A new chapter at Saanich municipal hall
Newly elected Saanich Mayor Rishi Sharma used his inauguration to set a conciliatory tone after an election campaign marked by sharp differences between incumbent councillors and the five-member Save Our Saanich slate. All five slate candidates were elected, creating a council whose first public task is to move from campaigning to governing.
Sharma said the new council’s responsibility extends beyond the people who supported its candidates. His message was aimed at a municipality where issues such as bike lanes, off-leash dog areas, housing, traffic, neighbourhood planning, the environment and growth have exposed competing priorities among residents.
“The campaign may have brought us here, but our responsibility now is to serve everyone in Saanich, whether they voted for us or not.”
The mayor’s remarks acknowledge that some disagreements are unlikely to disappear with the election. At the same time, he argued that residents share practical goals, including safe neighbourhoods, homes that children and grandchildren can afford, attractive parks, healthy communities and dependable municipal services. He also pointed to respect for residents’ hard-earned money as an area of common concern.
Different choices on the oath of allegiance
The inauguration also highlighted a distinction among the nine members of council. Each member took the mandatory Oath of Office. Five members — Sharma and councillors Colin Plant, Lorne DeLarge, Laurie Lidstone and Graham Wright — also swore allegiance to King Charles III, while Nathalie Chambers, Nancy Di Castri, Matt McGeachie and Teale Phelps Bondaroff chose not to take that additional oath.
| Inauguration detail | Number |
|---|---|
| Council members taking the Oath of Office | 9 |
| Members swearing allegiance to the King | 5 |
| Members choosing not to swear allegiance | 4 |
The allegiance oath is not required in Saanich, and municipalities do not all include it at inauguration ceremonies. The issue has at times been contentious in neighbouring Victoria, where some mayors and councillors have declined to swear allegiance. In Saanich, the differing decisions formed part of the evening’s formal proceedings without changing the requirement that every council member take the Oath of Office.
An invitation to the King
Sharma’s first move as mayor was to invite the King to visit the largest municipality on Vancouver Island. The invitation came after Sharma recited the oath affirming that he would be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, King of Canada, and to the monarch’s heirs and successors.
“If he wants to visit, please come,” Sharma said after taking the oath. The ceremony itself began with a short procession into council chambers led by a single piper, followed by the Saanich police and fire honour guard. Against that ceremonial backdrop, the new mayor’s central political message was less about the divisions of the campaign than about the work that follows it.
For residents, that means the council’s early direction will be watched through the same questions that shaped the campaign: how Saanich manages housing and growth, how it plans neighbourhoods and transportation, how it approaches parks and the environment, and how it delivers services while respecting taxpayers. Sharma did not suggest agreement would be easy. Instead, he said the municipality has more in common than what divides it — a standard the new council will now be expected to apply to its decisions.
- Rishi Sharma is beginning his term as Saanich mayor.
- All nine council members took the mandatory Oath of Office.
- The mayor urged council to serve residents regardless of how they voted.
