Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

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Local News

Summer Hours are Now in Effect at the Saanich Yard & Garden Drop-Off

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Summer has arrived early at the Saanich Yard and Garden Waste Drop-Off with longer hours on Mondays to meet the greater demand of residents during warmer weather months.
 
Summer Hours:
Monday – Open (9am to 8pm)
Tuesday to Saturday – Open (9am to 5pm)
Sunday and Stat Holidays – Closed
Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest drop-off days. So, residents may want to consider planning drop-offs during slower times such as late-morning and early-afternoon to avoid longer wait times.
 
You can check to see how busy the drop off area is on Saanich’s webcam

There are some restrictions on what can be dropped off.
 
YES:
leaves
tree needles / cones
grass clippings
plants
branches (no larger than 2m in length and 5cm in diameter)
 
NO:
soil, sod, tree root balls
ashes, rock, demolition wood
animal waste
 

Donations Wanted for QCHCA Free Store at Rutledge Park

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We are hosting a Free Store on Saturday, June 20th from 10am to 1pm benefiting neighbours and Women in Need (WIN).

What is a Free Store? It’s exactly like it sounds. Neighbours donate in demand, good condition items and can help themselves to anything they need from the store. No need to pay, barter, or trade. It’s neighbours helping neighbours with the abundance that already exists in our community.

Declutter and donate in demand household items.  Email <qchcatreasurer@gmail.com> to arrange advanced donations and to volunteer.

All remaining items at the end of the event will be donated to WIN to help women and families setting up new homes.

📍 Find us at the corner of Inverness and Glasgow opposite the Little Free Library at Rutledge Park. 🗺️

🚶‍♀️‍➡️🚶‍♂️‍➡️🚶‍➡️Come meet your neighbours, chat and enjoy some snacks and refreshments! We encourage you to bring your own cup and bag or box to help reduce waste.

 

In Demand Items:

🏷️  New and gently used kitchen ware

🏷️  Small, clean working kitchen appliances like microwaves and toasters 

🏷️  New, sealed socks and undergarments

🏷️  Good condition hats, purses, shoes, jewelry

🏷️  Arts and craft supplies and station items

🏷️  Spring – Summer adult/kids clothes

🏷️  Books and Toys

🏷️  Home decor and decorative items including small art pieces

🏷️  Antique, vintage and collectible items

We cannot accept:

🚫 Furniture

🚫 Furniture and large rugs

🚫 Car seats, helmets, strollers and plastic child safety equipment that has expired

🚫 Medical and health supplies

🚫 TV equipment older than 5 years

🚫 Day-of electronics donations – we need to test these in advance

🚫 Luggage

🚫 School binders

🚫 Out of season clothing

 

Summer Fire Safety

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May is in the books and it was one of the driest on record.

Of course, our thoughts turn to the increased risk of fires.

The weather station at the Victoria airport measured just 4.2mm of rain in May, which is only 12% of the normal amount. Usually we register 36.5mm, making it the third driest May on record.

What can you do to keep your home, neighbourhood and the environment safe as Summer approaches?

Find tips from the Saanich Fire Department at https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/community/fire-prevention-safety/summer-fire-safety.html

The Tale of a Fallen Oak Branch …

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From the Cedar Hill Urban Food Farmer’s (CHUFF) team.
A branch fell off your oak tree last Fall. It’s been on the ground for at least six months. You’ve been meaning to haul it to the Saanich yard.
 
In that time, it’s become an apartment building of sorts.
 
Year one: Fungi colonize the exposed wood. You can see the first brackets forming on the bark — small, shelf-like growths that are breaking down the lignin and cellulose inside. The branch is getting softer.
 
By year two or three: Beetle larvae have tunneled into the softened wood. Their galleries — winding channels the width of a pencil lead — aerate the interior. Woodpeckers find the branch and drill into it to extract the larvae.
 
By year five: A salamander has moved into one of the beetle galleries. She lives in the damp, rotting wood and hunts pill bugs, mites, and springtails on the surface. The branch is now a hunting ground and a shelter.
 
By year ten: The branch is mostly soil. The fungi, the beetles, the salamander, the woodpecker — they converted a fallen limb into nutrients that are feeding the tree it fell from.
 
🌿 A fallen branch is not debris — it’s a building under construction
🌿 If it’s not blocking a path, leave it where it fell
🌿 The fungi that colonize it aren’t disease — they’re decomposers doing their job
🌿 One fallen branch can support more than thirty species over its lifetime

Update on the Uptown-Douglas Pre-Zoning

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Update on the Uptown-Douglas Pre-Zoning & Network Design Project
 
This update comes from the the Mount View Colquitz Community Association (we are assisting them as they’re our neighbours across Blanshard Street).
 
The design includes a proposal to transition Oak Street into a pedestrian high street.
 
See the planning slideshow at https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/CCVs/UDP-Pre-Zoning-and-Network-Design-Presentation.pdf
 
Key dates are:
 
📅 Public engagement is ongoing until July 6, 2026. The engagement schedule is available below.
 
📅 Online Webinar #1, Thursday, June 4, 2026 from 7pm to 8:30pm
 
📅 Online Webinar #2, Friday, June 5, 2026 from Noon to 1:30pm
 
📅 Open House, Thursday, June 11, 2026 from 4pm to 8pm at Saanich Municipal Hall (770 Vernon Avenue)
 
📋Online Survey, open June 1, 2026 to July 6, 2026 on HelloSaanich 
 
Please take some time to take the survey and reserve a spot at one of the webinars at the above link. The Open House is does not require registration.

SCAN – Saanich Community Association Network

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In case you didn’t see the letter to the Editor in the May 24th issue of Saanich News, it’s about Saanich’s Community Associations and written by the President of SCAN – Hollis Hodson.   She encourages residents to attend the SCAN booth at the Uptown Multicultural Festival on June 21st to learn more about CAs and engage with neighbours.  QCHCA will be there.

Find out more about Community Associations in Saanich at https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/community/community-associations.html

Saanich Seniors Day Tax Info Sessions

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Property tax notices are in the mail and many of you may have received yours already.
 
Property taxes are due July 2, 2026.
 
If you’re a senior who has additional questions about all things taxes, you’re invited to drop by a Seniors Day Tax Info Session to learn the basics like general tax information, property tax deferment, and preauthorized payments.
 
Sessions are drop-in and held in Committee Room 2 at the Municipal Hall.
 
Registration not required.
 
Sessions will be held:
🪙 Monday, May 25 – 9am to 9:30am
🪙 Thursday, May 28 – 2pm to 2:30pm
🪙 Monday, June 1 – 9am to 9:30am
🪙 Thursday, June 4 – 2pm to 2:30pm
 

Sustainable Living in Seniors Homes in Saanich

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One Planet Saanich and OneEarth Living, in partnership with the District of Saanich, launched the One Planet Seniors initiative in 2025. This initiative is providing free support to Seniors home facilities (55+ strata, independent living and care homes) based in Saanich.
 
The initiative is currently inviting a small number of facilities to participate. Seniors from these facilities can also participate in a Seniors Advisory Circle, helping shape program activities and direction.
 
 
Complete the application form at click here

Hon. Nina Krieger, MLA – Contact Information & Services

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Nina Krieger is our MLA and represents Victoria-Swan Lake.
 
Did you know that there are many services provided by MLAs to their constituents on a non-partisan basis?

Things like:
Information: Explain how government policy impacts you and your family.
 
Advocacy: Advocate for your concerns at the BC Legislature, help you navigate government bureaucracy, resolve issues with provincial services.
 
Referrals: Help connect you with the community based resources and supports.
 
Promotions: The office can promote your community events through partners, newsletters, and on socials.
 
Recognition: Has someone in our community made a unique contribution? What about achieved a significant milestone like a birthday or anniversary? The office can send congratulations.
 
Office services: If you need to have documents printed or copied – or fax services – for government services, the office is there to assist you.
 
MLA Krieger’s constituency office is located at:
#100 – 3185 Tillicum Road
Victoria, BC V9A 0C7
 
Phone number is
250-356-5013
 

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association