| Central Saanich | |
| Official Name: | The Corporation of the District of Central Saanich[1] |
| Settlement Type: | District municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Vancouver Island#Canada British Columbia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | none |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Central Saanich in British Columbia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | British Columbia |
| Subdivision Type2: | Regional district |
| Subdivision Name2: | Capital |
| Leader Title: | Governing body |
| Leader Name: | Central Saanich District Council |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor |
| Leader Name1: | Ryan Windsor |
| Leader Title2: | MP |
| Leader Name2: | Elizabeth May (Green) |
| Leader Title3: | MLA |
| Leader Name3: | Rob Botterell (BC Green) |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1950 |
| Area Land Km2: | 41.20 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 17,385 |
| Population Density Km2: | 421.9 |
| Timezone: | PST |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Coordinates: | 48.5142°N -123.3839°W |
| Elevation M: | 100 |
| Postal Code Type: | Forward sortation area |
| Blank Name: | Highways |
| Blank Info: | 17 |
| Blank1 Name: | Waterways |
| Blank1 Info: | Saanich Inlet, Tod Inlet |
Central Saanich is a district municipality in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District. It is located on the Saanich Peninsula, in the far south-east of Vancouver Island. It is the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. The district began as a farming community, and many hobby farms, along working farms and vineyards, still exist. In recent decades, the area has seen increasing residential, commercial, and industrial development, especially around the neighbourhoods of Brentwood Bay and Saanichton, which are occasionally referred to as separate communities.
The area's best-known tourist attractions are the Butchart Gardens, located in the Brentwood Bay area, Gowlland Tod Provincial Park,[2] and Island View Beach.
The mayor of Central Saanich is former district councillor Ryan Windsor. Municipal councillors last elected in 2022[3] include Niall Paltiel, Sarah Riddell, Zeb King, Bob Thompson, Gord Newton, and Christopher Graham.
Neighbourhoods of Central Saanich:
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Central Saanich had a population of 17,385 living in 7,105 of its 7,621 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 16,814. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.
| 2021 | 2016[4] | 2011[5] | 2006[6] | 2001[7] | 1996[8] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 15,065 | 14,745 | 14,435 | 14,585 | 14,635 | 13,635 | |||||||||
| Indigenous | 655 | 660 | 420 | 215 | 200 | 85 | |||||||||
| South Asian | 490 | 365 | 225 | 195 | 140 | 225 | |||||||||
| East Asian | 405 | 355 | 230 | 310 | 105 | 210 | |||||||||
| Southeast Asian | 255 | 175 | 115 | 205 | 175 | 100 | |||||||||
| African | 105 | 80 | 115 | 35 | 50 | 105 | |||||||||
| Latin American | 90 | 50 | 65 | 25 | 10 | 45 | |||||||||
| Middle Eastern | 35 | 0 | 60 | 20 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||
| Other/Multiracial | 80 | 20 | 35 | 25 | 15 | 35 | |||||||||
| Total responses | 17,170 | 16,470 | 15,725 | 15,605 | 15,320 | 14,450 | |||||||||
| Total population | 17,385 | 16,814 | 15,936 | 15,745 | 15,348 | 14,611 | |||||||||
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Central Saanich included:[9]
The production of potatoes from Central Saanich, east of the West Saanich Road, was banned in 1982 due to infestation by the golden nematode.[10] Potatoes from this region of Central Saanich are banned from entry into the United States.[11]