Sunday, August 19, 2018
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(followed by BBQ Salmon Dinner)
We are looking for volunteers to help staff our OPSRRA Booth again this year as part of our membership drive.
It’s a great way to meet and chat with local residents and talk about issues that matter in our community.
OPSRRA enrolled a number of new members at this event last year and our booth was well attended.
If you can help out by staffing a shift at the booth, please contact:
Diane Foster - treasurer@opsrra.ca
or
Brenda Mark - director1@opsrra.ca
Representing the Residents and Ratepayers of Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Sunday, 29 July 2018
Structure protection sprinkler kits now available at Otter Point Volunteer Fire Department
Posted by the Otter Point Volunteer Fire Department on Facebook
W.A.S.P. Structure protection sprinkler kits now available at Otter Point Volunteer Fire Dept. Fits every home. Everything you need is in the kit. Stop by the hall and we’ll show you how it works.
$155.00 per kit. One kit includes 2 sprinklers which will cover most homes.
Contact them: http://otterpointfire.bc.ca/contact_us/contact_info.shtml
W.A.S.P. Structure protection sprinkler kits now available at Otter Point Volunteer Fire Dept. Fits every home. Everything you need is in the kit. Stop by the hall and we’ll show you how it works.
$155.00 per kit. One kit includes 2 sprinklers which will cover most homes.
Contact them: http://otterpointfire.bc.ca/contact_us/contact_info.shtml
Monday, 2 July 2018
Highway 14 Corridor Improvements: Community Engagement
As you may be aware, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) and its consultants held a Public Open House at Edward Milne on June 19 to present the work so far on improvements to the highway. There were a series of information poster boards set up in the school's concourse which included announced projects as well as future priorities.
The $10 million in immediate upgrades will kick off the first of multiple phases of announced safety, transit and congestion improvement projects including the following (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/projects/highway-14) :
- three bus pullouts on both sides of Highway 14 at the West Shore Parkway, Laidlaw Road, and Harbourview Road;
- a bus-queue jump lane at Jacklin Road;
- new safety signs at three locations (Kangaroo Road, Gillespie Road, and Parkland Road);
- a slow-moving vehicle pullout east of Muir Creek, between Sooke and French Beach;
- a new rest area at the Sombrio lookout; and
- a new two-lane bridge on Gillespie Road, which is an important alternative route to Highway 14.
Design work for the Sooke River Road intersection upgrade is also getting underway immediately.
MOTI is also looking at reducing the speed limit around Gordon’s Beach from 80 to 60 km. A speed checker would also be ideal here, but they would need to work out an AC connection with BC Hydro (as they don’t use the solar powered ones that municipalities do).
Future priorities include transit upgrades for Hwy 14, upgrades to the Hwy (passing opportunities, high collision areas, active transportation, aging infrastructure and amenities), and realignment (where economically, technically and environmentally feasible, and as supported by the community, for example the winding 6 km stretch from Kangaroo to Ludlow Roads).
MOTI is soliciting feedback until July 15, 2018, which can be provided using an online form (gov.bc.ca/highway14), by email (highway14@gov.bc.ca), completing and leaving a feedback form at one of the Public Open Houses, or mailing it to MOTI.
Wednesday, 27 June 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!
Sunday, 24 June 2018
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.
Wednesday, 9 May 2018
Sooke Region Age 55 Plus Summit: Aging with Grace
The Sooke Region Communities Health Network's Age-Friendly committee, along with the Sooke Seniors' Drop-In Society, is organising an Aging with Grace Age 55 plus Summit for the Sooke Region (Port Renfrew to Beecher Bay). We will be exploring how you can age gracefully in your community, make you aware of the different services and resources website that is available in our region and provide some entertainment to boot.
The event that will take place on May 18th from 8:30am-4:00pm at the Prestige host. It is free, but pre-registration is required with Seaparc by phone or online. Refreshment and lunch will be provided. A shuttle bus will drive between the Sooke Baptist Church and the Prestige to facilitate parking. We will try to organise carpooling if a ride is required. Please let us know if that is the case.
Online registration
Facebook event
Saturday, 28 April 2018
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 ...
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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).
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).
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