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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!

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.

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:

• Draft 2023-2027 Financial Plan (The main budget document. This includes details for the core budget)

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

• Understanding how financial planning works in Saanich
• Understanding the budget process 

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