Hello {{ first name | there}}!

This is the final standalone edition of The Westshore newsletter—and next Tuesday will be the first edition of the new joint Capital Daily + Westshore newsletter.

Beginning next week, The Westshore is joining forces with our sister publication Capital Daily. You'll find dedicated Westshore region stories in the Capital Daily newsletter every Tuesday and Thursday—the same schedule you're used to—along with an expanded version of What's Offshore every Monday.

What this means for you

Some of you are already Capital Daily subscribers, but many of you aren't. We can't automatically move all of you over to our new home—you'll have to sign up. To ensure you don't miss a single Westshore story, you'll need to opt in to receive the Capital Daily newsletter. It takes just a few seconds:

SUBSCRIBE TO CAPITAL DAILY

We're committed to maintaining the quality local coverage you've come to expect from The Westshore, while providing even more value through Capital Daily's expanded resources and reach.

We hope you'll join us for this exciting next chapter. If you have any questions about this transition, please reply to this email.

Thank you for reading The Westshore over these past months and years—and for reading it in its new home for many months and years more.

– Cam and the rest of The Westshore & Capital Daily Team

Today we have plenty of local news for you, beginning with an update on the new 911 costs that have bumped up budgets (and taxes) in multiple Westshore municipalities.

NEWS

As spikes in 911 costs take effect, Westshore municipalities seek ways to mitigate

Oliver Grüter-Andrew, president & CEO at E-Comm’s South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch Centre opening in 2019. Photo: E-Comm

As spring budget season wraps, several Westshore municipalities are now on the hook for 100% of E-Comm emergency dispatch costs.

Colwood, Langford, Sooke, and View Royal are among the South Island municipalities to whom BC began transferring 9-1-1 costs on March 31 after several years footing the bill (and prior years of splitting it 70:30 with the feds).

That change has bumped up municipal budgets—and in turn property taxes—in a year already facing high increases. Langford, for example, will absorb an additional $3.5M for E-Comm this year and next. Affected local mayors say they were blindsided by the hike; it was long scheduled to arrive this year, but they had expected an extension and more discussions. 

The mayors wrote a Jan. 29 letter to BC Solicitor General Garry Begg to argue the fees are a financial hardship, an “inequitable cost downloading,” and unfairly applied to South VI but not other areas. They say BC hasn't consulted with local munis or explored other funding models or a telecom levy (as used in other provinces).

A Feb. 20 response from Begg indicated that no further funding from BC would come, while committing to work with affected municipalities to address concerns. In response, the mayors sent a joint letter directly to Premier David Eby on Feb. 19 and another follow-up letter on March 7, requesting the continuation of transitional funding.

But there was no reprieve, and the costs took effect after March 31, adding nearly $5M collectively to these South Island budgets for April to Dec.

Some municipalities are also pursuing ways to offset the cost in the short- and long-term

This week Metchosin looked at pursuing a $100K grant for Computer-Aided Dispatch, an element of the Next Generation 911 modernization that E-Comm has been undergoing. Meanwhile, last month Sooke announced that its delegates would go to next fall's Union of BC Municipalities conference with a proposal.

It would call on BC's municipalities to jointly advocate to the province to change Section 644 of the Local Government Act to allow a levy on internet and mobile—currently, municipalities are only allowed to collect a 1% tax on subscriber revenue from utilities such as telephone and cable. Those traditional utilities bring in less and less tax revenue every year, Deputy Mayor Bateman argued in a release last month.

E-Comm says it was also thrown by funding framework shifts

Sooke met with E-Comm in March; E-Comm's reps told council that it, too, was affected by lack of funding transparency.

The confusion meant unpaid bills for nearly a year, when the Westshore's RCMP (i.e. federal) dispatch employees became E-Comm employees in 2019 and the 30% funding obligation ended—making it unclear who was responsible for paying E-Comm bills.

“We didn’t know where to send out invoices to be paid,” president and CEO Oliver Grüter-Andrew said, “We went to the province to ask to be paid.”

E-Comm is owned by local governments as a shareholder-run corporation, though not every city has a rep on its 23-member board. Saanich PD’s deputy chief is the Island's only one. Sooke council voiced frustration with that lack of direct representation—that was covered in this piece earlier in the spring.

WESTSHORE SNAPS

The birds of the Westshore

Anna's Hummingbird. Photo: Gary Woodburn

At the start of the spring, we put a (bird) call out for your photos of the Westshore's fine feathered friends. Birds have been some of the most popular subjects of Westshore Snaps through the years, and we wanted to highlight some of the best birdwatching you've shared with us in recent months.

See cute, funny, and striking shots of hummingbirds, herons, kingfishers, sapsuckers, ducks, robins, and more.

Our special thanks go out to Gary Woodburn and Glenys Pumfrey for their many submissions, of which we're featuring some of our favourite examples here.

See the full roundup of bird photos here.

A cormorant on Colwood Lake. Photo: Glenys Pumfrey

Around the 'Shore

Photo: Greater Victoria Green Team

🚬 7,283 cigarette butts removed from Langford Station: The Greater Victoria Green Team says it collected a new record number of  butts as part of a cleanup last weekend that gathered 55lbs of garbage (the weight of a beaver). The cleanup was a partnership with Langford's engineering dept. and was sponsored by Orion Construction. 

🗳 Sooke sets byelection for July 12: At Tuesday's special meeting an electoral officer was appointed, which starts an 80-day clock for the election. Coun. Beddows felt that a Sept. election would get better turnout, noting that there aren't many summer council meetings anyway. But others felt the delay was already very long and that it would strain BC's rules to wait longer, now that the federal election result has eliminated the possibility of needing to add the mayoral seat to the byelection. [Meeting video]

🏕 Newly upgraded China Beach now open for booking: The latest update adds 13 campsites (for a total of 125, including 33 added last year) and a pair of accessible-shower and flush-toilet buildings. A fall upgrade will add 45 day-parking spaces and a service centre. The attached Juan de Fuca trail remains closed this summer, but this campground opens May 15 and can be booked starting today. [BC Gov News]

⚖ New local MP's legal career less worker-friendly than advertised, some labour leaders say. They say that Stephanie McLean worked for a firm long known for representing employers against workers, and that the Carpenters union she represented was found by the labour board to have improperly made a deal with a work camp employer that undermined another union's efforts to organize its staff. [PressProgress]

🎳 Sooke bowling alley proposal passes rezoning stage: Public and council feedback was broadly supportive but did flag some parking concerns. Before becoming a Mediterranean restaurant, pizza place, cafe, and bowling alley, the lot will still need to get a development permit. [Sooke News Mirror]

📰 Tuesday newsletter: Election results: Meet your new Westshore MPs. [April 29]

Community Events

🎼 Soundtrack of our Lives: Familiar hits with fresh harmonies from Choral Evolution. Shows Fri. 7:30pm & Sun. 2pm in Sooke + Sat. 2pm in Esquimalt. [Info / Tickets]

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. Until Sun. May 4.

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. Sat. at SEAPARC. [Info]

🍪 Smile Cookie fundraiser at Tim Hortons in Sooke until Sun. May 4, supporting the Sooke Transition House Society in its work to help women & children in crisis. [Info]

🛍 Westshore Swap & Shop Market on Sundays until end of Aug. at Juan de Fuca Rec.

🍅 Goldstream Farmers Market on Sunday, 10am-2pm at Veterans Memorial Park.

🏰 Spring Craft Fair at Ruth King Elementary. 90+ vendors, bouncy castles, live performances, music, free games, and more. Entry by donation, with proceeds to the playground. Sat. 10am-3pm. [Info] 

⚽️ Canadian Championship soccer: Pacific FC will host Vancouver FC on Tues. for the national tourney, after the BC siblings tied in league play last weekend. [Tickets]

🍦 Solaris grand opening at Westhills, with ice cream, hot dogs, and games. [Info]

🥾 Born Reckless headlines Country Night at Sooke Community Hall on Sat. for the Sooke Concert Series. All ages but also has bar service. Doors 7pm. [Info / tickets]

😼🎩 Seuss-tastic Celebration: Free Dr. Seuss books, snacks, refreshments, and door prizes. Hosted at 2840 Peatt on Sunday (11am-1pm) by the Sooke-Westshore Literacy Society.

🧤 Invasive Scotch broom removal activity on Sat. May 3 (9:45am-1pm) in Murray's Pond Park. [Details]

🏓 1st-ever Sooke Paddle Battle pickleball tournament is this Sat. & Sun. [Info]

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on Sat. [Event info]

🐥 17th Annual Duck Day Race and Family Event: Games, activities, hot dogs, and crafts for the kids as rubber ducks race down the Sooke River. 11am-2pm May 3. Free admission, but you can buy tickets to try to win the grand prize. [More info]

🌱 Annual Public Plant Sale for the Sooke Garden Club is May 10 at the Evergreen Shopping Centre.

💡 Colwood Ideas Fair is May 10 at Colwood Corners. Come to discuss local issues including neighbourhoods, housing, transportation, parking, health, disaster resilience, youth, volunteers, animals, litter, and more. [Info]

📦 Community Garage Sale, Sat. May 10 from 9am-2pm. China/glass, clothing, plants, books, garden items, etc. BBQ. Free admission & parking. St. Joseph The Worker Church Hall at 753 Burnside W. near View Royal.

Council Meetings

Colwood: Special Council Meeting tonight covering many topics from Quarry Park to short-term-rental bylaws to Latoria bike lane to Grant-in-aid funding. [Agenda] Planning & Land Use Committee Meeting on Monday. [Agenda]

Metchosin: Council meeting on Monday 

Langford: Council meeting on Monday. [Calendar]

Highlands: Regular Council meeting on Monday. Agenda not out yet, but will appear here.

Sooke: Special Council meeting on Monday; Land Use & Development Committee on Tuesday. [Calendar]

View Royal: Council meeting next Tuesday. [VR council meeting overview]

What’s Offshore?

Off Colwood coast: Nothing right now.

🚢 Further out:  GSL Calliope, a 2004-built container ship under a Liberia flag 🇱🇷 that arrived from Yantian, China and is soon sailing back to Shanghai. Seaways Redwood, a 2013-built crude oil tanker sailing from El Segundo, US to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭. 

🚢 Ogden Point: BBC Rostov, a general cargo ship built in 2024 and sailing from Ensenada, Mexico to Victoria under an Antigua & Barbuda flag 🇦🇬.

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

At the start of the spring, we put a (bird) call out for your photos of the Westshore's fine feathered friends. Birds have been some of the most popular subjects of Westshore Snaps through the years, and we wanted to highlight some of the best birdwatching you've shared with us in recent months.

See cute, funny, and striking shots of hummingbirds, herons, kingfishers, sapsuckers, ducks, robins, and more.

Special thanks to Gary Woodburn and Glenys Pumfrey for their many submissions, of which we're featuring some of our favourite examples here.

See the full roundup of bird photos below.

Anna's Hummingbird with a flowering red currant. — Gary Woodburn

Hummingbirds of the Westshore — Morris Skrabyk

Female Common Goldeneye preening with a male Common Merganser – Gary Woodburn

A cormorant on Colwood Lake enjoying spring weather. — Glenys Pumfrey

“This red breasted sapsucker was attacking a tree next to my parking spot in View Royal.” — Dell Lang 

The early bird earns its reputation — Gary Woodburn

Esquimalt Lagoon’s resident Kingfisher sitting on the wire — Glenys Pumfrey, Colwood

This magnificent flew by my kitchen window while I was preparing dinner. Although hard to see in the photo, it has a rabbit in its claws. — Jeanette McMillan, Metchosin

Great Blue Heron at Royal Roads, standing up (left) and taking a bath (right) — Gary Woodburn

Birds of the winter 

Many of you also sent in bird photos during our winter photo roundup and for the February cold snap.

From back in February: Here's a photo of a robin who seems perplexed about the snow making getting its dinner more difficult during the recent snowy conditions. — Bennett Guinn

Resident peacocks enjoying (?) a snow day on the Royal Roads campus. — Ali Blythe

From February: “On Frozen Pond” at Thetis Lake. – Richard Steward, View Royal

From February: A swan a-swimming — Frankie Lawrence

A peck on the cheek (literally): Esquimalt Lagoon rock pigeon gives its Valentine a kiss. — Glenys Pumfrey

“Chilly morning at Albert Head Lagoon… but the ducks can stand (on) it.” – Ron Myers, Colwood

A big snowfall and a little bird — Ken Johansen

From last fall:

Northern Saw-whet Owl at Pedder Bay (Rocky Point Bird Observatory migration monitoring station). — Photo by Jannaca Chick

“Cutest owls in the world! :)” – reader Gaylia Lassner, who submitted the photo.

A trailblazing kestrel treated at Metchosin's Wild ARC centre in 2024. It was "accidentslly rescued" by a well-meaning but mistaken local, then hand-reared at the cebtre fir 42 days before being released. Photos: BC SPCA / Wild ARC

Seagull at Esquimalt lagoon — Michelle Hamilton

Ending where we begin, with a hummingbird spotted by Gary Woodburn. He explained: “Rufous Hummingbirds travel nearly 4,000 miles from Alaska and northwest Canada breeding grounds to wintering sites in Mexico. They travel north up the Pacific Coast in spring and return by the Rocky Mountains in late summer and fall.”

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Like most Island ridings, the Westshore will have new MPs. See below for the election results, info on the new representatives, notes on the rest of the Island and country's results, and an update on how municipal politics will be affected.

— Cam

ELECTION RESULTS

Westshore ridings change colours as Liberals & Conservatives overtake NDP

New MPs Stephanie McLean and Jeff Kibble. Photos from candidate campaign sites.

Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke: Stephanie McLean wins for Liberals

The lawyer and former Alberta NDP minister won in a blowout in what had been projected as a tighter race. She had 49% while aerospace engineer Grant Cool had 29% for the Conservatives and Sooke Mayor Maja Tait brought the NDP 19% (per Tues. morning results with 233 of 234 polls reporting).

Under the one-term Notley government, McLean served as Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Service Alberta in the Notley government before moving to the Island. In office she added protections against predatory lending, established community grants, modernized vital-stats collection, and oversaw the creation and development of the Ministry of Status of Women.

Her campaign points have included expanding federal support for homebuilding; adding RCMP officers and border guards; affordability programs for childcare and seniors; accelerating energy projects; expanding military investment and recruitment; funding local infrastructure projects; and funding healthcare programs including for mental health.

Tait has for some time been cued up as the heir apparent to Randall Garrison, who held the riding and its predecessor for 17 years, with easy wins in recent elections, before retiring this past winter. But the resurgence of Liberal fortunes under Carney has buoyed the Liberals nationwide and on the Island, leaving Tait in third. McLean's own ties to the NDP as a former provincial MLA may also have been a factor for voters choosing between the two parties.

Read her answers to our 8 questions here.

Cowichan–Malahat–Langford: Jeff Kibble breaks through for Conservatives

The Toronto-born, Vancouver-raised Kibble spent 28 years in the Navy and volunteers with the Wounded Warrior BC run. He unseated the only MP the region has known since it was first contested a decade ago, defeating Alistair MacGregor 37% to 33% (with 298 of 300 polls in).

MacGregor had won the riding comfortably in the past three contests. But returning Liberal candidate Blair Herbert surged by double digits, to 26%, seemingly cutting deeply into MacGregor support. Meanwhile Kibble grew the Conservative vote share, paralleling the BC Conservative rise last fall in the Malahat area. His 38% is higher than some previous MacGregor wins. The Greens’ Kathleen Code was a distant fourth in what has at times been a strong riding for the party.

Kibble's campaign points included cutting taxes; cutting government bureaucracy and regulation on housing; heavier sentencing for crime / drugs; “a balance of public and private delivery options” of healthcare; pursuing Island rail and a Malahat bypass; and boosting the economy and industry.

Read his answers to our 8 questions here.

His campaign came under fire from the other candidates this month for holding private events rather than attending all-candidate debates—and for holding those events alongside local museum operator Jim Shockey, who has personal ties to Donald Trump Jr.

MacGregor had maintained two offices in the large riding, which the incoming MP will likely continue to do.

See full local ridings results at Capital Daily.

NEWS

Other Island election takeaways: Island seats shaken up as NDP dip nationwide

The federal Liberals maintained enough seats to keep a minority government last night, while the NDP collapsed substantially including on the Island. The New Democrats were reduced to just 7 seats—one of them Courtenay - Alberni incumbent Gord Johns—and 6.3% of the vote share. However, the party may still end up holding the keys to a viable Liberal government because the LPC project to fall just short of the 172 majority. Seat tallies aren't yet finalized, with a handful of close races still awaiting final numbers as of 6am PT.

May retains Saanich–Gulf Islands

Green co-leader Elizabeth May will represent the peninsula for a fifth time—but once again as the lone member of her party, with a Green seat lost in Kitchener and none gained in Nanaimo or Ottawa.

After nearly two decades, Liberals retake Capital Region core

Most NDP support appears to have been siphoned by the nationwide Liberal wave under PM Carney. The Liberals flipped longtime NDP stronghold Victoria as well as Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke, both by comfortable margins.

Conservatives win plurality of Island seats as Liberal rise cuts into NDP

But Island Conservatives may have ultimately been the biggest beneficiaries of the Liberal wave, despite its obvious blow to their hopes of forming government. As seen in Cowichan–Malahat–Langford, the Liberal vote percentage climbing into the high 20s in many Island ridings proved to be enough to drop NDP incumbents back enough that they could not fend off Conservatives who managed vote counts in the high 30s.

Nanaimo Ladysmith was further complicated by Green Paul Manly, the MP unseated in 2021, re-entering the race. Conservative Tamara Kronis easily bested the others in one of Canada's few four-way races.

Like Alistair MacGregor, Tanille Johnston was unseated by a Conservative challenger—despite widespread criticism of that candidate, right-wing activist Aaron Gunn, particularly for past comments on residential schools. In Courtenay, Gord Johns bucked the trend to remain one of the few NDP MPs left standing nationally.

Island now has has MPs from 4 parties

Overall, the shakeup has left the Island with a mix of representation not seen in decades, with MPs from all four major English-language parties. How many of those parties end up with a place in government remains to be seen.

NEWS

Single-seat Sooke byelection now expected within two months

Dana Lajeunesse (bottom left) must be replaced on Sooke council, but Maja Tait (bottom centre) will stay on. Council photo: District of Sooke

With Sooke Mayor Maja Tait not winning her federal race, the District now has a simpler byelection process ahead. The seat vacated by Dana Lajeunesse's own elevation to higher office last fall remains empty more than half a year later; BC rules don't specify an exact byelection timeline. Sooke staff and council had pushed the decision date as late as possible based on the knowledge that Tait was running.

Staff were concerned about not only voter fatigue from having multiple elections in a row, but also the extra $39K cost of potentially having to go back to the polls to replace Tait shortly after voting somebody in to replace now-MLA Lajeunesse. There was also the possibility that one or more current councillors would run for a vacant mayoral seat—necessitating a process to replace another councillor, too, if one were elected to mayor.

Ultimately, those careful considerations are now moot due to Tait—long cued up as a successor to longtime NDP MLA Randall Garrison—losing the federal race. She will remain as mayor until the term ends in 2026, at which point she has said she will not seek the seat again.

That still leaves Lajeunesse's former seat to fill, and council is having a special meeting about that byelection tonight. The current staff recommendation had called for a decision about a Chief Election Officer to come on May 12. The election of an officer does trigger a maximum timeline (80 days), and so the byelection would then be scheduled for July 26 under this staff plan. Staff recommend Jessica Bagwell as chief officer and Nancy Owen as her deputy.

Council is also planning a referendum on borrowing money for infrastructure projects, but that is currently slated to be merged with the 2026 local election rather than the 2025 byelection (which was originally a possibility, and another part of the reason for the delayed decision).

Around the 'Shore

⚾️ Temporary fencing stolen from Langford baseball diamond: Usually, it’s the bases that are stolen. But sometime between Sat. night and Sun. morning, someone took 45m of outfield fencing temporarily set up at Centennial Park on Carlow for a U-13 softball tournament. A Langford Fastball spokesperson said the fence was hacked down, and three-quarters of it was taken. The tourney used cones temporarily, but new fencing will be needed long-term and tariff issues could delay its arrival or push the price up above $4K- $5K. [CHEK]

🚔 2 men arrested in drug & exploitation investigation: Sooke RCMP arrested men aged 48 & 51 after a search at a mobile home park in Sooke. Police say they acted on information that “two individuals were allegedly taking advantage of young vulnerable women” aged 19-22. They say they found photos of some such women and believe others have yet to come forward.

🏰 Last week: Colwood unveils region's largest playground, while Langford launches new park. [Thursday newsletter]

Community Events

🚍 BC Transit wants your input on changes to local routes. Visit a session today in Langford about the futures of Route 39 (Westhills/Interurban/Royal Oak/UVic), Route 51 (Langford/UVic), and Route 65 (Sooke/Downtown via Westhills). [Info / times & locations / survey link]

🎼 Soundtrack of our Lives: Familiar hits with fresh harmonies from Choral Evolution. Shows next weekend in Sooke & Esquimalt. [Info / Tickets]

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. Until May 4.

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. Sat. at SEAPARC. [Info]

🏓 1st-ever Sooke Paddle Battle pickleball tournament is May 3-4. [Info]

🐥 17th Annual Duck Day Race and Family Event: Sooke Harbourside Lions present games, activities, hot dogs, and crafts for the kids as rubber ducks race down the Sooke River. 11am-2pm May 3. Free admission, but tickets to try to win the grand prize go on sale tomorrow. [More info]

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

💡 Colwood Ideas Fair is May 10 at Colwood Corners. Come to discuss local issues including neighbourhoods, housing, transportation, parking, health, disaster resilience, youth, volunteers, animals, litter, and more. [Info]

📦 Community Garage Sale, Sat. May 10 from 9am-2pm. China/glass, clothing, plants, books, garden items, etc. BBQ. Free admission & parking. St. Joseph The Worker Church Hall at 753 Burnside W. near View Royal.

Council Meetings

View Royal: No more council meetings scheduled this month.

Colwood: Today will have meetings of environment, active transportation, and infrastructure committees. [Calendar]

Highlands: Regular council meeting today. [Calendar]

Sooke: Committee of the Whole meets today. [Schedule]

Langford: Council meeting today. [Calendar]

Metchosin: No meetings until next Monday.

What’s Offshore?

Off Colwood coast: Nothing right now.

🚢 Further out: The NACC Poris is a cement carrier sailing from Seattle to Richmond under the flag of Portugal 🇵🇹.

🚢 Ogden Point: BBC Rhine, a general cargo ship built in 2013 and sailing from Gunsan, Korea to Victoria under an Antigua & Barbuda flag 🇦🇬 .

Westshore Snaps

Iron Mine Beach in Sooke. – Richard Steward, View Royal

One more newsletter!

In case you missed our announcement, this is the last week that you’ll be receiving your Westshore news in this newsletter. Starting next week we are joining forces with our sister publication Capital Daily! To continue receiving your local Westshore news without interruption, make sure you opt-in to receive all your Greater Victoria news in one combined newsletter by subscribing at this link.

What this means for you:

• You’ll be getting news from around the South Island (including the Westshore) 7 days a week

• Your dedicated Westshore region stories & events will still run every Tuesday and Thursday

• The reader-favourite "What's Offshore" will arrive in the Monday newsletter

But if you don’t opt in this week, you’ll miss out! So be sure to subscribe at this link today!

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Today we have one more pre-election extravaganza for you, since this will be the last Westshore newsletter before all ballots are cast. In this edition, we have wrangled survey responses from nearly all of the candidates in both Westshore ridings.

They gave answers—some with great detail—to our 8 questions about some of the broad issues that affect your lives here in the region. Housing, transportation, safety, the environment, the US, and more.

— Cam

ELECTION 2025

8 questions for your federal candidates

Local riding maps via Parliament website

In Canada, voters elect local candidates as Members of Parliament, who then represent their region in Ottawa and in some cases form part of the government. We sent out surveys to your local candidates to ask how they, and their parties, promise to help locals on various major issues.

8 questions: Cowichan–Malahat–Langford

Alistair MacGregor, Jeff Kibble, Blair Herbert, Kathleen Code, and Dagmar Groeschick

Cowichan – Malahat – Langford is a vast riding first contested in 2015. It has been held by the NDP's Alistair MacGregor since then, with the Conservatives typically finishing a distant second. The riding is seen as a close race, and a tough battle even for the longtime incumbent MacGregor, due to trends such as the rise of the Conservatives in the past few years and the resurgence of the Liberals in the past few months.

The riding population is split fairly evenly between the Cowichan Valley and Langford portions of the riding. Candidates have been campaigning in both, and whoever is elected would likely maintain the current approach of having two different constituents' offices.

We received extensive responses from the 4 major parties in this riding. We have two ways for you to read them:

Question-by-question in this story at Capital Daily.

Person-by-person in this story at The Westshore. 

8 questions: Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke

Left to right: Maja Tait; Stephanie McLean; Grant Cool; Ben Homer-Dixon. Bottom: Nikita Heurtier; Robert Crooks; Param Bhatti; David Schaafsma. All photos from respective candidates campaign pages

The oddly shaped Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke electoral district skirts underneath the other Westshore riding, going along the coastline from Sooke at the edge through Metchosin and Colwood and then Esquimalt, and cuts inland to include View Royal and parts of Saanich.

The riding has existed for a decade and the NDP's Randall Garrison held it until his retirement last year, winning comfortably multiple times.

His successor, Sooke Mayor Maja Tait, faces a battle to keep the seat with the NDP. There is a full roster of challengers: Liberal Stephanie McLean (a former Alberta NDP minister), Conservative Grant Cool (a successful aerospace engineer), Green Ben Homer-Dixon (a young activist and student), and a bevy of smaller parties and independents.

We have responses from the bulk of these competitors, and you can read the person-by-person replies here at The Westshore.

The question-by-question replies will appear tomorrow at Capital Daily, which you can subscribe to at this link. Remember that The Westshore newsletter is merging with Capital Daily, so subscribing will also get you your Tuesday and Thursday Westshore news going forward.

We will add candidate responses if they come in late, so if you check back in a day or two, you may see more people included.

SPONSORED BY GLENLYON NORFOLK SCHOOL

Discover the GNS difference

On April 25, you are invited to discover the transformative education offered by Glenlyon Norfolk School through its renowned International Baccalaureate Programmes and dynamic co-curricular offerings. Attend an open house to explore the school, meet dedicated staff and talk to students about how GNS helps learners thrive as balanced individuals ready for success.

Families from across Victoria choose GNS for its strong academic programs, inclusive community, and emphasis on hands-on learning experiences. Whether a child excels in academics, athletics, or the arts, GNS provides the resources and support to help them achieve their full potential. Tailored pathways to achievement ensure students reach their unique goals and are equipped for academic and life success.

Register today to find out how a world-class education is closer than you think!

NEWS

New park & playgrounds in the 'Shore core

Quarry Park playground in Colwood / Porcher Park playground in Langford. Both images via city releases.

Colwood unveils the region's largest playground

It includes a 3-level castle, a pirate ship, and several inclusive and accessible features. Royal Bay's Quarry Park is also slated to complete new walking trails, a bike park, and a pump track soon. It will eventually expand to include new sports fields and other amenities, likely partly on neighbouring SD62 land. [Info]

Porcher Park officially opens in Langford

The city has had the original park land for 54 years but just completed a renovation and expansion after adding three adjacent properties on Brock and on Wren. The new park includes more greenspace, accessible playground equipment, and—soon—a community garden. The garden will be a first of its kind for the city and will be operated by Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society (UFRIS). In advance of the full park opening, local Green Teams spent two years clearing invasive plants out. [Info]

Around the 'Shore

🚍 BC Transit wants your input on changes to local routes. Talk to them online, this weekend in Sooke, or next weekend in Langford about the futures of the Route 39 (Westhills/Interurban/Royal Oak/UVic), Route 51 (Langford/UVic), and Route 65 (Sooke/Downtown via Westhills). [Info / times & locations / survey link]

💿 Are these your coins? West Shore RCMP say they seized these 60+ coins last fall but haven't yet found the rightful owner. [Image / details]

🐻🏒 Grizzlies on brink of BCHL semifinals after beating Cowichan Valley in Colwood on Tuesday. The 6-3 win, despite taking only half as many shots as their rival, put the Grizzlies up 3-0 in the series. But the Capitals rallied last night, winning narrowly (6-5) to extend the series. Game 5 is tomorrow in Duncan, and Game 6 (if necessary) will be back at the Q Centre on Sat.

⏪ Last time on The Westshore: Juan de Fuca major trail & camping closed all season. A $3M+ skatepark & SEAPARC reno is being proposed—and so is a Sooke bowling alley. [Tues. news.]

✍🏽 The Victoria Foundation is celebrating 20 years of the Victoria’s Vital Signs program this year. Take part in the region’s annual checkup and enter the draw to win a $100 gift card to Country Grocer. Read the full article here.*

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

⏳ Community conversation sessions about the future of the Sooke Region Museum today and tomorrow. [Info / RSVP]

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. Until May 4.

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. Sat. at SEAPARC. [Info]

🌏 Sooke Earth Day Celebration: Celebrate sustainability and community at the greenspace beside Fire Station One (2225 Otter Point Rd.). Enjoy exhibits and hands-on activities. Explore the Sooke Country Market and connect with organizations like Transition Sooke, Wild Wise Society, and BC Transit. Sat. 10am-2pm. [Info]

🏓 1st-ever Sooke Paddle Battle pickleball tournament is May 3-4.

🐥 17th Annual Duck Day Race and Family Event: Sooke Harbourside Lions present games, activities, hot dogs, and crafts for the kids as rubber ducks race down the Sooke River. 11am-2pm May 3. Free admission, but tickets to try to win the grand prize go on sale tomorrow. [More info]

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

🐟 Peninsula Streams & Shorelines silent migration online auction fundraiser until Sunday. Bid on marine adventures, Alaska cruises, mushroom tours, cutting boards, watercolours, and more. You can also join the Smolt Soirée in person on Saturday at 5pm, a spring celebration marking the conclusion of the auction and the annual spring outmigration of smolts.

🎼 Soundtrack of our Lives: Familiar hits with fresh harmonies from Choral Evolution. Shows next weekend in Sooke & Esquimalt. [Info / Tickets]

💡 Colwood Ideas Fair is May 10 at Colwood Corners. Come to discuss local issues including neighbourhoods, housing, transportation, parking, health, disaster resilience, youth, volunteers, animals, litter, and more. [Info]

📦 Community Garage Sale, Sat. May 10 from 9am-2pm. China/glass, clothing, plants, books, garden items, etc. BBQ. Free admission & parking. St. Joseph The Worker Church Hall at 753 Burnside W. near View Royal.

Council Meetings

View Royal: No more council meetings scheduled this month.

Colwood: Waterfront Stewardship Committee today. Meetings next Mon. moved to May 1. [Calendar]

Highlands: No meetings until May 5. Calendar 

Sooke: Regular Council & Special Council meetings next Mon. [Schedule]

Langford: Community Advisory Committee on Mon. [Calendar]

Metchosin: Special council meeting today about finances, and a council meeting next Mon. [Calendar]

What’s Offshore?

🚢 MSC Vandya, a container ship built in 2012 sailing from Seattle to Vancouver under the Panama flag 🇵🇦 .

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Westshore Snaps

Hummingbird at a feeder, from Morris Skrabyk

Blossoms in Langford [Work the Angle photos]

Important Update

In case you missed our announcement on Tuesday, starting next month we are joining forces with our sister publication Capital Daily! To continue receiving your local Westshore news without interruption, make sure you opt-in to receive all your Greater Victoria news in one combined newsletter by subscribing at this link.

What this means for you:

• You’ll be getting news from around the South Island (including the Westshore) 7 days a week

• Your dedicated Westshore region stories & events will still run every Tuesday and Thursday

• The reader-favourite "What's Offshore" will arrive in the Monday newsletter

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Left to right: Maja Tait; Stephanie McLean; Grant Cool; Ben Homer-Dixon. Bottom: Nikita Heurtier; Robert Crooks; Param Bhatti; David Schaafsma. All photos from respective candidates campaign pages

In Canada, voters elect local candidates as Members of Parliament, who then represent their region in Ottawa and in some cases form part of the government. We sent out surveys to your local candidates to ask how they, and their parties, promise to help locals on various major issues.

You can go straight to the questions and answers by clicking here, or keep reading for some background on the riding and this election race.

The riding

The oddly shaped Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke electoral district skirts underneath the other Westshore riding, going along the coastline from Sooke at the edge through Metchosin and Colwood and then Esquimalt, and cuts inland to include View Royal and parts of Saanich.

The riding has existed for a decade and the NDP's Randall Garrison held it until his retirement last year, winning comfortably multiple times. He stepped aside this past winter for health reasons after cueing up Sooke Mayor Maja Tait as his successor as NDP candidate.

This year's election race

Next week's results will reveal whether the riding was an NDP stronghold or a Randall Garrison stronghold. Tait and the NDP face a challenge on multiple fronts. The other three major parties have done respectably in the riding in the past.

This year the broader recent resurgence of the Liberals could carry ex-Alberta-NDP MLA Stephanie McLean to the seat—or draw enough votes to create an opening for blue to leap past both orange and red.

The Sooke portion of the region was part of one of BC's closest provincial ridings last fall, with the BC Conservatives (not formally affiliated with the federal Conservatives) performing surprisingly well. Grant Cool is attempting to make similar inroads into what has in recent years been NDP territory.

The E-S-S race also features one of Canada's youngest major-party candidates in Ben Homer-Dixon of the Greens, as well as a deep roster of small-party and independent candidates.

The survey

The questions are on:

1. Housing

2. Public Satety

3. Health

4. Transportation

5. Cost of Living

6. Environment

7. US Relations

8. Their Pitch to Voters

The candidates are listed below, in order of their party's past vote percentage in the riding.

You can jump to any candidate's answers by clicking on their name right here:

🟠 Maja Tait

🔴 Stephanie McLean

🔵 Grant Cool

🟢 Ben Homer-Dixon

🟣 Nikita Heurtier did not have any candidate material or contact info available

⭕ Robert Crooks

⚫ Param Bhatti

🟪 David Schaafsma

🟠 Maja Tait, NDP 

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

It shouldn’t be this hard to find a home that fits your family and your budget. There was a time when finding a home wasn’t so hard, but since then, corporate landlords and speculators have bought up housing, raised rents, and are raking in record profits. And every day people are paying the price. 

Here on the South Island, over 60% of our residents rent. To bring down rents, the NDP would ban big corporate landlords from buying affordable rentals. We would invest in the Renters Protection Fund to help non-profit housing providers and co-ops buy affordable rental homes and keep rents low, and use federal land and prefabricated homes to speed up building timelines. New Democrats also want to see tenant-protection policies, like national rent control, as a condition of federal housing money. 

Our NDP team would invest in building historic amounts of non-market housing - 3 million new units, including more 2 and 3 bedroom family-suitable homes. We also want communities to be able to sustain this growth, and have access to funding to help expand the water, sewage, and infrastructure systems that are needed. 

Home ownership is a dream for so many here in our community, but the way the current system is set up makes it difficult to get into the market. That’s why we will make it easier to buy a place to call home with a plan to help first-time homebuyers realize their dream of home ownership and ban investment firms from buying up properties.

Finding a home you can afford in the community you love shouldn’t be too much to ask. New Democrats are the only party standing up for renters, pushing for solutions to help people get the homes that fit their needs. 

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

As the longstanding Mayor of a municipality served by the RCMP, I know how important it is to work with local law enforcement to address the causes of crime. We need real solutions to keep our community safe, not cheap, tough-on-crime talking points. 

My New Democrat colleagues and I supported the recent calls from all Premiers and several police associations for bail reform in the wake of high-profile violent crimes. We need bail reform that includes community bail programs for less severe crimes, to help make sure those let out on bail are not going to reoffend. These programs have an incredible success rate, because individuals are connected with the services and help they need – whether mental health services, substance abuse programs, or education.

We need to stop the influx of illegal drugs and guns into Canada by undoing Harper-era cuts to border enforcement. When Pierre Polievre was serving under the Harper Conservatives, they chose to gut Canadian Border Service Agency funding, making it easier for toxic drugs and illegal guns to enter Canada. 

We need more preventative, up-stream solutions like investing in the Mobile Youth Services Team, a multi-disciplinary unit in the Capital Regional District that provides mobile support to youth who may be at risk of exploitation, gang recruitment, homelessness, or who are in crisis. And we need to invest in mental health support and treatment, and recovery for people suffering from addictions. 

As your Member of Parliament, I promise real solutions that improve the safety of our community based on evidence, not cheap, tough-on-crime rhetoric. 

Question 3: Health 

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis, the need for more access to care, including mental-health care?  

Canadians are proud that we have a public healthcare system - it’s what makes us different from our American neighbours. If it weren’t for Tommy Douglas and a small group of NDP MPs, Canada would not have a universal healthcare system. And, in the last Parliament, our NDP team delivered the biggest expansion of healthcare in a generation through the dental care and pharmacare program. 

And still, our healthcare system needs more investment so everyone can have access to the care they deserve. The Liberals have said cuts are on the way, and it’s the last thing Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke needs right now. On the other hand, Pierre Poilievre has vowed to cut-and-gut our health-care system and will allow American-style privatization to creep in across the country. 

The NDP wants to protect and expand our health-care system. 

The NDP’s plan includes increased health care funding for provinces to recruit and retain more doctors and streamline the process for American health care workers to work in Canada. We’ll fund 1,000 additional residency positions each year for internationally trained doctors already living in Canada, and let doctors practice where needed with a pan-Canadian license.  

New Democrats believe free, universal mental health care is the best future. We’re going to move in that direction, starting with guaranteeing that mental health care is covered under the Canada Health Act, and by providing free prescribed medication by expanding the national pharmacare program. 

Too many Canadians have lost loved ones because of the toxic drug crisis in Canada, and I know this has touched the lives of so many here in the CRD. We must respond to the toxic drug crisis like the public health emergency it is. Our plan includes investment in prevention, education, and addressing the root causes of substance use. We must also invest in harm reduction measures that keep people alive while working to eliminate wait times for treatment and recovery support. The Liberals have let people down on funding treatment and recovery, and the Conservatives want to criminalize those suffering from addictions. We need a strong plan to ensure people get help when they need it, and the NDP will always be there to defend people and the care they need. 

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

As the Mayor of Sooke and member of the BC Transit board, I have a strong track record of supporting public transit for our community. I advocated to expand and improve service to our community and to growing areas on the Westshore. The CRD is one of the fastest-growing places in BC, and our public transportation must keep up with this growing demand. 

As Mayor, I have long advocated for the return of rail service going up the island. Finding new and innovative public transit solutions is essential to meeting the growing needs of our community, and that means an MP who’s able to work with Federal, Provincial, and First Nations partners to deliver for our community. 

New Democrats believe in fare-free transit, and we’ll start moving in that direction to lower commuting costs. It's better for people and families, and the planet. The NDP will push for modernizing and expanding public transit, with the goal of electrifying transit by 2030 to cut emissions. We will make federal funding for public transit permanent and take the cost burden off transit riders and taxpayers, and help ensure service is convenient, frequent, and reliable.

Forward-thinking investments in our public infrastructure and transit systems like this are necessary so that people in our community have more options to get to work, to school, and enjoy everything our community has to offer in a more sustainable and economical way. We need progressive NDP voices to make sure these priorities are heard in Ottawa. 

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

People are struggling to afford housing, groceries, and bills, while corporations are raking in record profits, and Trump's threats to our economy and sovereignty will only make it worse. 

The NDP would push the government to cap prices on essential grocery items so people can afford to put food on the table. We’ll end handouts to big oil and gas and use those billions to retrofit Canadians’ homes, reducing energy costs and emissions. The Liberals allowed large grocery chains to keep gouging Canadians, and Conservatives believe that the government should give people less and corporations more. 

To bring down rents, we need to ban big corporate landlords like Brookfield from buying up affordable rentals. These companies renovict tenants then raise prices to make their shareholders richer. We also need to build more co-op housing and truly affordable homes. There was a time when housing was affordable and when the government was building public housing. 

We have announced our plan to bring in Victory Bonds. Every dollar raised will be dedicated entirely to public infrastructure, supporting shovel-ready projects that we will own for generations while boosting our economy.

The NDP will always defend Canadians, build our economy, and take on corporate greed to make life more affordable.

Question 6: Environment 

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island? 

Canadians are doing their part to fight the climate crisis. They deserve a government that does its part, too, to protect our air and water. 

Despite promising to end fossil fuel subsidies, the Liberals are handing out an additional $12 billion of public money to Big Oil, even though these companies are already making record profits. They are keeping tax breaks for oil and gas exploration and development expenses that cost $1.8 billion annually. They have flip-flopped on their position on a strong emission cap. They have let Canadians down. 

While big oil hides behind Trump’s threats and rising costs to dodge their responsibility, my New Democrat colleagues and I are putting forward a plan that makes polluters pay, meets our climate targets, and puts people first.  

The NDP will cancel subsidies for oil and gas CEOs and protect families that are paying the ultimate price for this climate crisis. We’ll make industrial polluters pay more, with strong industrial carbon pricing and a hard cap on oil and gas emissions. We will eliminate $18 billion in oil and gas subsidies and put that money towards retrofits that work for people, lowering energy bills and creating thousands of good jobs in construction, clean tech, and manufacturing. 

While other parties protect those at the top and big companies, New Democrats defend our environment and will not stop letting big polluters off the hook.  

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state? 

Canada faces serious threats to our economy and sovereignty. Here on Vancouver Island, we look out for one another, and we need our government to do the same. We need to build a stronger, fairer, and more resilient Canadian economy, not just to weather the storm of Trump’s trade war, but for the long term.

The NDP would ensure every dollar collected from Canada’s counter tariffs goes directly to support workers and communities hit hardest. We would immediately push for expanded Employment Insurance so workers and families don’t fall through the cracks, and we would provide financial support to workers and small businesses in the event of a prolonged trade war.

We also need to build more and support our economy with good-paying local jobs. That's why the NDP announced our plan to bring in Victory Bonds. Every dollar raised will be dedicated entirely to public infrastructure, supporting shovel-ready projects that we will own for generations while boosting our economy.

Our economy here, especially our tourism economy, is tied to our neighbours in the South. We need to continue to work with elected officials along the coast, who have been allies with us and continue to welcome Americans to our beautiful island to contribute to the local economy here. We can also attract more visitors from BC and the rest of Canada, as we support Canadians avoiding vacationing in the US. 

We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful and unique place that people around the world want to visit. That is why we need to invest in our community and invest in infrastructure so that we can not only support families and workers in our region but also support the tens of thousands of people who want to come and experience the beauty of Vancouver Island. 

Canada is better with strong, progressive New Democrats in Ottawa. We will defend Canadians, build our local economy, and take on corporate greed to make life more affordable.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

Victoria voters should vote for me because I care about people - as a mom and three-term Mayor (and two-term councilor), I have shown that I am in it to serve.  For decades, the South Island has elected New Democrats because we have a track record of delivering for people and stopping Conservatives — and when times get tough, people can count on me to protect what matters most - their health care, pensions, jobs, and environment.  

Return to candidate list, or keep scrolling .

🔴 Stephanie McLean, Liberal

McLean's team did not send in responses in time for this story's original publication, but is expected to submit them on Thursday. Update: Responses added.

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Everyone deserves a home they can afford - but for too many people in the Capital Region, that feels out of reach. Mark Carney and I are committed to making life more affordable for Canadians.

A Liberal government will launch the largest and most ambitious housing plan since the Second World War. 

We will double the pace of building new homes by partnering with workers and industry, using Canadian solutions like softwood lumber and mass timber, reducing costs and red tape, and increasing support and training for skilled trades. First-time homebuyers will save up to $50,000 on homes at, or under, $1 million by eliminating the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

We will also get the federal government back into the business of building affordable housing. On top of the $25 billion in financing to manufactured housing providers, Build Canada Homes will deliver $10 billion in support for housing for low- and middle-income Canadians.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

For people living in the Capital Region, having a voice in government is key to getting our specific needs met including with public safety. I can be that voice.

When Pierre Poilievre was last in government, the Conservatives fired over 1000 border security personnel in a single day - on top of the cuts they made to policing services. 

Our Liberal plan will actually improve public safety, instead of firing key personnel. 

We will recruit 1,000 more RCMP personnel to tackle drug and human trafficking, foreign interference, cybercrime, and the criminal gangs behind stolen cars. We also will bolster land and sea border security by training 1000 new CBSA officers to crack down on drugs and guns. A Liberal Government will also target the smuggling of stolen vehicles with additional surveillance, including new border scanners, drones, and K-9 teams, to target suspicious  shipments at our borders, ports, and railyards. 

The justice system will be strengthened with stricter bail laws for violent and organized crime - especially for repeat offenders - and harsher penalties and new criminal offences for victims of sexual and intimate partner violence.

Question 3: Health 

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?  

Mark Carney’s Liberals will always defend the Canada Health Act and protect universal, fair, and accessible healthcare. 

To increase access to healthcare here on the South Island, and across the country, we will expand medical school spaces, increase training opportunities for nurses and caregivers, and speed up the recognition of foreign medical credentials.

We are also committed to responding to the toxic drug crisis. This includes supporting those at risk from toxic drugs and addiction and addressing the flow of drugs into the country. We will invest in mental health services, emergency treatment, addiction recovery and supportive housing. We are also putting $500 million towards creating a Youth Mental Health Fund that will help 100,000 young people annually as well as bolstering the Emergency Treatment Fund. We will also continue investing in law enforcement so they have the resources needed to get toxic drugs out of our communities.

Keeping up with the cost of dental care and medications is a challenge for many of us. Mark Carney and I are committed to preserving pharmacare and dental care. Over 1.7 million Canadians have received care through the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), and more than 3.7 million Canadians have been approved for coverage. We’ll continue working with all Provinces and Territories to ensure that Canadians don’t have to choose between getting necessary dental work and filling up their prescriptions or putting food on the  table.  

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

Our growing communities in the Capital Region are seeing challenges with transportation and road infrastructure that are unique to our part of the country. I will ensure that our voices and concerns are heard, and I will work to ensure we find innovative transit and infrastructure solutions by working cooperatively with the provincial government and municipalities here in Esquimalt, Saanich and Sooke.

We will help municipalities speed up progress and get funding faster by streamlining federal processes. This includes access to the Canada Community Building Fund to help cities and towns upgrade or replace infrastructure.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

Beyond the Liberal plan to increase affordable housing and decrease the cost for first-time home buyers, there are other measures to help people in the capital region make ends meet. For those facing the high cost of dental care, we are expanding dental coverage to Canadians aged 18-64 to provide access to around 4.5 million Canadians. We will be delivering a middle class tax cut, saving a two-income household up to $825 a year. 

Mark Carney is committed to continue supporting families by ensuring daycare that doesn't break the bank. Thanks to the Liberal government’s leadership, regulated early learning and childcare spaces are already being delivered for $10-a-day and all other jurisdictions have reduced fees by at least 50%. We’re also seeing savings for families at the gas pump - our environmental plan will make big polluters pay instead of consumers. This means $200 less on gas bills every year and will save Canadians over $450 annually on heating their home.

For seniors, Mark Carney's government will protect retirement savings by reducing by 25% the minimum that must be withdrawn from a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) for a year giving more flexibility in choice for when to draw from retirement savings. Low-income seniors will also see a 5% increase in the Guaranteed Income Supplement - that's up to $652, tax-free.

To support people in these uncertain times we have additional support for workers and businesses affected by the Trump Tariffs. The one-week employment insurance (EI) waiting period is waived and workers won't have to exhaust severance packages before collecting EI. Businesses will get relief with the deferral of corporate income tax payments and GST/HST remittances from April 2 to June 30, 2025 which is providing up to $40 billion in liquidity to businesses.

A new training benefit for mid-career workers will ensure those impacted by tariffs have the necessary tools to pursue good paying jobs and advance their careers in priority sectors. This benefit will provide up to $15,000 for new skills training in priority sectors including health care, manufacturing, construction, A.I. and technology - working with employers, labour and industry to support retention and upskilling within companies.

Question 6: Environment 

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office? 

Mark Carney was in the Capital Region earlier this month to announce the plan to advance 10 new National Parks and Marine Conservation Areas, create 15 new National Urban Parks, and make national parks and historic sites free for this upcoming summer. While Pierre Pollievre says we have to choose between growing the economy and fighting climate change - we have a plan to do both. This will be done with a climate policy that is unifying, credible and predictable and meets key objectives to reduce emissions and drive the economy. We will provide incentives to households to do home retrofits, embrace responsible transportation and zero emission vehicles.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state? 

We can’t control President Trump. Mark Carney and I are focused on what we can control and doing what we can to make it easier for Canadians to  weather the storm.  We will fight the U.S. tariffs with retaliatory trade actions of our own that will have  maximum impact in the United States and minimum impacts here in Canada.  We will protect our workers and our industries during this difficult period, but above all, we will build a new Canadian economy.

We need to work in partnership with the provinces, territories and Indigenous  peoples to decide on major projects in the national interest, to remove barriers and encourage collaboration to  better manage our resources and projects and cut red tape to speed up energy project approvals. This plan will get major projects built in the energy and resource sectors, attract  more investments to Canada, and create more jobs for Canadians.  

It’s clear that we can no longer rely on the United States. Now more than ever, we need to secure Canadian sovereignty by strengthening our military, making our communities more resilient, and protecting against growing threats.  A government led by Mark Carney will ensure that military personnel have the  proper equipment they need to serve effectively. This includes expanding Canada’s defence with new submarines, heavy icebreakers, and advanced drone capabilities, and integrating the Canadian Coast Guard into Canada’s defence capabilities to better protect our coasts and reinforce our sovereignty. We will also fix the CAF member shortage by modernizing recruitment and investing in the members of the Canadian Armed Forces — giving them a well deserved raise, building on-base housing, improving access to doctors, mental  health services and child care, and better supporting them and their families.

With threats to our economy and sovereignty coming from the south, many Canadians are choosing to vacation this side of the border when school lets out. To make it easier and more affordable for families to vacation at home, including here on Vancouver island, Mark Carney's Liberals will offer a Canada Strong Pass so kids and young families can discover Canada this summer which builds on making National Park and Historic Site access free this summer. The Canada Strong Pass will run June to August 2025 and allow those under 18 free access to national galleries and museums and seats for free when traveling with their parents on VIA Rail. There will also be discounted access and fares for Canadians aged 18-24.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

Our community needs proven leadership that can build for the future and steer Canada through this crisis - as a former provincial Cabinet Minister myself, I know that Mark Carney and our Liberal team are the only ones who will stand up to Donald Trump and keep American-style politics out of Canada. 

Return to candidate list, or keep scrolling.

🔵 Grant Cool, Conservative Party

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Families in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke are facing tough choices—like choosing between groceries and mortgage payments. Seniors are losing savings, and young people can't afford homes. After years of rising living costs, it's time for change.

As your Conservative representative, I'll cut personal income tax from 15% to 12.75%, saving workers $900 annually and two-income families $1,800. I'll remove GST on homes under $1.3 million to make homeownership more accessible.

I'll push for housing development on federal lands, faster approvals, skilled trades support, and tax breaks for Canadian investments. Together, we can create an affordable future where everyone thrives.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

Public safety is one of the Conservative Party’s top priorities. If elected, we will put the safety of Canadians first—for a change. We will end violent crime by passing a Three-Strikes-and-You’re-Out law to keep dangerous criminals behind bars longer and bring home safe streets. This law will stop criminals convicted of three serious offences from getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest. The only way for these repeat criminals to obtain their freedom will be through spotless behaviour and clean drug tests during a lengthy minimum prison sentence. Earned release will be dependent on improving themselves and their life opportunities, such as by learning a trade or upgrading their education.

Question 3: Health 

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?  

Number one we need to focus on growing the healthcare workforce. This will be done by adding more doctors and making it easier for qualified professionals to work in Canada by cutting the red tape so they can join the system faster. The current pharmaceutical and dental agreements will be honoured and continue to exist. The Conservative Party’s goal is to add 15,000 doctors to our healthcare system by 2030. 

We need to bring our loved ones home drug free. We will do this by funding treatment for 50,000 Canadians in treatment centres with a proven record of success at getting people off drugs. Funding will follow results. Ban taxpayer-funded drug dens from being located within 500 metres of schools, daycares, playgrounds, parks, and seniors’ homes and impose strict new oversight rules. Pause any new federal exemptions until evidence justifies they support recovery. Existing federal sites will be required to focus on connecting users with treatment, meet stricter regulatory standards, or be shut down.

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

I will advocate for getting light rail transit – this is long overdue. We have significant population growth throughout the region. I will work with partners and stakeholders to ensure the current transit and infrastructure initiatives are implemented to ensure sustainable transportation solutions.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

The Canada First Action Plan will reduce income taxes by 15%, allowing the average worker to keep an extra $900 annually, while dual-income families retain $1,800 more. We will axe the federal sales tax on new homes up to $1.3 million and incentivizing cities to lower development charges could save homebuyers $100,000. We will provide training to 350,000 new apprentices over five years and restore $4,000 in apprenticeship grants to create more union jobs. To get our workforce booming we will cut red tape and boost resource development to strengthen our economy.

Question 6: Environment 

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office? 

I believe environmental stewardship is vital – this means working with Indigenous communities and local governments to protect ecosystems and biodiversity.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state? 

As your Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke Member of Parliament, I’ll fight to make sure money from counter-tariffs goes straight to the workers and local businesses that need it. These are our neighbours and the heart of the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke economy. I support real, practical help—like low-interest loans, targeted support to save jobs, and tax relief for those hit hardest.

I’ll also push to remove trade barriers between provinces so our businesses can grow across Canada. It’s not just about dealing with today’s problems—it’s about creating a stronger, more self-reliant future for our communities. This can be achieved only by working together to ensure a realistic and sustainable future for our communities in the riding.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

If elected, my first promise would be to listen to constituents to better represent them on Parliament Hill - to ensure our communities, elders, and especially our children and grandchildren have prosperous futures. 

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🟢 Ben Homer-Dixon, Green Party

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

I’m looking for a place to rent this year, so I really appreciate how expensive housing is. Rent alone for next year will cost more money than everything I’ll earn at my job this summer! For renters like me, my friends and peers, young families, and many others, housing costs are out of control in the CRD. The Green Party will triple social housing, offer immediate rent relief, and build permanently affordable, non-market homes like co-ops with strong affordability rules and long-term protections. This is the biggest housing plan since the 1970s, creating local jobs, using Canadian materials, and building homes people can actually afford.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

The Green Party’s vision for public safety in the CRD prioritizes equity, resilience, and prevention. We’ll introduce a Guaranteed Livable Income and eliminate federal income tax on earnings under $40,000, investments that support safety by reducing poverty and inequality. We’ll also establish a National Civil Defence Corps to strengthen Canada’s sovereignty, respond to emergencies, and create meaningful jobs. This transformative force will be ready to address climate disasters, protect infrastructure, and defend national security. In the CRD, we’ll support safer roads by prioritizing transit, walking, and cycling, including fare-free buses and exploring light rail (always a topic of interest on southern Vancouver Island), to reduce accidents and support sustainable communities.

Question 3: Health: What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?

I arrived at the University of Victoria after a tragic accident had taken the life of a student. It shaped how I think about the toxic drug crisis and the urgent need for compassionate, accessible mental health care. Substance use must be treated as a public health issue.

We need universal access to mental health care, pharmacare, and dental care as part of our healthcare system, alongside robust harm reduction services and overdose prevention education. Early intervention in schools, communities, and prisons can prevent greater harm and higher costs. Federal and provincial collaboration is essential, and as your MP, I’ll work with all levels of government to make it happen.

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

As someone who relies on biking and public transit to get around across southern Vancouver Island, I understand both the challenges and opportunities in our region. I’ll advocate for expanded transit infrastructure that meets today’s needs and prepares for future growth. BC Transit’s 25-year plan for Greater Victoria has potential, but chronic underfunding has stalled progress. I support federally funded, fare-free public transit and expanded service to rural areas. We also need better cycling infrastructure to improve safety and reduce emissions. Incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids, and reinvesting gas tax revenue into bike lanes and climate action are practical steps toward a cleaner, more connected CRD.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

The high cost of living affects all Canadians, and is one of the major issues the constituents I’ve spoken to want to see addressed. I’d advocate for a federal affordability strategy focused on housing, food, and tax reform. When it comes to food costs, I’ve learned so much from Metchosin farmers. They showed me how important it is to support local food—from small farms to “balcony farms” and community-led urban gardens. By broadening our idea of what farming looks like and encouraging partnerships between community groups and all levels of government, we can lower food costs, shrink our carbon footprints, boost Island food security—and enjoy delicious, local food while we’re at it!

Question 6: Environment

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office?

Tackling climate change and environmental degradation are my top priorities - they demand urgent national action. The Green Party has a smart, pragmatic plan to cut pollution, build clean energy, and protect Canadians from climate disasters. With sun, wind, and hydro power in abundance, we can lead the world in clean energy innovation while creating thousands of good jobs and lowering energy bills. I’m especially excited about establishing a Youth Climate Corps, a program to hire young people for meaningful, green jobs that support climate resilience, food security, and community development. It’s a win-win: practical experience for youth and real benefits for our environment and economy.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state?

Addressing national security and building economic resilience requires real collaboration across all levels of government. That’s why the Green Party supports creating a Council of Governments—bringing together federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous leaders to align priorities and work together effectively. Here on Vancouver Island, we should strengthen cross-border relationships with Washington State, building on successful partnerships like Destination Greater Victoria and the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.

Our Pacific location positions us to diversify trade while protecting the Salish Sea. Let’s add value to Canadian resources locally, support Island-based businesses and skilled workers, and eliminate interprovincial trade barriers. That could grow Canada’s economy by up to $300 billion. Real progress starts with collaboration - and putting community before politics. Let’s get to work.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

Now is the time to be bold—vote for a leader with the courage, energy, and vision to fight for our future and our community's economic and environmental interests.

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⭕ Robert Crooks, Communist Party of Canada

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

The issue with housing today in Canada is that housing is treated like a commodity, rather than a human right. Instead of building housing for people to live in, we build housing for investors to make profits. The government has been supporting this process by subsidizing for-profit developers with grants of public money. Each other party in this election treats the housing crisis as a problem only of supply, and therefore reach the conclusion that subsidizing private developers to build more housing is a viable solution. However, many homes sit empty today for purposes of speculation, this number reaching as high as 1.3 million homes at the height of the pandemic in 2021. The problem is not supply as much as it is financialization. What we need is to take the profit motive out of housing and return to building publicly-owned housing. 

From 1973 to 1984, Canada built 20,000 publicly owned housing units each year, and as a result, homelessness was virtually non-existent. This program completely stopped in the 1990s, and today the official number of homeless in Canada is 235,000 and 44% of all Canadians are worried they won’t be able to pay their housing costs. But if the solution is as simple as I am suggesting, what is preventing us from solving the housing crisis? According to The Maple, almost half of MPs or their significant others have investments in real estate beyond their primary dwelling. This means that the people making the decisions about housing affordability are the same people profiting from the housing crisis. This needs to be stopped by enforcing stricter conflict-of-interests rules for elected officials.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

Too many powerful elites in this country perpetuate the idea that people commit crimes because they are criminals. This circular logic will never lead to a real solution. It will only justify the continued sinking of more and more resources into reactive rather than proactive, preventative approaches. People commit crime because they are forced into a life of poverty. Living in poverty severly limits proper access to education, to adequate healthcare (including mental healthcare), to a living wage and to a home. 

People who are presented with these conditions are far more likely to consider committing a criminal act. While every individual needs to answer for the choices they make, a properly functioning society should be held accountable for creating the conditions that lead people to a situation where the decision to carry out a criminal act seems rational. No just society forces people into poverty and then imprisons them for being poor. We need to be funding rehabilitation programs, expanding mental-health care and addiction services, and providing the most vulnerable with homes and appropriate employment opportunities.

The Communist Party of Canada calls to make the roads safer by boosting public transit and building public transit infrastructure so not so many people are reliant on automobiles. We are also in favour of investing in cycling and pedestrian infrastucture to make transportation more inclusive. For too long, urban planning has been designed around cars rather than social need. This must end. A more inclusive approach to transporation will make the roads safer and more efficient for everyone, including motorists.

Question 3: Health

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?

The decision by the provincial NDP to walk back their policies on decriminalizing drug use has had devastating consequences in this province. Sixteen thousand people have died in BC since the toxic drug crisis was named a public health emergency in 2016. We cannot treat health issues such as addiction as criminal issues. 

While politicians moralize about drug use, people are dying. We need to decriminalize use across the country and offer federally regulated safe supply to all users. And we need to do away with the policy that government provided safe supply needs to be consumed under supervision, since this severly limits access to this life saving program. The government needs to allow medical experts to lead on these projects to ensure that people’s lives aren’t at the whims of partisan bickering. Provincial governments turning to involuntary care is especially cynical when there are patients on waiting lists for voluntary treatment, which they cannot access due to a lack of staffing. 

All of this is the result of government policies that result from the choice to defund public healthcare. The same is the case for mental-healthcare. Rich people, like those in government, can afford to go to psychiatrists or send their children to psychologists. For the rest of us, we may be lucky enough to receive prescriptions to help us cope day-to-day, if we can afford the cost at the pharmacy. But that leaves so many people whose mental health deteriorates due to the lack of treatment, leading to compounding crises.

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD's rapidly growing population?

Canada needs to undergo a huge overhaul of its public transit system. We need to place Air Canada, Bombardier, Alstom, and CN/CP Rail under public ownership to develop a publicly owned transportation system focused on delivering affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation for people and goods across Canada, including services up and down Vancouver Island, connecting all the different communities.

Whether it’s light rail or a publicly owned bus service powered by renewable energy, we need to replace privatized routes and cancel public-private partnerships that run public services like a for-profit business. Building publicly owned mass rapid transit vehicles and systems for municipalities will reduce private car dependence and curb carbon emissions. They will also democratize transportation by providing more mobility to those with no car. Since these ideas are not new, and are popular demands, if I were elected, I would work with grass roots transit advocates and any progressive elected official who championed public transportation to ensure these projects saw the light of day in BC.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

The Communist Party of Canada proposes to raise minimum wage to a living wage, $25/hour and ensure that it increases automatically with the cost of living. We also recognize the importance of protecting workers rights, and would introduce card check legislation to make it easier for workers to form unions. We would also substantially increase social benefits such as Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and the Canada Disability Benefit; introduce a Guaranteed Annual Livable Income, and establish universal childcare that is free to users.

We also want to overhaul the tax system so that the rich pay their fair share. We sould eliminate income taxes for people making under $50,000, abolish HST, GST and provincial sales taxes. Finally, we would implement price controls on food, fuel and rent. These mechanisms have been used before, and in some cases, are currently in use in some capacity. They must be expanded to lessen the burden on working people.

Question 6: Environment

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office?

Locally, we need to look into preserving our marine ecosystems, protecting our farm land and regulating our logging industry. 

We must end government subsidies to oil corporations. A recent report has shown that fossil fuels and petrochemical sectors received $30 billion of our public tax money in 2024, comparable to our entire annual defence budget. This is something that not only destroys our environment but also directs public resources away from social programs that are starved for funding. These subsidies could fund the acceleration of the transition from oil and gas to more environmentally sustainable forms of energy. 

The traffic of oil tankers to our ports have increased tenfold without a comparable expansion of safety infrastructure. This is a ticking time bomb. We need to make this change before this creates irreparable damage to our waters, which will in turn have an effect on all of our industries in BC.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state?

The way to respond to the US tariffs is by re-industrializing Canada by bringing back value-added manufacturing and secondary industry so that we aren’t simply an exporter of raw materials. We would create jobs through massive public investments, and bring the major industries including the energy sector, banking and the auto industry, under public ownership and democratic control. We would also diversify our global trading partners and develop mutually-beneficial relationships with countries like China, instead of continuously provoking them at the behest of the United States government. 

Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and by making changes to accessible transit, environmental protection laws and poverty reduction, we will only improve our profile as a tourist destination. We must maintain productive diplomatic relationships with all countries, and in the case of the United States, with the state of Washington and other West Coast states that do not approve of Trump’s agenda regarding Canada.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

People should vote for me because capitalism is killing the planet, stealing all of our resources, and blindly driving us towards world war three.

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⚫ Param Bhatti, Independent 

Housing

What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Push to build 5,000 units of permanently affordable housing across the South Island, using underused public land by 2029.

Support non-profit and co-op housing developments with direct federal investment.

Propose a “Rent Tied to Income” pilot, capping rent at 30% of household income for low- and middle-income families.

2. Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

Guarantee a summer job or paid skills placement for every high school student in Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke — crime prevention starts with youth opportunity.

Expand community-based mental health crisis teams to reduce pressure on police and ERs.

3. Health

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?

Introduce a federal pilot to cover eyecare, mental health, and dental care under universal care — starting with students, seniors, and low-income residents.

Support the creation of long-term detox and recovery facilities in partnership with local Indigenous-led services.

Fund mobile health clinics in underserved rural areas like East Sooke and Highlands.

4. Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

Push for full federal funding of the West Shore rapid bus corridor and light rail feasibility studies.

Ensure new developments in Colwood, View Royal, and Saanich are built around transit, not traffic — with walkable designs and bike networks.

5. Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

I’ll fight to expand basic care, eliminate out-of-pocket health costs, and bring down housing costs for renters and families.

Launch a local Food Security Fund to support farms, greenhouses, and local grocers — to cut grocery costs and feed the community.

Guarantee every student a summer job, and offer free federal skills training for workers in transition.

6. Environment

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office?

Invest in a South Island Clean Energy Corps, employing local trades to retrofit homes, install solar, and build community-owned renewable projects.

Partner with local Nations to protect old growth and restore salmon-bearing streams like the Goldstream and Colquitz rivers.

7. US Relations

How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state?

Propose a Canada-Washington Green Tourism Corridor, linking ferries, Indigenous tourism, and eco-travel across the border.

Work directly with coastal U.S. communities to protect shared waters, salmon stocks, and marine habitat from corporate exploitation.

8. Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

I’m not a politician — I’m a neighbour who’s lived here over 30 years, and I’m running to fight for a future where everyone has a good job, a decent place to live, and a real chance to get ahead.  

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🟪 David Schaafsma, Christian Heritage Party

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Lower housing costs by producing more coop housing. It is reported that coop housing offers monthly housing fees that are $400 to $500 per month less than rental units. We need to reduce red tape for builders in our communities. The federal government can incentivize this reduction in red tape by providing money for infrastructure projects to those municipalities who reduce red tape related to building residential housing.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

Improve public safety by putting violent offenders behind bars for their full sentence, especially if this is not their first conviction.

Question 3: Health: What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?

The problem of drug addiction is epidemic. We need to build more drug rehab facilities.

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

Traffic congestion, especially at peak commuting times is getting worse. We need to get either LRT or express bus lanes out to Sooke to reduce traffic grid lock on Sooke Rd.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

Make living more affordable. We need to cut the GST and encourage BC to cut the PST out of fuel costs for farmers and those growing food and for those transporting our food to market.

Question 6: Environment

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office?

A clean and sustainable environment is important for everyone. We need to make sure that our CRD park system is well funded so that our green spaces can be well maintained.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state?

US relations are rocky right now. I would like to increase our advertising dollars that encourage Americans to come up and visit our wonderful Island, especially Victoria and the Westshore.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

I know the challenges that the people of my electoral district face, many of whom have come to me for Optometric Eye Care for over 25 years, and I have practical ideas to find solutions to those challenges.

Return to candidate list.

In Canada, voters elect local candidates as Members of Parliament, who then represent their region in Ottawa and in some cases form part of the government. We sent out surveys to your local candidates to ask how they, and their parties, promise to help locals on various major issues.

See their answers right away, or keep reading for a little more about the riding.

Cowichan – Malahat – Langford is a vast riding first contested in 2015. It has been held by the NDP's Alistair MacGregor since then, with the Conservatives typically finishing a distant second. The Greens and Liberals have each managed to pass 20% in some elections, showing that these parties can also be a factor.

This year's race projects to be close, mainly due to the nationwide rise in polls of the Liberal party. That could either push the Liberals into contention for the seat or simply pull enough votes from the NDP that the Conservatives are able to break through.

The riding is split fairly evenly between the Cowichan Valley and Langford portions of the riding. Candidates have been campaigning in both, and whoever is elected would likely maintain the current approach of having two different constituents' offices.

Learn more about the riding, and who is running, here.

All 4 major party candidates replied to the survey questions below.

The questions were on:

1. Housing

2. Public Satety

3. Health

4. Transportation

5. Cost of Living

6. Environment

7. US Relations

8. Their Pitch to Voters

Candidates' full responses are below, in the order received.

To jump to a candidate, click their name here:

🟠 Alistair MacGregor

🔵 Jeffrey Kibble

🟢 Kathleen Code

🔴 Blair Herbert

🟣 Dagmar Goeschick did not provide replies

🟠 Alistair MacGregor, NDP

Question 1: Housing

South Island residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Canada has lived with a perpetual affordable housing crisis for many years now, as too many Canadians are being forced to give up their dream of having a home that they can afford. The financialization of housing has treated mortgages, houses, and apartments as vehicles for investment, and the policies of successive Liberal and Conservative governments over the last 4 decades have not helped address this trend.

But we have solutions. We can start building on public land to build over 100,000 rent-controlled homes. We will support non-profits, co-ops and Indigenous communities to build housing. And we will use Project Labour Agreements to support good family supporting jobs during construction.

We are also committed to banning corporate landlords from buying affordable housing, fast-tracking and expanding the federal Rental Protection Fund, and helping community-led organizations keep housing affordable. 

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the South Island, including crime and public/road safety?

All members of our communities on the South Island deserve to feel safe; it is important for the federal government to step up and provide the funding and policies that will work to improve our public safety.

Starting at our border, the NDP has committed to action on illegal firearms and drugs by immediately rehiring the 1,100 border officers that were fired by the last Conservative government, establishing a dedicated federal police presence at every major port, and providing reliable scanning equipment for containers.

The NDP also believes in putting in place a funded National Crime Prevention Strategy, which will include establishing crime prevention centers and funding community violence interventions and organizations.

Many of our communities’ public safety concerns are directly related to the toxic drug crisis. Caught between Liberal half-measures and Conservative evidence-free pledges, it is time to immediately declare the matter a public health emergency, invest in dedicated mental health support teams that can work alongside law enforcement, and focus police resources on the real criminals who profit off the drug trade and who terrorize our neighborhoods.

Question 3: Health 

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?  

Canadians are proud of public healthcare—and the idea that no matter where you live, you can count on care. But right now, nearly 7 million Canadians don’t have access to a family doctor, and 2.5 million Canadians aren’t getting adequate care for their mental health challenges. 

Closing the gap by 2030, New Democrats will ensure that every Canadian has access to primary care by increasing transfers to provinces by 1% above current projected increases, streamlining the process for American doctors to come to Canada, and adding 1,000 additional residency positions each year for qualified, internationally trained doctors already living in Canada. Seniors need to be protected with enforceable long-term care standards guaranteeing level of care under a new Safe Long-Term Care Act.

In addition, we will fight for ensuring mental health care is covered under the Canada Health Act, expand the national pharmacare program, and provide additional funding to provinces and territories to improve mental health services with clear goals, accountability and transparency.

We must immediately declare the toxic drug crisis a public health emergency and employ a health-based approach that will invest in treatment, eliminate wait times for mental health emergencies, and support on-demand recovery services.

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the South Island region’s rapidly growing population?

The South Island’s rapidly growing population presents challenges and opportunities to our communities in the years ahead – a strong federal partnership is needed to meet the moment.

As New Democrats, we will work with provinces and municipalities with a goal of doubling public transit ridership by 2035, including expanding the Canada Public Transit Fund to include operations funding. 

We would overhaul Canada’s procurement policies with a Build Canadian Buy Canadian plan, including banning American companies from contracts if Canadian workers can do them. We would identify shovel-ready infrastructure projects – roads, bridges, transit, community projects and health care capital – and get building, with union workers using Canadian products like softwood lumber from our local mills to get it done. New Democrats would boost our investment in infrastructure to help keep people working, stimulate our economy, and leave our communities better off. I’m also proud to be a member of a team that would offer Canada Victory Bonds as an opportunity for everyday Canadians to invest in the rebuilding of our economy.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

 A constant theme over the years and in this election has been the cost of living, especially food price inflation. Many of the major corporate players in key economic sectors, including grocery retail, have enjoyed record profits, which have come directly at the expense of people in our communities. 

High prices have impacted both the quality and quantity of food that families have been able to purchase, and food bank usage is at record levels. Food security in our region needs urgent attention.

The NDP plans to address these high costs with a permanent GST cut on essentials; a price cap on essentials; legislation to crack down on price gouging, surging, fixing, and shrinkflation; and with fairer taxation on excess corporate profits. As this riding’s MP, I led the way in taking on the corporate grocery retail giants in Parliament, and I have championed legislation to protect consumers and bring in more competition to challenge their market dominance.

Question 6: Environment 

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office? 

Folks in our riding are doing their part to fight the climate crisis and they deserve a federal government who does its part too, to protect our air and water. Locally, efforts to get the Cowichan Lake weir project completed is a great example of the community coming together and making great progress.

We have a plan to fight the climate crisis, make life more affordable and create good jobs. We support free and easy to access home energy refits, the elimination of handouts to Big Oil, making big polluters pay for their pollution, investing in climate adaptation and disaster preparedness and creating good-paying jobs by investing in clean energy, energy efficient affordable homes, electric transit and zero-emission vehicles. 

Let’s also give our communities hope by creating a youth climate corps and supporting environmental justice, including passing an Environmental Bill of Rights and establishing an Office of Environmental Justice.

For the South Island, I am committed to working on habitat restoration projects that can improve the health of our watersheds. One such example is the Cowichan Lake weir, which will dramatically improve the health of the Cowichan River, helping our precious wild salmon species in the process.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state? 

Like many in our communities, I have felt betrayed by a country that was supposed to be one of our closest friends and allies. We must fight back using every tool that we can, ensuring workers, industry, and small businesses are looked after in every part of our country. 

With almost 10 years of experience serving my constituents, I, along with my NDP colleagues, will defend Canadian workers and businesses by implementing a federal Buy Canadian, Build Canadian policy, and bringing together all levels of government, industry, and business to develop a National Industrial Strategy aimed at boosting critical domestic manufacturing capacity. 

The NDP is committed to providing our workers a robust and easy-to-access Employment Insurance system is there to protect them, and we'll invest in skills training, apprenticeships, and job transition plans so people can find good jobs close to home. 

I welcome a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington State, but we did not ask for or start this economic warfare between our countries, and I will always stand up for our communities in the face of a threat. I think it is important that we continue to welcome American tourists to our beautiful area.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should local voters choose you?

In this time of great uncertainty, I am the one candidate who offers voters a solid 9-year track record of standing up for our riding as Member of Parliament and can hit the ground running, able to get to work right away on defending our healthcare and our communities in the face of the threat from Donald Trump.

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🔵 Jeffrey Kibble, Conservative

Question 1: Housing

South Island residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Many simplistic solutions are being advanced to solve a very complex problem. However, the one thing that we have learned for sure is that having the government build housing is not an efficient solution. That is just a prescription for more government debt and waste. 

A big part of the high cost of housing comes from government red tape. We need measures to cut through the layers of bureaucracy that prevent the private sector from meeting the demand for housing. The CD Howe institute has shown that 60% of the cost of building a house in Vancouver comes from approval delays, fees, regulations and taxes. If we want to reduce rents and enable young people to buy a house, that is an obvious place to start. 

The federal government has spending power to incentivize municipalities to increase approvals and reduce unnecessary red tape. We also need to reduce demand by calibrating immigration to a level that our housing supply and public services can keep up with. 

Another effective measure would be to eliminate the GST on new homes with rental prices below market value.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the South Island, including crime and public/road safety?

Addressing crime is complex, and no one has an easy solution. We can start with some general principles, but they need to be fact-based. For example, it is an observable fact that decriminalization and providing a safe supply have not solved the opioid crisis which drives so much of our crime rate these days. To reclaim our parks, playgrounds and neighbourhoods, we need to recriminalize extremely dangerous drugs like fentanyl, lock up the dealers and reallocate our resources to proven programs for supporting and sustaining recovery for addicts. 

For another example, it is a known fact that repeat offenders are disproportionately responsible for most types of crime. The revolving door, catch-and-release justice system that has been made so much worse over the last decade needs to be fixed, and career criminals need to be behind bars.

Question 3: Health 

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?  

Canadians should have reasonable access to timely, quality health care services, regardless of their ability to pay. The federal government should provide stable and transparent funding, and work with the provinces in a co-operative and constructive manner. 

We have people dying on waiting lists and in our emergency waiting rooms, and this is unacceptable. Throwing money at the problem has not helped, and any additional money we would throw at it would have to be borrowed money, money our children and grandchildren would have to repay. We can’t continue to just do the same things and expect a different result. That’s why there should be flexibility for the provinces and territories in the implementation of health services to include a balance of public and private delivery options.

As for the toxic drug crisis, we have spent untold billions of taxpayer dollars trying to solve it without any obvious improvement. Here at home on the Island, we can all see what hasn’t worked just by walking through the downtown cores of any one our towns and cities. 

According to Health Canada, 50,928 apparent opioid toxicity deaths were reported nationally between 2016 and 2024. To put that number in perspective, it is more than all the soldiers we lost in WWII.

Legions of bureaucrats, special interest groups and various advocates keep telling us the only solution is to spend ever more on their demonstrably failing programs, but decriminalization and providing a safe supply have not solved the opioid crisis. We need to recriminalize extremely dangerous drugs like fentanyl and lock up the dealers. Our resources need to be reallocated to programs for which there is clear and objective proof of effectiveness, and to supported, sustainable recovery for addicts. 

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the South Island region’s rapidly growing population?

We have to have a serious look at what we can do to get the Vancouver Island Rail Corridor up and running in order to get people out of their cars and on to commuter rail. The Island Corridor Foundation has been looking at this problem for over twenty years, and the province has prepared assessments, reports and evaluations of the various requirements. I will champion bringing rapid transit along the corridor and this is where the federal government can step in to enable a public-private partnership. Rapid transit along the corridor will connect our riding and our island bringing economic prosperity as well as safety and environmental benefit. 

The Rail Corridor is just one part of the solution. Making something happen to either improve the Malahat or build an alternative route is another. There is much we can do, but for anything to happen we need to make the case that federal support for transit and transportation infrastructure for the South Island is an investment not just in the environment, but also in economic efficiency that will pay dividends.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

The rising cost of living is not a riding-specific problem. It’s a nation-wide problem of inflationary pressure caused by irresponsible regulatory, fiscal and budgetary management in Ottawa. 

The Liberal/NDP government likes to distract from a problem they caused by pointing to COVID or big business. But the fact is that business doesn’t cause inflation. Government causes inflation. 

The Conservative Party’s and my answer to inflation is to return common sense to the finances in Ottawa. If we stop printing money at a rate faster than the economy is growing, we’ll slow inflation. If we take the shackles off our natural resource sector and produce products other nations want to buy, we’ll strengthen the Canadian dollar, making it cheaper for Canadian families to buy imported goods. If we stop strangling the economy with over-taxation and over-regulation, we’ll create the good, high-paying jobs that Canadians need to afford housing, groceries and the other good things that we used to take for granted.

The solution to the cost-of-living crisis is not more government borrowing and handouts, the answer is to change the government so we can revive the flatlined Canadian economy.

Question 6: Environment 

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office?

I believe that ensuring we have a healthy natural environment to hand down to our children is a moral imperative. Facts matter, and so we need to look at what works rather than what just sounds good. We also need to work more collaboratively with our Indigenous communities to make our natural resource management practices more sustainable.

We do not have a lot of heavy industry on South Island, so our primary focus needs to be on improving traffic flow and on providing public transit alternatives. People sitting in their cars and trucks stuck in traffic jams on the Island Highway are getting zero miles to the gallon and emitting greenhouse gasses for no reason.

Investing in getting people moving or, better yet, out of their cars and into transit rail, will do more for the environment than anything else we can reasonably do. 

We also need to have a look at the environmental impacts of large commercial ships in our anchorages. There are already solutions in the works that will not cripple our overseas trade and damage our economy but will bring efficient traffic management and minimize environmental impact. Banning anchorages is economic folly.

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state? 

I believe in focussing on the things we can control, rather than on the things we can’t. The current volatility outside our borders in not something we can control so our efforts are best directed towards strengthening ourselves at home. For example, it is within our control to eliminate job-killing over-regulation and interprovincial trade barriers. It is within our control to develop and promote alternative markets for Canadian products. It is within our control to build the pipelines we need to get our oil and natural gas to the coasts for export. We have deep cultural and historical economic ties to Europe, India and many other countries that we can, and must, expand. 

There is such a thing as a Canadian identity — contrary to what the Liberals tried to make us believe for the last decade — and much to be proud of in our history. If we are to stand firm against the threats from the current US administration, we must honour and protect the many aspects of Canada that make our country a place to admire, one that has attracted immigrants from all over the world since Confederation. 

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should local voters choose you?

I have come out of retirement after serving in the Navy for 28 years to address the issues and challenges we face here in our riding - I am driven to reverse economic decline, reduce the cost of living and keep repeat violent repeat offenders off our streets - I know our riding well and the challenges we face together, my own family included. 

Go back to the candidate list, or keep scrolling.

🟢 Kathleen Code, Green

Question 1: Housing

South Island residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

Housing is a human right. The Green Party plans to build and maintain public housing across the country, customized for each community. The homes will be protected from the public market predatory investors and well maintained through ongoing funds. Shelter costs will be no more than 30% of a person’s regular income. The homes will be built in connection with our new Strategic Federal Reserve program, whereby we will buy up resources such as aluminum, steel and lumber that would normally flow south, but in view of the American tariffs, we would stockpile and use them to build Canadian homes.

This strategy keeps our workers employed in the sawmills and factories and ensures good paycheques for thousands of Canadians. Homes would be built from a generational and community perspective and be constructed using ecologically friendly materials and techniques. 

We also plan on eliminating the federal tax for Canadians earning less than $100,000, for the first $40,000.

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the South Island, including crime and public/road safety?

Public road safety is the shared jurisdiction of the provincial, federal and local governments. The Green Party advocates for few internal combustion vehicles on the road, advocating for public transit and vehicles using renewable energy. 

The federal government is responsible for national and border security, federal law enforcement and coordination of federal responses for emergency management. 

According to the Police Reported Crime 2023 report issued by Stats Canada, crime rose 2% in each of the three previous years, with violent crime remaining virtually unchanged. This is a far cry from how Poilievre presents the situation, where he contends that crime is rampant in the streets and his solution is to throw more people in jail. Makes you wonder if he has stocks in a prison construction business. 

Homicide was down 14%, while hate crimes are up 32% and in BC, crime is down 4%. In terms of what is classified as a non-violent offence, child pornography is up 52%, yet this does not seem to draw the ire of Mr. Poilievre. This is an alarming statistic for any community. 

We would be pleased to work with the provincial governments and the territories to increase public safety by building affordable and appropriate housing, providing accessible healthcare (including mental health, dental and pharmacare and counselling and treatment centres). 

Question 3: Health

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care? 

We must address our failing healthcare system by training more medical professionals and providing them free education so they are not burdened with debt for the rest of their lives. We would recruit American health professionals and ensure that immigrants will credentials are able to gain their Canadian credentials in a timely manner. We must also provide heath care that is culturally appropriate for Indigenous peoples. 

The starting point for me with the opioid crisis is that people who fall prey to drug addiction are our brothers, our sisters, our sons, our daughters, our family. According to frontline workers that I’ve spoken with, compassion and healthcare are the answers, not prison and criminalization that will cause further trauma and harm. Compassionate care, given when wanted and needed, involves a full spectrum of services including a safer supply, housing, counselling, overdose prevention and safe consumption sites, among others. This health care approach leads to fewer emergency room visits, fewer interactions with law enforcement and the courts and less need to build more prisons.

This approach also leads to people buying fewer drugs through the black market, where drugs are becoming more toxic and lethal. Statistics indicate that approximately 13% of Canadians suffer from drug-related substance abuse, affecting people from all walks of life and social-economic levels, of which the unhoused are a small minority. Prohibition does more harm than good. The Green Party will build a drug recovery program that is evidence-based and cost-effective. There is scientific evidence that such 

programs produce cost savings for prison, law enforcement, hospital use. Caring for people in pain is the right thing to do. 

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the South Island region’s rapidly growing population?

Public transit and light rail transit would be ideal transportation modes for the South Island, especially connecting the rural areas with the urban centres. The federal Greens would be pleased to work with the other levels of government to generate transportation modes that are more accessible to the public and that use renewable energy. We must find a way to reduce carbon emissions and building a national electrical grid across the country will help connect remote and rural communities, including the South Island.

Building appropriate and affordable homes in the context of walkable communities would help ease some of the congestion and ensure that everyone has access to housing. We would build 1.2 million homes over 7 years across the nation in partnership with non-profits, co-ops and public housing agencies, charging no more than 30% of household income. These would be public housing units not available to predatory investors and built on an ecologically sound basis. 

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

People need to know they can afford food, a home, education, health care and the necessities of life, no matter what stage of life they’re at. We need to take back our power as people and stop voting for the status quo parties that keep us on the same failed path. Green policies include the elimination of federal taxes on the first $40,000 for Canadians earning $100,000 or less, the provision of a Guaranteed Basic Income, improved universal and free health care (including dental, mental, pharmacare and substance abuse treatment), public housing, fair taxation and investing in clean energy and innovation. 

These programs would be available through fair taxation and wealth tax measures. Here’s a few that would yield billions of dollars over a five-year period:

• Eliminating the corporate meals and entertainment expenses: $4.8 billion.

• Increasing the corporate income rate tax from 15 to 21% on taxable income exceeding $100 million: $42 billion.

• A Wealth Tax: $121 billion.

• Eliminating resource deductions for the oil and gas sector: $14 billion.

Financial Transaction Tax: $237 billion. 

Question 6: Environment

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office?

Since 2000, I have watched heartbroken as governments have steadfastly refused to protect citizens and their communities from climate crisis-related disasters. Wildfires have burned millions of hectares of 

forest and entire communities, droughts have wiped out biodiversity and farmers’ crops, floods have destroyed infrastructure and homes, landslides, heat domes – it is gut wrenching to see government obfuscate and bow to lobbyist demands, while using taxpayer dollars in an attempt to clean it up. My top priority will be to protect all the remaining forests left to us, particularly old growth and boreal. 

These are not renewable resources, but the lungs of the planet and the foundation of the Indigenous culture. We will use renewable energy resources to transition from oil and gas and build an electrical grid across the country, creating thousands of well-paying jobs and lowering energy costs. We will stop giving out corporate subsidies, and instead, make polluters pay, holding them accountable for the climate damage they cause. Our children and their children deserve a world that holds clean drinking water, food security and an abundance of nature. 

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state?

Canada is a proud and sovereign nation and we must stand together against the American tariff and takeover threats. Ironically, these threats have done a great deal to unite us and prompt us to explore better ways of interprovincial trade and more suitable trading partners. I am very proud of the way Canadians have spontaneously and as one stepped up to buy local Canadian goods and services and this is certainly true of the people in this riding. We will provide grants and loans to small and medium-sized businesses to build up our local manufacturing sector and ensure we protect the last of our old-growth forests and intact ecosystems. While we plan vacations here at home, we can also let our Washington neighbours we still love them and we welcome them to come and visit our island.

We are now galvanized like never before and the Green Party has an exceptional Protecting Canada planto strengthen our economy, our border, our partnerships and make better use of our raw resources for Canadians. The plan advocates a new economic NATO with like-minded democracies, proposes an alternate location for the UN Headquarters, establishes a Federal Strategic Reserve of raw resources so we can build homes here, provides strong financial support for Canadian small and medium sized businesses, and calls for the construction of a strong East-West electricity grid. We will bump up our shipbuilding strategy, cancel the purchase of the F35s and secure more manufacturing jobs here in Canada. We will create 120,000 new well-paying jobs for a civilian Federal Home Guard and invest billions in innovation and entrepreneurial loans.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should local voters choose you?

I am the candidate with the education, the experience, the skills and most of all the compassion to find solutions for you and your family so you can live a comfortable and fulfilling life.

Go back to the candidate list, or keep scrolling.

🔴 Blair Herbert, Liberal 

Question 1: Housing

CRD residents are feeling the squeeze. What is your plan to increase housing affordability and supply, especially for renters and young families?

This Riding has an average home price of nearly $800,000; a price far out of reach for many.  The solution?  The Liberal housing plan to get the federal government back into the business of home building.  Liberals will double the pace of construction to almost 500,000 affordable homes annually, creating a positive economic spin-off by partnering with builders for the construction of projects and supporting apprenticeship opportunities to grow our trades workforce.  This initiative builds on the Liberal’s commitment to eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on homes at or under $1 million.  Canada has solved a housing crisis before, and we can do it again.

Skyrocketing rents are often the product of supply and demand.  Without enough supply, landlords can rent to the highest bidder.  Our investment to increase the housing supply should drive down rental costs.

In contrast, Pierre Poilievre wants to take the government out of homebuilding. He wants to cut policies that are already working – like the Housing Accelerator Fund – and let the market do the rest. That’s not leadership, that’s ideology. 

Question 2: Public Safety

What will you do to improve public safety in the CRD, including crime and public/road safety?

Canadians deserve to feel safe where they live, play, work, and worship. A Liberal government will:

• Reinvigorate the implementation of an efficient gun-buyback program for assault-style firearms.

• Automatically revoke gun licenses for individuals convicted of violent offences, particularly those convicted of intimate partner violence offences.

• Legislate a requirement for the RCMP to classify new firearm models entering the market, instead of the gun industry.

• Toughen oversight of firearms licensing.

• Recruit 1,000 more RCMP personnel to tackle drug and human trafficking, foreign interference, cybercrime, and the organized criminal gangs that steal cars. 

• Train 1,000 new CBSA officers to crack down on drugs and illegal guns and to stop gangs from stealing cars and smuggling them out of the country. 

• Toughen the Criminal Code and make bail laws stricter for violent and organized crime, home invasions, car stealing, and human trafficking – including and especially for repeat offenders.

• Take specific measures to crack down on sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

• Aggressively pursue action to protect children from online crimes.

• Fight the horrifying rise in hate and protect our communities.

Question 3: Health 

What will you do to address our pressing health concerns, including the toxic drug crisis and the need for more access to medical care including mental-health care?  

There are two sides to the toxic drug crisis that I would work on as MP.  

Firstly, I believe we need a treatment-centered and evidence-based approach to the drug addiction crisis that addresses its main causes.  When people who use drugs decide they want to make a change and commit to a treatment plan, I want to make sure there is a place available to them versus being put on a waitlist which only puts them at greater risk.  

On that front, a new re-elected Liberal government will:

• Introduce a comprehensive strategy to address substance use to end the opioids crisis.

• Invest $500 million to support provinces and territories in providing access to a range of treatments.

Support provinces and territories in creating standards for treatment programs so Canadians can access quality and evidence-based support when they need it.

Secondly, as a business operator myself, I am aware of the impact this epidemic has on businesses and residents within the communities in this Riding.  I have to admit, I don’t have the answers, but I want to be part of the solution.  I have no doubt that the local and provincial governments have tried many solutions, but I am not quite sure they are working or, at least, I have spoken to voters who feel they are not working.  As your MP, I will bring the Federal government to the table to find solutions for all of us.  

Question 4: Transit & Urban Growth

How will you advocate for better transit and infrastructure to support the CRD’s rapidly growing population?

Transit and municipal infrastructure are the responsibility of the local government.  But, once consensus is met locally on the best solution to address the CRD’s rapid growing population, there are programs of the Liberal Party that could apply.

For example, Liberals will:

Invest to build infrastructure that connects Canada, breaks down barriers, and brings people and economies closer together. We will work with all orders of government and Indigenous Peoples on critical infrastructure that connects communities. A current example of this is the George Massey Tunnel.

Make rural and small communities more affordable and accessible through investing an additional $250 million in the Rural Transit Solutions Fund. By working with provinces and territories, we will lower costs and further support the development, expansion, and operation of local, regional, and cross-Canada transit and bus solutions that help Canadians get to work, school, medical appointments, and visit loved ones. 

As MP, I would partner with the CRD and advocate for them accessing these Liberal programs to improve transit for CRD’s rapidly growing population.

Question 5: Cost of Living

What will you and your party do to make life more affordable for everyday South Island residents?

As discussed in the first question, the Liberal plan to develop more affordable housing will be a significant contributor to making life more affordable with respect to both buying a home and reducing rent costs.  

Other Liberal initiatives to make life more affordable include:

• Protecting the $10/day daycare and continuing the Child Canada Benefit.

• Cancelling the carbon tax, which is already saving Canadians on average 18 cents/litre on the price of gas (including those in BC, as the BC government followed the Federal government’s lead in cutting the tax).

• Delivering a middle-class tax cut, saving a two-income household up to $825 a year.

• Eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on homes at or under $1 million, saving Canadians up to $50,000 on the purchase of their first home.

• Getting Canadians the benefits they deserve by delivering automatic tax filing, starting with low-income households and seniors.

• Making mortgage payments more affordable by reviewing barriers to longer interest rate terms on mortgages, which would give Canadians more financial stability.

• Funding home retrofits and lowering utility bills while making it easier for low- and middle-income households, including renters, to adopt heat pumps and energy efficiency upgrades. 

• Expanding dental coverage to Canadians aged 18-64 to provide access to around 4.5 million Canadians, so more people get the care they need, saving Canadians around $800 in dental care costs.

Question 6: Environment 

What are your top environmental priorities that you will commit to focusing on for the South Island if you are in office? 

As your MP, I believe the Liberals’ environmental initiatives will serve the South Island well and these include:

• Conserve nature and biodiversity by creating at least 10 new national parks and marine conservation areas, and 15 new urban parks;

• Bolster Indigenous stewardship by establishing a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians program;

• Protect our freshwater, including investing $100 million in a strategic water security technology fund to advance Canadian R&D, AI, monitoring, and data tools;

• Enshrine First Nations’ right to water into law;

• Clean up, maintain, and protect wildlife in and around our coastal waters, by investing an additional $15 million to modernize the responsible disposal of the ghost gear threatening marine mammals and birds; and,

• Champion nature conservation internationally, by stopping illegal wildlife trade across our borders with modern digital solutions.

I would also prioritize the development and education of environmentally friendly programs that reward Canadians and Canadian businesses for making green choices.  The Greener Homes Loan program is an example; it offers Canadians interest-free financing to help them make their homes more energy efficient. 

And, finally, I want readers to know that their day-to-day actions matter – take reusable bags when you go to the grocery store, return cans and bottles, recycle cardboard and plastic with your curbside pick up, upcycle old clothes, shop at second hand stores and reuse containers before buying new ones.  There are many environmentally friendly actions that are low cost (or no cost) that we can all do and, if all 40 million Canadians did, can you imagine the impact we could have?  

Question 7: US Relations

The US has taken an increasingly aggressive stance on trade, security, and global policy. How will you and your party protect Island interests, including tourism, commerce, and the environment, while maintaining a stable relationship with our neighbours in Washington state? 

The United States tariffs are a clear violation of trade agreements and require serious trade and economic responses. I support dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs aimed where they will be felt the hardest in the United States with the least impact in Canada.   

At the same time, we need to boost investment and support Canadian workers, including Islanders, through this difficult moment.  We will work to diversify trading relationships and build new sources of jobs and growth based on our natural resources, our talented people and their innovation. 

One last thought to pass on to readers is this – difficult times can present amazing opportunities.  The swell of national pride and a united Canadian economy are two of those opportunities.  Rather than 13 different provincial and territorial economies, I believe we can create one amazing national economy.  Removing barriers to internal trade, alone, would lower prices for consumers by reducing trade costs and would expand our economy by up to $200 billion.

Question 8: Your Commitment

In one sentence: Why should Victoria voters choose you?

Voters should choose me because I am committed to this Riding and it is time for us to have a voice in the government so that: (1) our issues will truly be heard, (2) we’ll have a say in government policy and (3) we can access Federal government funding for local projects and initiatives; for too many years we have been represented in the back benches

.

⤴️ Go back up to the candidate list

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

We have an important update for you today!

Starting next month, we're joining forces with our sister publication, Capital Daily, to deliver all your Greater Victoria and Westshore news in one combined newsletter.

The growing Westshore municipalities are becoming a bigger and bigger part of the Capital Region, and we want the region-wide Capital Daily coverage to reflect that.

What this means for you:

• You’ll be getting news from around the South Island (including the Westshore) 7 days a week

• Your dedicated Westshore region stories & events will still run every Tuesday and Thursday

• The reader-favourite "What's Offshore" will arrive in the Monday newsletter

Many of you already subscribe to both The Westshore newsletter and Capital Daily. But for those who are only subscribed here, you'll need to opt-in to get the combined newsletter.

To continue receiving your local news without interruption, you can follow The Westshore to Capital Daily by subscribing at this link.

NEWS

Juan de Fuca Marine Trail won't reopen this summer

Juan de Fuca Marine Trail photo: BC Parks website

The 47km trail goes from China Beach near Jordan River to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. It will stay closed this summer “to repair extensive damage caused by multiple fall and winter storms.”

The Ministry of Environment and Parks said last week that “key sections … have been washed away or blocked by fallen trees, making the trail impassable and unsafe.” It also cited unstable slopes and “extensive damage” to bridges, boardwalks, shelters, and campsites along the trail. 

East Sombrio and Mystic Beach campsites remain open for backcountry camping and day use, but many sites are closed including: Bear, Chin, & West Sombrio beaches, and Little Kuitshie and Payzant creeks. China and Botanical beaches will also be open to day use. China Beach, which has been undergoing construction, opens May 15.

JDF trail has had recent upgrades & repairs

The closure comes a year after the province spent $2.7M on Juan de Fuca Provincial Park to add 21 new drive-in and 26 new walk-in sites for camping, plus accessible shower and flush toilet buildings at China Beach campground. The year prior, 10 new tent platforms were added to campgrounds at Mystic Beach, Bear Beach, Chin Beach, Little Kuitshe and Payzant creeks. In 2022 there were renovations to various boardwalks, bridges, and stairways. 

Although the Juan de Fuca is not infamously intense like the West Coast Trail, it still has its challenges and pitfalls. A year ago, a hiker got trapped in a clay pit along the muddy trail. 

Victoria Grizzlies have had the opposite sort of weekend, going up 2-0 after opening their BCHL series on the road (and up the road) in Duncan.

NEWS

CRD wants to borrow $3.15M for new Sooke skatepark & upgrades to SEAPARC

Proposed skatepark design via CRD.

The current skatepark is nearly 30 years old, and is currently closed over safety issues. The CRD has determined that it isn't up to modern specs and that it isn't financially viable to repair the park. The CRD has already done public consultation and design work. The remaining design work, and the construction itself, would cost about $1.1M and start this year. 

Rec centre upgrades could halve its annual emissions

At nearby SEAPARC Rec Centre, the CRD wants to make upgrades to set up a heat recovery system by spending $2.2M (with $150K already expected from a grant). 

The current system sends waste heat from the refrigeration plant out into the atmosphere through a cooling tower. The proposed system would recirculate it to heat the pool and domestic hot water and to integrate with the HVAC. 

SEAPARC pool & arena (below). Photo: SEAPAA

The CRD and Sooke both want to reduce emissions from SEAPARC Rec, which is the second-most emitting facility in the CRD and accounts for 16% of its facility emissions. The new system could roughly halve the rec centre's annual emissions.

The CRD is trying to make this move now because various parts of the centre are expected to reach end-of-life between 2024 and 2030. Those include the arena and pool domestic hot water storage tanks; air conditioning; pool circulation pumps; and the arena dehumidifier and parts of the pool dehumidifier.

The Alternate Approval Process

Under the AAP, the borrowing would go ahead unless 10% of electors in Sooke and the relevant part of the JDF Electoral Area mail, drop off, or email an opposition form by May 23. That would be 1,826 people. The CRD estimates that as of 2028 the annual cost would be $34 for Sooke households and $23 for JDF households.

The SEAPARC capital reserve had $873K at year's end, which isn't enough for these projects. The CRD believes that not making the rec centre changes could jeopardize its 2030 corporate greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, which include a 45% decrease from 2007 levels. 

Around the 'Shore

🩺 Colwood expects to add 2 more doctors to city clinic, and a 4th physician by the fall. Mayor Doug Kobayashi says there have been many applications but the city is avoiding candidates from other parts of BC and is enthused by BC's new US recruitment plans. [Canadian Press]

🗳 Learn about local candidates’ resumes and political priorities at our election hub. Candidate Q&A responses coming on Thursday.

🔎 Missing: Aaron, 48. Last seen April 11, according to West Shore RCMP. [Info]

📨 Vote by mail: Today is the last day to register—online or via phone—for a vote-by-mail ballot. Registration must be done before 6pm. [Info]

✍🏽 The Victoria Foundation is celebrating 20 years of the Victoria’s Vital Signs program this year. Take part in the region’s annual checkup and enter the draw to win a $100 gift card to Country Grocer. Read the full article here.*

🎳 Rezoning in Sooke would allow for a bowling alley: A Syrian family has a plan, inspired by Langford Lanes, to rezone a residential property on West Coast Road and later pursue a development permit. The public hearing on it is set for Monday. [Goldstream Gazette]

🗣 Contention in Cowichan–Malahat–Langford: Conservative Jeff Kibble is being criticized by the other candidates for not attending all-party forums and instead doing his own events with museum operator Jim Shockey, who has ties with Donald Trump Jr. [Times Colonist]

🌏 Free BC Transit rides today for Earth Day.

🐟 Streams & societies silent migration online auction fundraiser is on until Sunday. Bid on marine adventures, Alaska cruises, mushroom tours, cutting boards, watercolours, and more. [Peninsula Streams & Shorelines]

🏠 Housing in Victoria was graded a D minus last year. Do you agree in 2025? Take Victoria's 2025 Vital Signs survey for a chance to win a $100 Country Grocer gift card!*

*Sponsored Listing

Earth Day Events this week

👟 Earth Day Ocean Art Walk & pollinators tour in Metchosin today. Begins 11am at Metchosin Arts & Culture Centre, then gets to Sea Buffalo Farm at noon and continues to Witty's. Free & all ages.

♻️ Upcycled: Small changes, big impact runs today to Sat. Showcases upcycled fashion, fibre arts, home décor, and 2D and 3D works of art that tell a story. Begins 10am daily.

🌍 Sooke Earth Day: Local businesses, organizations, exhibits, and entertainment this Sat. on the greenspace beside Fire Station One. [District]

🌱 Porcher Park Opening Celebration: Langford council and Urban Food Resilience host a grand opening featuring new garden plots, light refreshments, free seeds, and a ceremonial tree planting. 11am today.

🗑 Earth Day Litter Clean: Join Colwood's PICK (Promoting Involvement for Community Kleanup) to clear litter along Sooke Road. Meetup is at the Aldeane intersection. 1-3pm today. [Info]

Read the full event listings for more Earth Week events in Esquimalt, Victoria, and around the region.

Community Events

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. Until May 4.

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. April 26 at SEAPARC. [Info]

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

🏓 1st-ever Sooke Paddle Battle pickleball tournament is May 3-4.

🟩 Juan de Fuca Lawn Bowls Club hosts open houses this Sat. next Weds., & the first Sun. in May. [Info]

Council Meetings

View Royal: No more council meetings scheduled this month.

Colwood: Today will have meetings of environment, active transportation, and infrastructure committees. [Calendar]

Highlands: Regular council meeting today. [Calendar]

Sooke: Committee of the Whole meets today. [Schedule]

Langford: Council meeting today. [Calendar]

Metchosin: No meetings until next Monday.

What’s Offshore?

 

No current vessels anchored but this weekend featured a passing appearance near Trial Island by the Zhen Hua 23, a heavy lift ship. Reader Dale Churchill snapped the photo above, and wrote that the vessel is carrying large container cranes being delivered to Delta Port where they will be used to load container ships.

In other local vessel news:

Class action over mold on CFB Esquimalt warship dismissed 
Plaintiff Félix Dunn says he discovered black mold while stationed aboard HMCS Vancouver in 2016, and experienced a range of symptoms both at that time and long-term. He argued the Forces were negligent about workplace safety. But the court determined that he didn't file grievances while an active member, and had already been compensated with disability benefits from Veterans Affairs. [CTV]

Westshore Snaps

Two gorgeous rabbits for Easter weekend. Photos from Gary Woodburn.

“Beau the dog earned this view of Finlayson Arm from Gowland Todd Park” – Ryan Cuthbert, Highlands

The trumpeter swan of Esquimalt Lagoon, which recently died. [Facebook]

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Advance voting stations are now open in the region and across the country, and will run all long weekend in an effort to make it easy for voters to get to polls. If you're looking for your nearest location, check the link below. And if you're looking for more information on the candidates, we have some more of that again today.

Plus: The mystery of a bare-faced bear; an update on transit; and more.

Federal election advance voting on April 18-21, at these locations in Cowichan–Malahat–Langford and these in Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke.

— Cam

FEDERAL ELECTION 2025

The field of candidates in Cowichan–Malahat–Langford, and what they're talking about

Alistair MacGregor, Jeff Kibble, Blair Herbert, Kathleen Code, Dagmar Goeschick. All photos from respective campsign websites

The final Elections Canada roster includes these 5 people vying for the seat, and below we have a little more info on their positions and priorities.

You can read this information, get links to candidate pages, and learn more of the riding's backstory in the full article here.

If your riding is Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke, that full article can be found here.

Lists of priorities are not exhaustive but are based on topics and proposals emphasized on candidate webpages and social media, and in public comments. Candidates with more information released publicly will have slightly more items listed. Candidate sequence below is based on past party results in the riding.

NDP – Alistair MacGregor, incumbent MP

Priorities: More federal healthcare funding, stopping tax havens / loopholes, building many more homes incl. on federal land, supporting farmers, limiting grocery prices, supporting seniors and caregivers, universal childcare, national pharmacare, ending fossil fuel projects

Conservatives – Jeff Kibble, naval veteran

Priorities: Economic growth & stability, cost of living, cutting bureaucracy on private housing, improving and fast-tracking benefits for veterans, giving veterans priority for public service jobs and government contracts, increasing drug criminalization, adding treatment spaces

Liberal – Blair Herbert, farming & real estate

Priorities: Rural healthcare, more housing options, sovereignty and opposing Trumpism, transportation, environmental action including small and locally, supporting the CBC, military funding, regulations on AI, partnering with Indigenous projects, reliable transportation, marine / coastal stewardship

Green – Kathleen Code, Ecoforest stewardship board chair

Priorities: Addressing climate / emissions / pollution, protecting forests, increasing Canadian self-reliance, building out clean energy infrastructure, funding affordable public housing & housing co-ops, taxing big corporations, caring for people with addictions

PPC – Dagmar Goeschick, cleaning business entrepreneur

Priorities: "minimizing government interference, encouraging individual accountability, guaranteeing equity for all Canadians, and upholding individual liberties and rights."

Read more on each candidate in the full article here.

NEWS

BC Transit opens new parts distribution centre in Colwood

Nanaimo's George Anderson, Parl. Sec. for Transit, opens the facility. Image via BC Transit

The new 2,800m2 warehouse will distribute to all 58 BC Transit local systems in the province, replacing a previous Westshore hub that BC Transit says had become inadequate. It cost nearly $21M ($10M from local governments) but BC Transit says it cuts operating costs because space no longer needs to be leased. The new distribution system also aims to improve efficiency by grouping some orders together as it ships  throughout the province. 

This opening, in the Wildcat Industrial Complex on Allendale Rd., comes just weeks after the new HandyDART depot opened in View Royal. That makes for over $100M in new transit facilities now complete in the Westshore.

Instagram post

Around the 'Shore

🏒 Malahat matchup: Grizzlies will play Cowichan Valley Capitals in second-round BCHL series that begins tomorrow in Cowichan and shifts back to Colwood's Q Centre next Tues. The teams haven't met in the playoffs since 2009, but this year are among a record 3 Island teams to make it to Round 2. Their regular-season matches this year were pretty evenly matched—and pretty heavy on penalty minutes. [Grizzlies info]

🐻 Bare-faced bear in Port Renfrew: A photo of a black bear with a fur-less face was uploaded this week on Facebook. Jennifer Heinrichs, who snapped the shot from her car, told Sooke News Mirror that “it looked like it was wearing a mask like the Phantom of the Opera” but was otherwise fat and healthy. Experts say skin mites may be the culprit.

🚫🔥 No backyard burning after April 30, Sooke reminds locals. But the District will host a complimentary yard waste drop-off program at the parks yard on May 3, 10, 21, & 28.

🌳 Firwood Park closed in Sooke through June for nature trail construction.

⚽️ Pacific FC begins season 1-1 at home and how heads on the road until May 10.

⛴ Expect busy ferries this long weekend: BC Ferries recommends reserving in advance or walking on, and aiming to travel at off-peak times (e.g. Saturday and Tuesday).

📰 Tuesday newsletter: Escapee's conviction upheld. Full election roster. Hockey series win. Bus route changes. [April 15]

🏫 Attend an open house on April 24 or 25 to discover how Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to be curious, engaged and prepared for the future.*

*Sponsored Listing

Earth Day Events

🚶‍♀️ Earth Day Ocean Art Walk & pollinators tour in Metchosin next Tuesday, April 22. Begins 11am at Metchosin Arts & Culture Centre, then gets to Sea Buffalo Farm at noon and continues to Witty's. Free & all ages.

♻️ Upcycled: Small changes, big impact runs Tues.-Sat. next week. Showcases upcycled fashion, fibre arts, home décor, and 2D and 3D works of art that tell a story. Begins 10am daily.

🌍 Sooke Earth Day event April 26 on the greenspace beside Fire Station One. [District]

Easter Weekend Events

🐰 Free Photos with the Easter Bunny: Fri & Sat at Westshore Town Centre. Bring your own camera or phone; an attendant will be on hand to snap a family pic. [Info]

🍳 Easter Brunch buffet at Table Nineteen at Olympic View Golf Club featuring carving stations, seafood, pastries, and more. Easter Brunch at Table Nineteen. [Sunday 10am]

🥚 Bilston Creek Farm: Easter weekend with an egg hunt through the orchard, food vendors, and farm-fresh treats, April 19-20. [Info]

Community Events

🧝‍♀️ Quarry Park playground opening in Royal Bay. Ice cream, princesses, abd local officials all on site. 3:30-4:30pm today. [Info]

👟 High Ground hike for community tsunami preparedness Today at 11am at Sooke Flats & at 10am at Royal Roads.

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. Today to May 4.

🗓 Metchosin Community House events: Garage sales, art group, Spanish lessons, parents & tots group, movie nights, and more. [Calendar here—make sure page is in desktop mode]

🤝 Candidate meet & greet: Cowichan–Malahat–Langford NDP, Liberal, & Green candidates on Fri. & Sat. [Details / schedule]

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. April 26 at SEAPARC. [Info]

🐥17th Annual Duck Day Race and Family Event: Sooke Harbourside Lions present games, activities, hot dogs, and crafts for the kids as rubber ducks race down the Sooke River. 11an-2pm May 3. Free admission, but tickets to try to win the grand prize go on sale tomorrow. [More info]

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

📥 A new way to submit community events to the City of Langford. [Here]

Council Meetings

View Royal: No more council meetings scheduled this month.

Colwood: Next Tues., April 22, will have meetings of environment, active transportation, and infrastructure committees. [Calendar]

Highlands: Regular council meeting Tues. Calendar 

Sooke: Committee of the Whole meets next Tues. [Schedule]

Langford: Council meeting Tues. [Calendar]

Metchosin: No meetings until April 28.

What’s Offshore?

🚢 Near Colwood coast: Bangkok Bridge, a 2010-built container ship sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under a Panama flag. 🇵🇦 

🚢 Further out: Tavistock Square, a 2019-built crude oil tanker sailing from San Francisco to Vancouver under a Liberia flag 🇱🇷.

➡️ Moving on: GSL Grania, a 2004-built container ship sailing from Prince Rupert to Vancouver under a Liberia flag. 🇱🇷 

Westshore Snaps

We usually only run photos that depict somewhere within the Westshore. But since we already mentioned long-weekebd travel above, here are a few shots of Swartz Bay at sunset from reader Paul Young.

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Today we have an update on the legal process that continues 6 years after a local tragedy, and additional info about the election race in Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke. Our election coverage will continue for the next two weeks, with more info from candidates coming soon.

— Cam

NEWS

Metchosin escapee’s murder conviction upheld by BC Court of Appeal

James Lee Busch, left, and Zachary Armitage. Photos via Correctional Service of Canada

BC's highest court will not advance a new trial for James Lee Busch in the killing of Martin Payne in 2019. Busch and Zachary Armitage were both sentenced to life after being convicted of killing the local man, 60, following their escape from William Head. Armitage entered a guilty plea during trial, apologizing to the family, while Busch's guilt was decided by the jury.

Busch's appeal had argued that the original judge didn't properly instruct that jury on the matter of liability for aiding a murder. Busch has maintained that he was not extensively involved in a killing he says was done by Armitage. His lawyer told the Canadian Press that a further appeal may be taken to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The escape & murder

After walking away from William Head at low tide in July 2018, the duo entered the Metchosin home of Payne. They used his computer to research transportation and their situation. When Payne returned, they attacked him and in the struggle killed him, the Court heard. They intended, the Crown argued, to confine him and get his financial access.

The fugitives were later caught when they commented on the dog of a passing off-duty police officer. Payne’s body was found there a few days later during a wellness check.

The process leading up to it

Busch and Armitage were both violent offenders and considered at high risk to reoffend. Corrections documents obtained by Capital Daily revealed that the scales used to rank an inmate’s security level were manually overridden for both inmates. Armitage had made prior escapes, though he was believed to have shifted away from such designs. Correctional staff flagged Busch, in summer 2019, as a “time bomb” and poor fit for minimum security.

There have since been some changes to the process, including policies allowing receiving prisons to give input on prisoner transfers.

Payne’s daughters Calla and Jessica Payne filed a wrongful death civil suit in 2022 against Correctional Service Canada, arguing his death was a “direct and foreseeable consequence” of breaches of care including monitoring on the day-of and the prior overrides.

FEDERAL ELECTION 2025

The full field of candidates in Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke 

Top row from left: Maja Tait, Stephanie McLean, Grant Cool, Ben Homer-Dixon. Bottom row: Nikita Heurtier, Robert Crooks, Param Bhatti, David Schaafsma

The final Elections Canada roster includes more candidates than we had last week when we introduced the riding, and this month's local election race. Below are the 8 people vying for the seat, along with more info on their positions.

You can read this information, get links to candidate pages, and learn more of the riding's backstory in the full article here.

Lists of priorities are not exhaustive but are based on topics and proposals emphasized on candidate webpages and social media, and in public comments. Candidates with more information released publicly will have slightly more items listed. Candidate sequence below is based on past party results in the riding.

NDP (incumbent party): Maja Tait, Sooke mayor

Priorities include: Environmental protection, affordable housing, funding Sooke Gathering Place, reducing GST for small businesses, dental care / pharmacare, grocery price caps, Indigenous & 2SLGBTQ+ rights

Liberal: Stephanie McLean, lawyer & former Alberta NDP minister

Priorities include: Protecting Canada, building more homes in BC, growing a strong local economy, supporting CFB Esquimalt & increasing defence spending, clean energy projects, seniors

Conservative: Grant Cool, aerospace engineer

Priorities include: "Restoring affordability, public safety, and prosperity,” veteran supports, seniors supports, more addiction treatment spaces, stricter sentencing for crimes, cutting taxes

Green: Ben Homer-Dixon, UVic geography student

Piorities include: Climate action incl. local anti-pollution & disaster mitigation, social justice and economic equity, dental & pharmacare

PPC: Nikita Heurtier, kinesiologist

Campaign information not available

Communist Party: Robert Crooks, youth arts programmer

Priorities include: Affordability, worker / renter / civil rights, ending corporate tax breaks, dental / pharma / mental health care

Independent: Param Bhatti, engineer

Priorities include: Economic opportunity, accessible healthcare, essential skills training, housing affordability, permanent GST exemption on essential services, tax credits for volunteers

Christian Heritage: David Schaafsma, optometrist

Priorities include: “Life, family, and freedom"

Read more about all candidates’ platforms and backgrounds.

Around the 'Shore

🚍 Bus route changes begin this week: The 51 Langford-to-UVic route will have its service level changed based on public feedback, BC Transit says, along with routes 24 (Cedar Hill/Tillicum Centre) and 46 (Dockyard/Westhills). The 49 will get new stops along Bear Mountain Parkway.

🏒 Victoria Grizzlies win first-round playoff hockey series 4-2: The Colwood club knocked out Coquitlam with a 5-1 win on the road in the only game this season between the rivals that was not won by the home team. Next opponent: Prince George or Chilliwack. [TriCityNews]

🍜 Ramen Arashi coming to Langford. The Victoria restaurant is opening a new location, its 6th overall, near the Y. The co-owner says that customers kept asking for a Westshore location—they'll soon get one twice the size of the Victoria version. [More]

🛣 Hwy 14 utility work: Pole setting began yesterday, causing single-lane alternating traffic from 9am to 3pm from Lazzar to Woodlands. [District]

🏫 Attend an open house on April 24 or 25 to discover how Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to be curious, engaged and prepared for the future.*

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

🐇 Free Photos with the Easter Bunny: April 11-19 at Westshore Town Centre. Bring your own camera or phone; an attendant will be on hand to snap a family pic. [Info]

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. April 17 to May 4.

🌿 Citizen's Environment Network in Colwood (CENiC) conversation series. 7-8pm online today, featuring Natural Assets Initiative and Native Plant Study Group. [Info]

🗓 Metchosin Community House events: Garage sales, art group, Spanish lessons, parents & tots group, movie nights, and more. [Calendar here—make sure page is in desktop mode]

👟 High Ground hike for community preparedness Thurs., April 17, at Sooke Flats. [District]

🎂 Cake Decoration Workshop: Flourish BeauTea in Langford hosts an artistic evening for learning new techniques & meeting fellow cake enthusiasts. [Weds. 6:15pm]

🤝 Candidate meet & greet: Cowichan–Malahat–Langford NDP, Liberal, & Green candidates on Fri. & Sat. [Details / schedule]

🚶‍♀️ Earth Day Ocean Art Walk & pollinators tour in Metchosin next Tuesday, April 22. Begins 11am at Metchosin Arts & Culture Centre, then gets to Sea Buffalo Farm at noon and continues to Witty's. Free & all ages.

🌍 Sooke Earth Day event April 26 on the greenspace beside Fire Station One. [District]

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. April 26 at SEAPARC. [Info]

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

Council Meetings

View Royal: Council meets today at 7pm. [Agenda]

Colwood: A special meeting was cancelled last night but a regular meeting was held. April 22 will have meetings of environment, active transportation, and infrastructure committees. [Calendar]

Highlands: Non-public special council meeting today. Sustainable land use committee meeting tomorrow. Regular council meeting April 22. Calendar 

Sooke: Committee of the Whole meets April 22. (Next Tues.) [Schedule]

Langford: Council meeting April 22. [Calendar]

Metchosin: No meetings until April 28.

What’s Offshore?

🚢 Near Colwood coast: Bangkok Bridge, a 2010-built container ship sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under a Panama flag. 

🚢 Further out: GSL Grania, a 2004-built container ship sailing from Prince Rupert to Vancouver under a Liberia flag.

➡️ Moving on: ONE Majesty, a container ship built in 2010, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭.

Westshore Snaps

Luke the Lab in Westhills, under the rainbow from a few weeks ago. – Heidi Koschzeck

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

With the federal election date approaching, and early voting and mail ballots now available we're giving you a quick introduction today to the local candidates.

Today we're listing them with short bios and links to more of their material. Next week, we'll bring you more on their positions and priorities.

— Cam

NEWS

What are our local federal ridings?

Images: Parliament of Canada website

There are two current Westshore ridings. Both are descendants of Esquimalt Juan de Fuca, which was won by NDP Randall Garrison before redistricting in 2015. Prior to that it had been dominated by Keith Martin, who ran with several parties: the Liberals (2004, 2006, 2008), Alliance (2000), Reform (1997, 1993) and briefly sat as an independent. Before Martin the seat was occupied by former premier Dave Barrett, the NDP's first BC Premier. Garrison had been a relatively close second at points in the 2000s before breaking through in 2011.

Garrison then held the descendant riding of Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke until his retirement last year, winning comfortably multiple times before stepping aside this past winter for health reasons after cueing up Sooke Mayor Maja Tait as his successor as NDP candidate. Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke skirts underneath the other Westshore riding, going along the coastline from Sooke at the edge through Metchosin and Colwood and then Esquimalt, and cuts inland to include View Royal and parts of Saanich.

The other portion of that previous Esquimalt–Juan de Fuca riding was combined with parts of the Cowichan riding to create Cowichan–Malahat–Langford. 

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor has won all three elections this riding has had, each time by double digits. A vast riding, C–M–L spans from Langford and Highlands west past Port Renfrew, northwest past Lake Cowichan, and north up the Malahat to Chemainus. The bulk of the riding population is at this point split fairly evenly between Langford residents and Cowichan Valley residents, following Langford's substantial growth in the past decade. 

Below are the 2025 candidates, in descending order of the party vote share in the riding’s past elections. Those party vote percentages are included in brackets, from the most recent in 2021 to the earliest in 2015.

Cowichan – Malahat – Langford candidates 

Alistair MacGregor – NDP (43%, 36%, 36%)

Incumbent MP MacGregor has sponsored bills in Parliament on issues including food price transparency, volunteer firefighters, and limits on freighters anchoring in local waters. He was a constituency assistant to former MP Jean Crowder and a tree planter before being elected. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Jeff Kibble – Conservative (28%, 26%, 23%)

The Toronto-born, Vancouver-raised Kibble spent 28 years in the Royal Canadian Navy and volunteers with the Wounded Warrior BC run. His wife is in the Armed Forces, and he cared for her when she was injured. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Blair Herbert – Liberal (16%, 16%, 24%)

Herbert has been the Liberal nominee in the past two elections as well. He is a real estate agent who ran a small business for 40 years; he was also formerly an RCMP officer and an immigration officer, and is currently a farmer. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Kathleen Code – Green (6%, 20%, 16%)

Code worked for the province for 20+ years in economic development policy and currently chairs the stewardship of the Wildwood Ecoforest near Ladysmith. She also organized some of the legal defence for the Fairy Creek protests and is the Greens' critic on forest issues. [Candidate page] [Party riding assoc. Facebook]

Dagmar Groeschick – PPC (6%, 1%, N/A)

Groeschick, originally from Germany, is a former store manager and a cleaning business entrepreneur. [Candidate page]

Esquimalt – Saanich – Sooke candidates

Maja Tait – NDP (43%, 34%, 35%)

Tait has been on Sooke council since 2008, winning a seat shortly after moving to Sooke, and was elected mayor in 2014, 2018, and most recently in 2022 with 72% of the vote. She is on the CRD board and in 2019 was elected as president of the Union of BC Municipalities. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Stephanie McLean – Liberal (22%, 18%, 27%)

McLean is a Colwood lawyer and a former Alberta NDP minister who served as Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Service Alberta in the Notley government before moving to the Island. In office she added protections against predatory lending. [Candidate page] [Party riding assoc. Facebook]

Grant Cool – Conservative (21%, 19%, 18%)

Cool is an aerospace engineer who moved to Victoria five years ago after working around Canada and the US. He has designed lower-emission vehicles and aircraft and has run mining, materials science, and transportation businesses. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Ben Homer-Dixon – Green (9%, 26%, 20%)

Homer-Dixon is a UVic geography student who has delivered a TEDx Talk on climate inaction. He has done field research on local creeks, forests, and urban areas. [Candidate page]

Nikita Heurtier – PPC (2%, 2%, N/A)

Heurtier is a UVic grad and a kinesiologist in Victoria. [Candidate page currently inactive]

Robert Crooks – Communist (<1%, <1%, <1%)

Crooks ran in Victoria – Swan Lake last fall. He hails from Winnipeg, where he worked doing free arts programming for youth. [No candidate page so far]

Around the 'Shore

💻 Langford council votes to limit comments on official Facebook page, where city staff say comments of a violent or sexual nature are frequently left, leaving staff to spend more time on monitoring. A handful of residents at the council meeting spoke in favour of keeping comments open for community engagement, but councillors said there are other ways for the public to interact with the city without causing distress and work for staff. [Black Press]

🚨 Impairment suspected in motorcycle-sedan crash at West Shore Parkway and Kettle Lake Drive in Langford last weekend. The Colwood driver, 30, faces a court date and the motorcyclist sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. [RCMP]

🌶 Langford company seeks Island supplier of peppers: Island Chef Pepper Company wants to avoid using US goods when making its hot sauces, which require over 13 tonnes of peppers annually. [VicNews]

🐻 Grizzlies hockey series tied 2-2 heading back to Colwood: The club was on the brink of going up 3-1, but lost Game 4 in overtime, 0-1, while on the road in Coquitlam.

🔎 Missing teenager: Jaxsen Swain was last seen Tuesday around the 300 block of Wale Road. [Photo / description]

🏫 Attend an open house on April 24 or 25 to discover how Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to be curious, engaged and prepared for the future.*

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

🏒 Grizzlies Game 5 is at 7pm on Friday. [Tickets]

⚽️ Pacific FC plays again on Sat. after last weekend's season-opening win earned them CPL Team of the Week honours. [Tickets]

👐 Beacon of Hope Town Hall on helping unhoused locals is this weekend (April 12) at Salvation Army’s Connection Point (737 Goldstream). [Info]

🥕 Free seminar on composting basics this Sat. in Langford. [Register]

🤝 Federal election local candidates meet & greets continue at Poncho's Cafe this Fri. & Sat. [Info]

🗳 Esquimalt – Saanich – Sooke candidates forum on Monday. [Info]

📚 Big Bargain Book Sale, Saturday, April 12 from 10am-4pm. Books $1-3. Gordon United Church Hall, 935 Goldstream Ave., Langford. To learn more or to donate books, call 250-478-6632.

📻 Live launch party for community radio outlet Sooke.Live on Sunday 1–4 pm at Café VOSINO.

🐇 Free Photos with the Easter Bunny: Fri., April 11-19 at Westshore Town Centre. Bring your own camera or phone; an attendant will be on hand to snap a family pic. [Info]

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. April 17 to May 4.

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. April 26 at SEAPARC. [Info]

What’s Offshore?

“Where did we park the boat?” ONE Majesty is seen from Royal Roads, looking across the lagoon. Photo: Bryan Bonell, Colwood

🚢  Off Colwood coast: ONE Majesty, a container ship built in 2010, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭.

🚢 Further out: MSC Beatrice, a 2009-built container ship sailing Seattle to Vancouver under a Panama flag.

Westshore Snaps

In a springtime scene, an Anna's hummingbird samples a flowering red currant. Photo: Gary Woodburn

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Today we cover the latest accolade for fast-growing Langford, the completion of the new HandyDART facility in View Royal, and the reports yesterday of a person and dog being pursued by wolves out by the coast.

— Cam

NEWS

Langford ranked #2 in BC on new economic resilience list

File photo: James MacDonald

Langford rose one spot from last year and is nestled between peninsula municipalities Sidney and Central Saanich, with Kelowna and West Kelowna rounding out the top 5. Most of the top 15 were Island communities, including #6 Saanich, #8 Victoria, and #12 Sooke.

The annual ranking from BC Business began a decade ago as Best Places to Work. It measures 50 BC municipalities of 10,000+ residents by using factors such as growth; job creation; and housing sales, starts, and vacancies. 

Reasons Langford did well included its economic diversity and its staggering rate of population growth and high number of housing starts per capita, which were both by far the highest of any municipality on the list. 

The article also cites the addition of local business parks and the upcoming post-secondary campus, and includes a profile of the success of Sheringham Distillery and its expansion from Sooke to Langford.

The city touted its silver status on Monday, attributing the accolade to its “focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement” and its range of different major sectors—enabling relatively fast and successful adaptation.

The city says it will be releasing its first formal Economic Development Strategy in June and wrapping it early next year.

NEWS

Dog walker reports being chased by wolves in East Sooke / Metchosin

Volunteer-run wildlife group Wild Wise Society posted on Facebook yesterday morning that it had gotten reports of the alleged encounter. It called the described situation unusual, but pointed out that wolves do try to get prey to flee in order to run them down at high speeds.

Wild Wise encouraged locals to make noise if they do encounter a wolf while out with a dog, but to avoid them by:

• Keeping dogs on-leash at all times outside

• Bringing free-roaming cats indoors

• Securing livestock well to avoid drawing wolves

Wild Wise also received a heightened number of wolf reports last fall, though some proved to be loose dogs.

Last fall, after a high-profile cougar run-in, The Westshore looked at how the expansion of the human population in our region is leading to more wild animal encounters.

The BC Conservation Service told CHEK that it was investigating the Monday wolf situation but that wolf encounters happen in wild or rural Island areas and that “during the incident (Monday) they exhibited natural territorial behaviour.” 

NEWS

New $83.5M HandyDART depot opens in View Royal

Facility aerial photo: Salmon-Safe BC

The depot, 5 years in the making, will roughly double the region's capacity to send these smaller community buses to provide door-to-door pickup for locals with disabilities. 

The $83.5M cost will be split between the provincial and federal governments and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission.

The facility will be BC Transit’s first Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold standard building. The full electrification process didn't come cheap, though. BC and Canada kicked in $51M in 2023, on top of the initial cost estimate in 2019 of $32M, to get it there—although that money was also for increased costs of inflation and construction. 

The site needed environmental improvements, and for its changes on that front the project was designated as the first “Salmon Safe” urban development project on the Island. It created over an acre-plus of protected habitat for salmon and trout in the Craigflower Creek watershed, and salmon have returned to the site in higher numbers since its remediation. Some 8,000 endemic plants and 350 trees were planted as part of the project.

The facility at Watkiss and Burnside will host 50+ buses, and can handle up to 100. BC Transit says the new site “positions BC Transit to expand HandyDART ridership in Greater Victoria to meet the expected growth in demand as the region’s population ages and grows.”

Facility opening with (from left) Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto, Langford-Highlands MLA Ravi Parmar, BC Transit CEO Erinn Pinkerton, and Nanaimo-Lantzville MLA / Parliamentary secretary of transportation George Anderson. Image: BC Transit video

By moving HandyDART operations to the View Royal location, BC Transit will be able to repurpose its old location to use for the upcoming Saanich Transit Centre. 

The depot is expected to be fully operating by mid-April, sending out its community buses to provide door-to-door pickup for locals with disabilities. 

Around the 'Shore

🗳 Municipalities reiterate election sign rules: Keep election signs off public property, View Royal told the public last week. They shouldn't be on roadsides, parks, municipal buildings’ lots, or obstructing traffic sightlines. [Details] Colwood also posted that as of last fall, candidates can only have a total of 24 small signs and 5 large signs, and they must only be along 12 specific routes within Colwood—and not on medians, planting beds, or hydro poles.

🛣 Hwy 14 utility work this week and next: Hole digging has started, which should not impact traffic. Pole setting will begin next Monday, causing single-lane alternating traffic from 9am to 3pm from Lazzar to Woodlands. [District]

📖 Adventurous Langford senior ‘Crazy Nana’ becomes author of kids' books. Sharon Stevens-Smith, 82, pens stories inspired by her life of sailing, flying, and motorcycling around the world to do anthropology, primatology, and more. [CHEK]

🚌 Latest Westshore-Ukraine trip shows locals' impact—and country's weariness. Local organizers with Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine recently made their fourth aid trip, delivering a school bus, laptops, diesel generators, and hospital supplies to several municipalities. They said the effect of war and the rising death toll were evident, but that their in-person visit was able to convince local officials to fund a renovation to help set up donated medical equipment. [Black Press]

🗳 Esquimalt byelection fills seat vacated by new Westshore MLA Darlene Rotchford, with Meagan Brame returning to a council seat after making her own run at the Esquimalt-Colwood riding. [Capital Daily]

📰 Last week: Community helps local couple face terminal cancer. Langford's draft OCP. Giant peacock on campus & other April Fools pranks. [Newsletter]

📣 Your Voice, Your Victoria! Take the 2025 Vital Signs citizen survey today for your say on the health of Greater Victoria. You could win a $100 Country Grocer gift card!*

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Community Events

⚽️ Pacific FC plays again on Sat. after last weekend's season-opening win earned them CPL Team of the Week honours. [Tickets]

👐 Beacon of Hope Town Hall on helping unhoused locals is this weekend (April 12) at Salvation Army’s Connection Point (737 Goldstream). [Info]

🥕 Free seminar on composting basics this Sat. in Langford. [Register]

🤝 Federal election local candidates meet & greets continue at Poncho's Cafe this Fri. & Sat. [Info]

📚 Big Bargain Book Sale, Saturday, April 12 from 10am-4pm. Books $1-3. Gordon United Church Hall, 935 Goldstream Ave., Langford. To learn more or to donate books, call 250-478-6632.

👟 High Ground hike for community preparedness next Thurs., April 17, at Sooke Flats. [District]

🌍 Sooke Earth Day event April 26 on the greenspace beside Fire Station One. [District]

Council Meetings

View Royal: Committee of the Whole meeting today. [Calendar]

What’s Offshore?

Koningsdam cruise ship via Holland America

🚢 Off Colwood coast: ONE Majesty, a container ship built in 2010, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭.

🚢🚢🚢 Further out: Atlantic Blue, a 2021-built crude oil tanker sailing from Brisbane (Australia) to Vancouver under a Liberia flag 🇱🇷. Seaspan Lions, 2024-built bunkering tanker sailing from Long Beach (California) to Tilbury Island under a Panama flag 🇵🇦. Mozu Arrow, a 1992-built general cargo ship sailing from Busan (South Korea) to Port Mellon under a Bahamas flag 🇧🇸, for the Japanese shipping company NYK (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha).

🛳 At Ogden Point: The Koningsdam, the first cruise ship of April, pulled in last Friday.

Westshore Snaps

Looking out over Green #3 at the Highland Pacific Golf Course in Highlands. – Richard Steward, View Royal

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Activists and advocates rallied last week outside the Langford office of Forests minister and Langford-Highlands MLA Ravi Parmar. Frustrated with what they see as the province’s failure to protect regional old-growth forests, “Stop Waffling on Old Growth” event organizers from the Wilderness Committee and Stand.earth called on Parmar to shift his focus from logging trees to protecting them.

Tobyn Neame, forest campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, told The Westshore that “Five years ago, the province made a promise to conduct a paradigm shift in how old growth forests are managed and treated in this province. And in those five years, on the ground, we’ve seen very little action.

BC's old growth forests are defined as those including trees 250 years old (on the coast) or 140 years old (in the Interior). Old growth plays a role in mitigating the impacts of climate change, via cooler and moister internal forest conditions that regulate air temperature, water temperature, and fire resistance.

Parmar wasn't present when the rally was held at his Langford office; he has been travelling throughout the province meeting mainly with forestry industry stakeholders.

Years since deferrals began at Fairy Creek and other areas 

In 2020 and 2021 the Renfrew-area Fairy Creek watershed north of the Westshore were host to protests and blockades opposing logging in the area, in what became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

In June 2021 Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations gave notice to the province to defer old-growth logging for two years in the Fairy Creek and Central Walbran areas while they prepared resource management plans.

In February 2025, Parmar and the province announced that BC would again further defer logging in the storied area until 2026.

“Big Lonely Doug,” may be 1,000 years old, sits in a clear-cut in what is now a deferral zone in the Fairy Creek watershed. File photo: Jimmy Thomson / Capital Daily

Deferrals are not definitive decisions. It’s the uncertainty around what happens once they expire that rally goers want to understand. The Wilderness Committee and Stand.earth would like to see far more be protected and more transparency about the status of areas that aren’t permanently safe.

“The deferrals are a temporary measure to allow that nation-to-nation discussion on what to do with the forests moving forward,” Neame said. “We’re calling on the new minister of forests to take some real action. We want to see those promises enacted.”

Stand.earth senior forest campaigner Tegan Hansen said they simply want the minister to meet his government's promises.

“The forests they said would be off limits to logging are still being logged,” she told The Westshore, “We’re getting that proof all the time with our monitoring system, Forest Eye.”

Stand.earth says its satellite monitoring tool has identified over 38K hectares of old-growth forests destroyed by industrial activity such as logging and pipelines in recent years.

Amid tariffs, minister has focused on forestry industry

Since his swearing in, Parmar has spent significant time showing his support for the forestry sector meeting with logging and forestry representatives. Between Jan 28 and last Saturday, his social media posts show he’s had at least 9 meetings with sector representatives, from saw mill owners to the United Steel Workers.

While the rally was taking place outside his office, Parmar was headed to Mackenzie for a second visit. In January Parmar was at the TLA convention in Mackenzie where he met with leaders and workers at Conifex Lumber’s saw mill. Last Saturday, Parmar was in Mackenzie again, meeting with representatives of the forestry sector at Conifex and East Fraser Lumber, “hoping to restore confidence in the sector.”

Twitter tweet

The sector has weathered turbulence both in the short term, with the US trade war affecting softwood exports, and over the past years and decades. The Island has seen multiple mill closures recently.

The minister's message on social media this weekend was clear. “I care about Mackenzie and you should too.”

Government behind on implementing old growth recommendations 

The rallygoers say they would like to see the same level of commitment from Parmar for forest protection as for forestry.

“What we’ve seen a lot of in the last few years is the spreading of misinformation about how far along they are in meeting their commitments,” Hansen argues. “It’s a little frustrating for people to hear from the government that they are doing a good job but when we look at the facts, we see they haven’t fulfilled any of the 14 recommendations they said they would.”

The recommendations Hansen is referring to were outlined in the 2020 report “A New Future for Old Forests: A Strategic Review of How British Columbia Manages for Old Forests Within its Ancient Ecosystems.”

You can read the full report here by clicking the image

The report was co-authored by Al Gorley, the former chair of the Forest Practices Board and Garry Merkel (Tahltan Nation), chair of the Old Growth Strategic Review Panel. Both men were once professional foresters.

 Merkel and Gorley made 14 recommendations they hoped would reconstitute the management of old-growth forests, beginning with a government-to-government framework involving BC’s First Nations. Recommendation #6 is “Until a new strategy is implemented, defer development in old forests where ecosystems are at very high risk of irreversible biodiversity loss.” Many areas remain under temporary deferrals while longer-term plans are worked out with regional First Nations.

The panel recommended deferring the logging of 1.7 million hectares of big-tree old growth and about two-thirds of the rare and ancient old growth visible on 8 maps created by Merkel and other independent technical advisors. Another 2.6M hectares of old growth in those two categories was already protected. Most public forested areas outside parks and protected areas are available for logging through various types of licences issued by the province.

Map from A New Future for Old Forests

When the Fairy Creek-Walbran deferral and others in 2026, those at-risk forests will either be added to BC’s 3.5M hectares of old-growth forests already off-limits to harvesting, included in new forest management plans—or simply deferred again.

Last weekend's ralliers say that patience is running out for deferrals and temporary measures, and that the local minister should do more.

“We want not just a commitment, but a commitment with action to show that he is serious.”

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

There's a lot to cover today, from Langford's plans for the coming decades to your plans for the weekend. First, though, we look at the story of people from across Greater Victoria—and far beyond—rallying to support a Westshore couple after a sudden terminal diagnosis.

— Cam

NEWS

Community rallies around Langford couple in their final weeks together

Sarah (left) and Geri Kramer. Photo: GoFundMe

Two weeks before Sarah and Geri Kramer celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary, Sarah found out she had terminal brain cancer. They were told it’s unlikely she’ll live beyond April.

Devastated, Geri—who is recovering from her own recent surgery—announced Sarah’s diagnosis on social media and started a GoFundMe, with the hope that the two could take a break from work and spend their last weeks together at home. 

Within 24 hours, $90K was raised. It's now up to $113K. 

The sentiment among donors was clear: The Kramers are a pillar of the Greater Victoria community for many. 

Sarah is also a well-known cookbook writer, who has inspired many people to go vegan—something that several donors wrote comments about, with one saying “As someone who learned about veganism in the late 90s / early 00s, Sarah has been an icon since I first found her cookbooks.”

The duo are known for being the owners of Tattoo Zoo on View, where Geri is an artist, and for their podcast, Meet the Kramers, where they would share details of their relationship, including how Geri’s gender transition shaped their marriage.

Donors wrote about the importance of their podcast and love story, with one donor saying “I may not know you in real life, but your love for each other over the years has been so inspiring.”

Sarah is now home from the hospital, which Geri says has brightened her mood. Geri wrote on her Instagram that the donations to the GoFundMe have “alleviated the stress of having to go back to work immediately,” explaining she will take a break from tattooing to focus on spending time with Sarah. 

An additional fundraiser—happening tonight at 7pm—has been organized on their behalf at the Vicious Poodle in downtown Victoria. Geri responded to the event saying, “This is honestly so unbelievable. I had no idea so many people cared so much.”

By Robyn Bell

NEWS

Langford wants feedback on new draft of Official Community Plan

The draft designates different land-use zones within the city

The city has released its first full draft of the first major OCP update since 2008.

Rather than targeting a specific year, as OCPs such as the previous Langford version and the upcoming View Royal 2050 do, the new Langford plan focuses on a population number: 100,000 residents. The city is currently at about 58,000—up by two-thirds since the 2016 census. As one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada, it's projected to hit that 100K mark by 2050. 

This edition maintains many of the priorities of the current (2008) plan, but updates some of the timelines and details. It also incorporates feedback from the two recent rounds of resident input, and outlines a shift in development in the city.

The new OCP lays out a plan to reduce “greenfield" subdivisions and concentrate new development in the city core, main corridors, areas already earmarked for development, and areas that are already walkable/ rollable / bikable. It also adds more specifics on the building heights and uses that would be allowed in different areas.

Part of the philosophy of the draft is that handling the addition of another 40k residents will be more feasible if those newcomers are funnelled to parts of the city that already have infrastructure and amenities.

You can learn more about the draft and take the survey here. It closes at the end of this Sunday.

Meanwhile, View Royal has extended the deadline for its OCP survey—the deadline is now the end of day tomorrow. [View Royal 2050 survey]

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NEWS

April Fooling on the Westshore

🦚 Royal Roads reports giant peacock running around new campus

The university also got in on the April 1 festivities, compiling a full news report from correspondent “April Fooslet” about a person-sized peacock. Local bystanders gave responses such as “It was so huge, I thought it was a Pokémon” and “I thought I was hallucinating from dehydration.”

🛒 Pranks in bulk: Councillor fools, then gets fooled, with Costco relocation hoax

On April Fools’ Day, Victoria's Matt Dell posted a fake announcement that the wholesale retailer, currently located in Langford, would open up in the gravel lot beside Beacon Hill Park (an impossibility under the park's charter, which bans commercial activity).

But he says he was quickly duped in turn by CHEK, which convinced him that his prank had caused a protest at the Langford Costco that he should go respond to. 

Twitter tweet

This year did bring some non-hoax news about the Langford Costco: the company bought the neighbouring Staples property for $14M, though the exact plans for the site haven't been revealed.

If you pulled off a prank, got April Fooled yourself, or heard about a good one somewhere in the region, let us know below and we'll include a few stories next week.

Around the 'Shore

Photo via GVGT

🌾 Volunteers remove 160 bathtubs of invasive broom from Solstice Park: The Greater Victoria Green Team (GVGT), Langford Fire, and the city hosted a FireSmart invasive species removal event this past weekend to help reduce fire fuel (and invasive plants) in Langford’s Wildland Urban Interface zones. GVGT next hosts an Earth Day cleanup on April 26.

🍼 Wild ARC expects “massive spring and summer wave" of baby animals. The Metchosin wildlife rehab centre is looking for “baby shower" donations to get more supplies to care for them.

🚧 Sooke water main replacement project on Hwy 14 from Phillips to Church: Stone Pacific has been chosen as the contractor, and crews will likely start mobilizing on the site (causing traffic control measures) on Monday. [District]

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Community Events

🧵 Sew Magic 2025 Quilt Show, Sale, & Gala in Juan de Fuca Rec. Today to Sat. [Info]

🌱 Container Gardening – Compost Education Centre Workshop at Royal Bay school. 6:30-8:30pm Thursday.

⚽️ Season opener for Pacific FC. Sat. 5pm at Starlight Stadium vs. Valour FC. [Tickets]

👨‍🚒🏒 Firefighters’ charity hockey games: Langford & View Royal / Colwood fire departments will compete in the Ken Gill & Forrest Owens Memorial Hockey Game on Fri. & Sat. at Archie Browning Arena and Wurtele Arena in Esquimalt.

🐰 April Easter Egg Hunt & Family Photos begin today & run for several weeks at Westshore Town Centre. Pet photos Sat.-Sun. [Info]

🎽 Roller Derby season opener on Sat. in Esquimalt. 5:30-10pm at Archie Browning. [Tickets]

🚪 Metchosin Open House this Sat., 2-4:30pm, for Parks and Trails Masterplan. No Coffee with the Mayor event next Tuesday, though. 

🥼 Future Innovators: Empowering Women in STEM at Royal Bay next Monday.

🗳 Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke candidates forum on April 14 at Chief Petty Officers' Mess in Esquimalt  [Saanich News] We'll have more next week in The Westshore on the election race.

Council Meetings

Highlands: Regular council meeting next Monday. [Calendar]

Sooke: Regular council meeting next Monday. [Calendar]

Langford: Meeting next Monday.

Colwood: Parks&Rec and Land Use committees meet Monday. [Calendar / Agendas]

Metchosin: Public hearing Monday 6pm for tweaks to OCP bylaw language. [Info]

View Royal: Committee of the Whole meeting next Tuesday. [Calendar]

What’s Offshore?

🚢 Off Colwood coast: ONE Majesty, a container ship built in 2010, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭.

👋 Moving on: ONE Cosmos, a container ship built in 2008, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Hong Kong flag 🇭🇰.

🚢🚢 Further out: NACC Poros, a 2012-built cement carrier sailing from Seattle to Richmond under a Portugal flag 🇵🇹. Horizon Ray, a 2010-built vehicles carrier sailing from Tacoma under a Bahamas flag 🇧🇸, for the Japanese shipping company NYK (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha).

Westshore Snaps

Luke the Lab on a rainbow day in Westhills. – Heidi Koschzeck

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Welcome to April. No jokes, no pranks, just straight news about some of the latest funded projects in our region, announced late last week.

— Cam

NEWS

Westshore gets $2M for active transport projects

Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

BC will spend $24M to fund 50 projects—each project receiving $500K or $50K for planning—that encourage walking, biking, and other non-vehicle transportation. One of them will be a project including a new sidewalk along a notorious stretch of road where one of the Westshore's upcoming elementary schools will be located.

Langford will get $1M for improvements to the west and east portions of Latoria—considered two projects—to add protected bike lanes near the city’s upcoming elementary school, SCIANEW STELITKEL Elementary. It's slated to open in the fall and the city is attempting to fast-track the completion of the sidewalk part of the project.

Phase One will cost $6M+, of which the city is funding the majority—one of the drivers of this year's budget increase. The city initially delayed the funding decision last fall, but ultimately incorporated it into this spring's 2025 budget.

Rendering of the elementary school on Latoria. Image: Thinkspace architects

Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth says the funding's goal is to reduce reliance on cars and promote healthy activities. The funding is part of the province’s commitment to CleanBC, with plans to lower emissions by 40% and increase active transportation by 30% by 2030.

Capital Region municipalities will receive $5M, with $1M each going to Langford, Victoria, and Saanich. In the Westshore, the non-Langford funding is:

• View Royal, $500K: New sidewalk connecting Atkins to Galloping Goose.

• Sooke, $500K: New sidewalks, multi-use paths, and crosswalks through the Throup Road Corridor.

NEWS

73 new childcare spaces announced for Langford

Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, with Langford-Highlands MLA Ravi Parmar and Langford Council

The BC government announced $15M to create 200+ new child-care spaces, including $7.1M for 73 spaces in Langford at a site on Carlow. The city told The Westshore it expects construction to begin early next year.

Centennial Centre photos (above & below) via Westshore Parks & Rec

The space is currently the Centennial Centre for Arts, Culture, and Community; the city says it will either try to include the centre in the new facility or find a new home for it. 

The Oak Room within the arts centre

The city also got a $6.2M grant from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund last summer for 49 new childcare spaces. An Indigenous Housing Fund project had already been funded, which has 40 housing units and a 73-unit childcare centre at the Carlow Road site.

Around the 'Shore

🏒 Former Grizzly signs NHL entry contract with Nashville Predators. Matthew Wood won the top scorer and top rookie BCHL awards when playing for the Victoria Grizzlies in 2021-22. [Announcement]

👩‍🎤 Highlights below of Island FanCon, the pop culture convention in Langford last weekend.

Instagram post

🧹 Brush removal on E&N between Goldstream Ave. & Jacklin all month & into May. [CRD]

♻️ ‘What goes where?’ recycling guide featured on new CRD website.

🚧 Beachlands Boulevard remains closed through tomorrow. [Colwood]

📰 Last Thursday: New orca in Juan de Fuca. Bridge being built along Galloping Goose. Rainbow skies. [Newsletter]

📰 Last Tuesday: Election called, but not all Westshore candidates are set yet. New Island-first recovery centre opens. [Tuesday newsletter]

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Community Events

🌱 Container Gardening – Compost Education Centre Workshop at Royal Bay school. 6:30-8:30pm Thursday.

🧵 Sew Magic 2025 Quilt Show in Juan de Fuca Rec. April 3-5. [Info]

🐰 April Easter Egg Hunt & Family Photos begin today & run for several weeks at Westshore Town Centre. Pet photos April 5-6. [Info]

👨‍🚒🏒 Firefighters’ charity hockey games: Langford & View Royal / Colwood fire departments will compete in the Ken Gill & Forrest Owens Memorial Hockey Game on April 4-5 at Archie Browning Arena and Wurtele Arena in Esquimalt.

🥼 Future Innovators: Empowering Women in STEM at Royal Bay next Monday.

🎤 TEDxRRU tickets are now available; event is on May 2 (1-6:30pm).

Council Meetings

Highlands: Regular council meeting next Monday. [Calendar]

Sooke: Land use committee meets today. [Calendar]

Langford: Meeting next Monday.

What’s Offshore?

The ONE Magdalena, photographed by Gary Woodburn in Feb., shares its distinctive pink hull colouring with two ships visible off the coast this morning.

🚢 Off Colwood coast: ONE Majesty, a container ship built in 2010, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag. ONE Cosmos, a container ship built in 2008, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Hong Kong flag

🚢 Further out: Ever Loading, a container ship built in 2014, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a UK flag.

Westshore Snaps

A deer and a Brewer's blackbird stare right at us. Both photos: Gary Woodburn 

Weir Beach at sunset [Doug Clement]

Tree planting at Royal Roads. [RRU Instagram]

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Today we have news about the latest orca sighted off the coast in the Juan de Fuca Strait, plus updates on two major stretches of road in the region. One of them will get a new safety upgrade—but it looks like the other won't.

— Cam

NEWS

Baby orca seen near Westshore is great-grandchild of last orca ever captured in Salish Sea

T046B3 ‘Sedna’ with new calf, T46B3A. Photo: Sam Murphy, Island Adventures (PWWA)

The newborn orca, T46B3A, was spotted swimming with a dozen of the transient / Bigg's whales in the Juan de Fuca Strait. It was with its mother, T046B3 (also named Sedna, after the Inuit sea goddess) who is a direct descendant of the last orca to be captured and released in the Salish Sea. 

Sedna’s grandmother, T046 (or Wake), was one of six orcas captured and temporarily held by SeaWorld in Budd Inlet, Washington, in 1976, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) in that US state. 

Ralph Munro—former Washington secretary of state, who passed away last week—witnessed the whales’ capture while sailing with friends. Appalled, he filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld, which led to the orcas’ release and an end to whale captures in US waters. 

PWWA estimates that without Munro’s intervention, at least 30 Bigg’s killer whales would never have been born. Munro’s death was announced on the same day as the first sighting of the newborn orca.

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NEWS

Part of Galloping Goose in Colwood closed for next 7 months to build bridge over gap

Photos: City of Colwood

A portion of the Goose won't open again until November, to allow for the construction of a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the Island Highway. This bridge closes a longstanding gap in the 55km regional trail system, which the City of Colwood says will make its part of the route more safe and seamless.

Currently, people using the trail have to detour at Wale Road and Island Highway, waiting at the light to criss the highway, then go up the sidewalk. Most of the Goose is a separated, “all ages and abilities" active transportation trail but this section shifts to cross-road travel that is less safe and comfortable.

“Adding to the confusion is a small section of trail,” the city notes, “that cuts across from Wale Road to the Highway, but ends there with no safe crossing.”

The new overpass will take the trail from Wale right to the trailhead near the park & ride.

Construction began yesterday, starting with the underground utilities. The project will last approx. 32 weeks and is timed to finish before the 2026 grant funding deadline.

The city got a $3.6M federal grant for the overpass and is funding the additional cost from reserves. The contract to SureSpan was $5.1M in 2023, but the full cost for the 38m bridge is estimated at $6.3M.

Until November there will be a detour going past Colwood Corners, pictured below:

Saanich will also be building an overpass for the Goose, in the Tillicum area.

The Selkirk Trestle on the Goose will also be closed next week, March 31 to April 1 or 2, for upgrades.

NEWS

Multiple crashes this month on Hwy 1 near Thetis; no new barrier planned

A major crash two weeks ago required emergency crews to cut a victims out of their vehicles. One vehicle crossed the grassy dividing ditch into oncoming traffic, causing the multi-vehicle carnage that sent two victims to hospital in critical condition.

Then multiple cars ended up in the ditch last Sunday.

View Royal's fire chief thinks that this part of the highway should have some sort of median or fence, so that fast cars can't cross the ditch.

The ministry of transportation told the Times Colonist that safety suggestions are always being evaluated but that there are no plans to add barriers, saying that the distance and slope of the ditch are enough to allow drivers to course-correct. RCMP told the TC that expanding winter tires to that stretch of road could also help prevent crashes like the recent ones (which involved summer tires).

Around the 'Shore

💊 Westshore girl's meds funded for another 3 months: Charleigh, 9, is the only child in BC with the rare CLN2 form of Batten Disease, which affects less than 25 Canadian children. Bi-weekly medication is cost-prohibitive at $1M per year, and her mother, Jori Fales, has feared an end to her provincial funding but was reprieved by an official call this week. [CHEK]

🚔 Possible swarming & armed robbery reported on E&N trail between Peatt and Veterans Memorial Parkway—just behind Darcy’s in Langford—around lunchtime last Weds. Allegedly, 3 white males assaulted a trail walker, brandished a knife, and took his belongings. Police seek info from bystanders. [RCMP]

🏗 Alleged assault at construction site in Langford on Atlas Drive: RCMP say a man, 54, appeared in court on charges of assaulting another man with an edged weapon.

📰 Last time: Election called, but not all Westshore candidates are set yet. New Island-first recovery centre opens in Colwood. [Tuesday newsletter]

Community Events

🤖 Island FanCon this weekend Join 5K+ fans at this pop-culture convention, with celebrity panels, meet and greets, workshops, and live music. City Centre Park in Langford. Fri.-Sun. [Info]

If you're going to FanCon in costume, send in your photos and we may feature a few.

🧼 Melt & Pour Soap-Making for Kids & Youth ages 7-13 tomorrow at Westshore Town Centre, kids can create soaps in various shapes, scents, and colours. [Info]

🍫 How to Craft Chocolate Masterpieces, plus chocolate history and samples, today 6pm at Westshore Town Centre. [Info]

⛓ Make a Custom Charm Bracelet with Wing Art Studio at Westshore Town Centre. 1pm. All ages. [Info]

☕ Perfect Milk: learn milk steaming and latte art at The Stick's Roastoreum in Sooke. Sat. 3pm. [Info]

🃏The Mysteries of Oracle Cards & Tarot at Westshore Town Centre. Sunday 1pm.

🧤 FireSmart invasive plant & woody debris removal at Solstice Park (across from Jordie Lunn bike park) on Sunday. [Info]

⛪ St. Mary's Metchosin speaker series runs for next 3 weeks. [Metchosin Challenge]

🎤 TEDxRRU tickets are now available; event is on May 2 (1-6:30pm).

Council Meetings

Metchosin: Special finance committee budget meeting today at 4pm. [Agenda]

Colwood: Council meeting today, and public hearing on giving heritage status to Pendray house. [Agenda]

View Royal: Council meeting next Monday. [Site]

Highlands: Non-public special council meeting; Regular council meeting April 7. [Calendar]

Sooke: Economic development committee meets Monday; Land use committee meets Tuesday. [Calendar]

Langford: No meetings until April 7.

What’s Offshore?

Off Colwood coast: Nothing right now.

🚢 Further out: The PS Trieste, a crude oil tanker built in 2011 heading from Long Beach to Vancouver under Malta flag 🇲🇹.

🚢 Moving on: HL Taean, a bulk carrier built in 2016 sailing from Yeosu Anchorage (Korea) under Panama flag 🇵🇦.

Westshore Snaps: Your rainbow photos

On Friday evening locals were treated to one of the most dazzling rainbows we've seen in some time. As the rain cleared, two arcs were visible stretching across the sky. A few Westshore locals caught photos of the great double rainbow.

See more photos of the rainbow from around the South Island.

View Royal – Michelle and Bill Schley

Triangle Mountain, Colwood – Regine Klein

Rock rainbow: Spring showers bring out the colours of beach rocks in Sooke. [Facebook photo]

Lightning strike over Victoria as seen from Colwood's Pedimeter Park. [Doug Clement photo]

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

The big news, of course, is that there will be an election just a little over 6 months after the one last fall. We've got an update below on what we know—and don't—about the field of local contenders.

— Cam

NEWS

Federal election campaign begins—with many Westshore candidates still undetermined

Randall Garrison resigned this past winter, leaving Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke with no MP for the first time since its creation in 2013. Photo: Wikimedia

Sensing an opportunity amid the Canada-US trade standoff and recent favorable polling, new PM and federal Liberal Party leader Mark Carney triggered an election on Sunday. The short campaign, of just 5 weeks, has a final election date of April 28.

Election comes soon after MP's retirement

The Westshore has been poised for an early election for some time, with former Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke NDP MP Randall Garrison long since announcing that he would retire rather than running again. After 14 years Garrison officially retired as of January, when even a fall election was close enough that a byelection wouldn't be triggered.

This means that May will be the first time month in over 3 decades in which the local riding (or its predecessor) will be held by somebody other than Garrison or Keith Martin, who was elected under multiple parties.

Who are the candidates to take over?

We don't yet know all of them. This riding is one of a number on the Island that have lacked candidate announcements from multiple parties.

At the time of the election call, Sooke mayor Maja Tait was the NDP's choice and the only announced candidate in the riding by a major party. She will take an unpaid leave of absence from Sooke council, and if she wins this election then the mayoral seat will be added to Sooke's upcoming council byelection.

Tait was joined this week when Grant Cool announced he was the new Conservative candidate.

Conservative & Liberal moves spark contention from within

Tracy Foran had been vying to become the Conservative candidate, and said this week that despite a year of efforts she didn't receive even a phone call before being passed over for a man she calls a “millionaire from the Uplands.” She said on social media that she is disillusioned and now believes “There is no such thing as democracy left in Canada.”

She isn't the riding's only would-be candidate upset with their party. Former View Royal mayor David Screech was originally chosen by the Liberals, but he was quickly dropped. This stemmed from stalking and harassment allegations that Screech argues are “nonsense” from a man he's never met; he also claims the party didn't give him a chance to respond.

Langford riding roster fuller, but not yet finalized

Cowichan – Malahat – Langford does have an incumbent MP running again, in the NDP's Alistair MacGregor. MacGregor, 45, has been in the role since 2015.

The Conservatives' challenger is Jeff Kibble, a navy veteran, and the Greens' is Kathleen Code, the Ecoforestry Institute Society director & chair and a Fairy Creek activist. The Liberals have yet to announce their choice.

Smaller parties also in play

The two local ridings are also being contested by Nikita Huertier and Dagmar Goeschick of the PPC, which has not elected an MP in Canada before but has pushed to field 2025 candidates in all ridings. The Animal Protection Party and Communist Party of Canada also intend to run candidates, per the Times Colonist.

Shifting tides on Island?

The NDP has had a dominant run in these local ridings over the past decade-plus. But the national resurgence of the Liberals and the unexpected provincial near-win by the BC Conservatives in Juan de Fuca – Malahat last fall may indicate a shift back to the more contested races seen in the 2000s and before.

We'll have more on the region's electoral history, and the rest of the candidates, in the coming weeks.

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Blossoms After Dark expands for 2025

March 28-30 6:30pm-10pm - Free public event

Join in for an enchanted walk through David Lam Park to experience illuminated cherry blossoms, expanded food offerings, a cherry blossom cocktail in our licensed Blossom Lounge, exciting performers and light up art installations.

Plan your visit today!

NEWS

Island's first long-term addiction recovery centre opens in View Royal

Inside the facility at 74 Talcott. Photos: Sidney Coles

“I didn’t plan to grow up to be an addict,” said Lee Sundquist. But she had her first drink at 12 and was injecting heroin by 16, entering into a “lifetime of addiction, trauma, abuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system.”

She was in View Royal last Wednesday, on site at the opening of the Island's first long-term recovery centre for women: the New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community facility.

But Sundquist wasn't there as a patient—she is the women's recovery community manager at the new centre.

Facing jail time in 2013, a local judge gave her the chance to leave the Island to attend treatment on the mainland. She returned home 8 years later and worked her way up from junior support worker to assistant manager to her current role.

“Leaving the Island was not easy,” Sundquist said, “It meant severing ties with my family, with my friends and my two dogs and the community where I felt safe and supported. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.”

The new facility means that local women won't have to keep choosing between these programs and their community.

MLA Nina Krieger, Health Minister Josie Osborne, and women’s recovery manager Lee Sundquist. Photos: Sidney Coles

How the new program is set up

New Roads clients can return for multiple 9 week stays for up to a period of two years to access treatment, therapy, and educational and employment opportunities. Island Health identifies addiction as a chronic relapsing condition. This program aims to optimize the probability that clients will break the cycle of addiction, be reunited with family, and rebuild their lives.  

The new program is operated by Our Place Society at a site already home to a men's recovery program with a roughly 60% success rate. It adds 20 beds to what has long been a major shortage on the Island and in BC.

Program eligibility is based on factors including medium-to-severe addiction issues, mental-health challenges, an experience with homelessness, and a connection to the criminal-justice system. They must apply and then go through detox, unless they’re coming from the jail system. In that case, women are referred to the centre by a judge and are released into the program. 

Read the full story here.

Around the 'Shore

🛣 Hwy 1 crash near Thetis, between two southbound vehicles and a large portable traffic sign, sent three to hospital on Sunday with minor injuries. [Times Colonist]

🏒 Grizzlies sweep Bulldogs, winning final home game of regular season 3-2 in Colwood after taking the prior night's game 7-2 in Port Alberni. The team plays on the mainland this weekend before entering the playoffs; Victoria is currently 4th in the conference with Nanaimo close on the Grizzlies’ heels (their back paws?).

🚱 Boil water advisory placed for Wilderness Mountain water service area in East Sooke. [CRD]

🛒 Sooke’s Western Foods acquired by Associated Grocers: The new owner, which is a division of Pattison Food Group, was already acting as a wholesale supplier for Western Foods, which has been in Sooke for 30 years. A Pattison rep told CHEK that the manager will stay the same and all staff have been offered jobs.

🚔 BC gang unit makes 5 arrests in Langford: Police say they made 2 of the arrests in a traffic stop at Goldstream Avenue & Jacklin, seizing GHB and suspected prescription pills, then 2 more when they say a speeding stop revealed “baggies of suspected drugs” in the vehicle.

📰 Last week: Sooke & Langford take two different approaches to spectre of 15% tax increase. [March 20 newsletter]

📚 Discover how Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to be curious, engaged and prepared for the future. Attend an open house on April 24 or 25!*

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Community Events

🧼 Melt & Pour Soap-Making for Kids & Youth ages 7-13. Tues and Fri, 1pm and 3:30pm: At Westshore Town Centre, kids can create soaps in various shapes, scents, and colours. [Info]

🎂 Cake Decoration Workshop: Today 6:15pm: Visit Flourish BeauTea in Langford for a fun and creative evening learning new techniques, meeting fellow cake enthusiasts, and unleashing your inner artist. [Info]

🍫 How to Craft Chocolate Masterpieces: Thurs. 6pm at Westshore Town Centre. Julie’s Delights Chocolates presents the history of chocolate, transformation processes and techniques, and sampling chocolate. [Info]

🤖 Island FanCon begins Friday. Join 5K+ fans at this pop-culture convention, with celebrity panels, meet and greets, workshops, and live music. City Centre Park in Langford. Fri.-Sun. [Info]

⛓ Make a Custom Charm Bracelet: Join Wing Art Studio at Westshore Town Centre for a creative workshop where you can design and create your own personalized charm bracelet. Sat. 1pm. All ages. [Info]

☕ Perfect Milk: Milk Steaming and Latte Art: Learn the art of steaming perfect microfoam and pour your first latte art design at The Stick's Roastoreum in Sooke. Sat. 3pm. [Info]

🧤 FireSmart invasive plant & woody debris removal at Solstice Park (across from Jordie Lunn bike park) on Sunday. [Info]

What’s Offshore?

HMCS Ottawa via Canada.ca

HMCS Ottawa sailed back into CFB Esquimalt yesterday after 5-month deployment

The frigate, with its approx. 240 crewmembers, left for the Indo-Pacific in Oct. and took part in two operations:

• Operation HORIZON involving various projects with Japan, the UK, the Philippines, and others

• Operation NEON looking for vessels contravention sanctions against North Korea.

During the voyage, Cmdr. Adriano Lozer was removed from his role due to “a loss of confidence” during the operation. Commissioned in 1996, HMCS Ottawa is the 4th of its name and carries the motto “Egor Beofor” (Ocean Beaver).

🚢 Off Colwood coast: HL Taean, a bulk carrier built in 2016 sailing from Yeosu Anchorage (Korea) under Panama flag 🇵🇦.

➡️ Moving on: San Diego Bridge, a container ship built in 2010, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 .

🚢🚢 Further out: Cape Rainbow, a 2012-built bulk carrier sailing from Port Edward to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 . Seaspan Baker, a 2025-built bunkering tanker sailing from Yeosu, Korea to Tilbury Island, Canada under Panama flag 🇵🇦 .

Westshore Snaps

“Bewick's Wren brightens up the day” – Gary Woodburn

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

Two of this month's municipal budget processes highlight the different paths available to councils facing high budget increases in the growing Westshore.

Is it better to trim 2025 budgets, mitigating property tax increases (and their political ramifications) at the cost of delivering fewer services and facing higher increases in the next few years? Or is it better to eat a noticeably high increase this year, in the hopes of keeping up or even expanding services and avoiding similar hikes going forward?

Today we look at two local councils that faced 15% increases and chose different paths.

— Cam

NEWS

Langford reduces 2025 tax increase by a third, bringing it under 10%

Langford city hall file photo: James MacDonald

The city's 2025 budget increase has been trimmed from 14.5% to 9.8%. This cuts the monthly hike per household from about $30 to about $20.

Mayor Scott Goodmanson framed the new budget as balancing “continuing to invest in the community, prioritizing public safety, and maintaining service levels” with “the uncertainty of current financial conditions and the need to be prudent.”

What's costing more? 

The city cites the following as cost drivers:

• Inflation

• 9 new firefighters

• 4 new RCMP officers

• Latoria bike lane / sidewalk project

• City services

• 911 dispatch costs

The new firefighters are intended to help restore full service at the Happy Valley station.

E-comm dispatch funding is a new cost that BC says several South Island municipalities must take on this year.

Costs in various city departments are up, though scaled back in this new budget.

About a quarter of cost increases come from rising West Shore RCMP costs. Langford's RCMP budget has risen 80%+ in the 2020s, including a $4M+ rise over the past three years to $15.1M. This year's 15% police budget hike was mitigated slightly by Langford planning to hire four new officers rather than five.  

What was reduced?

About 2% in the overall budget was saved through that and through avoiding several planned hirings within city departments such as parks, finance, and development. Increased revenue from new construction projects will also help offset the increase. 

A month ago council directed staff to try to trim the increase to 11% through cuts to areas such as the city travel and training budget, debt payment, and e-bike rebates. 

How will this affect future budgets? 

Director of finance Michael Dillibeau flagged at the Feb. 20 meeting that delaying items from one year means a tax increase in a future year—through both that item's cost and upward revisions to that future budget because it will be building off of a lower baseline than expected.

Staff are now reviewing the five-year plan in light of the revised 2025 budget.

The next several years were slated to see declining increases of 11.56%, 6.27%, 5.18%, and 5.11%. The city has explained the large hikes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 as part of weaning the city budget off of drawing on reserves to blunt tax increases, an approach taken in past years (especially in response to COVID).

“The high cost of low taxes"

Coun. Keith Yacucha posted the budget update on Reddit this week, and in comment responses acknowledged that there is a “high cost of low taxes.” He said that Langford has a “long history” of tending toward delayed costs, leading to sharp hikes later, over gradual increases—“like pushing snow down the driveway instead of shovelling it.”

Such snowpiles are what Sooke, covered below, is aiming to prevent.

The 2025 budget's three readings are set for one month from now, and the final adoption vote would be May 5. 

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NEWS

Sooke planning for 15% increase as service & infrastructure costs rise

Table from District of Sooke budget materials

The District of Sooke has so far taken the opposite tack from Langford, sticking with a proposed increase of just under $2M rather than reducing services or rolling costs to future years. The tax increase translates to an average monthly household rise of about $20 based on an average home value of $770K per BC Assessments.

At the March 10 meeting, Sooke council directed staff to budget for a tax increase no higher than 15.29%.

The core cost drivers come from ongoing capital projects (such as Throup-Phillips road project and Demamiel Creek bridge) and asset management, and several key services including the RCMP contract and the E-Comm 911 dispatch service. 

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow for a community that’s been used to much lower increases,” Coun. Tony St. Pierre said, “but at the same time we know that we need the roads and people do need those services.”

In response to concerns about rising future taxes, a 2% tax increase for asset management reserves is planned for the following years, ensuring that Sooke can keep up with maintaining its infrastructure. Council hopes to be able to put up this pre-allocated money as a way to secure grant money for capital projects without having to add new costs for new projects.

Council emphasized that the large increase this year is intended as a way to help Sooke (whose total property taxes are on the low end for the Westshore) handle its growing population.

“While no one enjoys a tax increase,” Mayor Maja Tait said, “we must look at the bigger picture and ensure Sooke’s long-term financial health.”

The budget also anticipates a decline in tax increases over the next few years, with rates projected to stabilize at around 3.37% by 2029.

Read the full story here for more on how exactly the budget is affected by rising RCMP costs, the new E-Comm dispatch change, and discretionary and non-discretionary money.

Around the 'Shore

🎖 Husband wins King Charles III medal for work on Sarah Beckett Memorial Run. The West Shore RCMP officer was killed in 2016 when her police vehicle was hit by an impaired driver. Since 2019, a charity run commemorating her has raised $100K+ for the Boys & Girls Club South VI and Goldstream Food Bank. At the latest Langford Council meeting, her widower Brad Aschenbrenner was given the coronation medal for his work on the event. [CHEK]

🏢 Langford looks to delay tower proposal until after new OCP. The proposal would build 13- and 22-storey towers at Peatt & Sunderland—near the site of a similar failed project. The Sustainable Development Advisory Committee recommended that council not do anything with the application until this summer when the Official Community Plan has given the city a firmer sense of what type of buildings the population wants. [Goldstream Gazette]

🤱 Esquimalt-Colwood MLA votes on budget from hospital after giving birth
Darlene Rotchford received a standing ovation from the legislature when she appeared on screen, with new daughter Josephine, to vote virtually just hours after giving birth. Victoria MLA Grace Lore, who is undergoing chemotherapy, also voted virtually. [Times Colonist]

⚽️ Pacific FC signs UVic soccer star Fin Tugwell to CPL - U SPORTS contract, a special designation that allows Canadian league clubs to give university players pro contracts without them losing college sports eligibility. Tugwell was named the top U SPORTS defender last year. [PFC]

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Explore Shawnigan Retreats and plan your winter getaway today. Learn more about Shawnigan Retreats.

Community Events

🏰 Royal Roads celebrates Holi & Persian New Year in events today on campus.  

🚔 West Shore RCMP Town Hall is today, 7-9pm at Legion Branch 91 in Langford.

🥣 Open Table Dinner Series with Hide N Seek & Flourish BeauTea in Langford. A showcase of Asian comfort food alongside specialty beverages and pastries. [Friday 6pm]

👩‍🌾 Tour the Royal Roads farm and learn about it today at 1pm. Afterward there will be a book launch & discussion on Climate Justice & Higher Education. [Info]

🏒 Victoria Grizzlies vs Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Saturday. The Grizzlies (26-17-7) look to reverse a 5-game losing streak as the playoffs approach. [Tickets]

🌳 Roots & Renewal Wellness Market at Langford Station this weekend. 11am-4pm both days

🧼🌱 Westshore Town Centre workshops: Make your own soaps in various shapes, scents, and colours [Kids 7-13, Friday 1pm]. The power of crystals, crystal healing and care [Sunday 4pm].

What’s Offshore?

🚢 🚢 Off Colwood coast: San Diego Bridge, a container ship built in 2010, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 . HL Taean, a bulk carrier built in 2016 sailing from Yeosu Anchorage (Korea) under Panama flag 🇵🇦.

🚢 Further out: Jupiter Spirit, a 2011-built vehicle carrier sailing from Fukuoka, Japan to New West under a Liberia flag 🇱🇷.

Westshore Snaps

A stunning sunset over the water — Paul Young

A sinister-looking sea creature washed up at Witty's Lagoon. [Doug Clement / Instagram

The perched pose of a Great Blue Heron at Royal Roads [M31 Photography / Instagram]

Dunlins dance with the waves at Esquimalt Lagoon [Nicholas Winston / Instagram]

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know:

The District of Sooke has a budget challenge for 2025 in a proposed increase of nearly $2M. The tax increase translates to an average household rise of about $20 per month based on an average home value of $770K per BC Assessments.

At the March 10 meeting, Sooke council directed staff to budget for a tax increase no higher than 15.29%.

The core cost drivers come from ongoing capital projects and asset management, and several key services including the RCMP contract and the E-Comm 911 dispatch service. 

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow for a community that’s been used to much lower increases,” Coun. Tony St. Pierre said, “but at the same time we know that we need the roads and people do need those services.”

Sooke’s preliminary budget increase includes investments in emergency services and infrastructure: 

• 246,487 or 2% increase for Asset Management to ensure the District can maintain and replace infrastructure over the long term

• $951,681 or 7.72% increase for policing, including E-Comm—the new costs for emergency dispatch services, prorated for 3 quarters (April to December)

• $512,286 or 4.16% non-discretionary increases which include items such as municipal by-election, licensing fees, insurance, and staffing obligations:contract and committed net new positions such as Executive Office Coordinator, Firefighter, Part-time Bylaw Officer previously funded by COVID Reserves), etc.

• $266,947 or 2.17% discretionary increases, which includes fire operating expenses, parks operating expenses, and certain staffing  considerations (Firefighter, Parks Labourer, Auxiliary Senior Financial Accountant hours, Auxiliary Clerk hours)

Asset management and capital projects

The proposed increase of $246,487 (2%) to fund asset management includes maintaining infrastructure such as roads, water systems, and public buildings. As Sooke’s population continues to grow, the need to invest in long-term infrastructure becomes more pressing. 

From 2016 to 2021 the population of Sooke increased by 16%. A new Stats Can census will happen soon, but current estimates put Sooke’s population on course to reach 17K. The district's capital projects, which include road construction, park developments, and municipal building renovations, are also putting pressure on the budget.

Sooke is working to finance $41M in debt servicing for multiple capital projects, including critical infrastructure such as the Throup Phillips Corridor and upgrades to local parks. The district is facing a difficult balancing act: maintaining or improving these essential services while managing a limited tax base and avoiding further reliance on debt.

Staff presented a year-by-year schedule of capital projects that include:

• Throup Phillips (2025)

• Charters Corridor and HW 14 intersection (2026)

• construction for Sunriver AT, Ella Road and Otter Point AT (2027)

• the Throup Connector and Phillips Corridor (2028 and 2029).

Major Sooke parks projects already on the books include:

• Demaniel Creek Crossing Bridge and Ravens Ridge Sportbox (2025)

• Municipal Hall renovation and Fire Hall update (2026)

• Broom Hill Playground (2027)

• Prestige Pier and Boat launch (2029).

At Prestige Pier & Boat Launch, via District of Sooke website

In response to growing concerns about rising future taxes, a 2% tax increase for asset management reserves is planned for the following years, ensuring that Sooke can continue to maintain its infrastructure without falling behind. The budget also anticipates a decline in tax increases over the next few years, with rates projected to stabilize at around 3.37% by 2029.

Use of reserves weighed

Staff explained that asset management reserves can pay off debts or support grants but currently those funds are coming from Development Cost Charges and cash in lieu. 

Some confusion arose during the meeting around whether the municipality would qualify for future grants if it no longer had those reserves. 

“Most grants have a district contribution piece. If there are funds, instead of using taxpayer-supported funding some of that can be funded with AMF at 2% for 30 years—which council already approved,” said Gray.

St Pierre suggested he would tell residents who may want to know why they are not using reserves to reduce taxes that “having access to reserves means council can leverage them against [provincial] grants, so we don’t have to be or pass on costs as tax burden for capital projects.”

RCMP contract cost rises $700K

One of the largest contributors to the proposed tax hike is the RCMP contract increase, which is set to rise by $696,754, representing a 5.65% increase in overall costs. 

Because the municipality’s population is now greater than 15K, the province no longer provides support to investigations that would otherwise fall under a major crime section as it has done in the past. 

In his presentation to council, RCMP Staff Sgt. Greg Wilcox suggested he’d like to see a Major Crime Section in Sooke—something other medium-sized local munis already have.

He said he could have a specialized unit running within 6 months, and asked for funding for the unit in this year’s budget. He also proposed adding some RCNP positions without necessarily filling them right away, as a way to begin staff expansion without paying for all of it in the current budget.

911 dispatch costs taking effect 

Another contentious cost burden comes from E-Comm, the 911 emergency dispatch service, which the province has mandated it, along with 10 other island municipalities, must begin paying for. At the core of the E-Comm issue is a funding transition that began in 2020, when the province spotting the costs for a few years but moving them to municipalities fully by 2027 and beginning the moves this year (which Westshore municipalities claim they were blindsided by and not properly consulted on).

Coun. Al Beddows raised concerns about the district’s lack of input on the E-Comm service’s cost structure, noting that Sooke has little control over how funds are allocated to emergency services and that local taxpayers are often left to foot the bill without adequate representation in decision-making processes.

Budget impact on residents

The proposed increase would bring the total amount of general municipal taxes to about $14.3 million, up from $12.3 million in 2024. Although this is a sharp increase, the council has argued that this rise is necessary to preserve the district’s ability to continue providing essential services. This includes maintaining the current levels of police services, emergency response, and infrastructure maintenance.

For residents, the increase means a higher tax bill, but it also reflects the rising cost of services needed to support Sooke’s growing population. According to financial staff, a 1% tax increase in Sooke generates roughly $123,000—a stark contrast to the larger municipalities like Saanich, where a 1% tax hike raises $1.75 million.

“The community’s priorities are clear: we need to fund public safety and essential services, and we need to maintain our infrastructure,” said Mayor Tait. “While no one enjoys a tax increase, we must look at the bigger picture and ensure Sooke’s long-term financial health.”

Looking ahead to balancing the budget

Sooke is also planning a referendum about the district's long-term borrowing needs. The results will be available by the end of 2025, giving residents the opportunity to voice their opinions on the district's financial strategies.

 The council will hold a Community Budget Open House on April 2 from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. to allow residents to learn more about the budget and provide feedback. The budget’s first and second readings will take place this coming Monday March 24, with final adoption anticipated for April 7.

While the proposed budget represents a difficult pill for Sooke residents to swallow, council members have emphasized their case, their case that its importance of addressing these challenges now in order to avoid larger problems down the road. 

“This budget is lean, but it’s also necessary to ensure that we can continue to provide the services our community needs,” concluded Mayor Tait.

You can watch the full meeting here:

Hello {{ first name | there}}!

As of late last week we have a conclusion in one of the most prominent court cases the Westshore has seen recently. Today's newsletter also includes updates on several major crashes that took place in recent days.

Not all the news is heavy, though: Today in Around the ‘Shore there are also several updates on local organizations receiving funding to help people. And stick around until the end of the newsletter to see some fine feathered friends in today's reader photos.

— Cam

NEWS

Langford man found not criminally responsible for killing mother over Christmas 2021

Raymonde Elder. Photo: GoFundMe

A trial by a judge has ruled that Ryan Elder, now 30, was in a state of psychosis when he stabbed and strangled his mother Raymonde. Justice Jennifer Power ultimately agreed with the testimony of forensic psychiatrists who concluded that Ryan was experiencing schizophrenic delusions during and before the killing. These, the two experts believe, caused him to believe she was attacking him, conspiring against him, harming him, being an imposter, and even welcoming her death.

The Crown and some family members disagreed with this assessment and argued that though Ryan does have a major mental illness, he was not under delusions when he killed Raymonde, with whom he was living.

Son confessed to the killing; the trial was about the state of mind

Per the Crown prosecutor, police said that Ryan confessed to the crime after several days of living in the home with his mother's body, which was discovered on a New Year's Eve wellness check. They said that his reasons shifted, however, ranging from longstanding resentment over her authority over him to claims it was self-defence or even a “mercy killing.”

The Crown argued that Ryan resented his mother and had sought to retroactively establish himself as psychosis-driven, citing in part the fact that the interviews establishing his psychosis were conducted well after the killing and that an initial interview did not assess him as clearly under psychosis at the time.

Original trial was expanded to address psychosis aspect

The second-degree murder trial was expanded earlier this year to assess this question of mental state and criminal responsibility. In the initial trial in early Jan., neither Ryan nor his lawyers spoke in his defence. Justice Power chose to reopen the trial and have the defence make their case that he was not criminally responsible—a case they had planned to make after an initial trial decision from Power.

Per the crown prosecutor, police said that Ryan told them in 2021 that he killed his mother Raymonde by stabbing her, after trying to strangle her.

Ryan had a history of mental health problems and had stopped taking his medication.

An upcoming review process will determine if Ryan will be held in a treatment facility (the more likely option) or released with treatment conditions.

Victim remembered by family & friends

Raymonde was remembered, in a GoFundMe to help her family with the funeral and other costs, as a “kind and generous soul" who played for many years on the Victoria Scottish Women's soccer team alongside her sister and sister-in-law.

Her siblings, who came with her from Scotland to Canada in 1967, have described her as kind, gentle, generous, funny, and able to light up a room.

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NEWS

Multiple major crashes in recent days; Transit bus & cement truck involved

Crash between bus & car on Sooke Road between Sooke and Langford/Colwood backed up traffic for part of Monday morning. The Hyundai driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and the BC Transit driver was unharmed. 

Last week Sooke Road was blocked on Friday after a cement truck and BMW collided. Cement had to be removed from the vehicle by another truck so that it could be moved and the road could be unblocked. RCMP said the bus driver was unhurt and the BMW driver had non-life-threatening injuries.

A multi-vehicle crash on Wednesday closed most lanes of the highway until well into the night near 6 Mile and left two drivers with life-threatening injuries per RCMP.

Video of yesterdays accident on TCH : r/VictoriaBC

www.reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/comments/1jahgyy/video_of_yesterdays_accident_on_tch

Dashcam footage posted to Reddit shows a car crossing the central grassy median in the wet weather. Witnesses said that this southbound vehicle hit a northbound one, which then spun and hit others. Police have been seeking more dashcam footage and witnesses.

Aftermath of multi car Accident Near Thetis Lake. : r/VictoriaBC

www.reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/comments/1jajopk/aftermath_of_multi_car_accident_near_thetis_lake/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

A traffic expert told CHEK last weekend that the grassy dip did not stop crossover as well as intended, and that a cable median could provide more of a barrier. But he said, too, that this stretch is not as in need of a safety upgrade as other parts of the Trans-Canada including the Malahat near Goldstream Park, which he called “probably the most substandard section” in the country.

Around the 'Shore

🤝 Royal Roads gets $678K from PacifiCAN to partner with Westshore municipalities and First Nations on economic development that “increases regional supply chain benefits, promotes knowledge sharing, and attracts investment to the community.” [Release]

🚧 Highway 1 bus transit infrastructure work will have “minor traffic impacts” as of this Thursday for the off-ramp to Old Island Highway at the Colwood Interchange and some stoppages on the nearby Goose.

🚒 Sooke Fire Rescue gets $28K for new hoses & racks through the province & UBCM's Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). 

🇺🇦 Langford-based fundraising group makes 4th trip to Ukraine: Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine surpassed its $11K goal to help a children's hospital, school transportation, municipal services, and diesel generators for schools and bomb shelters. [Goldstream Gazette]

📰 Last week: Langford seeks input on transportation, parks, trails, & rec at Ideas Fair. Unicycle crash. Sports facilities survey. [Newsletter]

Community Events

🏒 Victoria Grizzlies host Chilliwack Chiefs tonight at Q Centre and Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Saturday. [Tickets] 

📋 View Royal Council meeting today including Draft Financial Plan. [Agenda]

🥣 Open Table Dinner Series with Hide N Seek & Flourish BeauTea in Langford. A showcase of Asian comfort food alongside specialty beverages and pastries. [Friday 6pm]

🧘‍♀️ Yoga & exercise classes Tuesday-Thursday at Shirley Community Hall.

🚔 West Shore RCMP Town Hall on Thursday.

🌳 Roots & Renewal Wellness Market at Langford Station this weekend. 11-4pm both days

💐🧼🌱 Westshore Town Centre workshops:

• Create paper floral arrangenents [All ages, Wednesday at 1pm].

• Make your own soaps in various shapes, scents, and colours [Kids 7-13, Friday 1pm].

• Family-friendly seed-starting workshop [Sunday 1pm].

What’s Offshore?

🚢 🚢 Off Colwood coast: San Diego Bridge, a container ship built in 2010, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 . HL Taean, a bulk carrier built in 2016 sailing from Yeosu Anchorage (Korea) under Panama flag 🇵🇦.

🚢 Moving on: Mol Premium, a container ship built in 2008, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 .

🚢🚢 Further out: TS Hong Kong, a container ship built in 2024 sailing from Prince Rupert to Cavan Constance Bank under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭. MSC Siya B, a container ship built in 2018 sailing from Roberts Bank to Seattle under Portugal flag 🇵🇹.

If you take a photo of a ship off of the coast, we're always happy to include it.

Westshore Snaps

Bathtime for Great Blue Heron. – Gary Woodburn

“The Eagles have landed! Dad is high on tree watching out Mom is in the nest Royal Colwood Golf course.” – Glenys Pumfrey, Colwood

As spring continues, we're starting to see more birds out and about. Send us some of the most beautiful or interesting birds you've seen in the Westshore, either recently or in the past, and we'll feature a few of the best.

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Hello {{ first name | there}}!

There's plenty to cover today with multiple outdoor events just announced for the coming months and multiple consultations going on around key aspects of life in the region, from recreation to transportation. That's not all—we also bring you news about yesterday's major crash, tonight's rare eclipse, and much more.

— Cam

NEWS

Langford hosts Ideas Fair this weekend: Weigh in on transportation, parks, trails, and rec

Photo: City of Langford

Langford continues its push to hold more public consultation, with the latest one an invitation for residents and community members to participate in an Ideas Fair on Saturday, 11am-2pm.

The fair at the Langford Legion (761 Station Ave.) will let the public contribute ideas, share feedback, and engage in conversations with city staff, councillors, and subject-matter experts. In its announcement, the city emphasized that this fair is not just a one-way presentation of facts and information, but will encourage residents to ask questions. 

“It’s always a challenge to get people excited about filling out a survey or spending their Saturday looking at a poster of a concept that might go into a plan,” Coun. Mary Wagner told The Westshore, “but it’s so important for us as a city to hear from as many people as possible—no two people are alike!”

The fair will focus on community planning initiatives and current master plans that are in development: the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), Active Transportation Plan (ATP), and the Parks and Trails Master Plan. 

These master plans are part of Langford's effort to equip the city to handle its rapid future growth—the population is expected to reach 100K residents by 2050.

The Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and Active Transportation Plan (ATP)

These are designed to guide the long-term development of Langford’s transportation networks. Their key aims are to reduce congestion and improve connectivity within the city. The ATP focuses on enhancing opportunities for walking, cycling, and other forms of human-powered transportation. 

The Parks and Trails Master Plan

It will evaluate the current state of Langford’s parks and trails, and ensure essential public spaces remain safe, accessible and serve residents and visitors effectively. The plan will identify opportunities for additional park acquisitions, trail enhancements, and other improvements. 

Read more about the event, and the plans, at The Westshore.

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NEWS

Serious collision shuts Trans-Canada in Westshore & hospitalizes multiple people

During the afternoon commute there was a “serious collision involving multiple vehicles” around 4pm, per RCMP. 

View Royal's fire chief told the Times Colonist that a vehicle crossed the grass median and hit others vehicles in a “significant event with many injuries” that left some victims in critical condition. 

Google map, annotated in red, via DriveBC

The crash led to a full highway closure for over an hour. After that, one southbound lane was open but other lanes remained closed into the evening as emergency crews remained on site. Traffic was rerouted via the 6 Mile exit and the Colwood exit.

CHEK reported that the 4-vehicle crash near Thetis trapped multiple people in vehicles and heavy-duty trucks were needed for extrication.

Twitter tweet

NEWS

West Shore Parks & Rec wants you to help shape the future of local sport facilities

Photo via West Shore Parks & Rec

The West Shore Parks and Recreation Society (WSPRS) will be hosting a public engagement opportunity at the aforementioned Ideas Fair, gathering input on its Facilities Master Plan.

The Colwood-based WSPRS governs and operates several indoor and outdoor recreation facilities on behalf of the municipalities in the region, including Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Metchosin, and Highlands. WSPRS’s board of directors are representatives from those municipalities and each of those municipalities contributes to the operation of West Shore parks and recreation facilities through tax requisition.

Facilities the Society oversees include the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, the Q Centre, Juan de Fuca Par 3 Golf Course, and the Greater Victoria velodrome.

The report aims to determine which sport & rec facilities are in demand in the region—and how that demand can be met. That will share decisions such as if, when, and how to add new facilities or make changes to existing ones.

The survey is open until Monday, and prior to the consultation booth at Ideas Fair, there will be one at Metchosin School today (6-8pm). More info here.

Around the 'Shore

⚙ Man injured, arrested, and fined $1,000 after crashing electric unicycle into concrete barrier. Police said he “flew through the air” and flipped a few times but was luckily wearing a helmet. Unluckily, though, police claim he turned out to be wanted on multiple non-unicycle-related warrants, and he was arrested. [CHEK]

🔎 Teen reported missing last week has been found safe, per RCMP. 

🚔 Man barricaded himself in residence on Jacklin with an “edged weapon” around 2am Tuesday morning, RCMP say. He was negotiated into leaving without injury and taken into custody. 

⚽️ Langford hosts Canada vs. Argentina in women’s soccer friendly. Tickets for the April 8 match, and the other half of the series in Vancouver, go on sale this Saturday. The national team has never lost to Argentina. [Canada Soccer]

🍁 New music fest Great Canadian Bash comes to Langford: Co-headliners Big Sugar and Trooper will “Raise A Little Hell” at Starlight Stadium on June 28. The all-ages event opens the Canada Day weekend with the main concert in the evening and a pre-party show at 4:30pm in the stadium's plaza. That will star Tragically Hip tribute band Nautical Disaster and food from some of the Island's best BBQ chefs. 

🏈 Langford's BC Lions game sells out in 12 minutes: The May 19 preseason match ran out of tickets even more quickly than last year's game in Victoria, though it also had various pre-sales. [CHEK]

Community Events

🔴 Blood moon & lunar eclipse expected tonight. [Learn more]

🏠 2 virtual Housing & Land Use meetings will be held in View Royal on Thursday amid the town's broader OCP consultations.

🥖📚 Bannock and Books with author Karen Whetung on Saturday. Register by email. [Info]

🛍 Royal Canadian Legion Spring Craft & Garage Sale: 10am to 2pm this Sunday at 761 Station Ave. [Info]

🧤 Westhills community clean-up on Saturday morning, reducing invasive species and fire risk. Meet at 9:45am south of playground. [Info here; click through for map & details]

🌷 Annual Bloom Exhibition at Arts & Culture Colwood. March 20 to April 13, with opening reception March 23 (1-3pm) with music by JR & the Bad Ox Band.

Council Meetings

• View Royal: Virtual Housing and Land Use Workshops today. Council meeting next Tuesday. [Schedule]

• Langford Council on Monday. [Schedule]

• Highlands Council on Monday. [Calendar]

• Metchosin Council on Monday. [Calendar]

• Sooke Committee of the Whole on Monday. [Calendar]

What’s Offshore?

🚢🚢 Off Colwood coast: Mol Premium, a container ship built in 2008, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 . San Diego Bridge, a container ship built in 2010, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 

🚢🚢🚢 Further out from harbour: Kandla Express a container ship built in 2011, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Liberia flag 🇱🇷. Union Mark, a bulk carrier built in 2016, sailing from Stockton (California) to Nanaimo under Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭. Century Highwaygreen, a vehicle carrier built in 2021 sailing from Nagoya (Japan) to New West under Japan flag 🇯🇵

Westshore Snaps

"Time to get off the fence": A photo-illustration of Fisgard Lighthouse on Colwood by Richard Steward, View Royal

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know: