Family Doctors for Saanich

Press Release - May 4, 2026

Saanich Council Adopts Motion to Incentivize More Doctors’ Offices and Medical Clinics in New Developments

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Saanich, BC – On May 4, 2026, Saanich Council voted to adopt a motion directing staff to explore new ways of encouraging the inclusion of doctors’ offices and medical clinics in new developments across the District. The motion was drafted and sponsored by Councillors Teale Phelps Bondaroff and Karen Harper. It had two parts, which after amendments read as follows:

“That Saanich Council direct staff to explore extending the list of qualifying amenities for density bonuses in the Density Bonus Framework to include doctors offices and medical clinics.

 

And further, that Saanich Council direct staff to explore other ways of incentivizing the inclusion of doctors offices and medical clinics in new developments, such as Floor Space Ratio (FSR) exclusions or Community Amenity Contribution (CAC)/Amenity Cost Charges (ACC) exemptions or reductions when updates are planned for bylaws.”

 

The motion asks Council to direct staff to examine whether the District’s draft density bonus framework could be expanded so that doctors’ offices and medical clinics are treated as qualifying community amenities. It also directs staff to explore other possible incentives when updating other bylaws, such as including floor space ratio exclusions and Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) or Amenity Cost Charges (ACCs) exemptions or reductions for developers who include doctors’ offices or medical clinics in new developments.

 

The motion does not immediately change zoning or create a new bylaw. Instead, it directs staff to investigate policy options that could help increase the supply and geographic distribution of primary care space in Saanich by leveraging private development to deliver community health infrastructure.

 

“There is a pressing need for more primary care in Saanich, with thousands of residents not attached to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. If we are serious about improving access to primary care, Saanich needs to be on the lookout for policies that will help,” said Councillor Teale Phelps Bondaroff, co-author of the motion. “This motion empowers staff to be constantly on the lookout for opportunities to incentivize the creation of new clinic spaces in the District as they update bylaws.”

 

“With so many of our residents not having medical practitioners, we need to explore possible ways to encourage them to move to Saanich. Density bonusing is one of the tools that may help and we should explore its viability,” said Councillor Karen Harper, co-author of the motion. “Medical clinics and doctors’ offices are essential community infrastructure. This motion would help ensure staff examine how our planning and development tools might better support access to care in neighbourhoods across the District.” 

 

Volunteers from Family Doctors for Saanich, a grassroots campaign that is working to get more people in Saanich access to primary care, were in attendance and spoke in support of the motion at the meeting. 

 

“I welcome Saanich Council exploring a wide range of community-based policies that will help more people getting attached to primary care providers. No single action will solve the doctor shortage,and this is why we need all levels of government doing what they can to help,” said JoAnne Nelson, co-founder of Family Doctors for Saanich.

 

“Tonight, Saanich Council has shown support for the concept of community based primary care clinics to bring more family doctors to Saanich,” said Tony Wass, co-founder of Family Doctors for Saanich. “We do not expect Saanich to provide or run community clinics. What we do want is a commitment from Saanich to facilitate creation of community clinics that are set up and run by NGOs, such as South Island Primary Care Society and Shoreline Medical Society.”

 

The motion comes at a time when Saanich staff are already developing a broader density bonus framework. The District’s draft framework already contemplates public amenities, employment space, and major community facilities, but it is unclear whether doctors’ offices or clinic space would qualify under the current language. The motion seeks to provide clear direction to staff to include these uses in their review.

 

Recent provincial changes have made density bonusing more technical and as a result, have extended the timeline of the District’s development of such a framework. For this reason, the motion also asked staff to explore other tools that could incentivize clinic space while updating District bylaws,and provided examples such as excluding clinic floor area from floor space ratio calculations or reducing certain amenity-related charges where appropriate (CACs/ACCs).

 

During the meeting, the motion was split into two parts and amended. The first part was adopted by a 7-2 vote (with Councillors Brice and Chambers voting in opposition), while the second part had the words “when updates are planned for bylaws” added and was adopted by a 8-1 vote (with Councillor Chambers voting in opposition). 

 

“Access to primary care is essential to the health and well-being of our community. While the Province works to address the doctor shortage, municipalities need to do their part. As arbiters of land use, municipalities have an important role to play in helping address the primary care shortage, and can adopt measures that facilitate the construction of new clinic spaces,” said Phelps Bondaroff. “This is not the only thing the District should be doing to help with the primary care shortage in our community, but it is something that I hope will help get more clinics built and more people attached to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.”