Hi, I’m Sarah Starkweather.
Rejecting change is not a neutral position; it’s a choice that has real costs. We should talk about that.
I deeply appreciate the natural beauty of this place, the strong bonds formed through countless acts of day-to-day neighbourliness, and our many cherished community traditions. Oak Bay is a wonderful place to live.
I’m running for a seat on Oak Bay Council because I care deeply about my community, and I know that our municipal leadership must do more to meet today’s challenges. As we face an affordability crisis, a housing crisis, and a climate crisis, we can’t just keep our heads down and hope these problems will go away. They won’t. They’ll just get more difficult and more expensive to solve. We need forward-thinking leaders who recognize that meeting our challenges head-on is what will best serve Oak Bay.
After living in Ontario, Singapore, England, and the northwestern US, I settled in Oak Bay with my spouse and child in 2021. It was one of the best choices we’ve made as a family; I feel lucky to be raising a child (now a Monterey middle schooler) in Oak Bay. A former professor with degrees in urban planning (MA) and human geography (PhD), I am currently a sustainable building certification reviewer for LEED. As a volunteer, I serve on the board of the BC Choral Federation and help local seniors through ElderDog Canada. I also co-founded Oak Bay For All, which was formed in 2025 with the goal of building intergenerational community, elevating voices that are less prominent in community discourse, and promoting inclusion and collaboration. To recharge, I sing alto in two local community choirs, dig in my garden, and make things with my hands.
About Me
