A new municipal building at 1882 Hovey Road will house the Central Saanich Police Station and Fire Hall 2, Central Saanich Municipal Hall and a proposed recreation centre. The building design will be completed over the coming months, including the design for Central Saanich’s new Council Chambers.
Prior to progressing to detailed design, Council would like to hear from residents about the features of Council Chambers, because the Chambers directly affect how people access meetings, participate, and engage in local decision-making. This is an area where community input can meaningfully inform accessibility, usability, and the overall public experience.
Please review the information below and let us know if you see opportunities for improvements.
Feedback is encouraged to be submitted to municipal.hall@csaanich.ca until Monday, July 6, 2026. Feedback will be provided to Council for consideration prior to a final design being approved, which is anticipated for late Summer 2026.
Will the public get to see the final design before it is completed? The design will go before Council in a public meeting for final approval in late summer 2026.
Council Chambers Design Priorities:
HCMA has been hired to design the new municipal building and is working to deliver a design for the new Council Chambers that meet the following design priorities:
- A welcoming and accessible space that encourages active civic participation
- Ease of access, navigation and participation in meetings in-person and virtually
- Promotes transparency and clear sightlines between the public, staff, and Council members
- Maximizes value by creating a highly flexible, multi-use environment
Features for the new Council Chambers:
The following list of features is being used to develop a design for a Council Chambers that will serve the Central Saanich community now and long into the future:
- Council and Staff: Council and key administrative staff seated in a horseshoe configuration at the front and center of the room with an unobstructed, equal view of the public gallery and presentations.
- Total Capacity: The seating capacity for the new Council Chambers will be approximately twice as much as the current size with around 100 seats for the public and roughly 40 seats in an adjacent multipurpose room equipped with video and audio feeds from the Council Chambers, ensuring attendees outside the main room can still actively follow the proceedings.
- Arrival and Entry: The Chambers are located on the 3rd floor. Clear, high-contrast wayfinding signage will direct people to an elevator and public stairs and all entryways feature wide, power-operated doors with low profile thresholds.
- Adaptable Layout: When not in use for formal Council sessions, the room's modular components such as retractable screens and a partition wall will allow the area to be easily reconfigured for hosting workshops, staff training and public ceremonies. A portion of this room and/or the adjacent room will be available for community groups to book.
- Accessible Seating: The public gallery includes an area for non-fixed seating and can be easily configured to accommodate mobility devices.
- Assistive Listening: The room will be equipped with an assistive listening system. Community members can tune directly into the audio feed using their personal hearing aids or by borrowing receivers provided on-site.
- Audio/Visual Systems: High-definition screens will be strategically placed throughout the Chambers to ensure presentations and captions are clearly visible from any seat. The A/V system will integrate directly with the closed-captioning services.
- Speaking podium: The podium will be moveable and can be positioned directly facing the Council. It will be height-adjustable ensuring everyone can present comfortably including standing and seated speakers, as well as individuals using mobility devices.