Happy almost new year, Westshore! I hope you’ve had time to enjoy what you love this holiday, whether it’s the weather, your excellent friends, eating, cold water swimming—or none of those things—and are feeling good about the new year. But what's a new beginning without a bit of a look back, right?
So in case you joined us late in the year or didn’t have time to read when it came out, here’s a round up of some of our top stories from the year—plus a new article about how the salmon run actually turned out after all the worry about drought.
Stay safe, have fun, and I’ll see you in 2023!
THE BEST OF THE WESTSHORE 2022
We covered a lot this year—here are some of our favourites
HEALTHCARE: In August we broke the news that a Victoria doctor would start charging a subscription fee—a story that has resonated across the province and brought the attention of regulatory bodies. ‘It’s like a renoviction from a doctor’ and the follow-up reporting here: How private is health care allowed to get?
PROFILE: Scott Goodmanson came out of the political blue to topple one of BC’s longest-serving mayors. Our profile of Langford’s new mayor was one of our most read stories this year. The mayor from thin air: How a mild-mannered landscaper snatched the election to become Langford's new mayor
LABOUR: While investigating the labour shortage across industries, I came across a strange phenomenon: construction companies who build homes were scrambling to find homes for their own workers so they could keep building homes. Greater Victoria builders say they can’t find workers to build new homes, because they can’t find homes for the workers
ENVIRONMENT: This summer I conducted my most unusual interview to date: I squished into the back of a small inflatable boat, and watched from the darkness as Stan Orchard electrically stunned American bullfrogs in a Metchosin pond. Indiscriminate and voracious, American bullfrogs can eat local species to extinction
TRANSPORTATION: Four solutions have been pitched to fix the traffic crunch between the Westshore and Victoria. But how realistic are they? Can we solve the Colwood crawl once and for all?
DEVELOPMENT: While most news about development comes out of Langford, this story from Colwood had a surprisingly high number of readers. It was not surprising then that the issues contained in this story were raised repeatedly during the election campaign. Emotions run hot over Royal Beach rezoning application
COVID: While many were enthusiastic about being safe, kind, and calm, others felt the government’s health mandates violated their rights, including one couple from Sooke. They joined a group lawsuit accusing more than a dozen people and agencies of human rights violations. The judge called the claim document “bad beyond argument” and said the defendants could not reasonably understand what they were being sued for. Sprawling anti–mandate lawsuit that included a Sooke couple has been rejected
ZONING: If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: zoning is the core of good planning. Sooke residents and elected leaders went through a planning crash course this year as they tried to update the District's zoning maps for a new Official Community Plan—and encountered a lot of disagreement. There won't be a tree left west of the river:’ Councillor warns Sooke's OCP has holes
**FARMING:**Every year, I start to see warnings circulate on various social media groups about bear attacks. This year I wanted to find out what these predators mean for the ubiquitous sheep farmers in the Westshore. Predators an increasing problem for sheep farmers, but not their biggest challenge
WATER: As summer stretched abnormally far into fall with its lingering heat, we missed a lot of the normal precipitation. Here’s what it means for the underwater aquifers. Droughts, atmospheric rivers, and growth are playing havoc on our bedrock aquifers
ENVIRONMENT
If the drought didn’t kill the salmon, humans might
A chum salmon fry. (📸 Ben Eardley for Goldstream Hatchery)
Spawning salmon have had a hard year. They contended with the usual threats of the open ocean; fishing boats, predators, disease, and changing ocean conditions. And those who survived long enough to come home to spawn started swimming upstream only to find recklessly low water levels from the unseasonable hot and dry fall. Thousands of salmon suffocated on their way up streams on Vancouver Island.
Yet, the Goldstream Hatchery has one thing in its favour: its water is augmented with regular, controlled releases from the Capital Regional District reservoir. With that one variable eliminated, thousands more chum salmon returned than in an average year.
The official count hasn’t been published yet, but Peter McCully, a long-time technical advisor to the Goldstream Hatchery, said between 33,000 and 34,000 chum salmon made their way upstream—way above the 15,000 chum escapement target set by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for Goldstream River.
Meanwhile, rivers and streams on Vancouver Island’s east coast had dismal chum spawning this year, according to McCully’s colleagues.
So does the above average return in the one river protected from drought mean the ocean conditions were in the chum’s favour?
“It's one of those mysteries. We just don't have enough information about what's going on in the ocean,” he said.
It wasn’t a great year for all species of salmon at the hatchery, though.
Around the 'Shore
🚙 Have you heard about the 4x4 drivers who make sure healthcare workers get to work safely when it is snowy and icy out? The Capital Daily’s Good Newsletter has the full story.
🧠 90% of brain development occurs before kindergarten. This period plays a crucial role in a child's future health, learning, and behaviour. Missing developmental milestones can impact a child's ability to succeed. Donate to the Capital Daily Holiday Drive to help support early childhood development programs for local children.
🚒 Sooke’s fire chief looks backover his first year in the district. [Sooke News]
🍽️ The Dine Around Victoria Gala is back January 19! Experience Victoria’s vibrant culinary scene, featuring over 50 local restaurants, breweries, wineries, and entertainment. Get tickets today!*
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH CAPITAL DAILY FESTIVAL
Kick off 2023 with Capital Daily!
On Wednesday, January 18, you’re invited to the Capital Daily Festival, an exclusive event for Capital Daily Insiders that brings together some of the city’s brightest citizens as speakers and panelists, and performances by local artists.
See and hear music by ASTROCOLOR, Wolf Parade co-founder Spencer Krug, Nicky MacKenzie and Old Soul Rebel, and speakers like Gregor Craigie, Luke Mari, Julie Angus, Andrew Wilkinson and many others. The best part? Insiders get to bring a guest (also for free). Not an Insider yet? Become one today to join us on Jan. 18, plus enjoy free merch and other amazing events all year long!
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.
🏒 Hockey at the Q Centre this weekend: Victoria Grizzlies have back to back games this weekend on Colwood. On Friday they play the Powell River Kings, and Saturday they face Cowichan Valley Capitals. Both games start at 7pm.
🤿 Whiffin Spit Park polar bear swim: The Otter Point Fire Department is hosting an annual polar bear swim on New Year’s Day. Registration starts at 11:30am, the swim is at noon.
What’s Offshore?
Screengrab from Marine Traffic.
🚢**#1TheFrederico II** is a Bulk Carrier built in 2009 and is sailing under the flag of Panama. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Tomakomai, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Tsawwassen and was scheduled to arrive last Friday.
⛴ #2 The Shoyoh is a bulk carrier built in 2013 and is sailing under the flag of Japan. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Soma, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Tsawwassen and was scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CAPITAL DAILY HOLIDAY DRIVE
Invest in the next generation on southern Vancouver Island
This year’s Capital Daily Holiday Drive, in partnership with United Way Southern Vancouver Island, supports early childhood education programs, giving our local children the building blocks to reach their full potential.
Donate by Dec. 31 to be eligible for a 2022 tax receipt. Plus, generous local business partners will match your donation dollar-for-dollar, making twice the impact towards our goal of supporting up to 1 in 4 children in the region.
Westshore Snaps ❄️
I've received so many wonderful photos of Westshore readers and their pets enjoying the snow, and have compiled them here for you all to enjoy. Thanks for sharing: Cheryl Dinse, Shelley G. & Sam G., Brenda Wright, Cora Mee, Vicki Graham, and Tanya Sunshine.
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.