January 28, 2026
Town of Sidney Council Meeting Highlights: January 26, 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.
Following public engagement period, Council approves targeted speed limit reduction on Mills Road East, rather than Town-wide speed reduction for local roads
In fall 2025, the Town sought community input on lowering speed limits on local streets (excluding collector, arterial, and provincial roads) and received 981 responses to an online survey. Only 32% supported a 30 km/h limit across all local roads. Council has opted not to pursue blanket speed limit reductions.
However, public feedback did identify specific streets and areas of concern, in particular, Mills Road East. Council has approved reducing the speed limit on Mills Road East to 30 km/h and instructed staff to propose targeted speed reductions based on studies and community input moving forward. This approach would be consistent with existing reduced-speed areas in Sidney, including the downtown core, the SHOAL Centre, and school zones.
Council makes final updates to 2022–2026 Strategic Plan
Council has approved amendments to the 2022–2026 Strategic Plan, marking the last update of this Council term, which concludes in October 2026. The plan is reviewed and updated by Council on an annual basis to monitor progress and update priorities as needed.
New priorities include:
- Exploring options to establish an Emergency Weather Response Shelter at St. Andrew’s Church; and
- Establishing a Flood Construction Level Bylaw or revising the related policy.
Work continues on several priorities, including:
- Exploring the creation of a Tenant Protection Bylaw; and
- Advancing housing policies and initiatives, including non-market housing.
Since adopting the Strategic Plan in 2022–2023, Council has completed a number of key priorities from the plan, including:
- A comprehensive update to the Zoning Bylaw, followed by confirmation that the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw meet provincial requirements to support the forecasted 20-year housing demand;
- Completion of enhanced flood inundation modelling and mapping to assess flood risks and sea level rise along Sidney’s shoreline;
- Development of an Active Transportation Plan;
- Development of an Economic Development Plan;
- The return of the Sidney Street Market to Beacon Avenue;
- Construction of new waterfront washrooms and replacement of the Fourth Street washrooms;
- Redesign of the municipal website; and
- Completion of a Citizen Satisfaction Survey.