Saanich Council has endorsed the 2025 Annual Report. The Annual Report provides an overview of the previous year’s strategic, financial and operational progress.You can view the full report here
You can find reports from previous years here
News
Music in the Park @ Rutledge Park – August 18, 2026
Music in the Park is back at Rutledge Park. This not to be missed, FREE event is open to everyone!
Our community association founded Music in the Park in Saanich. Founding visionary Margaret Bachmann wanted to bring the joy of live music to our community and set about making it happen.
We are profoundly grateful for the support that we get from Saanich Parks & Recreation, the Saanich Police, donors, volunteers and especially attendees.
Come early to pick out the best spot for you and your family. Maybe check out the splash pad while you’re here.
Dogs on leash are welcome, though, they may get a bit spooked as we expect well over 1,200 people to be in attendance.
Date: August 18, 2026
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Where: Rutledge Park (Inverness and Cloverdale)
Music by Late Shift
More info here
Seed Library is Back!
The library isn’t just a place to find knowledge – it’s also a place to find vegetables, herbs, and flowers—or at least to get the seeds for them.
After taking a few years off, the Victoria Seed Library will be back at GVPL’s Broughton branch on Friday, July 9th.
More than 200 seed varieties—most of which, the library says, are relatively easy for beginners to grow—will be available, and, unlike previously, you won’t need to complete a seed-saving workshop to snag some seeds.
“We wanted to make it easier for people to access seeds,” said Lisa Small, fundraising and communications coordinator with LifeCycles Project Society, which partners with the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL), the city, and the federal and provincial governments to run the project.
“When seeds are shared, knowledge, biodiversity, and community grow alongside them,” she said.
There is a seed-saving workshop slated for Sunday, July 26th at the Welland Community Orchard—you can register here
If you’d like contribute seeds, you can drop them off at any of the GVPL’s branches.
The library welcomes home-saved seeds, as well as unused and partially used commercial seed packets.
Dogs In Hot Cars
Dogs and cars seem to go together naturally. Except when it turns hot outside.So, as we get more and more sunny days, temperatures in cars escalate quickly.
Leave your pups at home as just 15 minutes in a hot car is all it takes for your fur family members to overheat and pass away.
Check out this interactive map to find places where you can take your pups inside with you when shopping at https://communicanine.ca/dog-friendly-businesses/
UVic is Training People to Spot Deepfakes and AI Faces
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated, many are finding it harder and harder to spot fake videos or images. This difficulty in discerning what’s real and what’s not has led to an increase in misinformation and fraud and scams, which are projected to cost $40B USD a year worldwide by 2027.We encourage everyone to take opportunities to become more fraud aware. If it seems too good to be true – it probably is.
With the right training, people can learn how to differentiate between generated images and the real deal, according to a study led by UVic’s Different Minds Lab.
The psychology research lab partnered with the Australian National University (ANU) to develop a quick and effective way to train people to spot AI-generated faces.
The training focuses on identifying six perceptual facial qualities: distinctiveness, memorability, proportionality, symmetry, attractiveness, and expressiveness.
According to the study, people implicitly are able to detect these differences—AI faces are often more symmetrical or “attractive” than human faces but are usually less distinctive, memorable, and expressive. However, without training, most fail to use their inherent sensitivity to these differences.
Both universities tested out the training and found people could eventually identify even the “most convincing fakes available,” according to Amy Dawel, director of the ANU Emotions and Faces Lab.
Jim Tanaka, lead researcher for Different Minds, said his team was surprised by how quickly people improved: in less than an hour, participants’ accurate AI face detection increased by nearly 30%. The highest performers in the study were able to detect nearly 100% of deepfakes.
The research teams said they hope this training will help people navigate “complex online environments,” especially as AI image generation improves at a rapid pace.
Information courtesy of Capital Daily (2Jul2026)
Giving Blood Feels Amazing
Giving blood can save someone’s life. And, whether you’re donating whole blood, plasma or platelets – you know that you’re helping to save a life.
It’s easy to donate and we have a donation centre just outside our community across from Uptown (3449 Saanich Rd).
Find out more at https://www.blood.ca/en
El Niño and weather this Summer and coming Fall & Winter
El Niño won’t affect Island weather this Summer, but a Warmer winter is coming.Weather forecasts are predicting El Niño won’t dramatically affect Island weather this Summer, but Winter will be warmer than normal and affect snowpack and water levels in reservoirs in 2027.
“El Niño” is not an official classification, but even at a moderate level, this naturally occurring climate pattern can contribute to more severe weather events. El Niños can be weak, moderate, strong, or very strong.
El Niño is a phase of a recurring climate pattern known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It causes warmer ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, which can alter the weather we experience in BC.
The prediction is for the lower Island to see more precipitation than normal in June and July (by a few mm) with El Niño expected to affect our region later in the year with a warmer and drier Winter.
Information gathered from Capital Daily. Photo courtesy of James MacDonald / Capital Daily.
Saanich Council Authorizes Amalgamation Question: Non-binding
On June 24th, Saanich Council approved a non-binding amalgamation question for the upcoming municipal election in October 2026.
Council authorized staff to place a non-binding public opinion question on the ballot for the 2026 General Local Election. The approved question will ask electors: “do you support Saanich and Victoria becoming one municipality?”
The question is intended to gauge resident support for pursuing amalgamation further. The question is non-binding, meaning the results will not have legal or statutory effect, and will not by themselves create an amalgamated municipality. Instead, the vote will indicate whether there is public support for newly elected councils to continue exploring the issue.
Find more information here
Stay Safe this Summer
Summer is finally here and the weather is gorgeous!
The BC Coroners Service (BCCS) is reminding British Columbians to stay safe this Summer as the number of deaths related to outdoor recreation rises this time of the year.
“One of the benefits of living in such a beautiful province is that we have many different opportunities to explore the outdoors year-round,” said Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, BC’s chief coroner. “However, every Summer we see several fatalities that are mostly preventable.”
Baidwan encourages active people to consider safety measures when planning any outdoor activity. “Warmer weather brings more opportunities for adventures and more risks,” he said.
Water Safety
• Wear a life jacket
• Avoid alcohol and cannabis while boating or swimming
• Ensure children are always supervised near water
Hiking and Climbing Safety
• Avoid steep edges and slopes
• Hike and climb within your skill set
• Pack enough food and water
• Tell someone about your plans and your expected return
• Make sure your mobile is fully charged
Active Transportation
• Always wear a helmet
• Obey the rules of the road
• Install a bell or other warning device and use it
• Reduce speed when slower path and trail users are present
• Keep an eye out for road, bike lane and trail obstacles / hazards (and report these when you can)
Enjoy Summer without becoming a statistic.
Take the Survey – Help the CRD Shape the Future of Transportation
Help shape the future of transportation in the Capital Regional District.
The CRD is developing a Regional Transportation Plan to help guide planning and investment decisions across the region. The plan will focus on regional connectivity, shared priorities, and how communities stay connected as the region grows.
Public input will help inform the plan alongside technical analysis and regional priorities.
All community members across the region are encouraged to complete the online survey and share their experiences, priorities and perspectives.
Take the survey at https://getinvolved.crd.bc.ca/movingtogether
Survey closes on July 5, 2026.
