Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

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Local News

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
 

Neighborhood Bikeways Identification and Prioritization – Survey

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The District of Saanich is looking for input for the Neighbourhood Bikeways Identification and Prioritization project.
 
 
The survey closes on June 7, 2026.
 
If you don’t have access to Hello Saanich – it’s easy to create an account.
 

Recycle Household Soft and Flexible Plastics & Foam Packaging

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The Capital Regional District (CRD) now has more free, accessible locations to recycle household soft and flexible plastics, and foam packaging.
 
From May through October, the Beyond the Curb program will be accepting these materials at select community markets, making it easier than ever to recycle items that aren’t accepted through the curbside blue box program or through most apartment recycling programs.
 
The following markets will be hosting CRD’s Beyond the Curb Recycling Pop-up Depot. More locations will be added throughout the season. Check back often for updated information at https://www.crd.ca/news/crd-launches-beyond-curb-flexible-plastics-and-foam-packaging-drop-offs
 
Victoria
James Bay Market: Saturdays 9am – 3pm from May 9 to October 3
Moss St. Market: Saturdays 10am – 2pm from May 9 to October 31
 
You can continue to take your soft plastics and foam packaging to Hartland, if that’s a better fit for you and your family.

Let’s keep recyclables out of the landfill! For more information on how to dispose of household waste at https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/garbage-recycling/what-goes-where

Mural Cleanup – Quadra at Tattersall

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From the Saanich News – May 12, 2026.  Reported by Nikhil Nikhil.
 
Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association members gathered Monday morning (May 11th) to clean and maintain a community mural on Quadra Street that has helped deter graffiti for more than a decade.
 
Five volunteers worked from 10:30am to Noon clearing weeds, dirt and grime from the retaining wall and surrounding area near Tattersall Drive and Quadra Street (beside an old bus bay).
 
The roadside mural was installed in 2013 after the site was repeatedly targeted by graffiti. Volunteers said the artwork has remained largely untouched since it was painted.
 
“This is the second time that we’ve done a cleanup here,” said John Schmuck, past president of the association. “We did a cleanup here about five years ago, but it was time again.”
 
Volunteers trimmed overgrown vegetation, swept debris and cleaned the mural as part of an effort to brighten the public space and preserve a neighbourhood feature.
 
Chris Bartlett, a member of the association’s leadership team, said the mural continues to be an important part of the community streetscape.
 
The mural project was proposed by two residents who had the idea and helped secure funding for the project.
 
Before the mural was installed, the retaining wall had been repeatedly tagged with graffiti, the association said. Since the artwork was completed, volunteers say vandalism at the site has significantly decreased.
 
“I think people always prefer to have some beautiful artwork instead of graffiti,” Schmuck said.
 
The mural was funded by a grant from Ron and Betty Otke. Steve Milroy – of Steve Milroy’s Wonderworks – was the amazing artist who created the mural.
 
Over 5 garbage cans full of greenery were removed and taken to the Saanich Yard for composting.
 
Bartlett also encouraged residents to attend the Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association’s annual general meeting on May 26th at 7pm at the Cedar Hill Rec Centre. District of Saanich planner Carl Purvis will be the featured speaker.
 
Volunteers participating are: C. Bartlett, K. Bartlett, B. Harmston, R. Harmston, and J. Schmuck.

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association