Province of BC - Municipal Policing website page 
BC Fact Sheet: Policing and Security Programs 

- The BC Police Act is the parent legislation
- The District of Sooke is one of 63 BC municipalities that contracts with the RCMP through the BC Municipal Police Services Agreement

- The Sooke contract in 2022 cost $2,408,764 for local service and regional support from E Division HQ
- An additional $29,483 annually from the District supports Police-Based Victim Services
- The province provides four officers to the detachment in order to meet the division's requirement to police the entire Sooke to Port Renfrew region  

- Sooke, for much of the last two decades, has received as much as 30% of its annual police funding through the Small Community Protection Grant as a municipality with 15,000 or less residents (i.e., a declining amount with population growth over the years; $305k in 2021) 
- With the population increase in the 2021 Census, Sooke will now be subject to a maximum 10% funding mechanism
- This funding is formalized in the Local Government Grants Act 

- Traffic fine revenue is shared with BC municipalities that pay for its policing costs + formula 
- Sooke received $90,808 from ticketing activities in 2021 (buckle up #Sooke!) 

- Police budgets account for approx. 25% of municipal expenditures in BC (CBC, 2020) 

Sooke RCMP
Sooke RCMP Website 
BC RCMP Facebook page 
​Sooke RCMP Twitter 
Sooke RCMP (District of Sooke website info page) 

DOS 2021 Annual Report (see pp. 39-40)

Sooke detachment comprised of 18 officers covering the Sooke to Port Renfrew region
- 14 municipal and 4 provincial officers ... 

- S/Sgt Detachment Commander
- Sgt Operations Commander
- 2 Cpl Watch Commanders
- 9 Cst Front Line Investigators
- Administrative Supervisor
- 3 Administrative Assistants.

- Staff Sgt. Kevin Shaw has been a first-rate Acting Detachment Commander since early 2022 (my dealings with him have been at his council presentations and through my work with the Sooke Homelessness Coalition; Shaw has established a cooperation agreement with the Sooke Shelter Society and regularly attends SHC meetings.)  

- Former Detachment Commander Brett Sinden has now taken a permanent position with regional RCMP headquarters in Victoria; he had succeeded Jeff McArthur and Steve Wright before him. 
​
- The RCMP is currently recruiting for a Sooke Detachment Commander. 

The Sooke OCP (2010) calls for a staffing ratio of 1 officer per 1,000 residents in the Sooke region 
- As of 2021, the current ratio in Sooke is 1 officer per 1,100 residents 
- The provincial average (including cities where crime rates and overall responsibilities require larger forces) is 1 officer per 744 residents. 
- The annual costs per officer is very roughly $150k 

Related paragraph from the District's 2022 Service Review (Oct. 18, 2021 COW agenda, pg. 67): 
"New officer position should be filled in late 2022. RCMP is requesting Council consider the timing of future RCMP officer staffing increases. For 24 hour policing 20-22 RCMP officers would be needed. Currently have 14 + 5 Provincial officers." 

Calls for service 
2017: 5,777 (79% of them in the District of Sooke)
2018: 5,963 (77% in Sooke) 
2019: 5,762 (78% in Sooke) 
2020: 5,857 (x% in Sooke; 4,376 calls) 
2021: 5,714 (x% in Sooke; 4,309 calls)

Sooke RCMP quarterly reports from Sgt. Shaw: 
- Dec. 12, 2022 regular council meeting (listen to the replay starting at 17:50)
- Q1 2022/23 Report (April-June)
- Annual Verbal Report (March 28, 2022; replay starts at 2:17:00)  
- Monthly Statistics (Misc.) - First Quarter 2022 + August 2019

Sooke RCMP prepares an Annual Performance Plan (APP) each spring. The latest Sooke detachment priorities: 

1. Enhanced Road Safety - Impaired/Aggressive/Distracted Driving, incl. speeding (responsibility of Cpl. Gilhen)
2. Crime Reduction - Prevent and Reduce Property Crime (Cpl. Holmes)
3. Communication and Visibiity - Maintain Positive Relationships (Sgt. Shaw)
4. Contribute to Employee Wellness - Respectful Workplace (Sgt. Shaw) 
​5. Indigenous Relations and Cultural Competence - Reconciliation (All) 

Greater Victoria Integrated Police Units (2020/21 Annual Report) 
- Highlights a dozen "integrated policing units, each designed to meet specific needs in a cost effective and service focused way. In each case, the participating police chiefs and detachment commanders believe that the specified service is best provided using a shared service model."

- Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team
- Greater Victoria Public Safety Unit
- Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team (partnered with Island Health) 
- Integrated Canine Service
- Mobile Youth Services Team (Mia Golden & Vic PD's Gord Magee) 
- Regional Domestic Violent Unit
- Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers
- Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee
- Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit + Sooke 2022 case + 
- Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit 
- Capital Regional Integrated Road Safety Unit 
- Integrated National Security Enforcement Team 

Sooke Contributions (2019 figures) 
- Victim Services - $8,323
- Intregrated costs - $7,000
- Mobile Youth Services Team - $3,500
- Source information - $5,000 (?) 

RCMP National
- Website
- Vision 150 and Beyond (2021, RCMP National Strategic Plan) + PDF 
- RCMP Police Issues (2022, Public Safety Canada report) 

RCMP In British Columbia 
"Quick facts ... 

• The BC RCMP consists of approximately 10,480 employees, of which 6,800 are police officers.
• Police 99% of the geographic area of BC.
• 72% of BC citizens live in RCMP jurisdictions.
• There are 144 BC RCMP detachments, serving 150 municipalities
• Over 200 Indigenous communities are served by the BC RCMP
• Answer more than 1 million calls for service in a year.

Police in Canada (Canadian Encyclopedia) 

Grant programs available through Public Safety Canada 

Crime Response 
ECOM 911
- About
- "When To Call" 
- Non-Emergency Numbers data base

- "If You Are A Victim of a Crime" - BC Ministry of the Attourney General 
- About BC's Justice System 
- Criminal court lists (case notifications updated daily) 
- Civil court lists

Sooke RCMP Online Crime Reporting Portal (non-emergency matters not requiring a call to 911)

• Lost Property
• Theft of Bicycle Under $5000
• Theft Under $5000
• Theft Under $5000 from Vehicle
• Damage/Mischief Under $5000 to Property
• Damage/Mischief Under $5000 to Vehicle
• Driving Complaints
• Hit and Run to Unoccupied Vehicle or Property

- Police Based Victim Services (program run in conjunction with Sooke Transition House Society) 
- Sooke RCMP Information Check application form 
- RCMP Family Violence Initiative Fund 

Miscellaneous News Clips
Sooke
- Sooke Crime Severity Increased Slightly In 2021 (SNM, Aug, 2022)
- Sooke Taxpayers Face $300k Bill for Police Dispatching (SNM, June 4, 2021)
- ​Sooke's New RCMP Commander Is Loving the Community (SNM, Oct. 2, 2019 re: Brett Sinden) 
- Sooke Mounties Look To Another Challenging Year (SNM, Jan. 7, 2019) <clip> "Even if more officers can be secured, McArthur noted that the building housing the RCMP is already at capacity. “We’re growing out of our building, and the face is we’ll be looking to the district, not only to increase manpower but to address our facilities here as well.”
- RCMP Musical Ride in Sooke (August, 2018)
​- Sooke Protective Services Meeting Report (March, 2012)  <clip> “Sooke compared to other municipalities is grossly under policed,” said Steve Wright, RCMP staff sergeant. “We don’t have enough police officers to go to 24 hour coverage and that is a concern to me.”

​BC
- "BC launches crown prosecutor hiring drive" - Jan. 2023
- "BC Government Increases Province-Wide Police Funding by $230 Million" - Nov. 2022 
- New Attourney General Faces Pressures - Nov. 2022
​- Repeat Offenders - Oct. 2022 

Other
- "Should Canada Dismantle Its Mounties" (Toronto Star, Jan. 2023)
- "Why Are So Many Places in Canada Taking About Ditching the RCMP" (Toronto Star, Jan. 2023) 
- RCMP (The Walrus) 
- Should Greater Victoria Have A Unified Police Force (CBC, Aug. 20, 2022) 

Results from the 2021 Census has now been fully digested, crunched and released. Scan Statistics Canada's complete District of Sooke data here or follow along with this exercise in cut-and-paste (done for my own edification and ease of reference). 

Context: Global
- World Population Clock ~ 8,008,919,386 (as of 3:59 PM, Jan. 2, 2023; median age 30.9 years) 
- Future Population Growth (United Nations predicts 10.4 billion by 2100)
- 89.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced in 2021, 41% under the age 18 (UN Refugee Agency) 
- 20 million people become climate refugees annually due to "increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as abnormally heavy rainfall, prolonged droughts, desertification, environmental degradation, or sea-level rise and cyclones." (United Nations)
- Discuss: "Cheer Up: The World Is Better Off Than You Think" - New York Times, Dec. 31, 2022. <clip> "Max Roser of the indispensable website Our World in Data puts the situation exactly right: 'The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better. All three statements are true at the same time.'"

Canada 
- Population: 36,991,981 (up 5.2% since 2016)
- Census Mapper 
- Labour Force
- Portrait of Canadian Families
- Age and Gender Pyramids 
- Top 10 Municipalities 
- Income in Canada 2020 

- "What the Census Tells Us About Canada's Changing Population" - Globe & Mail (Feb., 2022) 
- Discuss: Maximum Canada: Why 35 Million Canadians Are Not Enough - Doug Saunders + video
- "Canada's Plan for More Immigration to Boost Workforce" - CBC, Nov. 2022

British Columbia
- Population: 5,000,879 (up 7.6%)
(13.5% of national population) 
- Population density per sq. km - 5.4 persons 
- Province of BC Statistical Glossary 
- Misc. Province of BC Statistics 
- "BC Welcomes Net Migration of More than 100,000 People in 2021, The Most In 60 Years" 
- "More People Moved to BC Than Anywhere Else in Canada Over the Past Year" ~ Urbanized, Oct. 2021

Capital Regional District
- Population: 397,237 (up 8.4%)
(this link includes counts for all south island municipalities and regional districts)

- CRD 1986: 275,003
- CRD 1997: 331,102  

- CRD Regional Information (includes data on Agriculture, Economy, Housing, Population & Demographics, 
Transportation and Census Profiles)

- Living Wage Annual Report 2022 - Greater Victoria Community Social Planning Council 
- Living Wage for Families (2022) 
- "Victoria Now More Expensive Place to Live Than Vancouver" ~ CBC, Nov. 17, 2022
- "Living Wage Jumps 20% in Greater Victoria" ~ Capital Daily, Nov. 2022
- What Is A Living Wage? ~ VanCity 

Sooke
Population: 15,086
Increase: 16% since 2016

2001: 8,735
2006: 9,704
2011: 11,435
2016: 13,001

Draft OCP Bylaw No. 800 projections based on 2.9 percent annual growth: 
- 2030: 19,511
- 2040: 25,698
- 2050: 34,561 
(Editorial note: Yes, i'm horrified by those longer-term numbers too. Paradise well and truly lost unless we create a robust local economy, densify in the town centre, promote substantial mode shift away from single-occupancy vehicles and find a LRT solution to traffic congestion.) 

Sooke Demographics Overview
Townfolio 2022

Stats Canada Focus on Sooke
(Data Visualizations by Topic Area)
- Population & Dwelling Counts
- Age, Sex At Birth, Gender
- Type of Dwelling
- Families, Households and Marital Status 
- Income
- Language 
- Housing
- Indigenous Peoples
- Immigration, Place of Birth
- Ethnocultural and Religious Diversity
- Education
- Labour
​- Commuting

Sooke Age Characteristics
0-14: 2,405 (15.9%)
15-64: 9,625 (63.8%)
65+: 3,055 (20.03%)

Households
Average household size: 2.4 people
Total dwellings: 6,130
Single Family Homes: 3,820
Rentals: 1,160
Mobile homes: 355 

Owners: 4,925
Renters: 1,205

Average single-family home value: $650k (2020)

Sooke single-family home sales value
(annual Victoria Real Estate Board summaries)
1995: $180,892
​2003: $237,507
2009: $424,146
2010: $440,203
2015: $420,266
2018: $583,251
2020: $664,681
2021: $862,762

Greater Victoria Historical Price-Selling Graph, 1980-2021
Greater Victoria Single Family Home Sales Data, 1980-2021

Private Dwellings By Date Constructed
1960 or before ~ 440
1961 to 1980 ~ 1,485
1981 to 1990 ~ 745
1991 to 2000 ~ 740
2001 to 2005 ~ 430
2006 to 2010 ~ 740
2011 to 2015 ~ 710
2016 to 2021 ~ 840

Spending less than 30% of income on shelter costs ~ 4,780
Spending 30% or more of income on shelter costs ~ 1,325

Home owners spending more than 30% of income on shelter costs - 16.1%
Renters spending more than 30% of income on shelter costs - 44.2%

"Acceptable" housing in Sooke - 4,475 homes
Households in core need - 680
Not in core need - 5,210

"Acceptable housing identifies which thresholds the household falls below, if any. Housing that is adequate in condition, suitable in size and affordable is considered to be acceptable." Housing indicator thresholds are defined as follows: Adequate housing is reported by their residents as not requiring any major repairs; Affordable housing has shelter costs equal to less than 30% of total before-tax household income; Suitable housing has enough bedrooms for the size and composition of resident households according to the National Occupancy Standard (NOS), conceived by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and provincial and territorial representatives."

Income 
Median per-person annual income: $43,200
Median after-tax income: $39,200

Number of full-time employees: 3,905
Average income: $69,600

Number of part-time employees: 3,600
Average income: $29,200

Personal Total After Tax Income (Age 15+)
Under $10,000 (including loss) ~ 935
$10,000 to $19,999 ~ 1,405
$20,000 to $29,999 ~ 2,020
$30,000 to $39,999 ~ 1,835
$40,000 to $49,999 ~ 1,665
$50,000 to $59,999 ~ 1,370
$60,000 to $69,999 ~ 975
$70,000 to $79,999 ~ 700
$80,000 to $89,999 ~ 485
$90,000 to $99,999 ~ 265
$100,000 and over ~ 490
$100,000 to $124,999 ~ 300
$125,000 and over ~ 190 

Household Income
Median After-Tax Household Income: $79,500

Under $5,000 ~ 55
$5,000 to $9,999 ~ 25
$10,000 to $14,999 ~ 40
$15,000 to $19,999 ~ 105
$20,000 to $24,999 ~ 230
$25,000 to $29,999 ~ 205
$30,000 to $34,999 ~ 190
$35,000 to $39,999 ~ 230
$40,000 to $44,999 ~ 225
$45,000 to $49,999 ~ 270
$50,000 to $59,999 ~ 520
$60,000 to $69,999 ~ 490
$70,000 to $79,999 ~ 505
$80,000 to $89,999 ~ 495
$90,000 to $99,999 ~ 455
$100,000 and over ~ 2,090
which breaks down as ... 
$100,000 to $124,999 ~ 880
$125,000 to $149,999 ~ 560
$150,000 and over ~ 650

- approx. __% of Sooke households earn $100k plus 
- approx. __% of Sooke households earn $30k or less

Low Income Status
"Statistical units with income that is below the low-income line are considered to be in low income."
2020 benchmark: $16,550 for a single person in a community under 30,000 people 
0 to 17 years ~ 250 
0 to 5 years ~ 80 
18 to 64 years ~ 630 
65 years and over ~ 345

Citizenship
Canadian - 14,515
Non-Citizen - 460
Canada-born - 13,125
Immigrants - 1,750

Total "Visible Minority" - 775
"In 2021 Census analytical and communications products, the term "visible minority" has been replaced by the terms "racialized population" or "racialized groups", reflecting the increased use of these terms in the public sphere."

First generation Canadian - 1,995
Second generation Candian - 2,795
Third generation or more Canadian - 10,185

Mother Tongue
English - 13,730
French - 285
Other - 775 
- German - 170
- Dutch - 70
- Spanish - 60
- Filipino - 55
- Arabic - 20 
- Polish - 35
- Russian - 35
- Japanese - 25 
- Danish - 25
- Mandarin Chinese - 25
- Punjabi - 20
- Italian - 20
- Portugese - 20 
- Cantonese Chinese - 15
- Ukranian - 15
- Korean - 15
- Croatian - 10
- Afrikaans - 10 
- Romanian - 10
- Hungarian - 10 
- Iranian Persian - 5
- Thai - 5
Bi-and-tri lingual ~ 210 

Indigenous Identity 
First Nation - 520
Metis - 490

Religion
No religion and secular perspectives - 9,825
Buddhist - 504
Christian - 4,755
Hindu - 10
Jewish - 70
Muslim - 50
Sikh - 10
Traditional (North American Indigenous) spirituality - 20
Other religions and spiritual traditions - 180

Mobility Status 
"Refers to the status of a person with regard to the place of residence on the reference day, May 11, 2021. Persons who have not moved are referred to as non-movers and persons who have moved from one residence to another are referred to as movers."

One year ago (2020-2021)
Non-movers - 12,805
Movers - 2,050

Five years ago (2016-2021)
Non-movers - 7,275
Movers - 6,970

Education 
No high school diploma or equivalency certificate - 2,225
With high school diploma or equivalency certificate - 10,350
Post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree - 6,800
Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma - 1,365
College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma - 2,845
Bachelor's degree - 1,435
Master's degree - 530

Labour Force Statistics
In the labour force - 7,760
Employed - 7,240
Unemployed - 520
Not in the labour force - 4,815
Worked full year full time - 4,010
Worked part year and/or part time - 3,870
Average weeks worked in reference year - 41.3

Permanent position - 5,410
Temporary position - 825
Fixed term (1 year or more) - 330
Casual, seasonal or short-term position (less than 1 year) - 500
Self-employed - 1,410

- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting - 100 
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction - 15 
- Utilities - 30 
- Construction - 1,045 
- Manufacturing - 325 
- Wholesale trade - 80 
- Retail trade - 940 
- Transportation and warehousing - 285 
- Information and cultural industries - 80 
- Finance and insurance - 170 
- Real estate and rental and leasing - 85 
- Professional, scientific and technical services - 560 
- Management of companies and enterprises - 15 
- Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services - 495 
- Educational services - 600 
- Health care and social assistance - 895 
- Arts, entertainment and recreation - 195 
- Accommodation and food services - 435 
- Other services (except public administration) - 350 
- Public administration - 955

Place of work 
Worked at home - 1,525
Worked outside Canada - 10
No fixed workplace address - 1,455
Usual place of work - 4,250

Regular Commuting Patterns (by individual) 
Sooke region - 1,415 
Greater Victoria - 2,710
Elsewhere in BC - 115
Outside BC - 15

Duration of commute
Less than 15 minutes - 1,495
15 to 29 minutes - 860
30 to 44 minutes - 1,480
45 to 59 minutes - 1,085
60 minutes and over - 785

Time leaving for work 
Between 5 a.m. and 5:59 a.m. - 570
Between 6 a.m. and 6:59 a.m. - 1,290
Between 7 a.m. and 7:59 a.m. - 1,360
Between 8 a.m. and 8:59 a.m. - 1,050
Between 9 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. - 625
Between 12 p.m. and 4:59 a.m. - 805

Commuting In Canada: How It Changed During COVID


Miscellaneous Other Sources

Sooke Community Health Profile (2016) ~ Public Health Services Authority 
Western Communities Health Profile (2013) ~ Island Health 

​

Municipal Monday last week was reserved for a council review and renewal of the District's Community Service Agreements (example), signed for multi-year terms that expire this month. The agenda guided us through reports from seven stalwart organizations who secure a share of their annual budgets from property-owning residents via council.

In 2022, council has responsibility for $574,853 in District funds (from a $31 million operational budget). Service agreements represent about 40% of our annual discretionary cash.

The following were the service agreement participants up for renewal: 

1. Sooke Food Bank 
2. Sooke Region Communities Health Network 
3. Sooke Community Association 
4. Sooke Tourism Association
5. Visitor Information Centre 
6. Sooke Lions Club - Canada Day + Santa Parade 
7. Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce 

One other service agreement not reviewed was a three-year agreement ($30k per year) we approved in the spring with the Sooke Family Resource Society. This supports its Youth Navigator and Adult Counselling programs for vulnerable individuals in need who otherwise could not afford these critical services. Funds for this agreement come from the District's Covid Relief Reserve Fund. 

Staff recommended that a 6.4% CPI index increase based on year-to-year inflation be considered for all service agreements. 

Also under council's budget purview are ... 

* Community Grants Program ($65k, annual application deadline is March 15)
* Council contingency fund to cover arising requests and our own initiatives ($60k)
* Funds for our own travel to and attendance at regional, provincial and national conventions ($15k)
* Salary contributions for our valued/vital corporate service support ($126k)
* Line-item annual funding for the Sooke Fine Arts Society, Sooke Philharmonic Society, Sooke Community Arts Council and the Wild Wise (Sooke) Society ($7k each).
* Support for the Primary Health Care Services Working Group ($5k)
* Smaller amounts for Sooke School District's Safe and Healthy Schools program, the Vancouver Island South Film Commission, Need2 Suicide Prevention and Education Support, the Intermunicipal Advisory Committee on Disability Issues (IACDI) and Communities in Bloom
*Funding for special events, namely the Santa parade and Canada Day fireworks and logger-sport events.


​Sooke Food Bank
Council added cost-of-living increase, taking the Food Bank's funding to $27,132. This was for the one-year term the organization requested.  A 12-month renewal will allow the Food Bank to better understand the impacts of both inflation on already vulnerable Sooke families as well as the new town centre BC Housing projects, which are sure to add some new clients. 

Significant news: We learned that the Baptist Church wishes to donate land at the front of its ALR property adjacent to Grace Garden as a new home for the Food Bank. Local builder Roy Anderson is part of the steering committee project team along with Food Bank ED Kim Kaldal and the Baptist Church's Rick Eby and Andy Schell. Council is promised more specifics in the new year.  

- In 2021, as per the Sooke Food Bank Annual Report ... 
- Gave out 3,263 hampers in helping 133 adults and 56 children weekly
- Distributed 134,000 pounds of food at total cost of $257k (stats from 2021 annual report) 
- Donations increased by 29.58% to $240k
- 14% raise in requests for  hampers, anecdotally demand has continued to climb

- Funding sources: Community donations, Food Banks BC ($25k), Food Banks Canada ($35k), the District of Sooke ($35k), BC Gaming grants ($45k). 

- Community initiatives: Christmas Bureau, Santa Run (Sooke Firefighters Association and IAFF Local 4841), the 10,000 Tonight Food Drive (EMCS leadership students), the Meanwhile In Sooke Holiday Food Bank Challenge and multiple others over the years. 

- Community partners/donors/sweet-deal cutters: Parkland Poultry, Grace Gardens at the Baptist Church, Western Foods, Village Foods, Sooke Home Hardware, Fields, Bosleys, Pharmasave, Pemberton Holmes, Coast Capital, CIBC, Kelz Bakery, Sooke 2 For 1 Pizza, Guided Films, Meanwhile in Sooke, the Stick in the Mud, Haldane Homes, Sooke Fax and Coppy, the 17 Mile Pub and other businesses. 

- Good and long overdue news: Food Banks BC now pays (or did?) honorariums to Kim Kaldal Metzger ($12k per year) and Gerry St. Laurent ($3,600 to cover his travel expenses on behalf of the organization)

Cost of Living Realities 
- "Living Wage Jumps 20% in Greater Victoria" - Capital Daily, Nov. 17, 2022 ("The hourly pay necessary for two people to support themselves and two children in Greater Victoria has risen to $24.29 this year") 
- The cost of feeding a family of four has risen by 20% since pandemic according to a survey conducted by Ottawa Public Health  
- Statistics Canada: Since late 2021, price increases for food sold in stores, measured on a year-over-year basis, have outpaced headline consumer inflation, growing faster than 10% in August, September and October 2022. In September 2022, yearly price increases for food purchased in stores (11.4%) rose at the fastest pace since 1981, remaining elevated in October (+11.0%).


Sooke Region Communities Health Network
SRCHN will return in January with a revised request in seeking an increase to $50k (from $24,355).  This would cover a demonstrated need for increased staffing (currently 1.4 FTE) and rental costs for office space at the Knox Centre. (Staffing and operational costs are typically not covered by third-party grants, which SRCHN is a proven master at securing.) To date, the District has matched funds granted through Island Health. 

SRCHN is doing intense heavy lifting for the District while taking the lead on major #Sooke needs: 

- Planning and coordination for a Community Health & Urgent Care Centre in southeast quadrant of Lot A
- Fundraising, project management for the Gathering Place intergenerational centre and seniors housing on Lot A
- Volunteer education and engagement with assistance available to all Sooke volunteer groups
- Delivery of services (i.e., Better At Home) to Sooke's most vulnerable populations, including youth and isolated seniors. 

SRCHN's primary budget items:
- Programs ($152k per year) 
- Seniors Bus ($110k per year) 

Visit the agenda for its Sept. 2022 annual report (pp. 43-61). It cites ongoing work on the above plus ... 
- Sooke region volunteers and resources
- Better At Home program
- Seasonal Free Tax Clinic
- Sooke Region Lifelong Learning
- Seniors Centre Without Walls 
- Sooke Region Women's Cancer Group
- Age-Friendly, Mental Health & Addictions, Fundraising and Executive/Finance committees 


Sooke Community Association 
Council approved a $5k increase in the five-year agreement. Community Hall operating costs have increased in recent years re: custodial services and heat/hydro as the SCA continues to offer no-or-low cost rentals to multiple groups using the space. (See agenda pp. 15-17 for a summary provided by SCA President Dean Haldane.) 

- Annual operating costs of the hall paid by the SCA are $60k. Community Hall improvements in recent years: new carpeting in lower hall areas; repainting of interior walls; refinishing of non-carpeted flooring; new chairs for facility users; upgrades to fire-suppression equipment in downstairs kitchen.  

- Future upgrades: renovation of washrooms, replacement of elevator, exterior siding and windows.

-  Schedule A requirement: "Provide several local non-profit community groups, including the District of Sooke, witih the space, either rent-free or below market value, at the Commuity Hall located at 2039 Shields Road."  SCA provides space at no charge or reduced rental rate to Meals On Wheels, Contact Loan Cupboard, Sooke Food Bank, Sooke Lions Club, Sooke Harbourside Lions, Amber Academy, Sooke Salmon Enhancement, Seniors Bridge and Bus Club, Sooke Fall Fair, Sooke Soccer Club, Sooke Martial Arts and community organizations booking the hall.


Sooke Region Tourism Association 
Council renewed SRTA's five-year service agreement with a cost-of-living bump to $26,614 per year.

SRTA's Vice-President Daniel Baker of Sooke-based Guided Films shared that he has met recently with the District's Community Economic Development Officer with the goal of fast-tracking Sooke participation in the Municipal and Regional District Tax program. A per-night stipend (2% or 3% of the bill) on hotel and Air B&B visitors would, it's said, provide Sooke with a low six-figure annual budget for tourism destination marketing.

Mayor Milne's "Promote Sooke" Task Force, chaired by then-Councillor Tait, first prioritized what was then known as the Additional Hotel Room Tax (AHRT) as a top wish when it began meeting in April, 2013.  The 2021/22 Community Economic Development Committee was mandated to, among other objectives, "complete Municipal and Regional Destination Tax (MRDT) application" and "develop a tourism strategy for Sooke." These objectives have been rolled into the Sooke Community Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan (2021). 

SRTA's 2022 membership list features 55 local businesses, accommodation providers, restaurants and local organizations, the District included. Membership dues ($7,300) are SRTA's one revenue source apart from the District grant. 

SRTA produces the regional flat map distributed at the Visitor Information Centre and local accommodations. It also produces a Visitor Guide, does social media promotion of the region and enters into co-op partnerships with other regional tourism groups. In 2023, it plans to rebrand itself from the current "Sooke to Port Renfrew" to a more on-point "Sooke Tourism" and will proceed with events and promotional activities over the year. 


Visitor Information Centre 
Council approved the request to add $20k to the VC's service agreement, taking it to $53k annually.  This funding will increase staffing hours; enable a mobile info service that can be rolled out to community events, the Potholes, the town centre and elsewhere; and deliver enhanced social media and online services (live chat, virtual assistants).  Successful pursuit of the Municipal Regional Destination Tax will provide future funding for the VC as a full-scale destination marketing office for the region. 

- Operated by the Sooke Region Historical Society. Staffed and based out of the Sooke Region Museum since the early 1980s and recognized by Destination BC as Sooke's official visitor information centre. 

- States the VC report: "The District of Sooke receives significant added value and benefits operating the VC from the Museum. There would be a much higher cost to operate a VC as a stand-alone operation, or from within the DOS."


​Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce
Council approved request for $30,698.00 for 2023, with annual increases to adjust for inflation.

The revitalized Chamber renewed a service agreement with the District in 2019 and has been active ever since in remarkably creative, productive fashion while delivering member services and helping businesses ride out the pandemic.  In meeting its Schedule A obligations, the Chamber ...  

1. Relaunched the Newcomer's Club, a minimum of 5 meetings per year with groups of up to 35 participants. 

2. Free and affordable business courses. The monthly Chamber Newsletter lists low-cost and free online courses. The Chamber also offers in-person courses, including an Indigenous Cultural Training last year and a Dis/Misinformation course recently. 

3. Annual business survey (2022 edition) to gather #Sooke business perspectives and metrics 

4. Continued networking and support services available to all Sooke businesses regardless of membership status. 

5. Promotion of District initiatives, meetings, survey call-outs, etc. 

6. Alliance with other Sooke community groups, including SRTA, WorkLink BC and the South island Prosperity Project. 

Combined, the tangible services result in about 900 hours of effort and include the work from our single staff person, our team of volunteers (four), and our Board of Directors (8 in 2022, and may increase to 12 in 2023). The hourly cost for these services would amount to $34.11, and would include human effort, office space, materials, equipment, and more.

Some thoughts on where we're headed with community spaces in the wake of the Sooke Lions Club decision to "pause and reflect on what would best serve our community and our Club." This followed the release of a consultant's report on the Sept. 25 Open House at the Community Hall and a subsequent online survey conducted by the District.  

Summary
1. Sooke citizens, community groups and local government have long identified the need for additional community spaces while also recognizing that we have a solid range of existing facilities that are already in use yet could be still more so with creativity, collaboration and funding for upgrades/renovations. 

2. There is energy and drive in the community to create new spaces ... 
~ The new VIRL Sooke library and its meeting room is a shining 2022 example of one such space.
~ Sooke Region Community Health Network and the District continue to collaborate on a long-game plan to develop the Gathering Place intergenerational centre on Lot A.
~ The Sooke Lions are regrouping, however plans for a Sooke Lions Centre seemingly remain alive, if not in John Phillips Memorial Park then on its Murray Road property or elsewhere. 
~ Sooke's new Community Economic Development Officer Gail Scott is positioned to work as a go-between with community groups and incoming developers to ensure commercial/office space is considered for #Sooke purposes (galleries, studio space, commercial kitchens, etc.) 

3. Existing facilities can be upgraded and better utilized ... 
~ An exciting development this year is the launch of The Village Initiative, coordinated by SD #62's Cindy Andrew in collaboration with United Way Southern Vancouver Island and 40+ organizations on the westshore (including the District of Sooke and SEAPARC.)  One of its goals is to make better use of existing spaces while also identifying gaps. 
~ The Sooke Community Association has plans to renovate the washrooms at the Community Hall (the SCA's Annual General Meeting this year is on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 PM downstairs in the hall).
~ The Royal Canadian Legion has revamped its kitchen and is positioned to make better use of its second floor for events, exhibits and gatherings. 

4. Mantra for this and all things #Sooke as formulated generations ago and still applicable today/tomorrow/everafter ... 
~  Planning, process, patience, persistence + creativity and community collaboration  


Starters from this blog: 
* Sooke Elders' Complex (aka The Gathering Place) (updated March 2022)
* Proposal: Sooke Lions Centre in the Park (updated Nov. 2022)
* Sooke Library Process & Opening (updated spring 2022)
* State of Sooke's Youth Nation (March 2021)

Also see this 2019 agenda from the Northeast Quadrant Lot A Task Force, which includes previously released reports on Sooke community spaces -- the Sooke Seniors Centre Drop-In Society Visioning For the Future (2013), Sooke Region CHI's Getting It Built: Community Centre Project (2014) and the Lot A Final Report (2019).

That agenda also includes a reverse-chronological timeline I prepared with details on council motions dating back from 2019. Worth noting are the results of the 2014 election plebiscite: "Would you support the District of Sooke working with the community to develop multi‐use community centre facilities?"  YES: 82.9% in favour based on a 41.5% voter turnout. (3072 vs. 631 votes). 


Main Existing Community Facilities
Inventories of Sooke spaces have been conducted a number of times over the last decade, including by the Sooke Community Centre Advisory Committee chaired by Lee Boyko and featuring reps from the Sooke Community Association, Sooke Fall Fair, SRCHN, Sooke Rotary Club, SEAPARC and Transition Sooke (i.e., yours truly), Ten meetings over 18 months through October 2016. (The bulk of minutes are not available online, however, and I'll have to seek out the list developed by the committee in mid-2015 during an open space session moderated by Tony and Christiana St-Pierre.) 

* Sooke Community Hall
* Royal Canadian Sooke Legion Branch #54
* SEAPARC Leisure Complex (board room plus arena use for Sooke Fine Arts Show, Sookerama and other events.)  
* Edward Milne Community School (rentals of space in it and all Sooke school facilities through the EMCS Society) 
* Sooke Community Theatre at EMCS (with 350 newly replaced seats) 
* Sooke Branch, Vancouver Island Regional Library (one small and one larger meeting room bookable here)
* Social Services Hub at the Sooke Shelter (welcoming ground floor space with commercial kitchen, ready early 2023) 
* Sooke Masonic Lodge #159 (downstairs room rentals with kitchen) 
* Sooke Family Resource Society (dividable meeting room)
* Prestige Hotel  (convention space, meeting rooms) 


Proposed Sooke Facilities 

~ Sooke Gathering Place (multi-use seniors space with intergenerational programming at the ground floor and below-grade levels + 77 units of affordable BC Housing seniors rental apartments above)

~ Sooke Arts Council at the Gathering Space (TBD gallery and studio spaces should the project move ahead) 

~ Sooke Lions Centre (use the drop-down menu for more information) 

~ Opportunities for new community space within major new town-centre developments as proposed in and coordinated by Sooke's Community Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan (2021) 

- New schools planned for Sooke: Sunriver Elementary School on land owned by SD #62 is slated for a 2027 ground-breaking adjacent to the multi-sport court box. Also set for wholesale renovation or a new-build is Sooke Elementary. Daycare centres (aka Child Care Resource and Referral Centres) are intended to be part of new and existing sites. SD #62's next-build elementary school in Royal Bay will include space for non-profit groups -- in particular THRIVE Social Services and the BGC (Boys and Girls Club) South Vancouver Island. 

(Sooke received the Ministry of Education funding love pre-2000, and it will be our turn again as SD #62 looks beyond its necessary focus on the faster-than-us growth centres in Langford and Colwood. <clip from this Nov. 14 Ministry press release> "In the past five years, the Ministry of Education and Child Care has approved $227 million to create 2,280 new student seats in the Sooke School District, including a new 480-seat elementary school in south Langford and a 600-seat expansion at Royal Bay Secondary, as well as site purchases for three future schools. Budget 2022 includes $3.1 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.")



Upgrade Possibilities

- Sooke Community Association developed a renovation blueprint some years ago for the Community Hall. Community members built the hall in the 1930s with get-it-done spirit and volunteer labour, and today's generation continues to pour their own labour and love into it.  A relatively recent example is the work Anderson General Construction completed on the front entrance: "Structural replacement of front entrance stairs and railings, stairs and supporting structure were completely rebuilt and new natural fir wood features installed with new hand rails, non-slip surfacing installed on stair treads and fiber cement siding installed in place of existing vinyl siding on face." 

[Other Community Hall improvements in recent years: new carpeting in lower hall areas; repainting of interior walls; refinishing of non-carpeted flooring; new chairs for facility users; upgrades to fire-suppression equipment in downstairs kitchen.  Future upgrades to the hall will replace exterior siding and windows.

​SCA provides space at no charge or reduced rental rate to Meals On Wheels, Contact Loan Cupboard, Sooke Food Bank, Sooke Lions Club, Sooke Harbourside Lions, Amber Academy, Sooke Salmon Enhancement, Seniors Bridge and Bus Club, Sooke Fall Fair, Sooke Soccer Club, Sooke Martial Arts and community organizations booking the hall.]

- Royal Canadian Legion has plans, but needs funding, to install an elevator to reach its second floor. Closed during Covid, the Legion's kitchen has been revitalized by the owner/operator of the Chompkins food truck and rebranded as Chompkin's at Grill 54. 

- A makeover of the Throup Road skate park was identified as a mid-term priority within SEAPARC's 2015 strategic plan, which is set to undergo a planned review by the SEAPARC Commission. <clip> "Replace existing skatepark and expand, or create two separate skateparks in different locations in Sooke, but both in close proximity to the schools in the community. The primary skatepark could also include a parkour circuit and/or a relocated bike skills circuit should it outgrow the SEAPARC location."  A second hockey rink is emerging as a new need given the demand for ice time. (The District financially supported the celebrated turf field at Fred Milne Park, which came about thanks to much volunteer effort and private-sector contributions by community-minded individuals and companies. I'm told local and regional teams are stoked to play there, especially after learning our turf is the same as that on which the Seattle Seahawks play.) 

 

Identifying and optimizing existing community spaces, schools included
The Village Initiative: Sooke/Westshore 
The Village Initiative (TVI) "is an inter-disciplinary network of more than 40 organizations sharing a commitment to the vision of healthy and thriving children, youth, and families across the Sooke and West Shore communities ... TVI took root when the Sooke School District and Island Health started a conversation with community partners, recognizing that the health and wellbeing of children, youth, and families are best supported through an all-hands-on-deck approach – a Village. The urgency of our mission has only been underscored by the global pandemic and its impact on children, youth, and families." 

- Project Plan for Sooke-Westshore Shared Space Network and System (March, 2022)
- Space survey results (2021)
- See full list with links of member organizations at end of this post 
​- Sooke/Westshore Community Health Profile (2022) 

Three TVI priority areas ... 
"Spaces to Provide Services: People thrive when they have access to services. From health promotion to specialized services, affordable and timely services is key to healthy, thriving young people and families. Access helps ensure that our community is a vibrant, prosperous and healthy place. BUT quality services require sufficient and suitable spaces. A recent survey of service providers highlighted the URGENT need for space. Read here how our workgroup action plan is addressing this. Did you know that over 8,000 additional people could be served right now if space was available for those services?

Better Service Coordination: Everyone deserves timely, low-barrier and coordinated access to the supports they need to thrive. Being able to get support where you need it, when you need it, is critical. Accessible, coordinated services require our local service providers to maintain frequent communication, share knowledge and build relationships with one another. BUT the complexity of today’s fast-paced and hectic world can make this hard. A recent community profile highlighted the need for strengthened service coordination in our area. Read here how our workgroup action plan on mental health promotion is addressing this.

Building on Strengths, Enhancing Capacities: Addressing critical health and social issues of children, youth and families requires increasing the capacity of communities to build connections and enhance social capital. It also requires increasing the capacity of organizations to innovate, be responsive and nimble and work together in new ways. To help with that TVI is facilitating enhanced communication, coordination and collaboration across sectors and systems; leading data collection and analysis to inform action, and strengthening youth engagement to help inform collective efforts." 

Other Community Spaces and Activities
* Whiffin Spit, Sooke Potholes, boardwalk, public parks (i.e., the Great Outdoors)
* Sports fields
* Hiking groups
* Service clubs
* Private homes and backyards
* Churches
* Coffeeshops
* Restaurants
* Craft brewery tasting rooms (3)


Sooke Community Wants and Needs
From the Getting It Built: Community Centre Report (Sooke Region CHI, 2014)
* based on 104 survey replies 

"Priorities of those who took part in the online survey are as follows:
~ 22% wanted a Seniors Centre/Drop-In
~ 22% wanted an indoor gymnasium for racquetball, squash, basketball, gymnastics, badminton, and floor hockey.
~ 19% wanted a Youth Centre/Drop-In
~ 18% wanted several small multi-purpose/meeting spaces
~ 18% wanted a large multi-purpose/dividing space/hall
~ 17% wanted a large kitchen to cook and sell community meals
~ 17% wanted various arts rooms and an art gallery
~ 14% wanted lots of outdoor space with flower gardens, food gardens, picnic tables, benches, fountains, etc.
~ 14% wanted outdoor play space for children with a water park and playground ! 11% wanted indoor open space; a place to “be” and gather
~ 10% wanted an indoor playground for children

Other suggestions (with 5 or more responses) included:
~ Stage/Theatre for rehearsals and small shows
~ Connection to the new Library or having reading spaces, book exchanges, quiet areas for reading and studying, etc.
~ Out-of School care, childcare, daycare, or pre-school space 
~ More coffee shop or cafés
~ Outdoor gym or court(s)" 

Suggested locations for new-builds and/or renovations ... 
"Respondents were asked to vote for their top 3 preferred locations by selecting a first, second, and third choice from a list of 20 possible locations, which were determined during the first two community forums.

- John Phillips Memorial Park (top choice with 11 votes)
- Mulligan’s ranked second with 7 votes
- Mariner’s Village - 5 votes
- SEAPARC - 4 votes.
- “As close to the geographic centre of Sooke as possible; accessible to transit” - 4 votes

- Other votes were for Helgesen Farm, the Sooke Lions’ property on Murray Road, Woodside Farm, the location of the New Library, private property behind Village Foods, property behind the old Fire Hall site (new RBC location), The Castle Pub, Throup Road (Mason’s property), Murray Road Park, the Waddams farm on Church Rd, and the Sooke CASA building." 


- Arts groups in the past have expressed keen interest in a black-box theatre in the town centre (Kelowna example) as a flexible space for rehearsals and smaller-scale events. 

- An arts gallery/studio space in the spirit of the celebrated Old School House Arts Centre in Qualicum was explored by the Mayor's Advisory Council on Arts & Beautification circa 2012/13 at the former Mulligans property when it was on the market. 


Active Sooke
~ Saseenos Elementary Nature Kindergarden + it's popular! 
~ SEAPARC + 2015 Strategic Plan + swimming pool opens (2000) + $3.4 million fitness room (2020) 
~ $1.2 million multi-court sports box in Sunriver
~ Sooke Soccer Club + new community/District/CRD-funded $1.5m all-season turf field at Fred Milne Park
(goodbye this)
~ Sooke Minor Fastball Association (new field at Art Morris Park partially funded by DOS and CRD) 
​~ Sooke Minor Hockey 
~ Sooke Bike Club + local trail networks 
​~ Sooke Bike Skills Park at SEAPARC (opened March 2015)
​~ Harbourview + history
~ Galloping Goose Regional Trail (2002 PDF pamphlet)   
~ EMCS Academies - Soccer + Hockey 
~ DeMamiel Creek Golf Course 
~ Sooke Rotary Skate Park
~ STARR (Sooke Trail and Road Runners)  
​~ Sooke Pickleball Group 
~ Guided hikes led the JDF Community Trails Society's Sid and Rosemary Jorna 
​~ Kludahk Outdoors Club 
~ Sooke News Mirror archive of sports stories


The Village Initiative member organizations
(stewardship committee organizations in green) 

BGC South Vancouver Island
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Capital Region Food & Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable
Children’s Health Foundation
City of Colwood
City of Langford
District of Sooke
Family Services of Greater Victoria
First Nations Health Authority
Food Share Network
Goldstream Food Bank
Greater Victoria Public Library
Hulitan Family and Community Services Society
Island Health – Mental Health and Substance Use, Children, Youth and Families, Public Health, Priority Populations
Island Health – Public Health
Island Métis Family & Community Services Society
Juan de Fuca Performing Arts Centre Society
KidSport Greater Victoria
Learning through Loss
MCFD Child & Youth Mental Health
Military Family Resource Centre
Mustard Seed Food Bank
OneAbility
Pacific Centre Family Services
PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence)
RCMP
Royal Roads University
Salvation Army
Saunders Family Foundation
SEAPARC Leisure Complex
Sooke Family Resource Society
Sooke Food Bank
Sooke Region Communities Health Network
Sooke School District
Threshold Housing
Thrive Social Services
United Way of Greater Victoria
United Way Southern Vancouver Island
​University of Victoria Centre for Youth & Society
Vancouver Island Regional Library
Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society
West Shore Chamber of Commerce
West Shore Parks & Recreation
Westshore Town Centre
WorkLink Employment Society
YMCA-YWCA of Vancouver Island

The Mayor will be in Ottawa for Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings next week, and I've been enlisted to be her stand-in at a meeting involving the Island Health Board of Directors and representatives from the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, Sooke Shelter Society and West Coast Family Medical Clinic, among others. 

This will be followed by an Island Health public information session at the Community Hall from 2:30 to 4 PM on Thurs. Dec. 8. All are welcome as per this invitation: 

- Get an update on health and care delivery from Island Health President & CEO Kathy MacNeil and meet local Island Health leaders.
- Meet your local Medical Health Officer, Dr. Murray Fyfe, for an update on public health and wellness.
- Enjoy a presentation from local Island Health staff and community organizations.
- Have your questions answered. Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing asktheboard@islandhealth.ca or asked by those attending the in-person event.

At time likes this, of necessity, interest and the fact that I'm a relative know-nothing on the subject, I do what I always do: Pull all that's health-themed from my groaning file cabinets, pepper Google with inquiries and trust I'll reach some fake-it/make-it degree of armchair knowledge by the time I'm required to say a few words on behalf of the boss next week. 

The critical need identified long ago and very much front-and-centre now: A hybrid Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre for the Sooke region. Outside of limited weekday hours, residents without their own local doctors and sometimes even so must trek a half-hour to the west shore when emergencies strike, braving unpredictable traffic in the process. Akin I imagine to the newly opened clinic in Colwood, this space would provide significantly expanded quarters for the West Coast Family Medical Clinic team of physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners based out of its current Evergreen Mall location.

The District has reserved the southeast quadrant of the nearby Lot A for this purpose (as per this paragraph from the 2019 Lot A Charette final report: "5-or-6-storey Health Centre with limited-size independent commercial retail units on the base and market housing units on the upper floors. This quadrant would include an underground parking component  ... conceived as a wood-frame building with a total floor area of approximately 7,000m2.")  That's the concept, which would be subject to variation based on real-world negotiations as the Sooke-owned property is integrated with the rest of Evergreen Mall (owned by Guelph-based Skyline Group of Companies.) 

Dedicated, planning and advocacy work by the District's Primary Health Care Services Working Group (PHCSWG) has kept this vision on the front-burner with Island Health and the Ministry, and there it remains. Meeting routinely, the group pairs the Mayor, local physicians, reps from the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) and other health professionals. 

The CHC/UPCC project on Lot A is being coordinated by SRCHN's Mary Dunn, Rick Robinson and Annemieke Holthuis  with Island Health, BC Association of Community Health Centres, West Coast Family Medical Clinic and West Communities Patient Care Network. 

West Coast Family Medical Clinic would be based in this space, which would be governed by SRCHN, a registered charity.  

No wonder our MLA John Horgan is reputed to have said: "There is no community better prepared for this than Sooke." May it be so! 

More on the proposed facility ... 

"SRCHN’s work with West Coast Family Medical Clinic, the District of Sooke, Island Health, the BC Association of Community Health Centres resulted in successful approval of our preliminary proposal for a Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre in Sooke. We are currently working on the final proposal. The success of this proposal will allow us to work with a developer to build a new CHC/UPCC. The transitioning of West Coast Family Medical Clinic and addition of more staff will allow more access to urgent and ongoing medical care for Sooke residents." ~ SRCHN President Mary Dunn in the organization's 2022 Annual Report 

"In contrast to solo practitioner models, Community Health Centres offer high-quality primary care through a collaborative team approach. Social workers, family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, chiropodists, dental hygienists, therapists and other clinicians provide services in a team environment, based on patient needs. Community Health Centres integrate team-based primary care with health promotion programs, illness prevention programs, community health initiatives and social services focused on housing, food security and other inputs for health. This reduces silos and makes services more accessible. CHCs exemplify the World Health Organization’s definition and recommendations for “primary health care”. A SRCHN working group has been established to explore partnerships to advance the build of a much needed CHC in our semi-rural community." 

The BC Association of Community Health Centre's defines a CHC as "multi-sector health and healthcare organizations that deliver integrated, people-centred services and programs that reflect the needs and priorities of the diverse communities they serve. CHCs are created by not-for-profit organizations and co-operatives that are committed to providing comprehensive, accessible, affordable, and culturally-appropriate services through a collaborative team approach."

***************************************************************
​
The following is another hodge-podge of live links and direct quotations compiled for my education and reference. It's been a particularly useful and revealing exercise to chronicle the many, if by no means all, steps, forums, reports, motions and day-long workshops undertaken by so many in Sooke since incorporation who've organized and advocated for improved local health care.  

And yes, this subject doesn't vie with housing as the public's leading concern without good reason. This recent CBC town hall is as good a context-setter as any. Or read The Tyee's 2022 reporting here, here and here. 

Province of BC  
BC Ministry of Health 
"The Ministry of Health has overall responsibility for ensuring that quality, appropriate, cost effective and timely health services are available for all British Columbians."
- Medical Services Plan 
- Pharmacare 
- HealthLink BC (Call 811 for 24/7 health advice) 

- Primary and Community Care in BC: A Strategic Policy Framework (2015) 

BC Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions 
"The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was created in 2017 to build a seamless, coordinated network of mental health and addictions services that works for everyone in B.C., as well as lead the response to the toxic drug crisis."
​- A Pathway to Hope: 2018-28 ~ "This new strategy lays out government’s 10-year vision for mental health and substance use care, in which people living in B.C.’s mental health and well-being are supported from youth to adulthood and programs and services are available to tackle challenges early on."
- 2020 Update/Progress Report 
- Canadian Mental Health Association BC 2020-21 Annual Report 

BC Ministry of Children and Family Development
"The Ministry of Children and Family Development’s primary focus is to support all children and youth in British Columbia to live in safe, healthy and nurturing families and be strongly connected to their communities and culture. The ministry supports the well-being of children, youth and families in British Columbia by providing services that are accessible, inclusive, and culturally respectful."
- Annual Service Plan Report 2022 
- Mandate Letter 

Age-Friendly BC Program 
- Tools and Resources
- Becoming An Age-Friendly Community (2014, PDF) 
- Age-Friendly BC: Lessons Learned (2007-2010)

Federal Government
"The federal Minister of Health is responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. This is supported by the Health Portfolio which comprises Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency." 
​- Wikipedia 

First Nations Health Authority
"The FNHA is the health and wellness partner to over 200 diverse First Nations communities and citizens across BC.​ In 2013, the FNHA began a new era in BC First Nations health governance and health care delivery by taking responsibility for the programs and services formerly delivered by Health Canada."
- Governance model 
- 2020/21 Annual Report 


Vancouver Island: South Island 
Island Health 
"Through a network of hospitals, clinics, centres, health units, and residential facilities, Island Health provides health care to people on Vancouver Island, on the islands of the Georgia Strait, and in the mainland communities between Powell River and Rivers Inlet."  The authority covers four overall regions on Vancouver Island and the mainland. 

- Services offered and specialty clinic locations 
- Island Health President & CEO Kathy MacNeil
- Island Health Board of Directors
- Island Health ED, Clinical Service Delivery Sarah Crawford-Bohl 
- Medical Health Officer (Population & Public Health) Dr. Murray Fyfe 
- Medical staff website portal 
- Clinical Operations org chart (region including Sooke) 

- Local Health Area Profile: The Western Communities (2019 profile) are one of 14 health areas under Island Health's watch as defined by the Ministry of Health. Ours is comprised of Sooke, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin and Highlands. 
- Community Health Facts: Westshore and Sooke (2013) 

- Island Health Facebook page (notable at the moment for the chain of messages about temporary service disruptions at clinics in Port Hardy, Ladysmith and Chemainus due to a lack of physicians.)

Primary Care Network Steering Committee
(co-chaired by Sooke's Dr. Robin Saunders, who also co-chairs Partners for Better Health) 

South Island Division of Family Practice
- West shore and Sooke recruitment page 
- FETCH (For Everything That's Community Health) online listing of 2,200 resources in Greater Victoria (physicians, medical specialists, substance use/addiction, seniors, mental health counselling, low-income support, etc.) 


Sooke and Region 
(scan down for an overview of past initiatives and events leading to the present situation) 

T'Sou-ke Nation Health Care Centre 
- T'Sou-ke Nation Health
- New Community Care Centre Will Deliver Better Health Care to the T'Sou-ke Nation (Ministry of Municipal Affairs)
- T'Sou-ke Community Hall and Health Centre (Urban Arts Architecture) + TC article 

West Coast Family Medical Clinic, Sooke  
The busy Evergreen Mall base for medical care in Sooke. Created in the 2011 merger of Evergreen Medical Clinic and Harbour Medical Clinic. It is home to ten doctors, one nurse practitioner, a social worker, a dietitian and three registered nurses. Together they deliver family practice basics and collectively cover a diverse range of specialities: Maternity care, neurology, chronic pain management, oncology, cancer care, addictions, chronic pain, palliative care, chronic disease management and primary health care included. You'll find bios and individual skill sets/responsibilities for the 16-person-strong team here. 

- "Sooke's Creative Approach to Health Care" (Black Press, May 5, 2022)

* Vacancy notice: Nurse Practitioner (shared here since it explains the position) 
"West Coast Family Medical is looking for a Nurse Practitioner to fill a temporary one year term. In this sub-contracted position the nurse practitioner works within a Primary Care Network and, together with other members of an interprofessional care team, provides full scope team-based primary care for a panel of patients.

The nurse practitioner is responsible and accountable for the comprehensive assessment of patients/ clients/ residents including diagnosing diseases, disorders and conditions. The Nurse practitioner initiates treatment including health care management, therapeutic interventions and prescribes medications in accordance with the statutory and regulatory standards, limits and conditions, policy and guidelines. The Nurse Practitioner provides professional guidance to students and other health professionals and practices autonomously and interdependently within the context of an interdisciplinary health care team, making referrals to physicians and others as appropriate.

This position collaborates with patients/ clients/ residents and other members of the interdisciplinary team to identify and assess trends and patterns that have implications for patients/ clients/ residents, families and communities; develops and implement population and evidence based strategies to improve health and participates in policy-making and quality activities that influence health services and practices. The position participates in peer review and self-review to evaluate the outcome of services at the patient/client/resident, community and population level and to continuously improve quality and safety." 

LifeLabs Sooke (laboratory services)

West Coast Medical Imaging + Greater Victoria locations 

Ayre Manor Seniors' Housing 
Independent and assisted living, complex care and hospice beds. Opened in Jan. 2008. Owned by the Sooke Elderly Citizens' Housing Society (SECHS), a local non-profit charitable society formed in 1968 by the Old Age Pensioners Organization. Ayre Manor is supported by Island Health and the District of Sooke in association with SECHS. 
- Construction begins on Ayre Manor (March 2007)
- Expansion Plans for a new 56-bed wing (2012) 
- Expansion Plans Stalled (2017)
- Accreditation Canada acknowledgement (March 2021) 

Sooke Shelter Society 
Hope Centre Supportive Housing and Shelter (BC Housing website) 
- Who To Call infographic 
- BC Housing inquiry form and phone contact: "We welcome questions and feedback on this project through the Q&A tool on this page or to communityrelations@bchousing.org. We look forward to welcoming the community to tour the building once renovations are complete (1Q 2023) and encourage you to contact us about a tour." 

​Sooke Homelessness Coalition 
A satellite working group of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness 

Sooke Family Resources Society 

• Sooke Early Years Programs
• West Shore Early Years Programs
• Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR)
• Counselling
• Youth Services
• Family Services
• Adults with Disabilities
• Bridging the Digital Divide

- Island Health Sooke Health Unit at Sooke Family Resources Society 

Sooke Region Communities Health Network 
"Since 2003, the Sooke Co-operative Association of Service Agencies (CASA) and the grassroots Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) have worked together to benefit the Sooke Region from Port Renfrew to Beecher Bay.  In 2016, the two merged their resources and officially became Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN). It operates as a cooperative non-profit organization with charitable status, which allows it to manage its own grant funding and to act as an umbrella organization for other voluntary groups." 

​SRCHN annual service agreement since 2014 with the District of Sooke. Island Health provides matching funds for a part-time coordinator position filled by SRCHN Executive Director Christine Bossi. The DOS agreement requires ... 
- Sooke Region Resource website
- Sooke Age Friendly Committee (meets monthly under the direction of chair Roy Brown and guided by Christine) 
- Achievement of BC Age-Friendly Committee status 
- Planning for Seniors/Youth Community Activity Centre (aka The Gathering Place) 
- Identify community needs, facilitate community activities 
- Create collaborations and partnerships
- Address issues identified by the Primary Health Care Working Group
- Maintain/develop relationships at regional and provincial levels
- Promote and bolster volunteer activities  

SRCHN Reports and Studies  
​* Youth Activities Report (2021)
* Sooke Region Homelessness Consultation (2021)
​* Sooke Region Food Security Report (2021) 

BC Healthy Communities Age-Friendly Action Guide (2020)

Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation 
Founded in 2018 to "make funding available to local charities who are working hard to provide health-related services to our local communities." Grants from its general fund have been used to purchase equipment for Ayre Manor and the West Coast Family Medical Clinic and Ayre Manor. The Mary Brown Memorial Fund was established last year specifically to address mental health and disability needs; to date its grants have funded counselling services at the Sooke Shelter Society and the Sooke Family Resources Society. A long-time Shirley resident, Mary Brown was a psychiatric social worker who supported people with disabilities and mental health challenges in Canada, UK, and Australia.

- Purpose
- Board of Directors
- How to Give donations options  + Canada Helps direct link 

Sooke Food Bank
Nov. 2022: "Sooke Residents Are Super Generous" (CTV News) 
- Canada Helps donation page 
- EMCS Leadership students' 10,000 Tonight food drives 
- Christmas Bureau 
- Sooke Fire Services campaign + Santa Run
- Grace Garden at the Sooke Baptist Church 

2018 Statistics (most recent on the website): 
Number of Hampers: 3,270
Average 96 families per week
Average 78 children per week
Average 143 adults per week
Cost to date: $229,069.70
Total Pounds: 118,947
Total Kilograms: 53,953

Sooke Transition House Society 
"Provides emergency shelter for women and their children who are in crisis resulting from family violence. Counselling, education, prevention and advocacy."

Sooke Hospice Society 
"The Sooke Hospice Society is a team of trained volunteers and professionals dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual care of individuals who are palliative, as well as their families and loved ones, within the community of Sooke." 

CONTACT: Community Assistance Society 
Low-cost loans of medical equipment (canes, crutches, wheelchairs)

ElderConnect
Sooke Region Community Portal data base for seniors. 

District of Sooke 
- Service agreements with annual funding to ...
* Sooke Region Communities Health Network
* Sooke Family Resource Society
* Sooke Food Bank 

- District grant-hosting for the Sooke Shelter Society's Strengthening Communities grant (2021/22)
 
- District support, council liaison and ongoing engagement via Sooke Bylaw, Sooke Fire Services and Sooke RCMP with the Sooke Homelessness Coalition and local homelessness. 
​
- Community Grants Program support for miscellaneous health-related organizations, including (in 2022) ... 
* SFRS Pre-Natal Program ($7k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* Sooke Shelter Society ($7k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* Steps to the Future Childcare Society ($5k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* KidSport Greater Victoria ($7k) 
* Take A Hike Foundation ($5k) 
* Victoria Brain Injury Society ($1k)


Sooke Service Gaps
Leading Service Gap: Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre 
Sooke currently lacks and has long lobbied for a dedicated Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) operating with sufficient staffing and hours common to other UPCCs in British Columbia. District land for this centre is reserved on Lot A.

Patients with doctors in Sooke can drop-in to the West Coast Family Medical Clinic during urgent care hours (M-F, Noon to 4:30 PM). Outside those hours (and for all those without local doctors), individuals are advised to book appointments at the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre in Langford. 

• Urgent care (same day) services are for people who need care within 12-24 hours but do not require an emergency department and who do not have access to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic in a suitable time frame.
• Patients experiencing chest pains, severe head injuries or broken bones and any concerns requiring immediate blood testing, x-rays or other diagnostic tests cannot be treated at the UPCC and should attend their local hospital’s emergency department or call 9-1-1 during a health emergency.
• Patients will be assessed at the Westshore UPCC upon arrival and registered to be seen as capacity allows. 
• Please note that due to patient volumes, appointments are not guaranteed. Please check medimap.ca for wait times and capacity.

As the West Coast Family Medical Clinic website states: "Please note that the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre is the designated clinic for local residents without a Primary Care Provider ... We recognize that many residents of Sooke do not have access to a Primary Care Provider. West Coast Family Medical Clinic does provide limited, same-day access to a Primary Care Provider for local residents (Sooke to Port Renfrew) through our Urgent Care Clinic [open M-F, Noon to 4:30 PM]. Please note that demand for this service usually exceeds our capacity ... To help us better serve those in our community with urgent medical issues or without a Primary Care Provider, please make every effort to see your own Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner for your medical concerns whenever possible. Same-day appointments in the Urgent Care Clinic can be booked online (online booking only available to patients who already have a chart at our office) or by calling our office at 250-642-4233. Phones are answered from 8:30-12:00, and from 1:00-4:30 (3:30 on Fridays). Please note that it can be difficult to get through by telephone at times due to high call volumes." 

- New UPCC Will Deliver Better Health Care to the West Shore (Ministry of Health press release, Oct. 26, 2018) 
- West Shore Clinic Busiest in the Province, Health Minister Says (Times Colonist, Nov. 26, 2019)

Other Urgent and Primary Care Centres in Greater Victoria 

• James Bay Urgent Primary Care Centre – Victoria
• Esquimalt Urgent Primary Care Centre – Esquimalt
• Downtown Victoria Urgent and Primary Care Centre - Victoria 
• North Quadra Urgent Primary Care Centre – Saanich
• Gorge Urgent and Primary Care Centre – Victoria  

Community Health Centres

• Island Sexual Health Community Health Centre – Victoria 

X-Ray Services in Sooke 
- West Coast Medical Imaging Services (M to F, 11 to 4 PM) 
- "Sooke Mayor Pushing or Beter X-Ray Services" - Sooke News Mirror (Nov. 2015) 
- Advocacy statement 
- "In late 2017, West Coast Medical Imaging improved the X-Ray technology available in Sooke" 

Speech therapist? SRCH advocacy in 2017

More on CHCs: BC Association of Community Health Centres
"BCACHC exists to support and advance the Community Health Centre (CHC) model and engage, advocate for, and support CHCs as an integral part of health and social service delivery in BC communities." 
- What Is a Community Health Centre? 
- The Importance of Community Health Centres in BC's Medical Care Reforms (Canadian Centre Policy Alternatives, 2019) 
- Building Ties With The Health System (CARES, 2020) 
- Roadmap to a CHC 

"Sooke has very little capacity to support the growing needs for Island Health Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) services for our community. There is one free service -- Urgent Short Term Assessment and Treatment (USTAT) -- with capacity or  capacity to serve 16 sessions a week. As small as the free service is, it is currently (October 2022) experiencing challenges with a staffing shortage. The USTAT position has been understaffed for several months … There is no equitable access to MHSU services for people with low income or who lack insurance. There is not enough support available for people who have a low capacity to navigate complex access systems. We have to do better.”

Back Story: Sooke Health & Preventative Care Initiatives 

* Way Back: I'll browse the Sooke Story for clues when i get a chance. 

* Pre-2000: "Becoming an Age Friendly Community, a place where seniors, and all ages, are respected and supported has been the goal of community members long before the term was coined. As our community grew its members identified a need for seniors’ supports. As early as 1945 a Sooke Over 60’s Club was formed, which was the forerunner to the Old Age Pensioners Organization, Branch#88. From that group sprung the Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society and the Contact Community Assistance Society (Loan Cupboard and Contact Drivers). By 1975 another group was providing a ‘Meals on Wheels’ program as well as inexpensive lunches. This eventually developed into the Sooke Senior Drop-In Centre. The Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society worked tirelessly for over 40 years to acquire land and build an assisted living and extended care building in Sooke. The New Horizons Activity Society was formed in the 1980’s and later became the Sooke Seniors Activity Society which raised funds to purchase and operate a bus to assist with seniors’ transportation to events and shopping excursions." - from the Executive Summary of the Sooke Age-Friendly Action Plan (2015)

* 2005: The Sooke Youth & Adult Navigator Project, Dr. Ellen Anderson and Susan Larke. <clip> "In our rural and remote communities, challenged by MHA service access issues, a community-supported Navigator model was designed to increase access to comprehensive, strengths-based assessment, planning and referral facilitation ... Our model utilised the service of two navigators with complementary skills in social work and psychiatric rehabilitation. One navigator focused primarily on youth under age 19 years and one navigator worked primarily with adults. One navigator was female and one was male. However, it was very important for both of them to be able to work with clients of any age and either sex." 

* 2006/2007: Mayor Evans and her council continue advocacy with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, MLA John Horgan and others for improved health care, notably collaboration with the Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society re: the future Ayre Manor Lodge. Other health-oriented work included attendance at the Premier's Council on Seniors and Aging Forum, the Victoria Community Task Force on Cystal Meth, a BC Healthy Community Initiatives workshop, and Planning Institute of British Columbia workshop.  

* Sept. 23, 2006: Sooke Community Health Initiative Forum at the Community Hall 

* Oct. 10, 2006: Announcement that VIHA had signed a $16.1 million contract to construct Ayre Manor. 

* Sept. 8, 2008: "What will it take to create a more age-friendly Sooke?" - day-long conference hosted by Sooke Economic Development Commission in partnership with Sooke Harbour Chamber of Commerce. Participants explored ideas on topics including Community Infrastructure, Safety & Security, Health Services, Active Aging, Life Long Learning, Communication, and Transportation.

* 2009: Launch of Sooke Region Food CHI 

* 2013: Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) designated as the official Age-Friendly Committee for the District of Sooke

* Fall, 2013: The Primary Health Care Services Working Group (PHCSWG) was formed based on input from the community through Mayor Milne's Advisory Panel on Community Health and Social Initiatives. The working group included members from Sooke Region CHI, Sooke Volunteer Centre, the West Coast Family Medical Clinic, the South Island Division of Family Practice, Island Health and the District of Sooke. 

* Dec. 2013: "A GP for Me" forum. (Britt Santowski's Sooke News Mirror story linked here notes that the BC Liberals made a “2010 Government commitment to provide a family physician for any BC resident who wants one by 2015.”)

* 2014: District Service agreement with SRCHN to fund Age Friendly work and meet senior and volunteer goals outlined in the Official Community Plan. (see details at end of this post)

* Highlights of 2013/14 work by PHCSWG
(Nicky Logins, Marlene Barry, Dr. Ellen Anderson, Emma Isaac, Linda Nehra, Wendal Milne)
- Joined Island-wide initiative for a "physician recruitment navigator" position 
- Highlighted gap in X-ray and ultrasound servcies in Sooke. Four UVic Master of Business Administration students develop a business plan for diagnostic services in Sooke
- "Managing At Home: Support Needs for Sooke Seniors" study funded through BC Age-Friendly grant to assess needs of seniors who are medically at risk and facing social isolation.  
- Worked with Island Health to fund two additional hospice beds for Ayre Manor 
- Advocate for support of the Integrated Health Network in Sooke 

* Nov. 2014: Island Health Board of Directors meetings in Sooke hosted by Maja Tait and the District 

*  Dec. 15, 2014: Sooke council appoints a liaison (Mayor Tait) to the PHCSWG. States the Committee of the Whole report: "By focusing on buiding not just the physical infrastructure of our community but also the social infrastructure, local elected officials work hand-in-hand with health care professionals to contribute to citizen's health and social needs." At this time, 74% of Sooke residents do not have doctors in Sooke; remaining 26% lack a doctor at all. Waiting list of 800 patients at West Coast Family Medical Clinic. 

* October 2015: Release of District of Sooke Age-Friendly Action Plan 
"A strong commitment to supporting our seniors, volunteering and caring for others has helped Sooke to become the place it is now. Sooke is an Age Friendly community with a vision and many citizens have the desire to make it more so. We’ve come together to make things happen in the past and will continue to do so far into the future. We understand that when we build to ‘Age Friendly’ we build to accommodate all ages and abilities." 

- 2015: The Province and BC Healthy Communities recognized the District of Sooke as a community that has demonstrated "incredible commitment to supporting older residents to remain healthy and active in their communities." 

* May 28, 2016: Sooke Region Health Summit at the Community Hall hosted by Mayor Tait. Organized around four topics: Healthy Food Accessibility; Special Populations; Medical Services & Infrastructure; Social and Physical Activities. Gaps that were identified in these areas informed the ongoing work of the PHCSWG and the District of Sooke. Read the final report here. 
 
* Nov. 2016: "No Easy Fix for Doctor Shortage" - Kevin Laird, Sooke News Mirror 

* April, 2017:  The CRD Hospitals and Housing Committee endorsed Mayor Tait’s motion entitled, “Support for Pilot Project: A Regional Health Care Facility in Sooke”. Discussion ensued regarding:
"- the similar challenges regarding healthcare for residents of Victoria and Sooke and if they are more acute in Sooke,
- the different needs perceived by the public versus healthcare professionals, 
​- being a part of the CRD means that residents of Sooke are requested to use the facilities in the region that are not necessarily local,
- any facility would be open to residents of Victoria and reduce the load on services in Victoria, and
- the challenges of the highway to Sooke."

MOVED by Director Tait, SECONDED by Director Helps, That the Hospitals and Housing Committee recommends to the Capital Regional District Board that: The District of Sooke and the Sooke Region Primary Health Care Services Working Group calls on the Capital Regional Hospital District, the Province of British Columbia, Island Health, and all levels of government to support a regional health care facility in Sooke. CARRIED

* Summer/Fall 2017: The Sooke Planning Steering Committee was subsequently formed. Committee members include Mayor Tait as well as representatives from the CRD, Sooke Family Physicians, SIDFP, Island Health and the CHN.  See agenda package for: 1. Sooke Region Health Summit – Final Report (Draft); 2. Sooke Fire Rescue Department – Emergency Call Statistics; 3. Correspondence regarding Health Care Services in Sooke; 4. Island Health – 2014 Sooke Local Health Area Profile; 5. Sooke Pocket News Survey – Medical Services in Sooke, April, 2017. 

* Nov. 2017: Sooke Community Heath Care Stakeholders Consultation. Five identified needs: 

"1. Improved Access to Primary Care: Participants identified the desire for more primary care providers (GPs and Nurse Practitioners), citing limited clinic space and incentives to attract more GPs as barriers. The desire for access to longer primary care hours in the evenings and on weekends, including Sundays and holidays was expressed. Same-day access to primary care in urgent circumstances was also desired. Many participants indicated that co-located space would be desirable with all-primary health services integrated (virtually or by physical co-location).
2. Care provided by a team of health care providers (team-based care): Participants indicated that having a care team focused on seniors would be valuable. Also, having Nurse Practitioners or Registered Nurses attached to the Physician clinic would be desired to improve access to primary care.
3. Access to more specialized, locally accessible services: Participants identified the need for more access to Mental Health and Substance Use services, including walk-in services. Also, increased services for isolated seniors were suggested, along with the idea of having a drop-in seniors’ activity centre.
4. Improved access to other key enablers: Currently x-ray services in Sooke are available 7.5 hours/week (Tuesday 8:30am-11:00 am, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am-11:30am) and laboratory services are available on weekdays (8am-4pm Mondays to Fridays). The community identified more service hours are desirable to improve access and reduce the need to travel outside the community for these services. Maximizing the use of electronic medical/health records was also cited as a key enabler to bolster service provision.
5. Supporting population wellness: Improved health literacy (access to information on wellbeing and how/where to access services) was deemed a priority for participants. Improved transportation (both within Sooke and to destinations outside Sooke) was also cited by participants as needed, particularly on weekends (note: transportation issues are considered out of scope for this plan). Road improvement needs were also identified."

* May 18, 2018: Aging With Grace: Sooke Region Age 55+ Summit 
Keynote speech by Dr. David Docherty, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria + Overview of the 2018 Provincial Seniors' Summit by Doni Eve, Senior Manager, Healthy Aging, for the Population and Public Health Division of the BC Ministry of Health + talk by Sooke Registered Clinical Counsellor Janet Raynor Thorn titled "/The Croning Years: The Later Life Transformations" + break-out groups re: ElderConnect Seniors' Info Hub. 

* June 16, 2018:  Sooke Community Health Service Engagement with stakeholders at Community Hall 

* Aug. 2018: Sooke Community Health Service Planning Report (Island Health/District of Sooke) 

* Winter/Spring 2018/19: Lot A Charette Concept Plan identifies best possible uses of the town-centre, District-owned property's southeast quadrant as a "5-6-storey Health Centre with limited size independent commercial retail units on the base and market housing units on the upper floors. Second floor office space is also appropriate. This quadrant would include an underground parking component ... conceived as a wood-frame building with a total floor area of approximately 7,000m2." 

-  April 26, 2019:  "Expanded Primary Care Coming to Sooke" (Ministry of Health press release) 

- June, 12, 2020: Official opening of expanded West Coast Family Medical Clinic; "Sooke Clinic Aims to Connect More Patients With Doctors" (Times Colonist)

- 2020/21/22: Advocacy continues with the Ministry of Health for a hybrid Community Heath Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre on the southeast quadrant of Lot A. 


Miscellaneous 
Media Coverage: BC Health Care Issues 
~ "BC's Health-Care Crisis Is Unrelenting: What Can Be Done To Fix It?" (CBC, Sept. 19, 2022;  includes link to the Situation Critical town hall with Minister Dix and others) 
~ "BC Liberals Call for Audit of Urgent and Primary Care Centres" (Times Colonist, July 27, 2022) 
~ "BC Health Care System Strengthened by New Payment Model for Doctors" (Ministry of Health, Oct. 31, 2022)
​~ "BC Health Minister Calls for Trudeau to Engage on Health Funding" (CBC, Nov. 6, 2022) 

Reports 
- Family Doctors Care: The Role and Value of Family Physicians in BC (BC College of Family Physicians, 2020) 

* BC 211
Free, confidential hot-line consultation 24/7 in 150 languages 

* BC Centre For Disease Control 
- Covid 19 page 
- Business protocols 
- Link to current Province-wide regulations 

* Canadian Mental Health Association: BC Division

* Doctors of BC website + Advocating for family physicians 


Greater Victoria Hospitals 

Capital Regional Hospital District 
This CRD corporation "partners with Island Health and community stakeholder agencies to develop and improve healthcare facilities in the region and provide capital funding for infrastructure such as acute care, residential care and hospital equipment.
- 10-Year Capital Plan (through 2032) 

Victoria General Hospital 
"Victoria General started as St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1876. The name was changed when the Sisters of St. Ann gave it to the province in 1972.t The new VGH opened in 1983 on Hospital Way off Helmcken. A 368-bed community-based acute- care facility, it provides general adult & pediatric surgery including orthopedics, endoscopy, maternity & neo-natal ser- vices, sexual assault nurse examiner, as well as mammography, asthma, dia- betes, & respiratory clinics, cancer care, icu, rehabilitation, and much more."

Royal Jubilee Hospital 
Founded in the 1860s and now featuring 500 beds. It offers critical care, surgery, diagnostics, emergency facilities, with a special focus on cardiac medicine. 

Victoria Hospital Foundation 
Supporting care teams at Royal Jubilee, VGH and Gorge Road hospitals.  


Third United Way of British Columbia Provincial Aging Summit (2022) 


"The District of Sooke has entered into a Service Agreement with the SRCHN to provide the following services:
 
• Sooke Region Resource website:
o website improvements, updates and maintenance;

• Age Friendly Committee for Sooke:
o develop planning and/or activities to achieve official provincial status for Sooke as an Age Friendly Community

• Seniors/Youth/Community Activity Centre:
o Identify the needs of the community
o Initiate and facilitate community forum/s or other opportunities to discuss development of a community activity centre, and to inform Council on this initiative
o Solicit partnerships and engage support from interested potential partner organizations
o Goal of September 30 2014 completion date for these services

• Primary Health:
o address issues identified through the Primary Health Care Working Group and Mayor‘s Panel, Community Health and Social Initiatives
o maintain and further develop relationships at regional and provincial levels for community health initiatives
• Volunteer Initiatives:
o Explore funding opportunities to implement OCP identified Volunteer initiatives and activities that promote Sooke‘s claim as the Volunteer Capital of Canada

VIHA has been an avid supporter of SRCHN, matching funds provided by the District of Sooke to fund our activites. As of 2014, VIHA has provided funding for a part-time coordinator's position to futher collaboration and increase opportunities for the region. This was very appreciated by SRCHN as grants often do not provide the possibility to pay indirect costs such as services rendered."

Cut-and-pasting from my campaign website with considerable additions and links ... 

Five words ultimately sum it up based on my council experience these last four roller-Covid-coaster years: Planning, process, preparation, patience and persistence. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed working with my council colleagues guided by staff expertise. We're individuals with varied personal and working styles who reflect a diversity of Sooke viewpoints.We listen to staff reports and public input. We discuss and debate as our perspectives evolve. We vote. We accept the results gracefully (for the near-most part; hand's up here for losing my cool on a few occasions, immediately cautioned by the Mayor and sparking a prompt apology for not acting my advanced age.)  

And we move on to whatever's next on our always packed agendas. Serious business but never short of laughs, compassion, goodwill and an eagerness on all our parts to be of community service. (And tears too at the loss of the irreplaceable Brenda Parkinson). I genuinely like and appreciate our circle of seven, and have always enjoyed those rare occasions when we retire (non-quorum) to the Sooke Brewery after council meetings that end before closing time. 

What ultimately matters, of course, is that the District is in professional hands to deliver the everyday essentials: protective services, operations (parks, roads, sidewalks, wastewater), planning (new development, variances, permits), and financial and corporate services (budgeting, legislative process.)  Sooke's municipal staff does all these things well while also recognizing that the District is a work in ever after progress as it matures into an increasingly effective, adaptable, responsive and professional organization.

Council is to a large degree a stewardship group, and ours (Sooke's seventh since incorporation) have been good, responsible, compassionate stewards, I sincerely believe. Hope you agree!  We certainly did get some stuff done. 


Achievements of the 2018/22 Sooke Council and District staff
(followed by my own personal accomplishments these last four years) 

Working respectfully together, Mayor Maja Tait and her council has achieved the following in collaboration with District staff (led by our VIP hire and sole employee CAO McInnis and his interim Don Schaffer) along with public committees, consultants, community stakeholders and other orders of government.

* Creation of a four-year Council Strategic Plan with considerable staff and community stakeholder input + Introduction of an implementation process  in which "now," "next" and "later" priorities are identified for staff and council action every six months (a first for Sooke thanks to CAO McInnis, who has also introduced annual staff service plan reviews, and worked successfully with Finance Director Raechel Gray to optimize Sooke's annual Five-Year Financial Plan process to best legislative standards and timetables.)   

* Near-adoption of a solid and actionable new Official Community Plan laced with Sooke Smart Growth policies, a 120-point implementation plan and best-practice development guidelines -- all rooted in high per-capita public engagement (Covid-era or not) compared to OCP participation rates in other communities. 

* Initiated a set of vital new planning documents and reports to guide Sooke's short-and-mid-term future: Transportation, Parks & Trails, Housing Needs, Economic Analysis and Child Care included. 

* Renewal of good relations with the T'Sou-ke Nation through a reinvigorated Memorandum of Understanding and the first regular series of meetings between the two councils since the largely inert MOU was established in 2007. 

* Creation of five council committees following open calls for applicants: Community Economic Development, Land Use & Development, Climate Action, Sooke Program of the Arts and OCP Advisory Committee. 

* Operationalization of a climate adaptation and mitigation "green lens" for all District decision-making through the Low Carbon Resilience co-benefits model. It brings a balanced approach to consideration of social, economic and environmental factors. 

* $1 million-plus from the Province of BC for upgrades to the West Coast Family Medical Clinic, providing team-based care for an additional 4,000 unattached patients in the Sooke region. Continuing advocacy for Ayre Manor's expansion plans and with the province for an Urgent Primary Care Centre. 

* Strong focus and quick action on short-term priorities within the Transportation Master Plan, notably active transportation corridors in the town-centre stretches of Otter Point Road and Church Road, with Charters to follow. Extensive shovel-ready design blueprints completed for the Throup/Grant Rd. West bypass route (including roundabouts).  

* Adopted a new Sooke Building Bylaw (2020), added staffing to the building permit department and began a major review/overhaul of the Development Permit Approval process scheduled for completion and enactment next year. 

* Sooke Fire Service: Adoption of Fire Master Plan (2022); implementation of phased paid on-call system for volunteers; equipment renewal (Engine 3,  4x4 heavy duty pick-up truck,  rescue pumper apparatus); Capital Region Mutual Aid agreement; Silver Spray Protection Agreement review. Planned purchase of Engine 4 has been deferred in favour of an Initial Attack Fire Apparatus based on Master Plan recommendation. First Nations artwork and "Brenda" logo added to fire trucks. 

* Endorsement of two Sooke firsts: Climate Action Plan (July 2022) and Community Economic Development Strategy (October 2021) to champion localism while reducing carbon emissions and building a complete community that's better positioned to face emergencies. 

- Approval of Climate Action Committee Workplan (Oct. 2020);  introduction of a Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy approach (Jan. 2021); green lens/climate-first definition through Low Carbon Resilience model (April 12, 2021); 50% target for GHG emissions by 2030 (April 26, 2021); council resolutions in support of PACE enabling legislation and Help Cities Lead initiatives (April 2021); adoption of the 7% Solution GHG reduction strategy (June 28, 2021); approval of preliminary Climate Action Plan framework and citizen engagement strategy (June 28, 2021);  Sooke consent for funding increase to CRD Climate Action Service Bylaw (Nov. 22, 2021); nine-month contract hiring of interim Climate Action Coordinator (Nov. 2021); new-development impacts/carbon accounting presentation by CAC's Anna Russell (Dec. 13, 2021); Community Economic Development Strategy adopted (Dec. 13, 2021); council directs staff to prepare the Climate Action Plan and for the draft to be presented on a T'Sou-ke MOU meeting agenda (Dec. 13, 2021); CRD EV charger infrastructure network (June, 2022);  Climate Action Plan presented (July 18, 2022) and endorsed in principle by council (July 25, 2022); council defers to the next council the Climate Action Committee recommendations to hire a full-time Climate Action Coordinator and creation of a Community Education and Engagement Society to assist the District with its Sooke 2030 campaign (July 25, 2022), 

* Re-establishment of Sooke Chamber of Commerce service agreement after a five-year lapse + first-time District membership in the South Island Prosperity Project

* Hiring of first-ever DOS Community Economic Development Officer to steward the CED Strategy and, in part, the Climate Action Plan. The CED Officer sourced contract funding for Sooke's first interim Climate Action Coordinator (November 2021 to July 2022).  

* Planning for the Lot A town centre hub, where our iconic new library-in-the-round is to be paired with the Gathering Place intergenerational centre, seniors affordable rental housing, a southwest public plaza in the design stage and the possibility of expanded health care facilities as the site is integrated with an evolving Evergreen Mall. 

* Strong support for the Sooke Homelessness Coalition, leading to District involvement in Covid-era shelters at SEAPARC and John Phillips Memorial Park ... followed in turn by what would have been considered a miracle five years ago:  The establishment of Sooke's first dedicated transitional and supportive housing project run by the Sooke Shelter Society at the Hope Centre.   

* Approvals for nearly 500 town-centre rentals -- market-rate and affordable (via BC Housing) apartments as well as, town homes and small-lot single family dwellings. An  equal number is in planning stages for council consideration. All address priorities identified in the Housing Needs Report (2019).  Introduction of the DOS Development Tracker. 

* Initial negotiations with three major mixed-use developers who collectively are proposing additional market-rate housing and over 150k square feet of retail, office and other space in the town centre.    

* Liaison with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on the $65-million four-lane improvements in North Sooke, the paving of Connie Road and the  600m MOTI sidewalk extension from the town centre stoplight to Ed Macgregor Park (with plans for future extensions continuing to Whiffin Spit Rd.) 

* Liaison with BC Transit in the development of the Sooke Local Area Transit Plan, delayed by Covid yet promising to dramatically improve local and regional transit options as it is implemented in a regional plan that includes RapidBus service from Langford. 

* Advanced, for public dialogue, the Sooke Lions long-cherished vision of a multi-use community centre after 15+ years of fruitless talks with previous Sooke councils, moving it forward for what has proven to be a robust debate on its pros, cons, possible services, design and proposed location -- all as a prelude to any final decisions or alternative ideas raised by the next council.  

* District staff secured $11 million in provincial and federal grants, including funds for wastewater treatment plant expansion (full details), town centre sidewalk extension, and active-transportation corridors (Otter Point, Church, plus new application made recently for Charters) - see below for mostly complete list of these and other grants. 

* Sewer expansion masterplanning with primary funding focus on extension east to Kaltasin (grant and resident-approval dependent) to eliminate harbour pollution hotspots, permit shellfish harvesting and develop employment lands east of the Sooke River.

* New community amenties including the multi-sports court box at Raven Ridge Park in Sunriver; public trail wayfinding and trailheads for the Stickleback and Sea Walk urban trails; waterfront-access staircases at Cains Family Park and Sooke Bluff Park; the Ponds Corridor Stickleback dog park; the SEAPARC Weight Room & Fitness Studio; and phased work on the future DeMamiel Creek pedestrian crossing.  

* Stabilization of what had become a somewhat shaky District organizational structure starting with the hiring of CAO Norm McInnis.  He, in turn, has begun the process of revitalizing Sooke's corporate reputation and culture with valued existing staff and bright new hires. (Everyone, of course, sends immense good wishes to Norm during his medical leave.) 

* The hiring of a first-ever Communications Coordinator who has skillfully launched a (long overdue) new era in local government transparency and outreach via email newsletters, media relations, social-media content and a diverse, creative array of in-person, print and electronic public engagement through the Let's Talk Sooke platform. Subscribe to the email service here and watch for continuing improvements to the District's jam-packed, hugely informative website.

Miscellaneous Council Actions, 2018-2022

- Endorsed the Charter for Compassion (making Sooke the 103rd city in the world to do so) 

​- Annual funding for Wild Wise Sooke Society

- Sister city relationship with Natori, Japan

- Declaration of a climate emergency (passed unanimously by council on April 8, 2019; Sooke was the 162nd local government in the world to pass an emergency declaration; the first was the Melbourne, Australia suburb of Darebin on Dec. 5, 2016; as of Oct. 2022, 2,275 jurisdictions and local governments representing more than 1 billion citizens world-wide have declared emergencies.) 

- Enlisted in FCM Partners for Climate Protection's five-milestone program   

- Sooke 2030 community development campaign for personal and corporate carbon emission reductions 

- 7% Solution GHG reduction strategy 

- Teleworking advocacy 

- Advocacy for implementation of BC Transit Sooke Local Area Transit Plan

- Council support for Island Rail Corridor

- Formalized ban on anticoagulant rodenticides in District operations 

- Tree bylaw (defeated 4-3), followed by commitment to Sooke tree management strategy, urban tree canopy expansion and tree-planting collaborations with Sooke schools as a starter. 

- First-ever service agreement with Sooke Family Resource Society (for youth navigator, pre-natal & adult counselling services to Sooke residents)  

- Development Permit approvals for Sooke library, Wadams Farm, BC Housing projects, Evergreen Mall and the mixed-use residential/commercial project at the former Mulligans.  

- Approval for CRD Regional Housing First borrowing to provide 400 new shelter-rate units on South Island

- Agricultural Land Reserve  protection via recommendations (to ALC) to reject exclusion requests (with one exception being the small ALR chunk at the corner of Church and Throupe so as to faciliate a roundabout on our future connector route bypass)
​
​- Sooke pilot project: Village Farm Hamlet (District partnership with Greenplan's Jack Anderson)   

- Participation in CRD Regional Foodland Access Program. 

- Cannabis regulations and retail licensing 

- Public funding ($50k) for one-third of costs for new seating in the EMCS Community Theatre

- Waived building permit fees for Sooke River Jack Brooks Hatchery 

- CRD Animal Control contract renewal 

- Financial support for Art Morris Park ball field improvements and pickleball court upgrades

- Approval for 17 Mile House expansion with compact retail plaza  

- Public toilets and water fountains added to John Philips Memorial Park and Whiffin Spit 

- Invasive species (including Japanese knotweed) removal by parks staff and the Greater Victoria Green Team 

- Demolition of the Tin Grotto 

- Revisions of Viewpointe Estates multi-phase parks and trail covenant 

- Progress on DeMamiel Creek connector and sidewalk phased project, Sunriver to schools   

- Wastewater treatment plant centrifuge replacement and overall system upgrades

- Five Year Road Improvement Program 

- Sewer inclusion for various properties, including Woodside Farm and homes on Maple Park Terrace

- Community Parks permit exemption for Sooke Country Market and assistance to relocate it to north of the Fire Hall while a first-ever dedicated parking lot for John Phillips Memorial Park is being constructed due south of the Municipal Hall. 

- Transit bench advertising agreement 

- Preliminary work on development of a waste management strategy, including yard-waste depot in the Sooke public worksyard and a report from the Climate Action Coordinator re: Sooke's place within the CRD Waste Managment Strategy

-  Covid-19 operational protocols, return-to-work planning, virtual meetings and relief measures for local business
​
- Covid initiatives: Approvals for patio expansions, Food trucks service in parks program, delegated authority to staf for liquour license amendments,  

- Support for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (out of our supposed lane, but took fully five minutes of council time as we joined communities world-wide in calling for this ban.) 

- (last, lucky horseshoe not-least) Renewed agreement with Sooke Horseshoe Pitching Association 


New, updated, consolidated and amended bylaws and policies, 2018-22 
- Flag Protocol (including T'Sou-ke, Ukrainian and Pride flags at Municipal Hall) 
- Council Procedures Bylaw 
- Sooke Building Bylaw 
- Floodplain Regulation Bylaw 
- Business License Bylaw 
- Memorial Plaque Contribution Policy
- Council Remuneration & Benefits Bylaw 
- Development Cost Charges Bylaw 
- Fees & Charges Bylaw 
- Blasting Regulation amendment 
- Check-Out Bag Regulation Bylaw 
- Community Grant & Sponsorship Policy
- Freedom of Information and Privacy Bylaw 
- Council Parental Leave Policy 
- Purchasing and Disposal of Assets Policy 
- Fire Services Protection Bylaw - Backyard Burning 
- Sooke Potholes Gate Policy 
- Community Parks Regulation (user fee reduction) 
- Unsightly Premises Bylaw 
- Public Interest Disclosure Policy 
- Public Complaint Resolution Policy 
- Bylaw Enforcement Policy 
- Letters of Support Policy
- Covid Safe Restart Fund Bylaw 
- Naming of Municipal Assets & Infrastructure Policy
- Electronic Meeting Participation & Etiquette Policy 
- Fireworks Regulation Bylaw 
- Soil Improvement and Deposit Bylaw 
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw
- Election Procedure Bylaw 


Grant endorsements and successful applications, 2018-22
- Wastewater Treatment Planet expansion ~ $4.6 million (total budget: $6.58m) 
- Otter Point Active Transportation Corridor ~ $1.8 million (430 meters of sidewalks and 720 meters of bike lanes)
- Church Road Active Transportation Corridor 
- Development Approval Program Project ~ $494,270
- Multi-Sport Court Box ~ $400k 
- Housing Needs Assessment ~ $20,000 
- Strengthening Communities (Sooke Shelter Society) ~ $540,000 + in 2021/22 and 2022/23
- Age-Friendly Communities' Healthy Eating for Active Living program
- Sunriver emergency route planning ~ $25k (funding criteria) 
- Emergency Operations Centre development ~ $25k (funding criteria) 
- FireSmart staffing + Regional Vegetation Management program
- Child Care Needs Assessment ~ $x through Ministry of Children and Family Development 
- Tree Canada planting program
- EV charger program
- UBCM Poverty Reduction Grant for food security research ~ $25k 

Pending
- Phased Sooke sewer service area expansion ~ $27m 
- Charters Road Active Transportation Corridor ~ $7m  
- Charters South Active Transportation Grant ~ $500k 


How I spent the last four years 
* A+ attendance record as an attentive, informed, engaged presence at 250+ meetings (regular council, in-camera, COW, CRD, committee and council appointments, in-person and virtual, 2018/22)  

* Council liaison, Climate Action Committee (2021/22) ~ The CAC delivered (as foundational starting points in the wake of the District's declaration of a climate emergency) the Climate Action Plan, the 7% Solution GHG reduction strategy and the Sooke 2030 citizen and corporate engagement campaign in close collaboration with District staff, consultant Denise Withers and gifted committee members Anna Russell and Beth Lange in particular. 

* Co-chair, Sooke Homelessness Coalition (2021/22) ~ Bi-monthly meetings with a wide range of service agencies, RCMP, Sooke bylaw, Sooke Fire Services and others addressing local issues related to the homeless and those at-risk of homelessness. A working group involving Sooke Shelter Society and Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness representatives, myself and others have recently completed the SHC's first three-year Strategic Plan arising from a series of community brainstorming sessions.  

* Sooke Trustee, Vancouver Island Regional Library Board (2018/22) ~ Doing my small but impactful and tremendously satisfying part as the District's latest VIRL Trustee in helping our landmark new library across the finish line after 15 years of prelude highlighted by sharp moves by earlier councils (i.e., the 2016 purchase of Lot A for a fifth of its current value.) 

* Alternate Director, Capital Regional District (2018/22) ~ Stepping in as requested and required for Director Tait at CRD board, SEAPARC Commission and Transportation, Parks, Governance, Housing, and Planning & Protective Service committee meetings. I've received a substantial 101 working education in such matters as the Regional Growth Strategy, First Nations Relations (and the CRD's statement on reconciliation), the Regional Water Supply Master Plan, SEAPARC operations and planning, the Regional Parks Strategic Plan, the Solid Waste Management Plan, the Regional Housing Affordability Strategy, the CRD Climate Action Strategy,  the Regional Transportation Plan,  the Regional Food and Agricultural Plan, the Regional Emergency Management Partnership, first-time (for the CRD) Mountain Biking Guidelines, corporate operations and  advocacy strategy. (In my experience, the CRD is a hugely competent, progressive, fiscally responsible and professional organization guided by priorities determined by its board on a four-year cycle that starts again post-election.) 

* Chair, Lot A Northeast Quadrant Task Force (2019) ~ Ground-setting consultation work for the future (fingers crossed) Gathering Place  project now moving smartly forward under the direction of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network with solid support in principle from the District. 

* Participant, T'Sou-ke Housing Solutions Lab (2021/22) ~ Half-dozen virtual workshops facilitated by the IISAAK Olam Foundation and dedicated to "influencing meaningful change related to housing and home in T'Sou-ke traditional territority" through various themes: creative housing types; cultural education and reconciliation; innovative models of home ownership and financing; and "working together as one" strategies. 

* Council Appointee, Greater Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee (2018/22) ~ Participated in the CRD review that promises to revitalize the education and advocacy mandate of this regional group of councillors, school district trustees and front-line service providers (founded 1966). With its Communications Committee, I helped produced its annual reports and wrote advocacy letters to the province on behalf of the Mobile Youth Services Team and in support of the Roads to Revival legal services review. 

* Advocacy efforts in process through letters I've written for Mayor Tait's signature: Province of BC teleworking office requested for Sooke; Enhanced Roadside Assessment tests for Sooke seniors (pilot project established in 2020 and continuing today); second-generation anti-coagulant rodenticides ban; enhanced cosmetic pesticide regulations; protection of Vancouver Island sea wolves.

* Exacting attention to detail: Research and intensive homework on all agenda items to the best of my abilities. Keeping council informed about my appointee work during verbal reports. And unofficial role as council watchdog for errors and oversights in the minites. (doubtless more examples above as ever - all of us need proofreaders, I readily acknowledge ;-) 

Start date: Nov. 5, 2018
Final Meeting: Oct. 3, 2022 

What follows are more fine print details about these last four years , including my attendance record at meetings & conventions plus material drawn from a log of council agenda items I've diligently maintained.  

Council 
91 regular and special council meetings 
27 Committee of the Whole meetings
x In-Camera meetings 
 
CRD Alternate Director
14 Capital Regional District board meetings
3 CRD Planning & Protective Services meetings
8 CRD Parks and Environment committee meetings
6 CRD Governance committee meetings
3 CRD Transportation committee meetings
6 SEAPARC Commission meetings 
1 CRD Meeting of Councils meeting
1 CRD First Nation Perspectives training 
 
Council Appointee & Liaison
16 Climate Action Committee meetings 
18 Vancouver Island Regional Library board meetings
5 Northeast Quadrant Lot A Task Force meetings 
27 Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee meetings
30+ Sooke Age-Friendly Committee meetings 
10 Sooke Homelessness Coalition meetings 
x Sooke Homelesness Coalition working group meetings 

Drop-In Attendee 
8 OCP Advisory Committee meetings (virtual) 
x Community Economic Development meetings (occasional)
x Land Use and Development meetings (occasional) 
 
Conventions/Conferences
1 Federation of Canadian Municipalities convention (Quebec City, 2019) 
2 in-person (Vancouver, Whistler) & 2 virtual Union of BC Municipalities conventions 
2 in-person (Powell River, Victoria) & 2 virtual Association of Vancouver island & Coastal Communities conventions
3 Local Government Leadership Academy forums - 2 in-person (Parksville, Richmond) & 1 virtual
1 FCM Sustainable Communities conference (virtual) 
1 NewCities conference (Victoria, 2020) 
1 Newly elected orientation session (Esquimalt, 2018) 

Advocacy (Issues largely identified in Council's Strategic Plan) 
- Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre/Ayre Manor expansion   
- Moratorium on hunting of Vancouver Island Sea Wolves 
- Sooke Homelessness Coalition 
- Enhanced transit service via implementation of BC Transit's Sooke Local Area Transit Plan + CRD Regional Transit Plan and related documents 
- Increased Canada Community-Building Fund (aka Gas Tax) monies to Canadian municipalities (amount was doubled in the 2020 and 2021 federal budgets; UBCM page) 
- Municipal & Regional Development Tax (aka Hotel Tax; responsibility of SRTA) 
- Community gateway revitalization 
- Seniors Enhanced Roadside Assessment testing through Coast Capital (Sooke pilot project, 2020-22 ongoing)
- Cosmetic lawn pesticides (response: BC will continue to refine Integrated Pest Management Act) 
- Rodenticides (response: ban on second generation poisons re: BC pest management page + July 2022 consultation) 
- Telecommuting Office (response: Sept. 2022, Sooke will be considered in future provincial telework decisions) 
- Island Rail Corridor (business case + Federal government must decide its level of commitment by March, 2023) 
- Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) funding inclusion
- Wastewater grant opportunities (response: Province funds 70% of $6.8m treatment plant expansion costs) 
- Little River crossing funding (2021 grant application to Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program failed + 2023 budgeting for further work) 

Sponsorships, Council Contingency and Community Grants
- Sooke Food Bank
- Wounded Warrior Run 
- Victoria Green Team 
- Rotary Club hockey and golf tournaments 
- Canada Day funding + lumberjack skills presentation
- Sooke Shelter Society/Coldest Night of the Year
- Saunders Family Golf Tournament
- Navy League of Canada Sooke Branch 
- Sooke Harmony Project drive-in movies x 3 
- Gas cards for Christmas Bureau 
- Sooke Fine Arts 
- Chamber of Commerce
- add Community Grant recipients x 30+ organizations  

Delegations 
- Wild Wise Sooke (Sam Webb) 
- Royal Roads University's Sooke baseline study (Brian White) 
- Sooke Chamber of Commerce (Britt Santowski, Karen Mason)
- Surfrider Vancouver Island Foundation/Zero Waste Sooke
- Sooke Food Bank (Kim Kaldal) 
- Sooke Shelter Society (Sherry Thompson, Melanie Cunningham)
- Sooke Multi-Belief Initiative: Sooke Compassionate Action Plan (Mark Ziegler)
- Compassionate Community signage in town centre (Don Brown)
- Decolonization (Jonathan Francoeur) 
- Victoria Foundation Vital Signs Report
- Mosaic Forest Management (Pam Jorgenson) 
- RV/Homeowner Matchmaking Pilot Project (Shadley Taylor & Richard Sawatsky) 
- Moms Stop The Harm/International Overdose Prevention Day (Melanie Cunningham, Ben Groener) 
- EMCS Society theatre seating (Anne Bell, Ashley Green) 
- SRCHN Youth Engagement Study (Christine Bossi) 
- SRCHN Beyond the Paradise: Homelessness in the Sooke Region (Christine Bossi, Gemma Martin)
- SRCHN Food Security report (Christine Bossi) 
- School District #62 (Chair Ravi Parmar)
- Agricultural Land Commission (Chair Jennifer Dyson)
- Transition Sooke (Alan Dolan) 
- Zoning Issue (Wayne Smith, Kevin Pearson)
- Firearms and Bow Use regulation (Terrance Martin) 
- CRD Foodlands Access Program
- Cycling in Sooke, dark skies lighting policies (Oliver Hockenhull)
- Climate Action Committee (Anna Russell, Beth Lange, Bernie Klassen) 
- BC Housing (Malcolm McNaughton)
- Chamber of Commerce/Kurry King (Ramesh Nandhini)
- Greater Victoria Green Team 
- Youth Arts Exhibit (Diane Moran) 
- 606 Water Group (Chris Moss, Lynn Moss, Heather Phillips)
- Pesticide Education Group re: ban on cosmetic pesticides (Yvonne Court)
- Mouck Marine Energy (Capt. Mouck)
- Building permit process (Herb Haldane)
- Tin Grotto (Dennis Woodward)
- Remote Control Car Racing Club 
- Waste to Energy (James Kernaghan)
- Food truck waste/grease disposal 

Rezonings & Development Permits with Variances
- Sooke Veterinary Clinic
- Montessori School 
- Felderhof Road/Church Child Care Centre 
- New WorkLink building approvals (Church)
- SilverSpray East Sooke Rd. realignment 
- 6735 Eustace Road 

Other miscellaneous that I attended ... 
​4 T'Sou-ke/Sooke council dinners (in person)
7 T’Sou-ke Housing Solutions Lab meetings (virtual)
1 T'Sou-ke flag-raising ceremony at the Municipal Hall
1 Memorial and tree-planting for the late Brenda Parkinson
​1 Memorial to the late Cam Sullivan 
4 Council Strategic Plan sessions with consultants, staff and and community stakeholders 
1 Lot A Charette (2 sessions) 
2 Service Capacity Workshops with local government consultant Gord MacIntosh 
1 BC Girl Guide Blue Lights event 
3 Sooke Homelessness Coalition Strategic Plan engagements, Baptist Church (2021/22)
4 Economic Development Group meetings 
20 Sooke Multi-Belief Initiative meetings 
15 EMCS Society meetings
x Tale of A Whale documentary creative meetings with Phoebe Dunbar et al. (2019/22) 
1 BC Wild Salmon policy meeting (2019) 
5 Wild Wise Sooke Zoom meetings 
2 Rising Economy Week virtuals (South island Prosperity Project) 
1 Emergency Operations Centre workshop (partial) 
1 Royal Roads University MOU meeting
1 Wild Arc tour 
​1 District of Sooke staff and council Colours workshop (I'm a blue with strong leanings towards green) 
1 Building Permit Review meeting with development community (2019) 
1 Dahr Jamail presentation to DOS staff and several councillors 
2 Hartland Landfill tours 
2 North Sooke Highway 14 meetings 
1 20th Anniversary District of Sooke picnic/film night
1 By-election speed rating session 
1 Cains Park Staircase ribbon-cutting
1 Poirier Elementary/DeMamiel Creek sidewalk ribbon-cutting 
1 West Wind Harbour Cohousing ribbon-cutting 
1 Stickelback Trail ribbon-cutting 
1 Sooke Library ground-breaking 
2 VIRL Library openings (Sooke, Chemainus) 
1 Sooke 4 Reconciliation group walkabout with Chief Planes 
4 Remembrance Day events (two in-person, two virtual) 
3 Santa Claus parades 
2 Canada Day at the Flats
1 Rotary Club of Sooke Auction
1 Sooke Lions Sookerama 
1 SRCHN BC Accessibility Community consultation 
1 SRCHN Sooke Region Non-Profit Summit (2022)
x Open Houses (District Budget, OCP and Master Plan presentations + MOTI, BC Transit, Aragon Development, BC Housing, Sooke Horseshoe Pitching Club, Gathering Place and others) 
- Meetings (Freedom Mobile, BC Hydro, BC Ambulance, Telus)
- UBCM meetings (virtual and in-person) with BC Ministers of Education, Health, and Mental Health & Addictions 
3 Coldest Night of the Year walks 

Sharing below my prepared notes for the Community Hall candidates evening last night. It was sponsored by "Cindy Mackay and Friends" after being conceived and promoted initially with some considerable confusion but in seeming good faith by candidates affiliated with Sooke Elections for Change. The switch in organizers came on Monday after Elections BC and the District's Elections Officer raised some procedural red flags. There was also no word about a moderator until the same 11th hour email came through stating that JDF Director Mike Hicks would do the honours.

I emailed the person (name new to me) who shared the revised e-vite the day before yesterday for details about the new organizers -- Are they affiliated with any candidates locally or elsewhere? Where do they live? Are they registered as a third-party with Elections BC, if indeed that's required? -- but never heard back. (Ellen Lewers told me Ms. Mackay is a Sooke resident and an engaged voter, but who the friends were and my other questions are unanswered.) 

Nonetheless, after much indecision and despite my own considerable reservations, curiosity won out and I had to be there, at the very least to see what went down in person and contribute as appropriate.  As it turned out, a dozen candidates were present and seated in alpha order:  Anderson, R., Anderson S., Bateman, Beddows, Belford, Bordua, Brandon, Haldane, Holm, Millard, Noseworthy, Paul and Powers.

A dozen more of the Hall's plastic gray seats, semi-circled amongst us at the front of the hall, sat empty apart from the name tags of those who declined.  (Since no one else had done so to that point, I took a minute at the close to partially explain the above complications in trying to give a voice to those who'd opted out for their own good reasons. I also noted that, in my three campaigns, I've attended debates organized by reputable groups like Sooke Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce and Transition Sooke with whom we've all felt confident and comfortable and yet in this case still hadn't met nor knew anything much at all about the organizers.)  

Director Hicks gave us four minutes each for an opening comment, then we were asked in alphabetical turn to reply to four pre-circulated questions.  About 75 folks were in the audience, a few familiar faces but many new to me.  Mike said at the outset: "I know from experience it is not easy to stand-up and speak, so please be respectful." And that was indeed the case for the next three well-managed hours.

Closing thought: Respect above all to everyone and their freedom of choice to attend or not. And onwards we go to Saturday, the pack of 26 jockeying to the finish line. May we all be well, content and grateful for this fortunate life whatever the final results. 


Opening Comments
(recycling content from my EMCS speech and my website with a few new twists)

Good evening everyone. Jeff Bateman, live and in person again. As I said at EMCS two Saturdays ago, I want to carry on to see through the directions that our council and staff team have initiated since 2018. You will find those directions captured in the new master plans and reports we’ve endorsed … 

• Transportation
• Parks & Trails 
• Community Economic Development 
• Climate Action 
• Housing Needs
• Child Care
• Economic Analysis 

 
And, of course, our pending OCP, which I rate as an exceptionally good document that reinforces themes found in all our other plans dating back 50 years.  I want to again paraphrase what the Advisory Committee said they heard from YOU during public engagement: 
 
1. The strong desire to maintain and enhance Sooke’s unique character. 
2. Environmental Protection
3. Focused Town Centre growth 
4. Good relations with the T’Sou-ke Nation 
5. Improved road networks to deal with our growing traffic jams 
6. United community support for climate action. 
 
OCP Advisory Committee members, including recently Steve Grundy and Chair Helen Ritts, have confirmed that these major themes are all substantially addressed in the OCP and they both urge adoption. 
 
So yes, let’s do these things – with planning, patience, persistence, fiscal responsibility, advocacy and action. 
 
As for me, I believe I have the energy, positivity and commitment to continue making a meaningful contribution. I better understand the fundamentals of local government and council procedure to a significant if certainly incomplete and often humbling degree.  
 
It took awhile, but I'm now able to absorb multi-hundred-page agendas released 96-hours before meetings. I'm recognized for doing my homework and providing context to council discussions. I trust I've proven myself to be an active, respectful listener and effective colleague. I'm known for my humour and good will. 
 
And I enjoy being a team player who has thoroughly enjoyed working with my council colleagues guided by staff. We're seven individuals with varied personal and working styles who reflect a diversity of Sooke viewpoints. We listen. We discuss and debate as our perspectives evolve. We vote. We accept the results and move on to whatever’s next on our agendas. Serious business and the rare spat, but never short of laughs, friendliness, good will and an eagerness on all our parts to be of community service.

Finally, I'll say that being a councillor in my experience is a challenging, complicated, mentally taxing role on a minimum wage salary. It's about much more than our individual top-three issues. It's about creating a respectful working bond between each other on council and with District staff and the public in tackling an unbelievably wide range of issues and concerns. It's about keeping up with the intense workload and extra-curricular council assignments. The work is fascinating, rewarding and often a lot of fun.

It absolutely invites burn out ... and yet here i am seeking four more years. l wish there was a karaoke machine nearby so i could pay tribute to the late, great Loretta Lynn and sing a few bars of (wait two beats) "Crazy." But I'll save that for another time. Thank you.

​Four Questions Distributed Beforehand and Asked of All Candidates
(two-minutes response time) 

1.  What is the main issue for Sooke and what would you do to address that issue?
 
The main issue for Sooke – well, I reject the premise of the question a little – everything is interconnected … and that includes: 
 
- natural environment
- built environment
- housing
- transportation
- parks and trails
- roads, sidewalks and wastewater infrastructure
- food security
- community economic development
- arts and culture
- equity and inclusion
- recreation and community services, including health care
 
Those, incidentally, are the community policy areas in the provisional Official Community Plan. 
 
But to the question: What I have been saying for nearly a decade is that issue number one is Sooke’s population capacity. What is the sweet spot for growth given the reality of our mostly two-lane highway? How many of us is too many?  When do we lose the quality of life that drew many of us here?  
 
And how can we manage growth given that landowners with the proper zoning have a legal right to develop provided they are aligned with the Official Community Plan. 
 
I’ve spent untold hours pouring over the draft OCP and I’ve grown obsessed with the population projections from the CRD and Statistics Canada. Based on annual 2.9% growth as we’ve experienced the last five years, we’ll reach 26k by 2040 and 34,561 by 2050.  
 
I think my one biggest contribution to the latest version of the bylaw was to get a boxed paragraph inserted above these population forecasts. It reads: "The District of Sooke and its elected Councils have the ability to challenge, reject, and re-envision these projections." 
 
Our tools are zoning, transportation mode shift, local job creation and perhaps logically selling Sooke as an age-friendly committee where the newly retired or teleworkers can live and NOT add new volume to the road. 
 
So that’s what I suggest we do: Future councils re-envision these projections, strive to identify this elusive population sweet spot and work strategically to reach it over time while making decisions here and now that invite the best possible development onto a smart-growth land base that is absolutely finite.  
 
 
2.  What changes would you support in the draft OCP?
 
(I spent the first part of my two minutes responding in the moment to Elections for Change candidate Rob Anderson, who one speaker before me had begun answering this question by holding up his lighter, sparking a flame and saying something along the lines of how he'd like to torch it entirely. Mostly kept my cool, I hope, while later laughing aloud to myself at  this master class in political theatre. Then back to my notes for an abbreviated answer ....)

" I’m largely content with the OCP as it stands. The next council, I imagine, will conduct another round of public input and EXPERT stakeholder input atop the 28-month labour of professional and public input. 
 
A main outstanding source of concern are the Development Permit Guidelines. Personally, I like the idea of a task force comprised of staff, a councillor and a set of diverse stakeholders based on the criteria used to assemble this last term's Land Use and Development Committee -- namely reps from the land development, home builder, business, agricultural, environmental & climate change, and oceans and fisheries communities in Sooke.

Their job would be to review and fine-tune the current recommended Development Permit Guidelines for inclusion in either the OCP itself or the new Zoning Bylaw that will follow its adoption.  
 
To axe the guidelines entirely, as some have suggested, doesn’t make sense to me, not after seeing how effective the current set of them is proving as staff and the developer negotiate over the west-side of Brownsey Boulevard. How else can a community ensure that the form and character of our built environment matches community wishes? 
 
(The timer's stop sign went up about now, so I had to hold back on the second part of my pre-digested answer)

Also I wonder whether maximum density in the Community Residential designation – i.e., the sewered parts of Sooke -- should be less than the proposed 70 units per hectare. 

No question, the policy directions in the OCP – which call for density in the town centre and only there – will control this ... as will the new Zoning Bylaw with its site-specific zoning. 
 
Yet I wonder if perhaps we should reduce this number outside the town centre designations. I would sincerely hate to see a development-minded council elected here who would then have the tools to transform us into a denser urban environment – which is exactly what the OCP input tells us we don’t want to be." 


3.  What would you suggest as a solution to the transportation problem?
 
1. Stay focused on the short-term priorities in the Transportation Master Plan – primarily the build-out of the Throup/Grant Rd. West bypass route with its roundabouts. This will ease Sooke Road traffic with alternate routes to schools and homes. 
 
2.  Continuing developing and densifying a walkable town centre where people can safely access -- on foot and bike and scooter -- services, shops, cultural amenities, the new library, the boardwalk, etc. 
 
3. Advocate with the Ministry of Transportation as we are doing through Sooke’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry. 
 
4. Build out of the next four TMP priorities for sidewalk/bike lane construction based on safe routes to schools – namely Rhodenite, the Beaton/Pryite area, Charters between Sooke Rd. and Throup, and on  Phillips near the museum and SEAPARC. 
 
5. Recognize we’re a bedroom community but also one that does have a growing number of local jobs … strategies to create local jobs are in the new Community Economic Development Action Plan and they’d be accelerated by sewer expansion east to Kaltasin. 
 
6. Advocacy for private and provincial teleworking centres in Sooke. 
 
7. Car share and ride-share programs 
 
8. Lobby as Mayor Tait is doing for full implementation of BC Transit’s Local Area Transit Plan – held up by Covid but promising expanded regional and local service. I’d like to see incentives introduced at the outset to boost local route ridership – perhaps free transit for young people and means-tested adults. It really pains me to see mostly empty buses on our secondary streets as I do now. 
 

4. Sooke is experiencing an incredible rate of growth, what would you do towards addressing this situation?
 
Well, we live in one of the most beautiful, privileged places in a world of eight billion people.  And we live on an island and in a region that is well and truly on the map … 
 
According to various travel authorities … 
 
- Victoria is rated as the second best small city in the world 
- Mystic Beach is ranked among the top-50 beaches in the world. 
- Vancouver Island is the world’s best island for tourists
 
And naturally this attracts new residents too … 
- The climate, the setting, the people, the proximity to Victoria and Langford
- The relative housing affordability.  

People from everywhere want to live here. We clearly can’t pull up the drawbridge … we only have the one bridge, and that’s an issue too. Growth is inevitable and welcome – new energy, new faces, new investment, new amenities. 
 
But as I said earlier we must recognize that this community has an optimum population size given our limit to growth – Highway 14. To handle significant more growth, we’d need a secondary access … and that’s tricky. 
 
The Ministry of Transportation rejected 14 options in its 2020 study of Malahat alternative routes … including the Boneyard and Sooke Main options … this because of impacts to the Sooke watershed, costs and various “geotechnical and geohazard” constraints. 
 
Two routes made the shortlist – Niagara Main in the Langford area … and the Far West Allignment, which would loop from Mill Bay around the west of the future Leech Water Supply area and reach Sooke.  They too were ultimately rejected for various good reasons. Butler Main Road is there as another possibility apart from the Marine Circle Route. 
 
According to MOTI, four lanes from here to Langford will cost $1 billion … 
 
Whatever the potential alternative route we have an OCP that states categorically that we want to remain a small town with a big heart. A secondary route here would likely make us a much bigger town with what I'm sure would still be a  Big Heart. 

We must always remember we are still WILD BY NATURE and that we’re THE GATEWAY TO THE JUAN DE FUCA – and never lose sight of those aces in our deck.  Also worth recognizing that long-term growth on Vancouver Island was supposed to be channeled up the Malahat and along the eastern seaboard. The four and six-lane road infrastructure on the Trans Canada and #19 north to Campbell River is in place for that very reason. 
 
How to manage growth in Sooke? 
 
- Planning and regular renewal/review of our evolving growth patterns 
- Zoning Bylaw 
- Smart growth town-centre development
- Transportation mode shift 
- Better transit services
- Telework centres 
- Ensure new development is aligned with existing road and wastewater infrastructure. 
- Essentially take the foot off the gas pedal, take a breath, be extra vigilant with new development permit applications, settle for nothing less than the best, and never forget we are blessed beyond measure to live here." 

October, 2022 Update  A follow-up package with responses to 30 substantial queries raised by residents at the virtual and in-person Whiffin Spit and Kaltasin public sessions during the second week of September was released by the District on Oct. 7. Also shared were the Whiffin Spit and Kaltasin slide decks presented by District staff and representatives from Urban Systems and Stantec. (I was at the UBCM convention at the time, but was able to attend the two Zoom sessions that week.)

The project web page has been updated with these materials along with videos of the two virtual explainers.  The page closes with the line: "What’s next?  Await grant status – anticipated notification in early 2023."

​As I wrote on Facebook on Sept. 13: "My grant-dependent view: Kaltasin - YES! Whiffin Spit - good to prepare for the likely inevitable, but a decade or three premature unless CRD monitoring reports of harbour water quality prove urgent need, and it seems they currently do not. The pollution hotspots cluster at the mouth of the Sooke River." 

I've seen a preliminary CRD summary on the latest (2021) harbour water quality monitoring that is a prelude to a final report to be issued late this year by the CRD, the District and the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy. I sought and received permission to share, so I'll do so here.

[Carolyn and I have been Whiffin Spit residents since 2003. We're Not In My Backyard types on this matter given that we have a functional, regularly pumped-out septic tank and field in the front yard, as do most of us. We also recognize that money is tight for many (including us after paying off last year's new roof.) We'd certainly reconsider if there were environmental impacts in our harbour waters.]

As I read it, this results summary reaffirms that the prime harbour pollution hotspots in the harbour would be best addressed exactly as the 2010 Liquid Waste Management Plan recommends: Through sewer service to Kaltasin and Whiffin Spit North.  Cooper's Cove also remains a problem area. From what I can tell, these findings seemingly duplicate the previous 2016/17 CRD report. (Its reports are issued every four years.)  

The community consensus has led to environmental protection being the highest of priorities in the current and pending Official Community Plans. Improving harbour waters to the point where shellfish harvesting is again possible is a primary objective. Eliminating pollution hotspots is possible through sewer expansion. 

(And, as cited here many times now regarding eastward expansion to Kaltasin, it will also service the T'Sou-ke Nation, two schools, our limited stock of commercial/industrial land and address proven failing residential septic fields in the area. Sea-level change remains the unpredictable joker in this pack of positive benefits. As the new report states: "The Kaltasin pump station is proposed to be located in the vicinity of Billings Spit Park and, as such, may be vulnerable to potential flooding in a situation where a storm event combines with sea level rise. The station will be designed such that electrical equipment (kiosk and generator) is at an elevation where electrical components are protected from these events.")

District and CRD staff collected samples weekly for ten weeks during the summer and fall of 2021. These were drawn at each of the 28 marine stations in Sooke inlet, harbour and basin. Bacteria and metals were measured. Sampling was stopped by the winter storms in November, however one test was completed immediately following the series of atmospheric rivers late that month. 

The CRD shared that its 2021 tests show that "fecal coliforms were elevated above the objective protective (sic) of shellfish harvesting (geomean) in summer at the mouth of the Sooke River and Sooke Harbour (stations SO-20, 22 and 23)." Those numbered stations are located in the Sooke River estuary west of IR 1 and at two spots on the east side of the town centre.  These spots also showed elevated bacteria in the early winter, and were joined at that point by stations SO-24 and 25 (i.e., at the foot of Maple and off Heron Gate in Whiffin Spit North). 

Other harbour monitoring stations near the Sooke River and at the mouth of Cooper's Cove (SO-15)  also measured elevated levels of human bacteria.  (I look forward to learning exactly what 'elevated' means.) 

Regarding metals, copper was again found in 2021 samples on "the Juan de Fuca side of the Sooke basin, where copper is likely naturally elevated as it and iron were mined there in the past." This aligns with reporting done in 2008 and 2016. "Exceedances of cadmium and zinc were not measured in 2021." 

Run-off from roads: "In general, the highest concentrations of stormwater contaminants for roads occur during the first few rainfalls after a dry period." 

As for the impact of late November's heavy downpours, the samples taken at that time measured "sources of human bacteria in stormwater discharges north of Whiffin Spit and in Juan de Fuca Electoral Area likely due to onsite sewage treatment systems." These "overwhelmed" systems are deemed the source of this pollution during the atmospheric river, which we're warned will occur more routinely in future as climate change continues to deliver unpredictable outcomes.  ["Results indicate that sewage is still present in Sooke Harbour as human bacteria was measured using bacterial source tracking techniques in all our samples collected on Nov. 25 at the mouth of the Sooke River and adjacent to Sooke Harbour (SO-20, 23, 24 and 25)."] 

(This year's notable example being our current months-long drought, for instance. Some wildfire smoke in early September was a reminder of smoggy recent summers past and while no heat dome arose, we can anticipate more heavy winter rains in short periods that will likely again flood spots like the Flats and set the Sooke River raging.)

Also reassuring to know that the CRD's water supply system remains one of the world's best and most reliable, all the more so with this year's release of a 30-year, $2 billion Regional Water Supply Master Plan based on projected regional population growth and needs, climate change impacts and regulatory requirements.)   

Again, it will be interesting to see how all this data is crunched and interpreted in the "Attainment Report" to be published late this year as stated in the District's just-released Q&A answers, pg. 24.)  



CRD Septic Tank Bylaw  Sooke adoption of the CRD Septic Tank Bylaw 3479 would be a logical way to monitor Whiffin Spit households in future if indeed the grant for this second portion of the expansion master plan doesn't come through or the neighbourhood rejects it.

The bylaw requires pump-outs every five years. The CRD routinely gets this data directly from the service companies, and it would follow-up with addresses that haven't complied. Big Brother, in this case, is entirely welcome and logical.

Saanich, Langford, View Royal and Colwood have adopted the bylaw to date. Sooke council has not been formally told that this under consideration by District staff, however I for one would support it. (I'm sure we all would - this council and any of the 23 candidates, too.) 

According to a CRD FAQ on the bylaw, "Bylaw 3479 requires regular pump outs for Type 1 (i.e., average household) systems but that is only one part of maintenance. All components should be examined on a regular basis to determine their condition and allow for maintenance and cleaning to take place. The current (2020) industry costs on Vancouver Island are estimated to be as follows: Pumping a septic tank: $400 - $1200 (600 – 1000 gallon tank); Inspection: $600 - $1200; Maintenance, cleaning or repairs: $90-110 per hour.

(There's also a bylaw for Type 2 and 3 fields, which typically feature larger drainfields serving multiple households. I'm no expert on these matters, I readily acknowledge, but i was told recently of two such functional, well-maintained strata fields with their own "package treatment plants" in the Deerlepe/Francis area two blocks from here; we walk over and by one when short-cutting through the forest towards the strata, always stopping to check out the Little Library).  

The CRD's Protecting Your Septic System is available for anytime reference. Visit its Septic Savvy webpage for a library of best-practice PDFs and video clips. It also lists upcoming live webinars on the subject (the next is on Sat. Oct. 22, 10 AM to Noon.)

​
Original Post ~ May 30, 2022  The District has just shared its "What We Heard" report summarizing feedback from residents in the Kaltasin (92 respondents from 290 properties) and Whiffin Spit (261 from 447 properties) neighbourhoods to the proposed sewer system master plan expansion. You'll find it and a new Q&A Info package among the sidebar files on the Let's Talk Sooke: Wastewater Planning page.  Read these first, please. 

The response, in brief as I interpret it, is wholly contingent on whether or not Sooke can secure the full $27.1 million grant we're seeking from the federal government's Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's Environmental Quality (EQ) Program. If yes, at least two-thirds of folks are in favour of a strategy that would see expansion east to Kaltasin to start, followed by servicing in Whiffin Spit. Support declines if we get partial funding and bottoms out if we're snubbed entirely. The decision is expected this time next year.  

Any which way, moving ahead is also entirely contingent on approval via a local area petition process exclusively involving residents who'd be getting the new service and dealing with the resultant sticker shock  (My fingers-crossed optimistic guess: We'll be okayed for the $8.7m that would enable the Kaltasin expansion and asked to be patient about funding for the remainder of a master plan that likely won't be built out for several decades. Which is entirely what District planning documents, which identify phases but not timelines, recommend.) 

The surveys affirm the OCP-certified (and shared by us all, surely) importance of protecting and upgrading the environmental health of the Sooke harbour. Yet per-household cost is a serious concern for many in these unpredictable and inflationary times. [Without a grant, the cost would be a one-time $33k per home plus $2k per year ongoing in Whiffin Spit; $28k + $1.5k per year for Kaltasin. On average (every home has a different hook-up cost scenario), halve those costs with a partial grant, and cut them by 70% with a full grant.]

The Kaltasin cohort largely agrees with the District's 2010 Liquid Waste Management Plan - Sanitary that the top priority is eastward expansion their way to serve T'Sou-ke IR1, SD #62 schools and the mix of residential, industrial and commercially zoned land.  (CRD water quality monitoring reports confirm that the main pollution hotspots are clustered at the mouth of the Sooke River and nearby in the harbour.)  

The Whiffin Spit gang are generally much less enthusiastic, citing concerns about too much potential resultant development along with satisfaction with functional, well-maintained septic systems. The CRD marine reports also largely confirm this. They're issued every four years. The 2017 edition is too large to attach here, so email me at jbateman@shaw.ca if you'd like a copy. The latest is due later this year. (Read appendix G of the What We Heard report for a particularly substantial reply from the Austins Place Strata group, which concludes: "The District should not rush to proceed with a half-planned project because a grant is available. We fully support Council’s plan to address water contamination sourced from the long-identified “hot spots,” but not to Whiffin Spit. We also encourage Council to take the other actions outlined in the LWMP to prevent boat effluent and farm animal wastes from being discharged into the Sooke Harbour.")  (Action 18 of the draft OCP identifies the need for a dockside sewage pump-out facility, which Sooke lacks unlike most coastal communities listed in this 2022 brochure.) 

The District's Q&A report (pg. 5) details the next steps: 

"If the District of Sooke is successful with its grant application, the District will proceed with establishing a Local Area Service including a Loan Authorization Bylaw through a Petition Against process. This process provides an opportunity for those not in support of the expanded sewer service to express their opposition. If at least 50 percent of owners representing at least 50 percent of the assessed value of land identified in the area (Whiffin Spit and Kaltasin are independent service areas) sign the petition against, then the new service for the area will not be created and the project will not proceed.

At this time, if the District is not successful with its grant application, it is unlikely we will continue to explore sewer service expansion in these areas; however, this is a conversation we are interested in continuing with property owners at the Project Open Houses" (which are to be scheduled in-person and online this summer)

********************************************************************************************************************************
Quick reads:  District's current Sewer System website page + Royal Flush: Behind the Scenes at Sooke's Wastewater Treatment Plant (Kevin Laird, Sooke News Mirror)

And now from the More Than You Ever Wanted to Know Dept.  

The District's first OCP (adopted Aug. 12, 2002) notes that "Sooke has very little in the way of hard services such as storm and sanitary sewers. In 2000, the District commissioned the Village Sewerage Study to provide a preliminary design and cost estimate of a system of sewage collection, treatment and disposal for the commercial core ... A sewer system helps to prevent pollution problems associated with inadequate or poorly maintained on-site systems. It also allows for greater density. In the long run, sewers will help to achieve the form of development suggested in this Plan, rather than the more sprawling form of development that occurs where services are limited. A better quality of building and economic benefits should result as more efficient use is made of a limited land supply. Revitalization of the Town Centre should become more achievable." (pg. 50; not available online.) 

An awesomely detailed Water Quality Assessment and Proposed Objectives for Sooke Watersheds, Inlet, Harbour and Basin Technical Report, released by the BC Ministry of the Environment in 2019, identifies multiple then-and-now sources of water pollution in local waters. "The primary concern with regards to potential impacts on water quality in Sooke Inlet/Harbour/Basin are associated with anthropogenic activities, specifically failing septic fields and rainwater runoff carrying contaminants from the freshwater streams and stormdrains into the marine waters (Cameron and Green, 2007; CRD, 2008; Environment Canada, 2005; Cross, 1996; CRD, 2010; CRD, 2011; CRD, 2012; CRD, 2013)."

Also of concern is residual "legacy impact" marine pollution from resource industries -- "marine aquaculture operations (two salmon net pen operations), fish processing and forestry operations (log storage and booming and wood treatment by Lamford Forest Products Ltd. on Goodridge Peninsula)" -- now embedded in marine soil.  

From a literal s***show in the early '00s (fecal coliform-show, to be accurate), the District cleaned up its act and the harbour with it by contracting with Edmonton-based EPCOR to build a modern sewer and secondary-treatment system serving what's known as the Sewer Specified Area (effectively the town centre and environs.) Construction began in 2004 and was completed in November of the following year. Domestic and commercial connections began shortly thereafter and have continued ever since as new homes are added in the SSA.  

As legislatively required, the District then produced a series of stormwater, rainwater and sanitary Liquid Waste Management Plans (LWMP) during the period 2007-10 for use as short and longer-range planning documents. 

Council led by Mayor Evans wanted to extend what it clearly rated as a successful relationship with EPCOR into the 2030s. This sparked an election-year group called Fair Sewer Services for Sooke led by future Mayor Wendall Milne, former/future councillor Rick Kasper and then-and-soon-reelected councillor Herb Haldane. They opposed the 21-year pact on the grounds that no opportunity for competitive bids had been issued to other operators and that small towns like Sooke had successfully proven they could cost-effectively manage treatment plants and associated systems independently. 

In response, council opted for an Alternative Approval Process inviting registered voters to weigh in.  In the same July 6, 2011 News Mirror issue that contains a front-page story about the District's then-new anti-bullying and harassment policy (triggered by one unnamed councillor's behaviour), it was reported that 2,036 voters (more than one in five of us back then) were against the long-term deal.  (if you click on that News Mirror link, by all means visit the letters page and watch the sparks fly as they routinely did in what was then a wide-open letters section.) 

A series of one-year contracts with EPCOR ensued until the District brought operations in-house in March, 2016.  Staff (I discover in close perusal of minutes of that period; I was in the audience that night, scribbling notes yet frankly rather clueless about all this, which I remain to some significantly smaller yet still life-long learning degree) presented a Sewer Services Area Report on Oct. 10, 2017 in response to a council "feasibility study request for the future expansion of wastewater services to areas outside the current SSA."

​Council discussion that night revolved around: i) Cost of the study; ii) current vs. future capacity of the plant and system; iii) required upgrades to the existing system; iv)  the need for examination of future expansion and efficiencies; and v) review of the current SSA system's connections + pre-bought capacity (a matter to be raised later in the year by Bedrock Developments landowner Les Monnington viz. the gravity-fed future sewer tie-ins he'd pre-purchased in 2003 for his 2119 Charters Rd. property. Back then, the land was pegged for a mobile-home park until the District unveiled its connector-route ambitions ~ which, as you know, failed at the first hurdle with the Jan. 2005 referendum defeat and have now been revitalized in the all-systems-go 2020 Transportation Master Plan. Mr. Monnington was understandably miffed that the servicing hadn't been provided 15 years later. District staff explained that the unexpectedly high installation costs can only be met once the connector route is greenlighted and Development Cost Charges flow in.) 

System upgrades have been identified and undertaken since. A new centrifuge was installed to improve the system by which waste products are wrung dry and sent as biosolids to the Hartland Landfill. Major work has been done on "inflow and infiltration" issues by which groundwater enters sanity (day after edit: Freudian typo likely due to the rather maddening length of this entry ~ I mean 'sanitary', sorry folks) sewers through broken pipes and manholes (the cause of over-capacity during heavy rains.)  More on pg. 34/35 of Sooke's latest Annual Report. 

Under the user-pay model, the District is anticipating $3m in sewer revenues this year (85% of it from sewer parcel taxes paid by homeowners utilizing the system). Those of us outside the SSA contribute nothing to its upkeep, but we do have to invest in maintaining our respective septic fields. (I think the District should/could make a commitment to reminding/educating homeowners about best practices as per these CRD and Province of BC guidelines.)  

Total annual sewer operating costs are currently $2.8 million with an additional $450k going towards the long-term sewer debt ($3 million still outstanding on a Municipal Finance Authority loan that matures in 2026). A Sewer Reserve Fund with $1.7 million as of the start of the year is available for repairs and maintenance of the existing system (not future expansion).  

Into the Present
With the current plant stretched to the max on heavy storm days and operating at 70% capacity most of the year, the current council revisited the Liquid Waste Management Plan and authorized staff to seek grant funding that would add a planned third (of a maximum four) treatment tanks to the plant just east of Woodside Farm.  This would increase capacity a further 50% and prepare for community growth over the next decade and more.  

Premier Horgan delivered the good news on July 19, 2021; the construction schedule aims to complete the expansion in late 2023. Concurrent with this, the sewer will be hooked into T'Sou-ke IR2 adjacent to the plant (as approved by council in 2017.) 

Knowing extra capacity was now guaranteed, District staff developed an ambitious four-phase master plan based on the OCP's environment-first values and LWMP recommendations.  (i.e., like the connector route blueprints, this is another shovel-ready document that the District has ready for current and future grant opportunities. Best-practice strategizing, in other words,  in an era when Ottawa and the province are investing unprecedented sums in infrastructure expansion.)

Sooke Liquid Waste Management Plan - Stage Three: Sanitary (2010) features the future-looking implementation plan. Expansion to Kaltasin (the #1 recommendation) and Whiffin Spit North (#2, with an option for all of the Spit) are detailed in these sections: 

• Discussion Paper 1 - section 3.1 - "Considerations For Adding New Sewered Areas To the District of Sooke Sewer Specified Area"
• Discussion Paper 7 - section 3.10 - "Priority Assessment For Sewering Catchment Areas In the District of Sooke"
• Recommendations - section 7.1 

A key paragraph under recommendations (pg. 7.2) that effectively authorizes future expansion (pending, as can't be said enough, affected resident approval) states: "The District commits to the preferred order of catchment areas to be included in the SSA in the future. The preferred order of catchment areas could vary based on on-going environmental monitoring activities and the priorities of the District. At this point, of the two highest ranked candidate areas, Whiffin Spit North and Kaltasin, the Kaltasin area is the preferred candidate for the next expansion of the Sewer Specified Area (SSA). This list should be revisited on a five-year basis to determine which areas are in greatest need of connection." 


The Current Four-Phase Master Plan

Phase 1: Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion 
Phase 2A: Kaltasin Expansion Area ($8.7 million expansion priority #1)
Phase 2B: Whiffin Spit Expansion Area ($16 million expansion priority #2)
Phase 3: WWTP expansion fourth basin (final possible expansion at the current site) 
Phase 4: Future expansion east of Kaltasin (highly unlikely given the CRD's sprawl-averse Regional Growth Strategy focus on compact and complete communities.) 

This phased approach is detailed in the Dec. 13, 2021 council agenda (see. pp. 173-242, and the infographics below).  The agenda also includes project assessments from Urban Systems and Stantec along with details about a public engagement process that reached its latest stage with yesterday's release of the resident feedback report.  

Council voted unanimously that pre-Christmas night to approve a conditional borrowing bylaw that would fund the District's share (up to $6.9 million) of the project costs exceeding the (up to) $27.1 million the District hopes to secure from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program's Environmental Quality (EQ) Program. This federal/provincial funding program supports capital infrastructure projects related to drinking water, stormwater, solid waste management, soil remediation and, pertinent to our case, "treatment and management improvements for waste water."

Repeating myself again by saying decisions on who gets what from the $270m (BC's share) total funds are anticipated next spring.  We can expect one of the following funding outcomes: i) Full; ii) Partial; iii) Sorry, better luck next time. Given that Sooke's ask represents fully 10% of total available program funds, and knowing that we're surely not alone in seeking a piece of this pie, then a best optimstic bet is option ii ~ partial funding that would trigger a voter assent process to approve or deny the Kaltasin phase. 

Still Further Background
- Related paragraph in Sooke's CRD Regional Growth Strategy statement (2020): "Access to clean, safe drinking water to all residents within the District of Sooke is a long-term intention of the OCP to address environmental issues, fire suppression, agricultural sustainability, and public health. The extension of sewers throughout the Community Growth Area to protect the environment is encouraged." 

~ From the 2010 Official Community Plan (pg. 143/44)  
"Sewer: The Sooke wastewater collection and treatment system is owned by the District of Sooke and operated by EPCOR Water Services Inc. The District of Sooke and EPCOR entered into a 5-year fixed price agreement to provide operation and maintenance of the sewer collection system and wastewater treatment plant. The contract with EPCOR expired in June 2009 and options to renew are being explored. Construction of the collection system and wastewater treatment plant began in 2004 and the system was commissioned in November 2006. Initial individual and domestic hook ups began in January 2006 through until August 2007 and are ongoing in the sewer specified areas (SSA).

The project consists of a 27 kilometre (km) collection system, 3 lift stations and a secondary wastewater treatment facility. A 4th lift station was added to accommodate the Sunriver development. Secondary sewage treatment removes 90% [now up to 95% thanks to plant improvements] of the total suspended solids and high levels of other contaminants, which provides significant environmental benefits.

System statistics include the following:

-  27 km long collection system (not including Sunriver addition);
-  1.7 km long, 30 metre deep outfall;
-  Sequential Batch Reactor Secondary Treatment Process with UV disinfection;
-  Capacity peak design of 3,000 m3/day, expandable by an additional 3,000m3/day through the addition of two SBR basins and a third digester component; and 
-  Servicing core area of 5,500 residents."

~ Lower Sooke River Watershed Management Plan (1999 Environment Canada/Royal Roads University study on how local pollution from DeMamiel Creek was leading to T'Sou-ke shellfish harvesting closures in the basin.) One of its conclusion: "Sooke does not have a municipal sewer system. The town relies mainly on septic systems to dispose of human waste. Many areas within Sooke support high-density septic system regions. Community based education, aimed at improving septic system care and maintenance, may promote cleaner waterways and ocean shorelines in and around the community of Sooke." 

~ Borrowing Bylaw (2003) that enabled construction of the sewer 
~ EPCOR contracted to build Sooke sewer system; sampling of its annual reports: 2012 + 2014
~ Sewage Pipeline Provides Home for Rare Sea Life (Globe & Mail, 2008) 
~ Sooke Ends Contract with EPCOR (March, 2016; Victoria Times Colonist + Sooke News MIrror) 


From my Facebook page, July 20, 2021 
"Sooke's managed growth and environmental health received the necessary fiscal love yesterday with Premier Horgan's announcement that we'd won another grant lottery -- in this case $4.6 million from the Investing in Canada Green Infrastructure program to pay three-quarters of the cost for a 50% expansion of our Waste Water Treatment Plant. (The District will cover the rest via a $1.9 million long-term loan from the Municipal Finance Authority.)

The plant was designed for double its current size, and this first-stage expansion will accommodate growth patterns to be identified in the new Official Community Plan and the forthcoming update of the Liquid Waste Management Plan. The latter's top priorities a decade ago were Whiffin Spit North and expansion east across the Sooke River to Kaltasin so as to service T'Sou-ke IR 1, the two schools, industrial lands and, not least, residential areas with their barely above-sea level and sometimes failing septic systems.

The expansion will boost the water quality of the harbour and basin, already vastly improved from its high coliform-count state pre-sewer in the early ‘00s. In fact, it’s expected to be clean enough for renewed shellfish harvesting and the return of the once abundant Olympia oyster to local waters.

It's also a necessary prelude to once aspirational, now increasingly tangible plans by both Sooke and T'Sou-ke to jumpstart economic activity on serviced commercial/industrial land that will host local jobs as we redirect the commuter tide, cut GHG transportation emissions (6.1 tonnes of C02e per year per ICE car making the roundtrip to Victoria) and build more of a complete, connected community.

Timeline: Design phase begins in September; contract tendering next summer; completion by end of 2023. First new link will be to connect T'Sou-ke IR2 along Wright Road as approved in 2017 (i.e., Whiffin Spit North).

So yes, good news for the bottom line that smells surprisingly sweet given the source material."

(see enlargeable versions of these two infographic maps on pp. 190/191 of the Dec. 13, 2021 council agenda) 

Slowed by Covid initially, but now off and running at fever (but definitely not, I tested negative last week) pitch. On this first day of advance voting, I figure it's timely to provide a one-stop overview of how I'm presenting myself on this third campaign go-round. 

My small stock of signs, all produced in 2014 (thank you Tony Green), are again planted courtesy of my pals Ross Reid and Koshin Moonfist. Below you'll find the typo-free, zero-waste version of my brochure, printed by Sooke Copy Centre on recycled stock for door-to-door delivery by campaign manager/helpmate/beloved Carolyn and myself over the next 10 days. (Two hundred of them will feature a single black-ink correction that decommissions Major Tait and returns her formal title Sigh! My fault entirely, humbly and hopefully humorously acknowledged at council's closing meeting the other night  in recognition that I've been council's unofficial typo hawk when it comes to District minutes.) 

I've also launched my refreshed campaign website here. I go on at predictable length about what I believe has been accomplished by council and District staff in collaboration with council's half-dozen committees, one task force and assorted consultants (Urban Systems, DIALOG, Stantec, Urbanics, CitySpaces, Keycorp) and service-agreement partners. 

​It's a substantial track record, I think, and yet relatively early days on some longer-term fronts apart from the all-action progress on the active Transportation Master Plan (including design for the bypass route and build-out of car/bike/sidewalk town-centre routes on Otter Point, Church and, next, Charters).  Sooke's increasingly well-designed and info-packed annual reports for 2019, 2020 and 2021 capture the considerable ongoing work in detail. 

Bright visions, smart recommendations and proposed action plans galore -- underway to a degree but in routine need of ongoing attention, care, advocacy, stewardship and funding (grants, taxes, reserves and staff time) as we move forward in these unpredictable inflationary times. The current 5.5% year-to-year jump in prices (but much more in some sectors, construction costs in particular) means, as i say at the website, that we can't lose sight of the District's primary responsibility to deliver the mandated local government basics (public safety, operations, parks, wastewater, bylaws, corporate services) first and above all else.

Back to the point of this post: To share what I've already shared elsewhere in recent weeks. 
 
1. Text of my address at Saturday's EMCS candidates event 
2. Capital Daily 
3. Sooke News Mirror 
4. Livable Greater Victoria
​5. Times Colonist 

I will add more as I file them. (There are MANY requests for feedback, and I confess i find them a bit overwhelming while still hoping to meet their various deadlines. As co-chair of the Sooke Homelessness Coalition, for instance, I regret  missing a chance to weigh in on the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness survey with its too-early-for-Covid-dazed-me deadline. Only Anna Russell and Susan Belford replied from Sooke.) 

Council candidates' platform session, EMCS Community Theatre 
High-five to the Sooke Chamber and the Sooke Multi-Belief Initiative for organizing another in its series of purposefully non-confrontational dialogues in recent years (federal, provincial, now municipal).  All but two of the candidates attended. As I wrote after-the-fact on Facebook: "Mayor Tait absolutely shone during her 40 minutes (no surprise whatsoever) and every last candidate who stepped to the mic presented themselves well. Credit and thanks to everyone, especially the 200 or so who sat in the shadowy (but comfy with those new seats) confines of the Community Theatre on a glorious end-of-summer day."  Video replay. 

Here's my text which I abbreviated a little to beat the two-minute stoplight operated by the gentleman from Sooke Toastmasters.  

"Good afternoon everyone. I’m Jeff Bateman, and I’m running for re-election on October 15.

These last years have been incredibly eventful for all of us. I avoided Covid until recently and am happy to report I’m on the far side of it … while maintaining a persistent cough that I fear will interrupt this speech … but I’ll carry on regardless. 

And that’s my theme today: I want to carry on to see through the directions that the current council and staff team have initiated since 2018.

You will find those directions captured explicitly in the new master plans and reports we’ve endorsed:

- Transportation
- Parks & Trails
- Community Development
- Climate Action
- Housing Needs

And, of course, our pending Official Community Plan – which will be in the hands of the next council for what I trust will be a final round of public and expert stakeholder input.

I rate the OCP as exceptionally good document that reinforces themes found in all our other plans dating back 50 years.
I want to paraphrase what the Advisory Committee said they heard from YOU the public …

1. The strong desire to maintain and enhance Sooke’s unique character.
2. Environmental Protection
3. Focused Town Centre growth
4. Good relations with the T’Sou-ke Nation
5. Improved road networks to deal with our growing traffic jams
6. United community support for climate action.

So yes, let’s address all these things – with planning, patience, persistence, fiscal responsibility, advocacy and action.

No question: There are huge challenges ahead. The main one, for me, is to find the sweet spot for our population capacity. Our mostly two-lane highway is a very real limit to growth. We must deal with this hard fact before we wind up in our worst gridlock nightmare.

In the weeks leading up to last week’s public hearing, I’ve heard some misleading statements …

- That the new OCP will clear-cut Sooke and turn us into Langford.
- That the District wants to ban wood-burning stoves
- That our Climate Action Plan will cost millions.

I can only advise you to do your own research, get the facts and please trust me on this ... In my direct experience, District staff and your current Mayor and council have this community’s very best interests at heart.

All of us – and I’m sure I can say this for everyone on this stage – want to be of sincere service to the Sooke we seek to serve.

Thank you."


Capital Daily Questionnaire
There were word-count limits on most of the questions, but not those related to climate change and housing needs, so i went longer with those answers while cramming things tight elsewhere.  See the e-publication's full Candidate Database here. Seven of Sooke's 23 candidates have responded to date. No deadline on this one, so I urge others to jump in. Such a good opportunity to stake out a unique position based on fixed answers from the likes of me, Anna, Susan, Britt, Lorien, Nick and Maja. 

​Transportation Issues: Solution to Sooke's traffic congestion: Recognition of community's population capacity when served by a two-lane highway + focus on town-centre bypass route +  job creation and telework advocacy + improved transit service + regionally: RapidBus expansion and future service via Island Rail Corridor
 
What are the three most pressing issues in your community that council has the power to change? 1. Growth pressures to be managed through implementation of short-term, complete-community priorities in Sooke's new masterplans. 2. Traffic congestion (see previous answer under Transportation). 3. Advocacy for improved health care facilities and affordable housing.
 
How would you better address them?*   As part of the existing council, I believe we are responding smartly and strategically in managing accelerated growth. No magic fixes possible, so we must stay focused on our modernized plans and find ways to advance their short/medium-term priorities.
 
 Police in my community need...*  "Additional officers as we work towards the goal of 24/7 policing and more routine local speed enforcement. Funding for two more officers is identified in the 2022-2026 Financial Plan and will bring us near the provincial per-capita average for police detachments."  
 
Young people in my community are...*  "Our best hope for a challenging future, of course. Sooke has an excellent K-12 system, specialized trades, robotics and food-security training, and ever-expanding recreational facilities. See: https://www.jeffbateman.ca/blog/state-of-sookes-youth-nation-2021." 
 
If I could ask the province for one thing for my community, it would be...* "Funding for a primary health care centre in Sooke akin to Langford's Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre, already the busiest in BC. (Urgent care drop-in hours in Sooke are  currently afternoons-only Monday-to-Friday)." [Major Tait has been lobbying hard for this for eight years now; I joined her for an advocacy meeting with Health Minister Dix during UBCM in Whistler last month.]
 
 Council's ability to respond to climate change is...*  "Significant at a local level in collaboration with staff, citizens, the business community, non-profits and CRD, provincial and federal partners. This council has endorsed Sooke's first Climate Action Plan and its companion Community Economic Development Strategy. Both are realistic, made-in-Sooke approaches that promote local quality of life while pursuing cuts in building and transportation emissions (the main sources of community GHG). Council can prioritize actions within these and Sooke's updated master plans to value natural assets and speed the evolution of a more walkable, rideable smart-growth community via safe-routes-to-schools, "complete streets" road development (serving pedestrians, cyclists and cars), park acquisition, an urban forest strategy, local job creation and more. The District can lead by example and encourage citizens to act independently (a prime focus of the Climate Action Plan with its call to re-evaluate how we all move, grow, build and relate.)"
 
I will work to fix the housing crisis by...*  "Continuing focus on priorities in Sooke's Housing Needs Report. These include: i) Densification with market-rate and affordable homes and rentals in the town centre (600+ such units now approved); ii) "Gentle densification" with multiplexes and other affordable housing types (as recommended by Small Housing BC) elsewhere in the sewer-specified area; iii) Development of seniors-oriented town-centre units to allow downsizing; iv) Support for homeowners wishing to add secondary units; v) Encouragement for new cooperative housing and manufactured home parks; and vi) Advocacy for BC Building Code revisions to permit tiny homes. Re-establishment of Sooke's Affordable Housing Committee is required." 
 
 Families in my community need...*  "1. Accommodation options across the housing spectrum. 2. Robust health care services. 3. Ready access to shops, services, recreation, artistic activities, public library, playgrounds and green spaces via trails, safe streets and public transit. 4. An excellent K-12 school system. 5. Responsive policing and fire services. 6. All-ages employment opportunities. 7. Multi-generational gathering place. 8. Age-Friendly BC planning to allow older adults to remain active, engaged, healthy, independent and involved. 9. A sense of neighbourhood identity and community pride." 
 
To me, reconciliation means...* "Life-long listening and learning (respectfully, compassionately) while locally addressing the TRC's Calls to Action where and when possible. Reviving and acting on a largely inert 2007 Memorandum of Understanding with the T'Sou-ke is one of the current council's leading achievements."


Sooke News Mirror Questions 
Understandably short-and-sweet (100 word maximum; I delivered 99) given that our print weekly must dedicate space to  answers from 33 (!) candidates when school trustees are factored in. 

Top Three Issues

1.      Population Capacity
2.      Traffic Congestion 
3.      Affordable Housing 

 
"I’m seeking re-election to continue the work of the last four years. I’ve grown more comfortable with the heavy workload and the process. I believe we’re on the right track. We must adopt the new OCP, then create a new Zoning Bylaw and Town Centre Plan. In inflationary times, we must deliver municipal essentials first (roads, wastewater, police, fire, etc.) and proceed where possible with short-term actions identified in our master plans. Recognizing Sooke’s population limits given our largely two-lane highway, building out the bypass, advocating for better health care and creating affordable housing is critical. More at www.jeff4sooke.com."  (My attempt to be clever and push readers to my website failed when the editor removed my weblink, leaving my final word count at 95 in the published version.) 


Answers to "Four Big Ideas" Raised by Livable Victoria 
Livable Victoria is "a diverse group of professionals and community members who share a passion for making our region a more sustainable, vibrant, healthy, and inclusive place to live. Together, we aim to provide a balanced perspective and help foster more thoughtful dialogue, advocate for positive change, and encourage bold leadership during this year's municipal election.Our Big Ideas are focused on Greater Victoria’s built environment, reflecting our areas of expertise and the jurisdiction of local governments, while recognizing that many important subjects are not covered by our recommendations (e.g. social policy)." 

Big Idea #1: Scale-up and facilitate the rapid development of social housing across the region 
 - Removing barriers, incentivizing, and/or expediting approval processes for social housing (such as pre-zoning, allowing for higher levels of density, waiving development fees, and providing property tax breaks)?
 - Using existing public lands and/or acquiring new public lands for social housing?
 
 
"Sooke's pending Official Community Plan (now through the public hearing stage as steered by the current council of which I'm a part) captures this to a significant degree  in its Housing Policies and Action section (pp. 135-141). 
 
- "Continue to enhance rental supply through the creative use of municipal incentives, density bonus, selective DCC discounts, reduced parking requirements, and other programs." 

- "Consider using District of Sooke land for future development that supports realization of housing objectives." 

- "Explore tax exemptions, Development Cost Charge reductions, and other funding mechanisms to support housing affordability." 

- "Rezone large lot parcels for smaller parcel sizes and subdivisions as well as cooperative ownership structures." 
 
Pre-zoning will be possible when Sooke adopts a new Zoning Bylaw following OCP adoption. I agree with utilization of public lands, however resist indicating "strongly" since Sooke has a modest stock of such land and five-year plan budget priorities are focused on build-out of active transportation corridors in our town centre. We continue to support advocacy efforts with BC Housing for 75 seniors affordable rental units above our planned intergenerational community centrein our town centre Lot A (in addition to the 250 units of BC Housing subsidized and below-market accommodation set to open in 2023.)" 
 
Big Idea #2: Build an abundance of housing and implement policies to promote affordability 
- Updating zoning bylaws to allow townhouses, houseplexes, and low-rise apartments in residential neighbourhoods?
- IIncentivizing purpose-built rental housing (such as pre-zoning areas and allowing for greater densities compared to strata ownership housing)?
 
"The pending OCP reaffirms Sooke's long-standing desire for a complete, compact community with density focused in our town centre. It also promotes "gentle density" (townhouses and micro-units in multi-family zones) in TBD site-specific spots within our sewer-specified area west of the Sooke River. Secondary suites have been allowed in all Sooke zones for more than a decade. The OCP calls for the District to assist homeowners and the building trade with workshops to increase the stock of such suites."
 
Big Idea #3: Plan neighbourhoods for sustainability and human well-being. 
- Encouraging the development of commercial village centres so all residents are within a 15-minute walk of daily goods and services?
- Removing minimum parking requirements for new housing?
 
"1. Walkability is a guiding principle of the new OCP and Sooke's town centre planning. A limited number of small-scale neighbourhood commercial nodes (Sunriver, Kaltasin, Broom Hill, Whiffin Spit) are also required to serve those living outside the town centre and will be identified through Neighbourhood Area Plan community engagement. 
 
2. Removing minimum parking requirements would speed uptake of affordable and social housing, however market-rate housing requires continued minimums here in the penturbia where the average household has 1.9 cars (CRD, 2017). Developers need to ensure necessary off-street parking, including garages used as such rather than as storage spaces. I would appreciate reading further staff reports on the subject."
 
Big Idea #4: Invest in pedestrian, bike-and-roll, and transit infrastructure 
- Expanding the all-ages-and-abilities bike-and-roll network to ensure all residences have convenient access to the network?
- Collaborating with BC Transit to accelerate the implementation of the Victoria Transit Future Plan?
 
 "Enacting recommendations Sooke's Transportation Master Plan -- an active transportation plan with a user hierarchy topped by pedestrians -- is a short-term priority for Sooke and has begun with rebuilds of the town-centre corridors on Otter Point, Church Rd. and now hopefully Charters pending receipt of provincial grant funding to be announced in 2023. All Ages & Abilities public trail connectivity and wayfinding has progressed in association with the Juan de Fuca Community Trails Society with development of the Stickleback and Seawalk trails  The transportation plan prioritizes safe-routes to schools and transit corridors with next-build sidewalk/bike lane routes identified on Rhodenite, Beaton/Pyrite, Charters and on Phillips Rd. near SEAPARC. 
 
Sooke's interim Climate Action Coordinator is now employed with the CRD Climate Action team as a micro-mobility specialist, and she will be advancing regional initiatives applicable in Sooke. Our TMP calls for e-bike charging stations in the town centre.  
 
BC Transit's Sooke Local Area Transit Plan (adopted 2020) has been delayed by Covid impacts, however Major Tait continues to push for its implementation through her role with the Victoria Regional Transit System. Sooke already has region-high per-capita ridership, and increased frequency of regional routes and introduction of new local routes will increase it further (especially if the introduction of local Sooke service was to be incentivized with time-limited reduced rates or free-transit for youth and means-tested adults.)

A RapidBus hub in Langford will be welcome.  Sooke council has joined other CRD municipalities in lobbying the province and federal government to fund the Island Rail Corridor; its proposed Victoria Commuter Train 1 and 2 rush-hour and mid-day service from Westhills Station to Victoria would serve Sooke commuters well."


Times Colonist

Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience. (80-100 words)
I was elected in 2018 following a near-miss in 2014. As a councillor, I've served with the Capital Regional District (Alternate Director), the Vancouver Island Regional Library board and the Sooke Homelessness Coalition (co-chair). Pre-election, I regularly attended council meetings on behalf of Transition Sooke, for whom I served as president for four years. I was also a two-term president of the Edward Milne Community School Society; a co-founder of Zero Waste Sooke, the Sooke Multi-Belief Initiative and the Sooke Farmland Trust Society; and a public appointee to the District's Climate Action Committee (chair) and Community Centre Advisory Committee. 

Why are you running? What's your motivation? (80-100 words)
I'm seeking re-election to continue the work initiated by our current council led by Mayor Maja Tait. This includes adoption of the pending Official Community Plan and enactment of short-term priorities within Sooke's new set of master plans and strategies -- Community Economic Development, Climate Action, Transportation, Parks & Trails and Housing Needs. Major development is coming to Sooke's town centre, and I'd like to work with council and staff to ensure it aligns with the community vision. 
 
What are your top three issues? (80-100 words)
1. Protection of rural character while also developing a "Sooke Smart Growth" waterfront town centre that places shops, services, amenities, office space and health care amidst moderately dense housing.  
 
2. The critical need to recognize that Sooke has a finite population capacity given the reality of an increasingly congested two-lane (mostly) Highway 14. 
 
3. Traffic volume and flow, which can be addressed to a degree through local job creation, land-use decisions that avoid sprawl, teleworking initiatives, implementation of BC Transit's Local Area Plan, and construction of the Throup/Grant Road bypass route.  

What's your vision for your community in 25 years? (100-125 words)
My vision echoes that of Sooke’s pending OCP, which in turn aligns with local plans dating back a half century at least. By 2048, we will be a fully resilient, emergency-prepared, climate-and-energy smart community. Our harbourside village centre will feature commercial/residential low-rises, independent shops, restaurants, cultural amenities, pocket parks and extended oceanfront walkway.  We identified our population maximum and have lobbied the province to add an additional lane to Sooke Road to lessen rush-hour impacts each way. The Troupe/Grant active transportation bypass route and an expanded, well-utilized trail network are complete. The sewer system has been installed east to Kaltasin Rd., guaranteeing renewed shellfish harvesting and sparking light-industrial enterprise at the point where the T’Sou-ke Nation meets Sooke. Our rural character outside the town centre remains beautifully intact and the leading reason we are a food secure, age-friendly community. 

​

Now getting ready for tonight's OCP Public Hearing, 7 PM at the Municipal Hall (which I'll attend virtually due to my health and bark-like cough.)  The agenda is posted here. It includes the bylaw with revisions current through its second reading. You'll find it in PDF form here. (Save a copy like i do, and you can search its depth to your heart's content.) All of the public engagement and supplemental documents are available here. 

A steady trickle (not floodplain's worth) of form emails are arriving in council's mailbox today that read: "I'm opposed to the new OCP with inclusion of any Development Permits. There are additional edits that must be made." That's it and that's all. There is no further explanation about the why and what of their opposition nor citations about required edits. (All along with some fuller correspondence will be included in a supplemental agenda published later this afternoon). 

I voted on Sept. 8 in favour of moving us to this public hearing because I am a fan of the plan, first and foremost. I agree with the OCP Advisory Committee (Mrs. Lewers notably excepted in a 6-1 vote) that it is ready for primetime. And I want us to get to this legislated next step (which is still short of third reading and adoption).

As one who strives for consensus decisions, I'm upset that council was divided 4-3 on whether to go to the hearing. I respect my colleagues, especially Mayor Tait, whose leadership, views and opinion I so value. (My father, the Colonel's, voice from beyond urges: Follow your leader!). Calling a halt tonight and allowing the next council to finish the job makes good sense as she explains it. A truce would lead to all quiet on the western front and give time for another round of input, and that is both logical and appealing.

Yet I can't shake the idea that an entirely unpredictable new council crew from the 23 contenders could hijack the process and throw this excellent plan under the bus. [No Development Permit Guidelines? No opportunity for staff to regulate the form and character of new development when it comes to sub-divisions of four or more homes and mixed-use larger projects? Where praytell is the sense in that?]

I have tried my very best to address concerns raised by a small, vocal, influential group by asking questions at our OCP meetings and by writing blog entries like the one that precedes this one. 

They will be out in numbers tonight, too, I'm sure, as is the case at all public hearings. (Check out this recent SFU report - https://www.democracydialogue.ca/publichearings. Downsides are captured in this quote: "While a noisy minority tends to dominate public hearings, the silent majority of reasonable people are by definition never heard. Elected officials therefore are forced to pander to the skewed view of the vocal minority of voters present, rather than doing what they have been already elected to do, which is make the best decision for the future of the community overall.")

I'll share the PS from my above-linked blog post in full here with apologies to those of you who prefer the two-line email mode of communcation. Yes, I do tend to complicate things when perhaps I should stick with text-message headlines and bold, context-free statements (this OCP "will clear-cut Sooke," for instance) as others like to do.

Okay, here's the cut-and-paste ...

"Even with all the public feedback to date, I naturally wonder what comments will emerge during the public hearing whenever it's scheduled.

As Councillor Beddows, the OCP Advisory Committee liaison, has noted, council dealt promptly this spring with the major concerns that emerged from the first-wave responses to the draft OCP:

1. The proposed 30m waterfront setback requirement for new subdivisions of four-or-more homes (now reinstated at 15m as per Sooke tradition).

2. Potential density increases in the Whiffin Spit neighbourhood (now returned to its Rural Residential designation).

3. The re-inclusion of phase three of West Ridge Trails in the Community Residential, not rural, designation (while knowing that the development still must secure rezoning and sewer inclusion before it can proceed.)

What else might arise at the public-hearing? I've taken pains to raise concerns from the public engagement packages in my questions to staff during the chapter reviews -- including points raised by Farrell Estates and the Concerned Citizens of Sooke (Randy Clarkston, Dave Saunders, Dave McClimon, Matt Mortenson and Brian Butler). Both Councillor McMath and I drew questions from the latter's correspondence at the July 19 chapter review re: DPA overreach, the "hidden density issue," transportation and costing.

Certainly there's been confusion over the so-called "hidden density issue" during OCP deliberations. The proposed bylaw's Growth Management and Land Use section (starting on pg. 57) cites a maximum density of 70 units per hectare in the Community Residential designation (i.e., the Sewer Specified Area west of the Sooke River).

Does this mean that Community Residential landowners would be free to dramatically densify their single-family lots and we'd see cluster housing on what are now single-family streets, turning Sooke into wall-to-wall suburbia? What a nightmare!

I personally have asked staff in public meetings about this at least four times now in response to public concerns. They and the OCP consultants have replied with what the document itself (pg. 60) states: "Maximum densities within each designation will be informed by the policy direction of the OCP and the site-specific zoning provided in the Zoning Bylaw."

The OCP policy direction is for density in the Town Centre Core, Town Centre Transitional and Town Centre Waterfront designations. Period. (And up to a point: The 2009 Town Centre Plan, which is due to be revised as a first priority action following OCP adoption, envisions net growth in the TC of 1400 residents by 2050.) It in no way recommends density (i.e., sprawl) beyond this town centre.

A new Zoning Bylaw is required following the adoption of every new OCP in BC. Our pending OCP allows six-storey buildings in (zoning-specified spots only) north of Sooke Rd. in the Town Centre and only along the two sides of Brownsey Blvd. south of it. (Interestingly, the current zoning bylaw's High-Density Multi-Family RM-4 category allows a maximum of 90 units per hectare. Ayre Manor and West Wind Harbour are the only spots so designated. The CD7 zoning for Mariner's Village allows 50 units per hectare maximum.)

Regarding costing, no OCP I've ever seen includes a price tag for proposed actions. Instead, they are subject to cost analysis when prioritized by council and staff for consideration in each successive year's Five-Year Financial Plan. If the money's not there or the tax hit too heavy, then a specific action remains on paper and aspirational, as so many have done in the 2010 OCP. Still entirely worth honouring community OCP input, however, by capturing our wishes and best aspirations on paper, of course.

[Predicted capital expenses in 2020 dollars are, however, included for actions recommended by theTransportation (pg. 67-69) andParks & Trails (pp. 71-75) master plans. There are also very loose estimates of costs for Appendix H items in theClimate Action Plan, whose one $$$ item relates to implementation costs for those same master plans. See my lengthy explanation in the PPS below.]

The plan concludes with a set of Development Permit Area (DPA) guidelines that are critical in particular for the town centre as growth picks up momentum. They include Sooke's first set of DPAs for "energy and water conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions,"permitted by the Local Government Act not long after BC introduced (and Sooke promptly signed) the B.C. Climate Action Charter in 2008.

I believe this is where the OCP is criticized as being "overly perscriptive," yet I'm not sure how these flexible rules, applicable on a case-by-case basis, can be anything but exact and on point. As the province states, they "govern locations that need special treatment for certain purposes, including the protection of development from hazards, establishing objectives for form and character in specified circumstances or revitalization of a commercial use area."

Some municipalities include these guidelines in their zoning bylaws, others in their OCPs. I honestly can't fathom suggestions from some that the the DPA section be axed entirely, especially after seeing how the guidelines are so central in ongoing staff/developer negotiations re: the mixed-use proposal for Brownsey Blvd.'s west side. How else can we ensure the community gets what it wants and expects from incoming developers as determined by documents like the Town Centre Plan?

(DPA exemptions apply, incidentally, to anyone building a single-family home, duplex or accessory building, those needing to remove hazardous trees or undertake yard and garden landscaping, among other exceptions. See pg. 178/79.)
​
Unsurprisingly, the OCP conversation this year has been led by a minority with specific concerns. These concerns are absolutely valid, as are those of all 15,086 (2021 census) residents of Sooke. It's great that other engagement methods -- online surveys, community sounding boards, virtual stakeholder consultations with numerous community groups and organizations, school sessions and more -- captured wide input, too, but arguably less than had COVID not struck and eliminated in-person town halls and the like."