Hello there!

It's the last day of the month, and we're heading into the latter part of fall. Already the leaves are starting to pile up underfoot, so I'm hoping to get out soon to some of the best local spots to see the colourful autumn trees.

Goldstream Park, Royal Roads, and the Galloping Goose are a few reliable stand-bys, but we'd love to hear some of your favourites—and to see some of your photos of them.

Feel free to send in some of your best Halloween costumes and pumpkin carvings, too. Below we have some info on where you can go today for a safe and happy Halloween.

— Cam

NEWS

Westshore will host 3 official bonfires tonight, but some local fire halls are ending the Halloween tradition

Sooke, Colwood, and Metchosin will continue with Halloween bonfires this year, while Highlands and Esquimalt will not. 

The community gatherings draw hundreds and are long-running (and often very popular) local traditions. But this year several local municipalities decided to officially end the events, which in many cases were already paused due to the pandemic and the recent long and severe drought seasons.

Esquimalt’s fire chief determined this summer that the bonfire posed too many concerns around health, environmental damage, liability, and firefighters’ working conditions. Mayor Barbara Desjardins told CHEK that council weighed the tradition and nostalgia of the event, and may consider bringing it back in some form in the future. But, she said, the risk and the possibility of toxic materials—with people traditionally dumping their own materials onto the communal fire—was too much.

Highlands also ended its decades-old bonfire, citing environmental concerns, and instead put on a haunted house last Sunday. But Metchosin will continue, though its fire chief Stephanie Dunlop told the Times Colonist that the fireworks portion has been cut for the sake of local farm animals. She explained that part of the intent behind fire departments hosting Halloween bonfires and fireworks is to draw people away from trying to do their own (leading to more fire dept. calls).

Speaking of launching your own fireworks: If you want to do so tonight, you'll need to have already gotten your permit and course certification. If you're in Colwood, View Royal, Highlands, or Langford, here are the details of the rules—which include only shooting fireworks between 5pm and 10pm today. Permits are also required in Sooke and Metchosin.

Bonfires that will go ahead tonight: 

Colwood fire hall – 6-8:30pm. Hot dogs, juice, and treats.

Metchosin fire hall – starts 6:30pm. Costume contest, haunted hall, and free hot dogs & drink. 

Camp Barnard – bonfire 6:30pm, fireworks 7:30pm. Hot dogs, hot chocolate, and candy. Organized by Otter Point Vol. Firefighters.

NEWS

Langford wants your input on construction & fire policy

After wrapping public feedback early last week on the Latoria Road Active Transportation project, the city now wants to get the public's thoughts on two more key projects.

First up: A survey due by this coming Sunday on its Construction Impact Management Strategy. The city is creating the strategy as part of its “Good Neighbour” Policy intended to respond to people's concerns about living near construction projects. The city says that a large share of nuisance complaints can come from people reacting to construction, which it attributes to “gaps in our bylaws that prevent the City from mitigating certain construction practices.”

Langford is one of the country's fastest-growing communities, but with that come growing pains—from school crowding to the reality of living around constant development and change. Concerns about Langford construction's speed, scale, and lack of public consultation ended up being key factors in the 2022 election wave that swept out longtime mayor Stew Young and his slate and brought the current mayor and council to office. 

The city says the new strategy “aims to minimize disruptions, keep residents informed, and address issues during development to ensure that growth and business operations are reasonably livable for neighbouring residents.”

The other key policy up for feedback is the Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP), which is intended to improve wildfire prevention, preparedness, and mitigation as well as to guide the city's FireSmart Program.

The survey, which closes the following Sunday (Nov. 10) wants public input about wildfire impacts and wildfire management priorities. 

See more info, and both surveys, here. 

Around the 'Shore

🗳 Conservatives will not run Sapozhnikov again if another election called: The Juan de Fuca – Malahat candidate, who lost by just 141 votes, was recorded making numerous anti-Indigenous comments on election night. Party leader John Rustad, who has said he'll continue trying to bring down the returning NDP government, says she wouldn’t be the candidate in a snap election. Indigenous groups have criticized him for not cutting her out before it was clear she’d lost. [Vancouver Sun]

🐦 Driftwood artist will add new beach sculptures—with tracking tags. With 2 of 3 stolen wooden bird statues returned and the other still missing, Paul Lewis is warning would-be thieves that the Esquimalt Lagoon art will now have tracking devices within them. [Victoria News]

🚓 Langford bust turned up nunchucks, various drugs, Tasers (conducted energy weapons), and $1,500 cash, RCMP say after executing an Oct. 11 search warrant. 

Community Events

🧙 Trick or Treat at Westshore Town Centre: Bring the family for a fa-boo-lous time: trick-or-treat at participating retailers and enjoy a complimentary goblet of “witches brew,” served by the Bubble Bus today. 3:30-5pm. [Info]

🧛 Treat Street in Langford: Bring your little ones to Langford Station for a family trick-or-treat experience, with free hot dogs, hot chocolate, treats, live music, photo opportunities, games, and more today. 5-8pm. [Info]

👻 Esquimalt Halloween Firehall Spooktacular: Visit the Esquimalt Firehall for the annual family-friendly event, featuring an outdoor movie, bouncy castle, and trick-or-treating with the firefighters today. 5-9pm. [Info]

🎆 Camp Bernard's annual Halloween night event in Sooke. A community bonfire, hot dogs and hot chocolate, and a fireworks display over the lake. [Info]

See more region-wide Halloween events here.

🕯 Spooky Pumpkin Walk at Pineridge Park: Bring your jack-o-lanterns out on Friday to help light the way as they head into post-Halloween retirement. [Info]

🎃 Colwood Pumpkin Patch: Sat. 12-2pm. Enjoy fun ways to dispose of your jack-o’-lanterns. Roll it down the hill, snowblower it to smithereens; fire-hose it into the bin, or crush it with heavy-duty equipment. [Free]

🍟 Fish & Chips Friday at Langford Legion 91. 4-8pm.

🏠 Open House at Camosun College InterurbanzProspective students are encouraged to experience the energy and excitement of the campus in the school’s first full viewing tour since the pandemic. Nov. 2. 11am-3pm. [Info]

What’s Offshore?

🚢 The YM Mutuality was joined at anchor in local waters yesterday by two fellow container ships: the Vancouver-bound MSC Alanya (sailing under Liberian flag, built 2021) and the Korea-bound Kota Lukis (Hong Kong flag, built 2010).

Westshore Snaps

“Haunting Halloween at Hatley Castle,” a photo-creation by Richard Steward of View Royal.

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know: