Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

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New pedestrian crosswalk on Blenkinsop at Judge Place

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Coming soon!  A new pedestrian crosswalk on Blenkinsop at Judge Place!  We reported last August that the new crosswalk would be started in the Fall but have now heard from Saanich Engineering that construction will begin in mid-February and be complete by April.

The intersection of Blenkinsop and Judge is a connection point between the trails at Playfair Park and the network of pathways east of Blenkinsop Road that lead to Cedar Hill Park and beyond. Adding a pedestrian controlled traffic signal and other roadside improvements will enhance the safety and accessibility at the intersection, and encourage alternative forms of transportation.  The project will include “the installation of a pedestrian-controlled traffic signal at the intersection of Judge Place and Blenkinsop, sidewalk and accessibility improvements at the intersection, and bus stop improvements”.

Many thanks to the Judge Place residents and others who have pushed for a safe crossing for years and to Saanich Engineering who heard and are responding to the plea!  We look forward to the ‘christening’, date to be announced!

 

A stone poem for Rutledge Park

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    There are many hidden gems to be discovered in our area and Tina Familo’s “Stone Poem for Rutledge” is one of them.  Family, an interdisciplinary artist who loves storytelling of every kind, is “an artist, writer, educator and community animateur”.

Reacting to a call for submissions for public art that reflected ‘Sense of our Place’ when Rutledge Park was being redeveloped in 2004, she says she began by collecting stories, memories and neighbourhood history as well as undertaking formal research and created poetry to reflect the history of the neighbourhood. The poems were then carved onto eight granite stones from a local quarry which were then placed throughout the park to subtly enrich the beauty and meaning of this place.

Carey Newman’s Earth Drums “create music of and for the earth”

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A new permanent public artwork, commissioned by Saanich to commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary, was unveiled this past September at Cedar Hill Park.

Named ‘Earth Drums’, the work is by local artist Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme), who designed the artwork to engage people in reconciliation by asking them to change their relationship with the land. Three large “box drums”, intended to be played by hand, allow participants to interact with the artwork, creating music of and for the earth.

Newman is also the artist behind several other major artworks including the 12-metre-long Witness Blanket  which has become a national monument. Starting in 2012 he visited residential schools, churches, government buildings and cultural structures in 77 communities across Canada to collect 887 fragments of the residential-school era.  Talented in many media including wood, stone, gold/silver, gems, glass and painting, he is also a musician who studied piano at UVic and voice at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

Carey was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2017.  The following year, he was named to the Order of British Columbia and, more recently, was appointed the 6th Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Victoria, a three-year position.

Arts and culture

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If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to visit the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill Arts & Rec Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Road.  The two gallery spaces (main and cafe) have regularly changing exhibitions of artists’ work in varied media including sculpture, woodworking, textiles and the visual arts.  The Centre also offers programs for all ages and levels in visual arts, pottery, dance and performing arts.  In addition, spacious studios for ceramics, dance and visual arts are available.

 

Cedar Hill Park draft plan available soon

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There will be another opportunity for the public to provide input into an updated draft of the Cedar Hill Park Management Plan. The updated draft should be available for review and comment within the next several weeks.  The report will then undergo one last revision prior to being taken to Council for proposed endorsement.  The planning process and background documents are available on Saanich’s website and we will be posting the updated draft as soon as it is available.  Please continue to check this site for news and updates regularly.

Current development activity

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The last few months have seen an increasing number of development proposals and applications being submitted to Saanich for our local area.  At present, there are 29 active proposals on file with Saanich Planning, either within the boundaries of our Community Association or in an adjacent CA’s area.  Our CA process for handling development applications includes opportunities for developers to present their plans to the neighbouring community at a meeting that the CA co-hosts so questions and concerns can be raised and addressed.  Saanich’s process also includes the opportunity for the relevant Community Association to submit a letter to Planning about the application but residents are also encouraged to write directly to Planning and Council, cc’ing the QCHCA so we can incorporate your thoughts into our responses.

University Heights redevelopment

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Wesbild Holdings Ltd. has filed its application for redevelopment of the University Heights shopping centre with Saanich.  An Open House to unveil the updated plan was held on December 4 at the shopping centre.  The application is to redevelop a portion of the site as a mixed-use commercial/residential development including 528 rental units.  Existing and proposed site plans are posted on Saanich’s website, along with elevations, landscape and streetscape plans.  The development falls within the boundaries of the Gordon Head Residents’ Association but, because of its size and proximity to our and Mount Tolmie’s CA boundaries, QCHCA is also invited to comment to Saanich Planning.  If you have input/feedback, you are encouraged to write to Saanich Planning and Council and to cc QCHCA so we can incorporate your comments.

Quadra Corridor Plan delayed

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Major plans have been undertaken for the Uptown Douglas Corridor and the Shelbourne Valley and Saanich proposes to work with the community to create a Quadra Corridor plan as part of the Quadra and North Quadra Local Area Plan updating processes.  These processes are now ‘paused’ for approximately two years as a result of a Council decision on December 16 to focus on housing affordability and supply.  There is an existing Corridor Plan from 1996 and an ‘Ideas Plan’ that resulted from a design Charette conducted in May of 1998 but that was never adopted by Council.  These documents may provide useful background as we start to think about our updates.  You may also be interested in reading our last Local Area Plan dated March 2001.

BC Assessment releases 2020 figures for region

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According to a Saanich News article on the recently released BC Assessment figures for the region, “average assessments dropped by three per cent in both assessment areas of Saanich to $785,000 for homes inside the boundaries of School District 61 and $979,000 inside the boundaries of School District 63”. Property owners who want to challenge their respective assessments have until January 31 to file an appeal.  Property owners should check the various comparative tools available through BC Assessment.

President’s welcome . . .

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A belated Happy New Year and an enthusiastic welcome to QCHCA’s new website completely rebuilt by the volunteer effort of our website team and our members. Our investment of time and energy gives our community access to news, events, opportunities for involvement, easier membership options and more. Most of all, we hope it provides new and better ways of engaging with you and the issues you care about.

Creating this new website was a top priority for the Association as we faced increasing publication costs and delivery challenges with the Community Roots newsletter. Together with our Facebook page, we believe the site will provide a better and more timely source of information. We welcome your comments, ideas and contributions. Please email our editor: editor@qchca.org

QCHCA continued to be very active throughout the past year. Special thanks to the members of QCHCA’s Board of Directors and committee members. Their dedicated support of the QCHCA organization, funding, activities and events has delivered important services to our community:

  • met with residents, proponents and Saanich Planning on development proposals within and adjacent to our area
  • represented our neighbourhood desires, issues and concerns to developers and Saanich Planning on an increasing number of applications, large and small. These include Abstract’s proposal for an 83 unit development on Palmer at Quadra; Westbild’s proposal for redevelopment of University Heights; and the Nigel Valley redevelopment.
  • collaborated with Saanich to coordinate two very successful Music in the Park events at Rutledge Park;
  • wrote to and spoke at Council on development and land use, strategic planning, traffic-related issues, budget and other matters
  • hosted community meetings with speakers on a wide range of topics
  • engaged with Saanich Parks on the management plan for Cedar Hill Park
  • supported the Swan Lake Foundation on its ‘Give a Sheet’ campaign

Your support of QCHCA has been and continues to be what inspires us to do the work we do. We also rely on membership fees and continued volunteer support to sustain a vibrant, beautiful, engaged, peaceful and sociable neighbourhoods for all members of our great community.  Talk to us about how you’d like to get involved . . . we’d love to hear from you!

Susan Haddon, QCHCA President

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association