Rob Botterell

My first year as your MLA for Saanich North and the Islands has flown by in these tumultuous times. The affordability, housing, and health care crises in BC and the external catastrophes impacting us – tariffs, wars, climate disasters – hardly give time for relief. Nevertheless, there are many things that give me hope. One of them is the ground-breaking work undertaken by the District of North Saanich. Their new official community plan (OCP) incorporates doughnut economics into their future development. You can read the OCP here. Doughnut economics is the pioneer work of Oxford economist, Kate Rawowrth. It acknowledges that we live in a world of finite resources and that our addiction to endless economic growth puts our environment and well-being at risk. It is a new way of thinking about our communities where we ensure we have a strong social foundation of really affordable housing, wrap around access to health care and other key determinants of happiness while not exceedin…