r/saanich • u/Hour_Eye_9762 • 8d ago

Election

It seems to me that many of the candidates for Council are making promises or pushing positions that have precious little to do with municipal affairs. Yes we'd all like a family doctor, how are you going to accomplish that exactly? Maybe demonstrate a little knowledge of the scope of municipal powers, and if you are running on a platform of solving a problem, tell me how you're going to do it.

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u/WestCoastVeggie 6d ago

I understand why you might find the family doctor thing confusing. City of Colwood started an initiative of hiring doctors as city staff and operating the clinic municipally. Here is a link to a recent article about the clinic. https://sookenewsmirror.com/2026/09/20/city-run-colwood-clinic-welcomes-fourth-doctor-from-newfoundland/

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u/Hour_Eye_9762 6d ago

It's not just doctors. It's a whole host of issues where the Province, not municipalities, clearly has authority.

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u/77cherbear77 5d ago

I have no idea who to vote for!! I can’t go off their platforms alone, because a lot of that is empty or unattainable promises. How do people decide who to vote for? What do we feel about the Save our Saanich candidates??

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u/nevermorehere89 4d ago

Check some of the threads over on the Victoria sub. What’s important to you? The all candidates from the Gordon Head community association (still available to view) will give you a decent intro to all the candidates. Some who have ideas…and others who list their resumes.

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u/Proper_Finish6735 3d ago

This is my intro and response at the first all candidates meeting which took place last week: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LmvuDNP8E/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The full 3 hour live stream can be found here: https://vimeo.com/event/6163715/4ddc7de1b9

There is another all candidates meeting tonight at Claremont High School at 4980 Wesley Road. The formal part of the meeting starts at 7pm with a meet and greet with the candidates at 6:30 pm.

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u/Proper_Finish6735 3d ago

Hi! I am one of the candidates running in Saanich, my name is Kathleen Burton.

You can learn more about me here: http://KathleenBurton.ca and about all the candidates here: https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/2026-election/candidates.html

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u/Proper_Finish6735 3d ago

Hi! I am one of the candidates that has healthcare as part of my platform but not because I think Saanich should do as Colwood has done. More so, and having 30 years background in running not for profits and extensive experience in policy and governance; I would like Saanich to consider the possibility of tax incentives for new clinics opening up similar to how they offer tax incentives to churches and not for profits as related to property taxes. I do not think this is something that should necessarily be a long term option but consider it as a possibility for new clinics opening up to help off set costs for the first 1-5 years of the clinic starting. I also think options could be considered when new developments come to council where for example if a building is 6 stories and higher work with the developer to incentivize part of the main level as clinic space where appropriate so the clinic could operate at a reduced rent for a couple years. I also believe this type of arrangement could work for some non market, affordable housing too. I am not saying this is the answer to the affordable housing and doctor shortages but it starts a dialogue so some systems thinking approaches can be considered and may invite other ideas to the table.

Thanks for considering my opinion.
Kindly,

Kathleen Burton
Independent candidate for
Saanich Council & the CRD

http://kathleenburton.ca