Saanich allows six unrelated people to live in one house, raising limit from four

Council votes 6-3 to change bylaw that capped limit at four

Students and other Saanich residents will no longer face eviction for living in groups of five or six roommates, after Saanich council voted to amend a bylaw that capped the limit at four.

The district has been discussing amending the bylaw, which restricts the number of unrelated people who can live together, since early 2019.

On Saturday, after an online public hearing that lasted more than five hours, council voted 6-3 to change the bylaw to allow up to six unrelated people to live together.

Councillors Nathalie Chambers, Judy Brownoff and Susan Brice opposed the change.

The dozens of speakers who addressed Saanich council on Saturday were largely divided on the issue according to their housing status.

Most Saanich homeowners who called into the public hearing opposed the change, while the majority of renters voiced their support. Homeowners raised concerns about noise, garbage, a large number of parked vehicles and a lack of property maintenance in homes where several renters live.

Many students and renters called the bylaw discriminatory, pointing out there is no limit on the number of related people living together, and said the bylaw targets people with low incomes.

Emma Edmonds, who was evicted from her Saanich rental home along with her six roommates in December 2018, told council the bylaw debate was “classist.”

“This isn’t about noise. This isn’t about parking. We have other bylaws for that. This is about class and people being uncomfortable with the changing class demographic in Saanich,” she said. “Saanich council, I’m asking you please, don’t pander to the problematic and classist calls to block the changing of this bylaw.”

Edmonds said she continues to live illegally in Saanich in a house of five, because it’s the only affordable option she was able to find after being evicted.

Edmonds said amending the bylaw would mean she has secure housing where she doesn’t have to live in fear of eviction.

She was one of several speakers who told council they were living illegally in groups larger than four.

More than 600 people have signed an online petition since February asking Saanich to keep the bylaw as is. The petition, started by homeowner Vernon Lord, says the current limit causes noise issues and other problems, but seems to be working.

“But four is the limit, we are absolutely at the tipping point and increasing the number in any way will cause irreparable harm to ‘single-family dwelling’ zones,” Lord wrote in the petition.

One homeowner told council she had moved out of her house several years ago, because she was fed up with her neighbours, a group of young people, who left garbage in her yard and parked their cars partially on sidewalks.

Coun. Karen Harper said the bylaw amendment was more of a recognition of how people are already living and wouldn’t necessarily increase the amount of housing available.

“It will increase protections for people who need them,” she said.

Coun. Ned Taylor suggested the district could better address individual complaints about noise, garbage and parking by extending the hours of operation for bylaw officers.

Brownoff voted against the change, saying council should hold off in favour of more engagement.

Saanich bylaw officers investigate around 25 complaints every year about the number of people living in a home, according to a December 2019 report to council by Brent Reems, director of building, bylaw, licensing and legal services. Just under 50 per cent of those investigations found that the occupants were breaching the bylaw.

Saanich has bylaws to address noise and property maintenance complaints, while Saanich police are responsible for monitoring parking infractions, but addressing concerns through separate bylaws is not likely to have the same impact as limiting the number of roommates in a house, according to the report, because the district does not have enough staff to address a high volume of complaints.

“Changing the limit to six supports council’s strategic goal of increasing housing supply and encouraging affordability while also retaining an upper limit that can be used to address neighbourhood concerns related to higher occupancy levels,” the report states.

Most of the 13 municipalities in the Capital Regional District have a limit on the number of unrelated people who can live together, according to the report. Most limit the number at four, but Metchosin and Oak Bay cap roommates at three, and Sooke allows up to five. Victoria, View Royal and the Highlands have no restriction.