Businesses & Jobs

Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres

Graham Wright's promise

I'm not sure Saanich is the right place for resource-hungry data centers as seen in the media. I would need to see a strong business case before I supported any such project.

Business Permitting

Graham Wright's promise

Graham wants to attract business to Saanich by getting a handle on ballooning costs and taxes to make them choose Saanich as their home to do business in.

Economic Growth

Graham Wright's promise

By controlling costs and making economic and practical decisions, Saanich can reduce the burden on businesses and residents so they can thrive in our region and contribute to the local economy voluntarily.

Tourism

Graham Wright's promise

By promoting accessibility, parking, efficient roads, and encouraging the growth of new and existing businesses, we can make Saanich more popular and entertaining to visit.

Climate Change, Heat, Fires, & the Environment

Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres

Graham Wright's promise

I'm not sure Saanich is the right place for resource-hungry data centers as seen in the media. I would need to see a strong business case before I supported any such project.

Energy-Efficient Buildings

Graham Wright's promise

A great idea I fully support under the BC Building guidelines, not overreaching Saanich bylaw. Creating an energy efficient building is its own reward recognized in reduced operating costs.

Flooding

Graham Wright's promise

Much for me to learn here, I am just starting to learn about daylighting creeks and better watershed protection. I support flood mitigation.

Green Space

Graham Wright's promise

This is a vital resource that we need to preserve. We are losing tree canopy as every over-dense project or SSMUH project gets rammed through council made possible by overreaching provincial laws.

Private Vehicles & Parking

Graham Wright's promise

I 100% support efficient transportation for all modes of travel but not by actively destroying the way the majority needs to get around. Please see my website for details. This is one of my top priorities.

Urban Heat

Graham Wright's promise

Similar to my greenspace comment, we need meaningful tree protection bylaws with teeth so our urban canopy is protected. When the sun can't hit the pavement, localized heat waves are avoided.

Walking & Cycling

Graham Wright's promise

Transportation CHOICES are my focus, not forcing a change in the behaviour or freedoms of my fellow Saanich residents. We need practical and efficient road-sharing, not what we see happening now.

Zoning

Graham Wright's promise

New developments must fit IN our neighbourhoods, not dominate the skyline and flood the streets due to inadequate parking off-street. Saanich is not Burnaby or Toronto. Balanced growth instead of overreacting.

Community Centres, Libraries, Parks, and Other Public Spaces

Fitness & Sports Facilities

Graham Wright's promises

As our community grows, we need to increase our numbers and capacities of these facilities and the new developments should help pay for it. No development without amendment injections.
We are waiving community amendment funding for massive rental projects, this must stop.

Green Space

Graham Wright's promise

This is a vital resource that we need to preserve. We are losing tree canopy as every over-dense project or SSMUH project gets rammed through council made possible by overreaching provincial laws.

Health Infrastructure

Graham Wright's promise

I would love to encourage and see more urgent care clinics and health infrastructure all over Saanich but that is a provincial priority and responsibility that they are mishandling on their own.

Public Washrooms

Graham Wright's promise

Saanich, as long as we enforce our encampment and public safety bylaws, is a pretty open place to use a commercial or public washroom. Expanding our fitness and sports facilities would assist as well.

Sidewalks & Bike Paths

Graham Wright's promises

The $250,000,000 Active Transportation Plan is a huge waste of money and ignores the needs of 95% of the people that live here now and the foreseeable future. It will cause congestion and tax us into oblivion.
While we plan on spending $45M on wrecking Quadra in the ATP, we could be ensuring that each Saanich street (that needs one) has a sidewalk to protect pedestrians.
Under the same example, we could be mapping and establishing efficient routes for cyclists OFF the major motorways where concrete isn't needed and they can have more than the illusion of safety.

Zoning

Graham Wright's promise

New developments must fit IN our neighbourhoods, not dominate the skyline and flood the streets due to inadequate parking off-street. Saanich is not Burnaby or Toronto. Balanced growth instead of overreacting.

Culture & Events

Festivals & Events

Graham Wright's promise

Live music, markets, and other festivals bring the community together. I support the responsible use of Saanich's public resources for these events.

Public Art

Graham Wright's promise

If donated, wonderful. If there is a cost, it must be budgeted and reasonable. Public art is fantastic and supports creativity but not a core municipal responsibility so some spending restraint is necessary.

Tourism

Graham Wright's promise

By promoting accessibility, parking, efficient roads, and encouraging the growth of new and existing businesses, we can make Saanich more popular and entertaining to visit.

Housing & Homelessness

Affordability

Graham Wright's promises

We are not building ownership opportunities. We are building high priced rentals outside our influence or control. This is a priority for me. More details on my website.
We should switch to encouraging units for sale not rent to increase the availability for lower cost condos for people to be able to build equity.
We should lobby the provincial government to include large corporations to be in the scope of the speculation tax to force them to rent or sell to increase supply and lower the price of units in Saanich.

Building Maintenance & Occupant Health

Graham Wright's promise

Maintenance and health are a shared responsibility depending on the features of the property. If one party is charging rent to another, provincial rules should be followed and managed accordingly.

Homelessness

Graham Wright's promise

We should enforce our laws and bylaws to discourage additional homeless camps. We should be lobbying - hard - to the provincial government for additional treatment beds. This is not a municipal responsibility.

Housing Accessibility

Graham Wright's promise

Please see my section on Affordability. If we are talking about handicap accessibility, then a representative number of units should include additional accessibility options.

Indigenous-Led Housing

Graham Wright's promise

Partnership with Indigenous nations is paramount to including all of Saanich's resident's voice but housing projects are not. Those are a provincial and federal responsibility and should be carefully examined.

Property Taxes

Graham Wright's promise

THESE NEED TO GET UNDER CONTROL! We must stop overspending and prioritizing projects that are simply out of municipal scope. Overpaid consultants, overstaffing, ATP, RSAP, QMP all need our attention.

Public & Assistive Housing

Graham Wright's promise

Public Private Partnerships with shared costs, realistic outcomes, and a return on our investment should be our top priorities. If my ideas around Affordability were implemented, much of this would be covered.

Rent & Rental Stock

Graham Wright's promises

We have deep (really deep) pools of available rentals with inadequate parking. Solve the parking problem, fill the buildings.
Along with the sad parking availability, we have unnaturally high costs and artificial vacancy numbers. Force them all on the market, shrink the cost per month.

Zoning

Graham Wright's promise

New developments must fit IN our neighbourhoods, not dominate the skyline and flood the streets due to inadequate parking off-street. Saanich is not Burnaby or Toronto. Balanced growth instead of overreacting.

Human Rights

Human Rights Abroad

Graham Wright's promise

I would like to stick to core municipal responsibilities. I fiercely believe in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Physical Accessibility

Graham Wright's promise

I think Saanich has done a decent job of ensuring that people of all physical makes and models can get into private and public buildings. However, our active transportation plan is contrary to this.

Public Washrooms

Graham Wright's promise

Saanich, as long as we enforce our encampment and public safety bylaws, is a pretty open place to use a commercial or public washroom. Expanding our fitness and sports facilities would assist as well.

Recent Immigrants

Graham Wright's promise

I love hard-working new Canadians. This is a federal responsibility that landed on municipalities and triggered the over-density eruption. Now we need to correct it and restore responsible development.

Sex Work

Graham Wright's promise

I don't think this is a municipal responsibility. People in this line of work should be protected from harm and be offered the appropriate provincial or federal resources to have alternate choices if desired.

Trans Rights & Access to Public Services

Graham Wright's promise

ALL individual rights and freedoms should be protected at all costs. That includes the rights of people that identify themselves as trans.

Local Government, Planning, & Democracy

Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres

Graham Wright's promise

I'm not sure Saanich is the right place for resource-hungry data centers as seen in the media. I would need to see a strong business case before I supported any such project.

Budgeting

Graham Wright's promise

Budgeting by our current council and staff has lost its way. Residents are not being served efficiently or with meaningful consultation. We need a 100 day core review if we are elected.

Good Governance

Graham Wright's promise

Our council has not listened to Saanich residents in a meaningful way in all 4 of their years. Our next council must get meaningful feedback in order to provide good governance.

Long-Term Plan

Graham Wright's promises

Long term goals should serve the public's interest and needs while protecting our assets.
Our current goals serve out of scope ideology and reject what it is like to live in a suburban and rural Canadian municipality.

Public Engagement

Graham Wright's promises

It feels like Saanich's current engagement plan ignores the silent majority and servers the minority groups and lobbyists without remorse. This must change. All changes will go through meaningful engagement.
Households directly or adjacently affected by any project will have plain English, weighted feedback opportunities based on how directly the change affects them.

Youth Engagement

Graham Wright's promise

Youth feedback and engagement should be encouraged. What we do affects them, depending on their opportunities to remain in the current condition of Saanich.

Mental Health, Drugs, & Addiction

Mental Health Crisis Response

Graham Wright's promises

This is not a core municipal responsibility. Watching people suffer while "free" in the streets is not freedom or compassion - it is a mockery of them.
Lobby the provincial and federal government for treatment centers, voluntary AND involuntary where appropriate. The municipal government could, where possible, assist with locations.
Enforce the law and bylaws and position the people in crisis for these services at the appropriate level.

Overdoses & the Contaminated Drug Supply

Graham Wright's promise

Once again, not a core Saanich responsibility but it affects our emergency services. Lobby the government to restore legal involuntary care to get these repeat clients some respite and save our EMS workers.

Treatment for Addiction

Graham Wright's promise

Similar to mental health, many addicts are self medicating a mental illness. Let's enforce our laws and lobby for voluntary and involuntary care when legal to do so. Take the pressure off our EMS teams.

Public Safety & Policing

Non-Police-Based Public Safety

Graham Wright's promise

Are we talking reserve constables or are we talking about non-police responding to 911 calls? I support well trained reserves but there is a lot of risk to sending unprepared social workers to an unvetted 911.

Police Funding

Graham Wright's promise

Maintain appropriate police funding for enforcement and public safety. Cut frivolous spending to ensure police and EMS have the resources they need.

Police Wrongdoing & Accountability

Graham Wright's promises

Police should never investigate themselves but this is tricky because a pure civilian is not a good judge of the near-instant decision making an officer has to perform. A well-trained civilian review board?
Bodycams. Dashcams. People behave better when on camera.

Upstream Causes of Crime

Graham Wright's promise

This should never interfere with holding someone accountable for a heinous crime. Judges and laws are too soft on repeat offenders, even when violence is involved.

Public Services

Health Infrastructure

Graham Wright's promise

I would love to encourage and see more urgent care clinics and health infrastructure all over Saanich but that is a provincial priority and responsibility that they are mishandling on their own.

Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations

Indigenous Languages

Graham Wright's promise

I don't believe this is a core responsibility for Saanich. All the nations are welcome to preserve their heritage and languages publicly or privately as they see fit within the preferences.

Indigenous-Led Housing

Graham Wright's promise

Partnership with Indigenous nations is paramount to including all of Saanich's resident's voice but housing projects are not. Those are a provincial and federal responsibility and should be carefully examined.

Land Title & Governance

Graham Wright's promise

This is a federal and provincial responsibility. Maintaining roads, facilities, parks and infrastructure is our responsibility. Providing recreational facilities and garbage pickup and clean water too.

Place Names & Commemorations

Graham Wright's promise

If our First Nation residents have a name they would like to see on a public resource, we should welcome it for equal prominence with the English description as per our official language laws.

Residential Schools

Graham Wright's promises

Not sure what to say here. Historical, church-based residential schools were an unnatural disaster in most cases. Also out of scope for Saanich.
If we're talking about First Nations running their own cultural schools to preserve their own culture and language. Good for them and out of scope for Saanich.
I wanted to say I enjoyed going to school with all members of my community and playing games and sports with my handful of First Nation friends was educational and fun. We integrated organically.

Roads, Transit, & Getting Around

Private Vehicles & Parking

Graham Wright's promise

I 100% support efficient transportation for all modes of travel but not by actively destroying the way the majority needs to get around. Please see my website for details. This is one of my top priorities.

Sidewalks & Bike Paths

Graham Wright's promises

The $250,000,000 Active Transportation Plan is a huge waste of money and ignores the needs of 95% of the people that live here now and the foreseeable future. It will cause congestion and tax us into oblivion.
While we plan on spending $45M on wrecking Quadra in the ATP, we could be ensuring that each Saanich street (that needs one) has a sidewalk to protect pedestrians.
Under the same example, we could be mapping and establishing efficient routes for cyclists OFF the major motorways where concrete isn't needed and they can have more than the illusion of safety.

Transit Projects

Graham Wright's promise

Transit projects should be designed and act in harmony with current road use - not undermine or add congestion for intermittent transit use.

Walking & Cycling

Graham Wright's promise

Transportation CHOICES are my focus, not forcing a change in the behaviour or freedoms of my fellow Saanich residents. We need practical and efficient road-sharing, not what we see happening now.

Biography

submitted by the candidate or their team
Graham brings proven leadership, common sense and a commitment to actually listening to Saanich residents. He supports fair transportation planning that works for everyone and believes good local government starts with listening, practical solutions and accountable leadership.

Graham Wright is a long-time Saanich resident, small business owner/operator, and community volunteer focused on practical solutions. He combines fiscal discipline, representative transportation planning, and respect for neighbourhood character with a deep commitment to transparent government and protecting Saanich’s natural environment. Graham's priorities match up nicely with his teammate's core priorities as well.

He is a happily married father of two young adults that still live in their family home and he is someone who genuinely cares about the future of Saanich - not just for himself but for his children, neighbours, fellow residents and their next generations to come as well.

He grew up in Toronto and moved to Greater Victoria in 1999 to marry his wife (already a Victorian) and build a better life together. After several years in Victoria, the whole family moved to Gordon Head in 2009, where they’ve proudly lived ever since. Graham has always believed that being part of a community means contributing to it — not just living in it.

His career path has been anything but boring. He studied political science, computer science, and psychology and got started in banking before building a career in software development, project management, and eventually serving as a small-scale CIO. In 2016, he purchased a security company, followed by another in 2019, nurturing them into the businesses he operates today. Graham enjoys the fast pace, the problem-solving, and especially the people — both clients and staff. In every position throughout his career, Graham has been asked to take on a leadership role and now his colleagues, friends, family and neighbours have asked him to lend his skills to Saanich council.

Outside of work, he is active in local sports, organizing softball leagues and tournaments, and probably spends a little too much time thinking about technology, cars, motorcycles, and public policy. He also occasionally enjoys cycling — but typically on the region’s trails and bikeways when the weather is nice.

During this council’s mandate, Graham has become very concerned about the direction of local government in Saanich and Greater Victoria. Through community involvement, local associations, and advocacy work, he saw firsthand how disconnected decision-making had become from the people actually living here. That compelled Graham to become involved with local groups, community discussions, and eventually to run for municipal politics.

Along the way, Graham has learned a great deal — not just about transportation and infrastructure, but also about fiscal responsibility, watersheds, Garry Oak ecosystems, heritage preservation, and the importance of balanced, community-appropriate growth. Those experiences helped broaden his perspective and reinforced his belief that communities work best when residents actually have a meaningful voice.

At the end of the day, Graham is simply someone who wants to help preserve what makes Saanich special while ensuring it remains livable, practical, and welcoming for future generations — including his own kids, who are still living at home thanks to the state of housing prices. Graham firmly believes in prioritizing reality over ideology.

Reason for running

submitted by the candidate or their team
Graham is worried that soon he will need to pack a lunch before trying to get across Saanich. Between over-density projects, lane closures, bike lanes, Vision Zero, and traffic calming we will spend all day in traffic instead of working or enjoying our region.

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