The District of Central Saanich is taking a community‑focused approach to the disposition of surplus fleet vehicles, guided by reconciliation, community safety, environmental responsibility and responsible financial stewardship of public assets.
Several municipal vehicles, including police vehicles, have reached the end of their operational lives recently, and are being repurposed. Four former police vehicles will be donated to support emergency response training and post‑secondary education.
Two of the decommissioned vehicles are being donated to the Central Saanich Fire Department for training purposes and two vehicles will go to the Camosun College Foundation to support its automotive trades program, which relies entirely on donated vehicles to provide hands‑on learning opportunities for students.
In keeping with Council policy, all surplus fleet vehicles are first offered to the Tsartlip and Tsawout First Nations at fair market value before being considered for trade‑in, donation, or public auction. Recently, three of twelve decommissioned vehicles offered were purchased through this process.
Central Saanich manages a diverse municipal fleet that supports public works, parks, utilities, police, fire, and emergency services. Rather than replacing vehicles wholesale, the District right‑sizes and electrifies where possible; currently 1 in 5 light-duty vehicles in the District fleet are now EVs.