Brentwood Bay

A Central Saanich resident is asking council to create a compassionate-use exemption within the municipality's short-term rental regulatory framework. The request, submitted by Nicholas Chapman of Brentwood Bay, does not propose a specific bylaw text but asks for a pathway that would allow short-term rentals in cases involving medical or family care needs that fall outside existing permitted uses. Council is receiving the correspondence at this stage; no staff report or draft amendment has been produced. Short-term rental regulations on the Saanich Peninsula have tightened over the past two years, with Central Saanich, North Saanich, and Sidney each adopting or strengthening restrictions. A compassionate-use exemption, if directed by council, would introduce an additional category that does not currently exist in the bylaw. The practical effect would likely be narrow — applying only to owner-occupied properties where the rental is tied to a documented caregiving or medical situation — but it would be the first explicit carve-out of its kind in the region. Whether council chooses to direct staff to explore the concept could indicate how receptive it is to further bylaw refinements beyond the current framework. The request is early-stage and driven by an individual property owner, not a development entity. There is no application pipeline or related project on the parcel. Central Saanich council agendas over the coming six to eight weeks will confirm whether the item moves from correspondence to a staff direction. No media coverage or public correspondence beyond the original letter has emerged. The review pathway, timeline, and scope for any potential exemption remain undefined.

A Central Saanich resident is asking council to create a compassionate-use exemption within the municipality's short-…