Good morning Westshore,
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and we have a special treat from a local baker who competed in the Great Canadian Baking Show—find it at the bottom!
Reporter The Westshore
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DEVELOPMENT
Arbutus tree falls to development
A stately arbutus tree was cut down limb by limb by a faller shown here standing on one branch. (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
On the corner of Jacklin Road and Dunford Avenue in Langford, stood an unusually tall arbutus. It may have been two trees that grew together 80 to 100 years ago, a tree expert guessed. At an estimated 20 metres, it was taller than a standard arbutus, which usually live on seaside rocks with shallow soil.
This one was thriving, but was in the way of two towers that will soon dominate the neighbourhood.
Dunford Towers, being developed by Jagpal Development, was one of the last and largest developments approved by the former mayor and council, with 352 residential units, 1,100 sq. ft. of commercial space, and a multi-level parkade with rooftop amenity space.
A petition to save the tree had more than 1,700 signatures, but clearly that wasn't enough. People asked the city and the developer to build around the tree and use it as a feature. Jagpal confirmed to The Westshore that Langford staff specifically asked it to try and keep the tree. The developer said it would evaluate the tree, but made no promises to keep it.
On Wednesday a crew of three fallers chopped it down and chipped it, one branch at a time.
There is no legal protection for arbutus trees in BC, even though many consider it to be an at-risk species. Arbutus trees on their own are a yellow-listed species, meaning they are ”apparently secure and not at risk of extinction.” But the three “ecological communities” arbutus trees are part of are red-listed—endangered, extirpated, or threatened.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A four hour Langford council meeting covered trees, code of conduct, accessibility, and more
A view of trees and homes as they are now, submitted to council by a concerned neighbour. (📸 Helen Edelmeier, Morgan Gadd)
One drawback to Langford’s later start time for council meetings is the number of times council has to pause and agree to extend the meeting. Rules require unanimous approval to extend meetings past 10pm, something that was less likely of an occurrence when they started at 5:30pm. On Monday, council voted first to extend the public comment period, and then twice to extend the total meeting time, which ended around 11:15pm. Councillors had a lot of ground to cover, and preferred to stay late than defer any items.
**Tree replacement and accessible parking:**A six-storey development proposal on Station Avenue received a lot of support at Monday’s public hearing, with two core issues taking up an hour of discussion: tree replacement and accessible parking.
Five Garry oaks and five Douglas firs exist among the three properties that will be amalgamated into five floors of residential units and ground-level businesses. All of them will be cut down to make way for an underground parking lot.
Only one speaker objected to the trees being removed, but several wanted to know why tulip trees were proposed as replacements instead of something indigenous to the area.
Langford’s parks department head Yari Nielsen said tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) have a tall, narrow form that gives good canopy coverage, and their roots don’t disturb underground infrastructure like other trees do. Dozens of them currently line the Veterans Memorial Highway boulevard.
Council agreed to address the type of replacement tree at a future date, in collaboration with the developer and city staff.
One neighbour who uses a wheelchair advocated for better purpose-built accessibility, saying that meeting the basic regulations for accessible parking has not been enough for people who actually live with disabilities. Council agreed that this is something it needs to consider in full.
**Two interim committees to replace five past committees:**The new council folded the former committees—administration and finance; parks, recreation, culture, and beautification; planning, zoning, and affordable housing; protective services; and transportation and public works—into two interim committees of planning and development, and one for everything else.
The previous committees were underused, staff reported, and were frequently cancelled because there wasn’t anything on the agenda, members weren’t available to meet, or staff weren’t available to facilitate. In the last five years, the committees, except planning and zoning, only met three times a year on average.
Staff are coming up with a recommendation for more committees that aligns with council’s strategic plan and takes staff requirements into account. Information about how the committees will be filled is still to come.
Council code of conduct adopted, with a separate online code of conduct coming soon: Council adopted a code of conduct that commits it to behaving with decorum, avoiding actual or perceived conflicts of interest, abiding by and supporting decisions even when they disagree, and more.
A glaring omission, as pointed out by several members of the public, is guidelines for online conduct. They criticized councillors on Monday for participating in the Facebook group Langford Voters. Five of the new council members were elected as part of the Langford Now elector organization that was formed by members of that Facebook group. Some commenters argued that now that the councillors are in office, it’s inappropriate for them to participate in partisan groups.
A separate online code of conduct is being worked on by staff, who said it’s more complicated than the regular code of conduct because it also includes staff and corporate services online interactions.
**New park at the north side of Mill Hill:**Consultation about a new park has already begun, but will proceed in earnest now with council’s support. A small, unused triangle of land on 2575 Jeanine Dr. in the Mill Hill neighbourhood was identified by staff as a good spot for a new park. They’re talking with people in the area to find out which park features would be best-appreciated.
Around the 'Shore
🍳 No cracked eggs among small-scale egg farmers: despite rising feed costs, hobby farmers aren’t giving up the flock. [Goldstream Gazette]
🏠 Make homeownership a reality with a mortgage helper. Several GableCraft Homes floor plans can accommodate 1- or 2-bedroom legal suites to further assist with mortgage financing.*
**🎓 Turpel-Lafond officially returns another Island degree:**Royal Roads University announced Tuesday that it had accepted the return of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s honorary doctorate of laws. The university said it contacted Turpel-Lafond during a review process of the degree, at which time she voluntarily relinquished it. Turpel-Lafond also returned an honorary degree to Vancouver Island University in January. Turpel-Lafond, a famed Canadian scholar, lawyer, and former judge, was the subject of a 2022 CBC News investigation that poked holes in her claims of Cree heritage, treaty Indian status, and academic accomplishments.
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Community Events
💕 Lovers Lane extended market at Langford Station: The business owners in the huts are planning a market day on Feb. 11 with all sorts of new local vendors. Saturday, Feb. 11, 10am-4pm.
🗣 **Colwood is hosting an ideas fair to get community feedback:**Come to Royal Bay Secondary on Feb. 11 anytime from 2 to 7pm. Come with ideas and questions about seniors, youth, health, arts and culture, traffic, sewer service, and more.
🌹 **Valentine’s high tea and symphony:**Back for the first time since 2020, the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and Sooke Lionesses are hosting an afternoon of treats and lively music. Tickets are $40, available online or from Little Vienna Bakery and Sooke Pharmasave. Feb. 12, 2:30pm in the Sooke Community Hall.
🥶 **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.”
🧵 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.offshore
What’s Offshore?
I ran out of time to get a fresh photo, but it would have looked stale anyway, because these same three boats are still there. As reported in our Tuesday edition, each of these freighters is waiting their turn to go to the port of Vancouver.
Fun fact from our reporter Michael John Lo:****Tianjin Xingang, the port the CS Wu Han came from, literally means 'Tianjin new port' 天津新港.
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Jan. 25. (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
⛴ #1 The CS Wu Han is a bulk carrier built in 2021 and is sailing under the flag of Hong Kong. It is sailing from 🇨🇳 Tianjin Xingang, China ➡ 🇨🇦 Tsawwassen, BC and was scheduled to arrive three weeks ago on Jan. 2.
🚢 #2 The Tenso is a bulk carrier built in 2014 and is sailing under the flag of Japan. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Hitachinaka, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver, BC and was scheduled to arrive Jan. 25.
🛳 #3 The Golden Magnum is a bulk carrier built in 2009 and is sailing under the flag of Hong Kong. It is sailing from 🇨🇳 Jiangyin, China ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver, BC and was scheduled to arrive on Jan. 1.
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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH****MP ALISTAIR MACGREGOR
Proudly representing the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford riding since 2015
As your Member of Parliament, Alistair MacGregor understands that life for Canada’s workers should be getting easier; not aliharder. If you need assistance with federal agencies, contact him.
Westshore Eats: Valentines' Day recipe
John Fowler baked his heart out on the Great Canadian Baking Show, and now that he’s transitioned back to his Langford kitchen, has a recipe perfect for the season of love. If you make it, tag us on Instagram!