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Moving beyond the transaction
s one might expect, a significant amount of my time is spent explaining what a chamber of commerce is, and how potential and even current members can derive maximum benefit from their membership. The members who are most positive about their chamber experience are the ones with whom we have co-created a transformational, rather than a transactional relationship. In our daily lives, many of our tasks are negotiated on the web or on an app. We do so much of our communication digitally, people are becoming less comfortable relating face to face. IRL, as they say. Online dating platforms have capitalized on the human communication divide. It is technology that
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Denny Warner Executive Director Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
insidiously facilitates serial transactional relationships. Swipe left. Swipe right. In business, we celebrate those who shrewdly negotiate to exchange as little as possible for their own highest financial benefit. Although some transactional commerce is necessary for sustainability, as humans, in business and life generally, we are stronger and lead more fulfilling lives when we work to create the highest good for all. A key volunteer attraction and retention tool is for the volunteer to experience how their generous gift of time is positively impacting people. Fortunately for us, the volunteers who have worked in our Info Centre for years receive feedback each and every shift
from the visitors they assist. They wouldn’t keep showing up if they didn’t appreciate that the information they share has the potential to transform the visitor’s experience The trade-off is not different for employees. Staff members exchanging labour for pay are more fulfilled in their jobs when they understand how their work contributes to a transformational experience for clients. Bringing it back to the membership relationship, it truly can be transformational. We have the testimonials to prove it. We offer the opportunity, benefits and shine the light — and you bring your willingness to engage. Together, shift happens.
Saanich Peninsula Arts & Crafts Society (SPAC)
Not just another arts group 66th Annual Spring Show: April 27 and 28 The SPAC Spring Show is recognized Island-wide as a superior exhibition and sale of original paintings, sculpture and fine crafts. Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney Saturday, Apr. 27, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 28, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. spacsociety.com
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‘Dreams Come True’ THE MUSIC AND MAGIC OF DISNEY rue to the Peninsula Singers’ style, “Dreams Come True!” will entertain you with a dash through 90 years of the music and magic of Disney in 90 minutes. Artistic Director Lena Palermo has expertly chosen from Disney classics to contemporary hits in this jam-packed show. Enjoy jazz, gospel, and pop choral numbers, solo ballads, the harmonious women’s chorus, men’s hearty pirate crew and feature
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performances by young singer Abby Blecic and the Allegro Performing Arts Centre. As always, this is a show that has it all. Friday, Apr. 26, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 27, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Apr. 28, 2 p.m. Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave. Box Office: 250-656-0275; Marywinspear.ca
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Spring into Sidney! Make a day of it!
There is nothing better than an extended day of conversation, laughing and shared experiences to shed the last of the winter doldrums and make the most of our lovely springtime season. K. Good Photo.
hat are you waiting for? Now that spring is upon us, indulge yourself in post-winter pleasures. Plan to make the most of our beautiful environment, excellent restaurants and cafés, and all the great shopping you have time for. Spoil yourself with an all-day, rejuvenating outing in Sidney. To make the day extra special, invite a friend or two to join you. There is nothing better than an extended day of conversation, laughing and shared experiences to shed the last of the winter doldrums and make the most of our lovely springtime season. You might want to start out with brunch or lunch at any of Sidney's fine restaurants or cafés. Third-Street Café, Quince, Five & Dime Diner, The Bevan Café, the Red Brick Café and Smitty’s all offer a wide variety of brunch and lunch delights. Boondocks Bar & Grill, Beacon Landing Restaurant & Lounge, Dickens Public House, the Rumrunner Pub & Restau-
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by Susan Simosko PRESIDENT, SIDNEY BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA SOCIETY
rant and many others offer extended lunch menus with beverages of your choice. Visit sidneybia.ca/restaurants for a full listing of downtown Sidney restaurants and cafés. From there, you may want to wander Sidney’s bustling downtown shopping district where you'll find not only the latest in fashion, shoes and accessories, but also a wide variety of home décor, garden and literary finds. Sidney shops offer unique products and outstanding customer service. Since most shops are owner-operated, you can be assured of personalized service and professional advice. After you hit the shops, you may want to enjoy a bit of activity — perhaps exploring Sidney and the Peninsula by bike. Don't own a bike? No problem. You can rent one from Here by Cycle or The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa. Maybe you’d like to spend some of your time on the water. You can easily rent a kayak or paddle board from
Blue Dog or Pacifica Paddle. Or perhaps you’d prefer to enjoy a tour of our local waters and wildlife with Sidney Whale Watching. Part of your day might also include a tour and tasting of some of the area’s finest wines, cider and spirt offerings. Consider a stop at Victoria Distillers right on the Sidney Waterfront, the Deep Cove Winery, the Roost Farm Bakery & Vineyard Bistro, and of course, Sea Cider Farm and Cidery. For a special treat, try a cheese fondue or wine and cheese flight at The Farmer’s Daughter, Sidney’s unique cheese and wine bar. Before calling it a day, satisfy your soul at one of Sidney’s outstanding spas, hairdressers or estheticians. Service providers are all licensed, professional and geared to meeting the needs of individual clients. Regardless of how you organize your day, enjoy your springtime outing in Sidney. For detailed information about each of these and other Sidney businesses, check out: sidneybia.ca
Shop You are investing in your community by supporting its unique businesses. App neighbourhoods different. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an inherent part of t of our neighbourhoods; that is what brought us here and will keep us here. Shop l to the merchants in your community. By supporting independent businesses toda unique and sustainable future for your community.
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Why grow plants from seed? BY ELIZABETH CULL, FRANCHISE PRESIDENT, DIG THIS e’ve already noticed local nurseries filling up with plant starts - some too tender to put outside just yet. But if you want more variety and also to save a little money, why not start your plants from seed? Dig This has a great selection of flower, herb and vegetable seeds from local suppliers. Now’s the time to get started. Here are my top five reasons for growing vegetables, herbs & flowers from seed:
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1. You get a greater selection. Most nurseries stock the basics, but if you want something a little different, you may need to start from seed. I love reading about the latest introductions of flowers, herbs and vegetables. West Coast Seeds has a new cilantro – Calypso - this year that promises to be slow to bolt, and a gorgeous looking new zinnia – Queeny Lime Orange. It’s fun to try new seeds.
Spring into action!
2. You get a bigger bang for your buck. A package of seeds costs about the same amount as a six-pack of flower or vegetable starts, but a seed package holds the promise of many more plants. Since most seeds, except for onion seeds, are good for three to five years, you save money over the long run with seeds. 3. Some plants don’t like to be transplanted. Cucumbers and squash don’t like to have their roots disturbed, and carrots and beets are too difficult to transplant. You’ll have more success with seeds when growing these types of plants. 4. You’ll have back-ups! If a late frost wipes out your new transplants, you can always start again from seed. No need to rush back to the nursery to search through the probably picked-over starts. 5. You get to experience the miracle. The thought that a tiny seed in combination with soil and water can produce a beautiful flower or a tasty tomato is amazing. Without seeds, we would lose many heirloom varieties and a huge part of our history. For more tips on starting plants from seed, visit digthis.com.
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rom frost and snow to temperatures in the 20s — talk about springing into action. At the end of February, I was deciding to hold off seeding things I’d normally start indoors under lights, and now I’m having to check my raised vegetable bed regularly to make sure the soil is moist enough to encourage germination. It’s obvious we’re all going to have to adapt and reconsider what has worked for us in the past. The good news is this: when the weather is ready, so are the plants. Rather than religously following planting guides, take a moment and consider the weather. What are the night time temperatures? Are they warm enough that anything I plant out will survive? Have I hardened off my seedlings? Is the soil warm enough for germination? Most seed packages and gardening guides provide information you need, such as don’t plant until night-time temperatures are 10 degrees, or wait until the soil temperature is. As with everything gardening, common sense and judgement are as important as rules in garden books. And if a sudden cold spell kills off some starts, well that’s just a good reason to try again. digthis.com.
Brown’s The Florist is your local choice for flowers and floral gifts. We are locally owned and passionate about the environment so we make a point of supporting our local growers and economy. We are open seven days a week and deliver from Sidney to Sooke and some of the Gulf Islands. Sidney: 250.656.3313 | 2499 Beacon Ave.
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Mary is an award-winning artist. She loves to paint and draw, and make pop-up books and paper mache sculptures. Her lifelong passion for art includes classes and workshops in many different forms of visual arts. artworksbymaryconley.com Admission is by donation. Refreshments served. Everyone welcome. Contact the Centre for details: 250-652-4611. centralsaanichseniorscentre.org Join the Centre for more activities. Meet new friends at whatever activities you enjoy – luncheons and teas, interesting speakers, fitness, dancing, card games and others, choir, crafts, bingo, Sunday socials.
To advertise in
The Peninsula Diverse by Nature contact: Ramona Maximuk rmaximuk@timescolonist.com 250-380-4414 Dianne Dallas ddallas@timescolonist.com 250-380-5264
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EINE KLEINE
Earth Day in the Gardens
Classical Summer Chamber Music Festival
Monday, Apr. 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP) WHAT BETTER PLACE TO CELEBRATE THE PLANET WE CALL ‘HOME’ THAN IN A GARDEN?
Meet and interact with earth-minded community groups, nonprofit organizations, green businesses and more at this enviro expo for all things eco. Admission is free and includes access to nine acres of demonstration gardens to inspire you, and interactive children’s activities to engage the next generation of environmental stewards. Extra fun elements! Interact with live critters from the Victoria Bug Zoo and feathered friends from Rent the Chicken. Get answers to all your plant and gardening questions from the Victoria Master Gardener Association. Hourly door prize draws from Butterfly Gardens, Nezza Naturals, Zero Waste Emporium, Whole Foods and more. 11 a.m. Creating Frog-Friendly Spaces in your Backyard or Garden
eight species of amphibians? At this exciting workshop with Paige Erickson-McGee, stewardship coordinator, you’ll learn more about local amphibian critters and how to create and enhance the ideal habitat for frogs and native wildlife, including food sources, shelter and nutrients. Thirty minute presentation in the main event space followed by a 15-minute walk in the gardens. 1 p.m. Pollinators and the Importance of Habitat and Native Plants Join Jenny Lotz, staff ecologist and outreach coordinator from Pollinator Partnership on an educational walk through the native plant garden and three-Bs (birds-bees-butterflies) garden. Learn about pollinators, bee identification and the importance of habitat and native plants. Meet at the Pollinator Partnership booth to join this 30-minute walk and talk. Parking complimentary but limited. Carpool or use alternative transport if possible. If the lot is full, use overflow parking. 505 Quayle Rd. hcp.ca
Did you know Saanich is home to
Eine Kleine presents a chamber music festival featuring some of the finest musicians from around the globe. The festival kicks off with performances on June 9 and 10 by Alana Despins, principal horn with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. Alana will be joined by the Muse Ensemble (Terence Tam, violin; Lorraine Min, piano; Laura Backstrom, cello). Alana will perform the Horn Trio by Brahms and Mélodies for Horn and Piano by Gounod. The Muse Ensemble will also be performing Beethoven’s Archduke Trio. June 16 and 17 sees the return of the highly talented Victoria quartet, the Muse Ensemble. Julian Vitek will join music directors Laura Backstrom and Lorraine Min, Kenji Fuse and Terence Tam for music by Dvofiák, Schubert, Stephen Brown and a unique piece by Elinor Dunsmuir – granddaughter of Robert Dunsmuir — the original builder of Craigdarroch Castle. Victoria’s own Timothy Chooi will perform on June 23 and 24, playing pieces
by Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Paganini and Mozart. Timothy will be joined by Lorraine Min on the piano and accompanied by Simon MacDonald, violin; Kenji Fuse, Felix Alanis, violas; Laura Backstrom, cello. The festival wraps up the weekend of June 29 and 30 with concerts by the New York-based Calidore String Quartet, with violinists Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, violist Jeremy Berry and cellist Estelle Choi. Calidore made international headlines as the winner of the 2016 and inaugural M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition, the largest dollar prize for chamber music in the world. Two Performance Locations
First Unitarian Church of Victoria Superior acoustics, an intimate atmosphere and a bright, modern concert facility in the country. Deep Cove Winery North Saanich winery is a terrific venue to enjoy chamber music the country on a summer evening. Winery concert tickets sell out fast. For details, visit: eksm.ca
“Calidore players are the epitome of confidence and finesse.” – Gramophone Magazine.
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Soil testing WHAT CAN IT TELL YOU? BY FAYE AT RUSSELL NURSERY ost of us don’t speak the language of soil, so we rely upon our plants to interpret. But sometimes, even the plants are unclear. “I’m not feeling well” is all we can read from
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them. Having your soil tested is the sure way to know what’s happening underground, and it’s an easy process that’s available locally. MATTICK’S FARM 123-5325 CORDOVA BAY RD. 250.658.3052 There are two levels of testing — just pH, or a full soil analysis. Soil pH is a measure of acidity and alkalinity, and can have a significant effect on plant health. A neutral We are Open pH of between 5.5 and 7 is the level at which nutrients in the soil are available for many of Easter Long Weekend our landscape plants to absorb. Our high rainfall tends to keep soil on the acidic end of the spectrum with lower pH. Most vegetable crops, however, like soil to It’s dogwood season. be more alkaline. Beets, for example, are very Beautiful in light sensitive to pH and won’t form bulbs if the pH is too low. shade, with spring Adding lime to the soil is the best way to raise the pH, but it helps to first know whether blooms and fall colour. you need to do this, depending on what you Come and pick one are growing. Generally, lawns and veggie beds need lime every year, with the veggies before they’re gone! preferably done in the fall at a rate of one pound of dolomitic lime per square yard.
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Bagged and labeled samples
Further analysis is available with a more detailed level of nutrient values. For most of us, just the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium measurement is all we need. This
is the NPK you see on fertilizer packages. Collecting soil samples is easy. The important thing is to gather it from the depth at which the plant roots will be reaching for nutrition — about 6 to 8 inches down. In any given garden area, take several samples at this depth, then mix them together in a bucket. Take about two cups of the mixed soil and put it in a clean, plastic zip lock bag — one bag per area. I was shocked to see how acidic my soil was, and it certainly explained those bulbless beets! Where to take your soil samples
Two choices are available locally: MB Labs in the Sidney industrial area offers different levels of testing — either just pH which is four bags (areas) for $20, or NPK analysis, with fertilizer recommendations for either organic ($48) or chemically ($37) fertilized soil. Email: info@mblabs.com or drop in at 2062 Henry Ave. W. in Sidney. Integrity Sales offers complete soil analysis for $60, including advice on what to do regarding fertilizer amendments and soil improvement. Located at 2180 Keating X Rd., just take your soil samples in and the results will be available in two to three weeks. We highly recommend both of these resources. They are reliable, accurate, and your plants will thank you for testing your soil. russellnursery.com
Spring Vintage Pop-up Shop Saturday, Apr. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hansell & Halkett spring pop-up shop highlight over 15 local businesses and artists. Vintage furniture and deco, locally made gifts and goods, cards, art, fresh bouquets and more. At Russell Nursery, 1370 Wain Rd.
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Things To See & Do
On the Peninsula Annual Easter Egg Hunt Sunday, Apr. 21, 1 to 2 p.m. Dominion Brook Park 8801 East Saanich Rd. in North Saanich Hop on over for some family fun. At the end of the hunt, trade your eggs for treats from the Easter Bunny. Activities include fun and games with the team from Panorama Rec. Free community event. Phone:778-679-0786 peninsulacelebrations.ca: Hook, Line and Sinker Stand-Up Comedy Friday, Apr. 26, 7 to 10 p.m.
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Ratfish Comedy presents Hook, Line and Sinker — a hilarious nights of stand-up comedy showcasing the talents of professional stand- up comics as well as a selection of handpicked, up-and-coming local talent. Catch some amazing, live stand-up comedy on the Peninsula at the McTavish Academy of Art, 1720 McTavish Rd. Community Movie Night in View Royal Tuesday, April 30, 7 – 9:30 pm View Royal Community Association presents Community Movie Nights. Films will aim to bring awareness and perspective to unique issues, uplift the human spirit or showcase the ability for people to make connections amidst our differences. Tuesday, April 23: Faith, Fraud, & Minimum Wage. Location: 279 Island Highway. Free/by donation. vrca.weebly.com