October 29, 2025
Town of Sidney Council Meeting Highlights: October 27, 2025
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.
Town’s OCP and Zoning Bylaw already meet provincial requirements, more focus needed on fostering affordable and below-market housing
In 2023 and 2024, the Province introduced legislation to address BC’s housing shortage and affordability challenges. Sidney reflected these changes in its updated Zoning Bylaw (2024), allowing single-family and duplex properties to accommodate up to three or four dwelling units. The Town also updated Sidney’s Housing Needs Report in September 2024, as required by Provincial legislation.
Staff have reviewed the Official Community Plan (2022) and Zoning Bylaw to ensure they provide sufficient development capacity to accommodate the 20-year housing demand estimate of 2,991 units, as required by legislation. The review confirmed that both bylaws already satisfy these requirements and do not require amendments before the legislation’s deadine of December 31, 2025.
Additional work is needed to support affordable and below-market housing. Council approved using up to $60,000 from the BC Housing Capacity Grant to explore the financial feasibility of:
- An Affordable Housing Development Partnership Program: a local government initiative to facilitate the creation of affordable housing through support for non-profit housing providers, and collaboration with private developers, and other levels of government such as BC Housing.
- Density Bonusing: An opportunity for developers to add additional floor areas to projects by providing public benefits, which can include affordable housing.
- Inclusionary Zoning: A requirement that all new developments include affordable housing units. The Province requires that developers also have the option of providing a cash-in-lieu payment, which local governments must use toward affordable housing elsewhere in the community.
Schedule set for 2026 budget deliberations
The Town of Sidney has established the schedule for Council’s consideration of the 2026 budget. The draft budget will be presented during the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, February 2, followed by preliminary discussions during a Special Council meeting on Tuesday, February 17. Final budget deliberations are planned to take place during a Special Council meeting on Tuesday, March 3. All meetings will begin at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Each year, the Town’s financial plan funds essential services such as the maintenance of roads, sidewalks, parks, and underground utilities. It also supports environmental initiatives, climate adaptation, and active transportation projects, along with core public safety services.
Following the presentation of the draft budget on February 2, residents are encouraged to review budget materials at Sidney.ca and share feedback with Council.
Staff Report Video