Good morning! I bet you didn’t know the Westshore is the frontline in a battle against bullfrogs. At least, I didn’t until I met Stan Orchard: Greater Victoria’s best chance at defeating the invasive, gluttonous amphibians. Read on for that story.
Also in today’s newsletter is more details from the rest of the Westshore candidates we didn't have space for in the Tuesday edition, including Colwood, the Sooke School District’s Board of Education, and candidates for the Capital Regional District.
As always, feel free to write to me with ideas, feedback, and even piercing remarks if you have them.
Reporter, The Westshore
ENVIRONMENT
Frog hunting 101: How one man is trying to eradicate an invasive species
Stan Orchard spends many of his summer nights like this: sitting in an inflatable dinghy in the dark, hunting for invasive bullfrogs. (📸 Zoë Ducklow/The Westshore)
In the late 1980s Stan Orchard was the Royal BC Museum’s herpetology guy. That is, its frog and reptile expert. He was building programs to study local species, and educate the public. That’s why he was the one who got the call when people reported masses of strange-looking tadpoles congregating in Beaver Lake.
They had bodies the size of golf balls and disproportionately small tails. They were the “diabolical” spawn of invasive American bullfrogs.
Bullfrogs had been around for years, but in small enough numbers that their population hadn’t ballooned like this before.
In the absence of a coordinated response, the bullfrogs had multiplied and spread throughout the peninsula. That is until, in 2007, Orchard pointed out to the Capital Regional District that it might want to stop all these disease-carrying omnivores from invading Greater Victoria’s watershed in Langford.
That’s when he really became a frog hunter.
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
Candidates in Colwood, the CRD, and Sooke School District elections
An aerial view of development in Colwood's Royal Bay neighbourhood. (📸 James MacDonald/Capital Daily)
In Colwood, 12 people have put their names forward for council. Mayor Rob Martin will face current Coun. Doug Kobayashi for the mayoral seat. Martin beat out the former mayor, Carol Hamilton, in 2018 after serving one term as a councillor.
That result could repeat with new names if Kobayashi has a similar level of support as he did in 2018. In his first Colwood election, Kobayashi had the highest number of votes of any candidate—355 more than Martin. He also ran as a Liberal candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke in last year’s snap federal election, but lost to incumbent NDP MP Randall Garrison.
From the current council, everyone except for Coun. Gordie Logan is running again, plus six other candidates. Misty Olsen ran unsuccessfully in 2018 and will try again this year, as well as Steven MacAskill, Kim Jordison, Kim Mohns, Ian Ward, and Sacha Veelbehr.
MacAskill is the youngest candidate—he recently graduated from Belmont Secondary’s French immersion program, and is now studying business at UVic. Jordison is from a military family with long ties to CFB Esquimalt, and has lived in the Westshore with her family for years. Ward is a human resources professional whose campaign focuses on following Colwood’s OCP. Mohns, a real estate agent, hasn’t shared any campaign marketing yet. Veelbehr also hasn’t posted any public information about her campaign. She lives in Oak Bay and ran in the federal election last year in Quebec.
There are seven seats on the Sooke School District’s Board of Education, 14 candidates, and only two of them are incumbents.
Chair and two-term trustee Ravi Parmar will run again, as will Allison Watson, who is just finishing her first term as trustee.
Parmar has aligned himself with Russ Chipps and Christine Lervold in a partial slate. Chipps, the Scia'new First Nation’s elected chief, ran unsuccessfully in the last two school board elections. Lervold is Lanny and Dianne Seaton’s daughter. Lanny is running for his ninth term as a Langford councillor (the first eight were three-year terms). Dianne has served as a school trustee since 2005, but will not run this year.
Also running for election is Mary P. Brooke, the editor of Island Social Trends, and Sooke Coun. Ebony Logins, who is not running for re-election as a councillor.
Other candidates are: Cendra Beaton, a financial advisor who ran unsuccessfully in 2018; Dominique Jacobs, who has been advocating for anti-racism training in the district; Trudy Spiller, an Indigenous author of children’s books; Amanda Dowhy, a regular volunteer in Sooke; and Phillip Ney, a psychiatrist who has previously run for federal office.
Included in Sooke’s Elections for Change group are three trustee candidates: Murielle Lagace, Candace Linde, and Veronica Pemberton. Lagace has worked in the district as an Aboriginal support worker, and says she’s concerned about the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) legislation and basic literacy skills. Linde also worked in the district as an educational assistant, and said in her candidacy video that teachers need more support. Pemberton is a piano teacher who homeschooled her children.
**In the Capital Regional District,**longtime Juan de Fuca area director Mike Hicks decided months ago not to run again, and four candidates will vie for his spot: Derek Bishop, Shaunna Salsman, Sandy Sinclair, and Al Wickheim.
Of the four, only Wickheim has posted information about his campaign to be area director, saying his focus will be on practical solutions to real issues like water protection, traffic, growth, and farm preservation. Bishop was vice-chair with Hicks on the Sooke and Electoral Area Parks and Recreation Commission (SEAPARC). Salsman ran for the federal Green Party in 2011. Sinclair owns a drywalling company in Sooke.
The CRD’s Juan de Fuca Land Use Committee has several sub-region positions for East Sooke, Malahat, Otter Point, Port Renfrew, Shirley/Jordan River, and Willis Point. Only two people registered as candidates: Natalia Day for East Sooke and Vernon McConnell for Willis Point. They will be acclaimed by the CRD after a short review period.
_Correction:_In Tuesday’s newsletter we wrote that Mick Knops ran against Sooke’s incumbent Mayor Maja Tait last year, but it was John Rhodes who ran for mayor, earning 135 votes. This election will be Knops’ first candidacy. The newsletter also said 24 candidates were competing for six Sooke council seats, but there are actually 23. We regret the error.
Around the 'Shore
📗 Book bins in Sooke got a paint jobafter 12 years of supporting literacy in the community. [Sooke News]
🏡 Willow + Glen is a community of beautifully curated residences nestled between nature and urban amenities. Discover Langford’s newest collection of townhomes by Abstract Developments.*
👑 Monday will be a holiday for some people in the Westshoreas Commonwealth nations observe Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Sooke School District had already scheduled Sept. 19 as a non-instructional day, so nothing changes for students. Public sector employees will have the day off, but in the private sector it's up to each company to decide. What do you think about making a holiday for the monarch’s death?
🌲 Reminder: Registration is now open for WildPlay’s outdoor adventure camps this September-November (ages 7-14)! Save $10 on registration with code LOCAL10. Learn more.*
📣 Three churches in the Westshore will host listening circlesfor municipal candidates. The churches are advertising the events as a place for residents to speak, and for candidates to listen. For more details contact Rev. Heidi Koschzeck at Gordon United Church.
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH LIFESUPPORT
LIFESUPPORT is looking for critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians to join their team
LIFESUPPORT Air Medical Services is the global leader in medical repatriation. They bring patients home from all over the world to receive the medical attention they need.
If you have a casual line at the hospital or are semi-retired, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to take on challenging international missions. They transport one patient at a time so their clinicians can focus on providing exceptional patient care. LIFESUPPORT responds to new missions within 24 hours, so their clinicians must have flexible schedules.
Send your resume to hiring@lifesupporttransport.com.
Community Events
📌 The Westshore Chamber of Commerce is hosting all-candidate debatesover Zoom. The videos will also be posted later to the chamber’s YouTube page.
👨🏻 🎤 Interested in learning to sing in four-part harmony?Pacific Edge Chorus is offering free instruction to women 13 years or older. There are four Tuesday night classes starting Sept. 20. Email cogbass@gmail.com to register.
🌼 The Sooke Lions are hosting an open houseto talk about their proposal for John Phillips Memorial Park. They want to build a multi-purpose building with a parking lot, but the idea has been controversial. Sept. 25, 11am-3pm.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
📷 Clockwise from top left: Alexander Iziliaev, Rachel Neville, Tatiana Wills, and Ivo Roberto Baelli
TODAY’S PARTNER: DANCE VICTORIA
A season of firsts! Dance Victoria’s 2022/23 season on sale
Four dance companies visit Victoria for the first time with Dance Victoria’s Dance at the Royal Series: BalletX, BODYTRAFFIC, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Malpaso Dance Company plus Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Nutcracker!
Tickets at DanceVictoria.com or 250-386-6121.
Westshore Snaps
(📸 Richard Steward)
"Immersed in my canvas" is the name Richard Steward gave to his photo of a painter at the Colwood Arts and Culture Society's inaugural In Sight festival at Fort Rodd Hill. Using Photoshop, he turned the photographed landscape into a watercolour painting. — Richard Steward, View Royal
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.