ARCHIVE – SOOKE Local News [March 2017]

ARCHIVE – SOOKE Local News [March 2017]

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Thursday, March 30 ~SOOKE.  After a long while under wraps, the face of the Bosley’s by Pet Valu storefront is coming along in Sooke at the Evergreen Shopping Centre.

The store will hold its official opening on Thursday, May 11.

Bosley’s has 36 outlets in BC including stores in Victoria, Colwood and Sidney. The Sooke store will be their fourth on south Vancouver Island. They have three stores in Nanaimo.

Bosley’s is part of one of the largest retail operations in North America dedicated to providing families with food and supplies for dogs, cats, companion birds, wild birds, fish, reptiles and small animals.

Sooke has long been served by the Wiskers & Waggs pet store on West Coast Road owned by Tia Arden. Wiskers & Waggs also has a busy and successful pet grooming service and helps support the animal welfare community.

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Wednesday, March 29 ~ SOOKE.  Will you be getting your morning coffee at The Stick in Sooke tomorrow, Thursday March 30? There you’ll have a chance to meet BC Liberal candidate for Langford-Juan de Fuca, Cathy Noel. She’ll be there 10 am to 11 am for a casual meet-and-greet and to answer any questions that voters may have.

Today Cathy met with the President of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce and also attended a meeting and presentation about post-secondary education at Camosun College.

This weekend, she will be out door-knocking in Langford, both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday night, April 1, she’ll be attending the Sooke Chamber awards event at the Prestige.

You can get to Cathy’s Facebook page via: www.votecathynoel.com

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Monday, March 27 ~ SOOKE.  The District of Sooke Council announced today that it has discussed the 2017-2021 Financial Plan and is ready to grant the first three readings to the 2017-2021 Five-Year Financial Plan bylaw tonight, Monday, March 27.

“The plan’s approval will allow Council to set spending limits and priorities for the next five years. Once approved, staff will be able to move ahead with service level adjustments to meet demands of the growing community of Sooke,” said Sooke CAO Teresa Sullivan in a news release.

The Financial Plan was reviewed by Council during public meetings held on March 8, 9, 13 and 22. Highlights from the plan include:

• Total budget of $19.4 million:
• $4.4 million for capital projects
• $1.1 million for transfers to reserve funds
• $1.3 million for debt servicing
• $12.6 million for operations
• Property tax increase of 5.57%. Property owners (based on average assessment) will pay an additional $56.00 in 2017.
• No change to the Sewer Parcel Tax rate.
• $7.6 million will be invested in community capital projects and capital upgrades over 5 years.
• Funding to address service level demands in administration, building inspection & engineering services.

After adoption of the 2017-2021 Five Year Financial Plan Bylaw, staff will prepare the 2017 Property Tax Rate Bylaw for consideration of Council. The property tax rate bylaw must be approved annually after approval of the financial plan bylaw and before May 15.

While the meetings on March 8, 9, 13 and 22 appeared to go into detail, much was left unsaid. The emergency preparedness supply line item was cut back, many community grants were morphed over into line items, and a great deal of money was siphoned off into various contingency accounts.  Some professional aspects of budget management were seen this year, including showing the real cost of department operations in each section of the budget for those departments.

This year’s budget process is way ahead of schedule compared to previous years, though Sullivan hopes to see the 2018 budget “locked and loaded” by year-end 2017. It will be an election year in 2018, so Council will either get a 2019 budget ready ahead of the November 2018 election, or leave it for a new Council in December 2018 to set a new financial outlook in motion.

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Saturday, March 25 ~ SOOKE.  WEST SHORE VOICE NEWS Exclusive. 

Buried in the many line items of the District of Sooke’s 2017 budget is a figure of $8,000 for emergency preparedness supplies. That same amount has also filled in the ‘blanks’ for 2018 to 2021 in the District’s 5-year financial plan.

“This is a small reduction from the historic amount of $10,000,” says Sooke Fire Chief and Emergency Program Coordinator Kenn Mount. “The required restocking of items will be part of the efforts with Sooke Emergency Programs staff and volunteers over the course of the year,” he told West Shore Voice. Equipment supply that will be restocked includes things like blankets, cots, tents, shovels, dry food supplies, flashlights… things people likely expect the municipality to have on hand. They are stored at the municipal hall, Sooke Fire Station 1 and the Public Works yard on Kaltasin Road. There seems to be no plan for expansion of supply volume or distribution scope.

Will they be used first for the First Responders, and then for the public? Chief Mount says: “Items would be used appropriately from the direction of the Measurable Objectives of an Incident Action Plan and the operational requirements to support people impacted for the duration of an incident.” The idea is that persons charged with helping others need support in order to do their job. Kind of like putting on an air mask in an airplane before helping others.

And this: “Should the public expect the provision of any supplies like that (in the event of a major event like earthquake/tsunami), or are people pretty much on their own for 7+days?” Says Chief Mount: “This would depend on the nature of the incident, the scope of damage, assessments that are done and situation reports that are provided to an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC). The messaging would come from an EOC Information Officer on supplies, reception centres, etc. We do encourage residents to follow the principles from the PrepareYourself program at www.crd.bc.ca/prepare-yourself .

For years the general advisory has been to prepare for 72 hours of self-sufficiency after an emergency (e.g. major storm, flood, fire, earthquake). But in more remote areas such as the west side of Vancouver Island, the Sooke Fire Department has for years recommended a 7-day preparation period. Some earthquake experts say “even longer”. That’s due mostly to interruption in supply chains after a major quake (which would also produce a tsunami). Damage to roads, vehicles and personnel could make smaller communities inaccessible for days or even weeks. The transport of food and other supplies would be interrupted. Food sustainability experts say Vancouver Island retail stores and wholesalers will have a 3-day supply of available food, after which time people would need to rely on their own supplies until fresh supplies arrive.

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Thursday, March 23 ~ SOOKE. Yep, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Following 18 presentations, last night about $50,000 was swiftly deliberated and issued to various non-profit groups by ‘Council’. It felt much like Community Grant committee meetings of the last few years, maybe with a new coat of paint.

Around the table were Sooke Mayor Maja Tait, and Councillors Kerrie Reay, Bev Berger and Ebony Logins. The meeting lasted over three hours.

Watch for our in-depth Sooke Community Grants report coming in the March 24th issue of West Shore Voice News. Even if you don’t live in Sooke or pay taxes in “the volunteer capital of Canada”, this will be an interesting read for anyone who explores how communities tick.

Subscribers get their WSV first each weekend, before it’s posted online. Visit the SUBSCRIBE page for details. Get signed up today!

The second of two meetings for grant discussions was to be held tonight, March 23 (if required) — but that meeting has now been cancelled.

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SPRING 2017 WEST SHORE VOICE NEWS READERSHIP SURVEY ~ March 22, 2017.

We invite all West Shore Voice News readers to take part in a 3-minute survey about reading our publication (print / online).

Your input will be anonymous, but only one set of responses per IP address will be accepted.

We appreciate your input. We are always striving to reach and serve our many readers in the best ways possible — technology, content, and marketing support.

Here’s the survey link. Responses will be accepted up to April 5, 2017. Thank you!

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY – VICTORIA AREA. Highway 1 night-time single-lane closure: March 20 to 25. The west-bound slow lane (or curb lane) on Highway 1 will be closed nightly from Monday, March 20, to Saturday, March 25, inclusive, during the hours of 8 pm to 5:30 am.

This closure will allow crews to work safely alongside a section of the highway west of McKenzie Avenue as they prepare for and perform drilling operations.

Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are reminded to obey traffic-control personnel and construction signs, and to watch out for workers.

Updates are available at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/mckenzieinterchange/ | Travel alerts: www.drivebc.ca

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Sunday, March 19 ~ SOOKE. Sooke Fire Hall #2 has been renamed Sorensen Station, following the official recognition of former Sooke Fire Chief Steve Sorensen by District of Sooke Council at their March 13, 2017 meeting.

It was a brief but memorable seven-minute recognition of former fire chief Steve Sorensen at the Sooke council meeting on Monday night, March 13.

Mayor Maja Tait officiated, recognizing Sorensen’s work as a volunteer and career firefighter, including seven years as fire chief (2009 to 2016).

Tait noted Sorensen’s initiatives over the years to improve emergency services in the Sooke region and beyond, noting his “vision of cooperation and resource sharing” Including mutual aid agreements with other fire departments. Improved response times and improved training opportunities for emergency responders are credited to Sorensen’s leadership.

”Despite his quiet nature, Steve took every opportunity he could to elevate the profile of our fire department and our community.” Tait retold the tale of how the now popular Santa Run of decorated fire trucks at Christmas-time each year grew from Steve accepting one can of soup from one person, one Christmas long ago, when driving around in one fire truck one night.

Tait highlighted how Sorensen participated in and spearheaded many community activities and events, including All Sooke Day, Canada Day, and Safe Halloween. He worked to develop auto-extrication skills for firefighters. Steve used his personal carpentry skills, said Tait, to build stairs at a local park and notably a display about Sooke that ‘stole the show’ at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics ‘Ozone Exhibit’ in Richmond (the display was featured at the Sooke Rotary Fair after that, and then became a bridge in John Phillips Memorial Park next to Sooke municipal hall). Tait commended retired Chief Sorensen as a first responder, community leader and genuinely caring community member, noting his energy, commitment and bravery. “We are thankful for your quiet way of improving the lives of others.” The Mayor then dedicated Sooke Fire Hall #2 as the Sorensen Station.

In accepting his award, Steve Sorensen tipped his hat to his fellow firefighters who attended the ceremony in large number. “Without them, I’m just one person. It’s a department effort, along with friends from other departments,” said Steve Sorensen in closing his brief remarks to a full house.

This article was first published on page 4 in the March 17 issue of West Shore Voice News.

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Saturday, March 18 ~ SOOKE [2pm]. The Vancouver Island Regional Library Board today March 18 has given unanimous approval to build the Sooke Library on ‘Lot A’ in Sooke town centre. Construction could be completed in 2018, in time for the completion of the lease at the current library location on Anna Marie Road.

Lot A is the 5-acre land patch with access off of Wadams Way. The land was purchased by the District of Sooke in February 2016 as a way to accommodate a new Sooke Library, with land remaining for other municipal uses.

Sooke Councillor Kerrie Reay announced the approval today, shortly after today’s meeting of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) Board in Nanaimo. The VIRL board consists of representatives from 27 VIRL-member communities. Reay has served on the VIRL board since 2012; this year she sits on the executive.

Lot A seemed to be off the table as an option, after VIRL had wanted more than one acre of the five acres. The District of Sooke was clearly looking out for the community, trying to keep the remaining 4 acres available for other uses or even resale given the ever-increasing value of land (especially in town centre).

In recent weeks, an option to build the new Sooke Library on land adjacent to the SEAPARC Leisure Complex arena was given solid pushback from the user community, saying they wanted the library to be in town centre as a ‘walkable’ location.

VIRL has said for several years that they would build a 10,000 sqft library, at their cost. Sooke was to provide the land. In the past year, the District of Sooke has paid $2,400 in interest fees to carry the purchase cost of Lot A about one year ago.

More to come.

 

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Saturday, March 18 ~ SOOKE.  District of Sooke Council at its discretion has set aside almost a quarter of a million dollars in taxpayer money for the funding of service agreements and grants that will serve the community in 2017.  

These numbers totaling $245,162 were discussed March 8 and 9 during Special Council meetings (see all budget documents on the municipal website at www.sooke.ca). Final budget approval comes by mid-May.

Several non-profit groups in Sooke are catching a break — they won’t have to apply for grant funding for 2017. Set into the District of Sooke 2017 as line items are several groups that previously had to approach Council cap-in-hand.

The total of $57,437 in uncontested ‘Annual Grants’ will be distributed as follows (each of these groups will be contacted during 2017 toward renewal or reapplication for this funding for 2018):

• At the top of the list is the Sooke Food Bank Society getting $10,000. The Sooke Fine Arts Society and Sooke Region Food CHI will each get $7,000. The Sooke Residents in Need Society (Crisis Centre) will get $6,120.
• JdF Regional Park Watch Society is listed for $5,000 (largely for printing brochures that are handed out in parks) as is the Sooke Lions Club (largely for pulling off Canada Day and the Sooke Santa Parade).
• Sooke Community Arts Council that in 2015 had to battle the grants committee process for any funding at all, will get $4,000.
• EMCS Society will get $3,500 for their Youth Council, adding to a large pot of grants received by that organization.
• Wild Wise Sooke (under the wing of Transition Sooke) will get $2,925 toward their public education initiatives around securing garbage and kitchen scraps away from the reach of bears and other scavengers.
• Citizens on Patrol (Sooke) will get $2,800 for their work in contributing to Sooke RCMP initiatives.
• Sooke Family Resource Society is listed for $2,000.
• Need 2 – Suicide Prevention Education & Awareness will be issued $1,592.
• The Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission is being issued $500. Sooke has always been keen to be a location used for film shoots.

Meanwhile, coming up on Wednesday night, March 22 (6:30 pm in Council chambers), 18 groups will pitch to split a $50,000 pie (less $525 already allocated to an event at Journey Middle School last month). Those groups are: Meals on Wheels (cost of food), EMCS Student Art Bus Shelter (in town centre near Village Foods), Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society (for establishing a garden), Sooke Fall Fair Association (For pop-up canopies), Sooke Philharmonic Society (20th anniversary concert), Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society
(23rd annual Bike to Work Week), Royal Canadian Legion Branch 54 Sooke (for paint), Sooke Music Festival (talent, equipment & promo), Juan de Fuca Marine Rescue Society (dock moorage at Government dock, building and asset maintenance, training), Juan de Fuca Society for Ground Search and Rescue (purchase of wool shirts), DRS Dialogue and Resolution Services (workshops and training), Sooke Baptist Church (vegetable garden setup), Sooke Community Choir Society (music library), Sooke Food Bank (sending a rep to the Food Banks of Canada National Conference), Sooke Bike Club (beginner bike trails at SEAPARC), Sooke Harbour Players Society (‘Oliver’ performances in Fall 2017), Harmony Project Society of British Columbia (purchase of stringed instruments), and Zero Waste Sooke (two repurposing events).

Tucked in there at the bottom of the Annual Grants section of the budget is a $3,000 allocation for Canada Day Fireworks and $15,000 for the Sooke Christmas Bureau food hampers.

Also receiving funds under Community Service Agreements totaling $119,725 are:

• Sooke Region Community Health Initiative ($17,500), and Sooke Region Community Health Network MOU ($30,000).
• Sooke Community Association will get $28,000 as they have the last few years.
• Sooke Region Tourism Association (SRTA) which spends almost all its funding on a website and non-local advertising is listed for $23,000.
• Tourism Information Centre at the Sooke Region Museum will get $21,225.
• Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce is not included on the budget this year, as they severed ties with the District last year. They used to receive about $28,500.

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Friday, March 17 ~ VANCOUVER ISLAND.  BC Ferries rates for commercial vehicles that are 13 feet wide (or wider) will more than double on April 1, 2017 from $6.50/ft to $13.24/ft, to reflect that they take up two lanes, said BC Ferries in a news release March 16.

Probably in short order, this increase in shipping overhead will spill over into higher costs of consumer goods that are being transported by truck to Vancouver Island. It will also impact the cost of shipping raw products from the island.

It’s yet another way that the cost of living on Vancouver Island is expensive in unique ways compared to other parts of BC and Canada.

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Friday, March 17 ~ SOOKE.  We hear they’ve got green cupcakes and cookies at TD Canada Trust in Sooke today as part of the upbeat cheer that is St Patrick’s Day!

There’s usually some kind of customer-friendly presentation in the lobby toward helping out in the community. For the past few weeks there has been a used book sale in support of good causes.

The newly-constructed building for the TD Sooke branch opened mid-2012. Ever since, they’ve been open 7 days a week, including with a drive-thru ATM behind the building.

Since the town centre roundabout was completed in Fall 2015, it’s been easier than ever before to access the branch. There’s parking out front, and along one side.

The branch manager at TD Sooke is Erich Falk.

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Thursday, March 16 ~ SOOKE. A homicide has occurred in the Sooke area. As reported last weekend, Michael Widner, 39, of Sooke, had gone missing on March 8, as reported to RCMP on March 9.

Speculation has swirled for days that the death of Widner (the death itself confirmed by his spouse on Facebook several days ago), is related to his association with the drug-trafficking community and/or Hells Angels. Until today, Sooke RCMP would not confirm whether the death was a murder.

Today March 16, the RCMP reported out on the results of a forensic autopsy by the BC Coroner. As of March 15, it was confirmed that the body located on the Pacific Marine route near Port Renfrew had been identified as that of Michael Gregory Widner.

Widner’s death is considered a homicide and the investigation is being conducted by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU). “We wish to emphasize that this is not a random act – and that there is no threat to public safety,” says Sooke RCMP Detachment Commander S/Sgt Jeff McArthur.

RCMP now say that on Wednesday March 8 it is believed that Widner arranged to a meet at William Simmons Memorial Park, near Poirier Lake, on Otter Point Road. This occurred sometime after 8 pm. His vehicle (a 2003 black Volkswagen Golf) was found abandoned at that location. Widner’s body was located along the Pacific Marine route several kilometres from Port Renfrew. The specific cause of death was not released.

Sooke RCMP repeats that they wish to speak to anyone who may have information regarding persons or vehicles seen at either of the locations associated with this crime. Contact the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) information line at 250-380-6211, or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Widner was known to police. In 2011, he was stopped by Sooke RCMP and found to be in possession of $4,980 in cash, 25 grams of marijuana, a hunting knife and four cellphones. That all led to a suit by the BC Civil Forfeiture director in 2012. “Mr Widner either directly participated in the selling of illegal drugs or obtained the money directly or indirectly from the sellers of illegal drugs,” it was stated in the lawsuit.

As a somewhat eerie coincidence, District of Sooke council as part of their budget deliberations during March 6 to 9, said they wanted to be prepared with a contingency fund in 2017 for unforeseen extraordinary expenditures, including homicide investigations.  Municipalities pay for policing services, and must handled additional costs for extraordinary investigations that happen outside the work of regular policing.  For regular policing, the District of Sooke pays 70% of 12 (soon 13) officers; the other four officers in the Sooke detachment are paid for by the BC government to cover the rural areas beyond the immediate town of Sooke.

The Facebook post by Widner’s wife Sabrina was as follows: “It is with a broken heart and overwhelming sadness that I share that the police have informed me that my husband’s body has been found. I am with our children holding them tight and keeping them safe and removed from all the attention. His children know that he is in heaven with his brother Steve and at peace.”

According to other media reports, Mike Widner was a “prospect” for the Hells Angels. In some manner, it appears that some sort of process of initiation or acceptance didn’t work out.

In perhaps an unrelated event but during the same time frame of Widner’s disappearance, there was a theft of about $50,000 in hand and power tools occurred in East Sooke sometime between 3:30pm on Wednesday March 8 and 8:30am Thursday March 9.

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Tuesday, March 14 ~ SOOKE. Last night Sooke Council said they “heard loud and clear” that the Sooke community does not want a future new Sooke Library to be located outside the town centre. That pushes off the table the idea of locating a potential new library alongside SEAPARC Leisure Centre.

Two-term Sooke Councillor Kerrie Reay represents Sooke at the Vancouver Island Library Board (VIRL) table. In fact she is on the VIRL executive this year. She will be attending the March 18 VIRL board meeting in Nanaimo, bringing Sooke’s position of “not at SEAPARC” into the discussion. The ‘Sooke building project’ is listed on the VIRL agenda under ‘Finance’.

According to discussions at Sooke Council last night, SEAPARC chair Mike Hicks (who also sits on the VIRL board, representing Juan de Fuca), will stand by withdrawal of interest for a library at SEAPARC.

VIRL has said for several years that a 10,000 sq ft library building would be built in Sooke, but only if Sooke were to provide the land at no cost to VIRL. That business model has succeeded for VIRL in most of their 27 member communities. Members of the VIRL executive visited Sooke in 2012 for a well-attended public meeting, at which they seemed keen to move ahead with bringing a library to Sooke.

Last night at Sooke Council, Reay said that VIRL seems to keep moving the goalpost. It’s now over five years, and through many discussions and land options (including five from an Expression of Interest that were all rejected by VIRL).

VIRL told West Shore Voice News a few weeks ago that their fallback option is to put a new Sooke library into retail space, and they seemed quite comfortable with that. However, there is little to no retail space in Sooke that is even close to 5,000 sqft let alone 10,000 sq ft. And it would be costly, especially if VIRL gets locked in for a 5-year lease. This would see Sooke even further underserved for a library than at present. The current leased premises for the Sooke Library on Anna Marie Road is up for expiry.

Aiming to please VIRL and get a new Sooke library facility for the town, Sooke Council last year purchased a chunk of land in Sooke town centre, now simply referred to as “Lot A”. Sooke is now paying interest of about $2,400/year on the $1.42 million that was borrowed to buy the five-acre undeveloped parcel of land. VIRL seemed interested in that location, then changed their mind, apparently based largely on not having access to more of the land for parking. Sooke Council has eyed that property for ‘other uses’ of financial and/or community benefits, in addition to putting the library there, and did not want to give up more than the 1 acre that VIRL had originally said it needed.

Usually a simple kerfuffle has a foreseeable outcome. But this ongoing saga remains pretty much up in the air. Stay tuned for what may come after March 18.

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Sunday, March 12 ~ SOOKE.  Jeff Bateman sent a letter to District of Sooke Mayor and Council, defending himself against the accusation that he had bullied Councillor Kerrie Reay at the December 14, 2015 council meeting.

It comes up following Councillor Reay’s statement at the February 14, 2017 Council meeting that she will not be seeking re-election because of how some in the Sooke community have treated her, and some Sooke staff.

The letter dated March 2, 2017 begins as follows:  “It’s taken awhile, but after a friend laughingly accused me of bullying not long after Pink Shirt Day last week, I was advised to watch Councillor Kerrie Reay’s Feb. 14 council address and listen for my name. I did so for the first time this afternoon, at least up until the point where the councillor states that, at the meeting of Dec. 14, 2015, I accused her of conflict of interest in her role as chair of the council committee that hired CAO Sullivan. Yikes! Did I flat-out accuse her of this? Memories can be tricky, mine definitely included. I’d intended to ask, in the public interest, for further clarity about Ms. Sullivan’s hiring. But maybe in my shambolic fashion I’d gone too far.  See the full letter on the West Shore Voice News LETTERS page.

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Saturday, March 11 ~ LANGFORD.  BC NDP Leader John Horgan held his local Langford-Juan de Fuca campaign launch today, Saturday March 11, at the Langford Legion.

Over 400 people were there for the event including long-time supporters from throughout the riding, several MLAs (including Melanie Mark and Jodie Wickens who came over from the mainland), two local NDP MPs (Randall Garrison and Alistair MacGregor), some local municipal leaders, many campaign workers and some media.

Horgan cut into Christy Clark’s BC Liberals and chastised the current government for the hardship imposed on regular working British Columbians. Horgan urged teachers, health-care workers and seniors not to forget how the last 15 years in BC have been hard on them and most British Columbians who are not “wealthy or well-connected”.

Horgan promised to work on bringing in a $15 minimum wage if the NDP is elected to government, as one way to offer a bit of a break to struggling workers. He resurrected remembrance of the ground-breaking work of 1970s NDP premier Dave Barrett for having started ICBC as an affordable auto insurance entity, not as it is used today as a ‘cash cow’, said Horgan.

First Nations elder Shirley Alphonse gave her absolute support to “her friend Horgan”, as part of her opening blessing.

The upbeat event included Horgan’s 30-minute speech as well as remarks from NDP finance spokesperson Carole James and education spokesperson MLA Rob Fleming, along with NDP candidate for Esquimalt-Metchosin Mitzi Dean.

Horgan was invited to the podium by his nominator, SD62 School Board Trustee Ravi Parmar.

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Saturday, March 11 ~ SOOKE. Sooke RCMP are seeking public assistance with a missing person’s case.

UPDATE: 5 pm Monday March 13: Sooke RCMP say a man’s body was found on Sunday, March 12, by a hiker, near Port Renfrew. The identity of the body has not yet been established. An autopsy is scheduled for later this week, after which further information will be released.  The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) , Sooke RCMP and BC Coroner’s Service are investigating.

 

UPDATE 8:30 am Monday March 13: RCMP have confirmed a body has been found. Details to come.

UPDATE (10:50 pm Pacific Daylight Time, Sunday March 12, 2017): We have seen on social media that a body has been found. We are awaiting an official RCMP report, before confirming this.

Michael (Mike) Gregory Widner of the Tugwell Road area west of Sooke was reported missing on Thursday, March 9.

He was last seen Wednesday March 8, in Sooke.  Widner, age 39, is described as Caucasian, 6 feet tall, 225 pounds, with short dark hair.  Clothing shown in the photo (photo from Closed Circuit Camera at SEAPARC Leisure Complex, March 8, 2017):
– a dark blue or black “Under Armour” brand hoody with large chest logo
-black zipper front jacket
-black pants
-black running shoes with white “Nike” logo
-black “Metal Mulisha” ball cap with large white logo

His vehicle, a 2003 black Volkswagen Golf, was located abandoned at Poirier Lake, in William Simmons Memorial Park in Otter Point.

Anyone having any information about this person’s present whereabouts, or anyone who may have seen him, is asked to call Sooke RCMP at 250-642-5241. To provide information anonymously contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Thursday, March 9. And so the race card is firming up! West Shore Voice News is covering two electoral areas (ridings) on the west side of Vancouver Island during the election campaign toward the May 9 BC provincial election.

The main slate for the key riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca (which now includes Langford, Sooke and Juan de Fuca up to Port Renfrew — but no longer Metchosin) includes three candidates.  BC NDP Leader John Horgan has built and held a stronghold in the riding since 2005.

• Long-time MLA John Horgan is the BC NDP incumbent candidate for Langford-Juan de Fuca.  Horgan is holding his local campaign launch this weekend on Saturday, March 11 in Langford (Langford Legion, 761 Station Ave, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm). As party leader, he will be travelling all over BC during the campaign toward the May 9 election.
• The BC Liberals are running Cathy Noel as their candidate in Langford-Juan de Fuca. Noel has a broad reach in the sport-fitness community.
• The BC Green candidate for Langford-Juan de Fuca is Brendan Ralfs, a provincial emergency manager on southern Vancouver Island.

Another electoral area on the west side of South Vancouver Island long held by the NDP is Esquimalt-Metchosin (which includes Colwood). The current NDP MLA Maurine Karagianis is retiring from politics.

• The BC NDP candidate is Mitzi Dean, a long-time advocate for well-funded social services through the Pacific Centre Family Services based in Colwood.
• The BC Liberal candidate is Barb Desjardins, who is presently serving as both Mayor of Esquimalt and Chair of the Capital Regional District (CRD) board.
• The BC Greens today announced Dr Andy MacKinnon as their candidate for Esquimalt-Metchosin. He is a  Professional Forester and Professional Biologist in BC, and author of books about plants of western North America.

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Wednesday, March 8. It wasn’t all that long ago that Peoples Drug Mart in Sooke got a brand new sign out front, bigger than the previous one. End of November 2016 in fact (see photo).

Meanwhile, it was learned today by West Shore Voice News that all Peoples Drug Mart programs and services have been bought out by Pharmachoice/Pharmasave.

As Peoples has been an independent pharmacy chain, owners were left with the freedom to choose a banner which best suits their communities. The local Peoples in Sooke has chosen Pharmasave.

The changeover to the Pharmasave name becomes effective April 1, 2017.

The store at 6716 West Coast Road (i.e. Hwy 14/Sooke Road just west of Otter Point Road) will have the same owners, staff and good service. “Same everything with a new name!” is how the store management puts it. They look forward to the continued support of their regular customers.

The Peoples Drug Mart in Sooke has been serving the community with personalized service for over 30 years. It’s a friendly store with plenty of unique and interesting inventory.

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Wednesday, March 8. The Sooke Seniors Group has released a letter today about their long sought-after Sooke Seniors Drop in Center. Here is the full text:

The Center referred to as SSDIC has been without a permanent home since 2010. We have been seeking assistance from the last three administrations for assistance to obtain a building in which we can operate five days a week to support seniors in their daily lives with a place to socialize, get involved in activities and have a support system that helps maintain their physical and mental health.

Ironically the period in which we have the fewest friends is one in which strong ties become particularly important. The benefits associated with socializing read like a healthy aging wish list: friendships can protect older adults from depression and cognitive decline. Social participation can shield us from low self esteem, maintain our immune systems and boost heart health. People with sturdy social connections tend to eat healthier diets, exercise more and sleep better. Unfortunately social circles shrink as we age.

Our population has grown substantially and I find it inconceivable that Sooke is the only community to my knowledge that is without a Center for the Seniors. Our youth have a skate board park, bike park, ball fields, soccer fields, SEAPARC pool and rink. The Seniors have nothing. I am aware some seniors enjoy travelling in their retirement, however, there comes a time that is no longer an option, and there are those who simply cannot afford to travel as they are on very fixed incomes.

This seems to me to be the time to step up and get serious about getting a facility built for the seniors, it is Canada’s 150th. There is money available from both levels of Government for senior health incentives, and interest rates are at an all time low. I fear this will be like the Sewer project fiasco in Victoria that has gone on for a decade and they are right back where they started, but at almost double the cost.

Looking at the Vision Document we put together in 2013, three of our board members featured on the cover have since passed away, I pray that we will see a Center come to fruition before the rest of us on the board have also passed with out ever seeing a Center built.

Letter submitted by: Carol Pinalski, President, Sooke Seniors Drop-In Centre

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Wednesday, March 8. Tonight is the first of several District of Sooke Council BUDGET meetings. There will be another one tomorrow night as well. They start at 6:30 pm in Sooke council chambers.

The other night at the March 6 Committee of the Whole, Mayor Maja Tait confirmed that quorum will be met each night. Councillor Kevin Pearson will not be attending the March 8 meeting, and Councillor Brenda Parkinson said she would not be attending the March 9 meeting.

This is your chance to hear the details of the 2017 District of Sooke budget, and the 2017-2021 Five-Year Financial Plan. The population of Sooke is growing, so there are likely to be a lot of changes. The 2016 Census figures show Sooke with a population of 13,001. At Committee of the Whole on Monday night March 6 it was stated by CAO Teresa Sullivan that Sooke could soon become designated as a City (when the population surpasses 15,000).

Here is a link to the first draft of the District of Sooke Five-Year Financial Plan for 2017-2021.  It’s the starting place for budget discussions this week.  http://sooke.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/March-8-Budget-pkg.pdf

After this week’s two meetings, there will be meetings on Wednesday March 22 and Thursday March 23. At those meetings Council will hear from the applicants who have submitted Community Grant applications for 2017 funding.

Two more meetings are scheduled for March 29 & March 30, pending any further need for Council to discuss the budget in the public forum.   www.sooke.ca

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Tuesday, March 7 . Write it, snap it, draw it!

Are you age 8 to 18 and feeling creative? Try the Canada Day Challenge by submitting a story, essay, poem, photo or drawing in celebration of Canada 150. Deadline Friday March 31, 2017.

Winners will have their work displayed as part of a special summer exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History.

Check it out! http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1449088858795

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Tuesday, March 7 ~ LANGFORD/METCHOSIN.  Today West Shore RCMP responded at around 10:37 a.m. this morning March 7 to 4100-block Sooke Rd in Metchosin in response to a report of a black Dodge Ram which had flipped into the ditch.

Police responded with BC Ambulance and Metchosin Fire first responders located a single occupant, a 24-year-old man from Sooke, with significant injuries. The man was transported to hospital to be treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The roads are wet from heavy rain, and with temperatures hovering just above zero the road the highway driving conditions can be slippery.

It is unknown at this time how long the vehicle has been off the road, says West Shore RCMP media relations officer Cst. Alex Bérubé. The cause of the collision remains under investigation and police are asking anyone with information regarding to this incident to contact the West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264.

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Tuesday, March 7 ~ SOOKE. This year the District of Sooke budget sounds like it will be a fine-tuned instrument! Sooke CAO Teresa Sullivan gave accolades to Director of Finance Brent Blackhall for coming up with something really good for the start of budget discussions.  Mayor and Council were given their ‘Budget Binders’ last night after Committee of the Whole (CoW).

The first Special Council meeting to discuss the budget will be tomorrow night, Wednesday March 8 (6:30 pm in council chambers). That will be chased with a second meeting on Thursday, March 9. The agendas include a spot for ‘public questions and comments’.

Most of the Councillors expressed eagerness to attend both meetings, when asked by Mayor Tait last night at Committee of the Whole if they will be attending. Not attending on Wednesday night: Councillor Kevin Pearson. Not attending on Thursday night: Councillor Brenda Parkinson (who is “going on leave” it was heard at CoW last night).

While most people may think that budgets are ‘dry stuff’, it’s really quite the opposite. Almost every policy, strategy and desire becomes expressed through a good budget. Let’s see what the District of Sooke comes up with this year!

After this week’s meetings, there will be two meetings (March 22 & 23) to hear Community Grant application presentations. Two more meetings (Mar 29 & 30) are scheduled pending need for further debate.

Budget details will be posted at www.sooke.ca | Direct link to the Financial page: http://sooke.ca/municipal-hall/plans-reports/financial-plan/ 

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Monday, March 6 ~SOOKE. Sooke RCMP are requesting the public’s assistance with identifying the owner of some young women’s clothing found in two duffel style bags in a forested area off Connie Road in the Sooke area.

The bags appear to have been laying in the forest for a period of 2 to 6 months, it was stated today in an RCMP news release. [See photo of items; click on image to enlarge]

Unique pieces include, brown moccasins with cat design (pink beads), a pajama onesie-style with cat design, and a “Betsyville” pink and blue handbag. Of note, graffiti art in a notebook, with graffiti pens and other art materials were also in the contents.

If these articles are yours, or you know the owner, you are asked to call the Sooke RCMP detachment at 250 642-5241. “We are very interested to check on the well-being of the owner of these articles,” says Sooke RCMP Detachment Commander S/Sgt Jeff McArthur.

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Monday, March 6 ~ South Vancouver Island. Well, Saturday March 11 is ramping up to be a politics-of-the-left sorta day on the south island.

• BC NDP Leader John Horgan will be holding his local campaign kickoff, in his home riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca. That’s at the Langford Legion from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
• BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver will be holding a BC Green Party rally at the Grand Pacific Hotel in downtown Victoria, from 2 to 4pm.

The official BC provincial election campaign period (i.e. when the Writ drops and the current session of the legislature is dissolved) is expected to start April 11. The election is on Tuesday, May 9 (with plenty of Advance Voting opportunities ahead of that).

Voter registration notices went into the postal mail on February 14, says Elections BC. Registering to vote can be done online at www.elections.bc.ca/ovr or by calling 1-800-661-8683.

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Monday, March 6 ~ SOOKE. Tonight’s District of Sooke Committee of the Whole is getting down to some deeper levels of business planning.

Council will first hear an RCMP Corporate Management and Comptroller Branch presentation. No further details are provided on the agenda.

That will be followed by a report from the municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) on the need for expanded or adapted services for a growing Sooke community including sewer, and fire, as the number of homes and residents increases. Sooke’s population shows as 13,001 in the latest census (having grown 13.7% in the years 2010-2015).

“Staff has been looking for opportunities to diversify the District’s tax base and to create alternate revenue streams,” says CAO Teresa Sullivan in her report. Details will be unveiled during the District’s public budget meetings that start this week (March 8 and 9, at 6:30 pm each of those evenings).

The meeting will be webcasted live tonight starting at 6pm at www.sooke.ca  |  Here’s a direct link to the brief agenda: http://sooke.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Committee-of-the-Whole-06-Mar-2017.pdf

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Friday, March 3 ~ SOOKE. Housing prices continue to surge upward in Greater Victoria, showing a raw average sale price of $852,111 in February.

The low number of properties listed for sale in February at 1,537 (very low compared to 2,562 a year ago) is only one pressure on prices. Buyers also hope to ‘beat the clock’ before super-low interest rates someday go up.

The raw average sale price of homes in getaway-lifestyle-Sooke has almost reached the half-million dollar mark ($495,789 in February). That’s up over $100,000 in one year. [Click on chart for details]

In an economy where it’s mostly part-time and non-benefits jobs on the rise, the financial stability required for ownership of a single family home is increasingly beyond the reach of many.

This month’s MLS stats at www.vreb.org

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Thursday, March 2 ~ WEST SHORE. Back by popular demand, the TELUS Future Home will be set up and open for tours at the West Shore Rec Centre (Juan de Fuca Rec, 1767 Island Highway, Colwood) for another round of daily interaction. The display will be open on a drop-in basis from Saturday March 4 through to Sunday March 12.

The portable experience of how high-speed Internet by TELUS PureFibre combined with Samsung technology will service future homes (kitchen, living room, entry way, and more) will be open to the public daily from 11 am to 7 pm.

Features of high-speed Internet services to various appliances and gadgetry includes facial recognition at the door for security, a fridge that figures out what foods require resupply, a countertop that calculates the caloric values of the meal you’re about to prepare, and a virtual-reality setup in the living room area.

The TELUS Future Home was setup at the Westshore Town Centre in Langford last fall. It was a popular activity for individuals and families to explore where modern home technology is heading.  And much of it is already here!

For more information about TELUS highspeed in the West Shore area, visit www.telus.com/westshore or for the Sooke area at www.telus.com/sooke

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Wednesday, March 1 ~ VICTORIA. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Victoria tomorrow, Thursday, March 2.

Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will be at Canadian Forces Base in Esquimalt, BC. They will tour the base later in the morning and meet with sailors, and be available to media at 12:30 pm.

Around 1:20 pm Trudeau will meet with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps at Victoria City Hall.

The Dogwood Initiative group has called an ‘Emergency Town Hall’ to “make sure he hears the voices of real British Columbians”. They will be assembling at Centennial Square outside Victoria City Hall for 12:30 pm. Dogwood members have for several years been protesting any increase in oil tanker traffic off the coast of BC.

Trudeau is scheduled to meet with BC Premier Christy Clark at 5:30pm on Thursday, at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in downtown Vancouver, to discuss the opioid crisis and softwood lumber. On Friday, Trudeau will take a first-hand look at the drug crisis in Vancouver.

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Wednesday, March 1. Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) Principal Pat Swinburnson will be retiring from his education career at the end of 2017.  Moving into the Principal’s seat starting January 2018 will be Laura Fulton; she is presently one of the two Vice-Principals at Belmont Secondary in Langford.

The announcement was made by SD62 Superintendent Jim Cambridge during the Sooke School District 62 (SD62) February 28 board meeting.

Pat Swinburnson has been at the leadership helm of EMCS since 2012. He has been a strong advocate of school being a safe and welcoming place as a way to foster better learning. His vision has been manifested both in aspects of school infrastructure (including drinking fountains, benches, opening up the library balcony, and orchestrating several murals around the schools) as well as evidence of improved learning outcomes and grad rates at the high school in Sooke (Grades 9 to 12).

At Belmont, Fulton presently handles counselling suite liaison, Aboriginal Education liaison, EA supervision and staffing, middle school transitions and newcomer transitions.

Pat Swinburnson’s wife Margot Swinburnson is currently a long-time SD62 trustee; last week she retired from her long-time career in nursing administration.

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Wednesday, March 1 ~ West side of Vancouver Island. The BC Green Party has announced their candidate for Langford-Juan de Fuca.  Brendan Ralfs — a provincial emergency manager on southern Vancouver Island — will be running on the same ballot as BC NDP Leader John Horgan and BC Liberal candidate Cathy Noel.

“After spending 20 years as a forest firefighter in BC I am passionate about seeing our province protected for future generations,” Ralfs said today in BC Greens news release. Ralfs has helped communities respond to a broad array of weather-influenced emergencies, including floods, storms and drought.

“I am honoured to welcome Brendan to our team. His experience managing emergencies across the province means he has a firsthand understanding of the impacts of climate change,” says BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver.

Ralfs calls Weaver “a clear choice to lead us in working together to ensure our home is a place where social justice prevails, the natural environment is protected and everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams while leading safe, productive lives”.

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