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Did you get outside and enjoy the hot weather this weekend? Send your pics of exploring the Westshore in the sunny weather to [email protected].

NEWS

Main candidates now set in Langford-Juan de Fuca

BC United announced last week that it will run Metchosin resident Elena Lawson, the co-founder of the Children's Autism Federation of BC, in the Langford-Juan de Fuca byelection. Lawson joins the race with Ravi Parmar who is now officially the NDP’s proposed John Horgan replacement, and Camille Currie who is running for the Greens.

Lawson grew up in Esquimalt and now lives in Metchosin with her family. After her son’s autism diagnosis in 2018, she co-founded the Children’s Autism Federation of BC to support families in the autism community.

“I know firsthand the challenges that families in Langford-Juan de Fuca face every day,” said Lawson in a press release. “It’s time for us to have a strong voice that advocates for the needs of our families and ensures that our community thrives.”

Lawson has experience in both business and government roles. Lawson will be running against Parmar who is currently the Sooke School District Board Chair, and Currie who is a Langford personal trainer known for launching a health advocacy campaign to get all BC residents a primary care doctor. No byelection date has been set.

SPONSORED BY UNITED WAY SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

Discover modern living at its finest

United Way Southern Vancouver Island (UWSVI) launched the 2023 Period Promise campaign earlier this month, seeking to eliminate period poverty in the region by increasing access to free menstrual products.

Period poverty, which limits access to menstrual products and facilities to use them safely, prevents individuals from reaching their full potential. UWSVI Executive Director, Erika Stenson, emphasized that organizations can play a significant role in ending period poverty. They can offer free menstrual products in their washrooms and donate products to local social service agencies.

To facilitate donations, UWSVI is organizing the Fill the Bus event on May 28, International Menstrual Hygiene Day, at the Tillicum Centre. The event aims to collect financial and unopened boxes of menstrual products. Join United Way and be part of the movement to end period poverty!

NEWS

Vancouver Island unlikely to experience extreme flooding and wildfires

As temperatures reach high levels, the province is warning people throughout BC to be cautious as the risks of floods and wildfires rise.

According to Bruce Ralston, minister of forests, drought conditions throughout BC have worsened, leading to “more advanced fire behaviour than what is typical at this time of year.”

Thankfully for those of us in the southern region of Vancouver Island, the risk is much lower. While temperatures are currently soaring, it’s unlikely that we’ll see the more extreme effects of this weather.

David Atkinson, a professor of geography, focusing on climate, at UVic, said fires are usually stopped quickly on the Island, since “there’s a fair amount of infrastructure not too far away,” whereas remote fires on the mainland can go undetected longer. If wildfires do start on the Island, Atkinson said that they “are going to be human caused.”

“It’s not likely to be warm enough really to get a whole lot of thunderstorm activity—maybe in the interior, but not on the Island,” said Atkinson.

Flooding risks are also less significant on the Island than the mainland. Atkinson points to our smaller watersheds, saying they “aren’t really big enough,” unlike the larger watersheds on the mainland that have a higher chance of floods spilling over. Atkinson said that melting snowpacks could potentially be a flooding issue for those north of Port Alberni, but it’s unlikely the rest of the Island will see the same rising water levels as areas like the Okanagan.

The bigger risk to Islanders will be the potential of smoke—if pressure changes cause the wind to move toward the west, instead of the usual eastern-directed winds, we’ll have to deal with this byproduct of the mainland fires. This could negatively affect air quality in the region, though it could also keep the temperatures low.

Click here to read the full story on Capital Daily.

Around the 'Shore

🏡 Cougar spotted in Langford backyard: The sighting occurred near Treanor Avenue on the evening of May 9.

🚓 Police report seizing $450K in contraband cigarettes: Victoria police say they confiscated the cigarettes and $65k in cash at a home on Chambers and at a storage locker in View Royal. [Police photos]

🚗 Driver charged for 163km/h in Metchosin: The Mustang was caught passing cars at double the 80km/h limit near Sooke Hills Wilderness Park on April 27, RCMP say.

🚨 “Fake nurse” who worked at View Royal clinic charged with more fraud: Brigitte Cleroux is now charged with committing impersonation and fraud over $5,000 against a Surrey dental surgeon in May 2020. She is currently imprisoned in Ontario for crimes including impersonation, and faces charges in BC including 10 accusations of assaulting patients. Cleroux worked briefly at a View Royal private surgery clinic in Nov. 2020 while on administrative leave due to allegations on the mainland. [CBC]

☀️ Megson FitzPatrick-Acera is coming to The Westshore, summer 2023. As a one-stop brokerage, they offer personal, business, motorcycle, life and health, and auto insurance.*

🚒 Sooke fire was accidental: Fire investigators determined that the fire at a residential construction site in Sooke that happened the night of May 2 began accidentally. [CTV]

⚽ Pacific FC near top of league after another 4-1 win: Sunday’s blowout home win over York brings PFC within a point of the CPL’s top spot and raises the team’s goal differential to a league-best +6. Last week PFC also beat Burnaby’s TSS Rovers, who had upset Valour FC to become the first pro-am team in the annual Canadian Championship tourney ever to beat a pro team. PFC now moves on to the semifinals.

👪 If you can’t decide what to feed the family, Seoul Chicken has the perfect meal for that. Try their party size chicken bucket to make everyone happy!*

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Gablecraft is proud to announce the newest offering of single family homes in the Southlands neighbourhood at Royal Bay. An exciting new collection of modern homes offering the flexibility to fit your lifestyle.

Start your dream at Royal Bay. Register now.

Community Events

🌱 Broombusters clean up: Meet the volunteers at the corner of Waddams Way and Anna Marie Road on May 16 at 10 am for a two-hour clean up.

🏙️ Building Cities Better: Brent Toderian will be speaking about how cities like Langford can address both climate action and housing needs through good urban design, active transportation, and place-making at Belmont Secondary on May 17 from 7 to 9pm.

🎢 Luxton Spring Fair: The fair runs from noon to 10pm from May 18 to 21 at the Luxton Fairgrounds in Langford. Enjoy free grounds admission, midway rides, vendors, a heritage museum, and more.

🍸 Cascadia Liquor grand opening: The new Port Alberni location will open May 18, and visitors are invited to take part in tastings and giveaways at the grand opening event.

🍺 Starlight Stadium to host Langford Beer Festival: Tickets are on sale for the second annual event on July 15.

What’s Offshore?

🛳 The Verdure Wave is a bulk carrier built in 2005 and is sailing under the flag of Panama. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Kinuura, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 North Vancouver, Canada and was scheduled to arrive April 14.

Westshore Snaps

Royal Bay development. — Bruce McKay, Royal Bay