Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association

Connecting neighbours and building a vibrant community

News

CRD looking to borrow $35 million for Wastewater System Upgrades

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The CRD has initiated an Alternative Approval Process (AAP) to borrow the money to pay for the improvements for Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay, View Royal, Langford, and Colwood, along with the Xʷsepsəm (Kosapsum) and Songhees nations, which are serviced by the wastewater system.
 
If the AAP is successful, the CRD will use the loan to repair or replace aging infrastructure, including sewers, chambers, and manholes, and to upgrade the Shoreline Trunk Sewer, which collects wastewater from smaller municipal street pipes and conveys it to the treatment facility.
 
The total Core Area Wastewater capital plan for 2026–2030 is $100 million, up to $59 million of which is currently planned to be funded through borrowing.
 
Under an AAP, approval is granted unless at least 10% of affected residents submit a completed elector response form indicating they don’t agree. In this case, that would be 25,259 residents opposed.
 
AAPs are often used in BC—where voter approval is needed to advance major projects—instead of referendums, because they are cheaper. This AAP runs until the end of the day on July 31, 2026.
 
Elector response forms can be found here

Swan Creek Bridge Closure – now to June 26th

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The Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary is replacing the Swan Creek Bridge. The bridge is closed now and is expected to re-open Friday, June 26, 2026 (estimated).
 
During this time it will not be possible to complete the loop around Swan Lake.
 
This bridge replacement helps maintain the safety of the lake loop trail. For everyone’s safety, please obey all trail closures and signage during construction.

Tennis Courts at Cedar Hill Rec to close June 22 through July 3, 2026

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The tennis courts at the Cedar Hill Rec Centre will be closed for maintenance work from June 22 through July 3, 2026.
 
Saanich Parks, Recreation & Community Services appreciates your understanding and patience while maintenance of the facility is underway.
 
Find out more information – including other places you can play tennis – at https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/parks-recreation-community/recreation/schedules/racquet-sports.html#tennis

Information on Adapting, Managing and Planning for Extreme Heat

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The Capital Regional District (CRD) has set up a portal to provide information on adapting, managing and planning for extreme heat.
 
The Portal contains information and maps that will help residents explore and understand the capital region’s vulnerability and exposure to extreme heat.  Find information at https://heat.prepareyourself.ca/
 
The interactive Regional Heat Map highlights areas vulnerable to extreme heat. Explore temperature maps from the 2021 extreme heat event at https://heat.prepareyourself.ca/pages/regional-heat-map
 
Find ways to prepare for an extreme heat event (similar to the one we had in 2021) at https://www.prepareyourself.ca/hazards-our-region/extreme-heat

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
 

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

Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association