Saanich Heritage Foundation

06/16/2026

Sunday, June 21st at 2 pm | National Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples’ Day honours and celebrates First Nations, Inuit, and Métis pasts, presents, and futures. A team of OCS presenters will visit the graves of First Nations and Métis people, some resting here on their traditional territories and others whose fur trade connections took them far from their traditional homes. Drawn from both the 19th and 20th centuries, these stories will celebrate the wide-ranging experiences of such individuals as Neshaki, a Nisga’a fur trader and Chief; Joseph McKay, Métis founder of Nanaimo; and Frank Calder, trailblazing BC politician and Nisga’a “Chief of Chiefs.”

This tour takes place at Ross Bay Cemetery, beginning at 2 pm. We meet at the entrance gate on Fairfield Road at Stannard Avenue. Cost is $2 for OCS members or $5 for non-members; cash or e-transfer accepted.

Image item A-02831 (Joseph W. McKay of the Hudson's Bay Company, n.d.), courtesy of BC Archives.

06/16/2026

The Saanich Strawberry Festival is back. This has to be one of the top family-friendly events in Saanich each year.

This year marks the 59th year that the festival has been put on and is just 3 weeks away.

This family-friendly, fun, FREE event features live music, kids' activities, bouncy castles, information booths, arts and craft stations and - of course - the traditional servings of strawberries and ice cream.

Date: Sunday, July 5, 2026
Time: 11am to 4pm
Venue: Beaver Lake Regional Park (728 Beaver Lake Road - main parking lot)

The traditional serving of strawberries and ice cream will be available 2pm to 4pm (or until sold out) for $2.

More information here https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/parks-recreation-community/community-services/events-and-festivals/strawberry-festival.html

06/16/2026

Celebrate the start of summer with All Bach at Goward House | June 27, 2026

Come enjoy an afternoon of music at beautiful Goward House in Cadboro Bay where Soile Stratkauskas, Christina Mahler and Christina Hutten will present a selection of Bach. Featuring some of Bach's most intimate instrumental music, including his Sonata in G Major for Gamba and Obbligato Harpsichord.

🗓 Saturday, June 27 at 2:30pm
📍 Goward House, 2495 Arbutus Road
🎟 Tickets and more information at www.victoria-baroque.com

06/14/2026

✨HEAL RESIDENCE – 813 Royal Wood Place✨

One of Royal Oak's most distinctive heritage homes, the Heal Residence stands on land that has been connected to the Heal family since 1860.

The property was originally acquired by pioneer settler **John Heal**, one of the earliest farmers in the Royal Oak area. His son, **Walter Heal**, and wife **Keturah Isabel (King) Heal** built the present house around 1914 after demolishing an earlier family home on the site. Before the new residence was constructed, Isabel operated the first Royal Oak Post Office from the original house, serving the growing rural community.

Designed in the Edwardian era, this elegant hipped-roof bungalow blends several architectural influences. Its most striking feature is the large front dormer with an open sleeping porch, a popular feature in the days before air conditioning. Decorative fish-scale shingles, classical columns, a curved bay window, and rusticated concrete block foundation all contribute to its character and charm.

The Heal family remained here until 1955, preserving a direct connection to some of Royal Oak's earliest settlement history. Today, the house remains a landmark of the neighbourhood and a reminder of the farming families who helped shape Saanich.

📸 Featured images include the Heal Residence, historic photographs of Walter and Keturah Heal, and archival stories documenting the family's important role in the development of Royal Oak.

06/14/2026

Only 12 days to go until we celebrate the beautiful historic home where we work, volunteer, and connect with our community! 🏡✨

As we count down to this special fundraising event, we invite you to share your memories, photos, and experiences. Don't forget to use when posting so we can celebrate together and showcase the impact of this remarkable place.

We look forward to marking 125 years of McRae House with you! 💙🎉

06/11/2026

The Saanich Events Calendar is hopping!

🔗 Visit saanich.ca/EventsCalendar for details on the following and more:

✅ Saanich Parks Pulling Together Volunteer Events
✅ Exhibitions at Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre
✅ Exhibitions at Saanich Municipal Hall
✅ Committee of the Whole
✅ Open House - Uptown Douglas Pre-Zoning & Network Design Project
✅ Council
Public Hearing

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

**Featured Heritage Home: De Blois Residence (1947)**
📍 5165 Cordova Bay Road

Some heritage homes tell the story of the people who built them, and few do so as clearly as the De Blois Residence in Cordova Bay.

Built in 1947 by **Albert and Rita De Blois**, with the help of their sons, this remarkable family home was patterned after a residence from the De Blois family's homeland of France. Rather than hiring an architect, the family designed and constructed the house themselves, creating a unique and highly personal expression of post-war craftsmanship.

The home is notable for its distinctive use of **pumice block**, a concrete masonry product manufactured to resemble cut stone, giving the building the appearance of a traditional European stone house. A substantial stone-and-brick chimney anchors the design, while massive cedar lintels frame the windows, including the striking arched south-facing window that remains one of the home's defining features.

Inside, the house was designed on **five half-levels**, an unusual arrangement inspired by older French houses and rarely seen in local residential architecture. Even the rolled-edge roof, finished in duroid roofing, reflects the family's commitment to recreating the character of the homes they remembered from Europe.

Today, the De Blois Residence stands as a fascinating reminder of the cultural influences that shaped Saanich's neighbourhoods after the Second World War, and of the determination and skill of immigrant families who built their own homes and helped create the communities we know today.

📸 Swipe through to see this unique French-inspired home that has been part of Cordova Bay's landscape for nearly 80 years.

06/02/2026

Ahhh, summertime at Craigflower Manor. The water glistens as the wind rustles fresh leaves and the air is sweet. For your tour booking please email [email protected]. We look forward to your visit.

06/02/2026