Hello, Westshore! I have a couple of friends who are city planners, and there’s one thing I learned from them that's proven true as I report on municipalities: Zoning, zoning, zoning. Zoning is the place where city planning rubber meets the neighbourhood road, so to speak. It's true, which is why Sooke's proposed OCP is so important.
Reporter, The Westshore
MUNICIPAL ZONING |****‘There won't be a tree left west of the river’
Sooke’s OCP will proceed to a public hearing, despite disagreement within council and from community
Proposed zoning map for Sooke. The bright yellow is Community Residential, red is Town Centre Core, blue is Town Centre Waterfront.
Sooke council is headed to a public hearing on Sept. 27 regarding one of the most important documents that council is responsible for: the Official Community Plan (OCP). The draft OCP has been controversial since it was released in April. Amendments have been made on the most contentious issues, but some Sooke residents say the process has been rushed and are asking council to delay more work on the plan until after the Oct. 15 election.
Included in the master plan for the next 10 years is a new land use map, changing where and how the district wants things built, with updated zoning definitions.
In a special meeting held on Sept. 8, Sooke council voted 4-3 to progress to the next step. Mayor Maja Tait and Couns. Dana Lajeunesse and Megan McMath voted against receiving the second reading. Coun. Al Beddows, who was council’s representative on the OCP committee, is staunchly in favour of moving forward. Couns. Tony St-Pierre, Ebony Logins, and Jeff Bateman also voted in support of moving forward with the second reading.
In her vote against the motion, Tait said meaningful consultation is still missing in the OCP, and said the public hearing format is too formal to facilitate collaborative input.
“I strongly recommend that council not pass this. Let's put the matter on hold. If I am fortunate to be re-elected, I will make a commitment that we will reopen this once the new council has good orientation,” she said.
At the special meeting on Sept. 8 council made a last-minute amendment to allow members of the public to speak. Normally public input is delayed until the public hearing, but in this case several councillors advocated for more input. However, residents weren’t notified ahead of time there would be public participation, so only a handful of people were there.
The first speaker was Dave Saunders, a local developer, excavation business owner, and former Colwood mayor.
“This is the worst OCP I've ever seen in Sooke. I don't say that lightly,” he said. His main critique is around the new zoning, which he says will result in a clear-cut Sooke.
TRANSPORTATION
Island Rail full steam ahead with consultation
Illustration: Bronte Strifler
The Island Corridor Foundation has had a great week. Not only did the Union of BC Municipalities vote unanimously to ask the higher governments to invest in the rail corridor, but the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has begun meeting with affected communities, and has contracted a freight assessment study of the corridor.
“A disinterested government isn't going to do this,” said Larry Stevenson, CEO of the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF).
Months ago when Premier John Horgan made an off-the-cuff remark about rail being unlikely, Stevenson wanted to tell everyone the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) was actively working on the file. But all he could say then was that Horgan’s comments were not the death knell they sounded like.
Now that all the First Nations, municipalities, and regional districts along the corridor have been formally invited to the table, Stevenson wants the public to know the Island rail project is very much alive.
“The [province] understands the urgency, and they're moving very quickly. There's a lot of work going on in the background here.”
The province, via MOTI, is running the meetings, and has initiated technical reviews of the corridor. The federal government, according to Stevenson, said it’ll let MOTI run the engagement rather than duplicating, and will take findings from the meetings into consideration for its decision making.
A statement from the ministry said the province "is committed to finding the best use for the Island Rail Corridor as well as to supporting First Nations interests in these discussions. While the Province closely monitors how the federal government responds to a BC Court of Appeal ruling related to sections of the corridor that lie within the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation Reserve, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is currently engaging with stakeholders, including the affected First Nations and municipalities, to determine interests and concerns related to the corridor.”
Around the ’Shore
🐙Westshore author Esi Edugyan’s book of lectures has been nominated for Victoria’s Butler Book Prize. Her book, Out of the Sun: On Race and Storytelling, is based on her CBC Massey Lecture this year about the Black experience in global culture and history. Her novels Half-Blood Blues and Washington Black each won the Giller Prize, making her the third author ever to win that prize twice. The Victoria Butler prize is a collaboration between the City of Victoria and Brian Butler of Butler Brothers Supplies. (The octopus emoji is in reference to Washington Black, which I highly recommend reading.)
🐳 The oceanside lifestyle you've imaginedispossible. A community for your heart, mind, and soul. ELIZA offers 1- and 2-bedroom homes, now previewing.*
🌊 A new tsunami risk map has been released for the South Island, showing the few coastal areas in a tsunami hazard zone. The portal created by GeoBC shows that coastlines and river mouths are the most at-risk. Learn what to do in the event of a tsunami warning, and to see what areas are considered at risk. [Capital Daily]
✈️****LIFESUPPORT, the global leader in medical repatriation, is looking for critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians to join their team. Send your resume to their Chief Flight Nurse at hiring@lifesupporttransport.com.*
🔥 Jones Bar-B-Que southern cooking restauranthas been tantalizing downtown Langford with signs of a new location, including a very large smoker. They open this Saturday!
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH GUSTAVSON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
The 2022 Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrates Nature’s Path co-founders
On October 19 at the Victoria Conference Centre, get to know organic-food visionaries Ratana and Arran Stephens, co-founders of Nature’s Path Foods.
The Gustavson School of Business hosts the business community at a black-tie gala celebrating Ratana and Arran Stephens, recipients of its Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The Stephenses co-founded Nature’s Path in 1985. Today, it is the largest independent, certified-organic breakfast and snack food company in North America.
Despite this growth, some things haven’t changed: the company remains true to its mission by exceeding organic certification standards, using no GMOs and operating with a triple-bottom-line perspective (people, planet, profit). Nature’s Path is still privately held and family run.
Tickets and details👉🏼 Oct. 19 | Victoria Conference Centre.
Community Events
🧡 Songhees Nation is hosting a South Island Powwow at the Royal Athletic Park on Sept. 30, National Truth and Reconciliation Day. The powwow will feature inter-tribal dances, and will not include a competition element like a standard powwow often does. Last year was the first time the day was officially recognized as a federal holiday, though for years it has been observed in BC as Orange Shirt Day. All 13 local municipalities will fly their flags at half-mast on Sept. 30 at the request of Indigenous leaders.
🙋🏻 Westshore all candidates forums:
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Sept. 19, 2022 (📸 Tom Gierasimczuk)
#1🚢 The FPMC B Foreveris a Bulk Carrier built in 2010 and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. It is sailing from 🇹🇼 Mailiao, Taiwan ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver and was scheduled to arrive on Monday.
#2⛴ The Polymniais a Bulk Carrier built in 2012 and is sailing under the flag of Marshall Island. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Nagoya, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver and was scheduled to arrive on Monday but seems to be delayed.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TODAY’S PARTNER: BEACON WELLNESS
Find a beacon for life’s journey
Take the first step. See if Beacon Wellness fits your needs and book your free consultation now with one of their trauma-informed counsellors. Change is possible!
Westshore Snaps
(📸 Stephen Hansen)
Seagull at the beach from Esquimalt Lagoon. —Stephen Hansen, Colwood
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.