Good morning,

Clues about Melissa McDevitt’s disappearance have surfaced, and have both her family and the community hopeful to find resolution to the missing hiker case. On the note of community, locals around the Westshore have been complaining about a lack of daycare access, and the inability to find a solution to childcare issues.

— Emma

NEWS

New clues help the quest for answers about Melissa McDevitt’s disappearance

Security camera footage captured Melissa McDevitt walking toward the Sea to Sea Regional Park in Sooke on Dec. 9 at 1:58pm. She wore a maroon jacket, dark pants, and an olive knit hat. In her left hand, she held chrome hiking poles. Her arms swung lightly; her gait was steady. She took a few steps, then briefly disappeared behind a tree. After emerging, she took 38 more steps, then disappeared again, this time for good.

Six months later, not far from Melissa’s last known whereabouts, her father, Tom, stands on a stranger’s porch, knocking lightly on the front door. The woman who opens it looks warily at him, a tall man with a bushy white mustache and baseball cap, holding a red folder. Her face softens when he hands her a flyer about his missing 39-year-old daughter.

“It's just reminding people that Melissa is still out there,” he tells her. “We’re just making neighbours aware that if they happen to be hiking in there, or have people visiting, just please pass on about her circumstance—and, of course, this tells you the contact information.”

The woman nods as he talks. The headquarters for the official search effort in December were across the street from her house, in the parking lot where Melissa’s car was found. More than a dozen search and rescue organizations from across the province scoured the park’s vast network of trails. RCMP sniffer dogs joined them on the ground; a helicopter with heat detecting sensors searched from above. With no trace of Melissa and heavy snow on the way, the search was called off after nine days, on Dec. 19.

Read the full story on Capital Daily.

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NEWS

Issues with access to early childhood care have locals frustrated with the province

Over the past year, residents across the Westshore have complained about the difficulty in accessing appropriate educational spaces for children. Now, parents and educators are calling for action to mend the issue of underfunded, over-restricted, and difficult to access daycare centres.

Early and infant childhood educator Janine Bolton, the owner of Victoria Kids Out and About, says this has been a problem for a number of years, and the complications have only deepened.

“Unfortunately, we saw this coming ages ago and now we're at a crisis point,” says Bolton. “There's a few factors to it: burnout is huge for staff, I know wages are a big problem, as well as zoning and licensing.”

With a number of intertwined issues, many are frustrated with how the government is prioritizing early childcare.

Read the full story at the Westshore.

Around the 'Shore

🚒 Esquimalt hires first female firefighter: Alexandria Marshall became Esquimalt’s first female firefighter. Along with Marshall, the department also hired Kielan Hrasky, Lucas Hammond, and Chris McElroy, who already had full-time temporary positions. [CHEK]

⚠️ Westshore residents warned to watch-out for ‘family’ scam: Westshore Mounties have been warning locals to be aware of a group of fraudsters appearing as a family asking for help. Police are asking anyone with information to reach out to them. [CTV]

💰 Rural and remote communities see success with program supporting projects: With recent news of the accomplishments of funding projects that strengthen and diversify the economies of rural and remote communities, First Nations, and not-for-profit organizations, the provincial government has decided to continue the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program from July 4 until Oct. 30. This program includes new eligibility for planning or feasibility projects related to workforce housing. [BC Gov News]

✨ Coastal Shores Window Cleaning has you covered! From pressure washing, moss removal, gutter cleaning, and window cleaning—Victoria’s best exterior cleaning company is the “clear” choice!*

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Inheriting a property?

There are some things you need to be aware of when inheriting a property in British Columbia!

Your Westshore Real Estate Specialist Paul Brum has put together a list of 5 things you need to know about this on his website!

He is always available to chat about real estate!

Community Events

🏈 Edward Milne Community School Camps: Over the summer months, the Edward Milne Community School Society will be offering a variety of fun camps and activities for all ages. With a football camp coming up July 10, make sure to check out all of the events on offer.

📚 Summer Stories in the Park: Starting this July 7, Esquimalt will be hosting a series of story times for the community to enjoy. While the stories are for children from 3 to 6, anyone can head to Saxe Point Park from 10 to 11:30am to enjoy the event.

🎻 Classical concert series: Philip Manning and Hannah Craig will perform violin and cello solos and duets on July 8 for Arts and Culture Colwood’s classical concert series. Purchase $25 tickets to access the 2 to 3:30pm event at St. John the Baptist Heritage Church.

📽️ Royal Roads University Film Celebration: Join the community in celebrating Professor Geoffrey Bird’s short-film on the famous monument, The Brooding Soldier. He will unveil his interpretive panels on July 8 at Royal Roads University, but the film is also available to view online.

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 was scheduled to arrive July 4.

Westshore Snaps

Enjoying Lagoon Beach on Canada Day weekend. —Ken Owttrim, Langford.

That’s it!

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