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Call: 250-642-7729
Happy Valentine’s
Day weekend!
Sooke Voice News
The
Newsstand & Subscriber edition
News about
Sooke & the
West Shore
With no reason given, the webcast
broadcasting system was not functioning live at www.sooke.ca that evening
for the February 10 District of Sooke
Regular Council Meeting, but the show
went on.
As at several recent Council
meetings, there were a couple of “for
your information” types of presentations by public presenters at the start
of the meeting. This week Mayor and
Council heard from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness (as
a manner of update) and from the
Sooke Elderly Citizen’s Housing Society about the challenges of seniors
using mobility scooters in Sooke town
center.
After that was the Sooke RCMP
report on December 2014 month-end
(year-end) statistics, about which
Council asked not much, even though
the trend shows more assaults and
more break-ins in 2014 compared to
the previous three years. For additional
information, Sooke Detachment Commander S/Sgt Jeff McArthur mentioned how a drug bust at a local Sooke
cafe went down on January 8, effectively taking a ‘dangerous guy’ off the
streets (see full story, page 3). As a
light intro, McArthur had opened with
a joke -- saying that he’s been working on tracking a mobility scooter gang
(in followup to the SECHS presentation), but Council’s level of inquisitiveness remained steady.
A surprise element of the night
was what turned out to be a one-hour
interaction of questions and Council
statements about a foot bridge that
was apparently in some manner on the
books as a possibility for a connector
of the Galloping Goose in the rural
Soule Road area. The item was not
on the agenda, which means that public input was only by the people who
had been collected by interested Soule
Road residents, and that Council had
in front of them no background information or any sort of motion.
Apparently one of the Soule Rd
residents heard from a Realtor that a
foot bridge was in fact planned, which
local residents along that road (which
is more of a laneway) felt would bring
too much public activity to a secluded
area. “The public would like to see the
Galloping Goose cross the river,” said
Mayor Maja Tait at one point.
Councillor Rick Kasper said that
in 2012 Council had decided not to
proceed with the $2.3 million project
and “then suddenly (the project) rears
its head”.
One member of the public said
they would not have purchased property on Soule Road if they’d known
about the still-go-nowhere proposed
project.
Councillor Kevin Pearson said
there had been no financial discussion,
but staff were communicating with the
public. If it was shelved in 2012, then
“why is it being reconsidered or even
discussed”, Pearson said.
WE B VERSI ON
Sooke,BC
Sooke COUNCIL Meeting Profile
SOOKE VOICE NEWS on the beat
Submitted photo
No broadcast
this week
So many dangers in social media [Editorial] ......
Youth driver fatalities show no gain from training ...
Nitty gritty, and more [Letter] ..........................
Drug seizure location was happenstance .......
Seniors on mobility scooters in Sooke ...........
of Vancouver
Island
Friday, February 13, 2015
Mayor
Maja Tait
Councillor
Kevin Pearson
by Mary
P. Brooke
Pharmacy
celebrates
25 years
serving Sooke
by Mary
P. Brooke
2
2
2
3
4
Drug Mart Sooke
Valentine’s
Day
Sat Feb 14
Vol.5 No.4
ISSN 1925-2722
BC & national:
@SookeVoiceNews
Island west shore:
@WestShoreVoice
@SookeVoiceLOCAL
Tweets also posted live at:
www.sookevoicenews.com
Insight news published weekly
on Fridays (print & online) by
Brookeline Publishing House Inc.
6716 West Coast Rd in Sooke
Come
celebrate
our
Councillor
Rick Kasper
Mayor Tait continued to evolve the
conversation, suggesting that Council
would want to know its own priorities for
this project (if anything were to be done
at all), including: do we want to cross the
river, is it a priority? She said, at present,
“this gives the public no comfort”.
At that point Councillor Brenda
Parkinson said: “There should be no discussion of items that are not on this
agenda.”
Councillor Bev Berger said she
voted against the small bridge in 2012.
Councillor Kerrie Reay said that
when Council looked at grant funding last
spring they said no to the Soule Road
project, to favour a grant funding attempt
for a multi-use trail along Sooke River
Road.
At the end of it all, one member of
the public thanked Mayor Tait for allowing the issue to be discussed, even
though it was not on the agenda and with
no advance notice to the public.
Meanwhile, would Council go for
a $2.9 million project to extend Grant
Road from Charters to
Phillips, or a $4.5 million
option? The first option
included a culvert and
some loss of natural
ha bi ta t; t he s ec ond
more co st ly o pt io n
Councillor
would have preserved
Kerrie Reay
habitat but involved a
bridge that would require ongoing inspections and maintenance. Councillor Reay
led the discussion on ultimately choosing the prudent option with the culvert
and seeking less of provincial grant (in
the hopes of being more likely to receive
it). The culvert option was approved.
Councillor Ebony Logins voted against.
On another note, four contractors
who provide outdoor maintenance services for the District of Sooke (in parks,
along roads, and in landscaped areas)
had their contracts extended to year-end.
Mayor Tait announced that the
roundabout installation on Sooke Road
in town center will be proceeding, with a
summer construction period and likely
completing in Fall 2015. She gave assurances that logging trucks would not
have difficulty getting through or around
the roundabout.
“Sidewalk installations will begin in
late spring, early summer,” Tait said. ‘This
will help in the core areas on Sooke Rd.”
Councillor Berger included in her
verbal report that 14 games had to be
cancelled last weekend at Fred Milne Ball
Park due to weather affecting the field
conditions, putting 250 kids out of an
opportunity for sports. A grant that has
been submitted to CRD -- if successful
-- could see adequate funding for the field
to get artificial turf, said Mayor Tait. SVN
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v1
News about Vancouver Island’s West Shore & beyond,
with a focus on wellness, learning & insightful living.
Submitted photo
Insightful &
Print &
well-written
Digital
independent
news coverage.
at Shoppers
News and views for attentive,
inquisitive readers! ~ 4 pages this issue
Anniversary
Sooke Voice News
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Sooke Voice News
Subscribe to
Colour print edition $1.75
Peoples Drug Mart store owner in
Sooke says 25 years have flown
by. From left: Denise Maclean, Ron
Kumar (owner), Sarah Dougall.
It was a February day in 1990 that
Ron Kumar remembers like it was
just yesterday. February 15 in fact.
The day before Valentine’s that year
it had snowed, and yet with snow still
on the ground, people lined up around
the block for their first visit to the Peoples Drug Mart franchise store in
Sooke.
Fast forward to February 2015,
and this weekend Kumar will quietly
remember the 25 years that he’s
been operating Peoples Drug Mart in
Sooke.
Then on Friday and Saturday
next week -- February 20 and 21 -he and his staff will welcome everyone to take part in their official 25th
anniversary celebrations at the store
located in the Cedar Grove Mall at
6716 West Coast Road.
Just a stone’s throw from the
corner of Sooke Road and Otter Point
Road, the 9,000-sqft store has been
‘home’ to Ron for two-and-a-half decades.
Ron Kumar says he had a
clear vision of being a community
pharmacist, even before he left
highschool. He was good in sciences
and already had a job at 17 in a customer service environment. He says
he had very good mentors: “People
who had the faith and trust to guide
me on the right path.”
Raised in Vancouver, UBC
pharmacy graduate Ron Kumar first
found Duncan to start his career in
local community pharmacy, and then
after two years arrived in Sooke, to
stay. “Sooke opened its arms up to
us,” he said last week in an exclusive interview with Sooke Voice
News.
At first he managed the store,
then was in partnership-ownership for
three years before becoming the sole
owner in 2001.
“I still don’t consider it work. I’m
enjoying it, living my passion,” he said
infectiously, adding that he finds and
nurtures that sort of passion in his
employees. Some of his employees
have been with him a long time -- four
employees are into their 20th year
(Tim, Sarah, Karen and Denise), and
WE B VERSI ON
Fri Feb 20 8 to 6
Sat Feb 21 9 to 6
LOTS OF PARKING
Grand Prizes:
1. 40” TV 2. iPad
3. Dinner for 2 at Sooke
Harbour House
Contests & Prizes
Don’t
miss it!
a few more are closing in on 10 years.
“It’s all about the service.That’s
what makes our small store different from
the hundred or more other pharmacies
in the broader Victoria area.”
Kumar explains that he has made
an investment in staff. “It’s costly for a
small business to have employees longterm, but I wouldn’t trade it. The financial
cost is outweighed by what they bring to
the store, the customers, and other staff.
Everyone on staff treats the customers
as people first. “They’re as passionate
about it as I am. Customers are the people who pay us,” he reminds his employees at staff meetings.
One of the other key success
points of Peoples Drug Mart Sooke is the
product selection. “We key in on the
health products, going back to the roots
of what pharmacies are all about,” he
said. Home health care, daily aid supplies
and other specialty items might take up
more space, but customers know they
can find what they need. About 30% of
the floorspace is dedicated to pharmacy
and related products, generating about
70% of the sales. The other 70% of
floorspace is filled with a selection of
giftware, health and beauty items, stationery, and all the other general items of a
community drug store. “We don’t sell TVs
and computers,” Kumar injected as a
footnote to the business model profile.
Like old trees that have seen generations come and go, a necessity-based
retail store in a small town has witnessed
and been part of much of the town’s
growth.
“You get what you give out. I try to
support everyone locally. The store has
donated to events, charities, sports,
churches and schools.”
And the 25th anniversary event is
about giving back in a party-like fashion.
There will be prizes and contests,
and special pricing on a lot of the merchandise.
In a day and age when retail businesses are working hard to maintain success, it appears Ron Kumar’s little pharmacy has figured out about success having a lot to do with putting people first.
SVN
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Page 2 of 4 :::
Copy deadline: 5 pm Mon.
Ad deadline: 5 pm Wed.
Breaking news at: www.sookevoicenews.com
EDITORIAL
SVN editorials aim to explore broader issues of concern
to the local community, economy and society as a whole.
So many dangers in social media
Whether it’s a birthday too widely shared with strangers because of a privacy setting
oversight on Facebook, or an old job that becomes computer-misinterpreted as a new job
as a result of the order of data entry on LinkedIn, social media generates more than its fair
share of intrusions upon and mishaps within the personal lives and careers of many.
And then there are the artful machinations of the English language required for
fitting an important message (yes, important enough that you want to share it with the entire
world, once it’s posted) into 140 characters or less. Something is bound to occasionally be
-- if not frequently be -- squeezed, left out or unintentionally implied.
And most of that pales by comparison to the dangers that result from cyberbullying, unauthorized image sharing, and predatory behaviour that is shockingly rampant
in the online realm.
Undoubtedly social media is here to stay. As in most aspects of living in a civilized society, the law around management of boundaries (in this case for cyberspace) is
slow to catch up to the harm that can result from a new, untethered area of the modern
social contract. As one of the greatest gifts to the freedom of humankind, the Internet should
remain open and free for the exchange of information, but boundaries need to be set for the
privacy and well-being of all persons without infringing upon personal liberties.
In all this lies a slice of personal responsibility. You can choose which websites,
blogs and portals you visit, and you can and should carefully choose what you post on
social media. When you’re working with words and images, everyone needs to become
their own editor and should also be a responsible reader. Thoughtful choices of what to
post, and careful reading of what others have posted, is the dual set of responsibilities of
every person who wades into the swirling tides of the online social contract.
WE B VERSI ON
Friday, February 13,2015 ::: SOOKE VOICE NEWS
The Sooke Voice News
Ask a Doctor
of Optometry
Published by Brookeline Publishing
House Inc., Sooke, BC, Canada
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on Facebook
Mailing: PO Box851,Sooke,
BC, Canada V9Z 1H8
Phone: 250-642-7729
Dr. Joslin,
Dr. Morin &
Associates:
Doctors of
Optometry
Text: 250-217-5821
Email:[email protected]
Providing comprehensive eye health
and optical services to the growing
community of Sooke for over 20 years.
#5-6726 West Coast Rd
Phone: 250-642-4311
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www.sookeoptometrists.ca
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LETTERS
tions welc om e from the c om munity.
W ebserver Management: Les
Oberg. Printing: in-house. Deliver-
[email protected]
ies: Bulk drop to various coffee shops, hotels,
Nitty gritty, and more
Regarding the letter "Councillors were
elected to deal with infrastructure
& planning" from Errol Anderson
(Sooke Voice News, February5, 2015).
banks, community areas; to some residential
addresses, some weekends.
Readership:
Base of 3,500 print & online; includes print
deliverydirect to selected businesses weekly.
Retail: Colour print edition $1.75 at Shoppers Drug Mart (Sooke). Online: Print/PDF
courtesyedition: www.sookevoicenews.com
Digitalsubscription
(PDF by email):
Dear Mr. Anderson:
$28+GST for18 weeks
BC & National Twitter stream: @SookeVoiceNews
I agree with you that council must
Printsubscription (weekly
tackle the nitty gritty of municipal busiby 1st class postal mail):
ness, as it has always done routinely and
$35+GST for 20 issues in
of necessity. I'malso pleased our elected
grayscale, or 12 in colour.
Letters published in Sooke
representatives can dedicate a portion of
Voice News do not necessarily
The BC Coroners Service this week re- incidents remain the leading cause of death
their time to matters the BC Local Govrepresent the opinion of the
leased the report and recommendations of for youth ages 15 to 18 years in BC.
publisher, editor or staff.
ernment Act places within their jurisdicThe publisher reserves
Media were told that better statistics
a Death Review Panel into the deaths of
tion -- i.e. " fostering the current and futhe right to decline any
for the impact of distracted driving are
young motor vehicle drivers in BC.
article, ad or contribution.
ture economic, social and environmental
The panel, composed of experts from learned from survivors of non-fatal acciCurrent edition (PDF),
well-being of its community."
archives, breaking news:
across the spectrum of both child-serving dents and through roadside fines, than is
In terms of your memory, yes,
www.sookevoicenews.com
and road safety agencies, made three Rec- possible to ascertain in the case of fataliTransition Sooke made the initial request
ommendations, aimed at: reviewing the ties.
for a plebiscite and we did due diligence in following up as required.
Egilson stressed the importance of
Graduated Licensing Program for new drivHowever, as you'll discover by revisiting the Sept. 8th meeting in the
ers to see if its effectiveness can be en- involving youth themselves and also their
District's video archive, we (along with Mayor Milne) were prepared to
hanced; increasing knowledge about fatal parents and guardians in the development
accept a staff recommendation for a survey and new "restate and reafMVIs involving young drivers through en- of solutions to reduce the death toll further.
firm" resolution.
L apoi nt e st ro ngly i mpli ed t ha t
hanced data collection by the BC Coroners
Instead, Councillor Haldane turned the tide that evening by chamService itself and by the Insurance Corpo- changes would very likely be made to the
pioning the rights of citizens to make some righteous noise at the ballot
ration of BC (ICBC); and reducing speed- graduated licencing program. Egilson noted
box. Councillor Pearson seconded his motion and council voted 5-to-1
that the program is already one of the most
related injuries and deaths.
to proceed. In other words, no, we did not "shrewdly let council carry the
“No doubt, speed kills,” said Chief strict in Canada. SVN
cost," as you suggest. Council made their $6,000 decision freely, indecoroner Lisa Lapointe in a media confer- www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners/reports/docs/
pendently and, from my perspective, both surprisingly and admirably.
ence on February 11. She said that the panel young-drivers-deaths.pdf
What followed in the lead-up to Nov. 15 was a healthy exercise in
had not been consulted prior to the BC Govdemocracy and free speech, I believe, even if the 'no' vote didn't have an
ernment raising speed limits on several
organized voice nor a champion around which to rally until Councillor
highways in BC last year.
Reay finally piped up in chambers seven weeks after the fact. As for
The panel reviewed in aggregate the
voter turnout, well, that's how it goes in a democracy and nobody's come
circumstances of 106 youth drivers who died
up with a better solution, as Winston Churchill once remarked. How inin motor vehicle incidents between 2004 and
teresting that Mr. Harper runs a majority government with 39% of the
2013. Data reviewed showed that the young
2011 federal vote (which, in turn, means a truly "mere" 24.3% of Canadidrivers who died were primarily male youth
ans voted Conservative).
who were 17 and 18 years old. The panel's Lt Gov Judith Guichon
Mr. Anderson, you claim to know Transition Sooke's "agenda."
review showed that speed, impairment, lack opened the fourth session of
Please tell me more, I'm interested in your fuller insights. If you're seekBC Lt Gov
of seatbelt use and inexperience were com- the 40th Parliament of BC
ing clues with which to flesh out your opinion, please visit our website
mon contributing factors. Having taken pro- and read the speech from Judith Guichon and read the material there, especially our recent "Open Space" report.
fessional driver training was said not to have the throne on Tuesday, February 10 at 2pm. That document neatly captures our grassroots ambitions through the
had any effect to diminish the number of
It was emphasized that the BC Gov- lens of engaged residents who brainstormed about alternative energy,
fatal crashes. However, fatal motor vehicle ernment had delivered a balanced budget in transportation, food security, emergency services, health care, jobs, busi2013 and 2014, and will do so again in 2015. ness and other matters related to "local people, strengths and solutions"
Government will continue to build on (to quote Transition Sooke's slogan). It's an inspiring read, many have
its progress implementing the BC Jobs Plan told me, and it may well leave you in an upbeat, positive mood about
under which it says more than 70,000 new what's possible locally.
jobs have been created since 2011.
Finally, in terms of your memory, I believe Mayor Milne was at all
The emphasis on LNG was quite di- the meetings involving the plebiscite. Perhaps you're thinking of the time
minished compared to previous Throne early last year when he famously missed the council session that led to
Speeches that serve to outline government the controversial, short-term rezoning of Mr. Arden's Idlemore Road proppriorities.
erty as a waste transfer station.
Technology contributes $23 billion in
Like many people in this town, I think back on that still unresolved
annual revenue – up $10 billion in just 10 saga as a rather embarassing, almost bush-league exercise in democyears. The clean-tech industry is leading the racy, one that the former Mayor twice went so far as to label "anarchy"
way in biofuels, clean tech entrepreneurship, during council meetings. By comparison, the tanker plebiscite was introand carbon capture. There are over 19,000 duced, debated and instituted by the book and with full involvement of
tourism businesses throughout BC, many of council, staff and the community.
them small businesses. SVN
~ Jeff Bateman President, Transition Sooke
BC NEWS
BC graduated driver licencing program
shows no dent in youth driver fatalities
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Throne Speech
emphasizes
balanced
budget
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@FoodScrapsSOOKE
Upcoming Public Meetings
Committee of the Whole
Monday, February 16 at 7pm
Schedule subject to change.
Call 250-642-1634 to confirm meetings.
Agendas:
www.sooke.ca
Info
News Updates
Services
Kitchen scraps,
composting,
garbage pickup
[email protected]
www.KitchenScrapsSooke.ca
WE B VERSI ON
SOOKE VOICE NEWS ::: Friday, February 13, 2015
Sooke, BC
LOCAL NEWS
Drugs seized in Sooke town centre;
the location was happenstance
Sooke Voice News
At the District of Sooke Council Meeting on Tuesday night,
February 10, Sooke RCMP S/Sgt Jeff McArthur mentioned
during his verbal report that someone possessing illegal drugs
had recently been apprehended at the Reading Room Cafe in
Sooke.
Sooke Voice News reported this on Twitter. As the
February 10 evening council meeting webcasting proceedings
incurred some unexpected technical difficulties (and were taped
S/Sgt Jeff
McArthur,
but not able to be broadcasted, said District of Sooke
Detachment
Corporate Officer Bonnie Sprinkling) this drug-bust information
Commander,
became breaking news for most people via Twitter.
Sooke RCMP
Some Twitter followers jumped to the conclusion that
there is a drug problem in general at the one particular cafe, when in fact it was
happenstance that the RCMP just came upon the local man who ended up
being arrested for drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.
S/Sgt McArthur says that on Thursday, January 8 around 3pm, a Sooke
RCMP officer entered the Reading Room Café on his coffee break. “While in
the coffee shop, he saw a man who seemed out of place and spoke to him. The
officer conducted a check and determined that there was an outstanding warrant for arrest out on the 23-year-old Sooke resident,” says McArthur.
“The officer advised the man of this. The man resisted briefly and was
then taken in custody,” says McArthur, adding that a search of the suspect’s
backpack yielded 50 grams of methamphetamine and 14 grams of heroin (valued at $3,000 he said at Sooke Council on February 10), as well as paraphernalia for trafficking, as well as an Apple laptop that had
been stolen from within the Langford area.
Me th a m p h e ta “To the average person he likely wouldn't have
mine is an illegal
appeared suspicious, but to an experienced police ofdrug in the same
ficer -- much different -- he was wearing clothing typical
class as cocaine
of persons associating with gangs, and showed signs of
and other powerful
being under the influence of a controlled drug," says S/
street drugs (nickSgt McArthur.
na me s include
“The suspect has now been charged with two
meth, crank, chalk
counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance for Trafand speed). (See
ficking, and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime.
the list of street
As of February 12 he was still in custody,” said McArthur.
names .) Crystal
“This is a significant quantity of dangerous controlled
meth is most comdrugs destined for distribution in Sooke.”
monly used as a
“It should be noted that the male arrested has
“club drug” taken
no connection whatsoever to the Reading Room
while partying in
Café in Sooke. Unfortunately (upon reading the news)
night clubs or at
people on social media have circulated misinformation,
rave part ies. Its
which is concerning to the business owners. The susmo st
c ommo n
pect had simply gone into the business to get a coffee,
street names are
after shopping at other shops in the mall, and was hapice and glass. It is
pened upon by an officer on patrol,” said S/Sgt Jeff
a dangerous and
McArthur, Detachment Commander, Sooke RCMP. SVN
potent chemical
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Investigated by West
Shore, arrested in Sooke
that first acts as a
stimulant but then
begins to systematically destroy the
body. Associated
health conditions
i nc lude memory
loss, aggression,
psychotic behavior
and potential heart
and brain damage.
West Shore RCMP Street Crime Unit recently conducted a drug investigation on a 28-year-old Langford
man who is known to police and who was later arrested
in Sooke by Sooke RCMP who seized $10,000 worth of
meth, said Sooke RCMP S/Sgt Jeff McArthur.
The man had approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine and a “small quantity” of the ‘date rape
Source:
www.drugfreeworld.org
drug’ gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), said West Shore
RCMP in a news release this week.
As a result of the arrest, members of the
West Shore RCMP Street Crime Unit, General
Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate
Duty and Police Dog Service executed a search
(GHB) is a central nervwarrant on a residence in the 3000-block of Jacklin
ous system depressant
Rd in Langford, at approximately 8:30 pm, on Febcommonly referred to as
ruary 9 at a residence in the 3000-block of Jacklin
a “club drug” or “date
Rd in Langford. More GHB was seized from the
rape” drug. GHB i s
residence.No one was found to be in the residence
abus ed by t ee ns a nd
at the time the warrant was executed.
young adults at bars, parWest Shore RCMP are recommending drug
ties, clubs and “raves” (all
related charges against the man whose name cannight dance parties), and
not be published until charges are laid.
is often placed in alcoholic
Cst. Alex Berube, media
beverages.
spokesperson for the West Shore
‘Positive’ effects of
RCMP, said: “The concerning part GHB abuse are reported
was that there is a school across
as euphoria, increased
the road from where the drugs
sex drive, and tranquility.
were seized. Through continuing
Negative effects
efforts targeting illicit drugs, the
may include sweating,
RCMP has many initiatives to re- loss of consciousness
Cst. Alex Berube
(reported by 69% of usMedia Relations duce demand fo r s uch substances
through
prevention
and
ers), nausea, hallucinaOfficer,
West Shore RCMP awareness.” SVN
ti ons, a mnes ia , and
coma, among other adverse effects.
New to Sooke? New
Sooke Voice News
WE B VERSI ON
mom? Bride to be?
250-642-2268
Source: www.drugs.com
www.sookevoicenews.com ::: Page 3 of 4
Daily news updates - Sooke & West Shore:
www.sookevoicenews.com/SOOKE-LOCALbreakingnews.htm
SD62 queries parents about yearround calendar and duration of
spring break
WE B VERSI ON
Sooke School
The Board of Education will
2015- School
District 62 make a decision and submit the proweek has invited posed 2015-16 school calendar to
2016 this
parents to take part in the Minister of Education by March
One week or
two weeks for
SD62 Spring
break next
year? (this year
it’s 2 weeks, last
year was 1 week)
a public input survey
for community consultation on the SD62
school calendar for
2015-2016.
The proposed
calendar Options A
and B -- attached in a bulk email message to
parents from SD62 Assistant Superintendent
Roberta Kubik -- are in compliance with the
Ministry of Education’s required hours of instruction.
Option A proposes a two week spring
break. Option B proposes a one week spring
break.
Information from the consultation process will be provided to the Board of Education
at the March 24, 2015 School Board meeting.
31, 2015.
The survey asks not only
about the duration of spring break
(traditionally held in March each
year), but also about the possibility
of a year-round school calendar and
whether a public process should be
held to explore that possibility.
Selected dat es for Pro-D
Days (non-instructional days) are
open for comment as well.
The survey remains open until 4pm onFriday, February 27, 2015.
Survey link:
http:/ /fluidsurveys.com/s/201516SchoolCalendar/ SVN
Youth anxiety in schools
“Children are coming to school with anxiety we haven’t
seen before,” said Sooke School District 62 (SD62) Assistant Superintendent Roberta Kubik in a recent exclusive
interview with Sooke Voice News.
A program called Mind Up addresses social and
emotional learning. A sense of belonging is fostered, says
Kubik, by examining “values and virtues” such as honesty,
humility, love, widsom, truth, and a sense of purpose.
Roberta Kubik
“Mental wellness is a priority and is evolving as a Asst Superintendent,
SD62
focal point” for the Sooke School District, she said.
As part of her work as an Assistant Superindent, Ms Kubik visits schools
throughout the district to learn more about both the shared and unique needs of
various schools in an area that spans Sooke, Langford and Colwood.
Locally, Roberta Kubik had been the Principal at John Muir Elementary (K-5)
in Sooke and also at Edward Milne Community School (Gr.9-12), before joining the
administration at the main SD62 office in Langford a few years ago.
The schools are undertaking this important concern from the inside out -both from within the student (handling of emotions in the complex social school
environment) and from within the school (programs that teach tolerance and respect). SVN
Photo: SD62
West Coast Lifestyle
LOCAL NEWS: @SookeVoiceLOCAL & @WestShoreVoice
WE B VERSI ON
Editor’s Note: It is quite evident that mental and social anxiety are
increasingly prevalent among youth, and that the school district is attempting
to find ways to help.
However, it appears that external factors which are beyond the control
of students and families (challenging economy, uncertain job market, rapidly
changing social norms, and the influence of social media, interactive games
and TV -- and even stresses resulting from the structure of the school system
itself) are not necessarily addressed head on by a mental wellness program
that borders on positioning the students as the ones needing to be ‘fixed’.
Hopefully any programs aimed at producing more resilient youth include a clear awareness that it is society which imposes pressures on families and on individuals of all ages. ‘Modern’ pressures are clearly becoming
too much for an increasing number of people of all age groups to handle while
attempting to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle. ~ Editor
WE B VERSI ON
Drug abuse resistance education
D.A.R.E. BC aims to empower children in BC with the critical thinking and life
skills necessary to become safe and responsible citizens. The Society supports
the RCMP's delivery of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Keep'n
It REAL (KiR) Program to BC's Grades 5 and 6 school children.
Over 100,000 BC school children have gone through the program in the
last 10 years, making D.A.R.E. kiR the most comprehensive and widely delivered youth drug prevention program in BC.
At present, over 250 police officers teach the program each year to 16,000
Grade 5 and 6 school children in over 100 BC communities.
D.A.R.E. KiR has become the foundation of the RCMP's Community Prevention Education Continuum which is a community-lead, police-assisted, comprehensive drug prevention strategy encompassing youth from Kindergarten
through to Grade 12.
Comments about the program by teachers and parents can be found online
at www.darebc.com/index.php/partners/schools SVN
WE B VERSI ON
EMCSS programs
Over the last few years, the course
offerings through the Edward Milne
Community School Society (EMCSS)
were getting pretty lean, a concern
that was brought to their attention by
their former Vice-President. In recent
weeks some fresh new courses were
promoted in ads, and with flyers (as
sent in a targeted mailing to the
Sunriver area). www.emcsprograms.ca
SVN
www.randallgarrison.ndp.ca
WE B VERSI ON
www.sookevoicenews.com
WHAT’S GOING ON
Valentine’s Breakfast Sat Feb 14 at Cathy’s Corner Cafe, 6697 Sooke Rd. $8.95pp. 6am to 11am.
Valentine’s Dinner Sat Feb 14 at West Coast Grill,
Prestige hotel. $55pp. Or dinner, overnight & breakfast
$124pp. Reservations: 778-425-0888
Juan de Fuca NDP 7th Annual Valentine’s
Fundraiser. Sat. Feb.14. Olympic View Golf Course. Dinner 7pm. $100 pp. [email protected]
Victoria Cat Rescue Corps annual ‘spay/neuter
blitz’ starting Mon Feb16 for a limited time. For cats of lowincome pet owners.Stray/feral cats welcome. 250-656-1100
www.victoriacatrescue.com
WE B VERSI ON
Week 16
#emergencypreparedness
NEXT TO ARDENS SELF STORAGE
Mon, Wed-Sat 8:30-5 | Sun 10-4
Free Scrap Metal Drop-Off
Info: 250-642-5297
District of Sooke. Committee of the Whole Meeting Mon. Feb.16 at 7 pm.
Sooke School Dist 62 Transportation Ctte. Tues.
Feb.17. 7pm. Parents welcome to find out about 20152016 bus fees (registration due Feb27), routes, ridership,
bus yard. SD62 office, 3143 JacklinRd. www.sd62.bc.ca
Sooke Voice News ~ deadline Wed.Feb.18 5pm
for Feb20 edition. 10% off multi-week print/online ads.
@SookeVoiceLOCAL
250-642-7729 [email protected]
Traffic delays on
the Sooke Rd hill
Photo: Carol Mallett
Mobility scooter challenges were explained in a presentation to District of
Sooke Council on Tuesday night, February 10, by two reps for Ayre Manor -Carol Mallett and Bill Jones.
Mobility scooters (essentially a
chair on wheels) are used by seniors
and others in Sooke to allow for their
independence to do their own errands
in town centre, said Mallett.
Legally, scooter users are pedestrians, she said. As such, they are using sidewalks, not the roads.
Some of the problems for scooter
users include retail doors propped open
across sidewalks, sign boards and garbage cans on sidewalks, the height of
curbs, sloping sidewalks and other uneven terrain. Therefore, scooter users
sometimes have no choice but to travel
on the road where there can be cracks
and speed bumps to negotiate.
Mallett suggested that similar
problems are encountered by people
pushing children in strollers, riding in
wheelchairs, or using walkers.
Council was asked to consider
running an awareness campaign about
mobility scooter use in Sooke, including that drivers of cars be reminded that
scooter users are pedestrians.
Va len tine ’s bre akfa st at
Cathy’s Corner Cafe at 6697 Sooke
Rd in town center will feature French
toast with fresh fruit, whipped cream,
and a homemade fresh fruit sauce.
All for $8.95pp. Served from 6am to
11am, one day only, on Valentine’s
morning, Saturday February 14. SVN
Mayor Maja Tait suggested that
a copy of the presentation be reviewed
by the engineering department, and
mentioned that sidewalk improvements
coming this spring or summer might
help alleviate some of the problems.
Many of the residents of Ayre
Manor who use scooters have had falls
from them during trips into downtown
Sooke, said Bill Jones, who just started
using a scooter last fall, and who provided information to Mallett for the presentation; Mallett took photos.
Following the meeting, Carol
Mallett said: “Hopefully, with our pictures, Council and municipal staff will
include accessibility as a criteria for rethinking various parts of the village landscape and will maybe help store/business owners to understand what obstacles are in the way of complete accessibility to folks in mobility scooters, using baby strollers, and riding bikes. If
this town becomes more accessible to
folks with disabilities, it will become a
better and safer place in which to live ...
for all of us!”
Carol Mallett and her husband
David Mallett, who have been long-time
members of the Sooke Elderly Citizen’s
Housing Society (SECHS), have recently resigned fromthat board but continue to be actively involved in the needs
and activities of Ayre Manor. SVN
WE B VERSI ON
WE B VERSI ON
Mon
10-4
[email protected]
www.johnhorganmla.ca
Appetite for Art
Prestige Oceanfront Resort ballroom
6929 West Coast Road, Sooke
West Coast Grill: 778-425-0888
Fundraiser for Sooke Fine Arts Youth
Scholarship & Sooke Food Bank
$8 off
on your next
oil change!
Art
Sales
at West
Coast Grill
& The Stick
in the Mud
BC Hydro combined the work of
two pole upgrades into one day, on
Wednesday, February 11, in the gully
area at the bottom of the hill on
Sooke Road, just west of Phillips
Road. Traffic flow was reduced to
one lane at a time, causing some
east-west traffic delays. During the
day the bac kups did not seem
lengthy, but as commuters arrived
home from work, the delays generated a lot of Twitter talk bordering on
frsutration.
The work of BC Hydro crews
was to have wrapped up at 3pm. But
due to some complexities of erecting poles in a gully, the work took a
bit longer, to 5:30pm, said BC Hydro
media relations rep Ted Olynyk.
“Safety is always our top priority. We needed to complete the
work before leaving the site,” Olynyk
said. He realized that the traffic delays were frustrating for some people hoping to get home after their
work day, but if the pole upgrades
(and associated wiring) had not been
completed, the alternative might
have been power outages, he explained.
The poles had been found to
be co mpro mi se d from rec ent
storms, hence the necessary proactive maintenance work.
There will be other pole upgrades in the Sooke & Port Renfrew
area in coming weeks, says BC Hydro. Traffic blockages are not likely
for those, said Olynyk. SVN
Friendly service!
Drop-In Service!
872 Langford Parkway
250-590-5678
Open daily ~ in Langford
Mon-Sat 8-6 & Sun 10-5
Like us on Facebook!
VicGreatCanadianOilChange
THIS COUPON EXPIRES: March 13, 2015
Art Show
Tickets
$20
Raffle
Sat March 14
7 to 9 pm
Pink Shirt Day comes
to Sooke: Feb.25
Wearing a pink shirt (or any other clothing itemthat is pink), is a pretty easy thing
to do.
A local group of folks, headed up
by Bill Jones and being assisted by District of Sooke Councillor Brenda Parkinson,
is organizing a Pink Shirt Day event at the
kiosk out front of Evergreen Shopping
Center, for Wednesday, February 25 at
2pm. “The idea
is to send an
‘anti-bullying’
message out to
the community,
with everyone
standing together,” says
Parkinson.
SVN
“Those
attending, if you
have anything
Pink Shirt Day is
pink to wear, that
an awareness
would be great.
campaign against
The general
bullying that
theme though is
happens in schools,
workplaces, homes,
to gather and
and over the
take a stand
Internet.
together against
Pink Shirt Day was
bullying,” she
started by two Nova
Scotia high school
said this
students in 2013 who
week. SVN
WE B VERSI ON
Sooke Voice News
Bring in this
coupon for
to Fri
2nd annual
BC Hydro pole
maintenance on
February 11
WE B VERSI ON
scooters in Sooke
WE B VERSI ON
@WestShoreVoice
MORE EVENTS: www.sookevoicenews.com/Sooke-area-events.htm
Fruity french toast
Seniors on mobility for Feb14 breakfast
Mobility scooters have a high
center of gravity and are quite
heavy. In Photo: Bill Jones
Sooke Region Tourism Association (SRTA)
AGM. Wed. Feb.18. 7 to 9 pm at Sooke Harbour
House. All who are interested in tourism are welcome.
Tri-District Pro-D. Fri. Feb.20. Non-instructional day; all schools in Sooke & Greater Victoria area.
Peoples Drug MartSooke ~ 25th Anniversary.
Fri. Feb.20 & Sat Feb.21. Prizes, contests.
Sooke Minor Fastball registration. SunFeb
22. 1:30 to 3:30pm. At SEAPARC. [Also Mar 9, Mar 25
at various times] www.sookefastball.com
District of Sooke. Regular council meeting
Mon. Feb.23 at 7 pm.
Follow
us on
Twitter: @jdfemerg
Follow
Follow us
us on
on Twitter:
Twitter: @jdfemerg
@jdfemerg
Valentine’s Dinner and, for
some, an overnight stay with breakfast, is nearly sold out, says Val
Lessard at the West Coast Grill in the
Prestige Oceanfront Resort. The 4course romantic dinner with live music runs 6 to 9pm on Sat, February
14, for $55pp. The overnight package
for $124pp includes dinner, double occupancy, and breakfast for 2. SVN
2049 Idlemore Rd in Sooke
Free event postings courtesy as space permits.
PRIORITY TO ADVERTISERS
www.prepareyourself.ca
Almost sold out for
Valentine’s dinner
Drop off-pay by the bag:
Household goods, kitchen scraps, wood,
construction materials, tires & batteries,
old paint, yard waste, electronics.
Friday, February 13, 2015 ::: SOOKE VOICE NEWS
Add a change of clothing for each
family member to your #emergency
kit.
Twitter: #26weeks
Sooke Voice News
Page 4 of 4 :::
250.642.7729
decided to take a
stand against bullying
in their own school
after a Grade 9 boy
was teased for
wearing a pink shirt
to school.
Sooke & West
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