Good morning readers. I’ve had lots of responses to my article exploring various transportation solutions for the Westshore waddle (I just made that one up😅usually it’s the Westshore shuffle, or Colwood crawl. I’m also very fond of the Langford lollygag.)
One suggestion a number of readers have made is to make the E&N rail line into an express bus lane. That one could make sense, since the most valuable part of the train proposal is that the right of way is already secured. But who says it has to be used by a train?
That option became more interesting when Premier John Horgan indicated there’s little hope train restoration will be funded. Read on below to find out what he said and what it might mean for transportation in the area.
Reporter, The Westshore
DRUG CRISIS
Sooke mom holding overdose awareness event to help stop stigma
Ben Goerner and Melanie Cunningham (📸 Zoë Ducklow / The Westshore)
Melanie Cunningham has been living with stigma for 27 years. It kept her silent, forcing her to grieve in private after her eldest son died from a drug suicide when he was 20 years old.
“There was stigma not only with suicide, not only with drugs, but with the fact that you have a family member who's using drugs. Nobody talked about it, there was so much stigma,” she said.
She felt like she couldn’t speak of her son freely, couldn’t remember all the parts of him that had nothing to do with drugs. Then, amid the trauma of that loss, her second son became addicted to drugs. He lives in Victoria where she still has a relationship with him, but can’t do much to help. Her greatest fear is getting a knock on the door from someone telling her he’s died from an overdose.
Cunningham’s eldest son died long before fentanyl poisoned the drug supply, long before the overdoses would be declared a public health emergency. But that’s when she started to realize her family’s experience wasn’t unique, and that the stigma keeping her silent was only leading to more death.
She joined a harm-reduction group called Moms Stop the Harm, which was founded by another woman who lost her son to drugs. Through that group, she started talking about her sons and learning that she does have a voice, that her family’s story should not be hushed up.
“I want people to be able to feel comfortable hearing my story and not shy away. The stigma's got to end with me right now. And I feel that it has, because I’m able to talk about my family's situation. I'm not afraid anymore,” she said.
“I want people to know that my sons’ lives matter. They're more than the addiction. They are boys who played hockey, they are boys who love their sisters and their family, they’re boys who are artistic, they're talented artists. Both of their lives matter. They are more than the addictions.”
That's why Cunningham is holding an overdose awareness event this month at Ed MacGregor Park that will be a place for people to share their own experiences and meet others with lived experience. They’ll have naloxone training and kits to hand out, lots of information and connections to resources. A few musicians and poets will perform, and Cunningham and others like her will share their stories. Ending the evening will be a candlelight vigil to honour those who have died, and they’ll invite people to come speak the name of the person they’ve lost or are holding hope for.
“I know with my own family experience, my son's name, Matthew who passed away, it's like an elephant in the room. Even now sometimes it's hard for my family to mention his name. And it’s the same thing for Greg, who’s still alive,” Cunningham said.
End the war on drugs
Helping host the event is Ben Goerner, a retired clinical counsellor from Kelowna who recently moved to Sooke. He had been working with the family of a young man named Tyler who was addicted to drugs. They held sessions to talk about how the family could support him, but he didn’t make it. On Jan. 6, 2016, Tyler died of drug poisoning.
He was the first of 50 patients Goerner would lose between 2016 and when he retired in 2019. He retired because, even as a counsellor, he couldn't handle the trauma anymore. “You want to say ‘burnt out,’ but we’re learning that for people on the front lines it’s more like post-traumatic stress.”
Goerner got on what he calls "a rage wagon" to end the war on drugs. “This is about toxic drug poisoning. It’s not about addiction. It's about the marketing and supply-side approaches that we use to try and control drug use, which has failed miserably.”
He started giving presentations about the history of drug policy and its impact. One attendee was Tyler’s mother, who he hadn’t seen since Tyler died. She had since become an integral member of Moms Stop the Harm and invited Goerner to join, even though he hadn’t lost a personal family member to drug poisoning. Now he helps facilitate a support group for people with loved ones still using drugs.
Goerner might be retired but he’s still actively working to reduce harm and support people affected by the drug poisoning crisis. At the event, he hopes people will get the sense they’re not in this alone, and find connections to the resources and community of people working for change.
The Sooke Overdose Awareness Day event is on Aug. 31, 6-9pm, at Ed MacGregor Park.
TRANSPORTATION
Train unlikely for the Westshore, premier says, so what instead?
The train tracks at Langford Station as they appear today. (📸 Zoë Ducklow / The Westshore)
Premier John Horgan was in Langford last week to announce the new multi-university campus at Peatt Road and Goldstream Avenue—a stone’s throw from the Langford Station where the old passenger train used to stop—when he as much as confirmed the train won’t get government support.
“The cost of providing a service just from the Westshore into Victoria is profound—and we’re not getting to Victoria,” he said.
It would take several hundreds of millions—even if there’s disagreement of how many hundreds of millions—for a train that won’t even get passengers downtown but stops in Vic West. Is it worth spending $400 to $500 million on a train from one neighbourhood to another? Horgan doesn’t seem to think so.
However, he said the corridor remains a valuable right of way that is still a key part of the transportation solution.
“That corridor is going to be a key part of that. I’m just not confident that the vision we had 15 years ago is achievable,” he finished.
Larry Stevenson, CEO of the Island Corridor Foundation, didn’t put much weight on the remarks; he said Horgan wasn’t prepared for the question, and said his comment doesn’t really change anything.
“Is it a project killer? No. Do I like his comments? No,” he said, adding, “There’s a lot more work to do before we throw the rail solution out the window.” The crux of the story is a delay from the federal government, he said, which Horgan mentioned.
As for the train stopping shy of downtown, Stevenson balked at the idea that that makes a substantial difference to an overall transportation solution. Wherever the train ends, it will be connected to buses anyway to get passengers to their final destinations.
“It's literally 100 meters from the Johnson Street Bridge. So we could go the extra 100 meters with the train. Does that make it any more or less appealing?”
Horgan also noted that the train line cuts Esquimalt First Nation in half, and the Nation “is thinking that there's better uses for that space than having a train.” Stevenson acknowledged that full consultation needs to be done with all the First Nations affected by the railway, and said he’s looking forward to starting that process if the government commits.
What about putting buses on the corridor? That hasn’t been seriously considered, Stevenson said, but it could be a backup option if the money for a train service doesn’t come together. But he said the court ruling about the land use indicated if it's not going to be used for trains, the land may be returned to the First Nations from whom it was appropriated. Putting buses on the corridor wouldn't satisfy that requirement, Stevenson said, but would leave the right of way in a vulnerable legal situation.
Around the 'Shore
🍕**"I put my staff first": Langford pizzeria prioritizes people who may face barriers to traditional employment.** Ryan Hunter wanted to become a policeman, but five years ago a car crash left him with a serious head injury, memory issues and communication challenges. So he switched gears and, about three years ago, applied to work at MOD Pizza in Langford where part of the company’s mission is to prioritize hiring "people in communities who are often overlooked and face real barriers to employment." Read the Good News story at Capital Daily.
🏡 Willow + Glen is a community of beautifully curated residences nestled between nature and urban amenities. Discover Langford’s newest collection of townhomes by Abstract Developments.*
🔥Heads up, there’s a campfire ban in effect as of Aug. 4. The ban covers all of Vancouver Island and most of the BC coast. Portable fire pits are allowed, as are cook stoves, but camp fires are out for the time being.
🦺 Expect periodic delays at the Esquimalt Lagoon as crews repair the bridge that’s almost 100 years old.
🤝 Now hiring: Front-end Developer at Momentum Dash.
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
📸 David Cooper
TOGETHER WITH DANCE VICTORIA
Early bird Nutcracker tickets for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet with Victoria Symphony
Save up to 20% off regular priced adult tickets to Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker! Early bird prices are available now until Sep. 14, through the Royal and McPherson Theatres box office using promo code Nut-Westshore to save!
A snowy pond hockey game, battle on Parliament Hill, Mounties, and a cast of Canadian critters make this Nutcracker memorable. As the clock strikes midnight, Clara finds herself on a journey into the heart of a timeless fairy tale with the Nutcracker Prince. Performed to live music by the Victoria Symphony.
December 2-4, 7pm | December 3 & 4, 1pm | Royal Theatre
Get your tickets at Royal and McPherson Theatres or 250-386-6121.
Community Events
💚 The Greater Victoria Green Team is tackling invasive blackberries and Daphne from the Lund Road protection area in View Royal. Bring long sleeves and gloves to protect from prickles. Aug. 13, 9:45am-1pm. More information here.
🧑🏼 🚒 Sooke is recruiting paid on-call firefighters. Sooke Fire Rescue has a roster of 45 on-call firefighters to supplement the seven career firefighters. Attend an information session Aug. 23, 7pm, at Sooke Fire Station 1, 2205 Otter Point Rd.
✍🏼 Last chance to submit creative writing to Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Sea & Cedar magazine. The deadline is Aug. 12.
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Aug. 8, 2022 (📸 Tom Gierasimczuk)
🚢**#1**The Merchia is a Bulk Carrier built in 2015 and is sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. It is sailing from 🇬🇹 Puerto Queztal, Guatemala ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver and was scheduled to arrive last week.
⛴ #2 The Liberty King is a Vehicles Carrier built in 1998 and is sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. It is sailing from 🇰🇷 Gwangyang, South Korea ➡ 🇨🇦 New Westminster, B.C., and was scheduled to arrive yesterday.
🛳 #3 The CMA CMG Andromeda is a Container Ship built in 2009 and is sailing under the flag of Malta. It is sailing from 🇺🇸 Bainbridge Island, WA ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver and was scheduled to arrive today.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TODAY’S PARTNER: FRONTRUNNERS
Westshore running lives here
**Frontrunners Footwear******is Vancouver Island’s largest locally owned running and walking footwear and apparel store. Specializing in hard-to-fit feet with more than 10,000 pairs of shoes in stock at 3 convenient Victoria locations.
Check out their****Westshore location at 755 Goldstream Ave!