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- Oct 10 - Westshore school enrolment growing fastest in BC, SD62 reports
Oct 10 - Westshore school enrolment growing fastest in BC, SD62 reports
Election events & advance polls. West Coast Trail story. Dump truck crash.
Hello there!
Today we return to what is consistently one of the biggest issues in The Westshore: school capacity. Nowhere are the region's growing pains starker than in the struggle to find space for all the children that its population boom brings.
Today we have a fall update on surging enrolment—and how the school district plans to handle it.
— Cam
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NEWS
SD62 plans new schools as Westshore records BC's fastest-growing enrolment
The Sooke School District (SD62) has 13,298 K-12 students this school year, and its 548-student increase from last year is 233 more than it had expected to add. That jump may not be a big surprise for such a fast-growing region—but it is a big challenge for the district.
The overall enrolment rise of 4.3% has been even starker for secondary schools: a 7% rise that has SD62 seeking approval for a new facility. Land is already bought for the planned 2,000-seat North Langford Secondary—and, as of this summer, for a planned middle school across from it.
But though the projects have preliminary approval and support from the current provincial government, SD62 still has to submit the formal business case. That process, plus construction time, could put the new high school 3 to 5 years away. Current high schools Royal Bay and Belmont will struggle in the meantime—they were at 114% and 133% capacity this spring.
Land is also secured for SD62 to build 3 brand-new elementary schools (not counting the Port Renfrew rebuild or this fall's expansions of David Cameron and Ruth King). As with the high schools, the district is playing catch-up: The pair of elementary schools it opened in 2022 are already full, and all 480 spots in upcoming 2025 arrival SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ are spoken for.
For more on the future local schools, and on what the district is doing about the problem in the meantime, read the full story at The Westshore.
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NEWS
West Coast Trail wraps another wet, windy, unforgettable season
All file photos: Jolene Rudisuela / Capital Daily
The notoriously difficult Island trail, which begins northwest of the Westshore’s very far edge, closed for the season on Oct. 7. The multi-day backcountry trail closes down every winter until May 1 due to heavy rains, winds, tides, waves, and darkness.
Every summer, as many as 10,000 people attempt the 75km route from Port Renfrew to Bamfield through the traditional territories of the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations. “Attempt” is a key word, because an estimated 100 to 300 people give up and/or need to be evacuated.
Even experienced hikers can struggle to navigate the 100+ ladders, calf-deep mud, and often worse-for-wear boardwalks. To protect the public as well as the natural areas, annual permits are capped and would-be backpackers undergo a partial screening process.
The trails are maintained—and plenty of the hikers are saved—by the Trail Guardians. Hailing from the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht nations, they can spend 7 months working the trail in every kind of weather. In addition to hauling up to 30kg of gear as they remove undergrowth or fallen trees and maintain the trail, they also help travellers and impart the cultural history of the region.
Kevin Peters (left) and Joseph Jules, guardians with the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, prepare a free salmon meal.
The program began in the late 1990s after decades of increased foot traffic—and increased damage to homes, sacred sites, and burials—following Parks Canada's 1970s conversion of the land into the Pacific Rim National Park without consulting the nations.
Read more about the trail’s history and the guardians’ roles in this feature story.
Lighthouse keepers also sometimes assist with rescuing unfortunate trail-triers—both the lighthouses and trail itself arose over a century ago to help stranded shipwreck victims. But the Carmanah and Pachena Point light stations along the trail are set to be permanently de-staffed next month.
If you want to attempt the trail in 2025, it's never too early to start preparing.
Capital Daily put together this guide in 2022.
If you can’t wait to hit a west-Island trail, the Westshore’s own Juan de Fuca Trail is open year-round and just added more camping spots and amenities this year. Don't underestimate it, though: In April, an experienced hiker got stuck for hours in a muddy waist-deep clay pit.
With files from Jolene Rudisuela
Around the 'Shore
🗳 Advance polls open today in BC election, and last to the 16th except for a pause on Thanksgiving Monday. You can find your nearest advance voting location with this interactive map. Remember that you can also vote at your leisure at designated electoral offices (find one here). The Westshore has 3 ridings, each with 3 candidates representing each of the major parties.
💸 $415 million gained—and lost: Sooke carpenter sues RBC over Tesla stock advice. Christopher DeVocht claims he multiplied a 2019 investment of $88K in electric-car stocks by nearly 5,000x. But, his suit alleges, negligence and “inadequate” advice by Royal Bank and Grant Thornton shrunk it to almost nothing after Tesla stocks plunged in 2022. [CBC]
🚚 Dump truck crash in Langford on Tuesday morning delayed traffic, closing Hwy 1 near Spencer Close and McCallum. RCMP said speed was a factor in the dump truck driver losing control and going over the barrier into the southbound lanes. A Pontiac hit the far barrier and its driver sustained minor injuries.
Aftermath of the 5am crash. Via West Shore RCMP
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Community Events
🤝 Candidate meet-and-greets for Langford – Highlands at Poncho’s Cafe on Goldstream Ave. Friday morning: Mike Harris / Sat. morning: Ravi Parmar / Sat. noon: Erin Cassels. [Info]
🧓 How to age in place: Workshop today (noon-1pm) from Metchosin Seniors Resource Centre. Call to reserve a spot.
🎃 Langford weekend events: Pumpkin patch fundraiser at Lohbunner Community Farm. 10am-4pm Sat & Sun. Farmers Market 10am-2pm Sat. at Veterans Memorial Park. Autumn Gratitude Market 11am-4pm Sat. at Langford Station.
🦃 3-course Thanksgiving dinner at Table Nineteen (Olympic View Golf) on Sun. & Mon. Reserve a table.
👅 Stones tribute band: Got Stones at Edward Milne school. Sat 7-9pm. [Tickets]
🏒🐻 Victoria Grizzlies host Trail Smoke Eaters at Q Centre on Saturday. [Tickets]
🏈 Westshore Rebels playoffs: BCFC semifinal vs Langley Rams begins 3:30pm on Sat., live on Telus channel 1981 and pay-per-view at BCFC TV.
🗣 All-candidates debate for Juan de Fuca – Malahat Sunday at noon at Kerry Park Arena (up the Malahat from the Westshore). [Info]
What’s Offshore?
Photo: Uruguayan Ministerio de Defense Nacional
⛴ The ROU 22 Oyarvide sailed by the Westshore last night on its way from Seattle around the northwest corner of the USA. It’s headed down to join 🇺🇾 Uruguay’s navy as a research ship replacing the previous ROU Oyarvide (decommissioned 2022). It will research fishing impacts, marine biodiversity, and environmental conditions—and help Uruguay manage resources and sovereignty.
Before Uruguay's recent purchase, the ship was the Mt. Mitchell: built in 1966 and serving for decades as an oceanographic research vessel for the 🇺🇸 US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 1992 the vessel performed what was then the largest oceanographic survey of the Persian Gulf, in response to oil spills during the Gulf War.
Westshore Snaps
Above, we mentioned local lighthouses' role as stable sentinels during severe storms. Here, View Royal reader Richard Stewart creates such a scene as a photo-ilustration, with Colwood's Fisgard Lighthouse as the base.
📸 You can send in your own photos by simply replying to this email, attaching the photos, and including your name and municipality in the message!
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