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We are on the lookout for a new reporter here at The Westshore. If you or someone you know would be a good fit on our team, you can apply for the position here.

And if you are a journalism grad or a community-oriented writer who has a story idea about The Westshore, or would like to contribute to the newsletter in a short-term or long-term role, or even as a freelancer, we’d love to hear from you! 

POLITICS

First contender for Horgan's vacated seat enters race 

Camille Currie, a Langford personal trainer known for launching a health advocacy campaign to get all BC residents a primary care doctor, will run for the vacant Langford-Juan de Fuca seat. The BC Greens announced her as their candidate on Thursday. A byelection has yet to be set for the riding the BC premier held since 2005. A split into two ridings, including a new urban Westshore riding, has been recommended by the BC Electoral Committee but would not be in place until the 2024 election. 

Currie also runs a marine repair business with her husband and previously worked with federal programs and in medical product sales. She said in her candidacy announcement that the “healthcare system needs to provide high quality care with no barriers to access,” and that she believes the Greens are the only party that can deliver that. 

In the announcement event, she said that half the Westshore do not have a family doctor or access to consistent care. When starting the BC Health Care Matters campaign, she wrote that she lives with disabilities and her family deals with complex medical conditions. She wrote that those can’t be effectively managed “without the help of a Family Doctor that knows our health history, is available to deal with what comes up for us, and can be our liaison and advocate when it comes to the specialist care we require.”

In Feb. the province launched a new alternative to the fee-for-service model that the group has cited as driving doctors away from family practice.

Ex-MLA Horgan retired on March 31, joining coal company board

The seat became vacant on March 31 when John Horgan officially retired after announcing the new Port Renfrew School. The move completed his departure from provincial politics following treatment for cancer in winter 2021-22 that he said left him without the energy for his then-role as premier.

Immediately after his retirement the Globe and Mail reported that Horgan is joining the board of Elk Valley Resources, a coal company that makes steel and is in the process of splitting off from large mining company Teck Resources. The move (and its speed) drew criticism online and from the party that now hopes to flip his former seat. 

Green leader Sonia Furstenau announced that she intends to table a bill to limit certain private-sector transitions by BC politicians, calling it a “revolving door” that damages “trust in our democracy and institutions.” There are currently certain limits on lobbying by ex-MLAs, but joining corporate boards has been common among BC premiers before Horgan, both NDP and Liberal.

Beyond the fact that the BC government has a role in regulating energy and resource companies, some criticisms of Horgan’s jump focused specifically on Teck’s record of pollution in BC. Teck subsidiary Teck Coal was fined $60M under the federal Fisheries Act for contaminating Elk valley waterways in 2012. It has been fined multiple times by the province including $16M in administrative penalties from the environment ministry earlier this year for East Kootenay contaminations between 2018 and 2021.

Horgan preemptively dismissed “knee-jerk” scrutiny in that original Globe article. He told the paper that coal is still needed for steel if not necessarily for electricity, that he will hold the company to its obligations, and that he has no time for “public comment on my world view, or what I am doing with my time” now that he has left politics.

TRANSIT

Langford-Victoria express launched yesterday, dropping 10 stops from 50 route 

Now named the Line 95 Blink RapidBus, the orange-branded route will run every 7-8 minutes at peak. BC Transit is calling it the region’s first RapidBus and plans to next add lines from Uptown to UVic and make the downtown to Swartz Bay express a RapidBus.

The bus stops cut from the 95 route are in the Langford core and on Douglas; most are just a block or two from other stops, but the Burnside/Summit and Bay removals will likely be the most noticeable. BC Transit said it was judicious with these cuts, keeping an average of 600m between stops rather than the 800m+ standard.

The 61 Sooke, which the 50 sometimes became, will now be its own Sooke-Langford route and run more often. BC Transit is also running a contest around the new route with a bike, FitBits, and other prizes. [More info on the route at BC Transit]

Around the 'Shore

🚨 West Shore RCMP search for missing woman: Mounties are asking for the public's help in finding 32-year-old Amy Pana who was last seen near the Tim Hortons at 1820 Island Hwy in Colwood.  [Photo]

💖 United Way believes that, together, all can make a difference in the lives of young people struggling with mental health. Give to United Way and help create a healthier, more resilient community.*

🏠 Couple transplants 127-year-old Esquimalt house to Sooke: After their home was destroyed by fire in 2021, a Sooke couple found a replacement by relocating an Esquimalt house to their property. The couple is launching a business to help others save existing homes from the landfill, which they say saved them hundreds of thousands. [CTV]

🥂 Celebrate retirement living with Cherish at Central Park and learn about the "Actually, I Can" program. Contact Cherish to book a tour today!*

🏒 Langford being sued by woman who says she was struck by puck at arena in 2014: Her 2016-launched civil claim against the city and operator alleges that the puck hit her in the eye through a hole in the netting while she watched roller hockey at Eagle Ridge Arena. Operator Performance Plus Hockey's 2016 response contends that she was not hit by the puck, and that if she was, it was due to her own negligence. [Times Colonist]

🏫 Sooke teacher suspended for pushing student from classroom: Blair Howard Murray Hughes was teaching a woodshop class in the Sooke School District in December 2020 when the incident occurred. He lost his teaching certificate for one day and was directed to complete a course on creating a positive learning environment. [CTV] 

🏠 The next phase is here! Introducing ELIZA South. Offering 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom + den, and 2-bedroom suites. Discover why so many others are calling ELIZA home! Register today!*

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

🌎 The CENiC speakers series: The Colwood environmental group is hosting its annual speakers series over Zoom. The third talk in this series is on April 11 and focuses on the economics of sustainable buildings. 

🎻 Nordic Dreams classical concerts: The first in a series of three classical concerts at St. John's the Baptist Church, presented by Arts and Culture Colwood.  April 15, 2pm

🚶 Hike for Higher Ground: The Sooke Emergency Program Team is hosting a hike on April 13 at 11am leaving from Whiffin Spit, to raise awareness and ensure residents are familiar in the event of an emergency.

What’s Offshore?

⛴ The Ototachibana is a bulk carrier built in 2012 and is sailing under the flag of Japan. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Oita, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Roberts Bank, Canada and was scheduled to arrive April 7.    

Westshore Snaps

Sheringham Point Lighthouse in Shirley, BC. — Richard Steward, View Royal