WestShore Magazine by Blue Beetle Books

Vo l 1 • I s s u e 1

The Art of Island Living

WestShore: Designing Tomorrow The new edge city Big Box to Boutique Shop the WestShore Dispatches What’s new in the five WestShore municipalities On Fire! Arts and culture – WestShore style $

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T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Volume 1 – Winter 2008

The Art of Island Living

Contents

Published by the WestShore Chamber of Commerce

Letter from the Editor

Editor: Mike Wicks

Westshore Revisited

About WestShore Magazine

Dispatches Langford

Dispatches View Royal

Fitness WestShore

Art Director/Graphic Design: Tom Spetter Production Manager: Tom Spetter Contributing Writers: Emilie K. Adin, Bruce Burnett, J.Fisher, Norm Gidney, Dr. David Hawley, Michelle Hopkins, Elaine Limbrick, Cindy Moyer, Ara Parker, Jack Parr, KT Pirquet, Angelo Prosperi-Porta, Rick Stiebel, Ken Stratford, Star Weiss, Mike Wicks. Contributing Photographers: Tom Spetter, Gary Woodman, Lori Wheeler, Mike Wicks (Gary Woodman’s Websites: www.pbase.com/woody and www.flickr.com/photos/freespirit5).

24 Bateman Centre Ushers in the Future at Royal Roads 36

Dispatches Colwood

WestShore Chamber of Commerce 2009

Smoken Business!

Golf: Par Excellence!

Homes and Gardens – Cougar’s Crag

Tel: 250.478.1130

Taking Climate Action on the WestShore

Publisher: Mike Wicks

WestShore: Designing Tomorrow

Annual subscriptions to WestShore magazine are available by emailing subscriptions@westshore.bc.ca

Langford by Trolley

Westshore Places - City Centre Park

WestShore People

On Fire! Arts and Culture on the WestShore

Any Time is a Good Time

Big Box to Boutique

Dispatches Metchosin

Dispatches Highlands

A WestShore Recipe

Travel to Bear Mountain Resort

Lifelong Learning at Pearson College

Map of the WestShore

Photography credits: West Shore Parks and Recreation, City of Langford, City of Colwood, Pearson College, Olympic View Golf Course, Royal Colwood Golf Course, Westin Bear Mountain Resort and Spa, Royal Roads University, Robert Bateman, Cindy Moyer Creative, Smoken Bones Cookshack, Cougar’s Crag Bed and Breakfast, Cooper’s Cove Guesthouse and Cooking School. Advertising sales: Mike Wicks, Leiha Snow, Bev Graham Advertising Inquiries: sales@westshore.bc.ca

WestShore Magazine is published December 1st and June 1st WestShore Chamber of Commerce 2830 Aldwynd Road - Victoria, BC V9B 3S7 Phone: 250.478.1130 - Fax: 250.478.1584 chamber@westshore.bc.ca - www.westshore.bc.ca © WestShore Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved. For editorial matters, please contact the editor. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect the policy or views of the WestShore Chamber of Commerce, its Board of Directors, nor that of the publisher. The publisher cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. The publisher is not responsible for the content of any advertisement, or any representations made therein. No part of WestShore magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.

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We s t S h o r e

Letter from the Editor So why, as Chief Executive Officer of the WestShore Chamber of Commerce, did I decide to take on the massive task of publishing a high profile, high quality publication that matches anything put out by a major periodical publisher? The answer, I suppose, is simply that I wanted to let the world know what a great place the WestShore is to live, work, do business, play and shop – and what better way than to place something that told the story of the region on coffee tables throughout Victoria? The thing about the WestShore is that it is growing so fast people don’t really know what it’s like. If the last time you took a tour of our five municipalities was even just a year ago, you’ll be surprised at what you will discover. For instance City Centre Park is now partly open with mini-golf, an indoor Playzone, and once winter sets in an outdoor skating rink. Millstream Village is now open for business with dozens of great stores; downtown Langford is becoming a village with lots of coffee shops and funky stores, not to mention an Express library. Plans for a new town centre for Colwood are underway, and a rail link from Langford to downtown Victoria seems an increasing possibility. More people are living in our downtown cores as trendy new developments open, and even the Chamber office, in Veteran’s Memorial park, is getting a high profile facelift. By the fall of 2009 we’ll be in renovated digs with a museum, a community reception area and public washrooms. The WestShore Chamber itself has grown significantly over the last year as it works ever closer with the five municipalities (Colwood, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin and View Royal) it represents. Membership is increasing daily and our events are busier; we are offering training for members and member’s staff and the sense of exciting times ahead is palpable. This magazine is just one of many exciting new initiatives from the WestShore Chamber. Talking of changing times, one thing you will notice is that the term WestShore is used interchangeably throughout this magazine with West Shore (two separate words). This is not a case of really bad proof reading; when the Chamber went through a re-branding process earlier this year it decided to put the two words together. The resulting new logo and adapted name was made available to the community – to any organization that wanted to use it, in fact. So, we are in a period of transition with some WestShore magazine writers using the name West Shore and others moving toward WestShore. This will be a natural process and it will be interesting to see which way of spelling the name of our region prevails. Personally, I like the one-word version – it seems a little more modern to me; it has a nicer look. What do you think? Let us know. I hope you enjoy the premiere edition of WestShore magazine; please share it with visitors, or send it to family and friends; let’s spread the word about what a great place the WestShore is!

Mike Wicks CEO, WestShore Chamber of Commerce

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

WestShore Revisited “N

ature,” wrote Goethe, “knows no pause in progress and development, and attaches her curse on all inaction.”

According to Goethe’s maxim then, the WestShore is truly fortunate. Other than brief, tangential visits to the WestShore when driving between Ladysmith and Victoria, I hadn’t made a prolonged stopover in the area for several years. What I discovered during a recent business trip to the WestShore left me astounded. What a transformation! My view of the WestShore, which is comprised of five municipalities: Langford, Colwood, Highlands, View Royal and Metchosin, had always been the cliché one: It was where people bought a house if they couldn’t afford one in Broadmead or Oak Bay. Now, with quality developments such as Aquattro in Colwood, Westhills and Bear Mountain in Langford, all emphasizing sustainability and environmental responsibility, the WestShore has clearly become, not an alternate option, but the first choice of home buyers right across the socio-economic spectrum.

By Bruce Burnett

Although the WestShore is frequently identified primarily as a dormitory area for nearby Victoria, the region’s progressive and well-disposed attitude to commerce has made it a magnet for small, medium and large business. Locals and visitors alike agree that the shopping here is now superb, from big box stores to trendy boutiques. David Grove, his partner Gwen and two sons moved here from Ontario in 1994. The following year they bought a small bakery in Colwood and they’ve never looked back. Says David, “The overwhelming response from the WestShore residents encouraged us to continue the hard work and investment it takes to build a successful business. [The WestShore] will continue to be one of the finest and most rewarding places to live and raise our families, build a business, and be involved in our community.” Corrine Thompson is the Royal Bank’s Small Business Account Manager for Southern Vancouver Island, working from the bank’s Colwood branch. When asked why she chooses to live and work in the WestShore she says, “The Westshore has an abundance of

We s t S h o r e

Happy Valley Lavender and Herb Farm

Millstream Village

outdoor activities, community facilities and business resources and as such has become a desirable place to live, work, play and raise a family.”

The WestShore does indeed appear to ‘have it all.’ A mere 10 kilometres from downtown Victoria, one of the world’s most beautiful and liveable cities with an abundance of cultural activities and world-class restaurants, the WestShore also encompasses the District of Metchosin, which has retained its rural ambiance.

Outdoor activities are indeed abundant throughout the WestShore. Hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, fishing, and golfing all vie with team sports such as soccer and baseball for popularity, several being year round activities. Eleven parks cover nearly 2000 hectares and provide a myriad of hiking trails from simple nature walks along the shore to challenging day hikes. The Galloping Goose Trail, a 60 km former rail line, is a linear park running from downtown Victoria, through the WestShore, to the ghost town of Leechtown, a long abandoned gold mining community near Sooke. Named after the old steam locomotive which made its run at the turn of the last century, ‘The Goose’ is a walker or cyclist’s dream, well-groomed and peaceful with nary a hill to climb. Darlene Oudot, a financial advisor for the Investors Group Financial Services Inc. in Colwood, declares. “I am excited to be part of such a vibrant, responsible, beautiful, multitalented, ‘green’ community. We are our own place. I am particularly impressed with how the region has taken very seriously the effects global warming has on our planet and implemented ‘green’ solutions. Someone said to me that “other places in the world talk about it, but you really do it.” Darlene chooses to live in the WestShore area, “Because it affords me everything without travel and parking. I ride my bike to work and enjoy all the benefits of city living and rural living - all in one place.”

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Every Sunday from early May to late October the Metchosin Farmers Market on the Municipal Grounds at 4450 Happy Valley Road offers fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables from Certified Organic growers and traditional farmers as well as baking, honey and jams, soaps and lotions, free range eggs, fresh-cut flowers, bedding plants and herbs etc. For lunch at the market try a mouth-watering Galloping Goose sausage on a bun – scrumptious! There are also craft stalls with high quality products, live music and lots of friendly conversation to make a visit to the market a must. Future growth for the WestShore includes the possibility of a light rail transit system to downtown Victoria. A Light Rail Economic Opportunity Study evaluated an 18-kilometre (11.2-mile) LRT route, which would start in Langford, run through Colwood along the Galloping Goose Trail and continue through downtown Victoria to James Bay. More concrete developments will comprise of the Colwood City Centre, a mixed-use development of high-density commercial and multi-family housing, including up to 11 towers ranging from 12 to 29 storeys plus connected two and three-storey

Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre - lawn bowl

retail/commercial podiums. The same developer, Turner Lane Development Corporation, is also building Goldstream Meadows; five and a half hectares divided into four hectares of high-density, multi-family residential, one and a quarter hectare of commercial space for use as a business park and half a hectare of parkland. Of great and justifiable pride to the WestShore is The Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre, scheduled for completion in 2010 in Royal Roads University in Colwood. The Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre is envisioned as a ‘Living Building’– a standard that goes beyond the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, in that it will create zero greenhouse gas emissions and have a positive impact on the environment. Living buildings are usually constructed from natural local materials and include a variety of solar and thermal designs as well as on-site wastewater treatment systems. This project will also include restoration of the

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wetland that was on the centre’s site 100 years ago before the family of James Dunsmuir drained the land to graze livestock. The Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre will house an extensive collection of donated originals and prints by Robert Bateman in addition to photographs by Robert and Birgit Bateman and archival material, sketchbooks and correspondence. It will host art exhibits and offer environmental education programming, including guest lectures and seminars led by Robert Bateman and other artists and educators.

And then there’s what the WestShore has always been able to boast about: Ideal climate, stunning scenery, including spectacular views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to downtown Victoria and south to the majestic Olympic Mountains of Washington State; Thetis Lake regional conservation area, established as Canada’s first nature sanctuary in 1958 and offering a variety of outdoor activities in a natural setting; Hatley Park, encompassing Royal Roads University and considered to be one of the finest examples of an intact Edwardian estate and designated as a National Historic Site in 1995. It is strategically positioned to play a leading role in experiential tourism—one of the fastest growing industries worldwide; Fort Rodd Hill - a National Historic Site - a coast artillery fort built in the late 1890s to defend Victoria I ride my bike to work and the Esquimalt Naval and enjoy all the benefits Base. The Fort includes three gun batteries, underground magazines, command posts, of city living and rural guardhouses, barracks and living - all in one place.” searchlight emplacements. There are numerous interpretive signs and audio-visual stations, as well as period furnished rooms and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Visitors can explore gun batteries and underground magazines built a century ago, as well as searchlight emplacements, command posts and much more. Fort Rodd Hill incorporates the Fisgard Lighthouse National Historical Site, built in 1860 as the first lighthouse on

We s t S h o r e

Veteran’s Memorial Parkway

Canada’s west coast and it’s still in operation! There hasn’t been a keeper here since the light was automated in 1929, but every year many thousands of visitors step inside a real 19th century light, and capture some of the feeling of ships wrecked and lives saved. Immediately adjacent to Fort Rodd Hill is the Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a saltwater lagoon located at the base of the Royal Roads property. An island and several small gravel bars on the lagoon side of the bridge are visible at low tide. These are regular lounging spots for gulls and shorebirds. Mew Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls are frequent visitors, but check the flocks carefully because birders have reported Heermann’s, Bonaparte’s, Ring-billed, California and even Western Gulls. In spring Caspian Terns may also rest on the bars. Shorebirds in season include Black Oyster catcher, Black-bellied Plover, Western and Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black and (rarely) Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover, Yellowlegs, and Killdeer. When visiting the WestShore make a point of riding on at least one of the City of Langford’s trolleys. The first trolley started operating on July 4, 2007. The primary route runs a one-hour circuit from WestShore Town Centre Mall on Jacklin Road up to the Bear Mountain Resort and back. The trolley augments the existing BC Transit system and offers a novel tourist attraction to the delight of folks of all ages. Fare is by donation and other costs are covered by advertising revenue. The trolley concept has been such a hit that my own town of Ladysmith plans to emulate it and implement a similar system by the spring of 2009.

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Many WestShore residents and businesses credit the City of Langford’s energetic mayor Stewart Young with spearheading much of the progressive development in the region. Says Mayor Stewart Young, “Representing the largest municipality in the Westshore, we on the Langford Council are very proud of our city’s accomplishments to date. Through the development of cooperative working relationships with residents, volunteers and the development industry, the city has seen a substantial increase in employment; a favourable climate for business; progressive developments with emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility and the creation of significant parks areas, greenspace and needed recreational facilities and all this with a less than 1 percent increase in our city’s taxes over the past 16 years we are excited about what the future holds for Langford and the Westshore.” Perhaps we should allocate the closing words to our initiating sage, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who also wrote, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Author bio: Bruce Burnett is a four-time winner of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Gold Award for travel journalism. Originally a native of London, England, he now lives in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. Read more of Bruce Burnett’s travel articles at www.globalramble.com.

Essencia is a unique proposed resort and residential community overlooking Esquimalt Lagoon. Learn more about our vision for healthy and sustainable community living. Call us at 250.391.5522 or visit www.essenciavillage.ca

Essencia at Esquimalt Lagoon is proud to be part of a unique community cultural collaboration.

www.coastcollective.ca

The Coast Collective at Esquimalt Lagoon CELEBRATING ART, CULTURE and COMMUNITY Enjoy the magic Gallery

Roam the grounds

Take in the views

Gift Shoppe Classes / Workshops

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estShore magazine was born out of a desire to brag; I know that doesn’t sound very nice, but it’s true. When my wife and I first moved to the region some 12 years ago many of our friends and colleagues raised their eyebrows, “Why do you want to move all the way out there” they would say, as if we were moving to some strange and forbidding world or, “Well I suppose the houses are cheaper out there; you’ll get more for your money”. The real doubting Thomas’s would go further and talk of it being the land of rusting cars and refrigerators on Langford lawns.

Now, those same people are looking to move here; they come to shop, to walk our beaches, or play golf on some of BC’s finest golf courses. They tell us how lucky we are to live out here, and when they pop by the house for a coffee they are laden with promotional literature from one or other of the amazing residential developments, selling everything from upscale condos and ocean view houses, to attractively priced three and four bedroom family homes. As they wax lyrical about the benefits of the West Shore, my wife and I sit back and smile as we remember how they used to look at us when we first decided to move out to this incredibly diverse and beautiful region. So, what do we want to achieve with WestShore – The Art of Island Living, other than to brag of course? The objective of the magazine is to invite you into our world; to give you a tour of the five municipalities (Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, View Royal and Highlands) that make up the West Shore and, of course, entertain you along the way.

About WestShore Magazine by Mike Wicks 12

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

As you flip through WestShore you will discover great photography and well written, entertaining articles. Our photography and writing is predominantly home grown, with just a soupcon of outside perspective to ensure that we don’t get too carried away with our own bias toward where we live. One such outside influence is Bruce Burnett, four-time winner of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Gold award for travel journalism. Bruce, who lives in Ladysmith, has passed through our community on business a few times over the last ten years, or so, but never took time to look around. His article WestShore Revisited was written after he decided to take a longer look at what was going on in one of BC’s fastest growing regions. He was astounded at what he discovered! I hope you too will stop awhile and visit. Take your time, sit back in a comfortable chair, get yourself a coffee, or a pot of Earl Grey tea perhaps, and enjoy a virtual tour of the WestShore through the eyes of our photographers, and the words of our writers. I think you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find!

The Alexander Mackie Retirement Community is the realization of a dream. The tenacious and determined leadership of one man, Harry Groom, Chair Seniors Low Cost Housing Society and Past President Branch #91 Royal Canadian Legion coupled with the generous support of the Legion, City of Langford, Hayworth Communities, BC Housing, Island Savings Credit Union and the community at large came together to create this exceptional retirement residence in the heart of Langford. Developed and managed by Hayworth Communities, a leader in innovative living, “The Mackie” is dedicated to creating an environment that nurtures the human spirit. The vision and commitment to personal freedoms and independence of Micky Fleming, Len Wansbrough, Dana Adams and the staff of Hayworth are what make “The Mackie” a special place.

Offering 125 independent living suites complete with excellent “home made from scratch” meals, tea service with fresh baked goodies twice daily, housekeeping, in-house fitness classes and spa, an ever changing array of leisure activities and peace of mind knowing that personal care options are available. Our carefree resort style residence is enjoyed by people who have lived good lives and want to continue doing so. It’s all about living at the Mackie; your furniture, your belongings and even your pet! Everyone is provided an opportunity to be actively involved, whether it’s the Resident’s Advisory Council or the Down and Dirty Garden Club, there’s something for everyone! Live life your way at Alexander Mackie!

Come see why the Mackie is known as a good place for inspired living, quality services, healthy choices and friendly caring people.

Tours available (250) 478-4888. “We appreciate the Legion and Alexander MackieLodge for providing much needed housing and services for our seniors in Langford. Everyone in Langford is proud of the service the veterans have given our community and continue to give to the City of Langford.”

- Mayor Stewart Young

City of Langford • Phone: (250) 478-7882 • www.cityoflangford.ca We s t S h o r e

Dispatches

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Langford W

by Mike Wicks

here do you start when writing an article about Langford? Its transition over the last fifteen years from a place that in 1992 had 25% unemployment and where people were leaving the community in droves, to one of the fastest growing municipalities in BC is somewhat of a fairy tale; and as with all good fairy tales the story would not be complete without a hero. Stewart Young (Langford’s long-serving Mayor), of course, would never call himself a hero though, and quickly credits a wonderfully supportive, long-serving, council and a dedicated hardworking staff for the successes Langford has experienced over the last decade and a half. But it’s hard to imagine that such an incredible turnaround could have been achieved without his vision, his entrepreneurial acumen, and his lack of ability to believe that there’s nothing that can’t be done. A lot has been written about the man many people call Mr. Langford, so I won’t go over too much old ground; suffice to say that he became a councillor in 1992, seven years after starting his own business, and a year later became mayor. Why would a successful, incredibly busy, businessman devote himself so entirely to his community? During a recent interview he gave me a simple answer, “It was time for a change, ninety-percent of the kids I went to school with left town, there was 25% unemployment, and there were lots of ‘for lease’ signs throughout the community; no new businesses were coming to town”. Indeed back in those dark days, logging and mining had all but disappeared; the community was getting little help from the

CRD; there were no street lights, no sidewalks and no greenery. As Young says, “People forget, but we had potholes on our main street and maintenance wasn’t getting done. The kids were hanging

around the 7-Eleven, vandalism was rampant, there was nothing for young people to do, and at the same time taxes were going up six to seven percent a year.” He goes on to tell me of the time he saw a youngster carving his name into a bench in what is now Veteran’s Memorial park; he took the knife way and asked the kid what the devil was he thinking? Whether that was the catalyst that made him decide to change things, or whether it was just the last straw, doesn’t matter. What matters is that he came to the rescue of a beleaguered town that had so much raw potential; he saw the diamond in the rough and found a way to make it shine. In his first year as mayor he decreased taxes by 10% to encourage businesses to come and set up shop. His plan was simple, lower taxes, create jobs, increase recreational opportunities and beautify the place. As mayor, he felt that it was vital that Langford had the lowest taxes in the region, while at the same time demonstrating a higher level of fiscal responsibility. A brave move that delivered on its promise – in spades! In fact taxes have increased by less than 1% over the last fifteen years, in spite of a massive increase in community services. Not that it was easy; it took him five to six years to get people to change their old way of thinking. But as he built a forward-thinking, progressive council (most are still serving today) things started to change. The catalyst was inviting the Big Boxes to Langford. I asked the mayor whether this was a contentious issue at the time and he said, “The thing is that the concept was supported overwhelmingly by the community. Like them or hate them Big Boxes are part of the community – people drive a long way to visit them. None of the improvements we have done would have been possible without the revenues from the Big Boxes and, of course, Bear Mountain.” Today, these national retailers are part of the fabric of the West Shore and the $2m they add to Langford’s coffers annually, mean that the crumbling downtown is now rising like a phoenix from the ashes. In a few years Goldstream Avenue will have a village atmosphere to compete with the likes of Cook Street Village, or Sidney’s Beacon Avenue. Already new upscale stores are opening, people are moving into beautiful condos at several locations along Goldstream; and Westbrook Mall is facing redevelopment with plans for ten to twelve story residential towers above a retail village.

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Metro at Goldstream Station

This live/work neighbourhood will be a reality within five years and fully completed within ten. Even sooner, the Peatt Road extension will link Goldstream Avenue with WestShore Town Centre. Add a bus terminal, and eventually a train station, and the dream of having one of the most exciting and desirable village centres on Vancouver Island becomes an imminent reality. As Young predicts “Goldstream Avenue will be one of Langford’s next big attractions.”

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What about Bear Mountain I ask Mayor Young? What about the protesters? He shakes his head. and it’s only going to “A lot of people have the wrong idea about Bear Mountain – get better. Come on what they don’t realize is that if it hadn’t been built on, it would out and take a look! have been logged. Now it’s a phenomenal tourist attraction; it’s created more than a thousand jobs locally, more than anything else. It’s put Langford on the map – it’s the single biggest economic generator in Langford”. I can see that he is passionate about the ‘mountain’. “It will soon have the first 36-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course in North America; how about that for what was a have-not municipality just a few years ago?” he says. I realize he isn’t finished, so let him tell me more. “Not only that, they believe in, and support, the community; they donated to Bear Mountain Arena, our fire department, donated land for a new fire hall and supported the trolley. Bear Mountain is an even bigger income generator than the Big Boxes and provides approximately $2.5m annually in additional

“Enjoy what we have –

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

City Centre Park

taxes.” He goes on, “The hard reality is that without the Big Boxes and Bear Mountain the 1% decrease in property taxes residents enjoyed in 2008 would have been a 5-6% increase.” When asked about his ten-year vision Young answers, “I see Goldstream Avenue as a safe pedestrian-friendly place, with lots of people living right in our downtown core keeping it safe and friendly. I see a funky streetscape with coffee shops, a rail station where people can catch trains to downtown Victoria, and more importantly Victorians can come to Langford and experience a great village atmosphere, and then stroll, or catch the trolley to WestShore Town Centre mall.” He continues, “I see a can-do council, financial stability and state of the art recreational facilities; I see a well maintained beautiful place to live.” He tells me that he wants to make Langford exciting enough to entice business people to either relocate their businesses to the community, or to open a branch out here. Many already have, but he sees this as only the beginning of a long-term trend. So really Mayor Young sees much of the same, but more so. I question whether, when he eventually steps down, this pace of change can be maintained. He is quick to tell me that “Politicians aren’t the smartest people in the world” and that it’s the people you surround yourself with that is important. “It’s a team effort” he says; “people want to come and work for the City; we get some of the best people approaching us. The reason is that we are progressive and encourage ideas from our staff – it’s a team effort. And it’s not just the staff, we have a great council and the community is incredibly supportive – we have over 100 local volunteers sitting on committees and assisting us

Award Winning Langford Langford in 2008 is just so darn nice. Wherever you go the signs of a well kept community are obvious; the medians are tree-lined, there are flowers, hanging baskets, banners announcing the latest community initiative, and no graffiti. It’s busy too. A few years ago the mall car parks were quiet, now they are bustling. There is an energy about the place, people look happy and the redbrick sidewalks, and decorative lamp standards that are a feature throughout the city are a sign of prosperity and pride. Langford Lake

Langford has a lot to be proud of. It recently won the national Communities in Bloom Sustainable Development Award as

to make this community the best it can be, and to ensure that it’s not just politicians making all the decisions.” This team of councillors, staff, and community minded volunteers have been responsible for adding dozens of new trails and boardwalks around Langford’s lakes; for ensuring that the city’s recreational opportunities are second to none; that the new City Centre park is becoming a reality; that there are free all-yearround trolley buses for tourists and locals alike to go from one great venue to another; and for making Langford one of the most liveable places around. I asked the Mayor, if he had one message for our readers what would it be, he said, “Enjoy what we have – and it’s only going to get better. Come on out and take a look”! Whether you agree with Young’s approach, or philosophy, you cannot deny his passion for Langford and the West Shore in general; he has changed the face of Langford and made it a great place to come to, whether you want to live, do business, work, shop or play. Asked what he likes to do in his spare time, he replies that he doesn’t get a lot of leisure time, but one of his favourite activities is to drive around Langford looking for what he can improve next. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t call a staff member asking them to make something better, whether it’s a litter strewn median, some new graffiti (a rarity these days), or just a scruffy piece of land that needs some tender loving care. Fairy story or not, Langford is a municipality to watch – you never quite know what’s coming next; and that always makes for an exciting story!

well as five out of five blooms in the national competition. Lest anyone thinks careful planning is not of paramount importance to this community, the city’s planners will be more than happy to show off their Leadership and Innovation award for their Official Community Plan, awarded by UBCM (Union of British Columbia Municipalities). It doesn’t stop there, Langford is being recognised across the world for its work in developing a sustainable community and has just been awarded an international design award from the International Northwest Parks and Recreation Association for the design of the city’s new multi-use recreation facility City Centre Park. Add to this the honourable mention for the Canadian Institute of Planners, 2008 Award for Planning Excellence (in the category of housing) and the fact that the city is also a finalist in the provincial Green City Award competition and it’s obvious that Langford is a well run city that is the epitome of sustainable growth; a balance of major retail with boutique shopping, high end developments, such as Bear Mountain, affordable housing, and the creation of a plethora of recreational activities for all ages.

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The Big Steps Langford was an early signatory to the B.C. Climate Action Charter.

Langford’s

Green Action Initiatives

The Langford Trolley - a free shuttle service using two B20 Biodiesel fuelled trolley buses encourages increased ridership on public transit and facilitates reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Fraser Basin Green Fleets (E3) Initiative Assures greater energy efficiency and emissions reductions in on-road fleets, including, municipal and utility vehicles, police cars and emergency vehicles. All patrols through the community by Langford’s Community Safety Officers are by bicycle, with 40 – 80 km driven per night, completely emissions-free. Langford Green Utility - Working on integrating services in partnership with Westhills Green Community to provide geothermal energy and heat recovery for a district energy sharing utility, rainwater recycling for landscaping, and other services. Langford’s municipal park land inventory has increased by over 400%. The City requires 10% – 50% park dedications on all development outside the City Centre. Langford’s award-winning trail system has resulted in a tenfold increase in its trail inventory since incorporation.

Green Policies and Bylaws New Official Community Plan (OCP) was developed jointly with the City of Colwood through an innovative process with the objective of creating an integrated and sustainable future for both communities. It contains tools to guide decision-making and dialogue about sustainable choices and directions that address climate change. Langford’s OCP won the 2008 Leadership and Innovation Award from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. The City is developing a Green Transportation Plan to reinforce the sustainability vision of the OCP. The plan will achieve greater connectivity and coordination of the green transportation network, both locally and regionally. Bicycle Network - Langford has adopted a cycling network strategy that will be incorporated into the

Green Transportation Plan currently underway. ALR Strategy - Langford collects fees on development to put towards the purchase of land designated within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). The City intends to encourage farming and further protect viable farmland that it acquires, as called for in the Official Community Plan. A comprehensive agricultural strategy is also currently being developed. Innovative Storm Water Management - In-ground storm drainage seepage pits are being used to reduce the need for piping to the ocean, and to reduce outlet erosion. StormCeptors and aquifers are used to ensure clean water returns to the subsurface water table from roads and parking lots. A permeable paving strategy is being developed by the City and pilot projects are underway. Alternative Development Standards - Langford promotes the creation of mixed-use pedestrianpriority road spaces as pilot projects, and varying paving widths of roadways where feasible. Langford’s Anti-idling Policy was established in 2007 to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in our community. Lakefront Setback Requirements - Zoning bylaw has been changed for all lakefront properties to require greater setbacks from buildings to the lakeshore in order to ensure increased protection of sensitive lake ecosystems.

Green Initiatives Partnership with Capital Families Association to operate a mobile demonstration garden for the community. Gardens in Motion has visited local schools, farmer’s markets, a Green Expo and a Mother’s Day Paint-In.

Pond Program - Installation of bio filters and enzymes at various ponds (such as Valley View, Lake Ida Ann). Community Tree Planting Program - Happy Valley Elementary School planted 100 trees at Fisher’s Field. Lighthouse Christian Academy, Westhills, Corix and the City are working together to restore Parkdale Creek and build community gardens. This project is funded by City’s Beautification Grant Program.

populations from city trees as part of the City’s Integrated Pest Management policies. Millstream Creek Fish Ladders - Partnership with CRDs Parks Department, Goldstream Volunteer Salmon Enhancement Association and Department of Fisheries and Oceans to create and rehabilitate fish habitat in an urban setting (over $100,000 contributed to date).

Stocking of Lake Ida Ann and Langford Lake - City is partnering with Freshwater Fisheries and local residents to restock these lakes.

Transit Priority Service - Retrofits at Intersections - Langford is installing GPS at 5 locations so the BC Transit buses have priority on express routes, thereby reducing pollution and quickly moving transit users to their final destinations.

Partneship with Carmanah Technologies to install 3 solar powered LED pedestrian lights on Hull’s Trail and at Langford Lake Beach as part of a 1 year pilot project.

Rain Garden Pilot Project - The City has constructed its first rain garden at the newly renovated Trolley Station to reduce stormwater runoff in an ecologically-sustainable way.

Well Water Usage in Boulevards - Langford installed and operates three wells to irrigate municipal boulevards and to reduce demands on regional water sources.

Bryn Maur Rd Permeable Pavement Pilot Project - Imminent construction of a new permeable brick paving project for the downtown, which will provide a European ‘look’ to the street, calm traffic, and provide for up to 100% ground infiltration of stormwater.

Solar-Powered Radio-Controlled Crosswalks - Flashing warning signals will be installed at crosswalks. Communication is linked by radio, using solar energy. Night Dimming of Streetlights - This reduces night light pollution, reduces mercury consumption (by extending the longevity of lights) and saves up to 25% of hydro. Smart Car Purchase for Langford Fire Rescue - Supervisor’s vehicle is a Smart Car, which has been found to have lower emissions than a diesel fueled car.

2008 Tree Plantings - 550 trees planted on street boulevards and parks in 2008.

Conversion of Traffic Signals to LED - All traffic signals within the City have been converted to LED lighting, resulting in considerable energy savings and an 85% reduction in power usage.

Broom Removal - The Langford Parks Department is facilitating resident removal of this prominent regional invasive species.

Lady Bird Beetle Release - Release of 35,000 lady bird beetles into 200 trees at City Centre Park and Veteran’s Memorial Park to eradicate aphid

Langford Transit Exchange - Partnership with BC Transit to provide a regional scale facility (a West Shore Transit Hub) on Station Avenue to promote superior transit service and reduced car dependency. American Bullfrog Eradication Program Participation in CRD Water Services Expert Working Group to discuss the ongoing control of American Bullfrogs within the region, and continued work with the CRD Water Services on bullfrog control within Langford. The City has initiated a Staff Alternative Transportation Program, which provides a financial incentive (one dollar a day) when an alternative form of transportation is used by an employee to get to work, and will reduce the City’s need to acquire land and construct additional parking stalls in future.

Dispatches View Royal

ateway to the WestShore might be someone’s description of View Royal, but it doesn’t do justice to the place, and its own story. People of the Esquimalt First Nation knew the area intimately for thousands of years. A well-used shortcut between the Gorge and Esquimalt Harbour is the municipality’s Portage Park, and a large native midden there is protected. View Royal occupies a key location, bordering Colwood and Langford on the west, Saanich to the north and east, and reserve lands of both Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations on the south, and a little corner of Esquimalt municipality by the Craigflower Bridge. Both old and new Island Highways cross View Royal, along with the E&N Railway and Galloping Goose Trail. Victoria General Hospital is just inside the municipality (you actually travel into Saanich and back again to get to the VGH visitor parking lot.) Funny to recall, but the site of VGH was considered a long way out of town when hospital planners

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‘‘

picked the place in the 1970s, in the face of loud opposition from people downtown. Perhaps the town has been viewed as a corridor to other locales, but View Royal has its own distinct personality, something of a seaside village crossed with modern subdivisions. It’s home to one

“It’s a great little community,” says Moe Sihota, a former B.C. cabinet minister

of the region’s biggest parks, at Thetis Lake. And it has the only casino on southern Vancouver Island, which will be a bigger place when the dust settles on a $37-million addition. Great Canadian Gaming’s establishment will be twice as big and incorporate

a parkade for 380 vehicles. The company also made a $300,000 contribution to the Island Corridor Foundation, present owner

of the E&N Railway line, towards upgrading the tracks for future commuter rail. Sooke Road climbs the hill past the Six Mile and casino and is popularly known as the Colwood Strip, but did you know the first half is actually located in View Royal? A young Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, who came out to be the Hudson’s Bay Company’s first physician at Fort Victoria in the 1840s, is considered the father of View Royal. He bought a square mile of farmland from the company, and established a waterpowered sawmill at the top of the inlet. If the community’s first business was cutting lumber, a close second was the sale of refreshing beverages at the Six Mile House pub, which still sits above the estuary where the Millstream empties into the upper reaches of Esquimalt Harbour. Thirsty mill workers and sailors certainly stopped for a glass or two at British Columbia’s oldest pub. It’s named, of course, for the distance by road from Victoria, and the busy four-lane crossing is sometimes called Parsons’ Bridge, for Bill Parsons, the establishment’s first publican, who opened the doors in 1855.

Modern View Royal was incorporated in 1988 and 7,500 people live there, in a diverse mix of 2,600 homes, condos and apartments. People of the Esquimalt First Nations have lived for thousands of years around the same shores. The first European settlers were HBC men who worked the land around Craigflower Manor, centre of a large HBC farm. The oldest school still standing in B.C. is just across the Gorge from the manor house, and View Royal now has one of the region’s newest schools, Eagle Ridge elementary. New residential developments have risen on the edges of built-up View Royal, which has a new “gateway” in a revitalized Helmcken Road between the new and old Island Highway. (It incorporates two of the latest transportation advances, roundabouts or traffic circles.) “It’s a great little community,” says Moe Sihota, a former B.C. cabinet minister and now a businessman who’s lived in View Royal since 1992. He manages the Four Points Sheraton Gateway hotel in Langford for the five-man owners’ group (he’s one of them). His take on what makes View Royal tick? It’s the volunteer fire department, whose members are involved in most community activities. “They’re the pulse of the community.”

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www.victoriasymphony.ca 250.385.6515

We s t S h o r e

Keeping South Island Families Healthy and Active The Parkway team are leaders in community education, client service, research, diagnosis and treatment outcomes. We are all manual and manipulative therapists (RCAMT and FCAMT) and are certified in Intra-muscular Stimulation (IMS). We treat all your aches and pains, including those sudden and unexpected pains that keep you from doing the things you want to in life. Come in and see how we can help keep you and your family healthy and active.

Meet the Team JR Justesen - I am a husband, father, physiotherapist, businessman and coach. Life, luck and lessons from a number of wise and talented people led me to a career in physiotherapy. As a young therapist I was fascinated by solving the complexities and patterns that led to injury and pain. Now my desire is to educate my clients and provide a treatment plan to maximize health and performance.

Shannon Bourassa - I love outdoor activities and working in the garden with my husband. I am passionate about learning new things and driven to excel. I feel most fulfilled when I help people with healthy, active lifestyles get back to their quality of life. I love to see the look in someone’s eyes when a treatment creates immediate symptom change. That makes my day.

Krista Williams - I enjoy hiking, biking and running, especially on a sunny day on one of the great trails of the Westshore. No one likes to be limited by pain or injury from the activities they enjoy so I combine acupuncture/IMS and manual physiotherapy skills to facilitate a quick recovery and return to an active and healthy life.

Brian Woltz - As a competitive athlete I learned early on that a layoff

PARKWAY physiotherapy + performance centre

Lysanne Lavigne - Massage Therapy for me followed a

Goldstre

l Parkway

am Ave.

Rd. Millstream

Vetrans

Memoria

on Stati

Meadfor d Ave.

105-7212 Station Ave., Victoria, BC V9B 2S1 Tel: (250) 478 7227 Fax: (250) 478 7207 Visit our website for clinic details, articles, updates, sport medicine products and more. www.parkwayphysiotherapy.ca

to wait for healing didn’t usually work. Now that I am recreationally involved in running, hiking, surfing and alpine ski/snowboarding, I continue to prevent injuries with the same exercises that I recommend to my clients. I cannot afford to be injured and a prevention approach is key to keeping me healthy and active.

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

successful career in rowing. Continuing education is leading me to certification in sport massage and to a Health Science degree. Injury prevention is both my primary clinical interest and the key to maintaining my very active lifestyle.

Fitness WestShore By Mike Wicks

arkway Physiotherapy and Performance Centre is fairly new to the West Shore, but the partners have become very active members of the community. After visiting them several times to sort out an errant back and neck I soon became a convert to their mission of keeping South Island families healthy and active. They’re great people too! Parkway’s team of young clinicians come from diverse backgrounds; all have post-graduate orthopaedic diplomas which allow them to provide a greater range of treatment options, including spinal and joint manipulation. Their varied sporting backgrounds and experience in program design help their patients perform better and avoid recurrent injuries. I can attest to this as my physiotherapy and massage therapy regime, prior to a very active vacation, left me pain and injury free for the first time in many years! Spurred on by my new found fitness I asked whether they could suggest some local running trails, and did they deliver! The following trails have been recommended and tested by my ‘physio’ friends and been found to suit all levels; even my 50+ poor body. Thanks Parkway!

Royal Roads University/Hatley Castle Royal Roads University offers a mix of routes from 1.5 km to a 10km loop. The terrain is as varied as the scenery. Run by the prestigious Hatley Castle on the asphalt, at ocean side on a gravel road, or under the canopy of majestic Douglas firs winding through the dirt trails. To start your run follow the signs to the recreation centre. Pay parking is available ($1/hr). There is a sign board that maps the distance and elevation of the various routes. Use this to get your bearings as the routes are not well marked.

The friendly staff at the recreation centre will be happy to give you some advice and point you in the right direction.

Matheson Lake, Metchosin Matheson Lake has many trails to explore. The 3.4 km loop that circles the lake is a great trail run that won’t disappoint. It’s a rocky, rooty, single track trail that is well maintained. As you wind your way around the lake you are protected for most of the run from the elements by the beautiful canopy of cedars and firs. The hills will challenge you, but the scenery will make you feel like you could do it all over again! Dogs are welcome, except on the beach during the summer months. Follow Matheson Lake Road off Rocky Point Road. Parking is ample and free. Expect a few other visitors on the weekends, but you might have the whole park to yourself during the week.

Langford Lake/Ed Nixon Trail Langford Lake is a multi-use, dog friendly, flat, hard packed, gravel path in the heart of Langford. It is a 2.55 km track around the lake that provides views of the lake and some protection under the canopy. Start at either end or make it a continuous loop by running along Goldstream and Leigh Roads. The south end of the trail starts at the end of Leigh Road. There are a few parking spaces right at the beach and many more a hundred meters back, off Leigh Road. The north end has plenty of roadside parking on Goldstream where it meets Hwy 1. Expect to share the trail as this is an early morning/late afternoon favourite for many.

We s t S h o r e

Bateman Centre ushers in the future at Royal Roads

By Star Weiss

Architectural concept drawings by David Barker

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Imagine for a moment that you were lucky enough to win or be given a signed Robert Bateman print, say an exquisitely detailed painting of a polar bear on the ice. You’d think you couldn’t get any luckier than that. So, now, try to imagine the ongoing excitement at Royal Roads University ever since Bateman, internationally renowned wildlife artist and esteemed conservationist, chose Royal Roads as the future home of his life’s work, what will be the largest collection of Bateman originals anywhere in the world. We s t S h o r e

The Royal Roads University Legacy Campaign Ju s t think w ha t w e can do to gether… Royal Roads University is embarking on an important and exciting fundraising campaign, one that will fundamentally change the university forever. Focused on three themes – sustainability, heritage and innovation – it will transform Royal Roads into a campus-wide living and learning laboratory where the community is welcome. To find out how you can be a part of this crucial and exciting campaign, see www.royalroads.ca/legacy or call 250-391-2617. Our toll-free number is 1-866-207-0800.

Advanced Learning and Innovation projects include centres of study, scholarships, bursaries, academic chairs, professorships, and teaching and research projects.

Hatley Heritage and Preservation projects include preserving and restoring Hatley Park National Heritage Site (the university’s campus) and creating a naval and military legacy program.

Robert Bateman Centre and Sustainability projects include a campus sustainability plan and construction of the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre.

The Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre planned at Royal Roads in Colwood will be the showpiece of a university that is pledged to become a model of sustainability and off-the-grid living for the planet. “It is the first obvious commitment to Royal Roads as an institution,” says president Dr. Allan Cahoon, who adds that having someone of Bateman’s stature say, ‘I believe Royal Roads will exemplify this’ has been a great confidence booster for the new university. When Bateman, who lives on Salt Spring Island, announced he was leaving his legacy to Royal Roads, it was big news, and West Shore residents were thrilled. But Bateman’s decision and Royal Roads’ vision extend far beyond building a gallery to house some of Canada’s most famous and beloved paintings. The goal of the multifaceted project undertaken by Robert Bateman and Royal Roads is to be an example of sustainable environmentalism demonstrated through art and architecture, education and leadership that extends throughout the university and its natural environs. The essential ingredients that came together so fortuitously to make this possible included a world famous artist looking for a

“

...Royal Roads “oozes nature…old growth forest, natural estuary and wildlife, human heritage.”

place to leave his legacy and promote his lifelong commitment to conservation; a 560-acre national historic site of outstanding natural and manmade beauty; a First Nations people yearning to preserve and restore the sacredness of an ancient homeland; and a unique young university dedicated to the principles of sustainability and environmental leadership. When these elements coalesced around this project, the resulting partnership was, in Bateman’s words, “a marriage made in heaven.“ “Couldn’t be a better fit, because what I’ve been ranting about since 1968 is that we’re wiping out natural and human heritage and replacing it with an ‘instant pudding’ world, everything is packaged and convenient. With a credit card, you can buy your life.” …continued on page 30

Architectural concept drawings by David Barker

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Aquattro

y wife and I decided to visit Aquattro one Sunday afternoon. We had read about this rare waterside development in a local newspaper and it seemed to meet all the criteria for our next home: orchards and fields bordering the Pacific Ocean, fabulous views, a commitment to sustainability, a high level of building quality, a community centre and one kilometre of stream and ponds.

taking shape. The sales office exuded style and quality, and the warm greeting extended by Catherine, the Aquattro representative, implied a relaxed and caring atmosphere.

We pulled up to the presentation centre set amongst an apple orchard. Several hundred feet behind us I saw low-rise buildings

My wife and I were pleased to learn that over 40 per cent of the site will be dedicated parkland. We learned that the homes will have

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Aquattro is a labour of love and it shows. The developer, Peter Daniel, has a personal history here. As a young boy his family picnicked on the site, ate apples from the trees and caught crab in the lagoon. His grandmother even painted in an art club here with Emily Carr.

geothermal heating and air conditioning, and that every unit will have a view. Then, we were led into the show suite, which featured natural woods, stone and glass used to emphasize the ocean and mountain views from every window. The kitchen is important to me as I love to cook, and Aquattro has designed their kitchens with an amateur chef in mind. From the built-in appliances to the long granite-topped island, the kitchen is ergonomically perfect. The master bedroom is beautiful; it is large and bright and opens up onto a 400-square-foot deck. And the bathroom is a symphony in stone. Two sinks facing each other with a mirror between them (what a great idea), a bathtub for two, a walk-in shower fit for a soccer team and a separate toilet complete the picture. Back outside, Jeff from the Aquattro sales team explained how the homes are built in clusters to allow more common green space and a meandering stream for saltwater trout and salmon. He then told us about the 22,000 square-foot Ocean Club with a gym and swimming pool, but we were already sold. As we stood looking out to the ocean with Mount Baker and the city of Victoria in the distance, we knew we had found our new home. The Aquattro sales centre is located at 170 Goldfinch Rd. in Colwood and is open daily (except Friday) from noon until 5pm. For more information, visit www.aquattroliving.com or call 250-381-6256.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Sales are by Maverick Real Estate Corporation.

Aquattro is a labour of love and it shows. The developer, Peter Daniel, has a personal history here...

We s t S h o r e

Architectural concept drawings by David Barker

By contrast, Bateman says the setting at Royal Roads “oozes nature…old growth forest, natural estuary and wildlife, human heritage.” The land has been considered sacred by the Salish people for centuries, and more recently was the site of coal baron James Dunsmuir’s estate, with Japanese and Italian heritage featured in the carefully manicured gardens. The whole area has been “protected, admired, and kept in a beautiful state.” And, Bateman adds, Royal Roads offers a program focussed on leadership, sustainability, and environment, precisely “what I’ve been working towards.”

It does seem a providential aligning of the stars. The beginning of this story goes back to August, 2005 when Robert Bateman spoke to students at Royal Roads and was invited to a dinner afterwards. Former Royal Roads president Rick Skinner asked Bateman what he was focussing on at that point and the 70-something artist admitted he’d been spending some time investigating where he should leave his legacy.

“What about us?” suggested Skinner, and Bateman began to think about this idea as a real possibility, one that melded well with his own philosophy of conservation and environmental protection. Current Royal Roads president Cahoon, now working closely with Bateman on plans for the new building, says that for Bateman it’s not about building a gallery, “it’s about building an education centre, housed in a living building.” A “living building,” Cahoon explains, is one that is in harmony with its physical setting, with a green roof and local materials—trees, earth, and recycled rain water—incorporated into the plan. Bateman chose the site for the Centre himself, on campus at the edge of a forest, meadow, and wetlands, a place that, once the wetlands are restored, will produce the most biodiversity. The restoration of the wetlands and other disturbed areas pleases Salish artist and teacher Charlene George, who works with Royal Roads as a “bridge,” or cultural liaison. Several months ago, after Bateman’s announcement of his planned gift, George helped …continued on page 33

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

BE MOTIVATED TO INSPIRE. Advance your career with our online programs. Royal Roads University is the only public university in Canada exclusively devoted to meeting the immediate needs of working professionals. We pioneered the best model of learning by combining on-campus residencies with team-based online learning to enable you to maintain your life and get ahead in your career. Put us to work, for you, today. Call us at 1-877-778-6227 email us at learn.more@royalroads.ca or visit www.royalroads.ca RRU also offers more than 200 continuing studies courses in the fields of professional advancement, green learning, the arts, and personal enrichment. Visit www.royalroads.ca/continuing-studies or call 250-391-2600, ext. 4801, toll-free 1-866-890-0220

Educate Your Body Open to the public Spectacular view 13,000 square feet Free weight room Aerobic studio Cardio

Trail runs Running club Bike classes Core classes Basketball Volleyball

Badminton Floor hockey Squash Personal trainers Gym rentals Corporate rates

for schedules and program information Call 391-2700 or visit www.royalroads.ca/recreation 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2 Monday-Friday 5:30am – 10pm Saturday 8am – 6pm / Sunday & Holiday 8am – 4pm Hours may be extended to suit special events or bookings .

Experience, discover, and enjoy the majesty and beauty of Hatley Castle, gardens and estate. Over 100 years of history, culture, and heritage.

250-391-2666 • 1-866-241-0674 • www.hatleypark.ca info@hatleypark.ca • 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, BC

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

organize a traditional ceremony welcoming Robert and Birgit Bateman to the sacred lands of the university campus. The Batemans arrived on the beach of Esquimalt Lagoon by canoe and were welcomed in customary Coast Salish style by an esteemed group of Elders and dignitaries. Later, Robert and Birgit were honoured in a temporary longhouse erected on the lawn in front of Royal Roads, traditional Salish territory. “It was one of the highlights of my life,” Bateman says. “A fabulous day: so moving, to be hugged by Elders,” who told him how important it was to them to feel included and recognized for the first time as a part of the process. “We’ve come full circle, to a sense of the value of the teachings of the First Nations,” says George. I’m glad it’s [the Centre] an educational place…that has validity, a place of being listened to…It is an honoured house that is being created, a different, much more circular way of learning; a whole learning circle, instead of hierarchical, divided, fragmented learning…A home, not just a building.” The Bateman Centre will be open to all, children and adults, and constructed using the most innovative architectural and ecofriendly techniques to ensure that it will be, in architect Richard Iredale’s words, an “almost zero energy building.” It will house 20 original paintings created by Bateman expressly for Royal Roads; along with the major pieces in Bateman’s private collection; a complete set of his nearly 700 prints; 83 sketchbooks, starting from the time he was 13; and thousands of slides. Photographs by Robert and his wife, Birgit Freybe Bateman, archival materials, and personal correspondence will also be included. The value of the Batemans, in kind and monetary donations is estimated at $10.7 million. As an education centre, the building will be a “gathering spot,” blending old and new, welcoming visitors with mythical creatures and First Nations’ teachings. The Centre has been described as “part nature museum, part art gallery, part archives, and part research and conference centre.” “It’s an integrating force that allows us to demonstrate the concept of the living laboratory,” says Cahoon. With Bateman as the catalyst who attracts and engages people, “It’s a great opportunity.” Bateman wants the Centre to “permeate your feelings when you’re in it, emotionally and physically.” His main hope is that it “gets well used and will influence people’s thinking and behaviour, especially

Robert Bateman

at the leadership level…and will be an income source and tourist attraction for Royal Roads,” a setting he refers to as “the best kept secret of Vancouver Island.” The next step, says Cahoon, is “aggressive fundraising.” The goal is to raise $20 million in time to break ground, and be well under way by Bateman’s 80th birthday, May 24, 2010. With the Bateman Centre as its centre pin, Cahoon believes Royal Roads will solidify its reputation as an “innovator around sustainability.” Chances are, with the addition of the Bateman Centre, the “best kept secret” on Vancouver Island” won’t be a secret much longer. Star Weiss is fascinated by historic sacred sites like the setting of Royal Roads and is the author of Havens in a Hectic World: Finding Sacred Places (TouchWood Editions, 2008).

We s t S h o r e

2009 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ

Jenner Chevrolet Corvette Jenner Chevrolet Corvette is a part of West Shore history; this family business started some 27-years ago when Jack Jenner took over a struggling Millstream Chevrolet. Jack had been working for GM for over a decade as a district manager when he got the opportunity to own his own dealership. It was an inauspicious time as the economy was in a poor state, but selling was in Jack’s blood; his father Fred had a GM dealership in Alberta through the 50’s and 60’s and Jack had worked in his father’s business. Today, selling Chevy’s is still in the Jenner blood; Jack can still be seen at the dealership on the Colwood strip most days, and his son Fred is now the General Manager. With close to fifty employees the business has come a long way since 1981 and is part of the fabric of the West Shore community. Jack, and Jenner Chevrolet, are all about families, and can be seen at dozens of community events throughout the year, often with their Grillverado – a Chevrolet Silverado with an enormous barbeque in the bed of the truck that stores when the truck is driving and slides out when it arrives at its destination. The Grillverado cooks great hot dogs and

2010 Camaro RS

hamburgers at local charity, school and sporting functions. Call today and book it for your event! The Jenner’s are also aware of their responsibility to the environment, and the future of the community they serve, and as such are excited that GM currently offers more vehicles that get 7l/100km (40 mpg) or better highway fuel consumption than any other automaker. What does the future hold for Jenner Chevrolet? A greener future certainly; an ongoing commitment to their staff and customers, and more members of the family carrying on the tradition. As Fred says “my seven-year old daughter can name every Chevy we sell, and tell you all about each one.” Commitment to the product starts young in the Jenner family! Come on in and take a look at the great new Chevrolet products they offer, or take your vehicle into their Service Department to keep your vehicle in top running condition; become one of the Jenner family today!

2009 Corvette ZR1

1-888-831-3016 • 1730 Island Hwy., Victoria, BC • email: sales@jennerchev.com • web: www.jennerchev.com

Colwood The City with a View of the Future

The people of Colwood are passionate about their community, and for good reason. Special places like the Royal Roads University Campus, the Esquimalt Lagoon and shoreline, the relative and convenient access to a wide range of green spaces and the strong family-orientation of the community are assets that have few parallels. It’s no surprise there is strong interest in moving to Colwood from all parts of the province, country, and indeed, the world. Like many Canadians and British Columbians, climate protection and sustainability are at the forefront of many people’s minds. More specifically, citizens are keenly interested in increasing options for how they get around while others feel the time has come to develop a vibrant arts and culture scene. There is a strong interest in promoting a viable local food system, increasing local jobs, improving housing diversity as well as affordability and preserving open spaces. The new Colwood Official Community Plan embraces sustainability as a framework for community planning and development as the City takes its place in the new world of the twenty-first century.

Congratulations on the launching of “WestShore - The Art of Island Living” – from the City of Colwood Phone: Email: Web Site: Address:

250 478-5541 generalinquiry@colwood.ca www.city.colwood.bc.ca City of Colwood 3300 Wishart Road Colwood, B.C., V9C 1R1

We s t S h o r e

Dispatches Colwood Celebrating a rich past, planning for a fabulous future

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

by Cindy Moyer

here may not be a better place anywhere to raise a family, start a career, or celebrate ‘Freedom 55’. Colwood’s got it all. The City of Colwood has a population of over 15,000 in a community primarily comprised of new and established neighbourhoods. Colwood is home to world-class sports and recreation facilities, a nationally recognized university, Canada’s 1st west coast lighthouse, a beautiful beach for romantic sunset strolls, and a cherished urban old growth forest. In the future the city will also be home to a thriving urban core and the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre, a place where the world will come to enjoy art and learn about the environment. People have long gathered along the waterside in Colwood. The Coast Salish had villages at Esquimalt and Albert Head lagoons before European contact, and in the late 1800s, the lush watershed provided farmland feeding the growing population of Fort Victoria. The British built Fisgard Lighthouse in 1860 when Vancouver Island was still a crown colony. It’s the oldest working lighthouse on the West Coast, and a National Historic Site along with colocated Fort Rodd Hill, overlooking Esquimalt Harbour. The fort was a coastal artillery site from 1878 to 1956 and built to defend Victoria and the Esquimalt Naval Base. The large grounds of Fort Rodd Hill are a joy to stroll any time of the year, with Fisgard creating a magnificent backdrop for a host of wonderful events. Hatley Castle in Hatley Park, on the centrally located campus of Royal Roads University, celebrated its centennial in 2008 and is the 3rd National Historic Site located in the City of Colwood. Visitors can enjoy castle tours or take in the many gardens and heritage greenhouse on the beautifully preserved 565-acre Edwardian estate. An enchanting forest, where trails provide great exercise and a paradise of vantage points for sightseers and photographers, surrounds the gardens. Some of British Columbia’s largest Douglas Fir trees live in this urban forest. The Mothers’ Day Paint-in is the highlight of Hatley Park’s annual year, welcoming over 5,000 people to enjoy art, craft and community on the picturesque site overlooking Esquimalt Lagoon.

Fisgard Lighthouse & Blue Heron

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Photo: Gary Woodburn

Esquimalt Lagoon with Fisgard Lighthouse in the background

Nature-lovers and artists alike can discover the beautiful tranquility of Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary. The saltwater lagoon that connects a network of creeks with Juan de Fuca Strait is home to a multitude of birds and at least one family of river otters. Here you’ll find Belted Kingfishers, Great Blue Herons, Ravens and Bald Eagles, along with Double-crested Cormorants and a cornucopia of ducks. The location is a regular haunt of birders from the Victoria Natural History Society. Visitors can jog or enjoy a dramatic walk along the length of Coburg Peninsula savouring the fine salt air and view of the Olympic Mountains. Low tide brings luxurious sandbars that seem to go on forever. Artists often dot the shoreline of the Lagoon, as they have for decades, capturing scenes that continue to inspire as they did the internationally celebrated local artist, Emily Carr. The Lagoon is a frequent stop for day tripping cyclists, with picnic tables and logs where you can relax and listen to the soothing sounds of the sea. Dogs are on-leash only at this federally-regulated Migratory Bird Sanctuary, but a designated off-leash area west of Lagoon Road means Rover has a place to romp and roughhouse in the water without disturbing protected wildlife. Sports and recreation enthusiasts of all ages will find satisfaction close at hand in Colwood. The Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre (JDF) rests on a rolling campus of almost 100 acres, offering a variety of activities, including 9 holes of golf, skating, curling, tennis, lacrosse, baseball, swimming, and jogging on two beautiful chip trails. The Western Exchange public transit hub on the JDF

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grounds makes it easy for people to take part in recreation centre facilities, take out a book or DVD at the Juan de Fuca Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, or enjoy the diverse range of programs at the Juan de Fuca 55+ Activity Centre (one of Vancouver Island’s largest). The Bear Mountain Arena is also located on the JDF campus, and is home to the Victoria Grizzlies Junior A Hockey Club, Victoria Shamrocks Lacrosse, and offers a great venue for concerts, home and garden shows, and more!

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Whether you enjoy cycling, hiking, roller blading, horseback riding, or a leisurely walk, the 100 km Galloping Goose Trail connects Colwood with the rest of the Capital Regional District and also offers a well-used commuter cycling corridor for healthconscious residents working in the downtown core.

The Royal Colwood Golf Club is consistently ranked bright, with an awardas one of the top private winning Official Community courses in Canada, and offers Plan providing the roadmap a superb addition to any golf vacation on Vancouver to a sustainable city Island. The official letters conferring the status of “Royal” on the Colwood Golf Club are proudly displayed in the clubhouse on the Heritage Wall. Royal Colwood, Royal Ottawa, Royal Montréal, Royal Québec and Royal Regina are the only golf clubs in Canada with the “Royal” designation, and are part of a select number of golf clubs worldwide with the same designation.

Colwood’s future looks

Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre

Hidden gems and popular haunts for food and fun include the CrossRoads Bar & Grill at Colwood Corners, featuring great food and service along with regular live entertainment in a friendly all-ages venue. And whether you’re planning a business lunch or a special romantic evening out, Forester’s Bistro and Bar at the Olympic View Golf Club delivers breathtaking views and an amazing menu with a GO LOCAL focus. Akemi Sushi, tucked carefully away along Ledsham Road has some of the finest sushi and bento boxes, bar none! On a rainy winter’s night when you’re looking for authentic comfort food with flare, you can tuck in at the Royal Bay Bakery at the corner of Lagoon and Metchosin Roads, where you’ll find a family-run business offering scratch baked goods (breads, tarts, pies, donuts) made with organic ingredients, and a fine selection of healthy deli delights (no nasty additives), served by a team that sets new standards for quality and customer service. Colwood’s future looks bright, with an award-winning Official Community Plan providing the roadmap to a sustainable city, and an appetite for excellence driving city staff (and Colwood’s first eco-savvy electric truck). Residential projects like Aquattro and Silkwind, together with the Robert Bateman Centre, the planned high-rise urban core of City Centre Colwood, and the Essencia eco-cultural resort development at Esquimalt Lagoon, are all expected to enrich the community living experience enjoyed by Colwood residents and visitors alike. Colwood, a community that really does have it all!

Learn more about the City of Colwood, its destinations and developments: City of Colwood www.colwood.ca Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/bc/fisgard/index_e.asp Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/bc/fortroddhill/index_e.asp Hatley Park National Historic Site www.hatleypark.ca Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary www.elsi.ca Royal Colwood Golf Club www.royalcolwood.org Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre www.jdfrecreation.com Galloping Goose Regional Trail http://www.crd.bc.ca/parks/galloping-goose/index.htm Forester’s Bistro & Bar at Olympic View Golf Club www.golfbc.com/courses/olympic_view/clubhouse/dining Aquattro www.aquattroliving.com Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre at Royal Roads University http://campaign.royalroads.ca/bateman-centre/overview City Centre Colwood www.citycentrecolwood.com Silkwind at West Shore www.silkwind.ca Essencia at Esquimalt Lagoon www.essenciavillage.ca

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WestShore Chamber of Commerce 2009

he architectural rendering above is an early glimpse at what the new Chamber offices will likely look like after they have been given a major face lift, and expansion, planned for 2009, in partnership with the City, the development community and the Chamber. The west coast style building will be shared with City of Langford’s bylaw enforcement department and the West Shore Tourism and Recreation Economic Development Commission. The entrance to the building will face Veteran’s Park and will feature community reception space, public washrooms, and space to display local art. The WestShore Chamber is going through a renaissance, since Mike Wicks took over as Chief Executive Officer in May, 2008. It was Wicks who handled the Chamber’s branding exercise early in 2008 (as a consultant) which set the stage for a new look Chamber. This magazine, was a natural progression of the re-branding process and is a major part of Wicks’ new strategy which sees the Chamber taking a more active economic development role in the

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region. He believes that promoting the region widely will benefit not only members of the Chamber, but the community at large. Chamber membership is on the rise as local businesses take advantage of not only the traditional chamber benefits, such as low-cost merchant services, and the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, but also free business counselling, low-cost staff training and a wide range of exciting events. In 2009 watch for a series of town hall meetings on important issues, a new full colour membership directory and of course issue two of WestShore – The Art of Island Living. In the new Chamber logo we see the sweep of ocean in the foreground depicting our beautiful shoreline; behind it the green swoosh illustrates the unparalleled natural beauty of the WestShore, out of which we see an Arbutus tree with five stylized clusters of leaves of varying sizes representing the five municipalities growing together, and looking forward to a bright future (as indicated by the sun).

Smoken Business!

f there is one business on the West Shore that sets the standard for success in this burgeoning region it is Ken Hueston’s Smoken Bones restaurant. The awards have come thick and fast and range from Ken being honoured as the BC Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2008, to being voted as the 12th best new restaurant in Canada by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine.

Before you get too far into reading this article I have to declare a bias. I think that Ken’s ribs are the best I have ever tasted. And that’s not all. The other day my two twenty-something sons told me that they had a bone to pick (no pun intended) with Smoken Bones – they complained that the restaurant had spoiled them for anybody else’s ribs; they’re that good, even to hardened carnivores like my two boys! This article however, is more about the business itself than the southern style, Cajun-Creole food, which has already received countless accolades. It’s about a 2,200 sq. ft. restaurant that serves 8,000 lbs of meat a month – and all of it raised here in B.C. Ken believes in sustainable food and a sustainable business. “Food should stay in the country in which it is grown or raised”. “As a restaurant owner you should be able to name the people that grow and sell you your produce” says Ken. Where others serve fish imported from foreign climes, he serves whatever is in season in our local waters.

by Mike Wicks

Smoken Bones by the facts… • The 2,200 sq. ft. restaurant has 74 seats • It serves 300 people a day • Purchases 8,000 lbs of meat a month • 80% of its produce is local • 33% of its customers are from outside the region • 25% of its business is take-out • There are 30 staff • Every member of the kitchen staff is apprenticing for their red seal • All food is prepared by hand • Since opening in April, 2006 they have served over 250,000 people and over 6,000 litres of Smoken Bones Ale (brewed by Phillips Brewing Company of Victoria) • The most surprising fact? Ken’s wife, and Chef, Megan is a vegetarian!

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Given this commitment to local produce and supporting local farms, you might think he would be anti-development. Far from it; Ken believes that he, and others like him, have an important role to play in balancing the multiple needs of development, people wanting great food and farmers requiring somewhere to sell what they grow. On a philosophical bent he says that he is trying to be a ‘solution’ and a ‘want’ at the same time. One of his key strategies is simply to supply good food, great ambiance, and excellent customer service.

Ken Hueston and General manager Matt Sinkewicz enjoying Smoken Bones ale!

Ken hails from Metchosin and every day growing up he rode past the farms that are now his suppliers; he is proud that he purchases 80% of his produce locally; no mean feat when Smoken Bones serves 300 people a day! As he says, “It takes a whole family to build a restaurant”. For family - read community.

Smoken Bones is not just a success for Ken, Megan (his wife) and his 30 staff – it is a success for the West Shore. Ken keeps a keen eye on where his guests come from, and some 30,000 a year come from outside of the region. Busloads of tourists from downtown Victoria, day trippers from Nanaimo, and further up island, and those that read about this quirky restaurant while sitting on an Air Canada flight, turn up to sample the best ribs this side of the Mississippi. As he says, “Smoken Bones has become a destination restaurant; people come here for lunch or dinner and spend the rest of the day enjoying all the other great things the West Shore has to offer”. Now that’s what I call a sustainable business!

Covering your floors is our only business Family run business with over 60-years of ﬂooring experience • Owners & family raised in the WestShore • First and largest ﬂooring store in the WestShore • First business in the new Millstream village area

• Full service ﬂoor covering store - we do it all • Licensed installers • Knowledgeable sales reps • Large selection of products

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g Visit our website at www.pacificcoastfloors.ca

Business WestShore

n the Chinese culture there is a centuries-old expression, “may you live in interesting times.” And at this moment in history, the world’s financial community is certainly experiencing ‘interesting times’ as nations struggle with the need to completely restructure their economic systems, bailing out banks and rescuing stock markets. In spite of this turmoil however, most economic observers conclude that Canada will fare better than other countries since we have no annual deficit, and can boast one of the lowest national debt levels in the world. Hopefully that underlying financial health will help the national picture, but how might we make out in this small corner of Vancouver Island? While it is undoubtedly a time for caution, it’s also a time for some degree of optimism. After all, we have been there before and faced tough times in previous generations, and yet have come through stronger and better than before. Many will remember the early 1980s when market circumstances resulted in bleak economic numbers that are staggering in comparison to today. Twenty three years ago Greater Victoria’s unemployment rate peaked at just under 18%; mortgage interest rates climbed as high 21% and the national inflation rate was going up at a staggering 1% per month. Even with the severity of today’s stock market swings it is unlikely that such bad numbers will reappear. Moving to the local scene, whatever difficulties lie ahead for this region, I’d put my money on the people of the WestShore rising to the challenge. In recent years we’ve seen the area transformed with gleaming new architecture; live/work apartments that create their own mini communities; major regional shopping centres and landscaped parkways. Yet beneath all that we need to remember that this is still a community with its sleeves rolled up. We have the resilience that comes from a hundred-year history of hard working

men and women who built the early commerce of the region on farms, in mills and in shipyards. Even in the past few months, as the media has carried daily gloomy reports on the economic front, local WestShore entrepreneurs have pressed on with their ambitious plans; opening new retail stores, restaurants and coffee shops, building professional service practices and moving ahead with sophisticated condo developments. Talking to these visionaries reveals a strong dose of optimism around the economic resilience of the WestShore and the faith they have in the loyalty of their customers and clients. “The Aquattro development attracts visitors daily because it is so different. The fifty acre waterfront site with 40% green space preserved next to Royal Roads University old growth forest keeps them coming.” - Peter Daniels (Woodburn Management Ltd.) “Some people may think that our timing was unfortunate as we opened early in October, just as the economic downturn hit, but we’ve exceeded our sales expectations, and WestShore shoppers seem to be keen to buy our unique range of fashion accessories. We’re optimistic, and glad that we chose to locate our store in the WestShore.” - Catherine Wilkinson (Citrine Boutique – Langford) In these ‘interesting times’ the cautious but smart strategy is to stay focused on the business, keep a balance between work and family and concentrate on products and services that customers either must have, or will purchase as stress relievers. More daring and aggressive entrepreneurs can draw inspiration from the words of media baron Rupert Murdoch whose slogan is “wherever there’s chaos, there’s opportunity.” And in the Westshore there’s always opportunity.

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Canada’s most spectacular golf experience - conveniently located in the WestShore.

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To book your tee time call (250) 744-2327 or visit bearmountain.ca

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Golf: Par Excellence! By Jack Parr

Royal Colwood Golf Club

t doesn’t take much time for “out of towners “ who bring their sticks and play the WestShore links to realize what we take for granted – that we have some of the best golf courses in Canada, all located within a 10 minute drive of each other. If its championship or challenging recreational golf you’re looking for then go no further. The Westshore boasts two courses named to ScoreGolf magazine’s 2008 top 100 Golf Courses. Royal Colwood comes in at number 16 and Bear Mountain at 62, on this year’s prestigious list. In years’ past Olympic View has also found itself on this list. So which course do you play first? You do realize you won’t be able to resist playing just one don’t you? You see, choosing which courses to play and in what order is much like choosing dinner from a fine dining menu. You must have the right appetizer selection, one that prepares you for the main course, paired with a fine aged wine and finished off, of course, with a dessert that will challenge the taste buds. Remember though, when golf is on the menu it is always permissible to have a second appy or dessert!

Depending on how much time you have, you may want to warm up your game a little; you know… practice that short game? After all, isn’t that where all the golf magazines tell us we can save the most strokes –the short game, chipping and putting? (So we can hear those magic words from our partner “I’ll give you that”.) Luckily the West Shore has just what you are looking for; right on the Island Highway, in Colwood, behind West Shore Parks and Recreation. Look for the big lit up signboard, and discover a wonderful 9-hole, Par 3 course. About 1,100 yards in length, this well conditioned public course is surrounded by seven water hazards and is a good test for the beginner, and a good place for anyone keen to practice the par saving shots used by well seasoned golfers. Its shortest hole is about 100 yards with its longest at 178 yards. You can reach the pro shop by calling 250-474-8629. If you’re looking for something a bit longer and challenging to get yourself acclimatized to west coast golf, consider trying Metchosin Golf and Country Club. A lovely nine-hole course situated in the middle of the West Shore’s agricultural area. This forgiving course does however require accurate approach shots to its small,

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sometimes undulating greens. If you play 18 holes, walking the nine holes twice, you get an opportunity to play some holes from a different set of tees to the same, or in some cases different, greens stretching the 2,760 front nine to about 5,700 yards for the full 18. This is a family run business that offers nine and dine specials; you can reach the pro shop by calling 250-478-3266. The next warm up might be the new kid on the block, Highland Pacific, situated on the outskirts of the West Shore. It recently opened its first nine holes –the Pacific Nine, and promises to challenge the shot maker in all of us. The course’s range has just been named to Canada’s Top 100 Golf Ranges list. The second nine called Highland Nine will open in late 2009. The folks at Highland Pacific and the Range Cafe can be reached at 250-478-4653. Highland Pacific is at 450 Creed Road off Watkiss Road. So, now, that you’re spoiled for choice of appetizers, let’s look at the rest of the menu. Well, since we’re going to get lots of exercise during this excursion we’ll need some protein, so I recommend ‘bear’ for the entrée followed closely by a fine, well-aged wine finished off nicely with a tasty dessert that will leave you wanting more. The entrée I speak of is Bear Mountain or officially the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria. At this point the Mountain course has been operating for several years, while nine holes of the Valley course opened for play in August 2008, with the full 18 slated for play in 2009, giving the resort two Nicklaus designed courses. Both courses, designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son Steve, give all golfers an opportunity to play to their handicaps with the choice of four tee boxes. With the Mountain course one can play 5,700 yards, or for those who think they ought to be playing on the professional tour, 7,200 yards, or somewhere in between. Bear Mountain currently offers three combinations to play 18 holes. Golfers can play the original Mountain course, or choose to start at the Mountain course’s 10th tee and continue on the new Valley course after hole 18, or alternatively play the Valley course’s first nine holes and then continue into the front nine of the Mountain course. The different options are available at different times of the day, so check when you book.

Olympic View Golf Club

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Like most Nicklaus designs one is always torn between the “safe” shot, or the one that could cost you big time, but if successful, is worth a year of agonizingly “ugly” golf shots; choose wisely. The course is visually striking and it’s tough at times to keep focused on the job at hand. The views of Southern Vancouver Island, the Olympic Mountains and the Juan de Fuca Straight are simply

stunning. From a golf perspective the key thing to remember is that you will use, or at least should use, every club in the bag. Like its namesake there is nothing small about this place, including its reputation. In its short life, less than five years, it has managed to provide one of the best golf experiences in B.C. if not Canada. Jack and Steve Nicklaus certainly know how to build courses that are not only challenging and fair but keep your attention at each hole; the Bear’s rating this year as one of the top 100 courses in Canada certainly backs this up. The pro shop can be reached at 250-391-7160. I promised a well aged, fine wine as part of your golf menu and what I have to offer won’t disappoint. The course at Royal Colwood Golf and Country Club was designed in 1913. To think that a course designed almost a hundred years ago could still be considered the 16th top course in Canada is a testament not only to the designer A.V. Macan, (then the B.C. amateur champion), but to the members and staff who have carefully guarded its design all these years. It’s no surprise

that Hatley Castle’s owner, James Dunsmuir and friend Robert Sayward, who were members at the time of the Victoria Golf Club, decided to build a new golf course within a few shots of the castle (now part of Royal Roads University, on Sooke Road). According to Royal Colwood’s website, it was “in 1929 when the eldest son of HM King George V, HRH Edward, Prince of Wales, honoured the Club by becoming its patron. Edward was an avid golfer and frequent visitor to the Club while staying at Hatley Castle. As a result of this honour, the Club petitioned the Canadian Governor-General in April of 1929 for the right to use the “Royal” prefix. Two years later on July 29th, 1931, the prefix “Royal” was formally bestowed by HM King George V”. Even without the “Royal” prefix this course demands a golfer’s respect. Its contours are soft and subtle almost lulling you into a confident trance, when suddenly you come to the realization that even with today’s equipment and average skill this course is tough. It demands thoughtful ball placement and in some cases accurate

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length to take advantage of lay up opportunities. Sitting among 400 year old Douglas fir trees The Royal Colwood is a great course no tricked-upped holes—what you see is what you get, but make sure you take a second look so you understand what you are seeing. Like most courses, stay close to the pin and you‘ll score well—that’s easier said than done of course! The pro shop can be reached at 250-478-9591. Now for the dessert, Olympic View Golf Club, the first British Columbia course that Tiger Woods teed up on. It’s not surprising that this William Robinson course, built in 1990, entices all who play it to come back again and again. Open to the public, OV as regulars refer to it, is always in great shape and there’s not a club in the bag that will go untouched. Navigating this 6,600 yard gem may seem like an easy stroll on paper, but ask those who play it for the first time, and they’ll no doubt tell you that their higher than handicap score was likely due to the distraction of waterfalls, mountains and deer, and that they can hardly wait to play it again to prove that they can score better next time!

During the past several years Olympic View, part of the Golf B.C. group, has made changes to improve wildlife habitat on the course for waterfowl, birds of prey and deer, which one often has to gently herd away from one’s golf ball (Bald Eagles are also plentiful and during the summer months Turkey Vultures are often seen circling). Oh, and just in case you want to clear your palate before you begin your dessert, Olympic View is home to the GBC golf school and consequently has one of the best practice facilities on the island; not a bad idea given that you are about to play some serious target golf. After your round, Olympic View boasts a wonderful club house restaurant that serves seasonal local fare, not a bad way to soothe your humbled golf ego! The pro shop can be reached at 250-478-5673 All in all, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to spend a few days golfing than the West Shore. One more thing – here on the West Shore the weather is so mild we can often play 365 days a year!

Metchosin’s award-winning - pet friendly - bed & breakfast. Fully equipped loft units located minutes from the Sooke Hills.

DISCOVER YOUR OWN BACK YARD To reserve: 250-478-8993 or 1-888-808-2724 info@cougarscrag.com www.cougarscrag.com

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Homes and Gardens Cougar’s Crag

by Norm Gidney

little exaggeration is expected in the tourist industry, and we all know to mentally discount some of the grand claims made for resort X or hotel Y. But in the case of

Cougar’s Crag, which calls itself an “extreme B&B,” believe it. The slogan applies to the house itself, starting with the driveway snaking through the woods high up to the ridge where the house sits in splendor among arbutus and Douglas fir. It’s big, but not forbidding, beautifully finished in the details, comfortable and homey as well. Steve Schweighofer, who built the 2,500-square-foot home with his partner (it was finished four years ago—the construction period took three full years), said “it was like a jungle gym for the first year.” That summed up the Tinkertoy look of the building in photos from 2001 as peeled cedar logs were fitted together to create the framework that holds the house up. It’s a contrast with conventional “stick-built” homes that use two-inch-thick lumber of varying widths to build each floor.

To use a word meaning “deriving ideas or style from a broad and varied range of sources,” the house is definitely eclectic. “We’ve tried to fuse a couple of styles here,” said Schweighofer. Inspiration came from several. First, there’s the Victorian octagon, a style of house popular 150 years ago. Advocates say it creates a larger floor space with the same perimeter measurements as a rectangular or square structure. The eight-sided theme is most visible in the big cupola atop Cougar’s Crag. Its square windows light the living room, dining areas and open kitchen two floors below, an effect heightened by the brass-coated stamped tin ceiling of the octagonal cupola. The house also incorporates a post and beam design—entire cedar logs upwards of two feet in diameter are positioned as vertical and horizontal members, the massive “bones” on which the rest of the house is hung. The curved butt ends of the cedar logs are visible under the eaves, like Rorschach blots in wood instead of ink, no two the same. It’s a signature detail of the home’s designer and builder, West Coast Log

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It’s a comfortable residence for the owners and their dogs—a great Dane, a vizla Hungarian hunting dog and Banjo, a black and tan coonhound, “national dog of Alabama,” joked Schweighofer.” It’s also a pet-friendly bed and breakfast, with two loft-style units in one wing for guests, and their animals, no restrictions on size of dog, either, as long as they play nicely with the resident canines. Canada Select, the national accommodation rating guide, gave Cougar’s Crag 4½ stars, after checking out the property in 2006. The business won an award of excellence in the home-based category from the West Shore Chamber of Commerce in 2007. The business name is an apt fit. Cougars, usually reclusive, occasionally happen by. Schweighofer points out a disturbed patch of ground just off the front deck—a cougar scratched the moss one night. Black bears are other sometime visitors, but the owners subscribe to the area’s unofficial code of not calling the authorities every time a bear is sighted. They were here long before homes were built, and a live-and-let-live attitude prevails.

Homes of Gibson’s, on the Sunshine Coast. Cougar’s Crag is one of its showplace homes on the company’s website. The house has a green steel roof and the exterior walls are in the distinctive west coast board-and-batten style, with wide boards set vertically and narrower “battens” covering the joints between. Indoors, the house has an arts and crafts theme, with several William Morris wallpaper designs—some of them stretch up two storeys below the cupola. There’s oak-panelled wainscoting in much of the house. Some of the fittings—a doorknocker that could be a nose ring for Goliath, and a front door handle set—are from Rocky Mountain Hardware in Idaho. On the modern end of the eclectic spectrum, the house has a sunken seating area and a three-storey high stone chimney over a big fireplace that supplements warmth from the heat pump. Wood fires are a necessity in this distant neighbourhood of Metchosin overlooking Matheson Lake. “It cools off real quick when the power goes out,” Schweighofer said, with a smile. The chimney is a central feature in the house, and it’s built from seven to eight tonnes of granite. Sunlight streaming through the south-facing windows sparkles off the flecks of mica as the stones climb three storeys.

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Joan Yates, a longtime Metchosin resident who shot her share of predatory cougars in the old days, came up with acquaintances to see the new house one day, and Schweighofer recalled what she said: “I used to play up here and we called it Cougar Ridge.” Photo: Gary Woodburn

Tr a c y F o z z a r d “In The Pursuit Of Excellence” Tracy is the epitome of professionalism & efﬁciency, but she is also friendly and approachable. Glenn & Claire

Tracy from the get-go showed us a professional expertise & knowledge of the market during our search for home. Peter & Lil

Choosing a realtor to represent you is important but choosing the right Real Estate company is equally important, that’s why working with RE/MAX is the right choice.

Tracy Fozzard RE/MAX Camosun, 4440 Chatterton Way Victoria, BC, Canada, V8X 5J2 Office Line: 250-744-3301 Direct Line: 250-812-8452 Email: tracyfozzard@shaw.ca www.tracyfozzard.com

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Taking Climate Action on the West Shore

Capital Families Association Garden In Motion

by J. Fisher and C. Moyer

From Sustainability to Thrivability We’re hearing more and more about sustainability or “sustainable development” these days, but what exactly do these terms mean? Sustainable development was a term created by economists who saw that environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources wouldn’t be good for our long-term global economy. Sustainable development is used to describe activities that allow us to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. The term is used in relation to energy and water use, transportation, food production, and just about any element of human life that relates to the natural world. Increasingly, “sustainability” is being used not only when we talk about reducing impact on the planet to levels that can be maintained over the long term, but also when we envision creating prosperous healthy communities , which help to repair damage already done.

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This new focus on restoring and enhancing the health of the planet goes well beyond the original intentions of “sustainability”, and warrants a new approach and new terminology. Some people have begun to term this new approach thrivability. While sustainability was intended to help us live on the planet without damaging its capacity to support us, thrivability seeks to live in a way that continually increases the health of society, the planet, and its capacity to support life. We are just at the beginning of our journey towards a thrivable community in the West Shore, but with the many initiatives being undertaken by countless hard working local individuals and groups, we are off to a good start. Come join us.

Going Local – Living Green Wherever you go today, there’s growing interest in the ‘go local’ movement—support for local food and agriculture, and celebration of the many fabulous regional flavours and handcrafted products that make up the ‘Art of Island Living’. More people are

Canadian Earth Institute’s Beth Cruise leads community members involved in building Colwood’s first community cob oven at Essencia.

also talking about ‘living green’, being more thoughtful about the choices that will affect the livability of the world inherited by their children and grandchildren, and taking action in response to our changing climate. Climate action is about finding new ways (and sometimes old ones) to live, work and play. It’s also about inspiring people to engage in the changes, making change trendy and fun! Here’s a snapshot of how our region is leading the change.

begins again in early June. People of all ages will have an opportunity to discover or re-discover the many healthy living benefits of growing and enjoying food closer to home. If you would like to learn how you and your family could grow and preserve your own food, compost organic waste, and more, please visit: www.learnforlife.ca. Youth on the West Shore are taking climate action. Dunsmuir Middle School is involved with a filmmaking project to engage

In our learning communities

more youth in conversations about making the shift to a

West Shore Teaching Garden – the vision for a teaching garden took root last year in the Sooke School District as a creative strategy to get people growing again in an area that was once prime farmland used to feed the Greater Victoria region. This “can-do” community embraced the concept of building a teaching garden, and today it’s growing at centrally located WestShore Centre for Learning and Training (2139 Sooke Road), next door to an elementary school. Students here ‘get dirty’ and learn important lessons about growing their own food, and some will have an opportunity to sell their produce and products at the Colwood Farmers’ Market when the season

district are working to restore ecosystems and teaching their

sustainable way of living. Elementary students throughout the families about the new 3Rs (Re-duce, Re-Use and Recycle). Royal Roads University is in the business of ‘living their learning’. Beyond the countless academic connections to environmental and social responsibility, our hometown university with a sustainability focus, has been leading the way with toxin-free cleaning, multi-level recycling, community gardening, composting, and is even home to Vancouver Island’s first Green Plate-certified restaurant – Habitat Café (member of the Truffles Group).

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Built Green why

go green?

• save money • comfort and health • quality

what

colour

is your future? TM

Want to know more?

visit

www.builtgreencanada.ca

Infinitely Green Thinking

Built Green British Columbia represents a new way of building homes. This exciting program, managed by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC, promotes sustainable or “green” new-home building practices to give you the ability to make smart, healthy, energy efficient choices for your home and family.

Ricketts Construction digs in on a sustainable building philosophy Chris Ricketts of Ricketts Construction is seeing green. A well-respected builder of high-end quality homes in the Greater Victoria area since 1974, Ricketts has constructed a reputation for being “ahead of the curve” when it comes to new home innovation and design. With society’s growing interest in sustainable building concepts and technologies, Ricketts is now focused on a long-term vision of helping new home owners build dream residences that are healthier and less resource-intensive with the added benefits of reduced maintenance and increased durability. Ricketts has earned his “green belt” via a number of avenues. His company holds a Built Green Certification and he has served on the board of the Built Green Society of Canada. Furthermore, Ricketts has just

completed the final touches on his own Built Green private residence in Sooke, B.C. Recognized for significant individual and business achievement, Ricketts has been honoured with the CHBA BC Murray McGill Lifetime Achievement Award and a number of CARE Silver Awards for excellence in building. He has chosen to give back in myriad ways. Presently, Ricketts serves as president of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce. He was past-president of CHBA Victoria and BC and a member of the Advisory Design Panel for the City of Victoria. Now focused on building smart homes with small footprints, Ricketts is expanding his company to encompass sustainable building solutions for next generation homes. His mantra: To build for the future means it is imperative we think green today.

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In the community

Stewardship Initiative (ELSI) was formed in 2000 to protect,

Fresh food, closer to home – each Spring, West Shore residents and visitors interested in enjoying the flavours of locally grown food can find a range of farmers’ market opportunities. Check the West Shore Harvest website for schedules www.westshoreharvest.ca.

generations of people, plants and animals. For more information

GO LOCAL Foods, fast – West Shore Parks and Recreation (WSPR) have developed a Healthy Food Strategy and are revamping their concession fare, enhancing food options throughout the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, one of the largest community recreation facilities on Vancouver Island. Another example of helping families to make wise fast food choices out in the West Shore! www.jdfrecreation.com Celebrating Esquimalt Lagoon – The West Shore shares a magnificent watershed, which includes the Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a very special place where people have gathered for thousands of years. The Esquimalt Lagoon

enhance and restore the health of the Esquimalt Lagoon for future on ELSI, please visit their website at www.elsi.ca. GO LOCAL Tomato Challenge – How do you get people growing more of their own food? Make it ‘sexy’ and make it fun! The City of Colwood challenged the West Shore community to ‘get dirty’ and show their passion for the planet with a challenge that involved hundreds of people growing organic heritage tomato plants. Whether it was a dedicated garden tomato patch or simply a few containers on the sundeck, people of all ages and abilities were up for the challenge, offering photos, poems and stories of how their family came together to grow and enjoy local food. The event wrapped up at the Colwood Farmers’ Market with a GO LOCAL Pizza Challenge involving two local chefs and the Colwood Community Cob Oven. The Canadian Earth Institute led the cob oven project, with funding from Essencia at Esquimalt Lagoon.

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collaboration marks the first time in B.C.’s history that an intermunicipal process was utilized. The result is two OCPs sharing an inter-jurisdictional and networked transportation system, and a West Shore Greenbelt. The plans also enable policies for compact and mixed-use transit-supportive city centres and development nodes, district energy systems, and decreased auto dependency. “Our new OCP is Langford’s sustainability roadmap,” states Mayor Stew Young. “It reflects the ideas and input of our citizens, and will continue to guide us forward in achieving a sustainable and healthy community for Langford’s residents.”

Great Blue Heron photo by Gary Woodburn

It brought together people of all ages to dream and design, and then build, a beautiful wood-burning oven using ancient sustainable building techniques. For more information: www.colwood.ca; www.colwoodmarket.com; www. canadianearthinstitute.org; and www.essenciavillage.ca. Climate Action West Shore (CAWS) – the WestShore Chamber of Commerce was the first Chamber in B.C. to answer the call to community climate action by supporting CAWS. CAWS has been the catalyst for a number of progressive local initiatives, including the GO LOCAL West Shore Food Strategy, Emily Carr Community Festival of the Arts and Ecology, and Green Living Expo. CAWS also brought Pacific Mobile Depots (PMD) to the community to help locals sort through the recyclable stuff their blue boxes won’t take such as Styrofoam, tetra boxes from milk and soup, and electrical appliances. Twenty percent of the recycling fees are returned to the community to be invested in community climate action initiatives. Belmont Secondary School is the new home to the West Shore PMD Depot, championed by their Student Leadership Program in collaboration with CAWS. Visit www.pacificmobiledepots.com for details on what you can save from the landfill!

In government The Cities of Colwood and Langford shared a Union of British Columbia Municipalities Leadership and Innovation Award for their jointly developed official community plans (OCPs). The

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Historically, West Shore residents have had limited options for public transportation, but that’s all changing. Good transit starts with good community planning. Langford has led the way with the enhancement and densification of its town center on Goldstream Avenue. Other municipalities are planning similar initiatives, such as the ambitious Colwood Corners project. When communities densify around attractive town centers, it means residents can walk to shops and amenities; the town centre provides key focal points for planning that bring people from elsewhere to shop, and from the town centre to other community hubs for work or other activities. BC Transit has increased the number of buses running between the West Shore and downtown Victoria, making it easier for residents to get around without a car. When Langford noticed routes were improving to downtown Victoria, but transit around the local area was still lacking, they took action. With contributions from the development community, they purchased

Photo by Nao Peterson

A new day is dawning on the WestShore. We’ve answered the call.

Climate Action

trolleys to help move residents and tourists around the area without spending any tax dollars. Transportation means more than just cars and buses, and there are other exciting initiatives moving this region toward more transportation choices. The Communities for Commuter Rail group are working towards reinvigorating the old E&N Rail line, to provide fast and efficient commuter rail service, and the Capital Regional District is building the Olympic Trail, a walking and biking trail to run parallel with the E&N line from downtown Victoria to Goldstream Provincial Park.

In business Langford’s Smoken Bones Cookshack is one of the most successful restaurants in Canada, proudly featuring delicious local food with a distinctly southern flare. Cookshack chef/owner Ken Hueston is one of our community’s bona fide GO LOCAL food gurus, turning new crops of consumers on to the fabulous flavour difference locally grown food delivers. Join Ken and others from all walks, keen to

WestShore Chamber of Commerce

www.westshore.bc.ca Telephone: 250.478.1130

email: climateaction@westshore.bc.ca Business Hours: 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri

talk about all things green and growing, when they converge on the Cookshack for Green Drinks and GO LOCAL Eats, 4:30-7:00pm, March 16 and June 1, 2009. www.smokenbones.ca The Island Chefs’ Collaborative is planning its second LOCAL Food Festival for May 31st 2009 at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site. Chefs transforming swords into plough shares? That’s sort of the idea, with some of Vancouver Island’s most celebrated culinary rock stars taking it to the people with their passion to support local food and farmers. Learn more about the Island Chefs and their mission to save the planet and our palates at www.iccbc.ca These are exciting times for the West Shore. Believe it or not, the activities and initiatives mentioned in this article are just a taste of what’s happening. These initiatives are not about sacrificing the amazing lifestyles we enjoy; they are about improving our quality of life and building a stronger, healthier, community for our children and ourselves. Come and check out the West Shore’s green initiatives!

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WestShore: Designing Tomorrow By Ken Stratford

“Picture supplied courtesy of AdelaideMetro

n recent years we have seen the WestShore (this is not a typo, I predict the current two words will increasingly be used as one) transformed from a mix of rural suburban sub-regions into a new, dynamically driven, attractive urban mix. To those of us who grew up in Greater Victoria, the idea that one day we would see sophisticated live/work apartments in downtown Langford, and showcase homes in new developments worth a million dollars and more would have been unthinkable. To have imagined high rise buildings cropping up on so many street corners using glass and steel to transform the urban landscape, simply out of the question. As the WestShore redefines itself, it offers an unprecedented opportunity to peer into the future, to imagine a tomorrow that not everyone will welcome, but that the majority will accept and many will even embrace. Change has already occurred and will in fact accelerate, bringing a seismic shift in the complexion and culture of the community.

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While subjectively we might think of ourselves as unique as we go through this shift, we are in fact only following the precedent of hundreds of other suburban communities across North America and Europe. We can both learn from others and contribute to the discussion, by asking the question; how do we retain the best of the old and ensure that the new adds, rather than detracts, from a cherished lifestyle? A new term has arisen among planners and futurists to describe the transition now underway. It’s known as an Edge City – a term which is used to describe a relatively new concentration of 21st century living, business, shopping, and entertainment clustered outside a traditional 19th century city. The term was popularized in the book Edge Cities by Joel Garreau, who argues that the Edge City has become the standard form of transformative growth worldwide, representing a 20th and 21st century urban form dramatically different from that of the nearby 19th-century central downtown.

Photo: Mary Myla Andamon www.flickr.com/photos/in-hindsight/ Designed by a New Zealand firm the Tindo is the first of a planned fleet of buses relying totally on solar power

Garreau pictures Edge Cities as the third wave of our lives pushing into new frontiers. First, we moved our homes out past the traditional idea of what constituted a city. This was the suburbanization of North America, especially after World War II. Then we wearied of returning downtown for the necessities of life, so we moved our marketplaces out to where we lived. This was the ‘malling’ of North America. For the WestShore, that shift began in the 1970s with developments such as the former CanWest Mall and accelerated in the 1990’s with Langford’s Big Box cluster beginning at that time and now expanding dramatically into the new century. Garreau’s third wave occurs when we move our means of creating wealth - our jobs - out to where most of us live and shop. This completes the rise of Edge City. The Edge City as Garreau describes it is fundamentally impossible without the automobile. It was not until automobile

ownership surged in the 1950s, after four decades of fast steady growth, that the Edge City became truly possible. Tysons Corner, Virginia, an Edge City to Washington DC was a country crossroads, as recently as the end of World War II, but it now has more office space than downtown Atlanta, Georgia. As the Edge City of WestShore emerges, transportation continues as the WestShore’s weakest link –but also its greatest opportunity. Over the next ten years, as all of the region’s new developments arise, the pressures on existing road networks will become intense. Judging by the recent past, a number of small steps will be undertaken, deemed as necessary to relieve the pressure on the roads. But decision-makers will have to face the inescapable truth that they are chasing a game that is as unwinable as trying to use the View Royal Casino as the road to retirement wealth. A small win in either case makes the player feel good but is no substitute for long-range strategic planning and visionary thinking.

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That it represents a great opportunity lies in the application of the same sense of vision that has transformed the WestShore from Victoria’s poor relation to a place of urban pride. Applying imagination to the transportation challenge will open up other opportunities for the WestShore as an urban leader not only in BC but for all of Canada. The opportunity for leadership goes well beyond something as fundamental as the E&N. That important resource has a significant role to play in the plan, but cannot be singularly relied upon to solve the great problem of removing a large proportion of commuter cars off the roads. And while the accepted wisdom is that Greater Victoria cannot afford an LRT system until the regional population exceeds a half million, communities much smaller than that are proving otherwise. A worldwide scan turns up highly imaginative transportation modes that can carry far more people with greater flexibility, setting a new standard for other Edge Cities to measure up to.

‘‘

and Cornell University recently hosted a national conference to better examine the adoption of the Swedish Pod or some alternative system. The Pod’s power source Applying imagination to the varies from system to system; using either transportation challenge will on-board batteries or the power in the open up other opportunities guideway system. At each station, commuters can summon the car for the WestShore... much like an elevator, then type in their destination. The cars vary in size but hold an average of four people, and might cost users comparable fares to a standard commuter bus. Because Pod cars are lightweight and do not make unnecessary stops, they are more energy-efficient than automobiles and even mass-transit systems like buses. The WestShore guideway would terminate at several points in downtown Victoria including Olde Town, major shopping districts and the Inner Harbour.

Ithaca New York, like Colwood, is a university town, albeit with a much larger school in Cornell. The total population of Ithaca is only 100,000 or about twice the present population of the WestShore – with the latter figure set to grow significantly in the coming years. Little Ithaca however has made a serious proposal to the Swedish manufacturers of the Pod system of personal transport, a people mover that can take hundreds of cars off the road while giving commuters almost the same degree of personal comfort and service as the automobile, all this without emitting pollution or demanding more road-building. The city of Ithaca

Dial up personal transport to Victoria. Could this be the Colwood Town Centre in the future? The Adelaide bus prepares to exit the guided busway, switching to standard street mode.

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Photo courtesy of AdelaideMetro

Photo courtesy of Unimodal Systems, LLC

Another light, personal and low-cost option for the new century is under study by a second and even smaller city in New York State. In Binghamton, New York, (population 47,000) they’re taking a long look at the SkyTran system. Unlike Vancouver’s SkyTrain, SkyTran which is produced by UniModal Transport Solutions, is a 21st century solar-assisted, high-speed, personal car facility which the manufacturers claim can be commercially deployed with the

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potential of requiring no taxpayer subsidy. Theoretically, either of these systems offers the advantage of personal transport at much lower cost than more population-dependent alternatives such as Light Rapid Transit. Both systems claim to be affordable for relatively small communities while eliminating or greatly reducing traffic congestion, substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting energy independence. They combine the privacy and convenience of an automobile with the capacity of mass transit.

or similar projects. In the year 2040 nearly 100,000 residents live in the region. Due to imaginative economic development, many thousands work in the cities of Langford and Colwood while another two thousand people face no more than a ten minute commute to offices located no further south than View Royal. Some of this change has come about as major Island companies and senior governments have located ‘telecentres’ for telecommuters in the Edge City, linked to their parent offices and clients around the world by state of the art video conferencing.

So far much of this is still dreamland – but we can dream here too as proven by the immense urban transformation in the WestShore.

In this future scene, Royal Roads University has undergone enormous expansion including the development of a major research and technology park that’s attracting some of the biggest names in research from around the world.

Moving from dreamland to reality, the city of Adelaide Australia (population 1.1 million) has long been a pioneer in imaginative transit, Back in the 1980’s Adelaide installed the O-Bahn busway system (developed by Daimler-Benz) to provide services between downtown and the suburbs as the world’s longest and fastest guided busway. Dedicated interchanges allow buses to enter and exit the busway and to continue on suburban street routes just like any ordinary bus, avoiding the need for passengers to change buses. Once they enter the busway, buses travel at 100 km/h, guided by specially installed wheels that make contact with the sides of the busway and enable the vehicle to operate at maximum speed, with as little as 30 seconds of separation. The system is capable of carrying 18,000 passengers an hour along the 12 kilometres from the Central Business District to its suburban terminus in 15 minutes. The system is operated as ‘private mass transit’ rather than public mass transit by the firm of Torrens Ltd. But, Adelaide leads transit development in other ways. Designed and manufactured by New Zealand-based Designline International, Adelaide has introduced “Tindo” (Aboriginal word for the Sun) as the world’s first solar-powered bus. The vehicle is charged by a photovoltaic system which charges the buses 11 batteries, powering the fully electric zero-emission engine. The bus has a range of 200 km between charges and carries up to 42 passengers. Admittedly it still needs a road to drive on, competing with cars, but at least it’s a step in the right direction of reducing carbon footprint. Let’s picture the WestShore some years into the future. To compose the scene we’ll make some assumptions; the first is that all of the planned new urban developments will occur either by the existing developers, or by others that have come along to pick up these

As the international markets recovered from the great financial upheaval of 2008, the move to democratize the world’s fiscal management turned into a citizen-led movement equal to the global ‘Green’ movement. Individuals became determined to no longer leave critical decisions to a few select money-managers of trillion-dollar banks, with the realization that in an Internet age with several billion people interconnected, they no longer needed to. Leading that new movement, Royal Roads University has established its multi-lingual Global Campus offering programs to simultaneously educate the world to the new realities as millions of people become as educated and engaged in finance as they are to the complexities of environmentalism. What we have always known as Colwood Corners has been transformed into the new pedestrian-oriented Colwood Urban Centre with some 200 shops and stores. High rise apartments and family oriented townhouses are intermingled and their owners and tenants run the entire range of incomes from subsidized low income families to high income technology graduates. It has also become the terminus for the first personal guided transport system in North America carrying ten thousand commuters each day to downtown Victoria and across the region. Already in this year of 2008, planners and urban specialists come to Langford from around North America to observe the area’s incredible transformation. Those observers will turn into a flood in the coming years to study many other aspects of this special region. In the future the original spirit of the WestShore’s renaissance will have expanded into a thousand points of light showing the rest of North America how one Edge City can achieve a sense of balance between the needs for commerce, lifestyle, environmental and social responsibility.

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Langford by Trolley By Emilie K. Adin

he Langford Express Trolley Service pulls up alongside Goldstream Avenue’s red brick sidewalk and the driver clangs the bell, to the delight of the kids waiting at the curb. The doors swing open and we climb into the trolley, accompanied by Gordon Lightfoot’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy, which hums from the PA system. “Gotta get on our way, ‘cause we’re moving too slow,” Lightfoot intones, as we pull back out. The driver welcomes us warmly and asks where we’re headed. Teen dramas are unfolding from six youth in the back seats, yet all the teens are subdued and respectful. We ride on, picking up a woman lugging some groceries in a pull-cart, and then we cross over to the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway to let some passengers out at Langford’s Millstream Village. “Thank you!” they each call out to the driver as they exit. With a slight squeak of the wheels, and the growl of the biodiesel motor beneath us, we move on. Langford’s trolley system was launched when the 2007 Langford Festival celebrated the City’s

15th anniversary of incorporation. The Langford Express Trolley Service has since grown to include new Langford neighbourhoods, destination points in adjoining West Shore municipalities, and longer hours of operation. This free community trolley service increases transit connectivity for Langford residents and visitors alike, linking Langford’s neighbourhoods north and south, and connecting residents with West Shore parks and amenities. In particular, the trolleys connect Langford’s neighbourhoods with commercial areas, the pedestrian town centre, Langford’s two hotels, the local train station, education campuses, recreational facilities, health services, and major bus interchanges. “I first got the idea of a free trolley system from looking at some examples in small towns USA, and talking to the people in Santa Barbara, California,” Langford Mayor Stewart Young has said. “My job [has always been] to find ways to deliver services in an efficient manner. Council’s key [interest] is sustainability and affordability.”

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I strike up a conversation with the trolley driver, who’s been driving for the Langford trolley service since its inception. He’s an iconic presence behind the wheel, with his full beard and moustache and his friendly wave. He tells me that as long as it’s safe, he’ll pick up people anywhere along the route, not only at designated stops. “I’ve talked to the other drivers, and we all feel that way,” he says. “We’re providing a public service.” “You see how polite those teens are?” he says, after we let them off. I ask about his typical ridership. “It varies depending on the time of year,” he says adding that from May to September, lots of tourists ride around, and jump on and off, after parking their vehicles in WestShore Centre. I lean back in my seat, glancing around at the wooden interior, the arched and stenciled windows, the brass poles, the blinking red lights, the donation box carpeted with coins. As one of ten passengers during my brief ride, I can see how the service lowers greenhouse gas emissions, thereby reducing the community’s ecological footprint. How is it, I wonder, that Langford can afford to provide this service? Advertising revenues and rider donations seem to pay most of the operating expenses of the new trolley system. On top of that, the two trolleys purchased to date have been paid for by private enterprise, which sees tourism, marketing and commercial

benefits from the provision of a free transit service. Developers say that despite any benefits they might accrue indirectly from this service, their primary objective is to support, as full partners, the City’s efforts in building a complete community. “We were encouraged and impressed with the vision of Council and staff to provide a free service that ties in the individual neighbourhoods,” Jim Hartshorne, President of the West Shore Developers Association, has said. “This was a continuation of Langford’s efforts to create a business core with satellite neighbourhoods that live, work and play within Langford.” Mayor Young has also emphasized that partnerships were at play in achieving Council goals. “Solution-oriented teamwork has been key to enacting this vision [of a free community transit service]. We’ve doubled our ridership since last year.” The Langford Express Trolley Service demonstrates fundamentally the City’s efforts to create a more sustainable community. But it all boils down to the power of dreaming, and the unerring pursuit of the City’s vision for its future. Lightfoot’s song drifts back into my consciousness. “They saw an iron road running from the sea to the sea,” he sings. And then the trolley swings to the curb to drop me off, two blocks from my home. One of the two trolley buses picking up passengers at Millstream Village

Trolley stops provide a decorative touch throughout the WestShore

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WestShore Places City Centre Park

by Rick Stiebel

“

rom day one our vision for City Centre Park was to create a place for all ages and all interests,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young regarding the $15 million project slated for completion in 2010. “We wanted something that offered a wide variety of recreational pursuits not limited to organized sports.” By the summer of 2010 the vision will be a reality as people share a quiet moment on a bench near the wetland pond as children cavort amid gales of laughter in the water park a short walk away. A steady stream of seniors come and go from the bowling alley, oblivious to the group enjoying a birthday party that begins with a round of mini-golf and ends with a romp through Playzone. Runners, walkers and those just out for a stroll dot the trails and fitness circuits that wind their way past the ice hockey arena, football stadium and sports fields. For those who can’t wait, residents and visitors alike can already enjoy the Eagle Ridge Community Centre dry floor arena, a mini golf course set amongst buried treasure and Aztec ruins, and a state-of-the-art Playzone set in the days of the gold rush. Jason Parks, parks manager for the City of Langford, says “It wouldn’t have been possible to bring the vision to life without the dedication and efforts of mayor and council, staff, the development community and volunteers.” Parks cites the unique approach used to convert the water park

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designed for use in summer into an outdoor skating surface during the winter months, as a shining example of the level of commitment required. The technical challenges included combining the refrigeration system and lines within a concrete slab that also includes a water park feature, he noted. As well, the water park equipment had to be able to be easily removed during the winter months, and a removable cover had to be utilized to provide shelter from the rain and sunlight during the winter. Parks pointed out that the surface also had to be sloped to meet the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s specifications for a water park, while ensuring the same surface could accommodate ice production. They hit the mark so well the final design earned an International Northwest Parks and Recreation Association ‘Design of the Year’ award, only the second time a B.C. city has accomplished that. “Mayor, council and staff had a vision to create something very special that people can use throughout the entire year,” Parks said, adding that provincial Recreation 2010 grants also required something for all ages. “I think we’ve set a new standard for all-age multi-use facilities.” City Centre Park is just another example of the wide range of exciting new recreational opportunities the WestShore is becoming known for; watch for progress updates in future editions of WestShore magazine.

WestShore People by Rick Stiebel

Four Term Langford Councillor Retires

ohn Goudy’s legacy will lie within the work he’s done, as well as what he leaves behind.

Goudy announced recently that he’s retiring from civic politics when he completes his fourth term as a Langford Councillor in November, 2008. This marks the third retirement of sorts for Goudy, who embarked on his first career as a cadet in the Royal Navy in 1944 when he was just 13 years of age. After four years at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1948, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander before he retired in 1975. Goudy is not really the retiring type, however, and was soon back to work, gainfully employed in administration and finance in the Physics and Astronomy department of the University of Victoria. “I studied a lot of science in the navy and astronomy has always been a bit of a hobby,” explained the 78year-old native of Newcastle on Tyne in England. When Goudy was forced to retire in 1996 at the age of 65, he decided to run for Langford council after the seeds of civic service were planted during a stint on the Capital Regional District’s planning committee before Langford’s incorporation. “I’ve always enjoyed planning, getting into organizing something at the ground floor, as was the case with Langford,” he recalled. “Running for council was a continuation of that interest, which was very appealing.” Goudy put his considerable experience in finance and administration to good use, serving as chair of that committee for the 12 years he’s been on council. He’s served as Langford’s representative on the Greater Victoria Public Library board and Greater Victoria Water Board for six years, and chaired Langford’s Interface Wildfire Committee, where he helped devise an award-winning fire protection plan. Goudy’s also shared his expertise with the Island Corridor Foundation, an organization dedicated to commuter rail between the West Shore

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and Victoria. “I feel very strongly about the need for that,” he said. He’s proud of council’s efforts to create Veterans’ Park, and has considered it an honour to serve as Langford’s representative for numerous military events and functions. Goudy worked tirelessly to launch “Music in the Park,” a popular summer event that fills the park with a variety of music, entertainment and free cultural events on Sunday afternoons. “It has helped nurture a love of an eclectic mix of music for people that may not have been exposed otherwise,” Goudy said. He also lent considerable effort and expertise to efforts to build the second phase of the Alexander Mackie Lodge, an assisted living home for seniors and veterans next to The Prince Edward branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. “I’m really committed to seniors’ issues,” Goudy deadpanned with a smile. “You could call it a bit of self interest.” Goudy has quietly donated more than $200,000 toward a number of causes close to his heart, notably the building of a satellite library branch in Langford, the Alexander Mackie Lodge, Eagleridge Arena and the creation of a new soccer field. “I feel it’s an honour and an obligation to support community endeavours you feel passionate about,” explained Goudy, a long-time member of the West Shore Arts Council. “You should try and address the spectrum, whether it’s arts or recreation, rather than focus on one area.” While he admits serving as a councillor has been a huge time commitment, he’s quick to add that no matter what you do, there’s always a sense that you could do more. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a very understanding and supportive spouse,” he said. “There are a lot of times where Gabrielle’s had to put her, or our, plans on hold because of council commitments.” Just how long he remains retired this time is yet to be seen. Goudy leaves you with the distinct impression that whenever there’s a cause or commitment that stirs him to action, he’ll continue to contribute his two cents worth, and much more.

On Fire!

Arts and Culture on the WestShore

By A. Parker

The FIRED UP! ceramic art of Glenys Marshall-Inman.

here’s a reason Victoria’s West Shore has become a Mecca for artists; ceramic artists in particular … and they are blazing the trail!

Judi Dyelle of ‘Chosin Pottery (celebrating their 25th anniversary this year) says she and her husband, renowned ceramic artist, Robin Hopper, were attracted to Metchosin’s artist-friendly bylaws supportive of home-based businesses and studios with kilns. So what’s kept them here? “It is the extraordinary beauty of this natural environment that is important to artists like us. We have created an artistic community that promotes all the arts, and which people trust and know is reliable.” Judi and Robin have been catalysts in creating a dynamic and evolving cultural hub at home on the West Shore. Their commitment to community and the arts is embodied by two important cultural contributions they have helped bring to life – Fired Up! and the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts (MISSA), both celebrating important milestones in 2009. Excellence is a given at Fired Up! the annual exhibition and sale of contemporary works in clay, held during the last weekend of

May in Metchosin. Fired Up! will celebrate 25 continuous years on opening night, Friday, May 29th 2009 at Metchosin Community Hall. The show is always a highlight of Vancouver Island’s cultural calendar, and this year is certain to be a very special celebration. In tandem with Fired Up!, the group’s over 750 combined years of ceramic experience will be featured in a special showcase, “Where The Rainforest Meets the Pacific Ocean”, April through June 2009 at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario. To cap off the landmark year, a book honouring the history of Fired Up! will be published Spring 2009. The acclaimed Metchosin International Summer School for the Arts (MISSA) is also celebrating 25 years in 2009. MISSAs home is the campus of Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, a United World College set on a wooded hillside next to Pedder Bay Inlet in Metchosin. Artists, musicians and writers come together to be inspired by the natural beauty of the campus, take part in intensive courses in ceramics, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, writing, music and other media, and share experiences in an intimate artists’ enclave.

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The celebrated clay work of Judi Dyelle and Robin Hopper.

Raven Mask by Narcisse Baptiste.

According to West Shore Arts Ambassador, Cindy Moyer, the region is growing, and the people coming here to live and work are seeking a well-rounded quality of life, including a vibrant local arts and culture scene. Moyer comments, “We are fortunate to have a remarkable community of excellence; groups and individuals working hard to build on the foundation and cultural legacy established by visionary people like Robin Hopper, Judi Dyelle and others. There’s a lot of excitement. New opportunities are opening up for the arts and artists on the West Shore.”

Chosen Home – Choice Art Experience a Studio Tour, like the famous Stinking Fish Studio Tour, or the West Shore Studio Tour, scheduled seasonally throughout the year. Not just a play on words … “choice” sums up what the West Shore offers from Metchosin and Colwood to Langford, View Royal, the Highlands and East Sooke, with a wide array of arts and cultural programming offerings and choice art … the West Shore is the “chosen” home to many Vancouver Island artists. Whether you are an artist, musician, enjoy celebrating your own creative spirit, a life-long learner of all things artistic, or simply a supporter of the arts, the West Shore has something that’s just right for you, whatever your age! The West Shore is traditional Coast Salish territory, where ancient local culture is alive in the Scia’new First Nation (Beecher Bay). There you can discover artists, artisans, performers and educators

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Sculpted cob wall by Beth Cruise.

like Narcisse Baptiste, Dr. Pakki Chipps, Lydia Peter and Henry Chipps, who celebrate and share their deeply spiritual culture through dance, language, the meditative art of carving, paintings, working with cedar bark and by teaching people about traditional plants, foods and cooking. We should not forget the internationally renowned artists who have lived and worked here, among them Emily Carr and the late Jimmy Wright, the latter well known for his lyrical paintings of polar bears. West Shore artists are a friendly bunch and many open their doors to the public, including abstract artist Wendy Skog. A newcomer to the area is Metchosin Arts and Cultural Centre (MACC) at the former Metchosin Elementary School on Happy Valley Road. The MACC is home to the School House Studio, a working studio and gallery space operated by a small group of local artists. It’s also home to the West Shore Arts Council. You’ll find a variety of original artwork here, from printmaking and painting to jewelry, stained glass, willow work, fiber art and much more. Take a leisurely Sunday drive to visit the artists working in this quaint and historic building, open Sundays 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, or by appointment. The Studio is across from the Broken Paddle Café, where you can also enjoy local artists’ work on the walls, while taking a well-earned break from your cultural meanderings. The connection between good food and good art extends to the active and thriving coffee culture of the West Shore, with many

The elegant ceramic work of Kinichi Shigeno.

Acrylic seascape by the Coast Collective’s Marcela Strasdas.

bistros serving a rich assortment of local art along with their foamy, fair trade lattés. Most of the region’s municipal offices showcase fabulous original work by the region’s artists, like the atrium at Colwood City Hall. The Olympic View Golf Club is another fine venue to take in local art, along with amazing views from the restaurant while sampling the sumptuous local, culinary art of Executive Chef Melbourne O’Brien and his team at ‘Forester’s’. Essencia, a proposed resort/residential development on the shore of Esquimalt Lagoon is creating new opportunities in their historic buildings and gardens for the arts and cultural communities to gather, exhibit and entertain. There you can discover the fine work of the Coast Collective, three local artists making things happen at the historic Pendray House. You can also enjoy paintings, prints and one-of-a-kind artisan crafts, or take part in workshops, courses and other arts offerings. Call for their seasonal hours 250.391.5522. The agricultural history of these lands, combined with great cedars, fir and maple creates a fertile ground for collaboration by various eco-cultural artists. Designing and building the first Colwood Community Cob Oven at Essencia brought West Shore artists like Beth Cruise, Peter Schmidt and Coast Salish designer Charlene George together with a team comprised of people of all ages and abilities to create a functional work of art that’s already gaining a reputation for producing flavourful foods and festive fun.

The District of Soul R&B Revue.

Music Plenty of local pubs and restaurants feature great, live music, and jazz fans can enjoy some of Vancouver Island’s finest musicians at Jazz Vespers “Where Spirit and Music Meet”, the 3rd Sunday of the month, at the Anglican Church of the Advent in Colwood. The stellar Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra delivers Sunday afternoon concerts at St. Mary’s Heritage Church in Metchosin (Feb 1st, March 8th, and April 5th). Launching its 8th season on the West Shore, Conductor and Music Director, Norman Nelson, leads 60 plus musicians and performs six programs (12 concerts) each year. This season, enjoy invited soloists, the Chamber Players and Victoria Children’s Choir.

Youth and the Arts Youth on the West Shore are passionate about the arts and music. The Sooke School District is known for it’s celebrated PACE Musical Theatre productions (3 each year) and students from the community regularly rank high in national music competitions. Each year BC Arts & Culture Week (April) is marked with demonstrations and performances at Dunsmuir Middle School. An exhibition of visual art by emerging youth artists occurs each May. The District of Soul is a group of 16 young musicians, led by teacher/ saxophonist/musical mentor, Glenn Whitney. This dynamic R&B band project has produced an amazing incubator program for talented youth interested in developing their musical chops with this in-demand show band. In addition to the variety of enriched

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15th Annual Victoria Film Festival Start off the New Year right by enjoying an exceptional program of independent films. For the second year, Langford’s Caprice Theatre will provide a West Shore venue for this great local festival, running January 30th to February 8th 2009.

It’s All Right Here

Blacksmithing is another of the WestShore’s favourite arts on fire.

arts offerings at all levels within the public school system, the West Shore also enjoys a lively network of private arts, and music instructors bringing a world of opportunities for cultural expression by children and youth closer to home. Royal Roads University in Colwood will soon give rise to new living architecture on its site, with the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre. Bateman’s outreach program for school-aged children and youth also has a home on the West Shore. The Robert Bateman Get To Know Program hosts art and ecology-based activities for children year round, and will issue a call for entries to its annual National Art and Writing Contest starting in January, 2009.

Life-Long Learning Royal Roads University is the place for life-long learning in the arts. Whether you want to try your hand at African drumming, art therapy techniques, digital photography, writing, post-modern dance, theatre arts for social change, or be introduced to Coast Salish culture, the Continuing Studies Department offers a wealth of opportunities. Look for festivals and events on the campus, like the Annual Mothers’ Day Paint-In! West Shore Parks and Recreation also offers a wide range of community programming in the arts, and recently introduced an ‘open studio’ for ceramic artists. The Juan de Fuca 55+ Activity Centre is one of the largest and most vital 55+ community resources on Vancouver Island, and offers a multitude of arts and culture opportunities, delivering a host of proven health and wellness benefits to hundreds of program participants.

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So, what are you waiting for? Get fired up, come on out to the West Shore and experience the very best in arts and culture at all levels; stop for awhile, grab a latte while perusing local artwork, stroll around the grounds of Royal Roads University during the Mother’s Day Paint In, check out the paintings, ceramics and crafts at the many exhibitions throughout the year, listen to great music, build a cob oven, or discover the world of Coast Salish culture. In short, experience the art of island living, right here on the fabulous West Shore!

General information www.westshorearts.org

Tours www.stinkingfishstudiotour.com

On-going Events and Learning http://www.districtofsoul.com/ http://www.royalroads.ca/continuing-studies http://www.jdfrecreation.com/groups.htm www.gettoknow.ca www.essenciavillage.ca www.viblacksmiths.com

Special Events www.victoriafilmfestival.com www.firedup.ca www.luxtonfair.ca http://www.sookephil.ca/calendar/calendar.html

Artists’ studios mentioned in the article: www.chosinpottery.ca www.wendyskog.com Learn more about the Scia’new First Nation artists mentioned in this article, by contacting Henry Chipps at 250.474.088.

Any Time is a Good Time.

hese days there is a lot of talk about the importance of activity in our lives. Organizations of all kinds have been created just to promote active living and healthy lifestyle choices. No matter how serious this all sounds, the best reason to become more active is because it’s fun, and there is no better way to have fun than with West Shore Parks & Recreation. West Shore Parks & Recreation is dedicated to providing a full range of diverse and accessible recreational opportunities that contribute to the health and well-being of its patrons and the community as a whole. The West Shore Parks & Recreation Society manages the operation of the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre Complex, Bear Mountain Arena, and Centennial Centre. Did you know that Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, located on 108 acres of land, is one of the most comprehensive single-site recreation centres in North America? They offer a wide variety of facilities and activities at their main location, including both drop in and registered programs for all ages. Your options for activity are varied from the more traditional such as skating, swimming and working out in the weight room, to programs like “Family Boot Camp”. Starting again in January, Family Boot Camp is a work-out for the whole family! Or, if swimming is your thing, and you are looking for variety, they offer early morning and evening waterfit classes all year long. You can even kick it up a notch in an Aquatic Kickboxing class with award winning kick boxer Keri Scarr.

Master the short game & improve your score, not to mention your activity level, at the Juan de Fuca Golf Course. This Par 3 course is ideal for both beginners and the accomplished golfer to sharpen their skills, as well as for social or corporate tournaments. Not all their programs are on one site. As they have grown they have expanded their programming and staff at Centennial Centre in Langford. A variety of programs are offered for preschoolers to teens that encourage an active lifestyle for all ages. In addition to the many preschool dance and play classes, teens will find exciting programs and out trips such as surfing and skiing up island. If you’re ready to take your active lifestyle to the next level, why not run the Times Colonist 10K with the people at Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre? Their training clinic starts in January and is a great way to stay motivated. If you are already active and are looking for tips on nutrition and healthy living, they offer that too. The FREE “Nutrition for You, A Recipe for Health” seminars brought to you by Thrifty Foods are coming up again in the New Year. West Shore Parks & Recreation is also a leader in providing healthy food options in their main concession at Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, and eventually throughout their facilities. Whatever your reason for getting active, West Shore Parks & Recreation is a great place to start; their team is looking forward to seeing you!

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Big Box to Boutique

f the only WestShore you know is Big Box Langford, you’re missing a lot of great shopping! Thousands of people a day do an urban bungy jump as they race up the highway, do their Costco shop, or fill their cars with home improvement necessities, and then spring back down the highway to their Victoria homes. Next time you’re out and about at one of our fabulous big boxes, look out for the trolley bus sign, leave your car for a few hours and hop on the trolley. It will whisk you away free of charge to all the great places to shop and stroll throughout the WestShore. You can hop and off all day and it needn’t cost you a dime, although donations are welcomed.

Big Box Shopping Just across the road from Costco and Home Depot is Millstream Village offering everything from leather furniture, and high-end fashion such as Tommy Hilfiger, to Everything Wine, which is probably the largest wine store west of Toronto; it even has a large vintage wine room. The village also features Pier Imports, Michael’s – The Arts and Crafts store, Golf Town, and PetSmart not to mention a dozen or so other clothes stores, shoe shops, high-end furniture

warehouses, coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. Before you leave the village check out the Market on Millstream a full-service grocery store, that stocks a wide range of specialist foods to suit the most avid gourmand (see their full page ad in this magazine). Head back south along Veteran’s Memorial Parkway for just a few moments and there are hidden treasures along Goldstream Avenue, in downtown Langford. If you haven’t been to Langford for a while you’ll be surprised at the new village atmosphere that is starting to build, led of course by the omnipresent coffee shops. Starbucks, Illuminations and Vanilla Bean all vie for customers near Westbrook Mall and at City Hall, Teas N’ Beans is an established favourite. As if that’s not enough to give you your Java buzz, there is a new 2,000 sq. ft. ‘express’ library in the new Metro condo building in the heart of Langford, with the Roastery Coffee Shop next door – books and coffee, a match made in heaven! With a street presence on Goldstream, and outdoor patio seating, the library will also retail popular collections, computers for gaming and provide access to the Internet. In fact, anywhere along Goldstream, from Veteran’s to Jacklin Road, you can access free wireless Internet! Coffee and a great connection – what could be better!

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Boutique Browsing Downtown Langford has a lot more to offer those who like to mooch along Goldstream Avenue including a brand new exciting boutique called Citrine. This fashion extravaganza is run by two women from different generations with a common talent for searching out unique, hand-made local products from handbags and scarves, to jewellery and body and bath products. No mass market stuff here; Citrine only stocks items that you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Although the store is full of glitz and glamour, the guys aren’t left out. Citrine encourages its customers to fill in a card listing their five favourite items, ready for a loved one to pop in and safely choose the perfect gift! Christmas shopping was never easier! Check out Citrine’s ad in the directory section. Simply Gifted, behind the new express library, is another new gift store with a great range of funky items, kitchen gadgets and gourmet specialties such as tapenade, teas and more!

There’s More to the WestShore! If it’s a break from shopping you’re looking for then head along to the Great Canadian Casino located in View Royal, on the Island highway. It’s a full service facility offering a wide variety of slot machines and table games. The casino is currently undergoing a major expansion that will almost double the size of the current Casino and include a 500-car parkade. Right across the street from the casino is the recently opened Madman McKay’s Home Theatre Centre. McKay’s is like a candy store for those of us who dream of having the ultimate home theatre system.

The Colwood strip has a wealth of interesting retailers tempting you to pull in off the Island Highway, including Coastal Cycle & Watersports with its wonderful selection of bikes, kayaks, windsurfing and scuba gear. Of course, we can’t talk about shopping in the WestShore without mentioning car dealerships. If you’re thinking about buying a new car, be it brand new or second-hand, you must visit the showrooms of one of the several well established dealerships in the area. Saunders Subaru owned and run by the community-minded Saunder’s family is a WestShore icon; Jenner Chevrolet Corvette is another longstanding WestShore family-run business that can be seen at community events throughout the year. As for used-car dealerships Reg Midgley and Galaxy Motors have hundreds of cars on offer. Looking for a motorcycle? Island BMW/SM Cycle in Langford has everything the motorcycle enthusiast could wish for. After a tiring day of shopping WestShore style, what could be better than dropping in for a relaxing pedicure and foot massage to soothe your tired and aching feet? The WestShore has so many marvellous spas it’s impossible to mention them all, but if you are ending your day at one of the many coffee shops on Goldstream Avenue you might want to check out Spa A’lita, a West Coast oasis where you can leave all your stresses behind. Peace, tranquility – just what you need to prepare yourself for your next shopping adventure!

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Langford Store 887 Attree Rd. Victoria (250) 478-8387

Interior Design services available

Dispatches Metchosin 80

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by KT Pirquet

ook; if you hail from Metchosin, you’re going to get visitors. You just might want to hold off telling them that the First Nations people called this lovely, rugged area of forested hills and seacoast “Stinky Fish”, apparently in honour of a massive, rotting whale that rolled ashore in Parry Bay sometime during early Coast Salish history. Of course, the poor creature has long since dissolved back to the sea. And a local arts group now calls their annual event the “Stinking Fish Studio Tour.” Go figure. If they’re looking for cutesy, pretentious, or olde worlde, they won’t find that in Metchosin, either. It doesn’t even have a real village. There’s just a T-junction at the end of Happy Valley Road, around which are clustered the General Store, the My Chosen Café, gift shop and petting zoo, St. Mary’s Anglican church, the old primary school (now converted into the Metchosin Arts and Cultural Centre and School House Studio), the Broken Paddle coffee shop and gallery, a rustic community hall, the Tractor Time tractor depot, Bickerdike’s garage, Metchosin Co-op PreSchool, Pets Plus Tack, Candlelight &Wine U-brew, the volunteer fire hall, ‘Chosin Pottery, and a tiny museum, in no particular order. In May, the old churchyard is knee-deep in thousands of wild flowers. It draws photographers like buffalo gnats.

Photo right: Gary Woodburn

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Different, but in a good way What’s so different about Metchosin? Tell them about the little patch of blue sky that hangs out over Metchosin. If it’s raining in the Sooke Hills and Victoria, it can be dry here. And on an uncomfortably hot day it’s ten degrees cooler. Tell folks that the roads of Metchosin wander freely over steep hills and around sharp bends, a legacy of the logging industry. One byway is even called “Kangaroo” just to make the point. If that’s not enough, get them to check out the size of your back yard. 1- to 10-acre minimum lot sizes have resulted in a spread-out mosaic of farms, country retreats, small home businesses and some very interesting architecture.

Rural industrious Visitors should be advised that growing things is serious business in Metchosin. In fact, land use issues animate virtually all our municipal politics. Keeping the area’s farm-stand-friendly character strangely unites an otherwise astonishingly diverse population of growers, professionals, trades people, artists, writers, musicians, bureaucrats, service industry workers, retirees, commuters, students, artisans and entrepreneurs. When they disagree, it is usually over what, exactly, is meant by “rural”, and how to protect that status. Make it clear that rural doesn’t exclude commerce. Small, homebased businesses of every kind thrive here, from a precision

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machine shop to the sausage works, from world-class bed and breakfast operations to fine woodworkers, potters, landscapers, a plant nursery, a magazine publisher and a luthier, to name only a few. If newcomers want to know what’s going on, tell them it’s all in the pages of the locally-produced, fiercely independent monthly newspaper, the Metchosin Muse. Industry and discussion sure work up an appetite. Get those newcomers to the Sunday Farmers’ Market (11am to 2pm, June through October), where the neighbours come out of the woods bearing the freshest organic fruits and vegetables, baked goods, preserves, natural cosmetics, works of art, hand-crafted gifts, fresh and dried flowers, with a chaser of home-grown live music and mouth-watering Galloping Goose sausages, hot off the grill. “Aw, go on,” you can tell them, “Spoil your dinner!”

Keeping fit and fine Somebody’s sure to want to play golf, so point out the Metchosin Golf and Country Club and Green Acres Par 3 and Driving Range both on Metchosin Road. World-class Olympic View Golf Club boasts a supremely challenging, championship course that makes devilish use of the heaving terrain, with breathtaking scenery and great food on the 19th hole. If swimming is on the table, there’s always the ocean, but only for the very hardy, or the dozens of maniacs who plunge like polar bears at Witty’s Beach every New Years’ Day. Of course, the liquid jewel in Metchosin’s crown has to be Matheson Lake Regional

Park. The park boundaries enclose steep, forested hilltops that drop down into a sparkling, clean, 25-hectare lake. Swimmers who like a challenge can glide their way some 300 metres from the sandy main beach to a small island in the middle, where the rocks are warm and sunbathing, just right. Or they can just float around and watch the eagles. The lake is stocked with fish (rainbow and cutthroat trout). Bass have also been known to nip a few toes. Swimming or belly-boat angling at Matheson makes an exquisite ritual immersion on a warm, summer day.

Along the shore Where forest opens onto the shore, Metchosin’s coastal parks and beaches offer quiet walks, nature programs, beachcombing, skim boarding, and gorgeous views of the Olympic Mountains and Juan de Fuca Strait. So point out Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park for its shady rainforest trails, stunning waterfall, viewpoints, soft sand beaches and acres of flats on a good low tide. The sheltered lagoon at Devonian Park shelters resident and transient waterfowl, songbirds and birds of prey, particularly in the spring and fall. Weir’s Beach forms a long, sandy arc, making a perfect backdrop for its fullservice RV resort, and shimmering night-time views of Victoria. Further coastal exploration will reveal Albert Head Lagoon, Pedder Bay Marina, and Race Rocks Ecological Reserve/Marine Protected Area – sure to appeal to boaters, fishers, whale watchers and natural history buffs. The southern slope at Pedder Bay also harbours Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific. One of 14 United World Colleges, it is home to the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts, where the artistically driven can spend up to two weeks wallowing in wanton creativity, surrounded by inspiration. A quest for “something different” might lure your visitors to a professional-standard theatre production by inmates at William Head Institution. Tell visitors, yes, you have to go inside a minimum-security prison, and must be over 19 years old. It’s a little unnerving, but well worth it!

crossed by official, mapped trails, many of which are accessible to horses and bikes. During the ‘90s, an old CNR rail bed was converted to a linear, regional park system now known as the Galloping Goose Trail. It was named for a noisy, gasoline locomotive that plied this track west of Victoria during the 1920s heyday of the Sooke River Gold Rush. The trail runs from downtown Victoria 55km northwest, straight through the heart of Metchosin, and on to the abandoned mining settlement of Leechtown on the upper reaches of the Sooke River. It also connects up with graded and paved bike trails leading east to the Saanich Peninsula and north to Sidney. There are four seasons of trailside treasures to see here: the calypso orchids and chocolate lilies of spring; the basking alligator lizards and soaring eagles of summer; the golden leaves and migrant birds of fall; the mists and mushrooms of winter. The calls of ravens can be heard among tall firs, where deer, bears and the odd shy cougar still wander in relative peace.

A whole day just for Metchosin! You’ll just have to tell them about Metchosin Day. Once a year, on the first Sunday after Labour Day, thousands of locals and visitors spill onto the village green for a day of revelry and celebration of everything wonderful about this place. It’s a well-rounded day of lively demonstrations, markets, competitions, music and fun! Tell them they’ve just got to stay for the Grand Finale: an unforgettable lamb and salmon barbecue—local fish and meat, slow-cooked all day over open pits—a steal at $12. For true gluttons, the competition pies are sold off for dessert at $2 a slice. In over three decades, Metchosin Day has never been rained out. You can see why long-time locals believe in that blue hole in the sky. Oh, yeah, the “stinky fish” thing? We’re so over it.

Horse sense and happy trails Let the horse lovers know how big horses are in Metchosin! They turn up just about anywhere people can tuck a shed and fence off a paddock. How many other Vancouver Island municipalities can boast a show-standard municipal riding arena and several horsey societies? For riders, cyclists, hikers and ramblers alike, Metchosin’s off-road network makes life worth living. The entire municipality is criss-

We s t S h o r e

Dispatches Highlands Nature’s Paradise by Elaine Limbrick

he Highlands, population approx. 2000, is a hidden jewel, nestled deep in the countryside of Greater Victoria, yet only twenty minutes by car from downtown Victoria. It prides itself on a rural life style, surroundings of great natural beauty, and a strong community spirit. Protection of the environment and conservation of water are high priorities, given that most residents depend on wells for their water and live on relatively large rural properties, ranging from half acre lots to 183 acres. All the amenities of urban life are nearby: schools, recreation centres, medical centres, shopping malls. All the blessings of country life are at one`s doorstep: space, pure air, a night sky dark and full of stars, the silence and tranquillity of forests and high hills. The Highlands is predominantly a rural community where residents enjoy a healthy outdoors life style that includes walking, horseback riding, hiking or cycling along the trails in the many parks that comprise over a third of the Highlands land area. Small scale farming of Highland cattle, sheep, horses and llamas is carried on. The Mediterranean climate allows gardeners to cultivate more exotic crops such as olives, grapes and figs. People choose to live in the Highlands because of its uniquely beautiful wilderness landscape: rocky uplands and dense coastal forests where wild animals roam freely. Where else can one go to a Council meeting and walk through a herd of deer grazing peacefully in an old orchard? Natural landscapes vary from moist cedar forested valleys to dry mossy ridges with occasional Manzanita, arbutus and Garry oak woodlands. The beautiful terrain with its

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

breathtaking vistas of forests, mountains and sea, has shaped a unique rural life style, isolated from the pressures of urban life. Time is marked by the passage of the seasons. Spring is heralded by the arrival of tree swallows and turkey vultures riding the thermals. Birdsong fills the woodlands and marshes. At night owls hoot eerily and tree frogs set up a mighty cacophony. Newborn fawns stay close to their mothers while solitary cougars, and the occasional bear, roam through the vast wilderness forest. Hillsides are covered with alpine flowers: shooting stars and lilies carpet the forest floor: driveways become bridal paths of white marguerites. Summer is a dance of dragon flies and the musical swish of the nighthawk`s wings as it dives. Fall is a concert of chirping crickets and the strident cry of the Steller`s jay. Wood smoke rises from chimney pots. And winter`s cold leaves the sky to ravens and bald eagles. This small community has a strong pioneering spirit when faced with winter storms and snow. Neighbour helps neighbour through the emergency ‘pod ‘network and councillors have been known to walk up steep driveways in the snow to check on residents. A community hall is planned now that a $400,000 grant has been awarded by the province from its “Towns for Tomorrow “program. A “Highlands Community Green Map”, the work of residents, local artists and geographers from the University of Victoria, is to be published this Fall. Heritage is important to Highlanders: the preservation of the heritage buildings in the Caleb Pike homestead, the history of First Nations and European settlement. But it is the conservation of the land and its water resources which will be the finest legacy that we will leave to future generations.

A WestShore Recipe Whole Seed-Crusted Fish Fillet with Basil Lemon Butter Sauce Use this technique for any firm-fleshed fish or scallops. Season the fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides lightly with the flour, and then dip the flesh side only in the egg white. Press the egg white side into the mixed seeds to coat. Set aside.

Prosperi-Porta and comes from the cookbook Flavours of Cooperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cove Guesthouse (East Sooke, BC).

For the fillets Eight 5 oz. skinless fish fillets (salmon, halibut, snapper or other firm-fleshed fish) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

When the pan is hot, add 3-4 tbsp. olive oil and add the fillets seed-side down. Sear about 1 minute to get a well-toasted crust, adding more oil if necessary.

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Remove From the skillet and place in a warm oven (275-300Â° F) while making the sauce.

of award winning chef Angelo

Season if necessary and portion onto serving plates, placing the fillets on top of the sauce.

Heat a large skillet big enough to hold all the fillets or use a smaller skillet and cook the fish in two batches.

Turn over and cook about 2 minutes more.

This recipe is provided courtesy

Add the chopped basil and cook for 30 seconds more.

1/3 c. all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. each of whole flax, sunflower, poppy, pumpkin and sesame seeds (The variety of seeds can vary depending on what is available. You will need about 3/4 C. in total.) 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce

Drain excess oil from the pan.

3/4 c. dry white wine

Return the pan to the heat, add the white wine and reduce by approximately half.

1 c. fish stock

Add the fish stock and reduce by two-thirds.

1-2 tbsp. honey

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and honey to taste.

3 oz, cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Reduce slightly, then add the butter and quickly whisk or swirl to incorporate.

1 bunch fresh basil, stems removed, coarsely chopped

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

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JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 8

We s t S h o r e

Travel to Bear Mountain Resort

by Michelle Hopkins

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

love the fall. From the brilliantly coloured leaves to the crispness in the air, I find this time of year a perfect time to enjoy an idyllic getaway at an elegant yet rustic resort.

About a 20-minute drive from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, nestled in the mountain woods away from the hustle and bustle of Victoria, the Bear Mountain Resort sits snuggled on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Driving along the windy road leading up to the resort, I’m fondly recalling last year’s sublime visit. I loved the beauty and charm of my surroundings, not to mention the culinary delights, the fine wines and the spa pampering that are awaiting my partner, Dennis Hoy and I. The luxurious resort community is the brainchild of former NHLer Len Barrie. With well-appointed condominiums, town homes, fractional ownership and single family home sites offered, people are coming to Bear Mountain in droves because they are coming here to buy “into a lifestyle.” And what a lifestyle! We had a weekend to soak in as much of it as possible. After settling into our well-appointed hotel room, we decide to venture outside for a walk of the property and get a bite to eat. Outside the Whistler-inspired, Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort & Spa hotel, we found a number of casual dining venues including Kuma Sushi, the Mountain Bear Coffee Company (where we both nibbled on delicious muffins and sipped gourmet coffee both mornings), the Jack’s Place pub (named in honour of Nicklaus), as well as the yet-to-be-completed Bear Mountain Village Market.

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We chose to eat at Jack’s. The place was bustling and the oversized river rock fireplace warmed us as we sipped on a nice bottle of VQA red and perused the menu. We shared a number of tasty tapas items, however, we both yearned for more of Jack’s signature prawns in a Thai coconut sauce and its chicken and Brie flatbread pizza with mango chutney. The next morning we rose to gorgeous sunshine and readied ourselves for a round of golf. Already one of Canada’s premier golf destinations - thanks to its gorgeous 18-hole Nicklausdesigned course (better known as the Mountain Course) - the Bear Mountain Resort now offers up yet another magnet for golfers - the Valley Course. The first nine holes are now open with the complete course ready for April 2009. I was initially a little reluctant to pick up the woods because I typically golf only when my publisher insists I take part in a corporate game. However, wanting the full Bear Mountain experience, I agreed.

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We arrive bright and early at the pro shop and we are handed golf tees and balls and told to head outside for a golf cart (filled with bottled water and juice). Regardless of how poorly I played, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer beauty of the course. We actually ended on the 19th hole of the Mountain Course which offers breathtaking views of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Juan de Fuca Strait and downtown Victoria. After our round of golf, we decided we had enough energy to climb atop Mount Finlayson. We laced up and walked outside, just a few metres from the hotel, to the base of the majestic Mount Finlayson (1375 feet/413 metres). The challenging trail to the top may not be lengthy, but it is a steep and rugged trail winding through second-growth Douglas fir, Garry oak and arbutus forest sprinkled with gnarled tree root sections, and a scrambling of rocks. At the top you are rewarded by superb 360-degree sweeping views of the ocean and mountain vistas, Finlayson Arm and the surrounding Victoria area. From the summit, we stand

triumphant and gaze at our fellow climbers who sport the same happy, “I conquered the mountain” smiles on their faces. We hiked a little longer than planned, so we headed to the luxurious Santé Spa, which offers traditional and medical aesthetics, nautilusshaped mineral pool, deck and labyrinth as well as an expansive menu of services to soak our tired bodies - Dennis for a hot tub and swim; I for an infrared sauna. Although we didn’t use the Mountainside Athletic Club - a 10,000square-foot fitness facility - we did take a look inside and it’s equipped with every conceivable athletic state-of-the-art piece of equipment. There’s also an organic juice and espresso bar to replenish nutrients or energy lost! Saturday night, we were invited to the resort’s signature winemaker’s dinner. With a lucky few, we headed to the recently-opened Cellar, a 12,500-bottle wine cellar and private dining room featuring fine wines from B.C. and old and new world wines from around the world. The Cellar and its distinctive wine collection is the creation of sommeliers Janice Reimche and Stuart Brown. Surprisingly, the wines were chosen with an eye to the regular buying habits of the resort’s guests, who have been dining at the Panache restaurant for years. Now that is inspired thinking. Upon entering the elegant dining room, we were greeted with the array of wines, glasses and the night’s dinner menu. The wine glasses were artfully arranged on the spectacular mahogany dining room table - but that only gave a hint of what was to come. Executive

Chef, Iain Rennie prepared a mouthwatering five-course West coast inspired dinner, paired with wines from Australia’s Pertaringa winery. We dined on Ahi tuna, Dungeness crab, Prawn globe, great fruit caviar frozen cucumber cloud, Confit duck leg, Foie gras, corned breast and more. The fourth course was a succulent stuffed saddle of lamb married with parsnip puree and braised fennel. Throughout the course of the soiree, wine connoisseur, Germanborn Michael Wehrs, introduced us to a number of excellent white and red wines. My personal favourite was the bold, rich red dubbed Undercover Shiraz 2005. Meanwhile, Brown told me that guests will not only have an opportunity to sample the cellar’s collection by dining at the resort, but also through regular scheduled wine tastings. Tours are also available upon request. After two fun-filled days, I sat on the ferry enjoying the after-glow of an unforgettable and rejuvenating weekend. Situated on 1,500 acres of mountainside property, the community features the first and only 36-hole Nicklaus-Design golf course in the country, five world-class restaurants and the state-of-the-art Mountainside Athletic Club, all within minutes of the beautiful seaside inner harbour of Victoria. After an intoxicating sojourn at Bear Mountain Resort, you might just ponder the idea of owning a piece of paradise. For more information, visit the website at www.bearmountain.ca.

We s t S h o r e

Lifelong Learning at Pearson College

magine having the opportunity to search the world for students of exceptional promise, each of whom has the potential to make a positive difference in the world. Imagine inviting such an extraordinary group of young people to live and learn and grow together for two years. And imagine further that with the encouragement of an exceptional faculty and staff, they come to understand and bring to life what it means to pursue the mission of “making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”

by Dr. David Hawley, College Director

At Pearson College we come together to know, to understand and to respect each other – all of us in search of a common humanity. But we do this in a practical way. We work hard and we have fun doing it. This year we are making a special effort to implement sustainable best practices in all aspects of the college. As one example, on Race Rocks, with the tidal turbine energy project and solar energy panels, this collection of small islands a few minutes by boat from the college is now powered by clean renewable energy. Our hope is that in just a few years our entire campus can be similarly transformed reducing our carbon footprint to near zero. A positive future depends on all of us learning to live sustainably, as well as peacefully. At Pearson College we are endeavouring to live what we learn, to pursue what we believe and to take personal responsibility and action for creating a better world. Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific and United World College is a unique two year pre-university school for 200 students selected from

At Pearson College, that is exactly what we do. Our students come from every imaginable background and location – from big cities, rural villages, refugee camps, orphanages, public schools, private schools and no school at all. All of them are invited to join the college and attend for two years under a full financial scholarship.

100 countries around the world based solely on individual promise

The College’s location on Pedder Bay in Metchosin was selected by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Canadian Prime Minister Lester B Pearson, for its natural beauty, remoteness and access to adventure challenges on land and water. In his Nobel acceptance speech, he asked, “How can there be peace without understanding each other, and how can this be if they do not know each other?”

pursuing the mission of the United World Colleges to make

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

and potential, and demonstrated commitment to engage actively in creating a better world. All students attend on a full financial scholarship and live together while studying the International Baccalaureate program and education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future. For more information please telephone (250) 391-2479 or email mmclean@pearsoncollege.ca

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Where the fun starts! Whether it’s a night full of excitement or a casual day with friends, Great Canadian Casinos View Royal has what you’re looking for. Located in the township of View Royal only 20 minutes from downtown Victoria, this lively casino features over 400 slot machines and all your favorite table games. Open daily from 10:00am to 4:00am. Must be 19+. Great Canadian Casinos View Royal 1708 Island Highway 205-391-0311

Cycle-Inn Bed and Breakfast A custom built house bordering the Galloping Goose Trail and overlooking Glen Lake, offers healthy activities all year round. 20 minutes from the center of town, this serene country setting is welcoming to guests of all ages, and convenient for a wide spectrum of activities. Aromas of delicious home cooked breakfasts rouse you in the mornings, and beautiful views beckon to you as you rise to greet each day. 3158 Anders Road, Victoria, BC V9B 4C4 Phone: 250-478-6821

The Lodge at Weir’s Beach Located in the natural beauty of rural Metchosin, only 30 minutes from downtown Victoria, British Columbia. Experience ‘Island Time’ in a location known for its natural beauty. This desirable waterfront lodge is situated on a beautiful Pacific Coast sandy beach. Come and enjoy luxury accommodation and our freshly cooked organic breakfast using local farm produce. 5195 William Head Rd.,Victoria, BC V9C 4H5 Telephone: 250.478.5000 Toll Free Reservations: 1.888.478.4761 E-mail: info@thelodgeatweirsbeach.com

West Shore Lodge SUPPORTED LIVING APARTMENTS FOR SENIORS - Welcome to West Shore Lodge. Since 2002 the West Shore Lodge has had a proud tradition of caring for people. West Shore Lodge, a retirement residence in the finest hotel tradition. Location is ideal for shopping, Senior Centre, banks and drug store. West Shore Lodge prides itself on offering a wide variety of activities and menu selections. Choose your studio, one bedroom or two bedroom private apartments starting at $1700 all inclusive, per month. 1828 Island Hwy (Next to Tim Horton’s) • 250-478-7527 www.westshorelodge.com • westhore.lodge@shawlink.ca

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

If each of us saves a little, we all save a lot. CRD Water Services offers many programs to help you make the most efficient use of our water supply. For information about rebate programs, efficient gardening and irrigation workshops and other water saving programs call our office or visit our website.

Capital Regional District T: 250.474.9684 www.crd.bc.ca/water

Affordable Custom Log Home and Cottage Kits “Wood is universally beautiful to man. It is the most humanly intimate of all building materials.” -Frank Lloyd Wright The secret of EcoLog buildings lies in simplicity: The design concepts are based on old pioneer construction techniques. Square timbers allow efficient production and construction and avoid many challenges faced by building with round logs. Vanisle EcoLog Homes, Victoria, BC Tel. 250 590 9529 www.ecolog-homes.ca

Focus is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm that provides a range of engineering, geomatics, planning, and project management services. Focus employs over 1400 employees in more than 20 offices throughout Western Canada. Victoria - 57 Cadillac Ave V8Z 1T3 - Tel: 250.474.1151 - Fax: 250.474.7751 Langford - #105, 859 Orono Ave V9B 2T9 - Tel: 250.478.7400 - Fax: 250.478.7465 Other locations include Duncan, Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook and more!

Independent Concrete Ltd. (ICL) has knowledge and experience in the ready-mix industry that you can depend on. Our customers demand it - we deliver. A simple formula. We owe all our success to our customers - their demand for prompt delivery of the highest quality product. Experience, dedication, reliability and safety. That’s ICL Independent Concrete Ltd. of Victoria Independent Concrete Ltd. (250) 478-0555 765 Industrial Way Victoria, B.C. V9B 6E2

We s t S h o r e

Colwood Dental Group Serving the WestShore for over 35 years. Comprehensive dental and hygiene care for the whole family. New Patients always welcome at the practices of: Drs. Ron Ducharme, Kyle Egger, David Mick, Dustin Holben, Robert Walker & Stephanie Takeda. Some evening appointments and Saturdays are available. Check out our website www.colwooddental.ca Information Line ……………….(250) 478-5578 318 Goldstream Avenue, Victoria, BC V9B 2W3

“With Memorial Gardens we found peace of mind for just $50 a month!” Complete your cemetery planning today with Hatley Memorial Gardens and discover how this simple and affordable gesture spares your family from unnecessary hardships tomorrow. Find out more. Call now for free information 250-478-8084

HATLEY MEMORIAL GARDENS CEMETERY & CREMATION CENTRE

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2050 Sooke Rd, Victoria www.hatleymemorial.ca

Rent-A-Granny Services Inc. We offer professional, thorough, equipped and insured cleaning services for private homes and small businesses. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or single time scheduling available. Maintaining your Residential and Small Business investment is what keeps us “Off our Rockers!” We invite you to contact us by phone 250-474-2046 or via e-mail rentagranny@shaw.ca Gift Certificates available.

Graduate this Year at WestShore Centre for Learning Day and Evening classes - Grades 10 to 12 Math, English, Sciences Complete grad requirements - Fulfill college pre-requisites - Online courses start each month Improve your job skills - Bookkeeping - Medical Terminology Medical Office Assistant - Word, Excel, Simply Accounting 250-391-9002 www.westshorecentre.com Part of School District #62 (Sooke). Programs lead to a BC Graduation.

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Customers Are Raving About Our Service NO APPOINTMENTS - 10 MIN. DRIVE THRU SERVICE. We offer ALL MAJOR BRANDS of oil, including the latest in synthetics covering the complete drive-line. We service ALL MAKES and MODELS specializing in HIGH END IMPORTS, DIESELS, HYBRIDS and SMART CARS. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Mon to Sat: 8 am – 6 pm - Sun: 10 am – 5 pm 876 Langford Parkway - 250-590-5678

Windsor Plywood

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Calendar of Events Sunday, December 21, 2008

Festival of Lights Fire Truck Parade

Eagle Ridge Dry Floor Arena www.westshore.bc.ca

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother’s Day Paint In and Craft Fair Hatley Castle National Historic Site (250) 391-2666

Saturday, May 16-18, 2009

Luxton Pro Rodeo Luxton Fair Grounds

www.members.shaw.ca/luxtonrodeo

Sunday, May 31, 2009

ICC Local Food Festival

Fort Rodd Hill & Fisgard Light House National Historic Sites www.iccbc.ca

Windsor Plywood

888 Van Isle Way • 250-474-6111 • windsorplywoodvanisle@shaw.ca

STORE HOURS: MON - FRI 8AM - 5PM • SAT 9AM - 5:30PM • SUN - FAMILY DAY | 100% LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED • EASY ACCESS • LOTS OF PARKING Windsor_DITL08.indd 1

7/23/08 9:09:21 AM

We s t S h o r e

Butchart Lake

W all ac eD r

Third Lake

Mt Work Killarney Lake Regional Park

Council Lake Lake R d lstr eam

Propect Lake

il M

Fizzle Lake

Row ntr ee

Highlands

Prospect Lake Golf Course Logan Park

Maltby Lake Triangular Hill

Finlayson Arm Rd

Sawy er Rd

Millstream Rd

McKenzie Lake

Francis King Regional Park

Prior Lake Thetis Lake Regional Park

Bear Mountain Pkwy

Bu rns ide Rd W

R en ck Knockan d

Jack Lake

Goldstream Indian Reserve 13

d ake R ect L Prosp

Gold Stream

Layritz Park

Pike Lake

Finla yson Arm

Mavis Lake

d an R rurb Inte

Millstream

Old Wolf Lake

Inte rurb an R d

Rd Mil lstr eam Rd

Fork Lake

ich Rd est Saan dW

a Prospect Lake anich

Mitchell Lake

Goldstream Lake

Lubbe Lake

Bear Hill Regional Park Elk/Beaver Regional Park Oldfield Rd

Willis Point Rd

Oldfield Rd

Rd anich est Sa Old W

Durrance Lake Pease Lake

Gowlland-Tod Provincial Park

e Rd Sook

nB lvd

View Royal

d ls R ira Adm

Portage Regional Park

Esquimalt Harbor

Go rge Rd Cra W igfl ow er R d

Wish art R d

Collwood

Lato ria R d

Esquimalt Lagoon La go on Rd

Esquimalt Rd

Esquimalt Sax Point Park Macaulay Point Park

Metchosin Rd

Lindholm Rd

ey all yV pp Ha

Kangar oo Rd

Twin Island Indian Reserve Duke Rd 10

Rd ke Du

Sooke Rd

Portage Inlet Helmcken Park

Island

Duke Rd

Happy V alle y

ream A ve

Braemar Heights Wish art R d

Vet era ns M Pk emorial wy

Happy Valley Rd

Lato ria R d

1A Gold st

Colwood Lake Aldean e Ave

Kell y Rd

Fulto n Rd

P kw

Ve terans Mem

Kell y Rd

Luxto n Rd

So ok eR d

ial or

d nR osi tch Me

14 Rd ke Soo

Jack lin Rd

Hu mp ba ck Rd

Glen Lake

Glinz Lake

Langfo rd

Ocea

Irwin Rd

Hill Park

Metc hosin Rd

Langford Lake

Sheilds Lake

Islan dH wy

Langford

m el

eR d

Forence Lake

Oc ea nB lvd

Sooke Lake Rd

Adm irals Rd

il Six M

Crabapple Lake

Thetis Lake

Rd am lstre Mil

Sa wy er

Hospital

He ad Rd

Wil liam

Ro cky Po int Rd

Metchosin

Point Rocky

Mathenson Lake

T h e Ar t o f Is l an d Liv i n g

Quarantine Lake

Straight of Georgia

ES oo ke Rd

Map of the WestShore

B M R ’    

   •   •   •   •  •  • 

ith a charming resort village perfect for strolling and an abundance of activities to enjoy, The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria truly has something for everyone. Book your next corporate retreat and chart a new course for success using our Jack and Steve Nicklaus co-designed Mountain Course or Nicklaus Design Valley Course. Refresh at the Mountainside Athletic Club’s year-round heated outdoor saltwater pool,

or work out on the Paramount fitness equipment in the co-ed or ladies-only gyms. Relax and indulge in a variety of spa and esthetics treatments at Santé Spa Bear Mountain. Whatever you choose, our professional services team will ensure your event is seamless and successful. Count on us for everything from event coordination and menu planning to state-of-the-art technology and audiovisual services.

. | --