Hello, and welcome to the start of a short week! Hope you all had a great long weekend, despite the dreary weather. I will never forget one year we had a snap of early spring just in time for Family Day, and I found myself sunbathing on a moss-covered hunk of granite overlooking the turquoise clear sea with hardly anyone around. This year's Family Day long weekend was not so sublime, but I'm not complaining. 🌧
Reporter The Westshore
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TASTING VICTORIA RESTAURANT AWARDS
Three Westshore restaurants among the best of the Tasting Victoria awards
900 Degrees Wood-Fired Pizzeria: Voted third-best in Greater Victoria for pizza, this Westshore gem cooks its pizza to piping hot perfection with the cheesiest of cheeses and razor-thin artisan meats. 900 Degrees pizza is a Neapolitan-style pizzeria that cooks in a traditional wood-fired oven exclusively with sustainably sourced wood. 2401 Millstream Rd. Unit 101-B
OUR PICK: Fortuna pizza
Sizzling Tandoor: Voted best Indian, Sizzling Tandoor won over readers with its authentic family recipes and all-natural ingredients. This family-run restaurant has been committed to preserving the culture and traditions of the East ever since head chef Narpinder Bawa and her husband Gurinder decided to open their first restaurant in 2010. Since then, they have opened two additional locations in the bustling Uptown Shopping Centre and Westshore Town Centre, 2955 Phipps Rd.
OUR PICK: Traditional lamb rogan josh
Bin 4 Burger Lounge: Voted best burger, the locally owned and operated Bin 4 Burger Lounge specializes in gourmet burgers, fresh salads and hand crafted cocktails. Bin 4 opened its first location on Yates Street in 2011, and two more Victoria locations since, as well as others on the mainland. Its dedication to gourmet burgers has earned a reputation across BC and now a spot at the top of Tasting Victoria’s Readers’ Choice Awards. 102-716 Goldstream Ave.
OUR PICK: My big fat Greek burger
EDUCATION
Dozens of ideas for new Langford elementary, including Forever Young
When the Sooke School District (SD62) announced plans to get public input to name its newest school it specifically wrote that “Names like ‘Schooley McSchoolface’ will not be considered by the Board of Education.” The final decision rests with the seven trustees, so as not to be stuck with an accidental joke name like the famous scientific research vessel vote that went off the rails with Boaty McBoatface.
And so, hundreds of people dutifully made earnest suggestions in the online engagement process. (Forever Young did sneak in; the writer said it would honour former mayor Stew Young and give a nod to the youthfulness of the students. But that name didn’t make the top 12.)
The top two suggestions from the online process were to name the school after Scott Manning, or to give it an Indigenous name that reflects the place, history, and peoples who have been here much longer than the school district.
Manning was an elementary school principal in the district who died unexpectedly of cancer in 2020. Dozens of people wrote comments of support for naming the school after Manning, a well-respected educator and community member.
Among the several votes for Indigenous place names, some contributors gave specific word suggestions, while dozens of others supported the idea of an Indigenous name, but said that First Nations leaders should be given the choice.
ȻOSEN, which means star, and QELEṈSEN, which means bald eagle in the SENĆOŦEN language, both made it to the top 12 names being considered by the school district, as well as a Chinook word, Klahanie, that means outdoors—it’s also the name of a street near to the new school.
Suggestions from the online engagement and an open house held last week were broken into three categories, each with four suggestions: geographical, Indigenous culture or language, and historical names.
Along with Manning in the historical names category, Sarah Beckett’s name is being considered. She was a Westshore RCMP officer who was killed by an impaired driver in 2016. On the political front, former premier John Horgan—also soon to be former Langford MLA; he’s planning to resign his seat in March—and former Langford mayor Stew Young are also under consideration. In the web-based consultation, 47 recommendations included Young’s name, almost all of which wrote that Young made Langford what it is today, and should be commemorated.
Geographic suggestions are: Langford or South Langford, Latoria, Olympic View, and Triangle Mountain.
Trustees will make their final decision at the next board of education meeting on March 14.
Around the 'Shore
**🏘 Government subsidized rental homes opened in Langford:**The building has 58 units for low- to moderate-income seniors, individuals and families, including those with disabilities. Eleven units are rented at provincial income assistance rates. [BC Gov]
☀️ Eliza at Royal Bay. The oceanside life you imagined is possible. 2-bedroom condos from $579,900. Walk to all you need for daily life. Register today!*
👩🏻 ⚕️ Westshore docs want physician assistants: Two doctors at the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre say three physician assistants would greatly increase how many patients could be seen. [Times Colonist]
📌 Community Services Recovery Fund: The deadline for applications is Feb. 21, 2023 at 5pm PT. | Fonds de relance des services communautaires: La date limite pour présenter une demande est le 21 février 2023, à 17 HP.*
🐟 What used to be a ditch overgrown with weeds, now has salmon returning: HandyDART has been working on their new facility at Burnside Road and Watkiss Way in View Royal for more than a year, and have been restoring the stream while they’re at it. Results are already showing. [Times Colonist]
🤝 Hire great people: Reimagine Work offers inclusive and agile partial and full cycle recruitment services to help leaders with the hiring heavy-lifting. Reimagine hiring here.*
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH INTERTIDAL COUNSELLING & WELLNESS
What’s your connection with the shore?
On the Island, we have a unique connection to the sea, the shore, and the tides. Many of us know the amazing diversity of creatures that live in rocky pools, on sandy flats, and among the craggy outcroppings, sometimes covered and sometimes revealed by the tide. Intertidal plants and animals are uniquely adapted to survive and thrive in stressful and ever-changing conditions.
How about you? Do the winds of world events, waves of stress, or the tides of change and transition sometimes threaten to dislodge you? Explore a more resilient you with a counsellor at Intertidal Counselling & Wellness. They are here to help you settle back into your zone.
Book a free consultation today.
Community Events
🌲 Rally for old growth forests: Elders for Ancient Forests, Sierra Club BC, Stand.earth, and the Wilderness Committee are hosting a rally for old growth forests at the provincial legislature buildings on Feb. 25. They’ve created a declaration which to date has been signed by more than 160 organizations.
🧤 **The coldest night of the year fundraising walk:******Join walkers in Langford, or Sooke on Feb. 25. The Langford walk will jointly benefit Our Place’s New Roads recovery home in View Royal and Pacific Centre Family Services Association. The evening walk starts at the Eagle Ridge Community Centre. In Sooke donations go to the Sooke Shelter Society. Meet at the Evergreen Centre Mall’s gazebo at 4pm. There is a 2.5km and 5km route at both locations. “Team up, fundraise, walk, and gather for good... because it's cold out there.”
☕️****Council and Coffee: Join Sooke’s elected leaders for coffee and tell them what you really think!****“Council meetings are quite structured, so we hope this will be a refreshing opportunity for residents to connect with their elected officials in a more casual setting,” said Mayor Maja Tait. The next monthly coffee chats will be Feb. 27, 10-11:30am at the Sooke Municipal Hall, 2205 Otter Point Rd.
🧵 A story of romance, ethics, and the fight for a 7.5¢ raise: The Pajama Game musical is being performed by the Black Wing Theatre Company at Royal Bay Secondary. The story follows Babe, a strong and determined woman who works at a pajama factory. As she leads the fight for a raise, she falls in love with her superintendent. Will she choose love or loyalty? First performed in 1954, The Pajama Game won a Tony for Best Musical and later became a hit film starring Doris Day. March 8-11 at the Teechamitsa Theatre at Royal Bay Secondary.
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Feb. 20, 2023 (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
🚢 #1 The HL Vision is a bulk carrier built in 2011 and is sailing under the flag of South Korea. It is sailing from 🇰🇷 Gwangyang, Korea ➡ 🇨🇦 North Vancouver, BC and was scheduled to arrive Feb. 10.
🛳 #2 The Mariloula is a bulk carrier built in 2008 and is sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands. It is sailing from 🇨🇳 Qingdao, China ➡ 🇨🇦 Victoria, BC and was scheduled to arrive on Feb. 11.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ST. MARGARET’S SCHOOL
SMS Spring Break Basketball Camp by Rex Sports
Registration is now open for the Rex/SMS Spring Break Basketball Camp. This co-ed sports camp welcomes all skill levels. Rex Sports coaches create a positive, fun, and safe environment during training. The program offers plenty of games and competitive gameplay every day with tons of prizes and awards!
Westshore Snaps
‘From a distance the world looks blue and green and the eagle takes flight / From a distance there is harmony’. That’s the song that comes to mind. I actually thought the eagle was a real bird from the distance. Only recently started taking my dog down there and saw this. Somewhat new to Colwood. Taken Feb. 7. -Robert MacAulay
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.