Mayor Fred Haynes

Pleased to report that #Saanich Council has endorsed an ongoing plan to lessen the impact of late payment penalties on property taxes for all Saanich property owners. The alternative tax scheme was approved by Council on April 26th and implements a staggered implementation of the usual one time 10 per cent penalty. It also provides relief where an error has been made in claiming the homeowner grant or an eligible grant is not claimed by the deadline. This change recognizes th...at a one-time penalty of 10% is significant and is likely a bigger disincentive than needed to get taxpayers to pay on time. We hope this adjustment alleviates some of the financial stress for those having difficulty paying their full taxes on time or when an honest mistake is made paying late or claiming the home owner grant. More information can be found at https://www.saanich.ca//saanich-adjusts-penalties-for-late

National Child and Youth Mental Health Day is recognized on May 7th. The Apollo Initiative is a collective of six BC youth orchestras that has commissioned and recorded a new work by Juno award-winning Canadian composer Jordan Nobles to raise funds in support of youth mental health in BC. Over 350 students from the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, Surrey Youth Orchestra, Langley Community Music School Orchestra, Coquitlam Youth Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra, ...and Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra have been rehearsing and performing collectively in digital format to prepare for the world premiere of this exciting and important project. You are invited to view the video which will be launched at Noon on Friday, May 7. It will be free to watch this short performance on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/cmhabc and on the Apollo Initiative's Facebook page It will also be aired on the Shaw Community channel (in Greater Victoria on channel 4 or channel 105 on BlueCurve). Donations to the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division will be gratefully accepted through CanadaHelps at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/the-apollo-initiative/. Also, here is a link to the CHEK News story about the Apollo Initiative that aired on April 26th! https://www.cheknews.ca/chek-upside-youth-orchestras-uniti/

The Dead Boats Disposal Society has created a form to report dead and abandoned boats. I feel this is a key part of keeping the beaches clear of derelict and abandoned boats.

I'm reaching out to ask for your help ... The BC Centre for Disease Control - ImmunizeBC hopes you will lend your voice to this important survey to help public health better understand the experiences of British Columbians over the past 12 months. The survey will ask how has COVID-19 affected you and your family, what barriers may exist to accessing vaccinations, and what are your needs for recovery? The information will help public health professionals and others better res...pond to the key, ongoing challenges facing British Columbians. The survey, funded by the BCCDC Foundation for Public Health, takes about 20 to 30 minutes to compete and is available in 10 languages. The survey closes May 9, 2021 and your input is very much needed. Learn more and participate at http://www.bccdc.ca//diseases-con/covid-19/covid-19-survey

Less range anxiety in my Chevy Bolt. Seems by alternating between level 2 and level 1 the batteries get to 500 km range... has anyone else seen this phenomenon?

Sharing some joy and light on the occasion of Diwali. #Diwali2020

We live in a beautiful part of the world. Arbutus Cove Park. https://www.saanich.ca//Parks~Parks~/Arbutus-Cove-Park.pdf

On the occasion of Diwali and throughout the coming year - may every lit candle bring joy, happiness and prosperity for all.

In a world where you can be anything - make time to be kind. #WorldKindnessDay

It is an honour to recognize those that have served and those that stand on guard for us now. #LestWeForget