Council, North Saanich Council directed staff to proceed to the next phase of the Tree Protection Bylaw review, Phase 4: Bylaw Approval Process.

Council discussed a staff report that provided information, analysis, and recommendations regarding an update on the Tree Protection Bylaw Review project, including the Phase 3 Report: Engagement on Alternatives. Council received the Phase 3 Report: Engagement on Alternatives.

The Phase 3: Engagement on Alternatives report provided a comprehensive review of the engagement activities and the feedback received throughout this phase, during spring 2022. Findings from community engagement on the bylaw indicated some clear preferences for updates. The 17 recommendations included in the report sought to address the feedback received.

Council directed staff to make the revisions to the draft Tree Protection Bylaw as outlined in the 17 recommendations within the staff report in table 1. Council also directed staff to track additional data associated with tree removals as part of the application process.

Lastly, Council also approved additional budget in 2022 to support Phase 4 of the Tree Protection Bylaw Review.

Phase 4 will include incorporating the Council-directed changes and revising the draft Tree Protection Bylaw and District Tree Policy to align. In September, staff will present the Tree Protection Bylaw to Council for first, second, and third reading, as well as bring the Municipal Ticketing Information and the Fees and Charges amending bylaws for first, second, and third reading. At the same meeting, Council will also be presented with the final draft District Tree Policy.

At a subsequent meeting, Council will be presented with the Tree Protection Bylaw and amending bylaws to the Municipal Ticketing Information Bylaw and the Fees and Charges Bylaw for adoption. At the same meeting, Council will be presented with the District Tree Policy for endorsement.

To support the application of the new bylaw there will be educational guides, communications, and materials.

Staff will report back to Council at a later date on an incentives program specific to subsidized tree planting and the subsidized maintenance of trees.

Among other agenda items scheduled for the Regular Meeting of Council on Monday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m., North Saanich Council will discuss the Tree Protection Bylaw Review.

Council will review a Staff Report entitled “Tree Protection Bylaw Review - Phase 3 Summary Report and Next Steps”.

Council will also review the Phase 3 Report (“Engagement on Alternatives”), which presents the findings from public and staff engagement on the phase 3 alternatives for the draft Tree Protection Bylaw.

Council will also review the Draft Tree Protection Bylaw itself.

Finally, Council will review correspondence submitted by North Saanich residents related to the Tree Protection Bylaw Review.

The meeting agenda, including the documents identified above—is available at https://northsaanich.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingTypeList.aspx This page also includes information on how to participate in the Council meeting.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Phase 3 engagement activities as part of the Tree Protection Bylaw review project.

We received 397 survey responses and 86 people joined us at the open houses.

We are currently working on analyzing and summarizing all the feedback we received. We will report back to Council in June with an engagement summary report and recommendations to help inform potential revisions to the draft Tree Protection Bylaw.

Please subscribe for project updates to stay informed.

The District of North Saanich is inviting you to participate in the third round of public engagement on the Tree Protection Bylaw review!

We are asking for your feedback on the alternatives that Council is considering to further refine the draft Tree Protection Bylaw.

In particular, Council requested more public feedback about:

• Trees that can be removed under the annual allowance;
• Requirements to replace trees removed; and
• Permit fees.

To provide residents with a range of engagement activities to meet their varying needs, we have designed three different ways to share your feedback:

You are invited to complete an online survey at connectnorthsaanich.ca/tree-bylaw.

• Complete by Friday, April 22. If you would prefer a paper copy of the survey, call 250-656-0781 or pick up a copy at Municipal Hall (1620 Mills Rd.).

We are hosting two (2) in-person open houses at Municipal Hall:

• Thursday, April 7, 5 pm – 7 pm
• Saturday, April 9, 11 am – 1 pm

We are hosting one virtual open house through Zoom:

• Wednesday, March 30, 6 pm – 7:30 pm. Register now by emailing connect@northsaanich.ca

You are welcome to attend any or all of these engagement events. If your time is limited, or you are already familiar with the Tree Protection Bylaw review, you may find it more efficient to only participate in the survey.

If you would appreciate a deeper introduction into the Tree Protection Bylaw review, and more context about how and why the Project Team is drafting a new bylaw, the open houses may be a better fit for you.

The two in-person open houses at Municipal Hall will be wheelchair-accessible, and no advance registration is required.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their smart phones, tablets, or iPads so they can fill out the survey while attending the open houses.

No matter how you choose to participate, we thank you for your interest and for sharing your thoughts. Your feedback will be presented to Council in June in an engagement summary report to help inform potential revisions to the draft Tree Protection Bylaw.

Council met to discuss the Tree Protection Bylaw Review at a Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday, December 13. Responding to Council's direction from November 1, the project team presented findings from additional research and an additional engagement option for Council to consider for Phase 3.

Council endorsed three staff recommendations:

1. Receive the additional research on tree protection bylaws that Council requested on November 1, 2021;
2. Direct staff to proceed with the Phase 3 Engagement Plan in accordance with the engagement plan outlined in Staff Report No. PCS-21-014; and
3. Approve the revised budget of $29,547 for the additional scope of the Tree Protection Bylaw Review in 2022.

(You can review the research findings and Staff Report as links on the meeting agenda here: northsaanich.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=826.)

Council affirmed they are proceeding with five key directions (KD) as presented within the draft bylaw: bylaw goals (KD 1), exemptions (KD 2), reasons for removal (KD 5), permit applications (KD 6), and tree protection (KD 7).

However, Council directed staff to revise the draft bylaw to exclude certain fast-growing trees from the "significant tree definition" (KD 3) and to provide further clarity in a number of sections.

Additionally, Council directed staff that public engagement in Phase 3 must consider alternatives to the four remaining key directions:

• Lower the annual cutting and removal allowance and not implement a tree minimum, except with subdivision (KD 4);
• Limit when replacement requirements apply by either capping them with a tree minimum, by only requiring replacements with development, or by only requiring replacement when trees are removed exceeding the annual cutting and removal allowance (key direction 8);
• Lower the application fees and require no fees for the removal of invasive species (KD 9); and
• Differentiate subdivision applications from other types of applications -- applications related to development will require a larger security deposit (KD 10).

Public engagement is anticipated to launch in late March 2022. Engagement activities will include sending mail to each North Saanich household regarding engagement opportunities; an online open house; two in-person open houses; and a survey. Engagement will also include various presentations and meetings with relevant commissions, stratas, and stewardship groups.

As this discussion occurred at a Committee of the Whole Meeting, the Council will need to ratify its decisions at the next Council Meeting: January 17, 2022

Council will meet to discuss the Tree Protection Bylaw Review at a Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday, December 13 at 7 p.m. The meeting agenda has been published at northsaanich.ca/council-meetings

The purpose of the December 13 meeting is:

• For council to discuss engagement options for Phase 3, and consider approving an increased budget to support the completion of the associated deliverables
• Review the additional research prepared by the project team in response to Council’s request at the November 1, 2021 Council Meeting, including:
  • providing more information about other municipalities implementing a tree minimum approach in their tree bylaws,
  • summarizing tree removal and canopy cover trends in North Saanich, and
  • compiling information about tree retention and planting incentives found within tree bylaws and in other municipal incentive programs

As always, we welcome public participation and input at this meeting by:

• Submitting written correspondence pertaining to items on the agenda to corporateservices@northsaanich.ca by noon on Monday, December 13. This correspondence will be considered by Council as a “late item” for inclusion on the agenda.
• Attending in-person to speak or watch by pre-registering, by noon on Monday, December 13 via email to corporateservices@northsaanich.ca. Up to 40 in-person attendees; masks must be worn at all times.
• Attending virtually to speak by pre-registering, by noon on Monday, December 13 via email to corporateservices@northsaanich.ca. Each person has 3 minutes to present their perspective.
• Attending virtually to watch through the livestream at northsaanich.ca/council-meetings.

On November 1, after a staff report and presentation, Council deferred further discussion regarding engagement options for Phase 3 of the Tree Protection Bylaw Review until November 29, 2021. In addition, Council directed the project team to undertake additional research relating to components of the draft bylaw.

However, the Project Team requires more time to prepare the research that Council had requested.

Council has now indicated December 13, at 7:00 p.m., as the new time for this discussion, at a Regular Committee of the Whole meeting.

We will continue to keep you posted with more details on the meeting agenda for December 13 and the various ways you can participate.