Good morning, Westshore.
The count, the river, the weekend
The ballots are counted, but not all of them. We’ve put the three local riding leads in one place, with the final count still ahead.
This editionColwood · Sooke · Tuesday edition
The salmon are back. The running water isn’t.
Plus: three riding leads, your new councils, and Halloween plans from Colwood to Sooke.
Then we’re heading outside: what to pack for Goldstream, where to take the kids on Halloween, and how to give your pumpkin one last outing on Sunday.
The Westshore team
Here's what we got for you today
The three local riding leads, at a glance
Goldstream has salmon and no running water
Halloween weekend, by the hour
PROVINCIAL ELECTION • INITIAL COUNT
Hicks leads by 768 in Sooke and Metchosin’s riding
Parmar and Rotchford lead in the other two local ridings. Final counting runs Nov. 6 to 10.
Juan de Fuca-Malahat: Mike Hicks (Conservative) leads Dana Lajeunesse (NDP), 9,246 to 8,478. Lajeunesse won the riding by 141 votes in 2024.
Langford-Highlands: Ravi Parmar (NDP) leads Cindy Scott (Conservative), 8,737 to 7,588. The gap is 1,149 votes, down from Parmar’s 3,193-vote margin in 2024.
Esquimalt-Colwood: Darlene Rotchford (NDP) leads Dave Johnston (Conservative), 10,955 to 7,391. Her 3,564-vote lead is also narrower than in 2024.
These are initial counts reported by BC Ballot as of Oct. 25 at 5:04 p.m. Final counting is still to come. Province-wide, Island Social Trends reports a Conservative majority and Lorne Doerkson as premier-designate.
Sources · BC Ballot: Juan de Fuca-Malahat · BC Ballot: Langford-Highlands · BC Ballot: Esquimalt-Colwood · Island Social Trends
GOLDSTREAM PARK • SALMON RUN
Goldstream has salmon and no running water
Will Brown / CC BY 2.0 • Goldstream River, 2013
The salmon run is on. Taps, flush toilets and Nature House programs are not.
Late October through November is prime salmon-viewing season at Goldstream. Pack water as well as your polarised sunglasses.
Before you go: A Sept. 21 power failure has left the day-use area without running water or flush toilets. Portable toilets are available. Discover Parks has cancelled the Nature House’s fall programs; it plans to reopen in spring 2027.
Choose your route: The Niagara Falls trail is closed, with no alternate access through the Gold Mine Trail or Island Highway lot. A bank failure also closes roughly the first 200 metres of Prospector’s Trail from Finlayson Arm Road. The Mount Finlayson Trail reconnects about 500 metres east.
At the river: Keep dogs leashed and out of the water. Expect turning traffic at the Highway 1 entrance. There is no pedestrian crossing between the park’s east and west sides.
Sources · BC Parks Explorer (advisory mirror) · Discover Parks · BC Parks
Around the Westshore
A Highway 1 lane in View Royal stays closed until about Saturday
The right northbound lane between the Island Highway and Six Mile Road overpasses is closed for CRD water-main repairs. So is the Thetis Lake Regional Park trail between Six Mile and Highland roads. It's the same 1.2-metre main that leaked in September.
Poirier Lake got 250 rainbow trout on Friday
The Freshwater Fisheries Society released them into the lake near Sooke. The hatchery manager says it's stocked several times a year because so many people fish it. Recent stocking reports are at GoFishBC.com.
Your say on school boundaries closes Nov. 6
SD62 is reviewing boundaries for a new Langford secondary school opening in fall 2030, five elementary catchments, and secondary pathways for parts of Crystal View and Willway. Complete the first survey by 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. No changes have been decided. A town hall follows Nov. 16, 6:30 to 8 p.m.; the board decides in spring 2027.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT • NEXT MONDAY
Meet your new council on Monday
Sooke starts at 6 p.m.; Metchosin at 7 p.m. Langford’s time is still to be posted.
Sooke, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. Kevin Pearson and the incoming council take their oaths. Stay for refreshments and a public meet-and-greet after the meeting, expected around 7 p.m.
Metchosin, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The inaugural meeting is at municipal hall, 4450 Happy Valley Rd.
Langford, Nov. 2. The inauguration is on the calendar, with the time and agenda still unpublished. Check the meeting listing before heading out.
Our election results guide has the winners and vote counts across all six municipalities. Follow The Westshore results link below.
Sources · District of Sooke · District of Metchosin · Open Langford · The Westshore results
ADVERTISEMENT · LOCAL EVENT
Sidestepping the Power Struggle
Screens off. Shoes on. Bedtime. If the same requests keep becoming arguments, join Dr. Allison Rees for practical ways to hold clear limits and stay connected with your kids. Monday, Nov. 2 at Gorge Pavilion, Esquimalt. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; presentation at 6:45. Open to the public. Tickets: $29 + GST ($30.45 total). Hosted by Entrepreneurs’ Lunch Club.
Local ads help keep The Westshore free. Become a partner
Before the weekend
Wednesday, Oct. 28: West Shore RCMP town hall
6:30 p.m., Max Bell Building, McConnel Theatre, Pearson College, 650 Pearson College Dr., Metchosin. Officers will share policing numbers and take questions.
Wednesday, Oct. 28: open mic at Goldfinch
Musician sign-in is at 6:15 p.m. at the Goldfinch Arts Centre, 170 Goldfinch Rd., Colwood. Come to play or listen; suggested donation $5.
This week and next: A Well Clayed Table
The Goldfinch Arts Centre exhibition runs through Nov. 15. See the centre’s listing for visiting details.
Saturday, Oct. 31: pick your Halloween
10 a.m.: costume litter pick at Esquimalt Lagoon
PICK Colwood meets near the washrooms on Ocean Blvd and picks until noon. There are prizes for best costume. Register at pickcolwood@gmail.com.
10:30 a.m.: Halloween storytime at the Juan de Fuca library
10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Juan de Fuca Branch, 1759 Island Hwy. Songs, rhymes and a craft for young children and families. Drop in.
3 p.m.: Trick or Treat Trail at The Commons
Runs to 6 p.m. at 345 Latoria Blvd. Balloons mark the shops handing out candy.
6 p.m.: Colwood firefighters' bonfire
At the fire hall, 3215 Metchosin Rd., until 8:30 p.m. Hot dogs and hot chocolate.
6:30 p.m.: bonfire and fireworks at Camp Barnard
The Otter Point firefighters host it at 3202 Young Lake Rd. Free. The bonfire is lit at 6:30 and the fireworks go off over Young Lake at 7:30, with hot dogs and hot chocolate, plus candy bags for kids. Consumer fireworks are banned inside the District of Sooke.
Sunday and beyond
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2 p.m.: Colwood Pumpkin Smash
At Colwood City Hall, 3300 Wishart Rd., until 4 p.m. Bring your pumpkin and a donation for the Goldstream Food Bank if you can. There are food trucks and kids' crafts.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 5 p.m.: Spooky Pumpkin Walk in Sooke
At Pineridge Park, 6600 Rhodonite Dr., until 7:30 p.m. Drop off a carved pumpkin after 1 p.m. and walk a forest trail lit by them. Afterward the pumpkins go to a local farmer for animal feed, which beats leaving them out for the bears.
Thursday, Nov. 5: Twilight Tribute poppy drive-thru
4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Langford Legion, 761 Station Ave. Cars are sent around the back of the building, where volunteers take cashless donations. Station Avenue has an illuminated memorial corridor.
Saturday, Nov. 7: wildlife coexistence symposium in Sooke
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Edward Milne Community School. Tickets are $10. Speakers include Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue and the BC Conservation Officer Service, on animals from seals to cougars.
Saturday, Nov. 7: Dessert with a Purpose
6 to 8 p.m. at the Goldfinch Arts Centre. Tickets are $45, and the money goes to the Goldstream Food Bank.
Know a street that goes all out for Halloween? Hit reply with the address and what makes it worth a detour. We’re collecting local tips for Thursday.
The Westshore team
Pass it on
Know someone on the Westshore who'd want this?
If this was useful, forward the email. Or send them the signup page and they'll get the next issue.
The Westshore.
A twice-weekly, email-first local paper for the Westshore of Vancouver Island. Made out here. Yes, the traffic was bad.
Last light · First to know.
Sailing west, twice a week
The Westshore is produced on the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples (the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations) and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, whose relationship with this land continues to this day.
Something wrong in this story? Tell us at hello@news.thewestshore.ca. We fix it, log it, and say so in the next edition.
Was this worth your 3 minutes?