The Victoria Foundation has been far more than a patron for the Friends of Maltby Lake Watershed Society. For this grassroots, volunteer-driven organization, the Foundation has provided support, inspiration, foresight and guidance. When the Society sought help in 2017 to secure the long-term protection of Maltby Lake, the Victoria Foundation turned a community’s concerns into decisive action, helping ensure the lake’s preservation for generations to come.
Maltby Lake is a quiet treasure
For decades, Maltby Lake has been one of Saanich’s quiet treasures — a near-pristine, 21-acre lake encircled by 172 acres of forest, wetlands, and riparian habitat. Tucked away at the headwaters of the Tod Creek Watershed, it remains one of the few lakes in the Capital Regional District without public access. That seclusion has been its greatest protection, preserving a rich web of life — amphibians, birds, mammals, native plants, and rare aquatic species — many of which depend on the old-growth forests and wetlands now vanishing from southern Vancouver Island.
In 2013, Maltby Lake’s future was thrown into doubt when The Land Conservancy of BC entered creditor protection. The surrounding lands faced the risk of being fragmented and sold privately. In response, the community rallied, forming the Friends of Maltby Lake Watershed Society (FMLWS), a grassroots alliance of family of the original donors Catherine and Pip Holmes, neighbours, conservation partners, community organizations, and elected officials. United under the banner “Keep Maltby Wild,” they launched an ambitious campaign to raise awareness and funds for the purchase of TLC’s interest in Maltby Lake. The Society incorporated in 2014 and achieved charitable status in 2015, marking a pivotal step toward long-term stewardship. Between 2015 and 2016, the Supreme Court of British Columbia approved the sale of TLC’s interest: 29% to Pip Holmes’ nephew and godson, John Woodburn (“Woody”) Thomson, and 6% jointly to Thomson and the FMLWS.
But passion alone could not secure Maltby Lake’s future. That’s where the Victoria Foundation’s guidance proved transformative. Guided by the Foundation, the Friends of Maltby Lake Watershed Endowment Fund was established; a permanent source of support ensuring the lake’s care would not depend solely on short-term fundraising. This forward-thinking approach has provided financial stability, strategic guidance and the confidence to plan bold initiatives for the lake’s future.
Funding to restore native ecosystems
In 2025, the Victoria Foundation deepened its impact, awarding the FMLWS a $22,000 grant from the Cereus Fund, established by the late environmental philanthropist Susan Bloom. This funding is driving the development of an Invasive Plant Survey Removal Plan. The project will assess and map over 85 hectares of the lake’s most sensitive ecological zones, and identify strategies to remove invasive plant species and restore native plants and habitat. These efforts strengthen the lake’s resilience, protect its biodiversity and ensure Maltby Lake remains a thriving sanctuary.
From its earliest days to the present, Maltby Lake shines as a model for sustainable stewardship. It is a testament to the power of community and meaningful philanthropy. The Victoria Foundation’s commitment to “causes that matter” has carried forward and magnified the wishes of Catherine and Philip Despard Pemberton “Pip” Holmes, whose extraordinary gift first set the dream of protecting the Maltby Lake into motion. Through the Foundation’s leadership, donor support is transformed into tangible, measurable protection, ensuring that this hidden gem remains a sanctuary for wildlife, for the community, and for generations to come. Today, under the dedicated leadership of Pip Holmes’ granddaughter, Gillian Harvey, the Friends of Maltby Lake Watershed Society is not only safeguarding a treasured ecosystem, but also keeping a family legacy of stewardship, hope and lasting impact.