Saanich wants a plan to deal with the effects of a changing climate.

With Environment Canada and B.C.'s ministry of the environment projecting local sea levels to rise by anywhere from 20 centimetres to one metre, the plan is supposed to "provide actions for residents, business and municipal operations to take in preparation of the coming climate change impacts," according to a request for proposals.

With a budget of up to $50,000, Saanich wants to hire a consultant to draft the plan by November 2010.

"This actually is going to provide actions, or a list of proposed actions that different stakeholders in Saanich can consider when they need to adapt to the changes that are already coming," said Mark Boysen, Saanich's sustainability co-ordinator.

For the municipality itself, that will mean many things -- from looking at whether its pipes are ready to handle more intense storms to what kind of trees should be planted in parks.

"It gets into what type of forests we need to be looking at when we're planting tree species as temperature changes. Also how are forests and wildlife going to adapt, as they're going to be more susceptible to potential diseases," said Boysen.

But the process is intended to provide answers for property and business owners as well.

"If you're (an agricultural land owner) and you want to put in a new type of crop ... we want to be able to provide some information that says 'OK, you should be considering this into your evaluation.'"

While Delta and Richmond, two communities that expect to be severely affected by rising sea levels, have already undertaken similar plans, Saanich will be the first in Greater Victoria.

Saanich's project, which will start "as soon as possible" after the RFP closes Nov. 23, should provide lessons for other local municipalities, Boysen said.

"We've got a unique situation here in Saanich, where you have the combination of urban, suburban and rural. So its something that other municipalities can build off of as well," he said.

kvass@vicnews.com