Notice of Public Hearing / Bylaw No. 1748 (advertising and public notice materials)

News Content (extracted from pages)

Santa visit to Victoria General Hospital

Santa Claus flew down from the North Pole to pay a special visit to children at Victoria General Hospital, including four-year-old Zander George and his seven-year-old sister, Avalon, in December. Santa was originally supposed to arrive via Helijet earlier this week, but snow kept him grounded. But that didn't stop him from returning a few days later to deliver teddy bears to the hospital's littlest patients. (KENDRA WONG/NEWS GAZETTE STAFF)

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Goldstream News Gazette — 2017: Year in Review (selected items)

NOVEMBER

• 22 - Meet the newest View Royal councillor, Damian Kowalewich. Kowalewich won the byelection with 518 votes to take over the seat vacated by Heidi Rast, who moved to P.E.I. for work.
• 29 - Work on the Millstream Road overpass in Langford will get underway early next year and will hopefully be completed by the May long weekend. The project was orginally delayed this year when only one bid, roughly 20 per cent over budget, came in when the project was first tendered. Work includes the addition of a second southbound left-turn lane for the Trans-Canada Highway.

DECEMBER

• 1 - Belmont Secondary school's senior girls volleyball AAAA team and Royal Bay Secondary's senior boys AAA team are gearing up for provincials in Langley. The Ravens earned their spot after defeating the Claremont Spartans in three straight sets.
  Both teams finished strong in provincial play, with the Belmont girls earning their second provincial title — third if you count their win as a junior squad.
• 6 - Broadway hit Chicago comes to town this month thanks to the Langford economic development committee (EDC) in partnership with Bayview Place and Broadway in Victoria. And it's benefiting local organizations as well as the EDC is donating $10,000 to the Goldstream Food Bank, $3,000 to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 91, and $1,000 to Another Brick in the Nepal's earthquake relief.
• 8 - One Colwood resident voices concerns over speeding on Cairndale Road, which is an area the City is already looking at. However, his concerns spark a debate amongst motorists that use the roadway as a connection between Veterans Memorial Parkway and Wishart Road. A number of motorists write in, saying the speed limit on the roadway, which is 30 km/h, should be increased to 50 km/h.
• 15 - Staff and students at Belmont Secondary school reunite a Victoria resident with a long-lost World War One medal. In a tearful presentation the medal, which once belonged to George Alexander Doty is presented to his great-great neice, Sharon Hoover.
• 20 - The province announces $23.3 million in funding for a land purchase in Langford. The site in Westhills will allow the Sooke School District to build new middle and elementary schools. However, funding will still need to be secured to build the schools.
• 22 - Langford's first premier, John Horgan and his wife Ellie sit down with the Gazette to discuss some of the ways their lives have changed since the election in May. The pair is looking forward to having the whole family together for Christmas.

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Wolves look to 'explode' after winter break

Local team has a record of 16-12-1 and is in second place in the south division

Tim Collins
News Gazette staff

Last November and all of December could have been better for the Westshore Wolves, with the team dropping a game on Nov. 24 to the Campbell River Storm and splitting their next four games with two wins and two losses during December.

"We could have been doing better during December, for sure, but we're looking to explode out of this break with some much better play," rookie head coach Tyler Matheson said.

"December really wasn't very strong and we have hoped for a much better outcome, but we have to look past that and move forward with a better effort."

The Wolves currently boast a record of 16-12-1 and are second in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League's south division, sitting two points behind the Victoria Cougars.

Heading into the second half of the season, Matheson said the team will be concentrating on making the practices harder, and paying attention to details and using videos of past games to highlight the areas players need to concentrate on.

"We watch the videos and in practices we put ourselves in those situations and work on what we've seen so we don't make the same mistakes again," he said. "In this league you have to be prepared. Junior B is a developmental league, and it's tough, so if you don't come prepared you're going to lose two"

Cameron Coutre is a strong representative of what it takes to win, said Matheson. With a league-leading 48 points on the season so far, Coutre has been a consistent asset to the team.

The head coach also credits 20-year-old captain Brandon Tutte, who is fourth in league scoring leaders with 40 points, with providing maturity and stability that is important to the team's success.

"The same is true of Tomba Huddlestan and Trevor Bottomley, who have helped to keep the team centred and play with the kind of maturity we count on out there."

One of the Wolves who has really shown a lot of heart and exceeded expectations as well is forward Keegan Durrance.

"Durrance has really stepped up and done very well. He's shown so much improvement and we expect even better things from him in the new year," Matheson said.

As far as what fans can expect in 2018, Matheson is optimistic.

"I'm happy with what we've done so far but I know these guys and we have a lot more to offer. We have one of the older groups in the league right now and we have to take advantage of that and put those wins on the board," he said.

The Westshore Wolves return to The Q Centre on Jan. 3, where they'll host the Peninsula Panthers. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The next day, they'll take on the Victoria Cougars at Archie Browning Arena in Esquimalt, also at 7 p.m.

Contact: editor@goldstreamgazette.corn

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SwimRun Victoria — Fast growing sport to debut at Thetis Lake

Organizers promise a challenging course

Rick Stiebel
News Gazette staff

What do you get when you cross two thirds of a triathlon with Thetis Lake? You get SwimRun Victoria, a multi-sport race format that combines split segments of open-water swimming with trail runs, explained race director Rob Dibden. The event, sponsored by Human Powered Racing, will mark the first of its kind in Western Canada, he noted. SwimRun has been gaining popularity since the inaugural event, Otillo SwimRun, was held in Sweden in 2006.

"We started talking about hosting a SwimRun event when we became aware the format might work here," said Dibden, a member and coach with the Human Powered Racing team for the past 13 years. "There's a few people from Victoria who've done it before."

SwimRun Victoria involves a challenging course consisting of four swim legs totalling about 4,000 metres, and four run legs totalling about 24 km. The short course is slightly less than half the length of the full course. Competitors swim in their running shoes and run in their swim gear, Dibden explained. Although many SwimRun events involve frigid ocean swims, the Victoria event, to be held at Thetis Lake, will not require specialized equipment. It should still present a challenge for even hardcore adventure seekers, he added.

"I think Thetis Lake will be a fantastic venue for this event," said Dibden, a View Royal resident. "A lot of thought and preparation has gone into planning the course for a year, and we're excited about it. People who come to compete will be surprised and pleased with the level of difficulty and terrain they'll experience."

SwimRun Victoria takes place Aug. 12. For more information, contact Dibden at rob@humanpoweredracing.ca or visit swimrunvictoria.ca.

Contact: editor@goldstreamgazette.corn

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