What are you up to next Wednesday? Coming to the Capital Daily Festival, I hope! Come for a day of fascinating panels with Greater Victoria luminaries, and stay for the evening of amazing local music.
The festival is free for Insiders, plus a guest. RSVP here, or sign up to become an Insider here.
See you Wednesday, especially at the Future of the Westshore panel.
ECOLOGY
Excuse me, is that goose bothering you?
Canada geese: ubiquitous and obnoxious. (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
The Canada goose is a national symbol. Flocks of the black and tan birds with the distinctive white chin strap fly across tourist mugs, classic Canadian art, and across some of BC’s most picturesque beaches. Their awkward adolescent honk is a core feature in our soundscape.
They are also, however, a national nuisance.
Birds that are supposed to be migratory who stop migrating, inevitably upset ecological balance. That’s exactly what’s happened with the resident Canada geese on Vancouver Island.
They eat too much, poop too much, and have generally outstayed their welcome.
Conservationists have been addling eggs for years, which stops one new generation of geese. But for a species that lives up to 25 years, and steadily reproduces every year, more action is needed.
As recently as fifty years ago, government agencies were transporting Canada goose eggs and adults, hoping to establish a healthy goose population on the Island. They just didn't expect the geese to like it quite so much. Now, it's up to humans to solve this human-caused problem.
DEVELOPMENT
Goodmanson talks Langford's future of development at Capital Daily Festival
Changing Langford’s development trajectory was a core topic in the fall election, so new Mayor Scott Goodmanson knows there are a lot of eyes on his team as it rolls out its agenda.
His first move, well before he was sworn in, was to dispel the opposition’s campaign narrative that Langford would be closed for business under his leadership.
“There was a narrative even before the election that non-Community First people wanted to shut the city down. People were saying, ‘They’re gonna shut it down,’ ‘They don’t know what they’re doing,’ ’They don’t have experience,’” Goodmanson said in an early interview after the election. (Community First was former mayor Stew Young’s slate of candidates.) “And I hadn’t even said anything at that point. I’m like, how do you know what I’m saying, or what I’m planning to do?”
Nonetheless, when Goodmanson beat out Young for leadership of BC’s fastest growing city, the building community was watching closely. Some developers who had enjoyed quick results at the previous council’s table were worried about the new regime. Goodmanson made a point to call those people after the election to introduce himself and reassure them that Langford is wide open for business.
Though, as he promised voters, he’s committed to changing how Langford does business.
At the Capital Daily Festival, Goodmanson will talk with developer Luke Mari of Aryze Developments about Langford’s future.
Mari hasn’t worked in Langford, but his company leans towards developments that increase not only the quantity of housing, but the quality—something a lot of Langford residents had been asking for at council meetings. They felt they weren’t being heard, and their frustration is part of what drove the movement that ended in a new Langford government.
Around the 'Shore
⚖️ Zachary Armitage sentenced to life for the murder of Martin Payne. Armitage pled guilty to first-degree murder midway through the five-week trial; co-accused James Lee Busch was found guilty by the jury. Busch was also sentenced to life in prison without parole for 25 years. The two men escaped from the low security prison in Metchosin in 2019, and murdered Payne while they were on the run. Payne’s family gave heart wrenching victim statements during both men’s sentencing hearings. [Vic News]
✍🏼 Know of a new local author? The Greater Victoria Public Library wants to know about them for its annual Emerging Local Authors Collection. Whether the writer is six years old or 90, if the work was self-published or picked up by a publishing house, it could be featured in the library’s collection and made available for others to read. Visit gvpl.ca for more.
🌿 Find, keep, and grow your A-team with a fresh take on “HR” workshops! Reimagine Work’s 3-session series sets the groundwork to level up your leadership.*
😋 **Calling all foodies!**Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria starts next week, and The Westshore has your chance to win tickets to the Dine Around Victoria Gala on Jan. 19. Enter to win here and enjoy a night of irresistible Victorian cuisine!
☀️ 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!*
❤️ **Metchosin family asks residents to consider kidney donation:**Nigel Sutcliffe, a father of two who is on dialysis for kidney disease, is hoping to find a donor with type A or O blood. There are more than 400 people awaiting transplants in BC. [CHEK]
🥂 Culinaire, Victoria’s finest food and beverage tasting event, is happening Wednesday, Mar. 29 at the Victoria Conference Centre. Visit CulinaireVictoria.com for tickets and event details.*
*Sponsored Listing
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Community Events
💃🏻 Salsa dancing lessons on the count of four(rather, for four weeks): Monday nights at Edward Milne Community School. The class is $50 for all four weeks, or $20 for drop in. Runs Jan. 16, 23, 30, and Feb. 6 from 8-9pm.Come early for the line dancing class just before.
🤠 Get in line — line dancing lessons start on Jan. 16 at Edward Milne Community School. Four weeks from 7 to 8pm; cost is $50 for all four, or $20 for a drop in. (Stick around after for a one hour salsa lesson.)
🎸🎻 Ukulele gathering at the Metchosin Community House, 5–6:30pm on the third Friday of each month (Jan. 20). Tell all your ukulele-playing students, friends, and relatives! Open to community members of all ages and levels of talent. Contact Margaretha. (Note: it’s at the community house, not the adjacent community hall.)
☕️ 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 first of the monthly coffee chats will be Jan. 23, 1-2:30pm at the Sooke Municipal Hall, 2205 Otter Point Road.
🙋🏻 ♀️ Bamberton Quarry information period starts Tuesday: BC’s Environmental Assessment Office is considering whether the quarry and foreshore expansion should have formal environmental assessments. A public comment period opens on Jan. 17, when the office’s interim report will be shared. At an online information session, Feb. 2, people can ask questions of the EAO, Malahat Investment Corporation, or the Saanich Inlet Protection Society, which asked for this review, since the project doesn’t automatically trigger an environmental assessment. Neighbouring First Nations have opposed the Malahat Nation-owned quarry expansion plan because of fears that the expansion will negatively impact their territories. In case you missed it, read our story on the quarry here.
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Jan. 11, 2023 (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
Two of the bulk carriers were sitting rather close together earlier this week, surrounded by three tugboats. One reader wondered “if they were having a tea party, or just snuggling to keep warm…? LOL”
We investigated and found that the CSL Tecumseh had a mechanical issue on its way from Port McNeil, carrying a load of gravel aggregate. The Hon. Henry Jackman sidled up to receive the cargo. Now emptied of its load, the CSL Tecumseh will be towed to be fixed. Seaspan tug boat operators told The Westshore it’s common for boats to get maintenance work while in the water, however it is abnormal for that to happen in the Constance Bank anchorage.
🚢 #1 The CSL Tecumseh is a self-discharging bulk carrier built in 2013 and is sailing under the flag of Bahamas. It had been sailing back and forth between 🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA ➡ 🇨🇦 Port McNeill ➡ 🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA ➡ 🇨🇦 Victoria, BC when it had a mechanical issue, and was towed to the Esquimalt Lagoon on Dec. 24, 2022.
⛴ #2 The Shoyoh is a bulk carrier built in 2013 sailing under the flag of Japan. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Soma, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Tsawwassen and was scheduled to arrive on Dec. 26, 2022, but has been moored of the coast of the Esquimalt Lagoon since just after Christmas.
🛳 #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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Westshore Snaps
Beautiful sunrise from Royal Road University campus. — Emara Angus, Langford
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