Saanich wins national municipal environmental leadership & sustainability award

News release 
For immediate release

Saanich, BC – The District of Saanich has received national recognition from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) for its Biodiversity Conservation and Urban Forest Strategies. The District was presented with the 2025 CAMA Environmental Leadership & Sustainability Award, in the Over 100,000 Population Category, during an awards ceremony held at CAMA’s national conference in Mont Tremblant, QC.

“CAMA is pleased to recognize Saanich for the municipal excellence demonstrated by its Biodiversity Conservation and Urban Forest Strategies,” said Tony Kulbisky, CAMA President, CAMA Representative for Alberta and CAO for Westlock County, AB. “As per the District’s Official Community Plan, the efforts strengthen climate resilience and protect natural assets in the area.”

Saanich Council endorsed the two innovative strategies in 2024.The overarching goal was to meet the intent of the District’s Official Community Plan, which says: “Saanich is a sustainable and resilient community where a healthy natural environment is recognized as paramount for ensuring social well-being and economic vibrancy for current and future generations.”

The BCS prioritizes protecting and restoring natural habitat, connecting ecological corridors, and enhancing ecosystem services. The UFS focuses on strengthening urban forestry practices to expand the District’s tree canopy. This supports long-term quality of life for residents and helps prioritize tree planting and urban forest expansion in areas most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

These two strategies used advanced LiDAR and GIS technologies to develop accurate mapping and targets. They also incorporated Indigenous knowledge through collaboration with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council. The strategies promote sustainable land use planning and community stewardship and align with global biodiversity goals.

While both strategies are forward-looking with 40-to-50-year visions, they identify actions that are prioritized into short, medium and long-term. This allows staff to focus on implementing near-term actions with the confidence that the actions are steps toward fulfilling those visions.

“By implementing the actions outlined in these strategies, Saanich aims to protect and enhance its natural areas and urban forests to ensure they continue delivering critical ecosystem services and a sustainable environment for a growing community,” says Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock. “Both strategies are grounded in current science and were developed through extensive public engagement, involving a diverse range of participants from technical experts, community members and local Indigenous people, and using innovative tools like ArcGIS StoryMaps.”

“CAMA’s Awards of Excellence Program celebrates the best in local government and recognizes the professional municipal administration needed to deliver creative and successful programs, projects or services,” said Bev Hendry, Chair of the 2025 CAMA Awards Committee and CAMA Past President. “Each year we are amazed at the calibre of submissions received. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who submitted an entry.”

A total of 54 submissions were received for this year’s awards program. To find out more about each award, and to see a video outlining each project, visit www.camacam.ca/awards and look for the award recipients’ link.

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Media Contacts:
Wayne Knorr, APR, CAMA Communications
506-474-3389
wayne.knorr@fredericton.ca

Tracy Grimsrud, Senior Communications Advisor, District of Saanich
250-589-5100
Tracy.Grimsrud@saanich.ca

About CAMA’S Environmental Leadership and Sustainability Award
The Environmental Leadership and Sustainability Award recognizes the dedication to environmental and sustainability excellence in projects that meet the needs of the present without compromising the future.  This may include stand-out projects or initiatives or apply to the improvement of corporate processes that demonstrate real benefits to the environment.  Sustainability may refer to both environmental considerations and wider sustainability impacts on people, resources, and communities. 

About CAMA
The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) is a national, non-profit association open to all Chief Administrative Officers / City Managers and any person employed in a senior management position that reports directly to a CAO. With a membership of over 900 senior municipal employees from all parts of Canada, CAMA collectively represents more than 85% of the nation’s population. www.camacam.ca

About District of Saanich
Saanich blends both the rural and urban on southern Vancouver Island. Entrepreneurs, artists, community-builders, farmers and families call our diverse community home. More than 117,000 people live here, giving us the largest population on the island. We border six other municipalities including British Columbia's capital, Victoria.