EVERYONE WELCOME • PRIZES • JULY 10th, 8:30am–7pm, Royal Athletic Park
Cool camps
Saanich is bustling with summer camp options Page A5
SPORTS: Setting sail for the Paralympics /A3 LETTERS: Shelbourne plan needs fresh ideas /A7 ARTS: TEDxVictoria seeks brilliant minds /A15
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Nearly 600 pounds of berries draw record crowd
Before taking down that pesky tree behind the house, be sure to skim Saanich’s updated tree protection bylaw, which came into effect July 1. The amendments come a year after Habitat Acquisition Trust released a report that showed Saanich lost 378 hectares of tree cover between 2005 and 2011, leading the region. “The tree loss reported was equal to nine Beckwith Parks, which is dramatic,” said Coun. Dean Murdock. Additional changes to the bylaw include two species, Big Leaf Maple and Grand Fir, to the list of protected trees. The qualifying size of protected trees is also likely to be reduced from five metres to two metres in height. with reductions in diameter size being considered as well. Any tree in Saanich with a diameter of 60 cm or greater is currently subject to the bylaw, which affects tree replacements, permits and pruning. See the full bylaw online at saanich.ca/treebylaw.
Strawberries, ice cream and the promise of family fun was all it took to bring an estimated 8,000 people out to Beaver Lake Park on Sunday for the 48th annual Strawberry Festival. The day began gloomy but the sky cleared by mid-afternoon when organizers sold out of the 3,500 portions of 50-cent strawberries and ice cream, continuing a beloved Saanich tradition. “Last year, we got very close to running out and we knew 3,500 would be the magic number,” said Rob Phillips, Saanich special events coordinator. “We keep some servings aside for our volunteers so they can
enjoy the fruit of their labour, you could say.” Phillips said the 500 to 600 pounds of strawberries were sourced from Mitchell Bros Farm, while 585 litres of ice cream came from Island Farms. The 50-cent serving price is heavily subsidized by Saanich each year to keep the community tradition alive, although both suppliers donate some product and labour to keep the event thriving, Phillips said. Live music entertained the older kids throughout the afternoon on the shore of Beaver Lake, while an expanded kids activity area included a bouncy castle, a miniature, rideable train and a drumming station. See more photos on Page A11.
Travis Paterson News staff
Daniel Palmer/News staff
Two-year-old Aviauna Daynard tests out a wooden xylophone in the kids activity area during the 48th annual Strawberry Festival at Beaver Lake Park on Sunday.
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