Hello 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:

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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

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

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.

Around the 'Shore

🚬 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!

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