Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

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Elizabeth May to host a community meeting at Reynolds School theatre 7 – 8:30 pm THURSDAY, Jan 12

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Elizabeth May will be hosting a community meeting at Reynolds School in the theatre on Thursday, January 12 from 7 – 8:30 pm.  The focus of the meeting is for us to discuss issues important to the residents of Saanich-Gulf Islands and for her to tell us about her parliamentary work in Ottawa.  If the date doesn’t work for you, she will also be holding a session at the Mary Winspear Centre on Saturday, January 14 from 7 – 8:30 pm.

QCHCA Board member Philip Marciniak successfully tests new bike plow

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B.C. man creates bike-mounted plow to blast through the snow

Philip Marciniak was motivated by a desire to get Vietnamese food during a snowfall

CBC News ·

A man sits on a cargo bicycle with two shovels attached to the front using plywood. They are surrounded by heavy snow.

Philip Marciniak rigged a pair of plows to the front of his electric cargo bike to get through the heavy snow.(Supplied by Philip Marciniak)
While many roads across southern B.C. were rendered impassable by a heavy snowfall Tuesday, an enterprising cyclist was out clearing paths and sidewalks with a homemade, bike-mounted snow plow.

Phil Marciniak lives in Saanich, a few kilometres north of Victoria, and for his job repairing appliances uses an electric cargo bike to get around.

But navigating snow-covered sidewalks can be difficult, so last year, he started experimenting with different front-mounted plows to help clear his path.

After a few prototypes, he arrived at his current strategy of attaching two shovels angled outward to plywood mounted onto his cargo hold.

“It works pretty well, I’m surprised,” he told CBC On the Island guest host Kathryn Marlow.

Watch | Philip Marciniak blasts through the snow:

B.C. man creates bike plow to blast through the snow

Philip Marciniak of Saanich, B.C., didn’t let an unusually heavy snowfall stop him from hitting the road.

Marciniak — who also has an electric bike business — cycled several kilometres during a heavy snowfall Monday, motivated by a desire to pick up Vietnamese food from a favourite restaurant.

At one point, he reached speeds of over 20 km/h as snow flew to either side of him.

He tried it out again Tuesday after more than 30 centimetres of snow hit his community, and again, it was a success.

Marciniak said he tried to stick to separated bike lanes and paths to avoid interfering with traffic.

“I don’t want to be anywhere near cars in the snow.”

Commuters urged to have patience

An unusually large amount of snow has hit Vancouver Island and B.C.’s South Coast, causing chaos for travellers of all sorts.

Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said crews were out clearing streets through the night and urged residents to stay home where possible.

He also asked people to do their part in clearing sidewalks — though it’s not clear he had Marciniak’s bike-mounted solution in mind.

Marciniak said while he’s not sure the bike plow would be a viable replacement for specialized clearing equipment, he plans to continue using it to get around.

But he joked he might be persuaded to clear paths on request so long as the right meal was waiting at the end.

“I will plow for food, definitely.”

Presentation of proposed 975-985 MCKENZIE AVE. + 982-988 ANNIE ST development

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A neighbourhood meeting by John Bourcet, Construction Manager, and Koka Architects for 975-985 McKenzie and 982-988 Annie Street was co-hosted by QCHCA on November 9 at the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.  Slides from the presentation are here.  For information on Saanich’s Development Application process, please see Development tab above.

 

 

CRD’s Environmental Services’ ideas for a gift-giving season with less waste

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December is known as the month of festivities and traditions. You’re likely to put up decorations, get together with friends and family, and exchange gifts. These are all fun and exciting activities that can be adapted just a little to make sure we create less waste.

Are you charged with the holiday spirit and ready to decorate your house and tree? Instead of buying new ornaments or decor, opt for second hand alternatives or even better, put your DIY skills to practice. Craft new decorations that are symbolic to you. Create puzzle wreaths and a cork star ornament, or new stockings made out of old sweaters.

Getting together with family and friends is always a good excuse to go all out with food. It is easy to go overboard with quantities, and inevitable to have leftovers. To reduce food waste this season you can:

  • Transform your leftovers into new dishes. For example, your juicy turkey can be turned into a turkey and veggie soup that will keep you warm this winter season.
  • Couldn’t eat it all? Make the most out of your freezer. Don’t throw away that nice ham, bread rolls or stuffing. Freezing it will ensure you can enjoy it all again at a later date.
  • Lastly, sharing is caring. Don’t be afraid to send your guests home with some leftovers or even share with your neighbors who may or may not be great at cooking.

Gift giving can be challenging when you want to show your appreciation to friends and family. Make your life easier by making something yourself. You will be sharing your unique skills and creating something custom especially for them. This can be some cookies in mason jars, or some coasters made out of old magazines, both accompanied by a lovely note. Don’t think you’re crafty enough and want to purchase something instead? It is always a good idea to ask for a wish list. People will still be surprised with what you choose, and even better, they will use it! And remember, presents don’t have to be material things. The best things in life are often experiences and thankfully annual passes can be tailored to tastes. Passes to the museum, to a rec center, or to Butchart Gardens are all very thoughtful and can be enjoyed thought the year. Another way to gift experiences is by giving quality time. A movie date voucher, a special dinner or a camping trip in the summer can help you stay connected with your loved ones to share not just ‘things’ but your valuable time.

Want more ideas on how to reduce waste this holiday season? Visit www.crd.bc.ca/memories

Walk/roll map – help identify areas of safety concern for pedestrians and cyclists

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WalkRollMap.org is a crowdsourcing tool for mapping micro barriers to accessible walking and rolling. What is a micro barrier? Anything that makes it harder (or maybe even impossible!) to walk or roll safely or comfortably in your community. It might be a missing crosswalk, uneven payment, or unplowed snow. Whatever it is that is getting in your way, or missing (e.g. bench or washroom) we want to know what it is and where! Mappers can also report if they’ve been hit while walking or rolling, had a near miss, or a fall.

WalkRollMap.org is brought to you by the team that developed BikeMaps.org, a crowdsourced tool for mapping bicycling safety incidents and has been created with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Have a look and identify your areas of concern here

Frequently Asked Questions

How will my data be used?

Data is available for cities and advocacy groups interested in better walking and rolling environments in your community. We are also a team that does active transportation research and will use the data to better understand barriers to safe, accessible, and equitable walking and rolling.

How do I sign in?

You do not need to create an account to report a barrier or an incident.

Is my data anonymous?

Yes, we don’t ask for any identifiable personal information. We do ask demographic questions to help us understand who we have reached and whose information is missing. As well, people may experience their environment differently based on gender or race and so this is important data to collect.

Is your data open?

Yes, the data collected on WalkRollMap.org is open. If you have any problems downloading the data, please get in touch by contacting us at info@walkrollmap.org.

How can I get involved?

We would love your help getting the word out to pedestrians in your community. Consider sharing the project with friends, connecting us with a group in your community that represents mobility limited people, or host a mapathon to get people in your local area mapping.

Is there a tutorial on how to make a report?

Yes! Here’s a link to a how-to video: https://youtu.be/xl4mwfglA_0

Presentation by Alanna McDonagh, Saanich Senior Planner

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QCHCA hosted a well-attended presentation and question and answer session by Saanich’s Senior Planner, Alanna McDonagh, on Tuesday evening, October 25 at Reynolds School in the library.  The presentation and Q&A session were about the Quadra McKenzie corridor, centre and village planning process, which is at the very early stages.  Attendees had many questions about scope, timing and development-related issues and shared some suggestions with Alanna and her colleague, Matt Blakeley.  Her presentation is here.  She stressed that they are at the very early stages of the process and that there will be more engagement opportunities as the process unfolds.  You can also sign up on the project website to be kept updated.

Your input sought on Saanich citizen and business survey

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Citizen and Business Survey

Saanich conducts the citizen and business surveys every four years following the start of a new council term. Randomly selected residents and businesses are asked questions about municipal service delivery, safety and quality of life in Saanich, value for taxes and Council decision making among others. They ask that you please consider participating in the statistically valid survey if you receive an invitation by mail or telephone.

Online survey

Saanich also has an opportunity for all residents to provide input on a variety of topics. From October 24 to November 27, residents can complete an online survey, which includes similar questions to the statistically valid citizen survey:

https://securesurveys.gov.bc.ca/saanichsurvey

The online survey closed November 27, 2022 at midnight.

New pedestrian crosswalk on Saanich Road at Leslie Drive

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The District of Saanich is undertaking a crosswalk project at the intersection of Saanich Road at Leslie Drive. The project scope includes upgrading the existing sidewalk on the west side of Saanich Road between Leslie Drive and Swan Street, a newly painted pedestrian and bike crossing at Saanich Road and Leslie Drive (North intersection), and the removal of the existing bus stops.

The District of Saanich has identified this section of road in the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) as need- ing pedestrian improvements. The current condition of the sidewalk is uneven and narrow, and there is also a strong desire from the community to have a crosswalk that connects pedestrians and cyclists from Tolmie Park to Swan Lake and the Lochside Trail. This project will fulfill recommendations in the ATP and calls for service we’ve received over the years.

Delays may occur in this area during construction. Construction will occur Monday-Friday during busi- ness hours. Property owners who this project will di- rectly impact will be notified to expect delays while construction happens. Throughout construction, garbage and recycling services will continue.

Project Timeline

Saanich is currently completing the detailed design phase of the project.  Initially construction was to begin in the spring of 2023 but they are now preparing to begin construction in September and to last approximately two (2) months. For updates on this project, please visit www.saanich.ca/currentprojects.

 

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association