March 10, 2026

Town of Sidney Council Meeting Highlights: March 9, 2026

Sidney BC

Highlights from regular Council meetings provide a brief summary of some items of broad public interest. The summary is not inclusive of all agenda items. Please refer to sidney.civicweb.net/Portal for the full agenda, minutes, and webcast.

Council supports new volunteer group Friends of Sidney Parks

A new volunteer group is being established with a focus on stewardship of Sidney’s parks.

Volunteers with the Friends of Sidney Parks approached the Town with a proposal to help remove invasive species and support ecological stewardship in local parks such as beach access points, Rathdown Park, and Philip Brethour Park. Council has approved a one-year trial, with volunteers aiming to hold three sessions each month. Parks staff will provide some oversight to the group to ensure safety and coordinate tasks. After the trial period, staff will report back with recommendations on whether to continue, expand, or adjust the program.
Staff Report                                           Video

Council makes targeted speed limit reductions on select roads

In 2025 and early 2026, the Town explored lowering speed limits on local roads from 50 km/h to 30 km/h to improve safety. The Town conducted a public engagement period including a survey. Most survey respondents opposed a town-wide reduction on local roads, but many highlighted specific streets where lower speeds were needed. Council is now implementing targeted speed limit reductions, building on existing reduced-speed areas such as downtown Sidney.

Council approved reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h on the following residential streets near Sidney Elementary School, some of which already have limits of 30km/h, which needed to be formalized.

• Brethour Avenue (between Resthaven and Seventh)
• Chicory Place
• Simkin Place
• Henry Avenue (from Resthaven to the Highway west of Siddall)
• Buddleia Place
• Seventh Street (from James White Boulevard to Henry Ave)

Mills Road East will be designated at 30 km/h and re-classified as a Local Road, along with Judson Place and Cottoneaster Place.

Additionally, Northbrook Drive between Westbrook and Eastbrook Drive – which is already signed as 30 km/h – will be formalized in the bylaw along with Teale Place and Natasha Place as 30 km/h roads.

Council also approved 20 km/h speed limits on roads classified as lanes.

This spring, the Town plans to undertake a traffic and bike use study to better understand how Bowerbank Bikeway Corridor is being used and how traffic patterns have changed on the surrounding roads. Once that information in available, Council will consider whether to reduce the speed limit on the Bowerbank Bikeway Corridor to 30 km/h and whether to reduce the speed limit on Resthaven Drive between Mills Road and McDonald Park Road to 40 km/h.

The Town will also be reaching out to the Victoria Airport Authority to discuss increasing the speed limit on Stirling Way to 50 km/h while adding a cautionary 40 km/h sign at the curve. Staff Report                   Video