Local SOOKE AREA breaking news [April & May 2018]
by West Shore Voice News
Tuesday, May 29 ~ SOOKE. In addition to being a yard sale, it’s a community event!
The 6th annual yard sale in Sunriver Estates gets underway on Saturday June 2. From 8 am to 2 pm, rain or shine.
Things for sale include the yard sale items from over 75 homes, as well as crafts, hot dogs, baked goods and more. Small bills recommended for cash purchases.
The geographical start point is at 2350 Sunriver Way.
The three-hour event included free hot dogs by the Sooke Lions Club. SEAPARC brought out games.
And there were children’s activities such as face painting, rock painting, seed planting and a memory-cherishing booth called leave-a-leaf. Cherry Lane Equine brought along their Farm Animal Expo for the kids to enjoy.
A raffle had some great prizes. First prize was two tickets to anywhere WestJet flies! Second prize was a night’s stay at The Park Inn in Vancouver, a ferry voucher and Playland tickets! Third prize was a silver pendant made by indigenous artist Carey Newman.
Lots of families came out in the nice weather today to enjoy the fun.
~ notes and photos filed by Chelsea Kirkpatrick for West Shore Voice News
Friday, May 25 ~ SOOKE. Pretty exciting, a free event celebrating 30 years of the Sooke Family Resource Society (SFRS) Kingfisher Preschool (walk their memory lane, created by the teachers)! They’ ll have info on hand about the services offered
There were nine traffic-related complaints, including racing motorcycles, erratic driving, excessive speeding, and impaired driving.
There were two accident reports — one on Friday May 18 near the Zoom Gas station resulting in vehicle damage only. And another on Sunday May 20 in Port Renfrew. For that one, Sooke RCMP received numerous reports regarding a female being struck by a vehicle on the Pacific Marine Road, possibly having lunged in front of the vehicle. On further investigation the matter was determined to be connected to a domestic dispute, more of a situation where the pedestrian struck the vehicle, driven by a subject known to her. Alcohol was a factor, the female received superficial injuries, and the matter is still under investigation.
On Sunday afternoon, May 20, police received complaints about a male wandering in the Pacheedaht Campground, garnishing a hammer, causing a disturbance and making random threats to other campers he encountered. Sooke RCMP members as stationed in Port Renfrew for the weekend responded. “They encountered and arrested the highly aggressive man, seizing a hammer and knife. Alcohol and hallucinogenic drugs are considered the main contributing factor to this man’s bizarre behaviour,” says McArthur. The man was transported to Sooke Detachment, and held. A 44-year-old of no fixed address is facing charges of uttering threats, regarding his menacing comments to murder the arresting officers, and for mischief relevant to damage done to RCMP cells while in custody. He has been released on Undertaking with conditions and is scheduled to make his first appearance in court July 21.
Over the night of Monday May 21/Tuesday May 22 a total of 10 vehicles were broken into at the parking lot of Sombrio Beach. Vehicle windows were smashed in during these thefts, and locked glove-boxes pried open. Thieves were somewhat successful in obtaining items of value during these thefts. There was also a theft from vehicle at the Parkinson Creek Trailhead Access on May 18. Sooke RCMP remind those using the recreation areas along Highway 14 to refrain from leaving anything of value in their vehicles.
Sunday, May 20 ~ SOOKE ~ New Sooke library will produce tht long-awaited community space.
The beaming smiles of Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) senior staff and board chair said it all. The unveiling of the design for the new library in Sooke on Wednesday evening, May 16, was a crowning moment.
The political road to effectively giving Sooke a professional community gathering place has been long. Sooke has long required an accessible, tech-supported space for young families, youth, seniors, special-purpose uses, and those who are new-to-town as well as residents who require a drop-in space.
The existing books/AV materials from the current library on Anna Marie Road will be moved over to the new building on Wadams Way plus a new ‘opening day collection’, serving to triple the current offering.
But libraries these days aren’t so much about lending out books as facilitating an accessible interactive space. This interior designed in soft blues and wood tones (inspired by impressions of Whiffin Spit) includes spacious entry, multi-purpose space (for up to 50 people), study rooms (4 to 6 people), breakout rooms (1 to 2 people), computer areas, laptop bar, music studio, maker space, and teen/children areas all on main (with facility support down). Quick collections return is facilitated with an elevator and two parking spaces for 5-minute drop-off in addition to the 59 regular parking spaces. There will be electric vehicle charging stations, as well as a secure bicycle area with self-service repair station.
The VIRL business model since 2010 has been for a community to provide the land, then VIRL constructs the facility at their own cost from resources pooled from its 26 member communities (39 libraries in towns large and small). It took District of Sooke council longer than most of the other municipalities to come around to its own reasons for providing ‘free land’ to VIRL for a new library.
VIRL Board Chair Barry Avis and Executive Director Rosemary Bonanno told West Shore Voice News that “it took Sooke longer to learn the issues of community and development” and that they don’t consider Sooke to be rural. Avis called the design ‘exceptional’ and Bonanno coined it ‘iconic’.
Construction is expected to take about 1.5 years past a Fall 2018 start. Building designs are on the VIRL website: http://virl.bc.ca/branches/sooke
|| Article by Mary P Brooke, as first published on page 1 in the May 18, 2018 print/PDF issue of West Shore Voice News.
Wednesday, May 16 ~ SOOKE. Tonight the Sooke community will see the architectural designs for their new library. At last. [View this article on its own page] | Article by Mary P Brooke
Although a new library for the growing town has been officially at the top of the priority list for the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) board since about 2012, the procession of steps to getting a new building has been plagued with financial delays and political complications, even missteps. Meanwhile, a rented premise (considered a costly alternative) has continued on Anna Marie Road within town centre.
The snags have had mostly to do with finding land upon which to build the library (and all the politics involved with that). VIRL puts up libraries at their own cost but the municipality must provide the land. The VIRL business model to produce libraries this way pushed their 27 or so member communities into a new paradigm of doing business.
Sooke Council for all their pontification about supporting the community, for years seemingly gagged at the thought of providing land for free (despite the obvious benefits of moving ahead with a facility that serves a broad range or purposes in a community, well beyond loaning out books).
The District of Sooke Mayor in 2011-2014 was Wendal Milne; the mayor since 2014 has been Maja Tait. Through all this period, the District of Sooke rep to the VIRL board has been Sooke Councillor Kerrie Reay.
Finally a few years ago — with some political muscle input by Juan de Fuca Electoral Area director Mike Hicks at the VIRL board table — the District of Sooke bought a section of previous farmland along Wadams Way (which runs parallel to Sooke Road). Called ‘Lot A’, that land is now a crown jewel for the District of Sooke (positioned behind Evergreen Shopping Centre it could effectively expand town centre). Within Lot A, a section has been shaved off for VIRL to get on with building a new 10,000 sq.ft. facility, a swath of natural growth forest felled and all.
Tonight at 5:30 pm the proposed new architectural designs for the new library will be unveiled in the humble digs that are the lower level of Sooke Community Hall. At 6:30 pm (to 8 pm) VIRL will make a formal presentation and take questions. Open to the public. Given the local interest in this long-awaited evolution, the downstairs level at the community hall will probably be packed to overflowing.
Wednesday, May 16 ~ WEST SHORE / SD62. A presentation for parents about ‘Raising Digitally Responsible Youth’ will be held this evening, Wednesday, May 16 at 7pm in the theatre at Belmont Secondary School, 3041 Langford Lake Road.
“With society heading in a direction of being constantly connected to technology, what do we need to know as parents to protect our kids and teach them responsible and appropriate use of technology?”, it was pitched to parents by the SD62 school district.
“The parameters of rules and expectations that you put in place at home will undoubtedly guide their behaviour in the years to come.”
- Social Media Update – The most current apps & trends in their social media lives.
- Pick Your Battles! – You will have to balance the yin with the yang, promote independence whilst taking a strong stance on certain subjects.
- Current Research – Brain development & technology, violent video games.
- Digital Footprint and Reputation – With their future approaching, recruiters and employers are taking note – what will they find?
The presentation will be delivered by Safer Schools Together – an organization focused on promoting a climate and culture of safety in schools through comprehensive education. www.saferschoolstogether.com
Saturday, May 12 ~ BC. The BC College of Veterinarians this week announced that they have banned the declawing of domestic cats.
On May 8, the college officially banned the practice of partial digital amputation, also known as onychectomy, or declawing. The procedure will now only be allowed for medical reasons.
In a statement, the college said the practice is banned immediately for domestic cats, except when medically necessary.
“Elective and non-therapeutic declawing is ethically problematic and not an appropriate means of dealing with feline behaviour issues,” the statement said.
“I find that decision wonderful because when they declaw them they take a piece of the toes with it,” says Margarita Dominguez who operates the Victoria Pet Food Bank and Feral Cat Rehabilitation Society based out of Sooke.
The move brings the province in line with the recommendation of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), which has condemned the practice. Nova Scotia’s college had already enacted a ban.
Medical reasons for declawing include a biopsy for diagnosis, severe trauma, or medical conditions affecting the health of the nail.
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A hot ‘HITS’ performance on a warm May 4 evening Sooke was the opening night of a four-concert series of well-known pop songs by the Sooke Community Choir. Three nights May 4, 5, and 6 at Sooke Community Hall.
The Friday night audience of about 100 folks there for a good time heard the choir of about 60 singers open with a rendition of Creep by RadioHead. That intro got everyone tapping fingers and toes.
That was followed by a few favourites including Hello by Adele and Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, and an amazing arrangement of Battle Of Jericho. Two songs that evening encouraged audience participation — Sweet Caroline and Wagon Wheel. Lyrics for those songs were on the back of the programme to encourage a sing-along.
There were families, couples and individuals who were treated to harmonious music. The 90 minute show included intermission. The Choir seemed pleased with their performance. A well-deserved applause filled the hall when all was done.
Where do they get so much passion for their amazing performance? Many of the choir members have been into music since they were children although some joined in the last couple years and have found it to be a hobby and a family. They encourage those who think they would like to join to just do it! The choir’s artistic director and conductor Bruce Ruddell said that he doesn’t set expectations, but rather encourages his choir to do their best and enjoy themselves.
Accompanying the 60-person choir was pianist Kathy Russell, Steve Cross on guitar, and drummer Mark Owen. Soloists in HITS are Jonathan Francoeur, Elena Hoath, Jason Ince, Mike Kelley, and Iain McLean.
‘HITS’ was very well received that first evening. The final concert is this weekend on Saturday May 12 at 2 pm upisland at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, 747 Jones Street, in Qualicum Beach. Tickets for this concert will be sold at the door: $20 (for under age 16 the tickets are free).
~ concert notes by Chelsea Kirkpatrick for West Shore Voice News
Thursday, May 10 ~ BC. Funding to the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets will increase by about $0.75 million to expand the BC Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program, it was announced on May 5. The total coupon amount will increase from $240 per participant household to $336 (as weekly coupons for four months).
The number of participating households is expected to rise from 3,708 to over 3,900 and the number of expectant mothers in the program will be up by 450 by March 2020, it was stated in a Ministry of Health news release.
The coupon program runs June 11 to October 31 at participating farmers’ markets in 57 communities including these in the south Vancouver Island area: Duncan, Esquimalt, Sooke, and Victoria’s James Bay and Moss Street Markets.
The program provides nutrition and skills-building programs which are offered by community agencies associated with each participating market. Coupons help with the purchase of local food including vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs, dairy, herbs, meat and fish. The program is part of the BC Government’s poverty reduction work.
Program benefits also include improved economic activity through an increased and sustained customer base for local and regional farmers, which in turn has allowed them to grow and diversify.
Wednesday, May 9 ~ SOOKE. The Sooke Community Arts Council (SCAC) has a mandate from the BC Arts Council to provide opportunities for artists in the area to exhibit their works. Each summer the Sooke-based non-profit society offers ‘Art in Park’ as one such opportunity.
Combined with a classic car show (now that’s kinda funky!), the Art in the Park event this year on Sunday July 22 is held at Sooke River Campground (The Flats) on Phillips Road. Four fun hours: 10 am to 2 pm.
At this point, SCAC is looking for artists who want to have a table outdoors that day, for displaying and selling their creations. Free for art council members, $15 for non-members (includes a membership for the remaining fiscal year).
The art side of the July 22 event will feature a live painting demo, art for exhibit and sale, as well as photography, cards, rocks & jewelry for sale. To register a table for your art, phone 250-380-8090. www.sookecommunityarts.com
Wednesday, May 9 ~ SOOKE. This is a delicious announcement … at Mom’s Cafe on Sunday, May 13 there will be Mother’s Day Specials all day! Warning, reading this could make your mouth water!
BREAKFAST ~ 8AM-11:30AM. Cinnamon french toast topped with whip cream. $12.95.
LUNCH ~ 11:30AM – 4PM. Grilled Cajun chicken caesar wrap with bacon & asiago cheese. $12.95.
DINNER ~ 4PM to CLOSE. Chicken Neptune Dinner: 5 oz chicken breast topped with hollandaise sauce, 3 tiger prawns, mashed potatoes and vegetables. $18.95
Mom’s Cafe is that place also known for great pies! Located at 2036 Shields Road in Sooke. Phone: 250-642-3314.
Tuesday, May 8 ~ VICTORIA. Students at 51 schools in BC will have new playgrounds to use in September, as part of a new playground fund that takes fundraising pressure off parents.
Introduced during a media event by Minister of Education Rob Fleming, the announcement was made by Premier John Horgan at Quadra Elementary in Victoria during the lunch hour with the happy background sound of kids at play.
“All students deserve quality, safe and accessible playgrounds at school, regardless of how much their parents can fundraise,” said Premier Horgan. “That’s why we’re lifting the burden off of parents by investing $5 million today, and every year moving forward, to build playgrounds where they are needed most.”
“Playgrounds make a real difference, for fitness, long term health care costs, and PAC’s who spend an inordinate amount of time focused on raising money for playgrounds,” Horgan said during the outdoor announcement.
Quadra Elementary (in SD61) will receive $105,000 for an accessible playground. In the west shore, the school getting a fund of $105,000 this year for a playground upgrade is Ecole Poirier Elementary in Sooke (SD62). There is no SD63 (Saanich) school on the list in this first round.
This funding is part of a new, ongoing Playground Equipment Program providing up to $5 million each year to school districts to buy new or replacement playground equipment. This year, 26 schools are receiving $90,000 for a standard playground, and 25 schools are receiving $105,000 for a universally accessible playground.
Districts applied for the funding in April 2018. Playgrounds are being funded based on greatest need. Schools currently without a playground got priority, followed by schools where the existing playground is aging. Districts not receiving funding this year are eligible for next year. This year’s list: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Playground_fund.pdf
“I’ve heard from parents that they need relief from fundraising tens of thousands of dollars for playground equipment – that’s a lot of bake sales and bottle drives for today’s busy parents,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Today, we’re delivering this fund to help parents, and provide access to communities that don’t have the fundraising capacity to buy the play equipment students need.”
Generally, schools’ parent advisory councils (PACs) have to fundraise large sums of money for new and replacement playground equipment. Schools without that capability are often left without playgrounds. PACs have had to deal with fundraising for a wide range of school needs since cutbacks under the BC Liberal government during the mid-2000s. By this decade, PACs had just resigned themselves to fundraising for things that years ago (and in other provinces) were provided by the government school-funding.
“This new program will alleviate some of the inequities in parent fundraising, and enable PACs to strengthen their advisory and advocacy roles,” said Jen Mezei, president, BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils. “Parents have advocated for this for over a decade, and we thank the government for the ongoing commitment. We believe that safe and accessible playgrounds should not be dependent on a school community’s ability to raise funds, and for too long have felt the burden to ensure schools and school communities have safe and engaging play spaces.”
Budget 2018 includes a record $2 billion in school capital funding over the next three years, to invest in building new schools in growing communities, fixing aging schools and making schools safer for students in the event of a large earthquake.
Playgrounds are important for children’s development and learning. They encourage outdoor physical activity, and help students learn how to share, work together, overcome challenges and be creative. Outdoor play can help students focus and learn more effectively in the classroom.
Wednesday, May 2 ~ SOOKE. Modern hits in a fresh new concert by Sooke Community Choir
Keeping it fresh and interesting, each concert by the Sooke Community Choir offers something a little bit different. For their ‘HITS’ spring concert May 4, 5 and 6 in Sooke (at Sooke Community Hall) and May 12 in Qualicum Beach, audiences will be treated to some creative performances of modern pop.
“This is a show of ‘ear worms’ — songs that have stuck in people’s heads over the years,” says Sooke Community Choir artistic Bruce Ruddell. “Pop is never boring,” he says.
Accompanying the 60-person choir will be pianist Kathy Russell, Steve Cross on guitar, and drummer Mark Owen. Soloists in this season’s concert are Jonathan Francoeur, Elena Hoath, Jason Ince, Mike Kelley, and Iain McLean.
Fairly recent songs like Adele’s Hello, older pieces like Toto’s Africa, and pretty new ones like Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud are sure to delight.
“Something most people don’t pay attention to in pop music is the craft of writing those songs. It’s phenomenally
difficult,” says Ruddell. “When a pop song does get to that level of being a huge success, there’s a reason for that. It’s touching people in some ways. Organization and creation of that sort of piece is not easy. Our HITS concert is celebrating the pop song,” he told West Shore Voice News this week.
Ruddell wants this concert to feel like going to a club. As a composer and arranger, Ruddell has pushed a lot of the arrangements “into a another level” by adding instrumental breaks, cutting parts that are poorly arranged, plus adding drum, guitar and piano parts. “Blackbird is better when a guitarist is playing a George Harrison tune.”
Tickets $20 (under age 16 free), available at Shoppers in Sooke or at the door, or ticketrocket.co or 1-855-842-7575 or box office 101-804 Broughton St, Victoria.
[This article first published on page 5 in the April 20, 2018 in the print/PDF edition of West Shore Voice News]
Wednesday, May 2 ~ SOOKE. Sooke Rotary is hosting a dinner event with live and silent auctions.
The Saturday May 12 event (6 pm at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort) is to support their contribution to various community projects both local/regional and international.
The event is on Mother’s Day weekend. With the theme of “making a difference”, Sooke Rotary hopes with this fundraiser to be honouring mothers around the globe.
Tickets $60 for the dinner… available by calling 250-642-1842.
This year’s dinner auction event is instead of Sooke Rotary hosting a large trade-show style event with business/organization booths at SEAPARC. That was a huge undertaking that taxed the resources of many long-time volunteers.
Tuesday, May 1 ~ SOOKE/WestShore. At the last minute there has been a change with the Sooke School District (SD62) setup for 2018-2019 bus registration. The online registration system will still open at 9 am on Wednesday, May 2 but routes cannot be chosen by families.
“We have been testing the bus registration system and we realized that it just wasn’t ready in time,” said SD62 Secretary-Treasurer Harold Cull on Monday afternoon, April 30. “Rather than delaying registration, we decided to stick to our deadlines and use a system that we know works,” he told West Shore Voice News. “The timing is unfortunate but as of late last week, we were trying to determine a possible solution that would work for us,” said Cull.
Parents were advised by email on April 30: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, our new online route selection and registration system will not be ready this year. We want to be able to give you a program that will work seamlessly for you, and at this time, we’re not confident our new system will be able to make registration easier for you.”
As in previous years, SD62 will use the School Cash Online system for school bus registration. Registration is free. Register here http://www.sd62.bc.ca/about-sd62/transportation/
What does this mean for registration and bus route selection?
• Registration will open on time
• Parents will not be able to select bus routes.
• Experienced Transportation staff will place your child(ren) on the best routes as per your home address and school.
• If you register by June 1, you will be notified as to which bus routes your child(ren) will be on before the end of the school year.
• Bus passes will be handed out prior to or during the first week of school in September. Bus passes only apply to middle and secondary school students. Attendance will be taken in the elementary grades.
• Drivers will enforce passes during the first week of school in September.
“Many of our buses and routes fill quickly. Please register close to opening so that you get a spot!,” the school district wrote to parents.
Info and Frequently Asked Questions are presented near the bottom of the Transportation page http://www.sd62.bc.ca/about-sd62/transportation/ or contact the Transportation Department via email – bussing@sd62.bc.ca or call (250) 474-9845.
Monday, April 30 ~ SOOKE. An open house to view designs for the new Sooke Library will be hosted on Wednesday, May 16 by the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) Board at Sooke Community Hall, 2037 Shield Rd, downstairs in the dining room area.
The event will run from 5:30 to 8pm. First from 5:30 to 6:30 pm there will be an open session to learn about the designs. Then at 6:30 pm there will be a presentation by library staff, with a question and answer session.
The Sooke Library has been long in coming, even though VIRL says it has been top of their priority list for at least five years.
The District of Sooke purchased land (Lot A) on Wadams Way a few year ago, of which a section will be provided for VIRL to build a 10,000 sq.ft. library.
The current Sooke Library operates out of rented space on Anna Marie Road near Sooke Road. As the Wadams Way area continues to develop (effectively behind — north of — the Evergreen Shopping Centre), it will expand the footprint of what is now considered to be town centre.
Thursday, April 26 ~ SOOKE. A guided walk at Sooke Potholes Regional Park will be held on Saturday, May 5. The ‘walk and talk’ free activity with a CRD Regional Parks naturalist is for learning more about cougars. For ages 5+, from 1 to 2:30 pm.
This nature walk is organized by CRD, who ask that pets be left at home. Starts at the CRD Parking Lot #2 at the Potholes. More: www.crd.bc.ca/parks-events
The BC Environment Ministry offers the following guidelines in the event that you encounter a cougar:
> Stay calm and keep the cougar in view, pick up children immediately. Children frighten easily and the noise and movements they make could provoke an attack. Back away slowly, ensuring that the animal has a clear avenue of escape.
> Make yourself look as large as possible and keep the cougar in front of you at all times. Never run or turn your back on a cougar, sudden movement may provoke an attack.
> If a cougar shows interest or follows you, respond aggressively, maintain eye contact with the cougar, show your teeth and make loud noise. Arm yourself with rocks or sticks as weapons.
> If a cougar attacks, fight back, convince the cougar you are a threat and not prey, use anything you can as a weapon. Focus your attack on the cougar’s face and eyes. Use rocks, sticks, bear spray or personal belongings as weapons. You are trying to convince the cougar that you are a threat, and are not prey.
April 26, 2018 ~ SOOKE. You can check out the SD62 2018-2019 school bus route for your child ahead of the online registration that starts May 2 here: www.sd62.bc.ca/about-sd62/transportation
There are two new buses and at least one new route starting this fall.
This is the first year that routes are posted ahead of the registration period, so that parents have time to study the routes and plan the ways their child(ren) will get to school each day.
It’s also helpful to the school district to have user-load analysis established before the start of school in September. This helps with decisions about any needed route adjustments, bus driver staffing, fuel cost management, etc
West Shore Voice News provides regular coverage of Sooke School District 62 news and governance. SD62 provides public education to families in Langford, Colwood, Sooke, Highlands, Metchosin and Juan de Fuca up to Port Renfrew. Schools are located in Langford, Colwood and Sooke.
On either side of the road, the pullouts are being set up in the 4-lane section, at Laidlaw (near the Shell Station), and near Woodlands (just east of entry to town).
Concrete pads (for the second time, after the curb height was first done wrong), bus shelters and electrical/lighting are part of the work by the BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure contractors.
Traffic flow does not seem to be seriously impacted.
Monday, April 23. ~ SOOKE. Tonight there will be a District of Sooke Regular Council meeting at 7 pm in council chambers. Meeting agenda: www.sooke.ca
The agenda includes an item that could see Sooke council agree to participate in offering Vancouver-Island-wide inter-municipal business licences. The fee is indicated as $170 (up from the $150 currently charged by the District of Sooke). Local businesses that operate just within Sooke would still have the annual $100 fee level available. Home based businesses are charged $50 per year.
Several years ago the City of Langford brought in a pay-only-once inter-municipal business licence. The fee is $100. The elimination of administration time to collect annual fees was considered to be a positive result. It is also a very business-friendly thing for a municipality to do, to offer a perennial licence.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) will upgrade approximately 2 km of Otter Point Road, a key access point for Highway 14 (Sooke Road), and an important alternative route when the highway is closed.
“Over my years as MLA, I have heard many safety concerns from the community about Otter Point Road and many suggestions on how to make it better for people. These upgrades will help keep drivers, cyclists and pedestrians moving safely,” said Premier John Horgan, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca in a news release.
The project and its funding of $2.5 to $3 million was announced by Juan de Fuca Electoral Area (JDFEA) Director Mike Hicks on behalf of Premier Horgan at the AGM of the Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River Ratepayers Association (OPSRRA) today April 15 at the JdF Services Building in Otter Point.
More intersection upgrades, passing opportunities, improvements for transit, highway shoulder widening and alignment improvements are under development in consultation with the community. Existing lanes will be resurfaced and lanes will be widened wherever possible for cyclist/pedestrian safety, said Ryan Evanoff, Operations Manager, MOTI, at the Otter Point AGM today. The cost to move utility poles is a large part of the project cost, Evanoff told the 30 people in attendance at the AGM. He added that there are no “property take” costs (no private lands will be required or purchased to compete these road improvements).
The proposed improvements will widen and pave approximately 2km of Otter Point Road between the municipal boundary and Kemp Lake Road. Once survey and design work is complete, the ministry will provide an estimated project cost and schedule for the construction of these improvements.
“Community input has been vital to enabling the ministry to get to work quickly on planning work for safety improvements on Otter Point Road, and I look forward to continuing this engagement on more essential upgrades to the Highway 14 corridor,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena.
The Otter Point Road project funding and project work is in addition to the suite of Highway 14 corridor improvements that were first announced in January (i.e. transit pullouts and a queue jump lane, safety signs, new Gillespie Road 2-lane bridge, Sooke River Road intersection upgrade, Muir Creek slow-moving vehicle pullout, and Sombrio rest area).
Work will get underway once the list of specific improvement requirements and possibilities are finalized, said Evanoff.
Sunday, April 15 ~ SOOKE. Anyone with a Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) card can now stream thousands of hours of acclaimed TV, from Britain and beyond, free with their library card.
VIRL’s newest digital resource, Acorn TV, offers mysteries, dramas, comedies, and documentaries and 80 exclusive programs.
New shows are added weekly including the latest seasons of series.
The service is at http://virl.bc.ca/digital-films-music-video-games or by using the RB Digital mobile app from the Google or Apple Store.
>> As first published in the April 13, 2018 print/PDF issue of West Shore Voice News
The contractor and design team have been asked to identify how this error occurred. The pullouts are to be restored to meet accessibility standards for all transit users.
The necessary road widening for these pullouts has been completed at all three bus pullout locations — 1 pad on each side of the highway at West Shore Parkway, Laidlaw Road, and Harbourview Road.
The pullouts are for the purpose of allowing buses to move fully out of the way of traffic. It’s one measure that the BC Government feels will help reduce interruptions in vehicle traffic flow on Highway 14, as first announced by Premier John Horgan in Sooke on January 19. Horgan is MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca.
Highway 14 (Sooke Road) is pretty much the one way in and out of the town of Sooke, population about 13,000. At least 70% of Sooke residents leave Sooke daily for employment and post-secondary in more central regions of Greater Victoria.
The BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure (MOTI) says: “It was discovered that the elevation of the concrete pads for the bus shelters was a bit too high. The discrepancy in height is quite small (less than 10 cm), but there is still potential for the curb to be bumped by the bus bumpers when using the pullouts.”
“The Ministry explored all possibilities for addressing the concern with the pads, and determined that the best option for getting the pullouts operational as quickly as possible is to remove and rebuild the concrete pads at a lower height,” it was confirmed today by MOTI.
“The bus pullouts are still expected to be completed and ready for use this spring as originally announced.”
Roadside marquee signage shows April 16 to 27 [update at April 15: the project phase now extended to May 15] as the traffic-interruption dates during bus pullout reconstruction.
Those signs have been up for at least two weeks, so this problem only discovered after the six pullouts were completed.
“A number of groups were involved in design and construction, and the ministry continues to work with them to determine the cause of the issue and address the resulting cost increase,” says MOTI.
All the equipment to provide the mobile blood donor clinic is brought to the site, unpacked, set up, utilized, then unpacked and put back into the Canadian Blood Services van.
Units of blood are kept refrigerated during the seven-hour clinic, until put into the refrigerated van for the trip to Vancouver for processing.
Photo: Fresh units of donated blood, kept cool in refrigerated trays at the Colwood blood donor clinic on March 19. [Photo by West Shore Voice News]
“Own or rent: caught in between”
Housing Analysis by West Shore Voice News
First published in our April 6, 2018 print/pdf/subscriber edition
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With the continued price increases in the Greater Victoria housing market combined with stricter mortgage-borrowing requirements, a chunk of would-be buyers are deliberately prevented from becoming homeowners. In the financial world it’s referred to as ‘cooling the housing market’.
That strategy ends up targeting those at the cusp of home ownership … first-time buyers, and the home sellers with lower-end properties that appeal to the entry-level buyers. Individuals and families in that sector are generally the ones who can least afford the costs associated with the risks and overhead costs of dealing with real estate transactions.
Costs include legal fees, Realtor commissions, property purchase tax, and extended dual costs while waiting for homes to sell — like higher rates for vacant home insurance and requiring the cash flow for temporary renting or couch-surfing in the meantime (which contributes to productivity loss and lifestyle stress).
The big chill served to hurt that vulnerable sector of would-be buyers and entry-level homesellers who literally live on the edge of the market — in or out of homeownership, which will it be?
Last fall and in early 2018, as the list price of lower-end homes frequently dropped in order to find buyers who could qualify, those who tried to make the most of having owned a home may have suffered the most.
With qualification for mortgage financing becoming tougher, these previous homeowners often now end up as renters — and usually at the top end of the renter food chain where houses rent for as much as $2,500 per month in Greater Victoria or more. That may be the only portion of the rental market with a relatively higher vacancy rate, due to the price point.
Seeking input from resources like www.readytorentbc.org where their goal is to help with housing stability and successful tenancies, or dealing directly with a property management firm, are two ways to manouevre in the complex waters of housing decisions for those who will not ever, or cannot now, afford to buy.
FEATURE ADVERTISERS [West Shore & Sooke]:
>> George Holmes, Sutton Advantage Property Management – 250-216-4684
>> Clive & Kirsten Greenaway, Greenaway Realty – 778-352-4771
Friday, April 6 ~ SOOKE area. The Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River Resident and Ratepayers Association (OPSRRA) represents about 400 residents in those three small, unincorporated communities west of Sooke. www.opsrra.ca
Their AGM will be held on Sunday, April 15 at 2 pm at the Juan de Fuca Services Building, 3-7450 Butler Rd.
Guest speakers will be: Arnie Campbell about the new Interactive History of Otter Point; Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt Jeff McArthur on community policing; Ryan Evanoff, Operations Manager, Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure with a Highway 14 review; and Mike Hicks, JDFEA Regional Director with various Juan de Fuca Electoral Area updates.
Thursday, April 5 ~ SOOKE. Folks in the Sooke community are invited to drop in to chat with Randall Garrison, MP (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke) on Saturday, April 7 at Shirley Delicious at 2794 Sheringham Point Road in Shirley from 10 am to 11am. And also at The Stick in the Mud Coffee House (6715 Eustace Road, Sooke), from 12 noon to 1 pm.
The NDP MP addressed a rally out front of his constituency office in Saanich on a few weeks ago regarding stopping expansion of the TransMountain pipeline. See page 1 in the March 23 issue of West Shore Voice News.
Sooke has a strong environmental-activist voter base.
MP for the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sookeriding since 2011, Randall Garrison has every year spent a lot of time attending community events in Sooke, in and around his House of Commons attendance in Ottawa and events in the Saanich and Esquimalt areas.
Given the lead time — and that one of the messages on the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure sign board says “thank you for your patience” — it appears the traffic delays are something that commuters and on-road business travelers will want to accommodate in their scheduling.
Three bus pullout locations have been developed since the January 19 Hwy 14 improvements announcement by Premier John Horgan who is MLA for the Langford-Juan de Fuca area through which Hwy 14 runs.
There is a bus pullout almost ready in the four-lane section just west of the West Shore Parkway, and two just east of town as you’re heading westbound into Sooke.
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