Public Notice (Goldstream Gazette) and Community Notices

NOTICE OF AMENDING BYLAW — City of Colwood

Colwood Land Use Bylaw No. 151, 1989, Amendment No. 201 (Accessory Dwelling Unit), Bylaw No. 1967, 2023

NOTICE IS GIVEN that Council of the City of Colwood will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 6:30 pm in relation to the proposed “Colwood Land Use Bylaw No. 151, 1989, Amendment No. 201 (Accessory Dwelling Unit), Bylaw No. 1967, 2023”.

PURPOSE: This bylaw is proposing amendments to the City of Colwood’s regulations for Secondary Suites and Accessory Dwelling Units contained in Section 2.2 of the Colwood Land Use Bylaw No. 151, 1989, including:

• Permitting detached accessory dwelling units (garden suites) to be located in the yard of a duplex or a townhouse
• Increasing the maximum allowable area for a detached accessory dwelling unit (garden suites) from 60 m2 to 90 m2
• Excluding the area of a detached accessory dwelling unit (garden suite) from the area calculation of all accessory buildings located on a lot

SUBJECT PROPERTY: This Bylaw applies to all lands within the City of Colwood.

INSPECTION OF MATERIALS: Copies of the proposed bylaw and related materials can be viewed at www.colwood.ca/publicnotices or in person at Colwood City Hall from February 15 to March 2, 2023 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays.

We want to hear from you!

Marcy Lalande, CMC
Corporate Officer

MEETING: Public Hearing
DATE and TIME: Thursday, March 2, 2023, 6:30 pm
PLACE: Council Chambers, 3300 Wishart Road, Colwood BC

WRITE TO US
The deadline for written submissions is 12:00 pm on the day of the meeting and must include your name and civic address.

• Email: corporateservices@colwood.ca
• Mail/Drop-off: City of Colwood, 3300 Wishart Road, Colwood, BC V9C 1R1

SPEAK TO COUNCIL

• In Person: The public is welcome to provide comments in person during the meeting.
• Electronically: To pre-register to speak please contact corporateservices@colwood.ca up until noon on the day of the meeting.

NEED MORE INFORMATION? Contact Development Services at (250) 478-5053 ext. 112 or planning@colwood.ca.

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Notice of Public Hearing — City of Langford

The City of Langford has received an application to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 300 by means of the proposed Bylaw noted below. All persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded an opportunity to be heard by presenting written submissions prior to 3 pm on the day of the Public Hearing or by making oral submissions at the Public Hearing. Please be advised that no submission may be received by Council after the close of the Public Hearing and any submissions made to Council, whether orally or in writing, will form part of the public record.

Purpose: To amend the City of Langford Zoning Bylaw No. 300 by amending the zoning designation of the subject properties from the One- and Two-Family Residential (R2) Zone to the City Centre 2 (CC2) Zone to allow a Townhouse Development.

PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will be held electronically and in person at the above address. Information about how to connect to this meeting is indicated in the table below.

Teleconference # 1-855-703-8985 (Canada Toll Free) OR 1-778-907-2071 (long distance charges may apply)
Meeting ID #897 0956 7061 – Zoom.us or Zoom app on your mobile device

Council will not answer questions about the proposal or proposed bylaw except to provide clarification. The purpose of the Public Hearing is for Council to hear the views and opinions of those members of the public who wish to make comments. Please have all your questions answered in advance of the Public Hearing by contacting the Planning Department as noted below.

The Agenda, including material that Council may consider in relation to the bylaw, will be posted to the City’s website: https://www.langford.ca/city-hall/agendas-and-minutes/ no later than the Friday before the public hearing. Correspondence may be submitted by emailing planning@langford.ca or by writing to Langford City Hall, 2nd Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, Langford, BC, V9B 2X8. You may also contact the Planning Department at (250) 478.7882.

Braden Hutchins
Director of Corporate Services

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CHURCH SERVICES IN THE WEST SHORE

CALVARY CHAPEL WESTSHORE
Sunday 10 am
948 Dunford Ave · 778-679-2092
ccwestshore.com

Church of the Advent
Anglican Church of Canada
The Rev. Ingrid Andersen, Priest
510 Mount View Ave, Victoria V9B 2B1
250-474-3031
Sunday Services 8:30 and 10am and Livestreamed Worship

Our Lady of the Rosary
Roman Catholic Church
798 Goldstream Ave, Victoria BC
250.478.3482
Pastor - Fr. Dean N. Henderson
Welcoming all Westshore Catholics and those curious about Catholic Christianity
Please visit our website for online Mass Information

SAINT MARY OF THE INCARNATION
The Anglican Church of Canada
4125 Metchosin Road
Service at 10:00am on Sundays
For info contact 250-474-4119
Check our website for online services

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News

CRD reconsidering parks entrance sign strategy after backlash

Board chair says new sign design will allow First Nation recognition in the future

Jake Romphf
News Staff

Before an immediate and visceral rejection of a proposed change, the Capital Regional District planned on spending $137,000 on new Thetis Lake and two other regional park signs. The CRD’s social media was flooded with negative responses in mid-January when it posted a rendering of what would replace the decades-old wooden display greeting Thetis Lake’s visitors - prompting the district to back-track on those plans.

The 2022 regional parks budget included $137,000 for replacing entry signs, including the paused Thetis Lake change. That also funded a new sign that was installed at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park’s Beaver Beach entrance on Jan. 12 and a pillar-like sign at East Point Regional Park.

Directors at the Feb. 8 board meeting voted to proceed with implementing the CRD’s signage strategy with the exception of regional park entry signs, which will now be considered further by the regional parks committee.

“I’m hoping the regional parks committee will look at the value of the old wooden sign that currently welcomes people to (Thetis Lake) park and look if there’s a way to keep that sign and have a new sign,” CRD chair Colin Plant said in an interview.

He noted that even though the public strongly supports it, the log sign being made of wood means it will deteriorate even if it’s treated.

“We’ll see what we can do and people can come to the committee with their suggestions about what they would like to see,” Plant said.

The CRD’s updated parks strategy, which has received interim approval, calls for integrating First Nation stories, names and information on signage.

Asked why some new signs were already installed as those consultations with local First Nations are ongoing, Plant said there’s a need to ensure the displays are doing their job, while leaving space for them to be updated with Indigenous languages and names in the future.

“The sign’s design – even though some people may not like the design and would prefer the status quo – was done in a way that would allow us to recognize First Nations,” he said. “I think the CRD is very interested in exploring, with local Nations, the names for areas where we have regional parks and the idea of honouring the names is something that I think the board will want to do.”

The CRD’s 2021-approved signage guidelines state signs should be consistent to create a “recognizable brand,” while their design and materials “speaks to the integrity of the CRD identity.”

“The public expressed dislike of the new sign design, particularly for a park, and the public also expressed concern over the expenditures associated with the new signs and the strategy,” staff said at the Feb. 8 board meeting.

Director Sid Tobias said he saw his email explode after the social media posts went up.

“We can talk about corporate branding but I think there’s a place where it’s appropriate and where it’s not,” the View Royal mayor said. While corporate-looking signs might be better placed outside a hospital, Tobias said the public has a personal attachment to local parks and they should have a say.

“We should be informed by the public, by the history and wait until we’ve done the First Nations engagement to find out what that might look like.”

Regional districts call on feds to fund rail corridor revival

Austin Westphal
News Staff

Vancouver Island regional districts are urgently calling on the Canadian government to commit to protecting the historic Island Rail Corridor as the mid-March deadline to decide its fate inches closer.

In a Tuesday (Feb. 21) news release, the Capital Regional District board said it’s working alongside other regional districts on the Island – representing more than 610,000 residents – to encourage the federal government to sit down with the province and regional districts to provide an update of its position on the issue.

“We believe it is in the national, provincial and regional interest to protect this corridor and advance First Nations reconciliation efforts and should be a top priority for the federal government,” said CRD board chair Colin Plant. “It is imperative that we recognize the significance of this crucial transportation infrastructure and work together to ensure its protection for generations to come.”

The federal government has until March 14 to decide whether it will fund infrastructure on a disputed corridor segment that runs through a Nanoose-area First nation. That Court of Appeal-imposed deadline was the result of a lawsuit launched by the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, which has maintained the land was stolen in 1912 and is no longer being used for railway purposes.

The First Nation brought forward the suit after passenger service along the line ended in 2011, leaving it to deteriorate in the decade following.

Two rulings sided with Canada and the Island Corridor Foundation, which committed to restoring the entire 295-kilometre rail corridor if it can manage to secure sufficient funding. The court, however, will allow the First Nation to enforce its right of reversion if the feds don’t put up funding or reach a decision by the deadline.

“Regional district boards across Vancouver Island previously supported the ICF’s request that the federal and provincial governments work together to create a multi-disciplinary team, reflecting all interests, to protect the corridor and advance rail transportation on Vancouver Island,” said a Feb. 17 letter from the CRD to the ministers of transport and Crown-Indigenous relations. “We also request that the federal and provincial government equitably settle Indigenous claims within and along the Island Rail Corridor.”

Transport Canada has said the federal government’s decision-making will be informed by B.C.’s engagement on the corridor’s future and remains under consideration.

– With files from Jake Romphf

Dunsmuir, Royal Bay schools under brief hold and secure Friday

Students at Dunsmuir Middle School and Royal Bay Secondary School were temporarily under a hold and secure order Friday (Feb. 24) afternoon - all because someone spotted a gun that turned out to be a replica.

Both schools were advised to do so at around noon on Friday by the West Shore RCMP “out of an abundance of caution,” according to an email sent out to parents by Paul Block, associate superintendent for the Royal Bay Family of Schools with the Sooke School District.

Police were notified about a small group of youths brandishing what appeared to be a firearm at a bus stop near the 400 block of Dressler Road in Colwood, according to a police statement.

Police were able to locate and arrest a male and female suspect, both youths. The firearm in question was located and determined to be a replica.

There is no ongoing threat to public safety at this time.

The schools have been updated and have lifted their hold and secure protocol. The police investigation is still ongoing. There will be no further comments at this time.