DocumentsOtherDec 15, 2025Pages 19–20
Newspaper clippings / public notices (Goldstream Gazette) related to TUP25-0004 / regional items
Local newspaper pages containing the public notices and related community articles used for statutory advertising for the TUP25-0004 matter and other items.
Key facts
- Goldstream Gazette publication pages (December 2025)
- Contain notice of intention to consider Temporary Use Permit TUP25-0004
Get up close and personal with wild animals
Since becoming internationally known in January 1989, after rescuing 25 poisoned eagles, the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association (NIWRA) has evolved into a remarkable wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility specializing in black bear cubs and birds of prey.
NIWRA’s mission is to care for ill, injured, and orphaned wildlife, and to educate the public on wildlife and environmental issues.
Years of dedication and hard work have resulted in thousands of animals being rescued, rehabilitated and released. Here are a few stories of animals that have come to NIWRA for treatment this year:
- A Pileated Woodpecker came to NIWRA with his face stuck in a rat trap. He had quite significant facial swelling but with our care, he is healing well.
- A young great blue heron was found in a koi pond tangled in fishing line, unable to free itself.
- Upon examination, we discovered that the heron had also been shot and the pellet was still lodged in its neck.
- Fortunately, the lead pellet was successfully removed, and the bird is recovering.
- In August, a little beaver kit was found struggling in the fast-moving rapids of the Cowichan River. No mom or lodge in sight. She is now doing well in our care.
A cedar waxwing was brought to us because someone had deliberately clipped its wings, leaving it defenseless and unable to fly. Clipping the wings of a wild bird strips it of its freedom.
Our black bear nursery currently holds five cubs that are gaining weight and doing well. They will be released back into the wild next year.
We invite the public to visit, and here are a few of our non-releasable ambassador animals you can meet when you come:
Rae (Black Bear)
Rae is a female bear who was found starving and unsteady on her feet, likely due to head trauma. She requires ongoing care for the rest of her life.Casey (Bald Eagle)
Casey, now an adult eagle, was found on the ground with no nest nearby when he was a chick. He has a non-repairable dislocated wing and will live here at the centre for the rest of his life.Farley (Great Gray Owl)
Farley was found near 100 Mile House after being hit by a vehicle.
The collision resulted in a badly broken wing, which had to be partially amputated, making it so he cannot fly.
NIWRA, a non-profit organization, is situated in Errington, B.C. They are open to the public daily for viewing of non-releasable animals, and to hear about their programs, read stories about their animals, and learn how you can help care for wildlife.
City of Langford
Notice of Intention to Consider Issuance of a Temporary Use Permit
Council for the City of Langford hereby gives Notice of Intention to consider issuance of a Temporary Use Permit at its Regular Meeting scheduled for December 15, 2025, at 7 pm. This meeting is being held electronically and with in-person attendance.
File
Temporary Use Permit No. TUP25-0004
Applicant
The Original Farm Ltd
Location
101-945 Reunion Avenue
Purpose
To continue an existing cannabis operation
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
The purpose of this Notice is to acquaint the property owners and residents in the area with the specifics of the proposed temporary use permit. Should you wish to make a submission to the Council in writing we require your name and civic address and that this be received, either electronically or by mail, by noon on the Tuesday prior to the meeting date. You may also speak at the Council Meeting during the Public Participation Section of the meeting. The Agenda, including the material that Council may consider in relation to the temporary use permit, will be uploaded to our website: Council & Committee Meetings - City of Langford no later than the Friday before the meeting. 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.
Marie Watmough
Corporate Officer
City of Langford
Notice of Intention to Consider Issuance of a Temporary Use Permit
Council for the City of Langford hereby gives Notice of Intention to consider issuance of a Temporary Use Permit at its Regular Meeting scheduled for December 15, 2025, at 7 pm. This meeting is being held electronically and with in-person attendance.
File
Temporary Use Permit No. TUP25-0005
Applicant
Hayan Lee
Location
933 Tayberry Terrace
Purpose
To allow a home-based business
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
The purpose of this Notice is to acquaint the property owners and residents in the area with the specifics of the proposed temporary use permit. Should you wish to make a submission to the Council in writing we require your name and civic address and that this be received, either electronically or by mail, by noon on the Tuesday prior to the meeting date. You may also speak at the Council Meeting during the Public Participation Section of the meeting. The Agenda, including the material that Council may consider in relation to the temporary use permit, will be uploaded to our website: Council & Committee Meetings - City of Langford no later than the Friday before the meeting. 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.
Marie Watmough
Corporate Officer
Robotic surgery has Victoria man back on his bike in 2 weeks
Sam Duerksen
Surgeon and urologist Dr. Michael J. Metcalfe had a sinking feeling every time he presented patients with a dilemma: they could either undergo surgery close to home but face higher risks, or travel to Vancouver – or even the U.S. – and endure longer wait times but benefit from safer, robot-assisted procedures.
“Every time I had that conversation, I just had knots in my stomach. It didn’t feel right always to have to put that decision on patients.”
Coming from a family of urologists, Metcalfe was surprisingly close to robotic surgery early on in his career: his mother, while leading a hospital foundation in Edmonton, helped raise money for robotic equipment while he pushed through medical school. Later at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he sub-specialized in urological oncology and robotic surgery.
He’d seen firsthand how robotics improves accuracy, visualization, reproducibility, and puts less demand on the health-care system.
So, while working in Victoria – and knowing that open surgery had made little progress in 20 years – he joined Dr. McCracken and Dr. McAuley to spearhead a mission to get robotics to the region.
He got connected with Avery Brohman, CEO of the Victoria Hospital Foundation, and it was a success. The foundation raised $17 million, launched the Island’s first surgical robotics program out of Royal Jubilee Hospital, and on Feb. 3, the da Vinci surgical robot assisted in its first surgery.
Now, the foundation is in phase 2, raising money for two new surgical robots at Victoria General Hospital: a da Vinci, the same as what’s currently in place at Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH), and a neuro-robot which will help treat brain and spine disorders.
Metcalfe says it’s been great having the da Vinci at RJH, but due to its success, it’s in very high demand. “Now we’re all squabbling over time, and I’m having to make a decision on which patient deserves the robot and which can wait,” he said.
The campaign’s new aim is to raise $21 million and put Victoria on the map as one of the few centres in Canada with this advanced technology.
The draw is the benefits: for the neuro-robot, Mazor X, one study found a nearly six times lower risk of surgical complications, and clinical studies show typically above 98 per cent accuracy for brain and spine procedures.
The da Vinci surgical robot would expand minimally invasive care across gynecology, pediatrics and general surgery.
It would also help high-risk patients such as Gerald Kersten, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent robotic surgery in the summer.
Kersten was a perfect candidate: with a rare blood-clotting disorder, open surgery can be incredibly dangerous for him. His blood thinners mean he runs the risk of bleeding too much; if he goes off them, he faces the risk of embolisms, strokes or heart attacks.
What makes the da Vinci-assisted surgery so much safer is it works through “tiny little half-inch stab wounds” rather than a large incision, Kersten explained. Once he understood how it worked, there was no second-guessing on his part about whether or not to go through with it.
What was additionally beneficial was the quick recovery time. “Patients are getting back to their lives quicker, better,” said Dr. Metcalfe.
Prior to surgery, Kersten, an orthodontist, worried about how long his recovery would take and when he would return to work and exercise. After the robotics-assisted surgery, he was back seeing his patients within 10 days, and two weeks later, he was on his bike. In six weeks, he was cycling on his dream trip to Italy.
“It’s amazing, because in most cases, it would have been six to eight weeks before I could have gone back to work,” he said. “I think most people are surprised at how fast I was back on my feet.”
These advancements in Victoria are coming at a time when cancer cases are projected to rise – BC Cancer says the demand for cancer care in B.C. is expected to rise by 60 per cent in the next decade.
“Statistically, with our aging population and people living longer, the chances of someone escaping some sort of surgery later in their life is smaller than it used to be,” Kersten said.
“And if it can be robotically done, they’re going to be much better off.”
City of Langford — Issuance of a Temporary Use Permit (continued)
(See Notices on previous page for full details of Temporary Use Permit Notices, teleconference and submission procedures.)
2026 Council Meeting Schedule
| Month | Meeting Dates |
|---|---|
| January | 12 |
| February | 2 and 17 |
| March | 2 and 16 |
| April | 7 and 20 |
| May | 4 and 19 |
| June | 1 and 15 |
| July | 20 |
| August | 17 |
| September | 8 and 21 |
| October | 5 |
| November | 2 and 23 |
| December | 7 |
Sustainable Development Advisory Committee – Occurs the second Monday of every month, excluding January and December. If a meeting falls on a holiday, then the meeting will be moved to the following Tuesday. The September Sustainable Development Advisory Committee meeting has been moved to August 31.
Community Advisory Committee – Occurs the last Tuesday of every month, excluding December. If a meeting falls on a holiday, then the meeting will be moved to the preceding Monday. The October Community Advisory Committee meeting will not be scheduled.
All scheduled Council and Committee meetings are held at 7:00 pm. Meetings take place at City Hall in Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue, unless posted otherwise. Public attendance at these meetings will be in person or electronic.
The meeting schedules are subject to change pursuant to the Community Charter. Meeting agendas and minutes will be posted at: https://langford.ca/meetings/
Marie Watmough
Corporate Officer
City of Langford
2nd Floor • 877 Goldstream Avenue • Langford, BC Canada • V9B 2X8
T • 250-478-7882 F • 250-478-7864