Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

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Come and learn what all the buzz is about . . .

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Free, family-friendly pollinator mapping workshops & guided walks.

1 in 3 bites of food we eat depends on pollination. Pollinator habitat is diminishing and fragmented but together we can be part of the solution. Join this QCHCA citizen science initiative to support pollinators in our neighbourhoods.

If you participated in November’s workshop, we want you back! In these sessions students from UVic’s Community Mapping course will

  • show us how to use iPhones and iPads to plot existing pollinator-friendly habitat
  • get us outside to I.D. plants that pollinators love, then plot and upload that habitat data with photos and notes onto the interactive community map.

WHY? With your help we plan to plot existing pollinator-friendly habitat – Cedar Hill Park, garry oak outcroppings, stream ways, school yards, gardens, and more. Once mapped, the habitat gaps are identifiable and planting of pollinator corridors can begin. Imagine insects and butterflies feasting / resting along a pollinator corridor from Cedar Hill Park to Swan Lake along your street and beyond!  For more on Why Pollinators? https://qchca.org/why-pollinators-copy/

SATURDAY, MARCH 18 from 10 am – noon at THE CEDAR HILL REC CENTRE, Art Room 2. At this event, we will have a demonstration of the map and how to add information to it.  We will then break into small groups and go outside to search for and input our pollinator or pollinator-friendly species onto the map.  We’ll then return to the Art Room to see what our collective findings look like on the map while enjoying tea and homemade cookies.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25, from 10 am – noon at THE SWAN LAKE NATURE SANCTUARY teaching centre.  There will be similar content to the March 18 event followed by guided walks in small groups searching for pollinators, and the species they rely on, that we’ll upload to the map from the field. We will head back to the teaching centre to share our findings, a Q&A and a snack.  As this event is one week later and in a different environment, those who’ve attended the March 18 session will likely discover different pollinators and plants keeping this session interesting.

For more information, email qchca3003.

If you have one – bring your iPhone or iPad.

We hope to see you at one or both of the events!

 

 

 

 

Presentation slides for proposed development at 760 Tolmie

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We have yet to learn about dates, times and locations for neighbourhood meetings for the proposed development at 760 Tolmie, which is within the Mount View Colquitz boundaries but as QCHCA’s boundaries are so close, we will also be included in the consultation and asked to share our views.  In the meantime, click here to see the presentation slides of the proposed development.

Input to Saanich’s draft 2023 budget

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The District of Saanich Council encourages you to use their budget education tool to see the breakdown of how your property tax dollars are used to fund Saanich’s programs and services, and for you to provide your feedback on the draft 2023 annual budget prior to the final adoption.

As you advance through the process of building your ideal budget, please keep in mind the “My Municipal Taxes” bill represents ONLY the Muncipal Operations portion of your property tax bill, and that the figures presented do not include additional amounts that are also levied through property taxation for other organizations.

The draft 2023-2027 Financial Plan that Council will deliberate can be found here:

These documents will also help you understand how municipal budgets work:

Here is the budget education tool, only open UNTIL MARCH 24.

2023 ‘One Planet’ contest for Middle and Secondary School students

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The Capital Regional District, District of Saanich and City of Victoria are very pleased to invite all Middle and Secondary School students (Grade 6-12) in Greater Victoria to participate in the One Planet Living Student Challenge.

This One Planet BC contest is led by OneEarth Living (a BC non profit organization) in collaboration with the Capital Regional District, District of Saanich and the City of Victoria.

Students can enter submissions that share places, activities and things in our community that help us with One Planet Living. This is about increasing our health and happiness, enjoying sustainable food, getting around by walking, biking and busing, going zero waste, and more.

Key details:

  • Middle school students are invited to submit illustrations and secondary school students are invited to submit videos or illustrations. English or French are both welcome!
  • Submissions will be accepted until April 28, 2023.
  • Winners will receive cash prizes and participate in a June celebration event and showcased on the One Planet BC website, noted below.
  • For full contest details (and to see submissions from last year’s challenge) visit:
    https://oneplanetbc.com/one-planet-student-challenge/

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.”

Saanich a Bird Friendly City plus – Annual Christmas Bird Count activities Dec 17

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As environmental champions review what’s being lost and what may yet be gained from the world-wide Biodiversity Conference in Montreal this past week, some of us are looking back on the year 2022 asking: how are we doing here at home with our community conservation efforts? Can we count any successes this year? The answer is Yes !

2022 was the year Saanich earned Nature Canada designation as a Bird Friendly City, one of just nine such cities certified so far in Canada.

To earn certification, the District of Saanich worked in collaboration with Nature Canada’s partners including Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary to make our municipality a safer and better place for bird populations to thrive.

Why? Because birds play an essential role in maintaining healthy, resilient ecosystemsto say nothing of having as much intrinsic value as any other species on the planet some would claim. There are three billion fewer birds in North America today than 50 years ago. And 4.2 billion more humans. Much of the decline in bird populations is due to human activity. As urban expansion continues, says Nature Canada, we must act quickly to ensure birds and their habitat are protected.

What can we do?

• Reduce human-caused threats to birds – roaming cats, our use of pesticides, and glass treatment on buildings with large windows.
• Create bird-safe environments – restore and protect natural habitat, promote landstewardship.
• Celebrate the rich bird life we have in our community.

To become a Bird Friendly–certified city a Bird Team was created with Phaedra Otwey Community Education Assistant at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary leading Saanich’s team.

That Saanich has been “certified a Bird Friendly City with Nature Canada – the first one on Vancouver Island – is beyond exciting,” says Phaedra. The process to certification revealed all of the incredible action that this district has and is taking towards the conservation and protection of birds, wildlife, and our incredible ecosystems. It also demonstrated just how many dedicated people and organizations in our community are working hard to continue making Saanich as beneficial and safe to wildlife as it is to us. This has been a truly inspiring initiative to be a part of and I am so thrilled that it will connect so many more people to the wonderful world of birds! This certification is only the beginning of Saanich’s commitment to birds. I’m so excited to see what will come next!”

Eva Riccius, on the BirdTeam in her role as Saanich Senior Manager of Parks says, “This initiative fits directly with our Natural Intelligence program which encourages every resident to have a positive connection with nature locally. We’re excited about raising awareness of birds in Saanich and sharing some actions that residents can take to increase our bird friendliness.”

What’s next?  

Dec 17 Christmas Bird Count for Kids. Drop in, Beckwith Park between 1 and 3 p.m.Meet near restrooms for guided walk in the park. Last walk starts 2:30 pm. 

Dec 17 Participate in Greater Victoria’s Annual Christmas Bird Count, even from your own backyard. ChristmasBirdCount.ca to find a team or for backyard feeder form.

Coming up –

Friends of Cedar Hill Park Bird Count update.

 

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association