Good morning folks! Thanks to all of you who wrote in with ideas for upcoming articles; I love hearing from the various worlds you inhabit. Speaking of various worlds… sort of… will you join us at Capital Daily Festival on Jan. 18? We have a full day of panels and an evening of music for Insider members. RSVP today!
HOUSING
No shelter in the Westshore even with growing need
Homelessness is more visible in Victoria, but there are many people in the Westshore who are unhoused. (📸 James MacDonald)
For the 38 kilometres between Sooke and Victoria, there is nowhere for people experiencing homelessness to stay overnight, even when the temperature drops below freezing.
Colwood resident Deidre Moran spent much of last year trying to make progress towards a cold weather shelter for the Westshore. She’d been aware for a while that there was nowhere for people to go without heading downtown, and during last winter’s cold snap she decided to do something about it.
She started talking with non-profit organizations in Victoria, Colwood staff, and other concerned neighbours to find out how to make it happen. She attended emergency response meetings, talked with the Salvation Army, the Coalition to End Homelessness, and the Justice Van. She thought they could at least get a temporary cold weather shelter for the following winter. She went to city staff for guidance, and tried to find a suitable location. She connected with researchers at Royal Roads who were looking at various economic solutions.
“Ultimately, we found that space and resourcing were challenges too great for me to keep pounding away at,” she said. “Given what I'd heard and understood, maybe the idea is too early here.”
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Keith Yacucha's council goals for 2023 in Langford
Langford Coun. Keith Yacucha at the new council's swearing in ceremony. (📸 Shannon Waters)
This time last year, Keith Yacucha was watching Langford council as a concerned resident—now it’s his job. The first-time politician has a keen eye for finances as an economics professor, something that should serve him well as he helps run a multi-million-dollar city.
The new council is still getting its feet under it—though councillors did not hesitate to implement a heavy handed temporary tree bylaw, in an effort to stop people from taking out trees before they could develop a detailed tree management policy. It was a decisive departure from the previous council, but it wasn’t handled the way they would have liked—that is, it was done on a rushed schedule with shallow consultation.
Committees had been the previous council’s primary method of community consultation. In election debates, several outgoing council members answered questions about consultation by saying the committees were the best way to get involved. Yet in the last few years, committee meetings had dwindled to a couple of meetings a year, which were sometimes cancelled because there was nothing on the agenda.
The administration and finance committee met five times in the last three years, protective services only met twice a year, parks and recreation had nine meetings, and the transportation and public works group had eight. (The notable exception was the planning, zoning, & affordable housing committee, which met as often as council, usually twice a month.)
Shortly after the election the new council dissolved the committee a couple of months before they were set to expire. Rejigging the whole committee set up will be an early priority this year, Yacucha said, including assessing what work those committees were actually doing—or not. He wants to have an economic development committee. planning and zoning, and probably a steering committee attached to the strategic plan.
Council’s strategic plan is the first thing on Yacucha’s list for the new year, though. To him, it’s the first step in bringing election promises to life: letting Langford voters steer the city’s direction.
The strategic plan will help council and staff decide what out of all their hopes and dreams for the year, they will prioritize with time and money. Yacucha expects things like active transportation, parks, environmental protection, and budgeting to be included in the plan.
Around the 'Shore
💬 Join Capital Daily on Jan 18th for our inaugural**Capital Daily Festival****,** bringing together Greater Victoria’s best speakers, panels, and performances by local artists. It’s for Capital Daily Insiders only. Become one here to attend this event and many others throughout the year.
🏘 Westshore property assessments have increased most in the region. Highlands and Colwood topped the increase at 16%, with Langford just behind at 15%. At $7.9 million, a Bear Mountain mansion is the most expensive Westshore property. [Times Colonist, Goldstream Gazette]
💫 From the simplest to the most sublime. Let Michael Uhthoff Custom Woodworking build quality, custom woodworking projects to transform the visions for your home into reality!*
💧**Sooke reservoir levels below average, even after heavy precipitation.**The lake is at 83.5% capacity according to the Capital Regional District. [Goldstream Gazette]
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SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH CARE2TALK
Empowering seniors to get the care and connection they deserve
Seniors face physical and mental challenges that can make it difficult to stay connected, and access doctors, increasing feelings of isolation and loneliness with negative health impacts.
Founder Jordan Schley’s 88-year-old grandpa felt lonely in assisted living, but struggled to reach out with traditional devices. Jordan created a simplified tablet to make communication easier. Now, Care2Talk enables seniors and their families to use this tablet to benefit from the ease and convenience of telehealth.
Simplified communication for seniors:
- Easy-to-use tablet with one-touch calling- Secure contact list- Video calls with closed captioning
Direct access to health professionals:
- Book virtual or in-person appointments and attend together- Stay current with notifications about your senior’s health- Video calls with closed captioning
Find out how your family can benefit.
Community Events
🧑 🏫 TONIGHT: Information session about becoming an education assistant: the Sooke School District is hiring now for EAs, and the Westshore Centre for Learning and Training starts the EA training program in March. The information session is at Belmont Secondary tonight at 6pm.
🌲 Christmas tree chipping by donation to the Easter Seals’ fully accessible overnight summer camp program for children and adults with disabilities. Drop off at Westshore Town Centre this weekend, 10am-4pm Saturday and Sunday.
🐠 Sunday beach clean at Witty’s Lagoon: Join the Surfrider Foundation from 11am to 1pm for a volunteer beach cleaning party. Bring a bucket, gloves, grabber, hand sanitizer, and your friends to the Witty’s Lagoon parking lot at 11am
💃🏻 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.
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Jan. 4, 2023 (📸 Jolene Rudisuela)
🚢 #1 The CSL Tecumseh is a self-discharging bulk carrier built in 2013 and is sailing under the flag of Bahamas. It has been sailing back and forth between 🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA ➡ 🇨🇦 Port McNeill ➡ 🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA ➡ 🇨🇦 Victoria, BC where it was scheduled to arrive on Dec. 31. It’s been moored off Esquimalt Lagoon since 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.
🛳 #3 TheFrederico II is a bulk carrier built in 2009 sailing under the flag of Panama. It sailed from 🇯🇵 Tomakomai, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Tsawwassen and was scheduled to arrive Dec. 23, 2022, but has been moored offshore from the Esquimalt Lagoon for more than a week.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH REIMAGINE WORK
Not your average “HR” workshops
New year, same old leadership strategies? Maybe it’s time for a fresh take! Recruit your A-team, dial in your retention strategy, or make sense of employment legislation. Reimagine Work’s 3-part workshop series sets the groundwork to lead people well.
Westshore Snaps
A fire at Albert Head beach — Paul Young, Metchosin
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.