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Good morning!

Our main story today is on the Bamberton Quarry expansion, and how the environmental assessment on this project will no longer be happening. Many locals are complaining about how the property owners are dealing with the situation. On a similar note, businesses at Colwood Corners have been struggling to invite customers with the ongoing paid parking issue that has been frustrating many.

There’s an attraction not far from Bamberton that I’ve been wanting to check out—the Malahat SkyWalk. Would love to hear your thoughts if you’ve visited it before.

— Emma

NEWS

Bamberton Quarry expansion won’t receive an environmental assessment after all

The proposed expansion of the Bamberton Quarry in Mill Bay will not go through an environmental assessment, much to the chagrin of environmentalists who say expanding the quarry could be dangerous for the ecosystem. The quarry, owned by the Malahat Investment Corp., sits along the Saanich Inlet’s pristine coastal environment.

The plan instead will now undergo an enhanced review through the Mines Act permit process, BC Environment Minister George Heyman announced last Tuesday.

The peninsula’s MLA, Adam Olsen of the Green Party, condemned the decision, saying the Mines Act process offers little oversight of how the land will be properly protected.

“Rather than saying ‘let’s deal with this through a legal mechanism that already exists,’ let’s instead create mechanisms that don’t exist,” Olsen said, arguing that the Mines Act process wasn’t designed to replace an environmental assessment and doesn’t have the legal structures to ensure accountability.

BC’s Environmental Assessment Office itself did consider, before Heyman’s final decision, whether to pursue the often years-long assessment process. It recommended against doing one, in its January 2023 preliminary report.

Advocates had argued that the quarry’s effects need to be looked at comprehensively, rather than via the separate silos of different ministries. The EAO argued that these different ministries could each opt to do a cumulative impact assessment. Olsen doubts that the Mines Act process will be sufficient.

Read the full story on Capital Daily.

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Proudly representing the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford riding since 2015

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NEWS

London Drugs helps customers with ongoing parking issues at Colwood Corners

Westshore locals continue to pressure Onni Group, as paid parking at Colwood Corners has the community taking their business elsewhere. With tension rising over the newly implemented parking, Edwin Rebner, the London Drugs store manager at Colwood Corners, says the stores’ staff have been taking all of the customer objections rather than Onni itself.

“We know there are a lot of customer complaints and people are really frustrated,” says Rebner. “Obviously we are aware of the parking policies, but we weren’t initially when they were going to be rolled out—we don't have any control over this decision to implement the new parking.”

The London Drugs manager says that he notices that his store’s business has been affected, something that’s echoed by the staff of other stores in the strip mall. Businesses like London Drugs have been trying to make the parking process easier, and are hoping Onni begins to listen to the complaints.

"We pride ourselves on providing a seamless customer shopping experience," says Rebner, adding that the paid parking has negatively impacted his business. “The challenge is to get customers comfortable with entering their parking information—we've been trying, along with Save-On-[Foods] to have them remove the requirement, but we've had no success so far.”

As the complaints file in, Rebner says it is crucial to start providing customers with solutions to the problem. Because the city cannot make changes without the approval of Onni, businesses within the complex have been trying to help customers avoid ticketing.

“There is only one parking validation station inside Save-On and then there's one in the centre parking area just outside London Drugs, which is inconvenient for some of our customers,” says Rebner. “Fortunately at London Drugs, we have the ability to validate parking, so all [customers] have to do is come into the store and ask staff if they can get help and validation and we will help them out with that.”

While the solution to the problem is ongoing, Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi told the Westshore in an interview last week that he had been talking to Onni about creating a better remedy going forward.

“Onni people are talking to me now as mayor, and we are looking for a resolution,” said Kobayashi. “I raised the motion because we wanted it properly investigated, I want to have the whole picture and work together on this.”

“We do wanna thank customers who have been coming to us and continuing their support during renovations and this parking situation,” says Rebner, who understands customers' anger at the situation. “Having regulars come in means the world.”

Around the 'Shore

🐻 View Royal community mourns mother bear: A bear that had been showing food-conditioned behaviour was euthanized on June 23, and it has locals calling for change. Teenager Andrea Miller and her community have been pushing the town to pass more strict bylaws on safe waste disposal to ensure both the safety of the community and the wildlife. [Vancouver Island Free Daily]

🛟 Three women rescued from Salish Sea: After water began to sink their 40-foot boat, three women were found by the US Coast Guard three kilometres south of Victoria after being notified by Canadian marine rescuers. While the women showed signs of hypothermia, they were delivered safely to Victoria General Hospital. [CTV]

🇨🇦 Starlight Stadium filled for Canada Day: The community came together on Saturday, as Langford locals headed to Starlight Stadium for a variety of exciting events in both the courtyard area and the field. The event was a success, and put the spotlight on the closeness of the Westshore. [Goldstream Gazette]

🚊 Sooke Mayor Maja Tait takes a step back from the transit board: Tait has decided to step down from the position of transit board chair, but will continue to serve as a member. With Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor taking over, Tait noted that she stepped down because the role needed more commitment than she could give. [Victoria News]

🚗 Sometimes in life, you’re merrily driving down the road and a wheel comes off, or two… When that happens, the counsellors at Intertidal Wellness want to help. Schedule an appointment today!*

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Community Events

🎶 Memorial Park Music Fest: Starting today, July 4, Memorial Park will be host to a number of talented artists for the community to enjoy. Make sure to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and money for food trucks for the 6pm start time.

🎭 Bard across the bridge: From 6:30 to 8:15pm on July 6, head to Esquimalt’s Gorge Park for a rendition of Shakespeare’s All's Well That Ends Well presented by the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival and the Township Community Arts Council. With a variety of dates, friends and family can purchase tickets for $25.

🥊 Intro to Boxing: If you’re a boxing fan, make sure to sign up for Edward Milne Community School Society’s boxing workshop on July 8. Join instructor Daryl Cortez and learn the basics of boxing from noon to 2pm in the school’s gym.

🌱 Colwood Creek Park ecosystem restoration: Join the community this July 9 in removing invasive species and restoring the health of Colwood Creek Park. You can meet friends while helping at the park through signing a volunteer form to help out.

What’s Offshore?

🚢 The Ever Sigma is a container ship built in 2005 and is sailing under the flag of the United Kingdom. It is sailing from Tacoma, United States 🇺🇸 ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver and was scheduled to arrive July 2.

⛴ The Villars is a bulk carrier built in 2011 and is sailing under the flag of Panama. It is sailing to ➡ 🇨🇦 Roberts Bank, Canada and is scheduled to arrive July 4.

Westshore Snaps

Billings Spit sunrise. — Frances Lawrence, Sooke

That’s it!

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