Winter blasting on Private Managed Forest lands north of Otter Point Road

Please be advised that TimberWest has begun road building activities in our Private Managed Forest lands north of Otter Point Road near Sooke.

The 1:50,000 scale map shows the roads that are currently being built in bold red.

Blasting for these roadways has commenced and will continue periodically thoughout the project Monday to Friday, from 8:00am to 5:00pm, ending March, 2018. Efforts are being made to reduce the noise and impacts of the blasting activities.

At TimberWest safety is our highest priority. When active road-building is taking place our 
employees and contractors abide by strict safety rules. We expect, and strongly encourage, private citizens to abide by our safety focus and respect our worksite by not entering any active areas. For your safety, and the safety of our employees and contractors, please adhere to posted advisory signs.

Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you have any questions or require further clarification please contact our TimberWest office in Nanaimo at 250-716-3700.

Thank you for your co-operation, 
TimberWest

Meeting: Safety, speed, and noise on Otter Point and West Coast Roads

I’ve been getting wonderful images daily from The Story People for years. But, one stopped me with its important question:

 Real Question ©2017 Brian Andreas

               brianandreas.com / story people.com

Of course, it could be answered on a global level, an environmental level, a political level. But I answered it on a local level.  Do I want to live in this West Coast Road/ Otter Point Road world where there is consistent speeding, terrible noise from trucks using jake brakes and motorcycles without mufflers? This beautiful world where the sound of birds disappears for hours at a time.

People tell me their stories: chasing after speeding motorcycles with a broom; standing in their path; having to wear ear protectors all the time when they are outside. People no longer walk the road, there are very few cyclists.
Companies in Victoria are afraid to deliver on the West Coast Road because there are so many people speeding.

What kind of world do we want?

Meeting: Safety, speed, and noise on Otter Point and West Coast Roads

November 5, 2017
1:15 to 3:00 P.M.
JDF building on Otter Point Road, 3-7450 Butler Road, Otter Point, BC

We’ve asked the following people to give short presentations:

• Shawn Haley-Ministry of Transportation
• Jeff McArthur-RCMP
• Al Wickheim-Emergency Preparedness
• Colleen Woodward-ICBC
• Truck Loggers Association representative.

There will be lots of time for questions, comments, and personal stories.
Bring them. What kind of world do we want?

Shirley Day 2017

I went to the Shirley Days event.  It was my first time. OPSRRA had a booth and many people were interested in the issues, our enthusiasm for the values of our rural communities. I spoke to young farmers, people enthusiastic about the land, the environment: many people who had a clear idea of the world they wanted to live in. We signed up a number of new members.

Fiona wrote:

The Shirley Hall and adjacent Pioneer Park were very busy places on Sunday, August 20 when the Shirley Community Association hosted their annual Shirley Day.

There were over 35 vendors and community groups in the park, the Fire Department showcased their equipment and fire trucks for the public, a very popular closed bid auction was held in the hall, the Shirley kitchen produced its usual yummy fare, the Salmon BBQ was well attended, there were activities for the children …all contributing to an extremely successful day raising over $5500 for the maintenance of our 75+-year-old Shirley Hall and Pioneer Park. 

Shirley Day could not occur without its very hard working volunteers. Specifically, Mary Dunn, our Shirley Day CEO, Fern Dunn and Jennifer Taylor who organized all the vendors in the park, Colin McMechan, along with his crew of Mel Kimmel, Bernard Sauve, Michael Scott and Judith Carder kept the kitchen humming, Sean Rafferty and Malcolm Taylor, our jacks of all trades, Christian and Pascale Knoglinger, BBQ chefs extraordinare, Penny and Les Hilliard who contributed to the BBQ, Robin Fleming and Grant Richardson who went above and beyond to source donations to our closed bid auction, Karen Fonger helped with the auction table. Catherine Hawkins who presided over the bake table along with Mary Brown and Donna Allen. Karen Skripitsky and Roseanne Day kept the children entertained in the park. Colleen Minten, Karen VanVeen and Jean Conway who took in the money for the concession and BBQ dinner. Fiona McDannold looked after advertising and Chuck Minten placed all the road signs.

As well, we are very grateful to the 56 people/organizations and local businesses who donated to the Closed Bid Auction.


The Shirley Community Association was established in 1934 and the Shirley Hall was constructed in 1937 on donated land on the corner of what is now West Coast Road and Sheringham Point Road. The Shirley Community Association has evolved from those days, yet we remain true to the tradition of community spirit and volunteerism.  

The Association provides and maintains the Shirley Hall and Pioneer Park as facilities for:

• Public and private events;
• A base for the JDF Emergency Response, Shirley Chapter, and the Shirley Volunteer Fire Department;
• A home to the Shirley Quilter’s and Crafters, and the Shirley Women’s Institute;
• As a venue for various recreational programs;
• A weekly summer Sunday market;
• A green space for travellers to enjoy a picnic lunch.

The Association also hosts Shirley Day on the third Sunday in August each year, and spring and fall craft fairs.

Roses, spiders poem

I’m listening to the Brandenburg Concertos,
on the CD player, plugged in, trying to erase
the logging trucks that pile past on the West Coast Road,
their double loads bound for China
breaking the day.
The David Austin roses don’t mind,
nor the spiders, and their perfect, silent geometry.

Message from the new OPSRRA Newsletter editor

I’ve lived in Otter Point for 44 years. When I first came here, the West Coast Road was so quiet, so devoid of traffic, that I sometimes thought I could lay down in the middle of the road and not be bothered by traffic for hours.

Times have changed. Logging trucks with Jake brakes, double loads, who cross over into the oncoming lane with frequency. Gravel trucks going over the speed limit, motorcycles without mufflers.

I have been told if someone were looking at Otter Point from across the Strait, it would look like a massive clear-cut. That’s because it is. Great tracks of land are bought by forest companies, real estate companies, clear cut and because there is no requirement to replant, they don’t.

Otter Point is changing. Hey, there are trees everywhere, one could say. Yes, but not everywhere.
The photograph below is a clear cut. What does this mean for Otter Point? I’m going to find out.

 Pete Rockwell photograph

I‘m a member of OPSRRA because It provides a place where people can be heard. The board of OPSRRA attends meetings regarding land use and planning, meets with CRD and Provincial representatives, and provides a place where people can bring their concerns.

Join us, it costs only 10 dollars to join, and that’s a lifetime membership. Come to our meetings. Tell us what you want to happen in Otter Point.

Write to me if you have something you’d like in the newsletter (remove the spaces): opsrranewsletter @ gmail . com