Local History Article

Seaside Magazine, August 2024: Black farming families on the Saanich Peninsula (part 1)

Local History Article

Seaside Magazine, October 2024: Black farming families on the Saanich Peninsula (part 2)

Planning Article

Planning West Magazine, Spring 2024: Amenity Cost Charges Are Not Enough for Heritage in Our Province

Housing + Heritage

As adequate housing supply and affordability continues to be one of the biggest challenges that communities across the country face, heritage finds itself at a crossroads. Positioning heritage as one of the players that offer a range of solutions in the housing crisis is an opportunity to demonstrate the sector's relevance in the face of society-wide challenges. But, how can we do this? On May 2, 2024 Liberty joined a panel discussion at the Heritage BC conference for a conversation on how heritage can help contribute to neighbourhood density, diversity, vitality and uniqueness, creating long term sustainability. A copy of her presentation is provided below.

Themes for Heritage Planning:
  • Accelerated rate of building rehabilitation for housing 
  • More predictable development application processes 
  • Better upfront planning and more proactive programs

Shady Creek Church designation

Shady Creek Church in Central Saanich was officially recognized as a historic place on November 14, 2023. The Council of the District of Central Saanich passed a bylaw to designate the property as a Municipal Heritage Property. The heritage designation gives long-term protection to the property.

The Church is valued by the community as a place of worship and for its association with the local Black family of Charles and Nancy Alexander. The Church also has aesthetic value for the plainness of the building, namely, its simplified Gothic Revival style characteristics.

A copy of the bylaw can be viewed online here (agenda item 12.2.4): https://pub-centralsaanich.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=2a4730e8-0238-4177-b674-c24f3cadbc69&...