Jeff Bateman - Blog

Tonight @ Council

4/13/2015

Interesting agenda at Council tonight. Jeff Zigay should have no trouble getting a bylaw change for the upper half of his key parcel of land in what will one day/someday be our new waterside downtown. It's encouraging to see how planners Tara Johnson and Katherine Lesyshen have referenced the OCP and Town Centre Plan while recommending a four-storey restriction on construction ... all the better "to preserve a more pedestrian-friendly character and small-town environment while still achieving the desired density and vitality." YES!  

Also up for discussion tonight is a request by electric-vehicle advocates for support in a campaign to get rough-ins for EV charging stations enshrined in the building code. I imagine the new team is onside with this one, unlike three years ago when the then-council rejected rough-ins for solar hot water. Sooke was the lone CRD municipality to say no, and we did so because the Land Use Committee of the day figured it was one hassle too many for local builders. Duh! Cue the head slap and my first in a series of Damascus conversions that made me want to get involved in local governance.  

I'm also keen to hear from Mayor Tait and councillors Kasper, Logins and Parkinson about the Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities convention this last weekend. I know a series of tanker & pipeline resolutions (Sooke's included) passed with vast majority support (thank you for the in-person coverage, Mary Brooke). Yet what did our elected reps learn at seminars and in break-out sessions? Who'd they network with while sharing the good word about our little town and its aspirations to be a more active player in Island life? What lessons did they come home with that can be applied locally? Full disclosure, maybe even written "What I Did During My Convention" reports, are the only way to silence the vocal minority that is forever whinging on about the cost of these excursions.  

That said, on the communications front, kudos to the Mayor for giving us the first of what I imagine will be an ongoing series of quarterly progress reports. I'm loathe to post a link to the Sooke News Mirror given last week's truly lame cartoon and the paper's last two editorial misfires (who writes those things? Surely not Pirjo Raits, who over the years has produced so many great arts & community pieces while also consistently giving essential space to this, that and the next big-hearted local initiative). Anyway, as far as can tell, it's the one place you can find the Mayor's letter (plus there's a bonus broadside from council candidate Mark Whiteson in the comments), so here you go ...

My CGI Dreams for Sooke

4/13/2015

Hello all (or, the few who see this blog), I'm back with my first post since the election. I wrote this in draft form in early December and it sat unposted until today.

"Yes (sigh, oh well, such is life), I finished out of the money: Seventh overall, 1783 votes in total (thanks kind folks, I'm deeply grateful for the support) and yet still 24 pencil marks short of a seat at the council table. My personal disappointment, however, is mitigated entirely by the fact that Maja Tait won the mayor's race so convincingly and is now in a position to launch a new era. Better still, she'll be backed by a team featuring six individuals with 15 terms in elected office and more than 160 years of Sooke residency amongst them.

Before closing the book on this episode of my happily eventful life, here's the wish list of priorities, maybes, possibilities and why-the-heck-nots that I assembled while trying to get my thoughts in order before the candidacy filing deadline. Some points are absolutely do-able, others reveal a naive citizen dreaming large and unrealistically, taxpayers be damned. No wonder I didn't get elected ...

Draft Platform/Vision (in no particular order)

Celebrate the fact that Sooke is already perfectly imperfect as it is … while also entering its adolescence as a municipality in good financial shape with excellent community plans in place, a solid Corporate Strategic Plan, and the promise of much focused, realistic growth in the decades ahead with an eye on what this community could be like seven generations from now. Avoid negativity and ‘what if’ and ‘what should have been’ thinking at all costs.

1. Official Community Plan five-year review and update (keep it simple … single weekend intensive only by an appointed group of citizens who will re-examine the 2010 plan and report back at a community open house. Simple, direct process. Done & dusted. Onward.)

2. Consensus and non-violent communications workshops for new mayor and council (in addition to any municipal governance education programs required for newbies). Ongoing process with refreshers over the term of council. Use in public meetings of consensus-building flash cards of the kind used at Harbourside Cohousing.

3. Attract a post-secondary institution to town – advanced trades, artisan craftsmanship. Town’s history is fishing, logging & farming, so educational focus could be on aquaculture, managed small-lot forestry, fine carpentry, food production …. alternative energy, wildcrafted furniture etc.. Options: satellite campus for RRU, Camosun, Van Isle University. EMCS programs now underway w. Camosun connection.

4. Continue to celebrate and utilize existing community organizations as is now done. Find effective ways to utilize our talent pool of elders and skilled retirees hereabouts as mentors, teachers and volunteer project leaders.

5. Re-empower, enable and motivate DOS staff. Currently understaffed by five positions. Council and mayor must fully value these individuals, listen closely to their professional expertise, and work in a collaborative, cooperative relationship. Goal: Retain existing talent, recruit more.

6. DOS takes proactive stance in promoting town core density and mixed use business. Active wooing of favoured Built Green developers. Discourage further satellite housing development outside core and encourage build-out of the 3500 already approved building permits.

7. Work in unison with T’Sou-ke Nation (aka Solar City, just one of three in Canada) in making Sooke Vancouver Island’s most progressive alt.energy municipality. Celebrate existing alt.energy start-ups and encourage more to relocate here.

8. District involvement in and commitment to the purchase of the Wright farm on Helgeson Rd. – essential green space that can serve as a corridor from town to Sun River and onwards to the one-day Galloping Goose connector. Preservation of working farmbelt for future generations.

9. Sooke Incubator and Sooke Commons proposals … Council to encourage and DOS staff to help coordinate in making these vital proposals happen ASAP.

10. Coordinated, systematic development of John Phillips Memorial Park as a multi-use active park. Possible features: Rotary Trail, horseshoe pitch, stocked fish pond, off-leash dog area + more. Revisit the 2006 master plan and reopen for public input. Fate of Mulligans? Need for parking spots.

11. Hiking/biking trail network formalized west of Otter Point Rd. to Maple via Gatewood and past the pioneer cemetery, then proper sidewalk along the road to Prestige. Essential service for residents and visitors alike.

12. Promotion of Farm Village bylaw (as proposed by Guy Dauncey) + incubator farms through Sooke Farmland Trust Society

13. Fate of Wilford Farm? A heritage, historically significant farm property in Sooke. The barn is an excellent concert and community venue as proven by Philharmonic’s performance there last summer. Adjacent to water treatment plant, contiguous with T’Sou-ke Nation land – T’Sou-ke Nation has cash to purchase the land and is considering it if the Wilfords bring down their asking price.

14. Downtown revitalization focused on Eustace/Shields block & utilizing Community Centre & Legion – paint jobs and renos of existing buildings, street closures, music events, summer block parties (businesses open), formal home for the Country Market. (PARKING ISSUES)

15. Sooke Community Assoc. sports fields expanded to DeMamiel Creek Golf Course. Perfectly located for Poirier and Journey Middle School.

16. Integrated SRTA, District of Sooke and Tourism Van Isle promotion (i.e., Sooke's visitor guide and regional marketing effort would both be handled through same agency to ensure creation of a uniform marketing message and imaging).

17. Sooke Region Potholes – work with the CRD to ensure it remains in safe conservation-minded hands. Also ensure that the campground is open next year, perhaps operated privately while the TLC works through its financial issues.

18. Mariner’s Village seafront park/view point … DOS purchase, in due course, of the handful of homes sited east of the development … in so doing, creating a green space/park leading down towards the water. A truly world-class viewpoint within an hour of the Inner Harbour. A spot for daytrippers to enjoy the views and linger in town.

19. Pursue the possibility of community amenities from town’s leading developers – i.e., scenic Juan de Fuca viewpoint spots in the upper reaches of Stone Ridge and Erinan Estates.

20. Water fountain, clock tower (perhaps mounted on a new-look version of the logging pole) and tourism kiosk at Evergreen Mall. Public toilet facilities here too?

21. Adoption of CRD Model Pesticide Use Control Bylaw

22. Car pooling/rideshare initiatives + scenic bus promotion with BC Transit. Park & Ride lot on town’s west side.

23. Much better communications from Mayor and council to the public … newsletters, monthly News Mirror and Voice News columns.

24. District website requires readable, short-form synopses of the community plans currently available only in full PDF format. More active use in general of social media (the Twitter feed is used only for road closures and emergencies at the moment + no Facebook page exists). Crucial: Website needs to promote, showcase and profile district staff as much as the Mayor & council. This hierarchical ‘power-over’ relationship between council & staff needs to end immediately.

Aug. 15/2014
JB

It takes a community ...

11/11/2014

Over at my campaign Facebook page, Sooke voter Christina Moog asked me (and likely other candidates too): What does "community" mean to you? What is the role of local government as it pertains to "community"?

Here's my answer ...

"Hi Christina, local government delivers essential services that make any functional hometown tick ... land-use planning and regulation, roads, police and fire protection, recreation and culture, water treatment and supply, waste collection, and civic services (business licences, signs, animal control). That's job one as defined by the Local Government Act.

Yet in my opinion, staff and council also must go beyond these basics to nurture, encourage, promote and support community projects and initiatives. District staff and elected reps can help facilitate connections, create partnerships, share expertise, and work in tandem with our community organizations. It shouldn't just be a matter of cutting cheques for those who request funding. Sidewalks and roads matter big-time, of course, yet a community is more than the sum of its parts and I think City Hall should be a significant part of our town's "heart and soul" (as the Sooke Voice News quoted me as saying at the first all-candidates meeting). Thanks for the question."

I then followed up with another post featuring a more personal answer ...

"One more time: What does community mean to me? Family, friends and the circles of people I spend time with locally and elsewhere. The extended family I hang out with at the Stick and Ahimsa Yoga. All those familiar if nameless faces we all encounter at every turn in this small, friendly town (which is such a delight for me compared with the anonymity of living in large urban centres). As the EMCS Society's Anne Bell has said at board meetings when we discuss school initiatives like the "Munch Card" (which provides lunch vouchers to needy kids) and the Play and Learn Summer Camp (for slow learners): It takes a village, and no one should be left behind. That's the measure of community for me."

I'll also take this opportunity to add a wise note from an overseas friend who sent me a real, actual, honest-to-god handwritten letter that arrived via the post some months ago: "If I had the magic powers I so richly deserve, I would probably change only two things and they would be the human burdens of loneliness and isolation."

Community is what brings us out of our caves and gives us what we need: connection, conversation, an opportunity to see and be seen, hear and be heard, and to give and receive the rich, full, sometimes challenging, always rewarding and enlivening benefits of each other's company. Let's have more of it!

Looking Glass: Sooke News Mirror Q&A

11/6/2014

Cheers to the Sooke News Mirror for its election coverage, and I invite you to check out the answers to these three questions (maximum 75 words) from all the candidates online at the Mirror's website. I posted my answers to the Sooke Voice News questions earlier on this blog. Here's the link to the full selection of SVN replies from the candidates.

1. What is your vision for Sooke?

Short-term: Focus on essential needs such as sidewalks, streetlights, parking, road development, business initiatives, and health and emergency services. District campaign to woo targeted builders, businesses and residents.

Mid-term: Steady enactment of fiscally sound aspects of existing community plans, especially those focused on the town centre and community resilience/sustainability.

Long-term: A harbour-facing village known for its postcard beauty, affordability, family appeal, alt.energy initiatives, cultural life, productive farmbelt, home-based businesses, tourism, and diverse hills/harbour recreation.

2. What would you do differently than the last council?

Ensure better communications mechanisms linking council to the community at large and vice versa. Councillors must provide detailed reports on liaison responsibilities and their activities at municipal conventions. Empower and respect professional staff by heeding staff reports more fully. Fewer motions on the fly, hence less need to rescind decisions. Respect the OCP more fully and not mess with Town Centre zoning. Encourage a warmer environment in council chambers.

3. What is the biggest issue facing residents of Sooke? How would you deal with this?

Traffic functionality and pedestrian safety top the list, as per Mayor Milne’s Corporate Strategic Plan priorities. These needs are the starting point for a Smart Growth/Built Green town centre as we reorient towards the harbour. District plans point the way forward. Three-hour parking limits in the core, a solution to the boat/trailer mess, and a contiguous, smooth sidewalk network is essential.

Cycling Forward

11/3/2014

Interesting to revisit this 2010 report on cycling in Sooke written by a visiting blogger named Average Joe Cyclist. His conclusion after an eventful ride through town: "Sooke seems to be unaware of the existence of cycling tourists. After our near-death experiences, I think perhaps it’s a good thing that Sooke is not actively encouraging cycling tourists – after all, cyclists’ lives are in danger from the moment they come near Sooke."

Has much changed? Well, it's still daunting out there for cyclists on the fast track, but yes, as a matter of fact, it has and there's better reason nowadays to imagine a bright future for cyclists here in Motor City. True, the Galloping Goose connector trail and bridge has lost traction as the first of the Parks & Trail Masterplan's Class A priorities (championed back then by Mayor Evans and the District's Laura Byrne, who had the good grace to respond to Average Joe's points). Yet on other fronts, initiatives have been taken, more are coming and the seeds of a bike culture locally are sprouting fast.

Safe cycling and pedestrian lanes along the highway from Sooke River Road as far as Whiffen Spit Rd. need to be a priority. We need to solidify the informal network of off-road trails west of Otter Point Road and link them to the excellent trail system on the town's eastside. And Harbourview shapes up as a prime south Island mecca for mountain biking. As T'Sou-ke Nation chief Gordon Planes said at the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium held here last year, "I can see these youth on bicycles. The five to 15 year olds. In 10 years we will see a huge shift. We are going to leave something for our children not born yet. They will be riding bikes because we left something for them.”

A few reasons to be cheerful about cycling in Sooke:

* A decent and growing selection of bike racks can now be found around town thanks to business initiatives, Maywell Wickheim's handiwork and donations from the Sooke Slow Food Cycle.

* As per the directions of Sooke's remarkably bike-friendly Transportation Master Plan, multi-use trails now line Church and Wadams Way and they'll keep appearing as the District expands its connector road network.

* Commuter bike storage lockers are at the park-and-rides near EMCS courtesy Stephen Hindrichs and the Juan De Fuca Cycling Coalition (which has now merged with Transition Town Sooke).

* Cycling's huge tourism upside was showcased at last year's MBT Symposium at the Prestige Hotel - an event the town hosted thanks to the groundwork of Steve Grundy (a keen biker, chair of the Mayor's Advisory Panel on Economic Development and a VP at Royal Roads University) along with Councillor Maja Tait and Sooke Mountain Cycle's Lorien Arnold.

* The Sooke Slow Food Cycle, which I helped organize in 2011 and 2012 along with Lee and Stephen Hindrichs, Erik Bjornsen, Sinclair Philip, Bev England, Samm Port and a team of other volunteers, was a community building and tourism event initiated by Transition Sooke. It also had the founding-partner support of Sooke Food CHI, the JDF Cycling Coalition, the T'Sou-ke Nation, the Sooke Region Tourism Association and the District of Sooke. The turnout was modest both years, however we did generate significant media exposure for Sooke, promoted existing off-road routes, had a blast with liked-minded cyclists, and sent surplus cash to fund blueprints for the bike skills park along with other worthy initiatives: the EMCS Slow Food Garden, Sooke Food CHI, the Sooke Garden Club (to help fund a garden at the Sooke Hospice), and the Sooke Longboat Society.

* While council rescinded its original approval of a bike skills park in John Phillips Memorial Park (though a lengthy public process that I wrote about for Transition Sooke), phase one of an upgraded facility at SEAPARC is now complete next to the ball diamond. All credit to the rec centre's Steve Knoke and the steering committee for getting it done with a plan for phase two work next spring. Local home-schooled kids also pitched in with energy and funding as well. (For the record, Candidate Jeff believes the original approval of the JPMP skills park was definitive cart-before-horse thinking; the District needs to invite all potential user groups eager for a piece of our town's central green space to convene in a facilitated public process, revisit the 2006 master plan, and only then strategically develop the park as a whole ... not piecemeal as has been the case with the bike skills, horseshoe club and off-leash dog proposals.)

* The District is now seeking matching funds of up to $360k from the BC government to create new cycling lanes around town - either in the town centre or perhaps along Sooke River Rd. to Meota Dr. as link to the Galloping Goose. Projects have to be completed within a year of application, so council opted not to pursue a larger grant that might have funded the aforementioned cycling/pedestrian bridge linking the Goose to the town's east-end trail network. Sooke's contribution will come from our share of the federal government's Gas Tax (ironically but happily enough).

Final message to Average Joe: We're not such a cycling backwater after all. Please come back someday and try us again. :-)

Sooke Voice News Questionnaire

10/29/2014

Thanks to Mary Brooke at the Sooke Voice News for giving all candidates an opportunity to write at length (no word limit) about the following questions. She's given me the rope, hopefully I've not hung myself :-) These answers will be published in this Friday's edition of Mary's weekly paper, which is such an essential independent media voice in town and a necessary counterweight to the Black Press-owned Sooke News Mirror. (I'll share my maximum 75-word answers to the three questions the SNM has submitted to me in a future blog post).

Why are you running for Council?

At 58, I’ve reached a point in my life when I would like to be of more direct service to the community. Running for office is a challenge that takes me outside my comfort zone, offers no end of learning opportunities, and is a great chance for me to walk the talk within the guidelines of the Local Government Act.

My wife Carolyn and I have been Sooke homeowners since 2003. Over the last five years, I’ve become involved in community volunteerism – primarily with Transition Town Sooke and also the EMCS Society and the Sooke Farmland Trust Society. These organizations are integral parts of the larger community web, and I’d like to bring the insights and fresh thinking I’ve encountered in these circles forward to the Council table.

Like many in town, I’m excited about local initiatives like the T’Sou-ke Nation’s solar, aquaculture and greenhouse projects, Sunriver Community Garden, Harbourside Cohousing, the Hope Centre and the Sooke Incubator start-up business concept. How can the District work with these and other local assets to more fully put Sooke on the map as a community brimming with promise and potential?

In recent years, I’ve also grown fascinated with municipal politics and have attended a fair share of Council meetings during Mayor Milne’s term. I’ve witnessed how civic business is hard, grinding, detail-oriented work that requires advance homework, careful listening, intelligent questions and final votes that fully respect the value of taxpayer contributions. I believe I’m up to the task while also capable of playing a positive team role as one among six councillors led by an inspirational Mayor, guided by professional staff and open to community expertise.

What is your previous governance experience, and how will it serve you if elected to Council for 2014-2018?

As a freelance journalist and copywriter for more than three decades, I have excellent listening skills, a quick mind and an ability to communicate. I have no governance experience apart from my role as president of Transition Sooke. The title carries some leadership responsibilities yet the position is a requirement of the Society Act and our group of nine largely operates as a “core team” working in a collegial manner. I’m interested in consensus techniques and Non-Violent Communications – two widely used tools for effective, productive, respectful group relationships of a kind that might well be useful in council chambers.

What are the three main issues affecting Sooke’s success as a community and what would you want to see improved in those areas?

i) We need to more fully recognize that the municipality is, in fact, a mostly successful work-in-progress, that past councils have made significent strides, and that we’re truly blessed to live in this remarkable part of the world. In recognizing the evolving nature of our teenaged municipality, we need to dust off, revisit and honour the vast amount of public input and expertise that has gone into the creation of the District’s library of plans and reports. There’s no need to roll ahead with a different wheel. Sooke’s best hopes and visions have been identified, and they’re ready to be enacted incrementally over time as needs require and funding becomes available. A fresh look at the 2010 Official Community Plan is in order, but patience, focus and continuity are key as we build on achievements to date.

ii) A major issue, of course, is our nondescript (to be kind) town centre, which has developed in haphazard fashion and is particularly unwelcoming for pedestrians. The town’s natural orientation towards our postcard harbour is camouflaged. We lack a village plaza, oceanfront green space or viewpoint, drinking fountain, public washrooms, clock tower or summer tourism kiosk. No wonder we fail to catch visitors as they zip through town en route to French Beach and beyond. These issues and more were identified in Sooke’s 2006 town centre design guidelines report. The good news: Traffic functionality issues are being addressed in the current Corporate Strategic Plan and the first incursions into what will be the town centre south of Sooke Road are primed to begin.

iii) Our somewhat toxic political culture is also an issue. There is, in my opinion, far too much negativity, backbiting, and “we should have done it differently” subjective recollection about what’s happened over the years. Yes, mistakes have been made. Yes, we need a Council that is fiscally responsible and takes care of municipal business in full collaboration with empowered District staff. Yet we also need at the same time an administration that retains a spirit of creativity, imagination and possibility. Let’s learn from the past, live in the present and look to the future in positive, optimistic and proactive fashion.

What can be done to improve Sooke’s local economy? How can small business be better supported in this town?

In terms of existing local business, we need to promote what we have, not what we lack, as a starting point, and the Chamber of Commerce is positioned to do this effectively. We need to improve bandwidth and cell phone reception (but definitely not via a telecommunications tower in the core). We must encourage mixed-use, multi-level commercial development downtown (not, for instance, one-storey bank buildings in prime locations on the south side of Sooke Road). The Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Economic Development is a smart new innovation by Mayor Milne (replacing the existing EDC), however I wonder whether the District can do a better immediate job of actively wooing the kinds of builders, businesses, event producers and, for that matter, residents who’d want to invest in the vision of Sooke’s future detailed in our OCP.

What concerns have you heard about most from voters during your campaign so far?

The voters I’ve spoken with want exactly what’s taken for granted in many communities: sidewalks, streetlights, crosswalks, bike lanes, trail systems, and an effective road network. Pedestrians, cyclists and those in personal mobility scooters want safe passage along a West Coast Road that isn’t choked with boat trailers. Seniors want a gathering place. Soccer players want better drainage at Fred Milne Park and have valid questions about the health dangers of all-season astroturf. Young people want more hometown jobs. And, above all, everyone craves a lively, attractive, harbour-facing downtown of which they can be proud, not apologetic. For their part, the business owners I’ve spoken with want to see parking issues addressed, bemoan the lack of commercial space, and fear that high commercial rental rates will force more business closures.

CFAX Candidates Survey: My Responses

10/20/2014

<clip> Hello  from the C-FAX Newsroom. This year, we are creating a web feature called the “C-FAX Candidate Guide.” It’s driven by listener requests for a way to gauge where candidates, across the Capital Region, stand on a range of issues. We are asking “yes” and “no” questions on those subjects. You may elaborate on your answer in no more than 50 words per question. Any answer that does not include a direct “yes” or “no” will not be included. Answers in the form of links to a candidate's website will not be included. The questionnaire results will be posted on our website in separate sections for each district. The results also may be referred to in on-air discussions on C-FAX. Thank you."

To repeat: CFAX wants a 'yes or no' to each question, otherwise it won't be published. I'd like to have seen an "it's complicated" category (spoken like a true politician in training wheels, right?)

* Would you commit to holding municipal property tax increases to no greater than the prevailing rate of inflation?  No. Certain essential infrastructure projects (sidewalks, street lights) may require mild short-term pain for longer-term gain. I commit to being fiscally responsible and will follow all due public process. Of course, ‘yes’ is the right answer in principle and as a general practice.
______

• Would you vote to limit union and exempt staff pay increases to no greater than the prevailing rate of inflation? Yes.
______

• Would you vote to keep infrastructure projects down to the most basic (cheapest) designs? No. Cheaper is not necessarily better. District staff need to weigh all proposals, and choose one that fully meets proposal specs at a fair, reasonable price. Local suppliers must be given full encouragement and every opportunity to win contracts within tender and RFP guidelines.
_______

• Do you think the Trans-Canada Highway-McKenzie intersection is the most important transportation issue facing the Capital region?  No. It’s one of them. In Sooke, we need ongoing upgrades to Hwy 14 (more formal pullovers and bus stops), improved transit service and exploration of car-and-van pooling options.
______

• Do you favour a formal study of municipal amalgamation options in the Capital Region?  Yes. I’m interested in learning about the options while having no strong opinion one way or other. More important for Sooke in the immediate future is a commitment to a “good neighbour” policy with the T’Sou-ke Nation and the JDF Electoral District. More conversation, collaboration and joint ventures please!
_______

• Will you vote for policies and spending that would resurrect rail service on the E&N line? No. This is a matter for VIA Rail, Southern Railway of BC, and regional, provincial and federal levels of government. That said, light-rapid transit is essential in linking Victoria to Van Isle’s eastern seaboard.
______

• Is it necessary to increase the size of sidewalks in your municipality?  Yes. A true priority locally for the Town Centre, along Otter Point Rd. to the Municipal Hall, and especially on the West Coast Road from the hotel to Otter Pt. Rd. Boat/trailer dangers in the latter area must be addressed ASAP. Also: More crosswalks at busy junctures.
____

• Does your municipality need separated bike lanes?  Yes. Sooke’s Master Transportation Plan identifies them as a priority. They're essential on the main road. Multi-use trials are in the District plan for all new new secondary road construction. Priority: Establishment of formal cycling and walking trails in the town’s westside to connect with the trail network east of Otter Pt. Road.
_______

• Should the default speed limit be lowered in your municipality on some streets?  No. Better answer: Maybe. We do require more policing of the speed limit to slow traffic along Hwy 14 and on certain streets (Grant Rd. for instance). Speed humps (not bumps) and other proven traffic claming devices must be investigated.
_______

• Should personal mobility scooters be regulated?  Yes.
_______

• Is a deer cull necessary in your municipality? No. That said, this one falls in the "it's complicated" category. As a homeowner in a residential neighbourhood adjacent to a forest, my wife and I deeply cherish the local deer population while also grieving over animals killed on Sooke roadways. WildSafe BC suggestions on animal/human interaction must be promoted.
_______

• Should secondary suites be legal in your municipality? Yes. They already are legal.
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• Does your municipality need more stringent noise regulations?  No. We need efficient, even-handed bylaw enforcement as a general rule.
_______

• Do you believe the Capital Region’s mandatory summer time water use restrictions are necessary? Yes. The emerald green lawn is not part of Sooke’s culture. That said, we need to promote the CRD's rainwater harvesting program. On a related subject, Sooke needs to immediately enact the CRD’s model pesticide-use control bylaw.
_______

• Should mayors be required to be a delegate to, and serve on committees of, the Capital Regional District Board?  Yes.

Opinions? I got a million of them! So do you. Let's hear them and have the dialogue in a respectful public process, reach consensus and move forward with as much grace, positivity and practical, real-world actions as possible. Bottom line intention in all my thinking: Do no harm (but take no s***) ;-)

More on the Subjective Sooke News

10/13/2014

Fortified by a sweet family Thanksgiving with Carolyn and mum, I'm now turning, as promised, to the 'boring' points Tom Myrick raised in his debate-sparking report card on the 2011-14 council. My observations, of course, are just like his ... offered in hopes of moving beyond personalities in this campaign and dealing with substantive issues. I am quickly learning that, as in most areas of life, the reality of municipal government involves many shades of gray and very little that is monochrome. And also that everyone has an opinion ... here's more of mine:

i) Pump track at SEAPARC rather than the full-blown, family friendly bike skills park originally proposed for John Phillips Memorial. Well, a major public process unfolded, a huge amount of effort and passion was expended on the debate, council voted to rescind its initial okay for the proposal, and now our recreation centre has a cool new attraction for young and young-at-heart bikers. So that's an upside and, as previously stated, I'm all about the sunnyside up.

To me, the problem with the various proposals for JPMP – horseshoe pitch, off-leash dog area, bike skills park – is that they've been handled piecemeal. I’m curious as to why all potential user groups haven't been invited to step forward as part of a public process that would revisit the 2006 park master plan (assembled through much community input and careful consideration, then promptly shelved) ... and then figure out how the various puzzle pieces (including the Rotary Club’s wonderful idea of a loop trail around the perimeter) might fit together. It would also be a chance to come to grips all at once with the topographical and drainage issues affecting the park as a whole, finally erect signage, explore parking options and more.

ii) Tom's point about additional blind spots at Wadams Way as it leads into our own humpback road (Otter Pt.) is a valid one and reason for even more cautious driving in that area. Yet despite its flaws, the new route significantly improves our still limited options in navigating about town. Traffic in the core will be eased, and families along Rhodenite must be delighted that they’re no longer fronting on a throughway. That said, traffic calming strategies are needed along Wadams Way (i.e., perhaps a speed warning device to slow lead-footed drivers as they approach the Townsend Rd. crosswalk near CASA) and a couple of speed humps (not bumps) on Townsend and Anna Maria roads.

iii) Tom’s two ‘neutral’ observations about the town core: The roundabout accessing Evergreen Mall is slated to begin construction next spring (according to the latest Corporate Strategic Plan, an informative read for any voter seeking to understand longer-term planning). And, if the plan is on schedule as it was with Wadams Way, then work on sidewalk improvements on both sides of Sooke Rd. from Church to Otter Point Rd. will be underway any day now.

As for the aesthetic issues, well, there is that old metaphor about lipstick and livestock to consider. For my part, I extend full credit to the Mayor's Advisory Panel on Arts & Beautification, the Chamber of Commerce and other local folks for their efforts to mitigate our downtown’s visual sins as best they can with limited funds and volunteer heart & muscle. Not for nothing do we repeatedly win Communities In Bloom awards, right Brenda Parkinson?!

Regarding the town centre issue in general, the fact (as stated by many observers time and again) is that we developed as a sprawl town and it’s going to take much patience and steady, consistent effort over an extended period of time to enact related community plans and guideline documents. Boulevard’s 2006 Town Centre report nails the problem then, now and for the foreseeable future: “Sooke’s commercial centre has developed from a cluster of small businesses along the Highway 14 corridor into a sprawling auto-oriented series of shopping plazas and mini-malls. The town centre has taken on a strip character with a disorganized appearance and poor pedestrian amenities. Most importantly, this haphazard pattern of development does not provide a social focal point for the community.”

Upside: The go-forward plans have all been written via long weeks and months of input by staff, the public and third-party consultants. Now it’s a matter of slowly wooing built-green developers, attracting business, and honouring the OCP’s mixed-use commercial & residential vision for a moderately dense core built on Smart Growth BC principles. Bottom line: It's still early days in the process of revealing our town's best harbourside face and creating a live/work/play community on the doorstep of one of the most picturesque harbours and postcard vistas in the world (Yes, i'm talking proud here).

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On my to-do list in the days ahead: An armchair observer’s take on Tom’s list of where this council went wrong. Now it's time for leftovers and another big chuck of the apple/rhubarb crisp made by the Volunteer Centre's cooks that we scored at Sunriver’s Applefest the other week. Gratitude and thanks fully and formally given for this fortunate birth and the opportunity to live here on an Island that the province's first governor, James Douglas, described as "a perfect Eden" back in the 1840s. Ain't it the truth! :-)

The Good

10/9/2014

Here's the first in a series of musings about the points Tom Myrick raises in his letter posted on The Real Sooke News and also published yesterday in the News Mirror. In keeping with my optimistic, sunny side-up tendencies and because it's where Tom began, I'll start with the good, then move on to address his neutral and negative points in the days ahead.

In my opinion, Tom’s bang-on about three of the current administration’s achievements, namely the Church Rd. multi-use trail, Townsend Rd. sidewalks and Knox United’s plan to build a 123-unit residential complex for seniors and those with mobility issues.

Beyond this, however, I’d add a few more feathers in the Milne gang’s cap.

i) the new Town Centre Design Handbook will be essential in giving west-coast character and, dare it be said, charm to downtown’s evolution;

ii) the Mayor’s advisory panels are a smart new mechanism to engage citizen input and provide direction to council (provided they’re listening, of course);

iii) the creation of affordable housing at the Hope Centre, whose genesis predates this council yet was erected under its watch, is a wonderful addition to the town (and both the new Ahimsa Yoga studio and St. Vincent de Paul outlet therein have instantly become favorite haunts for me and my circles);

iv) the enthusiasm and cooperation extended by council and District staff to the pioneering Harbourside Cohousing project, which will set the standard for town core development and models the possibilities for other ventures of its kind;

v) fiscal responsibility, as Mr. Kasper has been noting with due pride;

vi) creation of the new District of Sooke Agricultural Plan (even though it was promptly shelved without addressing its short-term priorities – oh wait, that comment falls in the neutral/negative category

vi) last but not least, gold stars must be extended to elected reps for showing up time and again in that harshly lit council chamber to wade through epic amounts of municipal business, much of it numbingly routine and a true cure for insomnia. Respect to them all for their dedication to public service.

I’ll turn to Tom’s ‘neutral’ comments tomorrow before grappling as best I can – gulp - with the ‘ugly’. Your own feedback is entirely welcome - either in the comments below or let's talk in person next time we meet.

First Thoughts

10/6/2014

On all the levels that count, I’m among the many who believe Sooke is more or less imperfectly perfect exactly as it is. Seriously. Carolyn and I love it here. The people, the seasons, the wind, the rains, the postcard environment, the gentle pace of life here by the sea for those of us who don’t have to commute daily into Victoria. All this, plus our basic civic needs and services are delivered with remarkable efficiency day in, day out by the District of Sooke. Little wonder my arms are blue from pinching myself. (No, of course Sooke’s not perfect, but my point is that the vocal gripers who tend to dominate what passes for political discourse in this town need to give their heads a shake and get some perspective. We are blessed beyond measure. Period. Full stop. End of post.)