In the mid-section of Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula sits peaceful Central Saanich, home to breathtaking beaches, rolling farmlands, wineries, restaurants, hotels, world-famous Butchart Gardens, Saanich Inlet, and much more.
Our quintessential West Coast environment is the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors, whether biking Lochside trail, picking berries at a local farm, scuba diving at McKenzie Bight, picnicking at Island View Beach, bird watching, paddling, boating—you name it.
Central Saanich includes the communities of Brentwood Bay and Saanichton, and it is conveniently located just minutes from Victoria International Airport, BC Ferry’s Swartz Bay terminal, and Washington State Ferries. If you’re exploring other areas of Vancouver Island, an easy 20-minute drive will have you in Downtown Victoria and a short-and-sweet West Coast boat ride aboard the Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay ferry will drop you off in Mill Bay.
Local celebrations include:
- Brentwood Bay Festival held in early June at Pioneer Park
- Music in the Park held each Wednesday evening in July and August from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Pioneer Park
- Annual Yellow Wolf Intertribal Powwow held the first weekend in August at Tsartlip First Nation Fairground at 800 Stelly’s X Rd. in Brentwood Bay
- Saanich Fair on the Labour Day weekend (the last long weekend of the summer) at the Saanich Fairgrounds
You have a host of comfortable options for getting around Central Saanich. Although we're a rural countryside community, there is a mode of transport for you here.
Walking & Cycling
Many residents and visitors take advantage of Central Saanich's mild climate and beautiful, flat lands by walking and cycling. The Saanich Peninsula is a popular weekend destination for cyclists from Greater Victoria. A number of trails (link), including the popular Lochside trail that connects to the Galloping Goose, allow you to explore the region by bike. For cycling around Central Saanich, the CRD's bike lane map is a handy reference of bike routes. If you are walking or cycling, you will likely also be using some of the transportation options below.
Bus, Car Rental & Taxis
Central Saanich is served by BC Transit and offers a number of public bus routes, which service our region and link easily with the ferries, airport, attractions and Downtown Victoria. The buses carry wheelchairs, strollers, scooters and bicycles. There are also nearby car rental businesses, private bus and coach services, and taxi services.
Ferries
Getting to Vancouver Island is not only easy, it's breathtaking. Enjoy the view.
BC Ferries (Sidney/Swartz Bay Terminal and Brentwood Bay)
The Coho Ferry (Victoria-Port Angeles, WA, USA)
Victoria Clipper (Victoria-Seattle, WA, USA)
Airport
Victoria International Airport (YYJ) connects Vancouver Island with the world and is just a 10 minutes drive from Central Saanich.
IN AN EMERGENCY DIAL: 911
Walk-in Clinics
Local clinics can be found on Medimap.
If you are looking for a family physician in Central Saanich, you can try searching the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia database for doctors accepting patients. Our region also has a number of specialists, including dentists, listed online.
Saanich Peninsula Hospital
Saanich Peninsula Hospital offers a wide range of outpatient services to people living on the Peninsula, including: Emergency, Day Surgery, Laboratory, Imaging, CT Diagnostics, Physiotherapy, and Nutrition Services. In addition, "Saan Pen", as we locals call it, provides in-patient Surgical Services in the Acute Care Unit and long-term care for the elderly in the Extended Care Unit. The hospital also has a 10-bed palliative care unit.
Saanich Peninsula Hospital
Location
2166 Mt. Newton Cross Road, Saanichton, BC, V8M 2B2
Phone: 250-544-7676, Toll-free phone: 1-877-370-8699
The Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation is a dedicated organization that has helped fund eight major renovation/construction projects and has purchased hundreds of pieces of equipment for the hospital.