Published 8:26 am Thursday, September 24, 2026
By Bailey Seymour,
Peninsula News Review
After four years of instability in North Saanich’s council chambers, newcomer Stuart Mackinnon hopes to be part of a council that can stabilize the district through trust and dialogue.
“It’s been quite a tumultuous four years. It’s still going on. I think that it’s lacked a lot of trust between council and the community, and I want to bring that trust back,” he said. “I’ve sat on a lot of boards, both community boards and elected, and one of the strengths I have is bringing stability and governance expertise to those boards.”
He spent 11 years on the Vancouver Park Commission, served as a library trustee and sat on a number of environmental and conservation committees along with a 30-year teaching career.
“This particular council has taken a very adversarial position with the provincial government, and I don’t necessarily think that’s the right approach. Of course we want to have local decision-making, but my expression is you make a lot more honey with bees than you do with hornets,” he said. “When I was in governance in Vancouver, I worked with Christine Boyle, who’s the current housing minister. I had a good rapport; I could just call her up and have a conversation with her. I don’t know if she’s ever been to North Saanich and understands what our community is about. So I’d start there. Have the minister come out and try and understand what’s happening here, what our community is about.”
Over the next four years, he says he’d like to see more financial transparency, and more cash set aside in reserves as infrastructure continues to age.
With his background in parks advocacy, he also wants to work on safeguarding the district’s parks and forests, especially as climate change threatens shorelines and natural landscapes.
“This is something that we would not be working on our own. This is something that has to be a regional, provincial, and federal partnership. We have to work with Sidney and Central Saanich as well. There’s limited ability at the local level because we just don’t have the funds. So working with the Departments of Natural Resources and Climate Change at both provincial and federal levels to protect our shorelines, to work in tandem on understanding exactly what that means for a community like ours. Again, it’s about dialogue and partnerships,” he said.
His background as a teacher, along with his extensive experience around governments, makes him someone who can help set North Saanich on the right path, he says.
“I have worked on the park board before in governance, in civic governance, understanding how government works, how to work with staff, understanding that this is not just a job that you’ve got for a couple of hours a week. It takes a lot of time and effort and understanding, and getting out into the community and listening. I have that background to help me. Working with others,” he said. “There’s nothing like being a teacher to learn how to work with others. I think I have the patience and understanding that’s necessary.”
With a provincial election recently called – especially with BC Greens leader Emily Lowan running in the riding – Mackinnon is worried about voter turnout, however he’s hoping residents will still take the time to learn about their options, and of course, go out and vote.
Mackinnon will be vying for a seat on North Saanich council on Oct. 17.
Original post here.
