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IN THE COMMENT SECTION THE SOFTWARE ASKS FOR EMAIL, NAME AND WEBSITE. THIS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT.
The site is relatively simple to navigate and to leave comments. You can click on the title of any post on the front page and this will bring up the post by itself with a ‘comment’ area at the bottom of the post (scroll down if you don’t see it). . If you would like to be anonymous that is fine just put in a pseudonym, your comment and click ‘SUBMIT’ at the bottom. I also would like to remind everyone that all comments are subject to moderation so it might take a bit of time before they actually appear.
You can also go to the right side area and click on a section you are interested in and that will show you all the posts in that section. As well, clicking any of the other titles/names will link you to the respective site.
Thanks and hoping to hear from you!
Terry Farrant
editor North Saanich Online
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North Saanich Farm Market
For
Saturday, July 4 , 2009
St. John’s Church, 10990 West Saanich Road
Variety of Herbs—– New Potatoes—- Beets—Kildara Salad—-Peas—Broad Beans—Basil—-Eggs—-Tomato Plants—Locally Baked Bread—-Lettuce of all kinds
Strawberries wil be here this week!
Also new this week ‘Garlic Scapes’ and Raspberries
PLUS
Tuffa Gardens—-Mixed Annuals—Cut Flowers—Mixed flower and vegetable planters—Sweets—-local crafts
AND MUCH MORE!!
The North Saanich Farm Market Needs You!
Have you got more than you need in your garden to feed your family? Would you like to make a little income? The North Saanich Farm Market, which is well into its second year at its new venue, St John’s Church, is able to help. The market is attracting a growing list of supporters. Some of its favoured items have been plant starts, beets, cut flowers, fresh-baked bread, strawberries, first-of-the season lettuce and willow baskets. Live music has delighted shoppers almost every week; coffee and muffins has sustained them.
To meet customer demand the market needs more fruits and vegetables. One of the innovations at the market is the “Community Table” which permits small or infrequent growers (this could be you!) to bring their produce and have it sold by market volunteers. To do this, simply arrive by 9am, fill out a form which lists your produce and prices, and come back in time to collect your money. If you would like to join the happy growers for the North Saanich Farm Market, please contact Susan Chandler (250 655 3378) or Diana Chown (250 656 9633).
Please check out all the comments, they certainly beg the question. “Are the politicians, at all levels interested in the design,efficiency and the lessening of the cost of this project or soley interested in 24 Million dollars coming into their, province, district, town or municipality ?”
SO WHAT HAPPENED AT THE OPEN HOUSE?
What is happening with this proposal? Make sure to read the comments! Link to Cairine’s blog and check out some of her responses to some concerns that have been voiced:
Cairine Green’s Blog and follow the thread. Cairine gives an excellent account of recent meetings and the public meeting leading up to the most recent contact with government officials.
The most recent comments on Cairine’s blog address the leadership of North Saanich in responding to the McTavish Rd issue.
I find it very interesting that what has not been discussed re the McTavish Road interchange proposal is the actual need for this huge “solution” in the first place. I would go even further and suggest that what is proposed is absurd; the problem is not that huge. This is clearly something that politicians are not addressing. Furthermore, the proposed amount of 24 million dollars of taxpayer’s money begs credulity when the so-called “solution” does not even involve a serious safety issue. If 24 million dollars is available to sink into the Pat Bay highway system then the bulk of it in all good conscious should be going to the Sayward Road Interchange with its well-documented list of traffic accidents and deaths. Now that is a safety issue!
It becomes very obvious that the concern here is not about the safety of the Pat Bay Highway but rather an attempt to massage travelers, visitors, and tourists moving through Victoria Airport. The biggest problem there seems to be traffic leaving the airport and getting onto the highway—the intersection of Canora and McTavish roads and not McTavish Road and the Pat Bay high way.
We need to ask ourselves (and our politicians) what alternative solutions to an overly expensive interchange might be. The development of a Light Rapid Transit system between the airport, the ferries, and Victoria would seem to be a no-brainer, and especially far-sighted during this era of fossil fuel depletion and climate change. The McTavish Road interchange as presently envisioned represents outdated and “un-green” thinking. . Where are the visionaries?
There were two excellent letters to the editor in the Times Colonist this morning (June 24, 09) regarding this project. Both are also saying what is stated above about lack of comment regarding the scale of and need of this interchange.
Pat Bay problems are easily fixed
Times Colonist
24 Jun 2009
Regarding the interchanges on the Pat Bay Highway, it does not take studies and surveys to realize that the problem at Sayward Road is the lack of an acceleration lane for northbound traffic. You cannot expect to enter even the slow lane from a near… read more…
Paving paradise for little improvement
Times Colonist
24 Jun 2009
The proposed McTavish Avenue/Pat Bay Highway interchange — which must dwarf every comparable traffic structure on the Island — replaces a single stoplight with a daunting array of multiple ramps and twin roundabouts, creating a Byzantine traffic flow… read more…
THERE IS A SIMPLER WAY
The rationale for this approach includes:
- the only real problem at McTavish is Airport Access/Egress
- all other traffic flows are acceptable
- with the airport traffic on dedicated lanes, the residual local traffic would be quite modest
- much of the $24 million should be spent on LRT or more needy intersections
- the existing design:
- is overly complex
- is overly expensive
- is overly “busy”
- relies on two lane traffic circles, likely a challenge for new visitors in a rental car
- requires many lane changes and turns
- will likely require extensive signage to direct drivers
- has several choke points where cross traffic will be competing with airport through traffic for roundabout access
- my concept is to engender discussion and implies:
- all new lanes are elevated
- the McTavish Exit (and Canora exit to McTavish) are optional
- the southbound Canora exit to Hwy 17 goes over the (optional) McTavish Exit
- existing pedestrian crossings are acceptable
- further design/engineering is required:
- to provide for the bus loop
- to provide PnR parking
- to provide a new pedestrian crossing if PnR parking is provided south of McTavish
- to refine the (optional) Canora/McTavish exit/merge
ANOTHER SIMPLER WAY
Harvey Lubin sends this comment and concept
This week I came across the plan for the McTavish interchange:
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/highwayprojects/Hwy_17_McTavish_Interchange/docs/mctavish_interchange.pdf
The proposed design seems to be an overly complex solution to a simple problem. What this design does is increase travel distances, increase travel times, increase gas used, and increase the number of intersect points (and opportunities for collisions) from the current traffic intersection. This is a big step backwards. For a project estimated to cost $24 million, the result should be an improvement, not a worsening from the present state.
Another problem with the design is that it appears that people coming from the airport, or from McTavish Road will no longer be able to head north on Pat Bay to Sidney and the ferries, as they can do now. If this is the case, it would be a major oversight.
It could be possible that the planner’s intent was that people traveling from McTavish Road would be required to go through a traffic light, and then around a traffic circle (with 8 intersect points), cross over the Pat Bay highway on any overpass, go around a second traffic circle (with 7 intersect points) on the opposite side of the highway, and then find their way to the on-ramp to the Pat Bay. This solution would replace what is now handled by a single traffic light.
It may be early in the planning stages, but my concern is that the proposed design for the McTavish interchange will eventually be approved and constructed.
A simpler solution would be to have separate off and on accesses from Pat Bay southbound for McTavish and Canora. People driving east on McTavish would turn left on East Saanich Road or Cresswell to go to the airport, and people coming from the airport who want to get to McTavish would take East Saanich Road or Cresswell as they do now. Coming from the airport there would be a fly-over from Canora to northbound Pat Bay. McTavish would be a 2-lane underpass to reach Lochside Drive. Northbound Pat Bay would have a left lane exit flyover to join Canora to go to the airport. Northbound Pat Bay would have a right-hand tun-off to reach Lochside, intersecting with McTavish and the onramp to Pat Bay at a traffic light intersection between the Pat Bay Highway and Lochside Drive.
This would allow everyone a direct route to their intended destination, and cause less confusion and wasted time than the current design would entail.
Attached is a very rough illustration I made showing the design I described. In this illustration you will see that the design is:
1) much less complex, and therefore also less costly, than the current proposal
2) much shorter and more direct routes than the current proposal
3) no traffic circles required, and therefore less land used for the project
4) only one merge in most cases rather than the multiple merges in the current proposal
5) includes the ability for traffic eastbound on McTavish and from the airport to easily access Pat Bay Highway north to Sidney and the ferries
1. CR-FAIR June 16 food security roundtable at Glamorgan Farm
CR-FAIR, the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable, is pleased to announce that June’s food security roundtable meeting will be held at beautiful Glamorgan Farm in North Saanich. CR-FAIR extends its thanks to Glamorgan Farm for co-hosting this meeting.
It is CR-FAIR ’s hope that by meeting in different locations throughout BC’s Capital Region, the food security network can be expanded and strengthened, and people who otherwise might not be able to make it to roundtable meetings may attend.
When: Tuesday June 16 11am
Where: Glamorgan Farm, 1805 Glamorgan Road, North Saanich – Map
Food security roundtable meetings are an informal forum for networking and exchange of information on issues and projects related to food security and sustainable food systems, and usually last 1 to 1.5 hours.
This traveling meeting of the CR-FAIR food security roundtable is being championed by Glamorgan Farm. CR-FAIR thanks Glamorgan for their support and their work in building food security in BC’s Capital Region. Learn more about this beautiful heritage farm via their website: http://www.glamorganfarm.com/htmls/philosophy.html
We look forward to seeing you on the 16th. Check out this and other food-related events on the new CR-FAIR regional food events calendar:
2. Food Security listserve
You are receiving this email because you are a subscriber to CR-FAIR’s Making Food Matter enewsletter. Subscribers to this list receive two types of emails: the newsletter itself (4 times per year), and invitations to CR-FAIR events (such as this email). Nothing else.
CR-FAIR also maintains another subscription list, to which, approximately 1-2 times per week, we send emails about all types of food related events and relevant food security information in BC’s Capital Region. As a regional body and food security hub, CR-FAIR aims to help build the network of food-interested people in the region, and to help share information between and about the many groups and organizations working on food security issues. If you would like to subscribe to this list, please email annar@communitycouncil.ca with the subject: Subscribe to the Food Security Listserve.
CR-FAIR takes your privacy seriously. Your email address will be used exclusively for the purpose for which you gave it and you may request that your email be removed from our lists at any time.
Anna Louise Russo
Communications Coordinator
Community Council
3948 Quadra Street | Victoria, BC V8X 1J6
Tel: (250) 383-6166 Fax: (250) 479-9411 email: annar@communitycouncil.ca
www.communitycouncil.ca | www.qolchallenge.ca
Leadership that brings the community together
NORTH SAANICH FARM MARKET SEEKS GROWERS
The North Saanich Farm Market is looking for growers, big and small. The Market, dedicated to supporting local sustainable agriculture, is planning to begin in June. If you are interested, or would like more information, please contact Susan Chandler @ 250 655 3378 or leave a comment in the questbook or contact:
editor@northsaanichonline.com
You are invited to the Official Opening of the
North Saanich Farm Market
For 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
St. John’s Church, 10990 West Saanich Road
Mayor Alice Finall will formally open the second season of the Farm Market.
Market opens at 9:30; Opening at 10:00 am
Come to the market for seasonal vegetables and fruits, arts and crafts, baked goods, music and fun.
We are looking forward to a successful season. The market will be open every Saturday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm until October 10th. (Across from Deep Cove School on the West Saanich Road, near the Deep Cove Market)
Market vendors at North Saanich Farm Market are local people who “make, bake, or grow” what they sell.
The North Saanich Farm Market is sponsored by the North Saanich Food for the Future Society (NSFFS) and is organized around principles of collaboration, cooperation and community building.
Please contact for more information: Susan Chandler 250 655 3378
Diana Chown 250 656 9633
HERE WE GO AGAIN
This just in from a reader:
“Just had a look at the North Saanich Council agenda for Monday, June 1 and noticed that Dan Boot is going to present a marina proposal. It sounds like it is the original one…”
Does anyone have details of the original proposal? I sure hope council sticks with their direction of no re-zoning and n0 amendments to the OCP for this site. or is this what Deep Cove will look like in the future:
Below is NSO post of Mar 26, 2009:
Pub/Marina Proposal and Being Proactive
I would be careful to act on the suggestion made by one council member to put forward ideas they would be happy with but thinking it through is a good idea. Council can reject any proposal that does not fit in with the Official Community Plan, or if any required rezoning is out of character with the neighbourhood. The new Mayor and the “majority” of council members strongly support the OCP and maintaining the rural character of the district..
Just because a property owner has allowed a property to become run down, that does not give any reason that the owner should be allowed to redevelop it, rezone it, or change the neighbourhood. There are many properties in North Saanich that could be called ‘run down’ why does this one deserve special attention? Many of the ‘run down’ properties are also much more visible from the road, it is actually difficult to tell there is a ‘marina’ there.
In my view, a property owner should be responsible for proper maintenance. The marina could be renewed as is – if the owner were willing to maintain it.
The owner may have put this last proposal out only as a way to see what kind of opposition they would get. So, please be careful that you don’t get caught up in “one” councillors comments. Councillor Fea is publicly on record as stating she does not support the current OCP and would like to see numerous amendments to it i am sure, particularly where development is concerned. So yes it would be wise to be cautious as to where this is all heading, maybe it is going exactly where the owner wanted it to go. High density condos, and I am sure councillor Fea would be pleased to have a number of residents clamering to have the OCP amended to allow just such a development here. It would be difficult for folks if a proposal was put forward for the condos and council was consistent in their support of the OCP and turned it down. There are some good ideas floating around about using the marina for a community place and maintaining it’s small footprint.
The OCP was developed by the residents of North Saanich, it is our guideline for development and as much as neighbours might think it is a good idea to put forward ideas for the use of this property please remember the bottom line is the OCP and i would hope all ideas put forward would not need to have it ammended or the lots rezoned.
On another note does anyone know if North Saanich granted the marina any concessions for having the pumping station on their property?
OPENING OF NEW BIKE PATH
The Community is invited to celebrate the opening of the Victoria Airport Bike Path on Saturday May 30th, 2009 10:00 am at Patricia Bay Park (corner of Mills Road and West Saanich Road).
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be part of the festivities and light refreshments will be served.
We hope to see you there!
For more information about Victoria International Airport, please visit us at www.victoriaairport.com or Sign up for YYJ Airmail to start receiving electronic news about the Victoria International Airport and the Victoria Airport Authority.
Media Contact:
James Bogusz – Manager Marketing, Communications & Technology
james.bogusz@victoriaairport.com
(250) 953-7570
jOHN lUTON, CHRISTINE STONEMAN, RICHARD PAQUETTE, MAYOR ALICE FINALL
A GRAND DAY
Well what a perfect day it was for the Bike Path Grand Opening. The Airport provided treats and drinks and hospitality in abundance. Thanks Richard (Richard Paquette CEO Victoria Airport Authority) and Christine (Christine Stoneman Chair Victoria Airport Authority) There was a lot of mingling and bike talk amongst all the attendees and the entire North Saanich Council as well as John Luton of Victoria City Council and also President of Capital Bike and Walk Society of Victoria. It was great to see them all there. After these preliminaries Richard Paquette addressed the crowd about the involement of the Airport in the community and the vision for the bike path to eventually circumnavigate the airport. After John Luton, Christine Stoneman and North Saanich Mayor Alice Finall also addressed the crowd the ribbon was cut and a group of about 30 riders did an inaugural ride of the approximately 2 kilometre path. Thank You Airport Authority YYJ!
NORTH SAANICH NEIGHBOURHOOD MEETING
FOR THE RESIDENTS OF DEAN PARK/SOUTHEAST QUADRANT
The Council of the District of North Saanich would like to invite all residents of the Dean Park/Southeast Quadrant Area to an informal neighbourhood meeting. this open forum is for the residents of the area to meet their Mayor and Councillors to discuss any matter of their choosing. The meeting will take place Wednesday, June 3 rd, 2009 at the Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church located at 9296 East Saanich Road and will begin at 7:00pm. Please joing the North Saanich Council members in this open exchange of ideas and information about any municipal matter of interest to you.
(this meeting is for the residents of Dean Park/Southeast Quadrant but any North Saanich residents may attend)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Editor, Peninsula News Review:
Regarding the letter by Jeannie Wright, “Parents Want to Be Heard” of the 24th of March 2009, I think she misunderstood Mayor Finall’s introductory remarks.
Mayor Finall’s intention was to indicate that Council had already received a lot of information on the topic from both the parents and the Haro Park Terrace residents. However, the floor was open for those that could add new material to the discussion. The residents of that street are concerned primarily with pedestrian safety on a narrow road with no sidewalks and congested traffic. Council was already well-informed – the agenda for that meeting included nine letters from parents.
Mayor Alice Finall indicated she had already scheduled a meeting with various Kelset School officials. The gentleman who declined to speak did so because his points had already been presented to Council and he felt no need to rehash them further in light of the imminent meeting. Ms. Wright pressed on but presented no new material and did not augment the nine letters on file. My translation: the Mayor wanted discussion but not on old ideas; Ms. Wright only reiterated the existing points.
Mayor Finall has committed herself to a high level of communication and fairness in conducting municipal business and this likely will be evident in Council’s solution to the Kelset School parking problem. At the Council meeting, I heard the Mayor say that she does want to hear from the Kelset School parents but only if they can present fresh information that advances the discussion. Rather than speculate about her motives, why don’t we all just assess the decision after it is announced?
Springfield Harrison,
North Saanich
“North Saanich Council Sinks Deep Cove Marina Expansion and Pub Proposal“
At the March 23rd Committee of the Whole meeting Council unanimously rejected a proposal to expand the Deep Cove Marina and Pub proposal.
Councillor Cairine Green has some excellent comments on her blog about this proposal. Cairine also has posted comments on her blog from the meeting held at Dunsmuir Lodge this past Sunday. Please take a few minutes to read all of Cairine’s posts – we know they will be of interest to you.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in receiving future Community Updates, please have them submit their name and email address to:
bjornsfelt@shaw.ca
Good article in the Vancouver Sun re: repressive Liberal election tactics:
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/fp/banana+republics+politics/1413922/story.html
I have changed the title of this post because the open house is over but I would like to keep the discussion of cycling in North Saanich (and cycling in general) open.
Here is a link to ICBC’s Top Safety Tips for Cyclists:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2009/06/c9019.html
