Good morning, Westshore! Who wants an early Christmas present?
We’ve loaded up a gift card and left it with the baristas at Rhino Coffee for the first 25 Westshore readers who show up this morning. Just tell them you’re a Westshore newsletter reader, and your drip coffee is on us! Rhino Coffee at the corner of Peatt and Hockley opens at 7am.
I’ll be there for part of the morning too, so make sure to say hello 👋
Reporter, The Westshore
GUN CONTROL
Gun regulation misses the mark, Westshore hunters and RCMP union say
Members of the South Vancouver Island Rangers gun club could be affected by new federal legislation. (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
Federal legislation is raising ire from a local shooting range, after a proposed Criminal Code amendment expanded to include some types of guns used by hunters. If the bill passes, owning those guns will be illegal.
Jim Whyte, a member of the South Vancouver Island Rangers shooting range in Langford, said this legislation is nothing more than government posturing.
“They’re targeting legal gun owners because they can’t solve the real problem, which is illegal guns being brought in from the States, and the gangs who use them,” he said.
The list of affected guns is several hundred models long, and includes some semi-automatic rifles and shotguns currently sold by hunting outfitters. Long guns that hold more than five rounds are already prohibited in Canada, but the new legislation would also target guns that could potentially hold more than five cartridges.
The hope is to target people who are manufacturing guns with 3D printers, because there’s one part they still have to buy: the barrel. A Liberal committee member added “firearm parts” to the draft Criminal Code amendment to make that part illegal.
The goal of C-21 is to tackle gun violence, but the amendments are so broad it will also make several popular hunting guns illegal. The draft legislation bans long guns that generate more than 10,000 joules of energy and guns that have a muzzle wider than 20 millimetres. Hunting rifles tend to generate 5,000 joules or less, and are smaller than 20 millimetres, but included in the list of banned firearms are many gun models that are outside of those specifications.
Whyte equated this legislation to banning BMWs in an effort to curb drunk driving.
“What does the ownership of a BMW have to do with drunk driving? Nothing, but that's the same mentality they're using with this legislation. They can't solve the problem, so they invent a problem that doesn't exist and pretend that they're solving it,” he said.
The RCMP union, the National Police Federation, agrees.
“Bill C-21 does not address criminal activity, illegal firearms proliferation, gang crime, illegal guns crossing the border or criminal use of firearms,” the union wrote in a report submitted to the Committee on Public Safety and National Security.
Instead of helping, the federation warned that the legislation as written “diverts extremely important personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms.”
The union recommended enhanced border security and wants a new multi-jurisdictional task force to tackle illegal gun smuggling and manufacturing (including 3D printing).
Whyte is a bird hunter, and uses a semi-automatic shotgun, which will be illegal if this legislation passes.
“The people who are committing the crimes don't… care about the law. You can have as many laws as you want, but if you don't address the problem—which is illegal guns, and illegal use of guns—you'll never solve the problem. Going after those people who follow the law is not going to solve anything,” he said.
Bill C-21 is being reviewed by a federal committee, which will submit a report back to Parliament for a third reading. If that reading passes, it will advance to the senate for approval.
The Westshore asked NDP MP Alistair MacGregor, who sits on the Committee on Public Safety and National Security, for comment, but he was unavailable.
ZONING
Sooke loosens restrictions on commercially zoned properties
Zoning in Sooke is... complicated. The new Official Community Plan might help simplify things, but council won't start working on it until the new year.
Sooke’s commercial zoning rules have been updated to allow more types of businesses to operate in areas zoned for commercial use.
The issue came up earlier this year when a building owner was trying to find a new tenant. A yoga studio was interested, then a boxing gym, and now a dentist, but none of them could get a business license for the address because the zoning doesn’t match.
Wayne Smith had been renting the space to the Sooke Family Resource Society’s thrift store, which was listed as warehouse use. When they moved to a larger space, he realized the service commercial zoning—a subset of Sooke’s commercial zoning that’s specific to automobile uses such as car sales and mechanic shops—was too restrictive.
He told council in October he couldn’t afford the time it would take to apply to rezone the building, and instead asked them to update the bylaw itself.
Council agreed, and asked staff to work on a report for the first meeting after the fall election, and this Monday the change was approved.
There are 13 properties with the service commercial zoning, and now each of them are allowed to have retail, office, health or personal services as primary uses. Mayor Maja Tait says this will help other businesses that want to come to Sooke because they won’t have to try to get rezoned.
Around the 'Shore
**⚖️ Jury finds escaped convict guilty of murdering Metchosin man in 2019.**The month-long trial into the murder of Martin Payne started with two defendants, Zachary Armitage and James Lee Busch. Part way through, Armitage changed his plea to guilty. Yesterday the jury found Busch guilty of first-degree murder. [Chek]
🌟 This time of year can bring up a lot of difficult feelings. Emotionally Aligned Counselling & Coaching offers easy and convenient online counselling to help you enjoy life again.*
**🚔 Langford teen arrested for assault:**Westshore RCMP arrested a 17-year-old Belmont Secondary School student last week after a fist fight resulted in a broken nose and cheek bone. Police say they know more people saw what happened, and are asking those witnesses to come forward. The student is charged with assault and will appear in court next February, and is ordered to have no contact with the victim.
🍁 As your Member of Parliament, Alistair MacGregor can assist you with federal agencies, and help explain how he’s bringing Langford and Westshore voices to Ottawa.*
🚨 **Father of missing woman flew in to help the search:**Melissa McDevitt was supposed to fly to North Carolina on Dec. 10 to visit her parents, but she never boarded the flight. Searchers found her car in a gravel parking lot where security camera footage shows her setting out for a hike on Dec. 9. Sooke RCMP, Search and Rescue, and now McDevitt’s father are searching for the woman. [CTV]
🐾 The Westshore Pet Clinic is hiring a Registered Veterinary Technologist (Technician) RVT in Langford. Fill your job vacancy fast, too, by posting it on YYJobs.ca.
*Sponsored Listing
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TOGETHER WITH CARE2TALK
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Community Events
⛸ The outdoor skating rink at City Centre Park is decked out as a winter wonderland, and open for skating. There are fire pits, snacks, hot drinks, and skate rentals available. Every day from Nov. 25 to Jan. 2, registration is recommended though drop-in is allowed.
🖼 Metchosin’s annual Mighty Fine sale and show****is back. The show features small fine art pieces from new and returning artists. Every weekend starting Nov. 25 until Dec. 24. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, (plus Thursday, Dec. 22) 11am-4pm.
🎅🏼 **Santa is visiting Colwood this Sunday:**The big man is hitching a ride with the Colwood Fire Department to tour the neighbourhood.
What’s Offshore?
Nothing today!
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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DINE AROUND 2023
Mouthwatering bites and sips at the Gala Launch!
Experience Victoria’s vibrant culinary scene at the Gala Launch for Dine Around 2023. Featuring over 50 local restaurants, breweries, wineries, and entertainment.
Westshore Snaps
Stormy weather at the Esquimalt Lagoon last week. — Paul Young, Colwood.
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.