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What's going on at the YMCA? The five year old facility in Westhills has been drowning in financial losses, and the board says it can't sink any more money into rent. Langford council agreed to spend an extra $950K a year to help keep the pool open. https://www.thewestshore.ca/p/langford-1-million-ymca
Three Westshore restaurants were voted to the top of the Tasting Victoria awards by readers.
đ900 Degrees Wood-Fired Pizzeria: Voted third-best in Greater Victoria for pizza, this Westshore gem cooks its pizza to piping hot perfection with the cheesiest of cheeses and razor-thin artisan meats. 900 Degrees pizza is a Neapolitan-style pizzeria that cooks in a traditional wood-fired oven exclusively with sustainably sourced wood.
đ„Sizzling Tandoor: Voted best Indian, Sizzling Tandoor won over readers with its authentic family recipes and all-natural ingredients. This family-run restaurant has been committed to preserving the culture and traditions of the East ever since head chef Narpinder Bawa and her husband Gurinder decided to open their first restaurant in 2010. Since then, they have opened two additional locations in the bustling Uptown Shopping Centre and Westshore Town Centre .
đ Bin 4 Burger Lounge: Voted best burger, the locally owned and operated Bin 4 Burger Lounge specializes in gourmet burgers, fresh salads and hand crafted cocktails. Bin 4 opened its first location on Yates Street in 2011, and two more Victoria locations since, as well as others on the mainland. Its dedication to gourmet burgers has earned a reputation across BC and now a spot at the top of Tasting Victoriaâs Readersâ Choice Awards.
Ryan Henderson wasn't the first person to be arrested, nor where they the first to be acquitted. But their acquittal may have set precedence that applies to most of the remaining 190 contempt cases stemming from a 2021 Fairy Creek protest.
Though Henderson admitted to being in a hard block obstructing access to a logging area, the judge concluded he could not find Henderson guilty because the RCMP failed to adequately inform Henderson of the terms of the injunction they were charged with violating.
RCMP had been using a script that they read out to hundreds of protesters before arresting them. Last week Justice Douglas Thompson, who is overseeing most of the Fairy Creek contempt cases, agreed with defence lawyers that the script was not sufficient.
The result could mean acquittals for a vast majority of remaining defendants who were read the same script.
https://www.thewestshore.ca/p/acquittal-precedent-fairy-creek-accused
A beloved Langford tree was chopped down this week to make way for a 20+ storey development on the corner of Jacklin and Dunford in the downtown core. More than 1,700 signed a petition last summer asking for the tree to be saved, but the rezoning permit had already been issued. Langford city staff asked the developer to try to work around the tree, but no promises were madeâand on Wednesday, a three-person crew sliced up the 20-metre tree and fed it to a chipping machine.
https://www.thewestshore.ca/p/arbutus-falls-to-development
Community First Langford spent a whopping $143,108 on its campaign last fall, but failed to get a single candidate elected, despite having almost all of Langfordâs incumbent politicians.
The newcomer Langford Now slate gave former mayor Stew Young the challenge of his career with its political campaign that cost almost $57,000, and succeeded in getting every one of its candidates elected.
https://www.thewestshore.ca/p/election-spending-2022
Have you heard about the Westshore RCMPs request to expand and upgrade its Langford facility? The regional police force says its at capacity, and needs to have a plan to expand quickly in order to keep providing public safety service to the Westshore. â
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Part of the draft expansion plan includes a larger parking lotâright where some existing houses are. â
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Read the full story and let us know what you think.
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They rip out eelgrass beds and carex sedge plants by the roots, so nothing will grow next year. They love new shoots in farmers fields, and will dig for camas tubers. A manicured lawn is dessert, and rare local plants are dinner.
The resident Canada geese have outstayed their welcome, conservationists are saying.
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Are you still looking to give back locally (and get a tax receipt for your generosity)? Please give to Capital Dailyâs United Way Southern Vancouver Island Holiday Drive to benefit local early childhood development. Every dollar you donate is matched! Just two days left to give. https://uwsvi.ca/capital-daily-holiday-drive-2022/
These telephone pole-looking trees were limbed by developers without permits in an apparent reaction to Langford's announcement it would implement a full tree management policy in the new year. â
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Council had planned to do comprehensive research and full consultation on the policy, but were alarmed by these trees being cut outside of the normal process. â
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âOur hands were being forced by a small number [of people] that decided to step outside of the regulations and with tree removal,â Mayor Scott Goodmanson said. â
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This council was elected on a promise to have more consultation, transparent and thoughtful decision-makingâand a promise to consider how to maintain more trees in Langford. Those promises were at odds this week. â
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"It would be very challenging for us to have a bylaw discussion if there were no trees left to discuss," said Coun. Colby Harder. â
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"I've likened it to being an emergency tourniquet in order to get us to the hospital, to give us the time and tools needed to actually assess how to properly take care of the damage that's been done."â
Read the full story on The Westshore. https://www.thewestshore.ca/p/langford-rushes-a-temporary-tree-bylaw-into-place
đ§ When should a project require an environmental assessment? â
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The Malahat Nation owns the Bamberton on the west side of the Saanich Inlet just south of Mill Bay. It has applied to expand the quarry operations, and the size of its foreshore lease. â
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The province has a rubric for what types and sizes of projects are automatically reviewableâthat is, whether they have to have an environmental assessment, a report that influences whether the project will be approved. â
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The Bamberton quarry and foreshore applications don't trigger such a review, but some W̱SĂNEÄ First Nations (a group Malahat is part of) and private landowner neighbours are concerned about the cumulative impacts of the expansion. â
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Read the full story on The Westshore.
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Westshore hunters say the federal gun control legislation is off target.
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Moody December light at the Sheringham Lighthouse this weekend.
The unlikely mayor: what Scott Goodmansonâs political rise can tell us about a changing Langford.
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New REDress art installation unveiled in Sooke created by a MĂ©tis artist and student at Edward Milne Community School.
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Langfordâs new councillors deliberately slowing down after urgent campaign. The fast pace of the campaign has given way to a slower negotiation of priorities and resources.
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Did you know that unless it rains 10mm in a day water doesnât reach the aquifer? It has rained 116 days this year, but only 20 days were enough to recharge the aquifers that thousands of well-water household rely on. Read the full story here. https://www.thewestshore.ca/p/droughts-atmospheric-rivers-and-growth-playing-havoc-on-our-bedrock-aquifers
SOME READER â€ïž: "Thank you for this in depth factual journalism. Extremely rare in the hysterical opinionated media these days. Speaking as one educated post grad in water sciences, it is an accurate and informative read, providing a useful framework for analysis and debate in other localities."
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Happy Saturday, Westshore neighbours! Come meet us this morning at Westshore Town Centre (right by the Cineplex) for a concert by Royal Bay Secondaryâs Soul 62, Freshly Squeezed, and Posh Coat. Plus⊠SANTA! đ đŒ đ¶đ„
Itâs hard to be a sheep! đ
Metchosin sheep farmers need to protect their flocks from predators, but itâs not always as simple as plugging in an electric fence or hiring a livestock animal guardian (a.k.a. a donkey). Click the link in our bio to learn more.
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: Diedre Moran crocheted these brilliant poppies to honour veterans. She made them last year, and was happy to set them up again on a tree in a park this year inviting passersby to take a moment and reflect. â Diedre Moran, Colwood.
Snapped a photo youâd like to share? Subscribe to The Westshore Newsletter here: https://www.thewestshore.ca/subscribe and send it with a caption (and donât forget to add where you live!) đ
In this special Remembrance Day feature, excerpts of diaries, letters and oral histories from both world wars, some published here for the first time
Today is Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the last day of the First World War in 1918. The day is about more than that war, though. Itâs a day to acknowledge and honour the sacrifices veterans made on behalf of Canada. There are four events throughout the Westshore where the public is invited to participate.
đšđŠ Langford: Remembrance Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park. Everyone is welcome to observe the ceremony honouring veterans. The event begins at 10:30am, with a moment of silence at 11am.
đ Colwood: Remembrance Day at the Colwood cenotaph. Join the 7th Juan de Fuca Scouts and Girl Guides at the cenotaph outside the Juan de Fuca Arena. The Scout and Girl Guide groups will march from John Stubbs School to the cenotaph for a small ceremony around 10:45am with a moment of silence at 11am.
đȘ Colwood: Remembrance Day at Royal Roads University. Join Royal Roads and the Vancouver Island Ex-Cadet Club for a Remembrance Day ceremony at 10:40am on the Castle Terrace Lawn outside Hatley Castle.
đč Sooke: Remembrance Day Service at the Sooke Legion. The Remembrance Day service will begin with a parade from the Evergreen Mall arriving at Sookeâs cenotaph, where the service will take place. Afterwards, adults are invited into the Legion for refreshments including chilli, chowder, sandwiches, and cake. Youth are invited to the Lions Club upstairs for hot dogs, hot chocolate, and cake. Sooke Legion, 10:35am.
Transitional housing for women and gender-diverse people leaving violence is coming to Langford.
More than just shelter, the Victoria Women's Transition House provides emergency crisis care, counselling, legal aid, and safety planning.
Read more details here:
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đŻ Did you know La Taquisa won a Tasting Victoria award last year?
They were voted one of three best Mexican restaurants in Greater Victoria. The owner, Sindy Bueno, is from Guadalajara, Mexico, and the restaurant uses her family recipes. Their fillings and salsas are made from scratch, along with their fresh pressed-to-order corn tortillas.
đź Must-try: Traditional Mexican mole and their Baja-style tacos.
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Whatâs offshore at the Esquimalt Lagoon today?
đą The SM Tiger is a Bulk Carrier built in 2015 and is sailing under the flag of Panama. It is sailing from đ°đ· Gwangyang, South Korea ⥠đšđŠ Vancouver and is currently at anchor awaiting its berth.
Hear about whatâs offshore in The Westshore Newsletter every Tuesday and Thursdayâsubscribe for free here: https://www.thewestshore.ca/subscribe
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Sooke has limited amenities available in town. And thereâs a chronic shortage of commercial space.
Thatâs partly why the EMCS Society Programs exists. They put âcommunityâ in Edward Milne Community School.
Learn more here:
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đ© Submitted to The Westshore from Janet Hardy of View Royal: "I took this video a few weeks ago at Helmcken off leash dog park. I am not good at birds so not sure what kind it is but it flew past me and landed in the tree. I promptly scooped up my little dog and went to get a closer look. The âpoorâ bird was attached to the tree by something wrapped around his right leg and the branch and kept trying to take off but couldnât. I thought maybe it belonged to someone and has gotten its leather strap somehow wrapped around it but it kept picking bits off the strap so that obviously wasnât the case. Then I realized it had a snake in its talons and the snake had somehow wound itself around the leg and branch in a fight for its life and effectively pinned the hawk to the branch. It finally picked the snake off its foot and got away but was really interesting to witness. Excuse the commentary and jumpy videoâŠ"
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