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10-Year Milestone Issue

WEST SHORE VOICE NEWS: Celebrating 10 Years of Journalism about the West Shore of Vancouver Island

 

  • On February 16, 2018 we published our 369th weekly issue of West Shore Voice News. But overall, we began publishing top-quality journalism about the west shore of Vancouver Island back in 2008 (MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010 and Sooke Voice News 2011-2014). Ten years!
  • The February 16th issue included many remarks from readers and advertisers that we greatly appreciate. And more comments have rolled in since. To submit your comment for publication on this page, please email your words to news@westshorevoicenews.com .
  • PUBLISHER’s NOTE from the February 16, 2018 issue (page 2):  “It’s tougher than you might think to accept recognition for a long-standing commitment to something that not everyone sees as important. Yep, we’re talking about following the news thread of a region that finds itself bound together  — loosely or otherwise — by a fresh view of living found almost nowhere else in Canada. Here we all are, doing this new lifestyle, on the west shore of Vancouver Island (you can’t get much further west than that in urbanized Canada)! Thank you to everyone — comments published in this issue or otherwise — who have acknowledged, supported and fostered the West Shore Voice News pursuit of editorial excellence and attentive news coverage of the west shore communities that collectively generate a unique way of life in BC. In these challenging socioeconomic times, I can think of few more valuable contributions to community than a news service that follows the pulse of the times. Format is secondary to the mission, but we do both print and online to reach the widest possible readership demographic in a variety of ways. This insight-journalism venture began in Sooke in 2008, expanded to cover Juan de Fuca, and in recent years has emerged to being Langford-centric while covering the broader west side of the island including Colwood, Metchosin, and Highlands. Plus there’s a touch of View Royal when their straddling geographical position connects them with the west shore thread. And we’ll also be taking a look at things in Esquimalt, where many west shore commuters head daily and where the west side’s sewage treatment plant is under development. Of course, impacts of the Capital Regional District (CRD) and provincial and federal politics play into everything west shore one way or another, and hence our pen to that. And it will be a privilege to write more about T’Sou-ke Nation and Beecher Bay. Journalism and responsible publishing have at their core the recording and packaging of thoughts, actions and dynamics of communities into reliable news formats – for the moment at hand, and forever online.” ~ Mary P Brooke
  • SPECIAL COMMENTS FROM the PREMIER: > “Congratulations West Shore Voice News on your journalism and publishing achievements in the west shore!” ~ Hon. John Horgan, MLA (Langford-Juan de Fuca)
  • SPECIAL COMMENTS FROM the MAYOR of LANGFORD: > “On behalf of myself, Council and the City of Langford, congratulations to Mary Brooke of the West Shore Voice News on 10 years of innovative and tireless reporting in the West Shore. Mary’s hard work has made this publication a go-to source for news and information about the West Shore. Her combination of investigative reporting and in-depth stories makes the West Shore Voice News an invaluable asset to the community. As Langford and the West Shore continues to grow, I’m confident that the West Shore Voice News will grow with it and I look forward to reading the West Shore Voice News for many years to come. Again, congratulations.” ~  Stewart Young,  Mayor, City of Langford

> “I just want to personally thank you for your cooperation, enthusiasm and support that you provided to me both as the Deputy Chief, Sooke Fire Rescue Department and Emergency Support Service Coordinator for the District of Sooke. Over the years, you have provided coverage for our Open Houses, special celebrations, emergency incidents, and fundraisers not to mention personal interviews on numerous topics. Thank you for your professionalism and dedication. Best wishes for the next 10 years of your journalism career!!” ~ Rick McLeod, Emergency Support Services Coordinator, District of Sooke
> “Time flies! Ten years — fantastic! Warm congratulations to West Shore VOICE News and Mary Brooke for a job well done. Most importantly, you have kept the quality, journalistic principles, and broad array of critical coverage intact from inception to now. Thank you for what you do for the community.” ~ Michael Galizio, president, Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society
> “I have always admired Mary’s tenacity in giving us more than ‘surface news and reports’. She does her research which is a lot of work. I especially value her reporting on SD62 events and activities and attending Board meetings.” ~ Bob Phillips, SD62 school board trustee
> “Congratulations are in order for this 10th Anniversary issue. As I was contemplating a comment, one of my favorite quotes came to mind from Jef Mallett: “Writing well means never having to say, ‘I guess you had to be there’.” Luckily, with the West Shore Voice News, that has never been a concern! The local content in West Shore Voice News is insightful and engaging. Thank you to Mary and her team for their investment and energy in our community. You are an important part of what makes the Westshore great! I’m looking forward to the next 10 years!”~ Rob Martin, Colwood Councillor
> “Congratulations for 10 years of informative news served with colourful creative presentations! You are a survivor. Good luck for another 10 years!” ~ Shirley Lowe, retired senior, Sooke
> “Alternative news media like West Shore Voice News have proven a valuable information source in an era of BigNews that largely ignore local matters in small communities. The result is that I largely ignore BigNews media.” ~ Terrance Martin, Eigenvector Consulting, Sooke

 

> “Congratulations on 10 years of excellent reporting, starting in Sooke then extending into the Westshore.  Not just local news but Provincial and Federal stories that would affect us. As an emergency manager I appreciate the time and space you have dedicated in your paper to reporting on emergency preparedness and preparedness education.  Thanks for your hard work.” ~ Jeri Grant, Juan de Fuca Emergency Coordinator
> “Many congratulations Mary, on a really great job!”  ~ Jan & John Krottner, owners, Pilgrim Coffee House
> “West Shore Voice News (and its previous iterations of MapleLine Magazine and Sooke Voice News) have helped spur many thought-provoking discussions in the Sooke community over the past 10 years. Political issues have been a mainstay of this publication, and the editorial pieces provide perspective and in-depth analysis of government matters. Thank you for your dedication over the past decade.” ~ Mayor Maja Tait,  District of Sooke
> “Over the years I had the great pleasure to observe how the paper that some men called ‘little’, to belittle you, valiantly rose like a flamboyant star or flag. In the name of all the women who lack confidence to fight for equality, thank you! Your magnificent writing skills, your vision, your wit, and your artistic touch make your paper a weekly treasure which we are all lucky to have. So, due to its richness, like French perfume, it can only come in tiny quantities. One of my university professors used to say that ‘it is more difficult to write a small note than to write a letter’.” ~ Margarita Dominguez, animal rights activist, Sooke
> “Congratulations to Mary Brooke and her news publications over the years that have devoted so much to putting Sooke on the map by exploring our community’s efforts to grow yet stay the same amidst the pressures of a changing world.”  ~ Herb Haldane, District of Sooke Councillor (2008-2014)
> “Congratulations on 10 years of serving our community.” ~ Mitzi Dean, MLA (Esquimalt-Metchosin) & Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity

 

> “We do do wish you the very best, and congratulations on your first decade!” ~ Christa Rossner, Executive Director, Sooke Fine Arts Society

> “10 years, wow congrats!” ~ Judith Cullington, issues consultant, west shore region

> “Thanks for all of the hard work that you do for the community – and beyond. Congratulations on 10 years!” ~ Julie Barlow, Fire Services, District of Sooke