Recent update to Sustainability and an interesting link http://healingcities.org

Latest update on Saanich’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.

I’ve recently added some new pages to the Saanich Issues section, as well as to CRD Issues. Check out my thoughts on engaging businesses, and perhaps learn something new about kitchen scrap collection. There is a section on deer management which has some interesting ideas.

Check out my new “Special Place” in Saanich… Saanich Municipal Hall, Gorge waterway and Blenkinsop Bridge.

Also checkout my Affordable Housing section.

Check out another recent update on Cycling and Walking mobility in Saanich .

Just posted information on Public Safety in Saanich.

Recently posted what I have done towards Sustainability and Moving Forward on Food Security.

I’ll continue publishing more content so please check back when you can.

Pan-Canadian Age-Friendly Communities create liveable communities for all and recently I heard that over 500 communities across Canada are working on plans and implementation of wonderful projects. All areas of Canada are different and so the projects will be different.

These communities are seeing great opportunities as they value and appreciate seniors for their contributions to community life, as well as adapting to help them stay connected.

When Saanich was selected by the Province of BC to represent them in the World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly initiative we learned a lot. Being the Community Leader working with the UVIC Centre of Aging in that process, I heard from our residents that some simple improvements in Saanich, in our built environment and our facilities as well as in the business community, could help them stay active in their neighborhoods.

By creating environments that support healthy aging, seniors, elected officials, business leaders, service providers and community residents improve peoples’ lives and the quality of community life. This is in keeping with the WHO goal of active aging: “optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age.”

This initiative crosses all borders. Representatives from across Canada have come together with the Public Health Agency of Canada in establishing a Reference Group. We are coordinating opportunities and sharing experiences from provinces and communities across Canada. We are moving forward to ensure that our citizens can stay healthy and active where they live. Each area has different opportunities. Saanich’s new curb cut standards, as seen along Shelbourne, may not be appropriate in “snow” environments like Edmonton, where ice removal at these corners are probably more problematic.

Edmonton’s new Seniors Declaration speaks to how seniors are valued and recognized for their contributions and outlines how the City will work towards making Edmonton more “age-friendly”.

The Age Friendly Manitoba Charter was adopted to bring governments, organizations and communities together. Age-Friendly communities adapt, create and put in place policies, services, settings and structures that support and enable people to age actively.

In Nova Scotia their Age-Friendly Grant Program helps communities embrace, support and embody age friendliness. The Nova Scotia Department of Seniors is leading the implementation of the province’s Strategy for Positive Aging.

In Quebec, they have seen that by offering services that are accessible and in close proximity to where seniors live can produce a greater increase in participation of seniors in leisure activities.

Too often in local government we see programs come and go. It is obvious with the demographics changing around the world, we all need to be mindful how we recognize, appreciate and adapt for our aging population and then, we can make our communities liveable, for all.

Visiting David Cubberley at his campaign office 2011

Reflections of 2011 in Saanich

Starting a New Year and a new term as a Saanich Councillor and CRD Director it makes it important to review what I was able to see completed in 2011. Although we had a marginal improvement to voter turnout this last election, to me I want to work on engaging my greater community members.

Moving forward I would like to “inspire” voters why they should be engaged. I know that those “hot” issues that come to their neighborhood bring residents to our Council Chamber but what can I do to keep residents and voters engaged?  If you have ideas on how I can have these conversations please contact me.

Transportation Issues

I was pleased to bring forward a motion that my colleagues supported unanimously to support the Federal Bill C-466 Green Commuter Choices. This bill would allow employers to provide transportation benefits (like transit passes) by using the Income Tax Act.

According to the Parliamentary Budget Office the existing income tax process whereby monthly and weekly transit passes can be claimed costs $145 million to manage, while the proposed Bill C-466 would cost $93 million.

The proposed bill would allow for carpooling and bicycle commuting benefits, in addition to transit … more mode choices that would provide opportunities to implement Transportation Demand Management Plans for major employment sites.

Transportation will continue to be a key issue to address this term in the region. We have to continue to look at opportunities to expand and improve our systems. We need to work with all governments.

Truck Routes

I have been a strong supporter to have defined truck routes and to ensure appropriate roads are used. It was a number of years ago where I wanted Wilkinson Road at Interurban moving to West Saanich to be removed from the Truck Route By-law due to pedestrian “safe” walking areas with heavy vehicles and speed, and Wilkinson Road being narrow, plus one side is in the Urban Containment area and the other side is Rural Saanich.

In 2011 Saanich was being challenged by a property owner in Central Saanich who was taking development fill to his farm land. The issue was the shortest way was to run those trucks along Old East Road in Saanich. Old East is NOT on Truck Route and is a very narrow sub standard road built for “rural” use. Saanich, in the short time of these trucks “rat running” on Old East had road damage. I was pleased when the property owner’s lawyer appeared at Council to try to get Saanich to open up the road so I could move that load restrictions be maintained. That motion passed unanimously!

Agricultural Lands

When there appears to be easier lands to develop on, like ALR lands that are not being farmed, it requires strong voices to state ALR lands are not available for subdivision. In fact, property owners must ask Saanich to approve application to remove lands from ALR.  My view has always been the same, Saanich should never support removal, the Agricultural Land Commission is the entity with the knowledge and staff to evaluate if land is not appropriate to farm; soils can be upgraded, small lot farming is becoming the norm, as well large farmlands are also need for products like dairy and once removed you will never get it back. .

I do not support having less land in ALR than we have today and I hope, with the acquisition of Panama Flats, Saanich will be putting land into the ALR.

Parks

We had the pleasure of establishing a Concept Plan for our latest new park called Mount View Park. This park was a promise as part of the multi level Community of Care site on the old Mount View School on Carey Road to the neighborhood.

With respect to the McMorran Family selling their restaurant and lands Saanich was successful in acquiring a beach front property for a park. In fact, the land we have acquired is where families used to come when travelling by train to go to the ocean for summer fun. I was very pleased that we have named this pocket park “McMorran Park”.

The most important Park, Recreation and Culture Master Plan process is happening now. I expect a draft of a plan in early 2012. This document will set the framework for Council to direct investment and future needs. Please follow this on our website and get involved.

Special Ceremony

I was so pleased that Saanich conferred Freedom of the Municipality to Dr Nancy Turner. When I was first elected I met Nancy as she spoke about the history on Christmas Hill and the biodiversity. I know that on sensitive sites the community associations do ask Nancy for help. I was so pleased, as Saanich’s senior councillor, to read out the accomplishments and what a great Saanich resident Dr Nancy Turner is and how she has contributed to her community.

There were many other issues I was pleased to get adopted by Council and to work on in 2011. These are just a few.

With the updated Core Area Liquid Waste Management Plan, there were additional investigations required over the routine ones CRD had been doing.

The 2010 Annual Report presents results and updates for the different elements of the Macaulay and Clover points.

Surface water monitoring continue to show that during slack tide the sewage plume does still reach the surface. At Macaulay Point the highest fecal coliform count was during a visible plume event which happened in September but there is also plume surfacing in the summer, just not as frequent. Clover Point had it’s highest concentration in October and also had summer plume surfacing as well. The data indicated that the Clover Point effluent plume was predominantly trapped below the surface, with occasional surfacing events!

Seafloor Monitoring at Macaulay Point showed exceedences at monitoring stations within 200 m of the outall and included copper, mercury, PAHs, pyrene, phenanthrene, 1.4-dicholorobenzene (used in disinfectant, deodorant and pesticides), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (solvent), and phenol (antispetics and disinfectants and used in manufacturing resins, nylon, dyes and pharmaceuticals).

Overall, 2010 results indicated demonstratable impacts of the outfall on sediment chemistry and thus there is potential for the biological communities to be affected by substances in sediments, especially at stations within 200 m of the Macaulay Point outfall.

Benthic Communities – A comprehensive multi-year trend assessment including the 2010 benthic community data indicated potential declining environmental conditions around the Macaulay Point outfall.  Conclusions made in the past assessments require revision because true changes are now occurring in the biological assemblages.

The most significant changes near the outfall included a lower total organism abundance, a modified benthic community with fewer types of species and lower numbers of individuals, reduced biological diversity that now extends beyond the initial dilution zone (and in some cases beyond the near field stations), a decreased abundance of sensitive species and an increase in abundance of pollution-tolerant species. 

In 2010 the benthic community data at the outfall terminus station were indicative of a “highly degraded” benthic community. Taxa richness at the outfall terminus has changed since the first comprehensive assessment was undertaken in 1994.

Seafloor monitoring at Clover Point showed exceedences of copper, mercury, acenphthene (used as plasticizer in manufacturing of PVC and in hydraulic fluid, also found in coal tar) and bis (2-ethylhexyl) and phthalate (used in coatings for pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements, adhesives and glues, and personal care products, to name a few uses).

Similar to Macaulay Point, these exceedences at Clover Point outfall has the potential to impact the biological communities due to the contaminants in the sediments.

There were a high resolution analyses of two components done in 2010. Tributyltin (organic compound of tin used as a biocide especially in marine antifouling paints) was one compound and the levels exceeded Canadian and BC water quality guidelines.

Methylmercury (an organic form of mercury that is most easily bioaccumulated in organisms like fish) is a highly toxic substance that can build up in predatory fish. 2010 analysis showed this was below guidelines.

Both methylmercury and tributyltin analyses will be shifted to the routine monitoring to allow for long-term monitoring of concentrations, environmental loadings and potential for environmental toxicity.

So monitoring does show a need to Treat our raw sewage waste that we put out into the environment!