For all the fans of the BBC TV series ‘Dr Who’ in the 1960s, Tardis (the UK Metropolitan Police Box) has landed in a local garden. It flew in via a very large mobile crane.
Local News
Crosswalk improvements on Braefoot at Harrop
Saanich Engineering has advised QCHCA that it is “currently in the detailed design phase” of a crosswalk improvement project on Braefoot at Harrop, with construction anticipated to begin in late 2020.
The project includes wheel chair accessible curb drops at the existing crosswalk, a raised intersection, and pavement markings and signage.
For updates on this project, please visit www.saanich.ca/currentprojects.
Cedar Hill Park Management Plan going to Council October 19
The Cedar Hill Park Management Plan 2020-2040 will be going to Saanich Council for approval at its regular meeting on October 19. The report from Parks is part of Council’s agenda package and the item will be last on the evening’s agenda.
QCHCA wrote to Parks to share its views on an earlier draft and will speak at Council on the 19th. Members of the public are invited to phone in to the Council meeting to share their views but must register beforehand by emailing Council@saanich.ca or calling 250.475.5501 and stating your name, address and the date of the meeting at which you wish to speak.
As per Saanich’s website, “you must have access to a telephone, provided a telephone number that can be used to contact you, and an email address where instructions can be sent to you. Registration deadline is 12:00 p.m. noon on the day of the meeting.
Public input is also accepted via email at council@saanich.ca or received in the Municipal Hall mailbox up until noon on the day of the meeting.
An opportunity to phone in during the meeting will be available, please watch the web stream for details. All meetings are streamed live on https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/mayor-council/schedule-agendas-minutes.html”
Mural cleaning work party Monday, August 10 at 9am
Start your week off in a fun and productive way! Join us in cleaning the QCHCA mural on the northeast corner of Quadra at Tattersall. We will be there at 9 am on Monday, August 10 and welcome anyone to join us!
Bring your soft bristled brushes and any containers of water as possible. One suggestion is to bring it in old four-litre milk jugs. We will also need some warm soapy water for the initial washing. The mural-washing team ask you to please use your imaginations on how to transport without spilling!
Hope to see you there!!
Your QCHCA mural-washing team!
Message from Mayor Haynes
Hello Community Associations,
As we are about to go into the amazingly sunny celebratory weekend I wanted to touch base and say hi. As you can see from the various communications coming out of Saanich there have been numerous essential changes as we adjust to the reality of COVID-19. The number one job of Saanich right now is to ensure we’re doing all we can to keep our residents and our staff as safe as possible while maintaining the core essential services you need from the municipality.
You’ve seen a lot of our messaging on that so I won’t repeat it here. As we go into this celebratory weekend I would like to ask your help to message out this weekend to ensure we observe physical distancing, stay safe, stay local, and look out for each other.
The Province has concluded it needs to close the provincial parks. Some of the issues they have faced are overcrowding at car parks and trails, insufficient number of staff available to monitor and educate, and thirdly, the need to encourage people not to travel out of region, out of neighbourhoods, because of health and safety risks.
In Saanich we are keeping our parks open because of the benefits they bring to mental and physical health. We have 170 parks and 100’s of kilometers of trails and beaches. We hope very much to maintain access to all of these. Our ability to do that rests on us. How Saanich residents use the “behavioural vaccines” of social distancing and healthy behaviours to stay well.
Current information, including news releases and updates, service disruptions, and financial and community resources can be found on our website here: https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/news-events/covid-19-information.html.
On behalf of all our Council and our Staff, have a wonderful, sunny, healthy weekend.
Fred
Fred Haynes, Mayor
Covid-related changes at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary
Kathleen Burton, Executive Director of the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, has asked us to pass on information related to changes at the sanctuary necessitated by the Covid pandemic:
- PLEASE do not come to the Sanctuary if you are sick.
- The Nature House is CLOSED so there is NO access to washrooms.
- The parking lot is closed. PLEASE do NOT park on neighbouring streets as this is creating difficulties and unsafe situations for them and their families. If you can’t walk or cycle, consider getting your exercise in a park nearer your home.
- Please stay on the trails, allowing others to pass at a safe distance (6.5 ft minimum) where the trails narrow. Proceed in the direction indicated by trail signage
- Please do not bring your dog. Dogs are not permitted on Sanctuary grounds as per Saanich Bylaw No.8556.
Kathleen says staff are doing their best to try to keep the Sanctuary trails available as a place to spend time in nature during COVID-19 but they can only do so if people follow the Public Health Officers orders and respect the neighbours in and around the Sanctuary.“Without the support of the community, she says, “the Sanctuary may have to close to all visitors, including our neighbours. Thank you and stay safe.”
UVic seeking feedback re expanding Engineering and Computer Science facilities
The university in continuing to develop plans for expanded Engineering and Computer Science facilities on campus. Following the advice and recommendation of BC’s top health officials to support social distancing, community engagement for the project has shifted from an in person event to an online survey. The survey will be available online until Friday April 10th. Please find the survey at the following link: https://www.uvic.ca/
engineeringexpansionsurvey. Ad ditional project details can also be found on the project website: www.uvic.ca/ engineeringexpansion
Cedar Hill Rec Centre and Covid
The District of Saanich closed all Rec. Centres including Cedar Hill Arts and Rec Centre as announced on the Saanich website on March 23rd, 2020 to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus. More recently, people walking in the Park will have noticed closure of all access to the building and parking lot including the lower pedestrian bridge. One can still walk past the back of the Rec Centre on the Chip Trail.
As reported in Saanich News on April 8th, Island Health has taken over the CH Rec Centre as an ‘assessment clinic’ for people who have been referred by Island Health “for people who have more mild COVID symptoms but are not sick enough to attend the emergency department”. The facility is one of a number of assessment clinics in Victoria that operate as referral-only facilities. For information as to how to care for yourself if you develop symptoms visit Healthlinkbc.ca or to self access go to bc.thrive.health.
Pulling Together in Saanich
Come work your muscles and your mind with Saanich’s Pulling Together Volunteer Program. Volunteers work on high rocky outcrops, creek side forests, wetlands, wildflower meadows and waterways. This hands-on, inclusive, ecological restoration program has been in place since 1999 and is now active in 55 different parks and natural areas. Teams work with a lead steward in each park to remove invasive species, plant native trees and shrubs, improve wildlife habitat, plan and monitor the progress of ecological restoration work and to educate others about parks, invasive species and ecological restoration. To find out in which parks Pulling Together teams will be working and on which days and times, check here
