Saanich Sanctions EV Infrastructure

Monday evening, the Municipality of Saanich passed a bylaw requiring all new construction in the city to include EV charging infrastructure and supported the construction of 20 new level 2 charging stations, literally tripling the number of such services under their jurisdiction.

As of June 1, 2020, the District of Saanich will require electric vehicle (EV) charging outlets for 100% of new residential units, as well as EV electrical charging requirements of between 0% and 5% for new parking spaces in Institutional, Commercial and Industrial land use zones.

“This makes Saanich the world leader as the first municipality in the world to adopt a comprehensive approach to EV infrastructure that includes requirements for all property classes at the zoning level.” said James Locke, President of the Victoria EV Association.

“We are hopeful that other municipalities in BC, and particularly in the Greater Victoria area, will follow Saanich’s lead and quickly take action to pass similar comprehensive EV infrastructure amendments to their Zoning bylaws”.

“Delays in installing EV infrastructure translate to higher future retrofitting costs and slower electric vehicle adoption rates” added Locke.