West Shore This Week – Let it snow, again!

Welcome to West Shore This Week, your source for the latest local news and events. Sign up to get this in your inbox every Wednesday.

News and announcements

• The City of Langford has been named B.C.’s most resilient city by BC Business magazine. Vancouver Island has six cities in the top 10, including the District of Sooke, sitting at number five. The magazine used 12 economic indicators to rank cities, such as population growth, unemployment rate, population age and more.
• A housing needs report for the District of Metchosin was received at a council meeting on Feb. 1. Some highlights from the report include the municipality’s aging population – and a lack of downsizing and supportive housing options in the community – as well as an increase in renter households in the district. You can read the full report here. 
• In a news release sent by email, the City of Langford announced that it will be receiving 38.5 acres of forest land, dedicated by Westhills Land Corporation. The land will be protected in perpetuity for residents of Langford. The dedication includes a 3.5-acre parcel that connects to the Jordie Lunn Bike Park and another 35 acres on the east side of West Shore Parkway, which will feature open green space and trail connections to residential areas. A section of the land has been identified as a potential rock climbing area as well. Langford says city staff will develop a trail network and wayfinding plan for the lands over the coming months.
• As of Thursday, Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m., Colwood community members will have access to a public information presentation on a proposed multi-phase apartment development located at 3554 Ryder Hesjedal Way. District Developments Corp. will share its presentation online at www.monarchcolwood.com. Comments, questions or additional information about the application can be directed to [email protected] or 1-604-322-5762. For more information, check out the City of Colwood’s news release here.
• Two people and two dogs escaped a Saturday house fire in the Whiffin Spit area of Sooke. They were uninjured, but three cats are still missing, the Times Colonist reports. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
• The drunk driver who crashed into West Shore RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett’s cruiser in 2016, resulting in her death, has been granted overnight parole privileges, the Goldstream News Gazette reports.
• View Royal Mayor David Screech is estimating that the township will lose $2 million in revenue due to the closure of Elements Casino, the Goldstream News Gazette reports. The casino will have been closed for a full year come March.
• The District of Sooke is looking to form a sister city agreement with Natoria, Japan, the Sooke News Mirror reports. Sister cities participate in annual cultural and business exchanges. The two cities hope to begin negotiations this year to formalize the agreement.
• Protests outside the OK Industries quarry site in the Highlands continued through the snowy weekend and will be ongoing this week. Residents have formed a group called Not OK in opposition to the mine and have launched a petition to stop work at the site. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition garnered almost 9,000 signatures.
• A Colwood teen unofficially broke the world record for most Rubik’s cubes solved while hula hooping, the Goldstream News Gazette reports. Josiah Plett marked his 18th birthday on Saturday while unofficially breaking the Guinness World Record with more than 1,000 solves in six hours.

Community events

• Wednesday, Feb. 17: 🗺 Join a Symposium on Black migration and British Columbia, presented by the BC Black History Awareness Society.
• Thursday, Feb. 18: 🍎Learn about the life experiences of a Black educator in the online event Anti-racism in Education: Through the Eyes of Dionte Jelks.
• Saturday, Feb. 20: 🎉Join Thrive4Blacks Community Services and HeadHeartHand Foundation for a virtual B.C. Black History Month celebration.
• Saturday, Feb. 20: 👟 The Coldest Night of the Year, a family-friendly walk to raise money for charities serving people experiencing homelessness, will take place on Feb. 20 this year. Participants will self-organize their own walks due to COVID-19. Register online as an individual or a team.
• Saturday, Feb. 20: 🎶Listen to some smooth jazz and celebrate Black History Month with Issamba Bites Noedy Hechavarria Duharte. The event will be streamed online.
• Weekends until Feb. 28: 🎨 Visit Metchosin ArtPod for its new exhibition, About Face: A Portrait Show. The show’s feature artist and guest juror is Noah Layne, who will be exhibiting several of his pieces and will do two online drawing workshops. More information can be found on the Facebook event page.
• Deadline March 8, 6 p.m.: 🎤CRD residents between the ages of 14 and 24 are invited to apply for Opening Act, an online series of songwriting and performance workshops facilitated by Victoria’s artist in residence, Kathryn Calder. A 30-minute information session will take place on Feb. 18. For more details, click here.

If you’re planning an event that I should consider for an upcoming list, send me an email and let me know.

In your words

In a Facebook post for The Discourse Cowichan, Tricia said:

“I support The Discourse. As a start-up media group they report the local news that often does not get published by mainstream media.”

Thank you so much for your support, Tricia. We’re working hard to serve our communities and fill gaps in local news coverage and couldn’t do it without awesome community members backing us up! [end]