2019 January Quarterly Director’s Report

Season’s Greetings, Everyone!

We hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday and are off to a Happy New Year. As always, it’s been a busy fall period for your OPSRRA Board. Here are some of the things we’ve been working on…

2018 All Candidates Meeting

We had a wonderful opportunity to hear our candidates for the CRD Director and Milne’s Landing School Trustee positions discuss their backgrounds, platforms and answer questions from the audience at OPSRRA’s all candidate meeting on September 30, 2018, at the CRD Regional Services building in Otter Point. The session was well attended by almost 60 people and we were also fortunate to recruit several new OPSRRA members.

The candidates

The audience

Jordan River and diitiida Welcome Signage

We’re very pleased to announce that we were able to secure funding for the new wooden welcome signage for Jordan River (JR) and diitiida through the generous donations of $1500 from BC Hydro, red cedar wood posts from Queesto, and an additional $1500 from CRD’s Grant-in-Aid Fund.

We are in the process of drying the wood posts, creating the wooden sign faces with the help of Murray Tompkins, and finalizing the signature wave design for the community.

We hope to have these signs set in place by this coming spring. This will help demonstrate to the public and travelers in the area that JR and diitiida still comprise a vibrant and culturally rich community.

Community Notice Boards and Existing Community Welcome Signs

OPSRRA also successfully received Grant-in-Aid funding from the CRD in the amount of $700 to repair and maintain notice boards in our three communities, in addition to the four large existing “Welcome” signs in Otter Point and Shirley.

Unfortunately, we did not have a lot of volunteer uptake from our membership to assist the small team working on it this fall and so we’re hoping to recruit volunteers to help out when things dry out this coming spring.

We need you to make it happen! If you would like to help us out with this project in any way, please contact our directors, Brenda at director1@opsrra.ca or Fiona at secretary@opsrra.ca.

Future CRD Regional Park Acquisitions Visioning Workshop

Your OPSRRA president, Bill Dushenko and director, Brenda Mark, participated in a workshop on November 9, 2018, at the Village Food Market Meeting Room in Sooke, to identify areas of high ecological and social value west of the Sooke River with the idea of supporting the development of a Land Acquisition Strategy for potential future CRD Regional Parks expansion.

The session was well attended and included other OPSRRA members attending in different capacities.

Regional Parks staff presented a landscape analysis using the best available ecological information to map and highlight areas with high natural/ecological values and potential for connectivity with existing parks and protected areas in the region. The workshop part of the session involved hearing, from the participants, any information or other knowledge missing in the landscape analysis, in addition to values on conservation and recreation in the Juan de Fuca, to better improve their analysis and development of a Land Acquisition Strategy. The Muir Creek watershed and its protection were particularly on the minds of many of the attendees.

We look forward to hearing more from the CRD on their strategy in the future.

Soil Deposit and Restoration Activities on Clarke Road

OPSRRA and concerned residents have been watching the activities of Granite Resources, which is proposing to deposit soil (up to 20,000 m^3) for the purposes of restoring a tributary to King Creek, as well as road construction to support a proposed subdivision on its 58 ha property along Clark Road (Section 42) in Otter Point.

The parcel was previously logged and cleared by the former owner under the Private Managed Forests Land Act resulting in damage to the creek and its riparian area.

A soil permit application has been submitted to the CRD for this purpose and will have been reviewed by its Land Use Committee (LUC) at its meeting on December 17, 2018.

It is anticipated that the overall condition of the property will be improved by the proposed watercourse and wetland restoration work. The CRD staff, in its report to the JdF LUC Meeting are, therefore, recommending “approval of the soil permit subject to the recommendations and conditions of the Environmental Overview Assessment, the conditions listed in the Approval for Works in and About a Stream from the Ministry of Environment, the conditions listed in the Permit to Construct, Use, and Maintain Access to a Provincial Public Highway from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and subject to public notification”.

If this permit is approved and restoration activities continue, residents will no doubt be monitoring activities closely to ensure that the proponent is closely following specified conditions.

All the best for the coming New Year, everyone!

September Quarterly Director’s Report 2018

Hi Everyone!

Well, our “tinder dry” summer has come to a close and fall rains are here again. We hope you all had a safe and enjoyable warm season! It’s been a busy summer for OPSRRA with many things going on.

All Candidates Meeting: September 30, 2018

OPSRRA has invited the Milne’s Landing School Trustee candidates for this year’s municipal election on October 20, 2018, to introduce themselves, tell you how they hope to improve our school system and answer a few direct questions from our community members. Also joining us at the All Candidates meeting will be candidates for JdF EA Director, and nominees for the Land Use Committee and Advisory Planning Council both for Otter Point and Shirley/Jordan River.

Please join us on Sunday, September 30, 2018, at 2:00 pm at the JDF Local Area Services Building (CRD) at 3-7450 Butler Road in Otter Point. Everyone is welcome and refreshments are available by donation.

Community Welcome Signs: Update and Call for Volunteers

OPSRRA has submitted a Grant in Aid application to CRD in the amount of $1,721.88, as well as a request for a similar matching donation to B.C. Hydro (total of $3443.75) for the creation of wooden “Welcome to Jordan River” signs, similar to what we currently have for Shirley and Otter Point. These will be posted at the west and east CRD boundaries of the community along the highway. We recognize the importance of this signage in acknowledging Jordan River as a growing and thriving community. The sign will also incorporate diitiida, the original landing name place of the Pacheedaht First Nation.

We are also still looking for volunteers to help out with maintaining our existing welcome signs in Shirley and Otter Point (now seven years old!). We have also successfully obtained some funding for this purpose (see below). If you are able to help out, please contact Brenda Mark (director1@opsrra.ca), Fiona McDannold (secretary@opsrra.ca) or Diane Foster (treasurer@opsrra.ca)

New OPSRRA Website

We are pleased to be celebrating OPSRRA’s 25th anniversary by launching our new updated website. The new site has a responsive design so it can easily be used either on your desktop, laptop, tablet or phone. It also is updated to the latest security settings - you’ll notice the full address is now https://opsrra.ca

Another enhancement to the new site is a more robust business directory to help our community shop local where possible and support our local economy. The directory will continue to grow over the months and we invite our members to be a part of this local resource. 

OPSRRA is also looking for community contributions to our website, such as photos, calendar updates and news items. Please email your contributions, feedback and/or business directory listing requests to vpresident@opsrra.ca.

Community Notice Board Funding 

OPSRRA was successful in obtaining funding through its Grant in Aid application to CRD in the amount of $700 for the maintenance and refurbishing of the 37 notice boards in our communities. If you would like to help our team with this project, please contact Brenda at director1@opsrra.ca.

Highway 14 Upgrades: Update

Your Board recently sent a letter to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in August, along with additional earlier supporting documentation, as part of providing public input on Hwy 14 Corridor Improvements on behalf of emergency services. In this letter, we drew attention to:

1. Two particularly dangerous corners: Jordan River between Cold Shoulder and the gravel pit, around 11950 West Coast Highway; and Muir Creek, around 8800-9143 West Coast Highway which accounts for 50% of the region's accidents.
2. A request for wider shoulders at regular intervals along the highway to allow for safe pull-offs.
3. A list of existing shoulders which are crumbling away.
4. Request for a current traffic count in Shirley during the peak season to provide a better idea of traffic volumes and the wear and tear on these challenging roads.

Again, we’re constantly working to improve the quality of life our members enjoy in our communities, but we really need your help and involvement. If you wish to volunteer your time and assistance in any way, again, please don’t hesitate to contact us at president@opsrra.ca.

Enjoy all the pleasure that fall has to offer in our beautiful corner of the world, be safe and hopefully see you on September 30, 2018!

June Quarterly Director’s Report 2018

Hi Everyone!

Summer’s here and the warm sunny weather is finally more than a weather channel promise. We hope you’re enjoying all that our beautiful part of the Island has to offer!

2018 AGM

Our Annual General meeting on April 15, 2018, was a resounding success with over 30 members in attendance. We had the honour of hosting guest speakers: Jeff McArthur (RCMP policing issues); Ryan Evanoff (Ministry of Transport upgrades to Hwy 14); Arnie Campbell (presenting a new Interactive History of Otter Point website); and excitingly an announcement by Mike Hicks (CRD Director) on major provincial funding of $2-3 million for safety upgrades on Otter Point Road.

Our membership drive has been successful, increasing our fold by over 20 residents since the last AGM for a total of 462 (full and associate) members. A copy of the Annual President’s Report for the 2018 AGM is also available. We are also pleased to announce the appointment of the following directors (and contact emails) to the OPSRRA board:

• Bill Dushenko (returning as president – president@opsrra.ca; 250-642-4343);
• Cheryl Wirch-Ryckman (returning a vice-president – vpresident@opsrra.ca);
• Brenda Mark (past treasurer, returning as director at large – director1@opsrra.ca );
• Fiona McDannold (returning as secretary – secretary@opsrra.ca);
• Sandy Barta (returning as membership director and publisher – info@opsrra.ca);
• Barb Soley (new director at large – director2@opsrra.ca); and
• Diane Foster (new treasurer - treasurer@opsrra.ca).

Barbara Soley is a newcomer to the JDR area. She and her husband have recently retired and are looking forward to being active participants in their community. Diane Foster and her husband Michael lived in Otter Point for 12 years before relocating to Shirley in 2015. Intending to stay there permanently, they look forward to contributing to and becoming involved in the community.

Board Retreat (May 13, 2018)

OPSRRA directors held their annual retreat, in the beautiful sunshine of Mother’s Day, to do both board development work and planning for the coming year. Some of the community issues we will be addressing include the following:

• continuing work on Hwy 14 safety improvement and access issues in collaboration with other agencies (e.g., Ministry of Transport, CRD, RCMP, Fire, Search and Rescue, Ambulances);
• resources to establish “Welcome to Jordan River” signage at the CRD boundaries;
• funding to upgrade/maintain community notice boards and existing community “welcome” signage;
• working with federal and other authorities to address improved cell tower coverage and placement;
• continuing our membership drive through OPSRRA booths at community events (e.g., Shirley Days, Food Chi Events, Sooke Music Festival, etc.) including engaging volunteers to assist, using social media to target younger residents and updating brochures;
• building stronger relationships and dialogue with local industry (e.g., Timberwest) and other groups (e.g., Pacheedaht and T’Souke First Nations) to address environmental and other issues of mutual interest/concern such as logging in Muir Creek watershed;
• fundraising to support meeting costs and other unique projects for our members; and
• advocating for provincial groundwater aquifer studies in our communities in the longer term, in support of regional water resource sustainability.

This list is not exclusive/exhaustive and we encourage our OPSRRA members to bring any other important community issues to our attention by contacting president@opsrra.ca.

If you would like to become involved in any of these projects or initiatives, please don’t hesitate to contact us – we’re always looking for volunteers and ways of better engaging our members!

Community Notice Boards and Existing Community Welcome Signs

OPSRRA has submitted a Grant in Aid application to CRD in the amount of $700 for the maintenance and refurbishing of 27 notice boards in Otter Point, eight notice boards in Shirley and one notice board in Jordan River, which are nearing 15 years old; in addition to the maintenance and refurbishing of the four large “Welcome” signs in Otter Point and Shirley which are now seven years old. All are exposed to weather conditions and require periodic maintenance and repairs. As OPSRRA members volunteer their time and labour where possible, the funds are proposed for expenses including paint, fittings, posts, lumber and other material as needed. If you would like to help us out with this project in any way, please contact president@opsrra.ca.

Shirley Adopt-a-Highway and Clean-up Project

A proposal is being prepared by the Shirley Community Association (SCA) to organize an Adopt-a-Highway Program along a 14 km stretch of West Coast Road within Shirley limits. This would include the designation of litter pickup zones to be cleaned up monthly, installation of accompanying signage to deter illegal dumping, organizing community pickups twice yearly to clean dump sites, and litter pickup in danger zones along the highway (i.e. glens of Muir, Kirby and Sandcut; hazardous curves) that require safety gear for volunteers. In addition to involving local residents and businesses, it's hoped that volunteers who participate in this initiative will be supported by multiple agencies including the SCA as lead sponsor, Capital Regional District (CRD), highway contractor (i.e. Mainroad), and B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Adopt a Highway Program. If you would like to find out more about this initiative, please contact president@opsrra.ca.

Internet Speed Update in Jordan River (JR)

Hard to fathom that high speed internet will be accessible in our region in under 5 years. In a wide sweeping infrastructure project, over 3,400 km of subsea fibre-optic cable will be stretched from Prince Rupert to Vancouver and then around Vancouver Island. The cable, once laid, will connect nearly 200,000 BC residents to reliable high-speed internet and cell phone services that will allow local residents to work, learn and play online with ease from their homes.

The project has received $45.4 million in funding from both the federal and provincial governments and will be managed by the Strathcona Regional District and CityWest. The first step in the project is community consultation and OPSRRA has reached out to the Connected Coast (link for Connected Coast: https://connectedcoast.ca ) project to help ensure our region’s needs are looked after.

Pacheedaht First Nation Celebration in Jordan River (JR)

OPSRRA’s president participated in the Pacheedaht celebration on Thursday June 21 (National Aboriginal Day and summer solstice) along with a few other members. It was a well attended event and the First Nation, along with their brothers, the Ditidaht, expressed their deep pride and joy in having diitiida (their ancestral point of origin) being returned to them. In addition to an hour and half of warm, heartfelt speeches from Chief Jeff Jones, Chief Robert Joseph (of the Ditidaht), elders and councillors, as well as officials from BC. Hydro, CRD and site archeologist, we were treated to songs from elder and drummer Jimmy Chester and his warm humour, along with a group of dancers from the community. This was followed by a delicious lunch of halibut and salmon steamed for three hours in a traditional fire pit along with BBQ'ed dogs and burgers, concluding with a tour of the site. We look forward to building strong relationships with our First Nation communities.

As always, we’re striving to improve the quality of life our members enjoy in our communities, but we can’t do it without your help and involvement. If you wish to volunteer your time and assistance in any way, again, please don’t hesitate to contact us at president@opsrra.ca.

In the meantime, have an enjoyable and safe summer everyone!

Annual President’s Report for 2018 AGM

• New board—including new president and vice-president, six directors appointed at the April 23,2017 AGM.
• Annual Board Retreat—held June 4, 2017, to do some development work and planning for the coming year including Hwy 14 safety, JR community signage, water sustainability, new newsletter (blog) format.
• Membership Drive—including new brochure design and booth at Shirley Day on August 18, 2017, with 20 new members added to our ranks since the 2017 AGM, with many thanks to all who volunteered.
• Proposed Cell Towers—request to CRD regional director, that OPSRRA be consulted on these proposed locations to more effectively support community members and collaborate with agencies to find optimal solutions for all, and an opportunity to air member concerns.
• Hwy 14 Safety/Access Letter—sent to MLA, John Horgan on September 21, 2017, expressing concerns including the lack of safe pullouts and signage, unsafe shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists, the need for more traffic and speed enforcement, and the increased number of accidents.
• Jordan River (JR) Rezoning—concerns and inputs to the Shirley/Jordan River Advisory Planning Commission (APC), on August 2, 2017, around a proposed rezoning bylaw (Bylaw # 4188) for the hamlet to a new Restricted Development—Flood Hazard Area (RD-1) zone. OPSRRA director attended an Information Session held on September 22, 2017, a public hearing on Jan. 24, 2018, and plans to attend a LUC meeting on April 17, 2018.
• November 5, 2017, Panel Discussion on Hwy 14 Safety and Access—including representatives from the RCMP, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement, Timberwest, Forest Safety Council, first responders, and CRD, as well as a representative attending from the office of our MLA and Premier John Horgan—joined over 50 members in attendance to discuss safety, speed and noise on West Coast (segment of Highway 14) and Otter Point Roads.
• Meeting with Ministry of Transport—including CRD and representatives from the Ministry on November 29, 2017, to discuss immediate safety issues along West Coast Road, as well as ongoing discussions on upgrades to Otter Point Road being engaged in by CRD and the Premier’s Office.
• Letters to Editor on Hwy 14 Issues—submitted to newspapers in the region on December 5, 2017, emphasizing safety issues, OPSRRA’s efforts, and lauding B.C. Premier’s announcement on the province expanding its study and review of Highway 14 (Sooke and West Coast Roads) past Sooke and extending to Port Renfrew.
• Board Member Change—temporary board appointment to replace director resignation in December 2017.
• Logging in Muir Creek—communication in December 2017, with members and CRD Director regarding TimberWest resuming active logging in the sensitive old-growth watershed ecosystem, and support for T’Sou-ke Nation’s and community groups’ desire to protect the valley with regional and provincial governments and negotiate purchase/return to Nation stewardship.
• Call for New Directors—in March newsletter and OPSRRA emails to fill vacancies and support Board activities.
• Freedom Mobile Cell Tower—New Invitation for Public Input— a new proposal to CRD received for a 50 m cell tower at 2620 Kemp Lake Road on Rural Zone A property. CRD notice to be sent to neighbouring property owners and occupants within 500 m of the proposed property for public comment, and proposal to be brought forward to May 15, 2018, Land Use Committee meeting for recommendation to CRD Board.
• Shirley and Jordan River Official Community Plan (OCP)—soon to be finalized and OPSRRA trusts it will retain community content and intent that was determined through an intensive and public process, recognizing minor changes as things have evolved since its drafting in 2016, with opportunities to provide potential modifications at Public Hearing.
• 2018 AGM—April 15, 2018, with guest speakers from MOTI, RCMP, and the local community to discuss the Hwy 14 review, community policing, and Otter Point history, respectively, as well as a member’s forum and appointment of (new) OPSRRA directors.

April Quarterly Director’s Report

Happy Spring, Everyone! We hope you’re all starting to enjoy more outdoor activities as the warmer weather starts to arrive. 

The first quarter of this new year has kept us busy and here are some of the issues we’ve been involved with ... 

Hwy 14 Safety and Access

We continue to work with various agencies including the RCMP detachment, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) and CRD Regional Director to address the many issues surrounding our neighbourhood highway and roads. To this end, we’ve invited both Ryan Evanoff (Operations Manager – Southern Vancouver Island at MOTI ) and Staff Sergeant Jeff McArthur (RCMP) as guest speakers to our AGM to discuss the Hwy review and policing, respectively, on Sunday, April 15, 2018. This will provide us with an opportunity to not only hear what progress has been made, but Ryan is also particularly interested in taking away any community priorities we may also have.

New Signage for Jordan River

We have also put in a request to MOTI for erecting new “Welcome to Jordan River” wooden signage, similar to what is currently set up for Otter Point and Shirley, and are still anticipating receiving funding from B.C. Hydro and/or CRD to get these made and erected.

Protecting Muir Creek 

A growing movement is underway, led by our members, to support Chief Gordon Planes, T’Sou-ke First Nations and the desire of other area residents in securing the protection of the Muir Creek watershed from further logging. This includes the return of stewardship of this ecologically important, but small and vulnerable watershed to the T’Sou-ke people, located in their traditional territory.  Other residents have also identified protection of Muir Creek valley and its watershed as a community priority, which was also identified as “potential (open space) parkland” in Sooke’s “Official Settlement Plan” worthy of protection by the CRD as far back as 1988. A letter writing campaign to the CRD Board and individual CRD directors is being conducted asking the Regional Parks Committee to make protection of this resource from further logging and other impacts a high priority. If you would like to participate, please contact info@opsrra.ca.

Freedom Mobile Cell Tower - Invitation for Public Input

Freedom Mobile has submitted a new proposal to CRD for a 50 m cell tower at 2620 Kemp Lake Road immediately adjacent to an unconstructed road right-of-way, with Forestry (AF) zoned land located on the other side of the right-of-way to the north and west.  The parcel located to the south of this location is zoned Agriculture (AG) and is within the ALR.  The subject property itself is zoned Rural A. Comments can be submitted directly to Freedom Mobile using the form on the last page of the Invitation for Public Input document. Juan de Fuca planning will be bringing this proposal forward to the May 15, 2018, Land Use Committee meeting for a recommendation to the CRD Board. CRD will send also send the notice to neighbouring property owners and occupants located within 500 m of the subject property for public comment.

Shirley and Jordan River Official Community Plan (OCP)

It is welcome news that the Shirley/Jordan River OCP will soon be finalized.  The Citizens Committee and CRD staff worked very hard on the draft OCP and received significant public representation.  OPSRRA trusts that the OCP will retain the content and intent that was determined through the intensive and public process.

In the time that has passed since the OCP was drafted in 2016 issues evolved and as a result there may be some changes that will be required due to new or changed circumstances and events.  OPSRRA expects there will be an opportunity for residents to provide input on potential modifications to the OCP at Public Hearing.

New Directors Still Needed

We’re still looking for additional members to fill upcoming vacancies on our board of directors and continue important work we are doing to support our communities. These include things such as liaising with CRD and other external organizations, finances (or skills relating to the treasurer’s position), communications with our members, highway safety and improvements, illegal dumping, shooting safety, water security, community advocacy, sharing community information, and other important issues and projects identified by our members. If you are interested, please contact: president@opsrra.ca.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, and/or you wish to volunteer your time and assistance in any way at info@opsrra.com. 

Lastly, we look forward to seeing you all at the AGM – Sunday, April 15, 2018, 2PM at the JdF Services Building (3-7450 Butler Road, Otter Point, BC).

January 2018 Quarterly Director’s Report

Welcome to 2018! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are off to a happy and prosperous new year!
Here’s what your Board and OPSRRA have been up to in the fall of 2017.

Hwy 14 Safety and Access

This issue has probably been foremost on everyone’s minds lately, and OPSRRA was pleased to host a panel discussion held on November 5, 2017, at the CRD Services Building in Otter Point, called Safety, Speed and Noise on West Coast and Otter Point Roads. This included representatives from the RCMP, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement, Timberwest, Forest Safety Council, first responders, and CRD, as well as a representative attending from the office of our MLA and Premier John Horgan. With over 50 people in attendance, there was some good dialogue and discussion on possible solutions as well as the issues. 

This panel session, and OPSRRA’s September 21, 2017, letter to John Horgan’s Office, seem to have helped in providing input to the Premier’s announcement on November 20, 2017, that the province will be expanding its study and review of Highway 14 (including Sooke and West Coast Roads) extending to Port Renfrew. OPSRRA submitted a letter to the editor in newspapers in the region emphasizing the safety issues, our efforts, and lauding the Province’s announcement. OPSRRA’s president and a resident from JDF EA also had a meeting with CRD and representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on November 29, 2017, to discuss immediate safety issues along West Coast Road, as well as ongoing discussions on upgrades to Otter Point Road between CRD and the Premier’s Office. Discussions amongst these and other agencies continue.

Community Signage

OPSRRA submitted a request letter on November 21, 2017, to Mike Hicks for funding from CRD and/or BC Hydro to replace deteriorating community signage (“Welcome to Jordan River”) at the east and west borders of the Jordan River along Hwy 14 (West Coast Road). BC Hydro responded that they would look into it, and we will continue to follow up with them.

Board Member Change-up

Wendy Morton has stepped down as director from the OPSRRA board, but will be continuing her good work supporting OPSRRA’s activities in the community.

We’re also pleased to welcome Dan Peiser as an interim director to the board. Dan has spent over 30 years working in the not-for-profit sector in Canada and the U.S., and has served as volunteer, staff, consultant, or board member with dozens of organizations, in social services, environment/conservation, health, higher education, and international development. He is currently a consultant in not-for-profit management, communications, and fund development based in British Columbia and now resides in Otter Point. We look forward to his knowledge and experience as our newest board member in assisting OPSRRA with its communications activities. Welcome Dan!

Next Board Meeting

Our next Board meeting will be February 4, 2018, at 7:30 PM at the CRD Services Building on Butler Road in Otter Point.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, and/or you wish to volunteer your time and assistance in any way at president@opsrra.ca. In the meantime, have a safe winter and we hope to see you at our Annual General Meeting this spring (date to be announced).

September Quarterly Director’s Report

Greetings! We hope you all had a chance to enjoy the glorious summer weather we had and are back into the swing of the coming fall season.

Although your board is now following a quarterly meeting schedule format, directors were still quite busy working in and for our communities during our summer recess. 

Membership Drive

We started our membership drive this summer by revising the old OPSRRA membership brochures to a new format and hosting an information booth at Shirley Day on Saturday August 18 on the grounds of the Shirley Community Hall. Many thanks go out to our OPSRRA member volunteers Bob and Heather Phillips, Alison and David Maule-Kronmiller, and board directors Wendy Morton and Brenda Mark, who worked the booth tirelessly that day answering questions about OPSRRA and enrolled over ten new members! 

We’re also hoping to host our next booth at the Sooke Fall Fair Arts and Crafts show on November 17-19, as well as other opportunities. If you would like to volunteer and help us host the OPSRRA booth at this next event, please contact us by email at opsrra@gmail.com.

Community Signage

OPSRRA is submitting a request letter to Mike Hicks for funding from CRD and/or B.C. Hydro to erect community signage (“Welcome to Jordan River”) at the east and west borders of the Jordan River along Highway 14 (West Coast Road) given the deteriorating state of existing signs. The new signage would be of a similar wood design to that of Shirley and Otter Point, and symbolize the importance of the Jordan River community to the social, economic and environmental welfare of our electoral region. We will keep you posted.



As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, and/or you wish to volunteer your time and assistance in any way at opsrra@gmail.com. 


In the meantime, have a safe and wonderful fall, everyone, and we hope to see you at our General Meeting on November 5!

Jordan River Rezoning

As you’ve probably also heard and/or read, our community members in Jordan River presented their concerns and inputs to the Shirley/Jordan River Advisory Planning Commission (APC), at their meeting on August 2, 2017, around a proposed re-zoning by-law (Bylaw # 4188) for the hamlet, rezoning the properties being sold there to a new Restricted Development–Flood Hazard Area (RD-1) zone.  OPSRRA has also prepared a submission to the LUC, supporting APC’s motions regarding proposed Bylaw # 4188. A representative from the OPSRRA board will be attended an Information Session on September 22, 2017.

Update: Highway 14 Safety and Access

Some of you may recall, from our AGM in the spring, discussions regarding safety and access issues along Hwy 14 in our communities. Although this has been a very long-standing issue, we have been hearing increasing concerns from our communities and social media, via our FaceBook page, as well as neighbouring municipalities, on the issues of road safety, speed of some vehicles (particularly industrial vehicles and motorcycles) and increased traffic volumes which have hampered both the public road safety and the smooth movement of traffic along this important artery. 

These concerns have been expressed through the launch of social media campaigns such as the #DividedBy14 initiated by Sooke residents, as well as our CRD Director contacting forest companies re: early/late hour noise of un-muffled motorcycles and unsafe speeds of industrial truck traffic travelling through our communities. At the September 5th board meeting, OPSRRA directors drafted and are sending a letter to our MLA, the Honourable John Horgan expressing our concerns about access and safety including the lack safe pullouts and signage, unsafe shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists, the need for more traffic and speed enforcement and the increased number of accidents. 

Directors have also decided to host a General Membership meeting this fall to discuss safety and access Issues along Hwy 14 and explore possibilities for improvement. Details are still being worked out, but please hold the date of Sunday November 5 at 1:30 PM in the JdF Services Building (3–7450 Butler Road, Otter Point) for this important meeting.

Update: Cell Towers

The proposed placement of new cell towers by Freedom Mobile on Kemp Lake Road in Otter Point (one of two) has also been a topic of concern these past few months with respect to potential effects on health, property value and aesthetics.  We have been supporting community members in taking these concerns to the Juan de Fuca Land Use Committee (LUC) and communicating with CRD (Capital Regional District) on this issue. OPSRRA recognizes the importance of improved cell reception in our communities for a variety of reasons. However, we also maintain that our unincorporated communities and the associations that help to represent them, such as OPSRRA, need to be duly consulted on the locations of these towers and other infrastructure to the same extent as municipal districts to ensure these concerns are addressed. 

We have been corresponding with our regional director, Mike Hicks, to request that OPSRRA also be consulted on these issues as part of the process so that we can more effectively support our community members and work collaboratively with agencies to find optimal solutions for all. CRD has confirmed that OPSRRA will receive information packages from telecommunications providers in our communities in the future. This will help to keep us in the loop and give us the opportunity to air the concerns of our members.