Every tax dollar should deliver value

Fiscal responsibility is not simply about keeping taxes low.

It is about making sure residents receive good value for every dollar they contribute — and that today’s decisions do not create unnecessary costs for tomorrow.

Saanich faces real financial pressures. Infrastructure needs investment. Roads, drainage, recreation facilities, emergency services and public buildings all require long-term planning. At the same time, residents are facing their own rising costs.

Nathalie’s approach is to ask difficult questions before spending public money:

What will it cost?

Who benefits?

What are the long-term consequences?

And have residents had a meaningful opportunity to understand and respond to the decision?

Her record reflects that approach. She has opposed delaying Development Cost Charges, questioned financial implications of planning and development decisions, and raised concerns about major borrowing decisions where she believed public transparency was inadequate.

Fiscal responsibility also means recognizing that prevention is often cheaper than repair.

Protecting trees can reduce stormwater costs. Maintaining infrastructure can prevent expensive deterioration. Good land-use planning can reduce pressure on roads and services. Protecting farmland and local food systems builds resilience. Investing wisely today can prevent residents from paying more tomorrow.

Nathalie believes Saanich should be ambitious about the services residents need — while being disciplined about how those services are delivered.

What this means in practice:

• Treat taxpayers’ money as a public trust.
• Demand transparent business cases for major capital projects and borrowing.
• Consider long-term operating and maintenance costs, not simply the initial price tag.
• Ensure development pays an appropriate share of the infrastructure and community costs it creates.
• Protect natural assets that provide essential services and reduce future costs.
• Look for efficiencies before automatically increasing taxes or reducing services.
• Make financial information and Council decisions easier for residents to understand.
• Measure whether major spending actually delivers the outcomes promised.

Good government is not about spending less at any cost. It is about spending wisely, planning ahead and being able to explain every major decision to the people who pay for it.