Good morning, Westshore! I recently spent a week in the Yukon where it rained, uncharacteristically, for nearly six days straight. Given the three wildfires in the Westshore over the last week—small, though they were—and the heat warning issued for today, I'm wishing I could bring some of that rain home with me. Stay cool out there.
Reporter, The Westshore
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Colwood votes 5-2 to double council remuneration
Comparison of mayoral remuneration in the Westshore.
A key item on Colwood’s agenda at last night’s council meeting was whether to increase remuneration for council. Making this decision so close to the election was unfortunate timing, but Colwood Mayor Rob Martin said it was important for this council to make the call before the term ends.
“The idea was that this council was making the decision for the next council, so the next council isn’t voting on its own remuneration,” he told The Westshore.
A committee of four Colwood locals was organized earlier this year to do an independent review on council remuneration and make a recommendation. They finished the report in July, so last night’s meeting was the first opportunity for this council to vote.
The committee's recommendation was to double the remuneration for both mayor and councillors to $61,054 and $30,527, respectively, with an option to stagger the increase over the next one or two council terms (four to eight years).
Council voted 5-2 to accept the full increase, to take effect in January 2023. Couns. Doug Kobayashi and Cynthia Day opposed.
The committee chose to base compensation on population instead of a percentage-increase over the current salary. Now, Colwood pays $1.74 per resident per year for the mayor, and councillors get 50% of what the mayor makes. That’s among the lowest compensation in South Island municipalities. The new recommendation will bring the per-capita compensation to $3.22, bringing it to fourth-highest.
Colwood is not alone in trying to review remuneration before the end of the term. Sooke increased compensation in May to take effect for the next councils, and Esquimalt considered an increase at its council meeting last night.
The report compares Colwood to neighbouring municipalities under 100,000 people, and four other BC cities of similar size. Langford has the lowest compensation per capita at $1.69, but its higher population puts mayoral remuneration at $78,615. Metchosin pays the most per capita, but it only works out to $27,449 a year for the mayor.
The report did not account for extra payment council members get from sitting on regional committees, which averages $28,455 for area directors, including expenses.
Discussion between councillors circled around the philosophy of public service. Couns. Stewart Parkinson, Day, and Kobayashi said that the job of a councillor is an act of service that shouldn’t need to be compensated equal to a regular job.
Parkinson moved to cut the amount by an arbitrary 30% to “reflect the public service nature of what we do at this table.” His proposal, seconded by Kobayashi, was defeated.
Kobayashi released a statement after last week’s committee of the whole meeting calling the increase “tone deaf,” saying this is not the time to increase taxes. He criticized the process the committee used, and asked why they weren’t made available to council for questions. He concluded his speech to council on Monday saying, “Leaders eat last.”
In response, Couns. Dean Janzen, Gordie Logan, and Michael Baxter asked: What about the renters and single parents who can’t afford to give 20 hours a week to council without equitable compensation? Baxter added the next council can choose to reject the increase in the fall if it decides it doesn't need the extra money.
Former two-term councillor Judith Cullington spoke in favour of the increase. The current remuneration is too low for most people to afford the time it takes to be a councillor, which she pegged at 30 hours a week.
“I would’ve run for a third term, but I couldn’t afford it. The wages just were simply not there to make it happen,” she told council. “I want to be looking at a lovely sea of faces [at the council table] of people who represent the diversity of Colwood, not just the people who can afford to run.”
Martin, who will run again for mayor of Colwood against Kobayashi, shares the perspective that fair compensation will encourage a more diverse slate of candidates.
“Just look at who sits at our table right now: the youngest person we have sitting at the council table is 50 years old, and I would suggest that all seven of us are in a financial position where we don't need to have that income,” Martin said.
“That should not be the way it is. That's not representative of Colwood.”
ENVIRONMENT
Smoke on a blackened patch of Seymour Hill in Thetis Lake Regional Park. (📸 CRD)
Fire at Thetis Lake quickly contained, but suspected to be human-caused
In the early hours of Saturday, Aug. 27, people noticed smoke coming from the direction of Thetis Lake Regional Park. View Royal Fire Rescue was on the ground by 6:30am, and called in support from Wildfire BC’s Coastal Fire Centre crew, Langford, and Colwood fire departments. The initial attack started shortly after 6:30am on Saturday.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control before it got larger than half a hectare—less than the size of the Pacific FC’s playing field in Langford. It’s now considered contained, but not yet “out.” Crews are still scanning for hot spots and embers.
And it was thanks to the public that the initial fight happened so quickly. The department depends heavily on the public to report wildfire smoke—call *555, use the Wildfire BC app, or call 911. There aren’t any fire wardens regularly looking for fires on south Vancouver Island because it’s so well populated. In more remote areas they use satellite and air patrol, particularly after lightning strikes.
Thetis Lake was partially re-opened by Sunday, except for the area around Seymour Hill where the fire broke out. Since there hasn’t been any lightning lately, crews suspect the fire was started by a human.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of prevention at this time of year when we haven’t had any rain for a good while,” said Gordon Robinson from the Coastal Fire Centre.
On Monday morning there was another brush fire, this time in East Sooke Park. The East Sooke Volunteer Fire Department responded with help from Otter Point and Metchosin fire departments, and the brush fire was extinguished by around noon. Crews stayed on site for the afternoon to patrol for hot spots and embers.
Last week there was another small fire at Fort Rodd Hill, just across the water from the Esquimalt Lagoon. It, too, was quickly contained by firefighters.
It has only rained twice in August—both times less than a millimetre—and the last three weeks of July were rainless. There is a total ban on fires in the Coastal Fire Centre.
Metchosin's fire chief, Stephanie Dunlop, captured these images of Monday's brush fire in East Sooke Regional Park. (📸 Stephanie Dunlop/Facebook)
Around the 'Shore
🌡 A late season heat wave is expected today and tomorrow. A high of near 30C or above is expected. The hottest time of the day will be late afternoon to early evening.
🤝 Now hiring:Retail/Hospitality Systems Implementation Specialist at Orca Dynamics Ltd.
💪🏻 Did you know there’s a world championship for massage therapists? There is, and a View Royal therapist just came in fifth! [CHEK]
🥎 **Langford U17 girls’ softball team is national champion!**The team won its first-ever national tournament in Montreal. [Goldstream Gazette]
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH ABSTRACT DEVELOPMENTS
Introducing Willow + Glen by Abstract Developments
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Register your interest today to be among the first to learn about the homes at Willow + Glen when more information becomes available this summer.
Community Events
💜 This Wednesday, Sooke is observing International Overdose Awareness Day. There will be stories, poems, and music by various volunteer artists. Naloxone training will be provided, and supporting groups will share resources and information about their services. The evening will finish with a candlelight vigil and “say their name” to honour and remember the people we’ve lost. Aug. 31, 6pm at Ed Macgregor Park.
👨🏻 🎤 Long weekend music fest in Sooke: The annual Sooke Music & Art Festival is back, and free to attend. The father-daughter duo, A Family Curse, is headlining—the father is Neil Osborne of 54•40, the alt-rock band from Tsawwassen. Other performers include singer-songwriter Leeroy Stagger, noir pop group Vox Rea, country blues singer Brandon Isaak, and more. Sept. 2-4 at John Phillips Memorial Park and the Sooke Legion.
🎹 **Choral Evolution is looking for new singers to join the choir.**The first practice is on Sept. 7 in Sooke. Read our feature on the choir from its first season.
👩🏼 🎨 In Plain Sight festival at Fort Rodd Hill: Colwood Arts and Culture is hosting a weekend festival of arts, music, and dance at the natural historic centre. Sept. 10-11.
⚽️Langford Parks is hosting an open houseon Sept. 10 to share recreational opportunities and gather feedback from locals about what recreational amenities to prioritize over the next five years. Sports and recreation organizations will be there, as will the whole parks and rec staff. Eagle Ridge Community Centre, 1089 Langford Parkway, 10am-2pm.
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Aug. 29, 2022 (📸 Tom Gierasimczuk)
⛴#1The Emmanuel P is a Container Ship built in 2005 and is sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands. It is sailing from 🇰🇷 Busan, South Korea ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver and was scheduled to arrive yesterday.
🚢 #2 The Tyndal is a Container Ship built in 2014 and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. It is sailing from 🇨🇦 Roberts Bank, BC ➡ 🇺🇸 Seattle and is scheduled to arrive today.
The Election Section
**Metchosin:**Jay Shukin, president of the Association for the Protection of Rural Metchosin will run for a seat on council. His priorities are bylaw enforcement, fiscal responsibility, and a climate action plan. He has stepped down from the APRM while he runs. Mayor John Ranns and Coun. Andy MacKinnon have decided not to run again, which leaves two open seats.
**Sooke:**Two additional candidates have announced their intention to run for Sooke council: Trevor Paul and Anna Russell. Paul is a staffer at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and says his priorities are sidewalks, not paving John Phillips Memorial Park, and alleviating commuter traffic. Russell is a former vice-chair of the Sooke Climate Action Committee, and her priorities are balancing development with amenity and infrastructure development, maintaining the rural nature of Sooke, and addressing climate change in a locally focused way.
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📸 David Cooper
TODAY’S PARTNER: DANCE VICTORIA
Early bird Nutcracker tickets for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet with Victoria Symphony
Save up to 20% off regular priced adult tickets to Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker using promo code Nut-Westshore until Sept. 14 at 10pm. A snowy pond hockey game, battle on Parliament Hill, Mounties, and a cast of Canadian critters make this Nutcracker memorable.
December 2-4, 7pm | December 3 & 4, 1pm | Royal Theatre
Tickets at Royal and McPherson Theatres or 250-386-6121.
Westshore Snaps
(Richard Steward)
Thank you to Richard Steward of View Royal for this stunning image of the Fisgard Lighthouse in Colwood.
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.