WE B VERSI ON www.sookevoicenews.com News and views for attentive, inquisitive readers! ~ 4 pages this issue Sooke Voice News The WEB COURTESY EDITION Friday, January 9, 2015 Sooke, BC v2 News about the Vancouver Island west shore and beyond, with a focus on wellness, learning and insightful living. Say it one more time: Roundabout construction in Sooke town centre ... 1 More flu hospitalizations among island seniors this season ... 2 ‘Bin there, then gone’: garbage without a transfer station ... 3 800 names on waitlist to get a family doctor at Sooke clinic ... 3 Young people in two holiday-season motor vehicle incidents ....... 4 SOOKE VOICE NEWS on the beat WE B VERSI ON Photo: Sooke Voice News Sidewalks, repaving, and the roundabout: summer 2015 Road contruction in summer 2015 may take care of the ‘transitions’ at the corner of Sooke Road (Hwy 14) and Otter Point, and at Murray Road. Sooke is likely to see road and sidewalk construction in town centre this summer, according to a consultant's report about sidewalks, given at the District of Sooke Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday evening, January 5, held in council chambers. The verbal report was presented to Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Council by Nathan Dunlop of the Victoria-based McElhanney engineering firm, who made it clear that his company has the sidewalk contract but that it is the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) that will be doing the roundabout construction. The roundabout project goes to tender in March and would likely be awarded by May 2015, said Dunlop. The roadwork and sidewalk installation will likely to take place at the height of the fishing-hiking-camping summer tourist season during which time Communities in Bloom judges are also in town for a few days for the District’s participation in that province-wide community beautification program, and the Sooke Fine Arts Show runs for almost two weeks. Sooke residents have long asked for improved sidewalks in town centre, while the long-proposed roundabout has for years been the subject of mixed reviews from residents and businesses. Once complete, the sidewalks will provide improved pedestrian walkability from Church Road heading west to Otter Point Road. That portion of the project (together with other sidewalk work) was anounced back in June 2014 by then-Mayor Wendal Milne. District of Sooke engineer Elisabeth Nelson confirmed at Monday night’s meeting that the road work will include 'transitions' (at the corners of street intersections), which might finally take care of the considerable surface slope and irregular surfacing at two corners of concern -- turning right from Sooke Road onto Otter Point Road (of particular mention by Councillor Kerrie Reay) and turning right from Murray Road onto Sooke Road). The dips in pavement at those two corners presently serve to slow down traffic as drivers aim to be cautious about possible vehicle damage. Sudden slowing and maneouvering at those corners could possibly contribute to accidents (including one time last year or so, when a large truck widened its turn from Sooke Road to Otter Point Road, but not enough... and hit a hydro pole). Pavement resurfacing of sections of Sooke Road will be done as well as some bike lane installations. Doing sidewalks and the roundabout at the same time saves money for the District of Sooke, with project management expertise being provided by MOTI. The roundabout is apparently intended to slow down traffic and help with flowthrough of traffic in town center. The project has been on the books for years at the insistence of MOTI, with construction promises repeatedly discussed and announced by now three Mayors, since at least 2010. Wadams Way that opened in August 2014 (500km from Church to Otter Point, Sooke Road (Hwy 14) and north of and parallel to Sooke Rd) does propresent walkway looking vide some relief of town-center traffic, and west from Church Road was a major infrastructure accomplishment toward Evergreen Shopping (below budget and within schedule) by the Centre (June 2014). District of Sooke in 2014. SVN WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON “Je Suis Charlie” January 7, 2015 FREE SPEECH Vol.4 No.51 ISSN 1925-2722 Regional & national: @SookeVoiceNews Vancouver Island: @IslandLensBC Local: @SookeVoiceLOCAL Tweets also posted live at: www.sookevoicenews.com Insight news published weekly on Fridays (print & online) by Brookeline Publishing House Inc. FREEDOM OF SPEECH. It matters. EDITORIAL REPORT by Mary P. Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR Editor & Publisher, Sooke Voice News Pavement greatly in need of repair and regrading at Sooke Road & Otter Point Road in town centre. (Jan.2015) Drug Mart Sooke “The international Jihadist movement has declared war.” ~ Prime Minister Stephen Harper, January 8, 2015 Ten journalism professionals -- three of them political cartoonists -- were gunned down in a precise execution attack in their office during that day’s editorial meeting at the Charlie Hebdo weekly news magazine in Paris, France on Wednesday, January 7. Two policemen were also killed. The two killers were eventually located and shot dead on January 9 while exiting a print company where they had hid, about 40km from Paris. Once quoted as saying, “I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees,” Charlie Stéphane Charbonnier, publisher-editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo publisher and editor-in-chief Stéphane Hebdo, was among the outspoken Charbonnier, age 47 (1967-2015), was one of political journalists and cartoonists the people singled out for death in the attack who were targeted and slain in Paris by the evidently well-trained gunmen, with a this week by Jihad terrorists. third man waiting beyond the barbaric scene as a scout. Worldwide TV and online news coverage of this event heard elected leaders, policy makers, world affairs academics and journalists speaking readily for the right to free speech, freedom of ideas, and freedom of movement in a democratic society. It’s what the brave soliders of free nations fought for in World War II, it’s what 21st-century terrorism apparently seeks to quash out. A crowd of 10,000 people in Paris raised then pens in quiet protest that same night after the shooting. Many held signs Je Suis Charlie (standing in unison with the principle of free speech that the French publication actively stood for), which also spread rapidly on Twitter #JeSuisCharlie (at one point Tweeted out 4,000 times per minute). Prior to last week, Charlie Hebdo was not a household word. Now it is. One million copies will be published of the next edition, as a well-funded statement from other news media that freedom of the press will not be extinguished. Charlie Hebdo (published 1970 to 1981; 1992 to present) is part of a tradition in French journalism of the same genre as the scandal sheets that denounced Marie-Antoinette in the run-up to the French Revolution. Notorious for its scathing political cartoons about world leaders and many religions, it has a regular circulation of 45,000 (available at newstands in Europe and also Montreal). This terrorist attack will not be a flash in the pan. This event has declared war on editorialized and independent news media, and everyone who lives in a free society should care about this, otherwise free speech becomes controlled by powers of the day. People have a right to know what is going on in their society, and while information is instantaneously rampant and available to all through the Web and mobile technology, there will always be a role for those who spend their days, indeed their lives, deep in thought about how to articulate the freedoms that so many of us have come to take for granted, tracking history as it unfolds -- and who dare to pen the words that contribute light to humanity. The tragic event in Paris on January 7, 2015 is a wake-up call that we must protect the right to know that we can wake up in the morning and hope to live a normal day without fear. That we will know what our elected leaders are doing to improve laws and policy. That we know about and have input into where our communities hope to head as compassionate, supportive places to live. And also, sadly, that we know about dangers of all kinds that might lurk out there -better to know than be taken off guard. And what can you do about all this? If you know someone who is afraid of free speech, you could ask them why. Keep the conversation going. SVN Widely sourced on the Internet News about Sooke & the west shore of Vancouver Island 2049 Idlemore Rd Mon, Wed-Sat 8:30-5 Sun 10-4 250-642-5297 Sooke Voice News at Shoppers WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON Observing society and writing about it for attentive readers is a fundamental plank of democracy. ~ Sooke Voice News WE B VERSI ON Freedom of expression PEN TO PAPER SVN AS PAINT TO CANVAS Sooke Voice News Clean facility | easy access Drop off-pay by the bag: Household goods, kitchen scraps,wood, construction materials, old paint, yard waste, electronics. Colour print edition $1.75 WE B VERSI ON Page 2 of 4 ::: Copy deadline: 5 pm Mon. Ad deadline: 5 pm Wed. Breaking news at: www.sookevoicenews.com EDITORIAL Friday, January 9, 2015 ::: SOOKE VOICE NEWS SVN editorials aim to explore broader issues of concern to the local community, economy and society as a whole. The pen: mightier this week Does your marketing mix for 2015 include Sooke’s most sought-after reading experience? What else would an editor write about this week than Photo: Veronique Gagnon the murder of journalists in a targeted attack on an outspoCall 250-642-7729 or ken publication? Sombre, horrid stuff. But it matters. email to: [email protected] While fully tragic, the January 7 terrorist attack on the editorial staff of the French weekly newsSooke News paper Charlie Hebdo helped democratic nations A smart place for people to see your around the world remember to sharpen their news and marketing messages! view as to the continued need for freedom of Print & Online expression. Mary P Brooke Pens have risen in the hands of mourn* Small ads start as low Editor/Publisher ers everywhere since Wednesday, in defiance Sooke Voice News as $25/week. Call Rate sheet online at against the tyranny of absolute control. www.sookevoicenews.com/advertising.htm for more details! Publications around the globe have featured ‘the 250.642.7729 power of the pen’ in some manner or another this week, and some have reprinted Charlie Hebdo political cartoons that had, over the years, raised the ire of some but also the properly critical thoughts of many. It was Condensed from information on Wikipedia these cartoons that evidently pushed Jihadist extremists over the edge this “The pen is mightier than the sword” was coined by week into a barbaric terrorist act -- by French citizens against their own (not English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 in Richelieu. the first against Charlie Hebdo, the office of which was bombed in 2011). Assyrian sage Ahiqar, who reputedly lived during the early No doubt some of the Charlie Hebdo content was ‘over the top’ and 7th century BC, coined the first known version of this far beyond the edge, but what mattered is that it could be said and put out phrase. One copy of the Teachings of Ahiqar, there. While some TV news media called the 45,000 print circulation of Charlie dating to about 500 BC, states that Hebdo ‘small’, that is actually a sizeable if not critical mass to tip awareness "The word is mightier than the sword." on key problems of our time. And all this has occurred where else but in Greek playwright Euripides, c. 400 BC apparently wrote: France... home of freedom and liberty as basic human needs, the desire for "The tongue is mightier than the blade." which was forever seared into the human imagination by the engimatic Jeanne William Shakespeare around 1600, in Hamlet d’Arc who immortalized that cry in France in the early 1400s. Act 2, Scene II "... many wearing rapiers Already we see that that the power of ideas reaches far beyond the are afraid of goosequills". cruel swath of violence -- an act intended to instill fear and doubt about French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), freedom of expression immediately became a rallying cry in all democratic known to history for his military conquests, also left this nations for the continued right to free speech. oft-quoted remark: “Four hostile newspapers are more It is through open thought, free speech and creativity that individuto be feared than a thousand bayonets.” He also said: als, communities, and nations learn about themselves. Freedom of expres“There are only two powers in the world, saber and mind; sion is a necessary human experience, for it serves to reveal and to heal. at the end, saber is always defeated by mind.” S VN Voice ‘Power of the Pen’: who said it? The Sooke Voice News Published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc., Sooke, BC, Canada Mailing: PO Box851,Sooke, BC, Canada V9Z 1H8 Phone: 250-642-7729 Fax: 250-642-7785 | Text: 250-217-5821 Email:[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Web: www.sookevoicenews.com Twitter: @SookeVoiceNews (regional / national); @SookeVoiceLOCAL (Sooke local); @IslandLensBC (Vancouver Island) Publisher, Editor, Writer, Layout, & Ad Sales: Mary P. Brooke, B.Sc., C ert PR Publishing Assistant: Jennifer Brooke. Delivery Support: Les Haddad. Contributors: Steve Sorensen. Contributions welcome from the community. Webserver Management: Les Oberg. Printing: MapleLine Business Centre. Deliveries: Bulk drop to various coffee shops, hotels, banks, communityareas; to some residential addresses,some Readership: Base of 3,500 print & online; includes print delivery direct to selected businesses weekly. Retail:Colourprint edition $1.75 at Shoppers Drug Mart (Sooke). Online: Print/PDF digital colour version at www.sookevoicenews.com PDF subscription: $28+GST for 18 weeks by email. Print subscription weekends. WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON BC & NATIONAL NEWS Harper in BC: pulls no punches about Jihadist war weekly by 1st class postal mail: $35+GST for 20 issues in greyscale, or 12 in colour. National Library Registration: ISSN 1925-2722 Letters published in Sooke Voice News do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher, editor or staff. The publisher reserves the right to decline any article, ad or contribution. Current edition (PDF), archives, breaking news: www.sookevoicenews.com A national day of mourning in France on Sunday, January 11 will memorialize political journalists who were singled out and murdered in Paris on January 7. Freedom of expression and freedomof the press were deemed by democratic nations around the world as being under attack in the killing of the political journalists. On January 8, Harper said during an apprenticeship program announcement in Delta, BC: “The international Jihadist movement has declared war on anybody who does not think and act exactly as they wish they would think and act”. He continued: “They have declared war on any country like ourselves that values freedom, openness and tolerance ... it's not going to go away. It is the reality of the world we're living in, and we're going to have to deal with it for some time to come," he said to the crowd. Debate among four guest commentators on the CBC's Power and Politics TV show on January 8 was somewhat split on whether Harper's comments were political grandstanding in an election year or whether his strong words to a crowd were genuinely indignant over the tragedy. SVN Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld Screen shot BC & NATIONALon Twitter: @SookeVoiceNews Vickers heads to Ireland 1,424 more trades seats House of Commons sergeantat-arms Kevin Vickers, who became a household name in October after his fast-thinking confrontation with a heavilyarmed gunman in a hallway on Parliament Hill on October 22, has been appointed as Canada's next ambassador to Ireland. The diplomatic appointment is effective Jan. 19, and is considered a step up and certainly is a recognition of his bravery and service to country when parliament was under seige. Vickers became sergeant-at-arms in 2006, after retiring from the RCMP. SVN BC has invested $6.8 million to fund an additional 1,424 critical trades seats at 14 public postsecondary institutions throughout BC it was announced Monday January 5 by the BC Ministry of Advanced Education. These trades seats "make it even easier for individuals to get the training for in-demand jobs," a news release said. An expanded BC Access Grant program makes trades training more accessible for students in financial need. Eligible students may receive up to $16,400 in non-repayable funding to study in-demand foundation trades programs such as steamfitting, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, carpentry, welding and millwright. The release says there are expected to be one million job openings in BC by 2022 -- see www.workbc.ca . The BC Government's 2014 to 2022 timeline implies about an 8-year phase until most of the older workers have retired, and that they are allowing at least 3 or 4 years for the postsecondary programs to get up and running to full capacity to produce employable graduates. SVN WE B VERSI ON Regional tour on education in BC BC Government A forum called BC Focus on Learning: Rising to the Global Challenge will be held in Vancouver on January 29, featuring five international experts on education transformation, it was announced this week in a release from the BC BC Minister of Education Peter Ministry of Education. Fassbender A new agreement between BC and Shang"These experts will engage influential education, economic, and business stakeholders hai, China will encourage participation in (including teachers and school administrators) to highlight major trade conferences in both locations, BC's international leadership in education transformation." aiming to advance economic partnerships The forum lays the foundation for a series of re- between both regions. The 2015 action plan gional tours that BC Education Minister Peter Fassbender focusses on facilitating commercial partnerwill lead, to continue the education transformation discus- ships between businesses in the technolThe prevalence of flu is contributing to higher than normal sion at the local level and highlight work already underway ogy sector. In particular, the action plan will patient volumes in Island Health hospitals, particularly on in specific schools (Grades K to 12). Tour stops will be promote Shanghai business participation in the 2015 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell ConferSouthern Vancouver Island where 74 patients are presently announced in the weeks ahead. SVN ence in Vancouver April 27-28. SVN in hospital with flu (49 of those in Victoria), said Island Health media relations manager Sarah Plank, on January 8. At least another week of higher than normal level flu activity is The proposed new federal legislation to expected across the region. There have been 200 cases of hospitalized tighten up security in Canada “attempts to use flu patients in the island’s 2014-2015 flu season so far, compared to 151 those incidents (e.g. attack in Ottawa last fall) for the entire 2013-2014 season. The season runs to and into March. to promote their agenda,” says Randall GarriPeople are to remain home if sick and should avoid visiting people son, MP who is Public Safety Critic for the Offiwho may have compromised immune systems, including seniors at resi- cial Opposition. Garrison says the NDP argued dential care facilities which have been particularly hard hit on Vancouver that government’s responsibility is to protect Island (20 facilities so far, compared to 3 to 5 last year). both civil liberties and national security. “There’s The H3N2 virus has mutated once already this flu season, says no contradiction.” Plank. This year’s vaccine included specific protection to last year’s strain “Bill C44 expands powers to CSIS, but of H3N2 which still provides “some protection”, said Plank. we need to make sure they’re effective and add Across Canada there have been 1,302 hospitalizations as of Janu- extra oversight,” to protect civil liberties, said ary 3 (up from782 at Dec 20) for the 2014-2015 flu season and 69 deaths Garrison in an interview with Sooke Voice News (up from 40 at Dec 20). Symptoms, vaccines: www.viha.ca/flu SVN in December. SVN Fuel cells and more WE B VERSI ON Flu hospitalizations up over Xmas Security bill should do both, says Garrison WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON SOOKE VOICE NEWS ::: Friday, January 9, 2015 West Coast Lifestyle LOCAL NEWS ON TWITTER: @SookeVoiceLOCAL Sooke & West Shore NEWS Bin there, then gone Daily news updates - LOCAL NEWS: www.sookevoicenews.com/SOOKE-LOCALbreakingnews.htm WHERE TO GET SVN A large commercial-size refuse collection bin was placed at the corner of Idlemore Road and Sooke Road by Sooke Disposal Ltd a few weeks ago, positioned immediately in front of an Idlemore Recycle Centre sign at that corner. The bin blocked view of the Idlemore sign, said Idlemore Recycle Centre owner Dale Arden. The bin became relocated partway down Wayward Sooke Disposal bin Idlemore Road, and meanwhile became loaded quickly became filled up with items large & small. up with discarded items by passers-by. “The District of Sooke did receive a complaint regarding the Sooke Disposal bin on Idlemore Road,” said District of Sooke Bylaw Enforcement officer Medea Mills this week. “Sooke Disposal was contacted and a request was made for them to remove the bin, which they have done,” she said. Sooke Disposal has been without a garbage transfer station location since their lease ended on Butler Bros land in 2012; they’ve since been unable to secure appropriately zoned land. Without a home-base location they must drive directly to Hartland Landfill every time a truck fills up. If the route gets behind schedule and the landfill closes, they’re in a pinch. Also, the additional driving is not ‘green’ for the environment and requires additional wages to be paid, explained Mike Winter of Sooke Disposal Ltd who said that zoning issues with the District must be sorted out if his family business is to thrive. Meanwhile, Sooke Disposal continues serving its customers. By the end of January they hope to have their pink kitchen scrap bins ready for customers. The pickup fee for clearing the 32-gallon totes will be $7.95/month. The pink colour will differentiate the totes from others, and are part of a donation program to the Canadian Cancer Society. Private haulers incur fines at the CRD’s Hartland Landfill if kitchen scraps are found in garbage delivered to the site. SVN www.sookevoicenews.com ::: Page 3 of 4 Sooke Voice News Courtesy greyscale print copies of this newspaper are available for pickup at: SOOKE: Cafe Mat, Castle Cold Beer & Wine Store, Cathy’s Corner Cafe, Kelz Bake Shop, Mom’s Cafe, Peoples Drug Mart, Prestige Oceanfront Resort, Reading Room Cafe, SEAPARC, Serious Coffee, Sooke Harbour House, Sooke Library, The Stick, West Coast Natural Foods. PORT RENFREW: Port Renfrew Library. LANGFORD: Great Canadian Oil Change, Juan de Fuca Constituency Office, Serious Coffee (West Shore) In the lobby while you wait: SOOKE: Island Haircutting, RBC, TD, West Coast Family Medical. Colour digital edition ONLINE: www.sookevoicenews.com Colour print edition $1.75 retail at Shoppers Drug M art (Sooke) DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION ~ PDF directly to your mailbox. Call to subscribe: 250-642-7729 www.sookevoicenews.com/subscriptions.htm Please support our advertisers who help make this publication possible. Line-ups for kitchen scraps service West Coast FamilyMedical website 800 names on Sooke clinic wait list Photo: Sooke Voice News WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON A pitch was made to Sooke Council on January 5, at their committee of the whole, to continue with the initiative of trying to imPersonnel at the Alpine Group retail centre in Langford were busy all this prove the availability of various levels of week, getting existing and new customers signed up for the kitchen scraps medical and health care in the Sooke area. pickup service (photo). There were times when customers were lined up right The presentation called "Building a out the door to the street to get their green totes (a small one for the kitchen, Healthy Community in Sooke" was made by and an 11-gallon tote for taking bagged scraps to the street on pickup day). As CRD has banned kitchen scraps from the landfill (as of Jan 1, 2015), Linda Nehra of the Primary Health Care Servwest shore residents can use their own food digester units in addition to ices Working Group of the Sooke Commucomposting, or get scraps picked up by a commercial service such as Alpine’s nity Health Initiative (CHI), the same group West Coast Family Medical Clinic (weekly, bi-weekly, or once a month). There are also drop-off recycling centers that organized the GP For Me Forum in Dein Sooke has a wait list of 800 peos uc h as I d lemore Rec ycl e i n S o oke. ww w. cr d.b c. ca/ ki tc hen sc ra ps ple. Total number of doctors to in- cember 2013 and the Public Health Forum www.alpinegroup.ca | www.sookevoicenews.com/archives.htm (Dec 12, 19, 26; Jan 2) crease by one to 7 in June 2015. followup event in November 2014. SVN CHI co-founder and leader Marlene Barry attended the presentation; Barry has been instrumental in the success for CHI for over 10 years. Municipal governments do not fund health care -- that is a provincial budget responsibility throughout Canada. However, in the last two years the District of Sooke has invested time and resources to support CHI initiatives toward improving the health-care availability aspects of living Sooke. Sooke is not exactly fully rural, yet is far enough away from the Greater Victoria core area to be a challenge for some people seeking medical care to find and reach care in a timely and affordable manner. Nehra proposed to council that in addition to staying abreast of the concerns in the community about physician availability, that the District consider having a Standing Committee or other formal body to continue putting pressure on BC Health, Island Health, and other authorities with health governance responsibilities, to maintain and improve the situation for Sooke residents. According to statistics presented Monday night, there are 800 people on the waiting list for a physician at the local West Coast Family Medical Centre in Sooke. And while 26% of Sooke's population does not have a family doctor at all; of the 74% who do have a family physician, many travel outside of Sooke to visit that physician's office. The meeting was told that the number of physicians at the Sooke clinic will increase from six to seven in June 2015 -- one new family physician will start in June, and another will take take over for a retiring physician. Mayor Maja Tait said that as Council begins to establish its strategic planning for 2014-2018 next month, that the health initiative aspects would be considered. In the past few years, many Councillors have voted against any grants or funding related to health care or even child care and social-care programs, citing the 'downloading' of health care responsibilities from the Province as the reason to not undertake expenses from within the District of Sooke budget. Many if not all Councillors support the importance of these issues, and have (and likely would still) write supportive letters of advocacy or support to health authorities and other key players. SVN WE B VERSI ON Sewage gets into shoreline waters in Victoria/Saanich/Oak Bay area Extremely heavy rainfall from the evening of Sunday, January 4 into and during the day Monday January 5 resulted in combined stormwater and wastewater overflows along the shorelines of Greater Victoria. The Capital Regional District (CRD) advised residents to avoid swimming or wading in waters along affected shorelines, saying the wastewater could pose a health risk. “Wastewater (sewage), heavily diluted by stormwater is now flowing into the ocean at several outfalls in these areas,” it was stated in a news release. “The areas affected extend from Finnerty Point, near Queenswood, to Clover Point, on Dallas Road and from McLoughlin Point west to Saxe Point.” CRD Water Quality is in the process of collecting samples. As a precaution and in consultation with Island Health and the local municipalities, beaches within the affected areas were posted with public health advisory signs which were to remain in place until sample results indicate otherwise. The signage was to be removed once the enterococci levels fell below the 70CFU/ 100mL recreational limit. Wastewater in the Sooke area is managed for the District of Sooke by a private company called Friendly service! Bring in this EPCOR, and is not part of the CRD wastewater coupon for system. Since EPCOR installed the wastewater and sewer system in the mid-2000s, waters of the Sooke Harbour have been much improved over years on your next 872 Langford Parkway where crabs and other sealife were affected by 250-590-5678 oil change! wastewater. CRD water quality specialists test the water Open daily ~ in Langford quality of Sooke shoreline areas every year, and Mon-Sat 8-6 & Sun 10-5 provide a verbal and written report to District of Like us on Facebook! Sooke council including any changes (higher or VicGreatCanadianOilChange lower bacterial counts) at particular spots along the THIS COUPON EXPIRES: February 9, 2015 Sooke shoreline. SVN WE B VERSI ON $8 off Happy New Year! WE B VERSI ON Page 4 of 4 ::: Elevator access www.sookevoicenews.com WHAT’S GOING ON District of Sooke Regular Council Meeting. Mon. Jan.12. Council Chambers. Agenda/webcast. www.sooke.ca SD62. Education Committee of the Whole Meeting Tues. Jan.13 at John Stubbs. www.sd62.bc.ca Sooke Voice News ~ ad deadline for Jan.16 edition. Wed. Jan 14. 5pm. Book 3 ads for 10% discount. 250-6427729 [email protected] Awareness Film Night. Wed.Jan 14. 7 pm. “The Clean Bin Project”. Film and discussion about reducing our garbage footprint with Buddy Boyd of Gibsons Recycling Depot & Sooke Mayor Maja Tait. EMCS Theatre, admission by donation. @SookeVoiceLOCAL 7-Day Unlimited Pass Friday, January 9, 2015 ::: SOOKE VOICE NEWS Free event postings courtesy as space permits. PRIORITY TO ADVERTISERS Only $20 Sooke Yoga ~ at 6750 West Coast Rd in the Hope Centre EMCS Open House. Wed.Jan 21. 6:30 to 8pm. emcs.sd62.bc.ca Coa st C apital F ree Swim . Fri. J an 2 3. 6 to 9pm.SEAPARC. www.seaparc.ca Building the Future: Global Governance in the New World Order. Bahá'í talk by Don Brown. Sat.Jan.24 6:45 pm. Cook St Activity Centre, 380 Cook St, Victoria District of Sooke Regular Council Meeting. Mon. Jan.26. Council Chambers. www.sooke.ca EMCS Semester 1 Final Projects Night (art, film, drama). Tues.Jan 27. 7pm. emcs.sd62.bc.ca SD62 Semester 1 Provincial Exams. Feb. 2 to 5. EMCS. Grades 10 to 12. emcs.sd62.bc.ca A Taste of BC. Sat. Feb.7. Fundraiser by Sooke Harbourside Lions. 7 to 9:30 pm. Victoria Film Festival. Feb.6-15. Family Day in BC.Mon. Feb.9. Statutory holiday. Long weekend Feb. 7-9. MORE EVENTS: www.sookevoicenews.com/ Sooke-area-events.htm WE B VERSI ON Tea tells the tale Awareness Film Night & Transition Sooke present January 14 ~ EMCS Film & discussion about reducing our garbage footprint. Now 16 flavours of Silk Road Tea in stock! It started with four tea flavours, and now it’s up to 16! That’s all about the Silk Road organic tea products selling at A Sea of Bloom retail flower and gift shop in Sooke otwn centre. And first it was just the loose tea leaves for sale in the attractive silvery round containers. Now also Silk Road teabags are available, for tea-drinker convenience. “Artificial flavours” as found in some teas (including gluten, dairy, soy and chemicals) are not in Silk Road products. The Silk Road tea line has been produced out of Victoria since 1992. The increase in tea sales at A Sea of Bloom in Sooke tells the tale that more people are shopping at that store, and that tea is popular for one’s own enjoyment and for gifts. SVN Admission by donation. www.awarenessfilmnight.ca 1904 Maple Ave. S. Lots of parking M-Th 10-3 | F 10-2 In Sooke since 2007 Other times by appointment New to Sooke? New mom? Bride to be? Giftware Jewelry Plants Flowers 2052 Otter Point Rd 250-642-3952 Sooke Voice News 250-642-2268 Handling documents professionally since 1995 Loose tea & bags Open daily! COPY-FAX-SCAN | FLYERS & TICKETS ~ Digital document management ~ www.maplelinebusinesscentre.com A Sea of Bloom www.aseaofbloom.com WE B VERSI ON Don’t miss a single issue! 3 ways to subscribe BC Government Sport money in BC A new round of grants under the BC Sport Participation Program (BCSPP) will provide thousands of British Columbians with new opportunities to participate in and enjoy the benefits of sport through the Local Sport Development, Girls Only and Forever Coralee Oakes, Active Bodies 55+ programs, announced Coralee Oakes, MinisBC Minister of ter of Community, Sport and Cultural Development on January 9. Community, Sport and Total funding of $52,695 to 32 programs will buy equip- Cultural Development ment, as well as train leaders, officials or coaches, and teach participants sport skills. Successful applicants include municipalities, Aboriginal groups and not-for-profit organizations delivering programs that make community sport more accessible to people of all ages, abilities and demographics throughout BC. BC and Sport Canada have invested $953,330 in the BC Sport Participation Programthis year to increase participation in sport and enhance sport organizations' ability to deliver sport programs. Since 2001, BC has invested more than $1 billion in sport and is providing over $50 million this year. Since its inception in 2004, the BCSPP has provided over $9 million to multisport and provincial organizations. This funding has captured upwards of 650,000 new sport participants in approximately 220 communities provincewide, and has delivered training to more than 24,000 sport leaders. www.viasport.ca SVN WE B VERSI ON 2014: a busy year for Sooke Fire Rescue Print: by postal mail A New Subscribe $35 for 20 weeks grayscale, by phone: Year’s gift or 12 weeks colour; includes 250.642.7729 that keeps colour PDF by direct email on giving! Digital: PDF by direct email Insights $28 for 18 weeks with a bit Enews: Headlines by email of edge. free / opt-in www.sookevoicenews.com/subscriptions.htm Local news & views ~ journalism on Vancouver Island’s west shore Weekly print edition and online daily news updates since 2011. Oil prices dropped again this week, but notso-much at the retail gas tank STEADY AT THE PUMP The price of crude oil fell below 50 cents per barrel earlier this week. So people naturally wonder why the price at the retail gasoline pump doesn’t plummet further than it already has. For a few weeks now the retail price has hovered around $1/litre in the west shore area and few are complaining, as the price of gas was as much as $1.50/litre at various times in the past few years. Likely the gasoline companies don't drop their prices directly in relation to barrel prices because they’re at the end of the delivery food chain. Retail gas stations have inflexible overhead to cover (rent/mortgage, staff, advertising, utilities, etc) which does not go down when oil prices do. The barrel/crude prices won't stay very low forever -- middle east oil producing countries have come right out and said they will keep their prices artificially low as a way to squeeze out competitors (USA, Canada, Russia and other oil-producing nations). Retail stations meanwhile must cover their own service-delivery costs and don't want to 'give away the store' by following the downhill political slide of crude. Consumers are already happily accustomed to cheaper gasoline prices compared to the last four years. This is good for budgets of individuals and families, as well any businesses who rely on transportation as a key part of their service delivery. Too bad gasoline can’t be stored for a rainy day! ~ Editor SVN WE B VERSI ON The Sooke Fire Rescue Department had another extremely busy year. And while emergency calls were down in number (compared to 2011-2013), the scale of many of the incidents was far greater, said Sooke Fire Rescue Chief Steve Sorensen this week. “In two of the fires, the community was at times only moments away from a major interface fire occurring. Only through tremendous effort of dozens of emergency personal and our outstanding mutual aid help was further disaster averted,” he said. The lower emergency call count can be largely attributed to a change in fire department policy by which “C” level medical calls at night are no longer attended unless by special requested of the ambulance service. A total of 613 “Emergency Calls” were attended in 2014. Major calls of the year included: • February 6 – Assisted Otter Point FD at a fully involved structure fire on West Coast Rd. Sub zero temperatures caused much of the water spray from firefighting efforts to freeze across the highway causing some tough road conditions. SOOKE FIRE RESCUE SERVICE Submitted by Sooke Fire Chief Steve Sorensen • February 14 – Major early morning fire at Park Isle Marine on West Coast Rd Dec 28. An SUV with four young people inside went off the road across from involving several boats and a large warehouse structure. • May 21 – Complex rope rescue op- the Sooke Museum. It went down the hill and rolled over before coming to rest eration at Sooke Potholes. Injured climber against a large tree at the bottom of the steep hill. All occupants managed to Ask a Doctor was brought up shear cliff face in stretcher. get out on their own, but required transportation to hospital with non-lifeof Optometry • July 31 – Fully involved house fire threatening injuries. The call came in on Facebook in 5100-blk Sooke Rd that spread quickly, at 21:40 and 10 Sooke firefighters Dr. Joslin, were on scene for just over an hour causing spot fires in the forest. / .... SVN In the Prestige Dr. Morin & Full list coming in the Jan 16, 2015 Sooke Voice News assisting BC Ambulance with patient Oceanfront Resort, 6929 Associates: care and the tow truck operators to West Coast Rd, Sooke Doctors of recover the wreck. Optometry Join us on Wednesdays! Jan 1. A young man appears to have Providing comprehensive eye health fallen asleep at the wheel and drove Order 1 entree, and optical services to the growing Upcoming Public Meetings off the road into a deep ditch and then get 2nd one half-price community of Sooke for over 20 years. hit a hydro pole. There was signifi$5 for house white/red, #5-6726 West Coast Rd Regular Council Meeting cant damage to his truck, but he was single Caesars, single house Phone: 250-642-4311 Monday, January 12 not injured. The pole appeared ok and high balls, & islander draft Email:[email protected] at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers power was not lost. The call came in Kids dinner $5 (special menu) Schedule subject to change. www.sookeoptometrists.ca at 17:01. Eight firefighters were on Call 250-642-1634 to confirm meetings. 778-425-0888 scene. SVN Agendas: Happy New Year 2015! www.sooke.ca WE B VERSI ON WE B VERSI ON Young people in holiday season MVI’s WE B VERSI ON LOCAL WEDNESDAY
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