Hello there!

Last week I headed up to a lookout to watch the ships moving in and out of the region, and got the chance to talk to a young family that was also watching them. Seeing little kids' excitement to learn about the ships’ names, jobs, and destinations was a great reminder of how interesting the world around us really is.

I had a similar reminder again on the weekend when I joined an educational lichen walk in Langford-area Mount Wells Park. Those strange forms of life—collaborations between photosynthesizers and fungi—are everywhere around us, in numerous varieties, but easily go unnoticed.

What are some small things you love to learn about the region around you? Send in some of your favourites, and I'll share a few with other readers in the next newsletter.

— Cam

NEWS

Six Mile Pub must be sold, BC Supreme Court rules—but the likely buyer is its current owner

A justice ordered that the View Royal pub, which is 170 years old this year, be sold/bought by its main owner within 90 days or assigned to a liquidator. The business isn't in financial trouble, but liquidation is being chosen as a “draconian” measure here because its two main owners are far apart on a buyout price for the smaller stake.

The likely outcome, and the one the court is trying to force, is for them to finally determine a price for the larger owner to pay for the 39% stake of a man who died nearly a decade ago.

David Wong and the late Eddy Ng bought the pub together in 2002, though Ng only came up with $380k of a planned $550k. Ng died aged 63 in 2016 and his widow now seeks his family's 39% share of an asset value that has more than doubled over the decades. 

In his decision, Justice Anthony Saunders found that Wong put in more work—though he was compensated with a salary for it. Saunders also accepted, as at least partly true, Wong's case that Ng had addiction issues and disputes with shareholders on return-to-work conditions, which ultimately limited Ng’s planned role running the kitchen. His widow contends that the relationship broke down due to a shoulder injury to Eddy that kept him away from work and said she did not know of a drug problem.

But, although largely accepting Wong's account of events, the justice noted that despite these tensions Wong did continue to benefit from Ng's capital, which Ng got mainly from his mother and mortgaging his home. The business should now let Ng's heirs benefit, the BC Supreme Court affirmed, and the liquidation was imposed primarily to force the sides to figure out a deal. 

Wong posted on the pub’s social media on Saturday to reassure the public about its status, saying it is “not for sale.” He wrote that the “unfortunate matter has been ongoing for some years” and is “but a dispute between shareholders of a small private company" that the judge is allowing to be resolved privately without actually proceeding to the ordered liquidation.

The Six Mile Pub bills itself as BC's oldest pub, citing a history that began in 1848 with a sawmill on the site and developed into a hotel and roadhouse by 1855. It became an underground drinking spot during prohibition, and a popular destination while Victoria was still dry after the end of prohibition.

NEWS

T'Souke working with UVic training org to prepare communities for emergencies

Did you feel the earthquake yesterday morning? How about the two quakes that hit BC’s coast last month? These mild shakers have been small reminders that natural disasters, such as a high-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami, can strike at any time.

As climate change progresses, the instances of other natural disasters such as forest fires and floods are likely to increase—and the Westshore has already been seeing flooding and road closures over the past year—putting pressure on communities to set emergency plans.

A research and training program at UVic, known as CIFAL Victoria, is working with two Island First Nations—T’Sou-ke Nation in Sooke and Huu-ay-aht Nation, northwest of the Westshore in Barkley Sound—to learn about historical emergency planning and develop a new approach using Indigenous knowledge.

The project is still in its early stages, but the end result will be a training program that combines the nations’ scientific and historic knowledge to guide future emergency preparation. These training programs eventually will inform emergency plans for other BC First Nations.

CIFAL Victoria (a French acronym for International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders) is a United-Nations-accredited UVic organization working to improve government response to modern-day challenges. Victoria’s branch is the only CIFAL centre on North America’s west coast and one of 33 worldwide. 

Island First Nations thinking ahead to future disasters

Tommy Happynook, hereditary chief of Huu-ay-aht Nation and UVic anthropology assistant professor, said emergency planning is top of mind for his community as climate disasters become more commonplace. 

“There are a number of sort of natural disasters that are starting to happen that we're really thinking about,” he said in a release.

First Nations on the Island and beyond have tracked natural disasters in their areas for generations. Happynook said the “depths of knowledge” for Huu-ay-aht Nation’s land doesn’t exist within the university, making it imperative that First Nation voices from the community are heard. There are traditional songs within Nuu-chah-nulth culture that discuss tsunami preparation, said Sean Flickinger, emergency program co-ordinator for the Huu-ay-aht.

Island First Nations' histories are ultimately part of what ultimately provided confirmation of the last Big One's effect on this region in 1700. But the nations aren't involved in this project only to relate the past—but also because they are already doing this type of planning for the future, where as small and often remote communities, they will be some of the most affected by disasters.

By Robyn Bell

Around the 'Shore

🚵‍♂️ Langford opens new bike trail as part of Gravity Zone system: The 14th trail to join the biking & hiking network is a “blue flow" trail for mid-level riders. The city will soon seek public input on its Parks & Trails Master Plan. [City of Langford]

🛣 Colwood weighs ban on new car lots along Island Highway strip: A bylaw would attempt to shift the municipalities entranceway away from the “strip-mall, car-lot fiasco”—which Coun. Ian Ward describes it as—and toward high-density residential. Existing dealerships would be given legal non-conforming status as long as they remain constantly in use (no more than a 6-month pause). [Times Colonist]

🎧 Podcast studio set up at Ed Milne school: The booth is available to the public as well as students, joining a Makerspace that also includes a metalshop, woodshed, and 3D printer. A few classmates have launched their own podcast, called Sooke is Bear Country. [CHEK]

🏫 Colwood city hall reception moved to public works office until about end of this week, due to noisy work on roof.

Last week: Harbour House fraudster faces deportation. Langford trims budget. [Newsletter]

📚 Glenlyon Norfolk School is closer than you think. Book a tour to explore their campuses and see why GNS is worth the journey.*

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Community Events

🖌 Workshops at Westshore Town Centre: Thurs - Exploring chocolate. Fri - Paint & Prosecco. Sat - Floral watercolour & ink. Sun - Patterns & Simple Landscapes. [Schedule]

🏃‍♀️ Frontrunners Athletic Club-Westshore Social Run tomorrow 6pm. [Info]

🗣Westshore rec / sport facility public workshops start this week.

🌱 Seedy Saturday at Belmont Secondary, 11am-3pm. [Info]

♻️ Pacific Mobile Recycling Depot, 9am-noon, also Sat. at Belmont.

Council meetings

Langford Committee of the Whole tonight at 7pm, featuring continued budget discussion. [Agenda]

View Royal Council tonight at 7pm. [Agenda]

Colwood Council next Monday. [Agenda]

Metchosin Committee of the Whole next Monday. [Calendar]

Sooke Council next Monday. [Calendar]

Highlands Committee of the Whole next Monday. [Calendar]

What’s Offshore?

🚢 Moving on: Wooyang Banders, a 2004-built bulk carrier sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands. 🇲🇭 

🚢🚢 Off Colwood coast: Mol Premium, a container ship built in 2008, sailing Tacoma to Vancouver under Panama flag 🇵🇦 . CL Yangzhou, a bulk carrier built in 2019 sailing to Vancouver from Boryeong Korea under Liberia flag 🇱🇷 

🚢🚢 Further out from harbour: Ever Strong, a container ship built in 2007 sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Singapore flag 🇸🇬. Belguardian, bulk carrier built in 2021 and sailing North Van to Singapore under Norway flag 🇳🇴 

Westshore Snaps

“Cormorant on Colwood Lake enjoying Spring weather…..finally!” - Glenys Pumfrey

Are you seeing signs of spring around the ‘Shore? Send in some that you've spotted and we'll run a few of the best in this space.

That’s it!

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