Wednesday, February 4, 2015 oakbaynews.com Cancer support Grant opens door to free service for cancer patients Page A3 NEWS: Club welcomes newcomers to community /A2 SPORTS: Oak Bay player earns Team B.C. invite /A6 ARTS: Artist uses energy as focus and form /A7 OAK BAY NEWS Oak Bay among Canada’s top luxury hotels Christine van Reeuwyk News Staff The Oak Bay Beach Hotel earned a trio of traveller’s choice awards. The Oak Bay Beach Hotel is one of Canada’s Top Hotels as awarded by TripAdvisor for 2015. The hotel was ranked fourth in the category Luxury Hotel in Canada; ninth in Top Hotel in Canada; and 20th in Top Hotel for Romance in Canada. “This was the first year we were nominated for top luxury hotel,” said general manager Michelle Le Sage. “That is some pretty great company to be in.” Trump International in Toronto was top of the list and Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver ranked just below the Beach Drive establishment. “It’s a testament to the staff and management team. It’s the culture we’ve built in the hotel,” Le Sage said. “It’s the experiences they’re having at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. It comes with not only meeting and exceeding guests’ needs but anticipating them.” In the romance category, for example, preparing a room for a recent rose-petal- strewn marriage proposal comes to mind for the manager. Those types of things are something staff get excited about. “If someone even mentions to the reservations desk that it might be a girlfriend’s birthday or an anniversary … there’s absolutely chocolate-covered strawberries in the room. We just go way above and beyond to make sure they have special memories with us,” Le Sage said. “That is our promise – intentional hospitality. We want to be the best at it. We want to make sure that when guests come here they have exceptional memories of not only Victoria and Oak Bay but of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.” They rely on building great customer experience that spreads through word of mouth and some not even beyond our Vancouver Island boundaries. “So many of our clientele are from Victoria or even Oak Bay,” Le Sage said. “They tell us they come out here, they get on the waterfront and they could be anywhere. It’s their getaway without having to drive very far at all. “It really has that amazing feel.” Little things like having a coffee in the conservatory, the plush towels and fresh flowers in the rooms and access to the pools at all hours add to the luxury, she said. “I think the difference between us and other hotels is it has that manor house feel to it,” Le Sage said. “You feel like the whole place is yours when you’re here.” The hotel went into receivership late last year and has maintained its business as usual since. “Obviously, it’s always a difficult time and very sad, it’s such a success story around here,” Le Sage said. “But the team all understand it’s really important to carry on with the promise of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. We know the Oak Bay Beach Hotel is going to be here for another 100 years and we’re going to be part of it for the next little bit and taking that legacy to the next level.” Reopened in the fall of 2012, the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel was completely rebuilt on the same spectacular oceanfront lot where the previous hotel sat for more than 80 years. It features 100 hotel rooms with amenities that include seaside mineral pools, a fitness studio, Boathouse Spa & Baths, The Snug pub, the David Foster Foundation Theatre, Kate’s Café and a fine- dining restaurant with a 1,600-bottle tasting room. “We’re proud. We’re excited and we all walk around with our heads held very high,” Le Sage said. “It’s all the touches. Then you put all that with a warm genuine smile when you walk in the door, it’s kind of a winning combination.” Visit tripadvisor.ca/TravelersChoice to see all the winners. [email protected]Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff General manager Michelle Le Sage says it’s all about the team when creating award-winning service at Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Beach Drive hotel earns traveller’s choice awards for top hotel, luxury and romance 2045 Cadboro Bay Rd, Victoria 250-595-1535 www.boorman.com Real Estate Property Management BOORMAN’S SINCE 1933 BOORMAN’S Buying or selling in Oak Bay? Give me a call. Area specialization does make a difference! Royal Le Page Coast Capital Realty [email protected]250-893-5800 BAY OAK PLANNING ON SELLING YOUR HOME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, OR JUST CURIOUS ON TODAYS MARKET VALUE. Please contact me for a very knowledgeable, educated opinion of value. I have specialized my Real Estate career in Oak Bay for over 25 + years and have been involved in hundreds of sales in the area!
Transcript
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 oakbaynews.com
Cancer supportGrant opens door to free service for cancer patients
Page A3
NEWS: Club welcomes newcomers to community /A2SPORTS: Oak Bay player earns Team B.C. invite /A6 ARTS: Artist uses energy as focus and form /A7
OAK BAYNEWSOak Bay among Canada’s top luxury hotels
Christine van ReeuwykNews Staff
The Oak Bay Beach Hotel earned a trio of traveller’s choice awards.
The Oak Bay Beach Hotel is one of Canada’s Top Hotels as awarded by TripAdvisor for 2015.
The hotel was ranked fourth in the category Luxury Hotel in Canada; ninth in Top Hotel in Canada; and 20th in Top Hotel for Romance in Canada.
“This was the first year we were nominated for top luxury hotel,” said general manager Michelle Le Sage. “That is some pretty great company to be in.”
Trump International in Toronto was top of the list and Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver ranked just below the Beach Drive establishment.
“It’s a testament to the staff and management team. It’s the culture we’ve built in the hotel,” Le Sage said. “It’s the experiences they’re having at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. It comes with not only meeting and exceeding guests’ needs but anticipating them.”
In the romance category, for example, preparing a room for a recent rose-petal-strewn marriage proposal comes to mind for the manager. Those types of things are something staff get excited about.
“If someone even mentions to the reservations desk that it might be a girlfriend’s birthday or an anniversary … there’s absolutely chocolate-covered strawberries in the room. We just go way above and beyond to make sure they have special memories with us,” Le Sage said. “That is our promise – intentional hospitality. We want to be the best at it. We want to make sure that when guests come here they have exceptional memories of not only Victoria and Oak Bay but of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.”
They rely on building great customer experience that spreads through word of
mouth and some not even beyond our Vancouver Island boundaries.
“So many of our clientele are from Victoria or even Oak Bay,” Le Sage said. “They tell us they come out here, they get on the waterfront and they could be anywhere. It’s their getaway without having to drive very far at all.
“It really has that amazing feel.” Little things like having a coffee in the
conservatory, the plush towels and fresh flowers in the rooms and access to the pools at all hours add to the luxury, she said.
“I think the difference between us and other hotels is it has that manor house feel to it,” Le Sage said. “You feel like the whole
place is yours when you’re here.” The hotel went into receivership late last
year and has maintained its business as usual since.
“Obviously, it’s always a difficult time and very sad, it’s such a success story around here,” Le Sage said. “But the team all understand it’s really important to carry on with the promise of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. We know the Oak Bay Beach Hotel is going to be here for another 100 years and we’re going to be part of it for the next little bit and taking that legacy to the next level.”
Reopened in the fall of 2012, the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel was completely rebuilt on the same spectacular oceanfront
lot where the previous hotel sat for more than 80 years. It features 100 hotel rooms with amenities that include seaside mineral pools, a fitness studio, Boathouse Spa & Baths, The Snug pub, the David Foster Foundation Theatre, Kate’s Café and a fine-dining restaurant with a 1,600-bottle tasting room.
“We’re proud. We’re excited and we all walk around with our heads held very high,” Le Sage said. “It’s all the touches. Then you put all that with a warm genuine smile when you walk in the door, it’s kind of a winning combination.”
Visit tripadvisor.ca/TravelersChoice to see all the winners.
PLANNING ON SELLING YOUR HOMEIN THE NEAR FUTURE, OR JUST CURIOUS
ON TODAYS MARKET VALUE. Please contact me for a very knowledgeable, educated opinion of value. I have specialized my Real Estate career in Oak Bay for over 25 + years
and have been involved in hundreds of sales in the area!
A2 •www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
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A2 •www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
Jeremiah Armstrong for the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival
The Victoria Newcomers pull together for the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. It’s just one of many clubs and activities that the group offers for newcomers to gain new friends.
Club welcomes women to communityChristine van ReeuwykNews Staff
Linda Alleyne is in her final year as a newcomer.
Membership for the Victoria Women’s Newcomers Club is limited to three years, the average span it takes for a newcomer to make connections and create social networks.
“If you’ve never moved into a city on your own, or with your husband or family … it’s isolating, it’s difficult to make friends. Having a club like ours, that’s the answer,” said Alleyne, the club’s publicity co-ordinator.
It’s a lively, fun-loving volunteer organization, organized by women for women to help each other navigate the ups and downs of moving to a new city. Members come from all over Canada with a handful from abroad.
They meet once a month for a social luncheon at the Uplands Golf Club, where knowledgeable guest speakers provide valuable information and insights into living in Victoria.
“Coming, at our ages especially, it’s not easy to make
friends … we don’t have small children to meet at schools and there are just few avenues to meet people. Being all new members, everyone is exited to be here, has chosen to be here,” she said. “You tend to make friends really quickly because everybody’s in the same boat – 100 plus of us have no friends essentially.”
A highlight for her was last year’s venture into dragonboating. The Newcomers created a team for both the Gorge and Inner Harbour races.
“I’ve really enjoyed that, something I never thought I would do at my age, 64. We had a ball doing that and it really bonded that group,” she said. “It’s just fun to get on the water, especially for myself coming from Calgary.”
It’s just one of the myriad special activity groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly and monthly for socializing, walking, golfing, playing bridge, learning mah-jjong, meeting at new restaurants, exploring new sites, sharing books and essentially exploring Greater Victoria.
Alleyne’s three years are up
come April. “We’ve had so much fun in
this group. We hate to leave it but it has to be done. The conversation gets different, the focus is different,” she said. “Generally by that time you’ve made good contacts and friends… You’re not so much a tourist in the city anymore.”
It helps that women can simply graduate to the Newcomers of Victoria Alumnae, or NOVA, if they choose.
An annual fee of $25 per member covers administrative costs and the Newcomers meet regularly, the second Wednesday of each month, at Uplands Golf Course, where the activity books are laid out for even the newest of newcomers to peruse and sign up.
“There’s a wealth of activities, at least 15 to 20 activities to choose from … If somebody has a great idea, we say ‘go for it’,” Alleyne said. “It’s experiencing the city, every aspect of the city.”
The next meeting is Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m. at Uplands Golf Course. Go online to vicdaynewcomers.ca for more information.
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A3
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OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A3
Grant opens door to free services for cancer patients
Dan EbenalNews Staff
A cancer diagnosis can create any number of obstacles in a person’s life. But now thanks to a grant from the Victoria Foundation, having the finances to afford quality support will no longer be one of them.
“We have been really lucky to receive this grant from the Victoria Foundation, which is allowing us to offer memberships to new patients and their support people at no cost,” said Rachel Mark, an exercise therapist and yoga instructor at Inspire’ Health’s Victoria centre in Oak Bay’s Athlone Court.
Full memberships had cost $450 a year, with support memberships and renewals going for $95. Those memberships are now free.
“Our understanding is that the membership fee had been a barrier to some people,” said Mark. “We want to access as many people as possible and want as many people with a cancer diagnosis to be able to access the support we offer.”
That support includes clinical consultations covering nutrition, exercise and counselling, advice about sleep, healthy communication, rekindling joy and passion in living, self-responsibility and their place in the community. Members also have access to a variety
of cooking and fitness classes, mind-body practices and group discussions all supporting engagement in their own health.
“Recovery from cancer can be an emotionally and physically demanding experience for patients, but there is an opportunity for self-discovery and meaning that can be beneficial,” said Dr. Mimi Weldon, clinical director at Inspire Health in Victoria. “We are looking forward to offering our services
at no charge to Vancouver Island and Gulf Island residents because we believe that cost should not be a barrier to a deeper exploration of health on the levels of mind, body and spirit.”
One person who knows about the benefits of those services is Angela Aart, who has been coming to Inspire Health’s Oak Bay centre three times a week since being diagnosed with cancer in September 2013.
“When you’re diagnosed with cancer you really want to reassess almost all aspects of your life because you really don’t know – everybody says this is just bad luck that you’ve got it – and a lot of times there isn’t a cause and effect,” said Aart.
“For me, you look at all aspects of your life, and the thing that Inspire Health does is it covers that off so well, from your eating to your exercise programs, mentally how you’re
doing, they provide you with the latest research on all types of cancer. A lot of times it’s not written in layman’s terms so you’re very confused.”
While Inspire Health does have specific support groups, Mark said every class turns into that support in some capacity.
“You do notice a huge difference from when they walk in at the beginning of class to when everyone leaves,” she said. “Everyone is just uplifted and positive because they’ve had that interaction and that support. I think that’s really special.”
Aart agrees that the members draw support from each other, adding they will often leave a meeting feeling as if “we’re journeying down this road together.” And while she deals with a terminal diagnosis, Aart takes comfort from the knowledge she is doing all she can to live as long as she can.
“It’s just that it helps with getting confidence back and empowering yourself to really be able to go forward and know that you’re doing all the best things that you can for your body,” said Aart.
Those wanting to learn more about Inspire Health’s services can drop into one of their fireside chats, held Mondays at 3 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. While you don’t have to be a member to attend, it is suggested you call ahead to reserve a spot. Inspire Health is located at #212 - 2187 Oak Bay Ave. and the phone number is 250-595-7125.
Exercise therapist Rachel Mark, left, sits down for a chat with Angela Aart in the lounge area of Inspire Health on Oak Bay Avenue. A grant from the Victoria Foundation is allowing Inspire Health to offer free services to cancer patients and their support person.
U.S. jet fighter training taking flak from Victoria residentsKevin Laird & Travis PatersonBlack Press
U.S. Navy jet fighter training is reaching a higher noise level in Greater Victoria, one that is bringing grumbles from residents.
And it’s putting politicians on high alert. The mayors of both Victoria and Esquimalt and Victoria MP Murray Rankin say they’re receiving numerous complaints.
“There is significant concerns because it has escalated in the last while in terms of the frequency and the intensity,” said Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins.
A group of homeowners from Saanich’s Ten Mile Point are hoping their concerns
will be heard by the U.S. Navy during the consultation process over bringing additional EA-18 Growler jets to the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
“The extreme end of it is when jets swing too close to (Ten Mile Point), our houses shake and car alarms are set off,” said Graham Payette, whose family lives near the tip of Ten Mile Point.
It happens with enough frequency that Payette wonders if the navy could release a schedule detailing the exercises, and if there’s anything that can be done to mitigate the impact.
“Our neighbourhood group wasn’t aware of the (navy’s) call for input until the last
day, and some of us managed to get some input in, but not all of us,” Payette said.
Whidbey Island Navy spokesperson Ted Brown is running an environmental impact consultation process at the base, situated across the waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait, as the navy gradually replaces the 1970s’ era EA-6B Prowlers with the Boeing EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft, or Growlers.
Brown said the initial public consultation window, which is now closed, will reopen in about 2016 to allow amendments to the first draft of the environmental impact report which he is now working on.
It’s the naval air station’s third
environmental review in 10 years. It studies noise and other impacts from thousands of landings and takeoffs conducted at Ault Field near Oak Harbor, Wash. and the Outlying Landing Field near Coupeville, Wash. The consultation is prompted by the addition of 13 more EA-18s and a contract to train Australian pilots on the planes at NAS Whidbey.
Rankin has had discussions with U.S. Navy officials on Whidbey Island and they were willing to adjust their timing and the location of the training schedule based on noise complaints.
He also plans to bring it up with Canadian military officials in Ottawa.
Inspire Health offers memberships at no cost
A4 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWSA4 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
EDITORIAL Penny Sakamoto Group PublisherDan Ebenal Editor Oliver Sommer Advertising Director
The OAK BAY NEWS is published by Black Press Ltd. | 207A-2187 Oak Bay Ave., Oak Bay, B.C. V8R 1G1 | Phone: 250-598-4123 • Web: oakbaynews.com
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The OAK BAY NEWS is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council.
Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.
What do you think? Give us your comments by e-mail: [email protected] or fax 250-386-2624. All letters must have a name and a telephone number for verification.
OUR VIEW
The B.C. Education Ministry put on a forum on the future of education last week, bringing together public and private school leaders with experts from around the world.
I watched the proceedings via webcast from the Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver, which gives you a hint about the forces pressing in on our century-old industrial model of schooling.
First up was Andreas Schleicher, on video link from his office in Paris, where he is director of education and skills for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. He began with the international problem of people coming out of university who can’t find jobs, amid a skills shortage.
Schleicher said this is happening today because, “it’s not what you know but what you can do with what you know.” Some education systems are adapting better than others as the value of merely passing on facts has declined.
He said these days, almost any student can pass any multiple-choice test if they have a smartphone. The question for parents is what to do “if you want your child to be smarter than a smartphone.”
The OECD runs international testing that consistently ranks B.C. and Canada among the best schools in the world, and Schleicher
described how that testing has evolved to keep up.
But our progress in the past 10 years has tended to be slower than some Asian countries, despite B.C. being on the “high end of investment” in education. He warned against the trap of the industrial school model, “pouring money in” to “do more of the same.”
Some of the best results emerging from a decade of digitally-driven globalization have been achieved through innovations that were
financed through bigger class sizes, Schleicher said.
This was too much for one B.C. Teachers’ Federation representative in the audience, who introduced herself as someone who spent the last transformational decade working for the union, not in a classroom. She disputed the OECD’s financial calculations, lecturing some of the world’s top economists that based on “spending power,” B.C. schools are cash starved.
She followed this with the laundry list of BCTF demands that hasn’t changed in 40 years – smaller classes, more prep time, more money.
The keynote speaker was Yong Zhao, University of Oregon professor of educational measurement, who gave a highly entertaining critique of standardized testing and creativity-
crushing drills of the basics. (You can find a video archive at www.bcedplan.ca.)
Yong sparked a lively discussion about the need for foundation skills, which he and others agreed remain vital to success. The issue seems to be how to instil those basics while avoiding the disengagement of students who see school as irrelevant to their lives.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender announced at the forum that the province is about to unveil new curriculum that moves toward individual learning for all students. And he said there will be a series of experiments conducted at yet-to-be-identified B.C. schools to pioneer new models of learning.
BCTF president Jim Iker sat stoically through the proceedings, where speakers described integrating community groups and businesses directly with schools. That’s underway here, with trades training in particular.
Iker’s record on adaptation is clear from his own career. The only school where he actually taught was in the northwest B.C. village of Topley, and it closed in 2010 due to a long-term decline in rural students.
By 2001 Iker had left the classroom to work for the Burns Lake teacher union local, which the BCTF continues to staff eight years after that school district and others disappeared through amalgamation.
Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press.
Teachers adapting, but not union
Little progresson child poverty
Eradicating child poverty is an important goal, but as the past 25 years have shown, one that is almost impossible to achieve.
At least, that would be a fair conclusion based on the amount of lip service politicians from all levels of government
have paid. Despite a commitment to alleviate child poverty made a quarter century ago, rates continue to climb with no clear
solution in sight.There are a multitude of reasons why
children and their families struggle to make ends meet. Lack of skills, ambition and hard choices between shelter and food all contribute to systemic poverty.
There are organizations trying to break that cycle by providing parenting classes, opportunities for education and nutrition information so that today’s children can grow and dream of a future that includes more than their parents were offered.
Some argue that raising social assistance rates will help, while others see education as the way out of poverty. The reality is it will take a variety of assistance, programs and money to solve the poverty problem.
We believe that education can save the world but when children are struggling to even get in the door due to barriers to transportation, proper clothing and nutrition, something must change – and quickly. Many families are in survival mode, relying on food banks and other handouts, with little opportunity to look to the future and a life without poverty.
Governments and communities must continue to prioritize programs that lift people out of poverty. So far, it’s a commitment that we, as a society, have failed to live up to.
Whether it takes another 25 years – or 50, or 100 – we should never be satisfied until no child is forced to do without the basic necessities that so many of us take for granted.
Tom FletcherB.C. Views
Despite past commitments, child poverty rates continue to rise
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A5
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LETTERSSchool properties are not public parks
Each time I walk my two large dogs past Willows School they both pull me towards the field and look longingly at the wide open space. However, I deny them the opportunity. Why? Because there is signage in place that says I’m not permitted to.
My daughter went to Willows for six years and there were a number of occasions where I heard of children coming in from recess or lunch with dog feces on their footwear or clothing.
Ms. Lapointe is diligent about cleaning up after her dog but I’ve seen dogs defecating, and owners who weren’t paying attention or turned a
blind eye. On one occasion I saw a dog with obvious digestive distress, leave a mess that could not possibly be picked up and was left behind by the dog’s guardian.
As an expert on dog behaviour, I can assure Ms. Lapointe that her dog will do well with the sensory exercise of exploration during an on-leash walk and if she desires socialization she can get together with some of the other scofflaws and walk together. High-energy dogs recover from physical exertion very quickly. Exercising their brain and senses more effectively settles a high-energy dog.
Oak Bay does its best to ensure
we have off-leash areas for our dogs but I don’t believe that our city has a responsibility to provide me with open areas for my dog that are within walking distance of my home. Nor do I believe it’s the city’s responsibility to provide me with bags to clean up after my dogs.
If there were no rules prohibiting off-leash dogs on the school grounds I can imagine that the number of dogs using the field as a toilet, would increase dramatically. Fortunately, most of our taxpaying citizens choose to obey the rules.
Steve HuxterOak Bay
Dogs pose dangerMarilyn Lapointe wants to
change our bylaw prohibiting loose dogs on Willows school field.
This is particularly laughable in light of the ongoing controversy around deer control: there are over 1,000 dog attacks and about one fatality per year in Canada, with the victims mostly young children. By comparison, the risk of a deer attack is negligible, and the risk of hitting deer with one’s car is mitigated by the beneficial act of driving more cautiously.
Dog owners who resent having to travel the short distance to nearby beaches such as Willows (where dogs may be off-leash from October to the end of April), and who would prefer to demote children’s rights to a safe playfield, perhaps ought to rethink the responsibility of dog ownership.
School fields are first and foremost for children; they might as well be for deer, too, in my mind, since our four-year-old daughter is (quite sensibly) afraid of loose dogs, but finds our harmless local deer a delight.
Samuel MercerOak Bay
Couple cancels stayAfter reading a feature
article in the Globe and Mail, my wife and I became quite dismayed over this
needless kill of deer in Oak Bay. Upset enough that we have now cancelled a two-night stay and dinner out with four others at two Oak Bay businesses. After a brief discussion it was the same opinion of others involved to cancel as well. It was concluded the only power we had was to not spend any more money in Oak Bay and encourage others to do the same.
This is our form of protest of what we believe is a needless kill, especially when there are other non-lethal options as outlined in the Globe article. Wildlife biologist Rick Page says “Ecologically the deer are not a threat” and supports the stop of the cull. We also believe that the Oak Bay mayor is fear-mongering.
My wife Elaine Tanner (ex Olympian triple medalist swimmer) visits Oak Bay frequently having relatives in the area. Both of us have noticed over the years the absence of squirrels in Oak Bay parks and streets. Elaine wonders if they have met the same fate as the deer. As far as the deer creating a serious safety issue for cyclists, people should be more concerned about humans – with crazy car drivers or poor lighting on roads or inadequate bike lanes – than an occasional defenceless deer.
We are cancelling accommodations and dinner for six that was scheduled
this week in Oak Bay. Elaine asked me to pass on
the following quote: “There are only two things which are infinite, the universe and mankind’s stupidity, and I am not so sure about the former.” – Albert Einstein.
John Watt & Elaine Tanner White Rock, B.C.
Disaster loomsRe: Waiting for the Big One
to Strike, in the Jan. 24 issue.Thank you for having Dr.
Johnston remind us that Oak Bay is living on borrowed time. His quote, “Tsunamis, which are typically responsible for the greatest loss of life,” was proven by the southeast Asian tsunami of 2005 and again in 2011 in Japan. Those tsunamis voided every existing tsunami planning map as being far too optimistic.
According to the new CRD flood planning maps, the flood plains of Oak Bay are at high risk from rising sea levels. These flood plains stretch inland from our bays, that is, along Monterey Avenue from Shoal Bay, and along Windsor Avenue and Bowker Creek from Oak Bay.
Long ago when sea levels were higher, Anderson Hill (southeast tip of Oak Bay) was an island cut off by a sea channel that ran between Shoal and Oak Bay. The tides churned through there like they still do today between Anderson Hill and Trial Island. Although it may take
rising sea levels hundreds of years to recreate this channel, one 2011-sized tsunami could recreate it in 10 minutes on any day of the week. This would mean the devastation of a six-block-wide strip running all along Monterey and Windsor.
Oak Bay has just hired a full-time town planner, presumably to comply with CRD agreements that our community plan includes, a reduction in the number of people and buildings at risk in these priority flood zones. The new CRD estimate is that $500 million worth of properties are at high risk of sea floods in Oak Bay, so likely over 3,000 people.
Steve BowkerOak Bay
The News welcomes your opinions.
To put readers on equal footing, and to be sure that all opinions are heard, please keep letters to less than 300 words.
The News reserves the right to edit letters for style, legality, length and taste.
Send your letters to:Mail: Letters to the
Editor, Oak Bay News, 207A - 2187 Oak Bay Ave., Victoria, B.C., V8R 1G1Email: editor@
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Do you suffer from Allergic Eyes
Do you abhor the idea of Victoria’s annual flower count? Many Canadians are looking for-ward to the end of winter, but others may dread the spring for one red, itchy, watery reason: ocular allergies!
Spring is often the beginning of the eye al-lergy cycle, when nature turns up the volume and tree pollen hangs heavily in the air. Some people suffer from eye allergies year-round, caused by a host of other culprits, including grass pollen, ragweed, and a variety of food, pet and chemical irritants.
Allergic reactions are triggered by the body’s immune system in its best effort to protect your eyes from injury. Your immune system can’t tell the difference between harmless substanc-es (like pollens) and harmful intruders (like bacteria), so it overreacts by producing al-lergy symptoms. These annoying symptoms, including swelling, hives, itching, watering, burning and light sensitivity, can even result in tissue damage or impaired vision.
What’s a poor sufferer to do? Try to pinpoint the causes of your allergies and avoid them as much as possible. You can further reduce airborne irritants by using an air conditioner, keeping your environment free of dust, and regulating humidity to keep mites and mold to a minimum. Decongestants, antihistamines and other medicines may also be helpful.
Be sure to discuss any eye-related symp-toms with your optometrist at your next visit – he or she is one of your best sources of eye health information.
A6 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
Our School is now accepting registrations for the2015 -16 school year (grades 6 to 8)
You are invited to our
PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT ONTHURSDAY, FEB. 5th
A formal evening of presentations & school tours from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.Come and meet our students, teachers and principal, � nd out more
about our wide variety of programs, and tour our school!
OPEN HOUSE DURING SCHOOL ONWEDNESDAY, FEB. 11th
An informal drop-in to grade 6, exploratory and music classes.Arrive anytime between 10:30 am and Noon.
You are welcome to bring your child with you to these events!
Registration is underway in your community for Softball Programs…
For information on programs in your community contact Softball BC [email protected] or call us at 604-531-0044 ext. 3
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Christine van ReeuwykNews Staff
Oak Bay High’s Myka Tang-Blumenschein will play for the B.C. U17 team this season in hopes of garnering post-secondary attention and in preparation for his best possible senior year next year.
He already brings sensibilities and skill beyond his 17 years (he only recently celebrated a birthday) to the Oak Bay High senior boys basketball team.
“He really reacts well to pressure,” said coach Chris Franklin. “He’s quite smart, he’s quite steady. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”
Tang-Blumenschein’s work ethic played out as he made the climb into the provincial program, first missing the cut to try out for the U14 team. The year he was 15 he got to tryout, which was an experience in itself. Last year he made the U16 team where the team “ended up winning Western Canadians so it was a really great experience.”
Earlier this month the Oak Bay High student earned a spot on the U17 team where he looks forward to playing against some of the top players in the country to improve his skills and plan ahead for his senior year at Oak Bay High.
“I want to improve my ball handing and explosiveness, and get better in everything,” he said.
“He’s obviously open to learning,” said Franklin. “In
both his actions and his words, he’s probably one of our best leaders, especially for someone in Grade 11.”
The U17 season features tournaments that culminate with a national competition; he remembers seeing university
representatives at Western Canadians last year.
“To play post-secondary and get my education paid for is the goal,” Tang-Blumenschein said. “So it’s definitely good exposure playing on a provincial team.” [email protected]
A6 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
Courting provincial recognition
Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff
Oak Bay High’s Myka Tang-Blumenschein will play for the B.C. U17 team this season in hopes of garnering post-secondary attention and in preparation for his best possible senior year next year.
Oak Bay’s Myka Tang-Blumenschein earns spot in B.C. U17 squad
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A7OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A7
Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness’ one-night facility count on Feb. 5 last year found 1,167 men, women and children using emergency shelters and temporary accommodations in the Capital Region.
It included 70 families with 116 children. That night 78 people were turned away – 11 of them children.
The Difficult Conversation - Poverty and Homelessness talk at the University of Victoria with Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Andrew Weaver will address the question: One year later, has anything fundamentally changed?
Along with a panel, the forum will examine issues of poverty and homelessness in the Capital Region, challenges facing organizations on the front lines and how all communities and local,
regional and provincial governments can be involved.
The event takes place Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in room
A120 of the David Turpin building at UVic.
Philippe Leroux joins the ensemble Aventa in the performance of his hyper-virtuosic VOI (rex) in which live electronics seamlessly integrate the various elements of the score. Leroux’s treatment of the voice is unique; it triggers and instigates fascinating exchanges between the acoustic and
electronic sound worlds. VOI (rex) was composed using poems by Lin Delpierre, taken from a collection entitled Le testament des fruits.
Victoria’s Aventa Ensemble includes soprano Helen Pridmore, Philippe Leroux on electronics, and conductor Bill Linwood. They will also
perform Gordon Fitzell’s Evanescence and Zosha di Castri’s La forma dello spazio.
Aventa Ensemble performs VOI (rex) on Sunday, Feb. 8 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Phillip T. Young Recital Hall at UVic. The pre-concert talk is at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door.
Christine van ReeuwykNews Staff
Oak Bay artist Gillian Redwood truly explores the Energetic Universe in her latest works.
“My focus has been over the last few years to look at the seen and unseen energies of people. Connecting the energies of universe and land, between people and within people,” she said. “This has come from my interest in the optical ideas of how we see; how we perceive things and how we perceive people.”
Energetic Universe at the Martin Batchelor Gallery is her second solo showing of
acrylics based on looking at the physical form as energetic beings.
“I show the human figure in the paintings and I often paint them transparent so you can see what’s happening within,” Redwood says.
Over the last five years she developed a series of acrylic paintings with a focus on the human body, including Women in Myth & Legend and UnCommon Man which showed at the Batchelor Gallery in October 2013. Energetic Universe is a natural progression.
“This particular series is focused on relationships between friends and people,”
the artist explains. Redwood obtained
her art and design degree at Cardiff College of Art in Wales, and the West of England College of Art, U.K. More recently she studied life drawing and painting at the St. Ives School of Painting,
U.K. She spent the past 15 months creating each of the 12 large acrylic works, all done from drawings.
“It’s a real breakthrough for the way that I paint. It’s a bit more abstract than in the past. The way that I paint and the
ideas that I have about these unseen energies have come to a very visual completion in this show,” Redwood said. “I”m very excited about it, it’s quite adventurous. Some of the paintings have gone into areas of perfection that I’m particularly interested in.”
Quantum physics and science inform her work, she says, allowing for a new experience and vision, a different way of viewing the world.
“So they’re like walking into another world, where instead of seeing things on the surface, we see the energetic components that make up what we see,” Redwood says.
Energetic Universe opens at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Martin Batchelor Gallery on Cormorant
Street in Victoria and runs Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 5.
“For me the paintings are
successful,” she says. “I’m excited about showing them to people.”
cvanreeuwyk@oak baynews.com
Artist uses energy as focus and form
‘Energetic Universe’ opens at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Martin Batchelor Gallery on Cormorant Street in Victoria and runs Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 5.
Poems inspire electronic score
Forum examines homelessness in Victoria
Oak Bay painter portrays connections through quantum physics
One New Year’s resolution we’ll all be making.A full disposal ban on kitchen scraps at Hartland landfill takes effect January 1, 2015. The ban will divert compostable items like vegetables, meat, bones, grains, dairy products, fruit and soiled paper that currently take up thirty percent of the landfill. At the same time, diverted kitchen scraps will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will be processed into beneficial compost.So contact your waste hauler or municipality directly, plan for collection options and make a note on your calendar. Then we can all look forward to a happy, more sustainable New Year!For general information about the kitchen scrap diversion strategy visit www.crd.bc.ca/kitchenscraps
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A8 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
CANADATHE NEW
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In addition to Apprenticeship Grants and tax credits, the new Canada Apprentice Loan offers up to $4,000 interest-free per period of Red Seal technical training to help you complete your apprenticeship. These exciting, well-paid jobs are more in-demand than ever.
Over the next decade, one million skilled tradesmen and women will be needed to keep Canada’s economy strong.
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A8 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
Favorite recipe: Chickpea salad1 can chick peas (19 oz/540 ml),
rinsed and drained ¼ cup cilantro/coriander, chopped, or
substitute fresh parsley, ¼ cup onion, finely chopped 1/2 red pepper, chopped 1 large clove garlic, minced 3 Tbsp lemon juice 2 Tbsp olive oil cayenne pepper, to taste 1. Combine all the ingredients
together and toss well. 2. Taste for seasoning. 3. Let the salad stand for about one hour and
serve. http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/chickpea-
salad/9377/Favorite exercise
Going for a 5 to 8 K run with my iPod.
Mental Fitness strategy:“When you fail or make mistakes, it means
(barring basic incompetence) that you’re opening yourself up to new experiences and pushing your personal envelope. Mistakes accelerate your personal growth.” – Salka, John (2005) First In, Last Out, p114.
Each month the Oak Bay News will feature a different member of the Oak Bay Fire Department and the ways they maintain their health.
fitnessKeysto
Firefighter Duane Adsett
Watch for the specialSidney Family Dayinsert in today’s paper!
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A25
Food and marriage go hand-in-hand at hotel theatre
Christine van ReeuwykNews Staff
Dinner and a show is common practice at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, where one might expect both to be top notch.
They were, but the human element touched me more during a foray to the waterfront theatre recently. Specifically, the older couple at Table 2, where the woman caught the bouquet early in the performance of I Do! I Do! and the couple held hands much of the show.
This was after a three-course meal in the multi-chandelier-lit theatre that started with prawn carpaccio truffle puree, herb greens and honey citrus vinaigrette. Small slices of a nice white bread can discreetly sop up remnants of the delightful vinaigrette. A table mate did it without anyone noticing, admitting it only later.
The same diner missed out on the tenderest of
tenderloins in red wine demi-glaze, opting for the salmon option. Cutting the pork with a butter knife, the hotel manager explains it’s done sous-vide. It’s a kind of poaching method; cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal to cook the meat evenly and retain moisture.
After a dessert of opera cake with bailey sauce and
berries, a host informs us that if we are in need of another drink during the production, we can simply text the bartender and libations will be delivered, we got into the I do’s.
I Do, I Do is nostalgic musical by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones that follows couple Agnes and Michael through the peaks and valleys of married life.
Sue Doman (Agnes) and Stan Davis (Michael) are both stalwarts of the Victoria
music scene. Doman has led the Starlight Pops since its inception in 2003 (she is also its founder), the Friends of Government House Singers and the Newcombe Singers.
Davis performs regularly at the hotel, including its production of Forever Plaid and Four Neat Guys.
Doman and Davis are proficiently accompanied off stage by keyboardist Peter Rothauser, who provided some long pause performances as the actors were backstage. From the sugary sweet “yes dear” of young love to the eye-rolling bitter “yes dear”, the show garners giggles and gasps following the two soul mates navigating the highs and lows of married life.
Rumours of hot chocolate and cookies before trundling off to bed after a show at the hotel (or heading home) are not exaggerated, but rather, tasty.
I Do! I Do! runs Fridays and Saturdays until March 7 in the David Foster Foundation Theatre which contributes partial proceeds to the foundation that helps families of children awaiting major organ transplants.
Pork tenderloin at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel during dinner theatre. So good the fork got in there before the camera came out.
I Do! I Do! follows couple through the peaks and valleys of married life
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A9
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Tri-District Pro-D Conference
-‐ Over 40 workshops on offer for educators K-‐12
-‐ Keynote address by David Bouchard
-‐ Gourmet lunch provided courtesy of Chef Aris and Esquimalt High Culinary Arts Students
Friday, February 20, 2015 Esquimalt Secondary School
847 Colville Road Victoria BC
To learn more, visit tapestryconference.weebly.com
Register by Jan 30 to be entered to win a new iPad
Tri-District Pro-D Conference
-‐ Over 40 workshops on offer for educators K-‐12
-‐ Keynote address by David Bouchard
-‐ Gourmet lunch provided courtesy of Chef Aris and Esquimalt High Culinary Arts Students
Friday, February 20, 2015 Esquimalt Secondary School
847 Colville Road Victoria BC
To learn more, visit tapestryconference.weebly.com
Register by Jan 30 to be entered to win a new iPad
Tri-District Pro-D Conference
-‐ Over 40 workshops on offer for educators K-‐12
-‐ Keynote address by David Bouchard
-‐ Gourmet lunch provided courtesy of Chef Aris and Esquimalt High Culinary Arts Students
Friday, February 20, 2015 Esquimalt Secondary School
847 Colville Road Victoria BC
To learn more, visit tapestryconference.weebly.com
Register by Jan 30 to be entered to win a new iPad
Tri-District Pro-D Conference
-‐ Over 40 workshops on offer for educators K-‐12
-‐ Keynote address by David Bouchard
-‐ Gourmet lunch provided courtesy of Chef Aris and Esquimalt High Culinary Arts Students
Friday, February 20, 2015 Esquimalt Secondary School
847 Colville Road Victoria BC
To learn more, visit tapestryconference.weebly.com
Register by Jan 30 to be entered to win a new iPad
Over 40 workshops on offer for educators K-12
Keynote address by David Bouchard
Gourmet lunch provided courtesy of Chef Arisand Esquimalt High Culinary Arts Students
Friday, February 20, 2015Esquimalt Secondary School847 Colville Road, Victoria, BC
A10 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
* If a major competitor within our geographical trade area o� ers a lower advertised price on any identical grocery item (brand, size, etc.) we will match the competitor’s price only during the e� ective date of the competitor’s advertisement. ‘Major competitors’ and ‘geographical trade areas’ are determined solely by us and are based on a number of factors which can change from time to time. Excludes ‘multi-buys’ (eg: 2 for $4), ‘spend x get x’, ‘Free’, percentage discounts and discounts obtained through loyalty programs. You must bring in the competitor’s advertisement to our customer service desk prior to the expiry of the advertisement in order for us to provide you with the price match. We reserve the right to limit quantities.
* * Limit one Spend/Receive o� er per single grocery purchase. Excluding Lotto, tobacco, gift cards, prescriptions, clinics, diabetes care, tickets, charities, bus passes, postage stamps, deposit & recycle fees, rewards and taxes, where applicable.
Our new Always Lowest Guarantee ensures our stores always have the best prices*.
• we price check Every week, we check the competition’s prices on 850+ items you buy the most to make sure we’re lowest.
• we price match If you see a lower advertised price for your favourite item, bring in the ad and we’ll match it*.
Fort & Foul Bay: 1950 Foul Bay Road • Tillicum: 3170 Tillicum Rd University Heights: 3958 Shelbourne St • Westside Village: 172 Wilson St
Saanich: 3510 Blanshard St • Sidney: 2345 Beacon Ave
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A11OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A27
Bill SmithFor the Oak Bay News
What’s Up for February 2015? Planetary pairs – just in time for Valentine’s month.
If you wake up early mid-month, you’ll see the moon glide by Saturn in the south-southeast sky over Seattle an hour before dawn. Keep looking over the next two mornings and you’ll see the crescent moon bookend Mercury, very close to the horizon. And those are not the only meet-ups between solar system bodies this month.
Venus, traditional goddess of love, attracts Mars, though their closest encounter happens a week after Valentine’s Day, on Feb. 21. And on the same day, the two planets are just a moon-width – half a degree – apart. This will be in the west-southwest sky over Metchosin.
Galileo and Jupiter – In 1609, Galileo learned of the invention of the telescope, and began to make his own. Over the next months and years, he observed the moon, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn, several star clusters and even sunspots on the sun.
This is the best month to observe Jupiter – it reaches opposition on Feb. 6 and is visible all month long. Just after 6 p.m., Jupiter rises in the northeast over Vancouver, rising in an arc just like the sun and moon. Around 8 p.m. it will be starting to look very bright over Bellingham. Jupiter’s moons perform their ballet just as they did when Galileo observed them in 1610. Using modern telescopes, you’ll be able to see the moons pass in front of and behind one another as they march across the planet, casting tiny shadows. Steady binoculars on a tripod should also work.
It’s also a great month to view the asteroid Juno through telescopes. Juno was discovered by K. Harding in 1804. You’ll find it near the pretty collection of stars known as the Beehive Cluster. Juno is seen near the constellation Cancer just to 2 o’clock of Jupiter. The moon and Juno are seen near the Beehive Cluster around midnight.
Here is a useful list of events by date in February 2015: http://skymaps.com/articles/n1502.html.
For grandma with her new iPhone, show her how to download the iPhone app called Sky Map and turn her iPhone or iPad into a window on the night sky. This is a free app on the iPhone. Highly recommended. All you have to do is point your
device at the sky and the Sky Map will tell you exactly what you are looking at.
You can learn more about all the solar system bodies at solarsystem.nasa. gov. And you can learn about all of NASA’s missions at www. nasa. gov. You can also learn much more about our night sky and see our new “real time” Cattle Point Night Sky map at: www.cattlepointstarpark.org.
By the way, does anyone have a photograph of sunrise on June 21 – the summer solstice – preferably from Cattle Point Star Park? We are planning a surprise event and need to know exactly where the sun rises on this day.
Dark skies to all friends of Cattle Point Star Park.
This summary is from the transcript of “What’s Up In February 2015” by NASA announcer and astronomer Jane Houston Jones, with specific permission for localization to Cattle Point Urban Star Park and the Oak Bay News.
Bill Smith is a volunteer at Cattle Point Dark Sky Urban Star Park.
The night sky in February
Tom FletcherBlack Press
The B.C. government has put a cork in its plan to charge a higher tax on higher-end wines.
“Since we released our wholesale pricing model in November, we’ve heard concerns from the industry about the pricing structure for wines over $20 a bottle,” Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said. “We are reducing the mark-up for this category – levelling out the wholesale price for wines that would have been impacted.”
A major concern for wine stores and B.C. restaurants was the change to the province’s wholesale pricing formula for wine that ends the discount advantage for independent wine stores.
It meant little change or even cheaper prices for wines that now cost $15 and under. But the final retail price of pricier bottles was expected to rise sharply starting in April, in both private and government stores, and in restaurants.
B.C. Restaurant and Foodservice Association president Ian Tostenson said restaurants must pay retail prices and usually charge their patrons double, so the price of a premium bottle when having dinner out would have jumped 10 to 20 per cent.
The change to a single wholesale price for every product takes effect April 1, the same date B.C. is permitting private or government liquor sales in separated spaces inside grocery stores.
B.C. corks luxury taxfor premium wines
Help Prevent Heart Attacks with Vitamin C and Lysine Powder
Why is heart attack the number one killer in this
country? Ninety-nine percent of doctors say it’s due to athero-sclerosis (hardening of arteries) and that cholesterol lowering drugs are the primary way to treat it. But I suggest cardiolo-gists have closed minds and are ignoring facts that could save thousands of North Americans from coronary attack.
Vitamin C is required to manufacture healthy colla-gen, the glue that holds coronary cells together, just like mortar is needed for bricks. Lysine, like steel rods in cement, makes collagen stronger. Two-time Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Linus Pauling reported twenty-five years ago it takes a mere 10 milligrams to prevent scurvy, but several thousand to prevent heart attack.
Williams Stehbens, Professor of Anatomy at Welling-ton University in New Zealand, proved Pauling was right. Stebhens’ research showed that coronary arteries closest to the heart are under the greatest pressure. This causes collagen to fracture resulting in the formation of a blood clot and death.
Dr. Sydney Bush, an English researcher, has now proven that vitamin C can reverse atherosclerosis. Bush took retinal photographs, then started his patients on high doses of vitamin C and lysine. One year later additional pictures showed atherosclerosis had regressed in retinal arteries.
Sixteen years ago following my own coronary attack, cardiologists claimed it was sheer madness for me to refuse cholesterol-lowering drugs. Instead, I decided to take high doses of vitamin C plus lysine with breakfast and the evening meal.
I knew that Dr. Graveline, a physician and NASA astronaut, had twice developed transient global amnesia from taking cholesterol lowering drugs (CLD’s). I was also aware that patients have died from CLDs. Others have developed kidney, liver and muscle complications.
I also believed the research of Pauling and Stehbens ir-refutable. Now, the work of Dr. Bush has convinced me my decision was prudent.
But to take large doses of vitamin C and lysine requires swallowing many pills daily. It’s a tall order for those who dislike swallowing one pill. So for several years I’ve been trying to find a company that would manufacture a combination of vitamin C and lysine powder. Now Medi-C Plus™ is available at health food stores and specialty pharmacies.
The dosage for the Medi-C Plus combination is one flat scoop mixed with water or juice with breakfast and the evening meal. Those at greater risk should take one flat scoop three times a day.
This column does not recommend that those taking CLDs should stop them. That is a decision that can only be made by patients and doctors.
As for me – I bet my life on vitamin C and lysine! I turned 90 this year.
Available at Your Local Health Food Store
and Select Natural Pharmacy.
For a store near you go to: PNO.CA
W. Gifford-Jones, MD
www.oakbaynews.com
BUFFET • A LA CARTE • TAKE OUT • DELIVERY100 Aldersmith Place, Victoria • LuckyVillage.ca • 778.406.2238
APPLY NOW: A $2,500 Pen-ny Wise scholarship is available for a woman entering the Journalism Certifi cate Pro-gram at Langara College in Vancouver. Application dead-line April 30, 2015. Send appli-cations: [email protected] More information avail. online: www.bccommunitynews.com /our-programs/scholarship.
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LEGALS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND OTHERS
Re: The estate of LUDOVI-CO GARY TRIONFI, also known as GARY TRIONFI, DECEASED, formerly of 204 – 3460 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC
Creditors and others having claims against the estate of Ludovico Gary Trionfi , also known as Gary Trionfi are hereby notifi ed under section 38 of the Trustee Act that particulars of their claims should be sent to the executors, Michael Holmes and Daryl Clegg at c/o Infi nity Law, 200 – 931 Fort Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3K3 on or before March 31, 2015, after which date the executor will distribute the estate among the parties entitled to it, having regard to the claims of which the executor then has notice.
WAREHOUSEMAN’S LIEN ACT
Notice is hereby given that Kustom Towing, (2009) Ltd, 3297 Douglas St, Victoria, BC, V8Z 3K9 will be selling:
2001 FORD FOCUS1FAFP34P61W265122
Owner A. Mani2002 FORD WINSTAR LX2FMZA55412BA57799Owner T. Sutherland2000 GMC YUKON XL
3GKFK16T8YG125707Owner C. Whatmough
Will be sold on Febru-ary 10, 2015. At 647B Dupplin Rd, Victoria, BC between 10am-2pm.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
PERSONALS
MAKE A Connection, Talk to Sexy Singles FREE now! Call 250-220-1300 or 1-800-210-1010. www.livelinks.com 18+
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FOUND JANUARY 11 Fit Bit computerized calculator. Call (250)656-5220.
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RV LOT rentals $8.95 a day. 362 days of sunshine, pets, events, classes, entertain-ment. Reserve by 02/14/2015. www.hemetrvresort.com. Call: 1-800-926-5593
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GET FREE vending machines. Can earn $100,000+ per year. All cash-retire in just 3 years. Protected Territories. Full De-tails call now 1-866-668-6629. Website www.tcvend.com.
THE DISABILITY Tax Credit. $1500 yearly tax credit. $15,000 lump sum refund (on avg). Covers: hip/knee re-placements, back conditions and restrictions in walking and dressing. 1-844-453-5372.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
NEW YEAR, new career! Can-Scribe Medical Transcription graduates are in high demand. Enrol today and be working from home in one year! Email: [email protected]. Call 1-800-466-1535. Website: www.canscribe.com.
HELP WANTED
Community Health Nursesought in Port Hardy, BC. Re-quest job description or apply to [email protected] by Feb 22. Competitive salary offered. Tel. 250-949-6625
SHOME TAY FAMILIES
HOST FAMILIES needed! Northern Youth Abroad is looking for families to host 2 youth from Nunavut/NWT vol-unteering in your community July/August. www.nya.ca or Toll-Free 1-866-212-2307.
MEDICAL/DENTAL
MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION is an in-demand career in Canada! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online train-ing you need from an employ-er-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-888-528-0809 to start training for your work-at-home career to-day!
MEDICAL/DENTAL
RN’S & LPN’SRegistered Nurses &
Licensed Practical NursesBayshore Home Health is currently seeking Registered & Licensed Practical Nurses for all shifts currently available, to support our Pediatric/Adolescent clients for home/school care in the Victoria area, to work with children with complex care needs who may have a tracheostomy and ventila-tion. Pediatric experience is an asset. We do offer client specifi c training, Trach/Vent courses and other on-going training as required. If you are an RN or LPN and enjoy working with children, we would love to hear from you.
Employee Benefi tPackage available.
Interested individuals areencouraged to Fax resume
(1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th)Respected Mechanical Con-tractor requires Journeyman and Apprentice Plumbers for Langford School project. Previous experience is an asset. Team Environment.
BIG BROTHERS Big Sisters Victoria seeks adult males to match with a Little Brother for a few hours a week, for at least one year. Matches are made based on common inter-ests, schedules etc. See the difference a few hours a week can make in the life of a child. Call Volunteer Victoria at 250-386-2269.
CREATIVELY UNITED for thePlanet is seeking volunteers for the 4th annual Earth Week Festival, April 25-26 event at the English Inn, 429 Lampson St. Call Volunteer Victoria at 250-386-2269.
The Sunshine Clown Society seeks volunteer Care clownsfor senior’s residences. If you would love to join us, and are readily available on Mondays and Tuesdays, please com-plete the application form on the volunteering page of www.thesunshineclownband.comSubmissions must be received before Feb. 27/ 15. Successful applicants must attend an or-ientation/training and complete a criminal record check.
VOLUNTEEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Victoria Disability Resource Centre is looking for a part-time, volunteer executive director to manage daily operations. The Centre promotes independent living for people with disabilities through its core programs of information and referral, peer support, employment & community development.
WILD ANIMAL Rehabilitation Centre needs volunteers to help care for patients, reach out to the community, raise funds, educate the public, and even transport wildlife in dis-tress. Potential volunteers are invited to attend an orientation session by signing up online at www.wildarc.com
PERSONAL SERVICES
ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
BARBARA LEIGHHYPNOTHERAPIST-
MIND BODY & SPIRIT
KRIPALU MASSAGE, Reiki, Acupressure, Chair Massage. I have relaxed clients that have been with me for 5-12 years. See testimonials on website. Women only. Call 250-514-6223 or visit online at: www.andreakober.com
HOLISTIC HEALTH
Trager® Bodywork Gentle & effective.
Move more freely with less pain and tension.
Increase body awareness Feel deeply relaxed.
Hot Stone MassageMuscles soothe from the deep penetrating heat of
smooth basalt rocks gliding along tight muscles. Tensions melt away.
Rae BilashCertifi ed Practitioner
Women only, men by referral250-380-8733
www.raebilash.ca
ESTHETIC SERVICES
NAILS BY Deborah- Now ac-cepting new clients. Educator, over 30yrs exp. Try 1 nail free. Specializing in natural acrylic w/ gel overlay, $45, ($28 for natural nail fi ll). (250)474-5628
FINANCIAL SERVICES
ARE YOU $10K or more in debt? DebtGo can help reduce a signifi cant portion of your debt load. Call now and see if you qualify. 1-800-351-1783
IF YOU own a home or real estate, Alpine Credits can lend you money: It’s That Simple. Your Credit / Age / Income is not an issue. 1.800.587.2161.
PERSONAL SERVICES
FINANCIAL SERVICES
GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB.
1-877-987-1420 www.pioneerwest.com
LARGE FUNDBorrowers Wanted
Start saving hundreds of dollars today! We can easily approve you by phone. 1st, 2nd or 3rd mortgage money is available right now. Rates start at Prime. Equity counts. We don’t rely on credit, age or income.
Call Anytime1-800-639-2274 or
604-430-1498. Apply online www.capitaldirect.ca
PETS
PETS
Std POODLE pups, CKC, M/F, 16 wks, trained, all shots, health guar’t, exc. pedigree, $1800. Camaraderie Kennels, Victoria (250)381-0855
MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
AUCTIONS
BUD HAYNES & Ward’s Fire-arms Auction. Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m., 11802 - 145 St., Edmonton, Alberta. One Man’s Collection, store disper-sal, case lots, ammo, etc. Consign now. Catalogue w/pictures online. Phone 403-347-5855 or 780-451-4549; www.budhaynesauctions.com; www.WardsAuctions.com.
SAWMILLS FROM only $4,397 - Make money & save money with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. Free info & DVD available online: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/ 400OT or call 1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT.
MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE
STEEL BUILDINGS/metalbuildings 60% off! 20x28,30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120,60x150, 80x100 sell for bal-ance owed! Call 1-800-457-2206 or visit us online:www.crownsteelbuildings.ca.
STEEL BUILDINGS. “Really big sale!” All steel buildingmodels and sizes. Plus extrasavings. Buy now and we willstore until spring. Call PioneerSteel at 1-800-668-5422 or on-line: www.pioneersteel.ca
LAVENDER CO-OP accept-ing applications for a 1 bdrm,$620/mo. Quiet area, sm petok, W/D hook up, insuite stor-age, lrg bright kitchen. Grossincome $25,000 +, share pur-chase is $2,500. Applicationsavailable in the glass case out-side the Community Hall; 10A-620 Judah St.
HOMES FOR RENT
CENTRAL SAANICH: 2 bdrm,1.5 bath, full bsmt, 5 appls,garden, $1700/mo. NS/NP.Call 250-652-1624
HAUL A WAY- Clean and green, Junk removal. Free quotes. Call (778)350-5050.
JUNK REMOVAL 7 days / wk.Fast Service, Best Prices!! Free quotes. (250)857-JUNK.
PARRY’S HAULING We haul it all - FREE estimates. Call Wes 250-812-7774.
PETE’S HAUL A DAY- Junk removal. Airforce guy. Call 250-888-1221.
SAVE-A-LOT HAULING Furniture, appliance, garden waste, we take it all! Always lowest rate, senior discount. Brad 250-217-9578.
HEAT, AIR, REFRIGERATION
HEATING, VENTILATION & INDOOR AIR QUALITYInstallation Services &
ConversionsFurnaces, Boilers, F/P, Hot water tanks, Heat pumps.
Byron, 250-516-2917.
HOME/BUSINESS SERVICES
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
FULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, re-liable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. 1-800-573-2928.
MASONRY & BRICKWORK
CBS MASONRYBBB. WCB. Chimneys, fi replaces, fl agstone rock, concrete, natural & veneered stone.
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SERVICE DIRECTORYwww.bcclassified.com 250.388.3535
Today’s Solution
Sudoku
Remember no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.
To solve a Sudoku puzzle,every number 1 to 9must appear in:• Each of the nine vertical columns• Each of the nine horizontal rows• Each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes
• ATVs • Bicycles • Camping Gear • Kayaks • Student Rentals• Landscaping Service • Painting Service• Summer Jobs
ADVERTISE IN...Summer is the perfect time to
CrosswordACROSS 1. Cavalry sword 6. Cleaving tools11. Fall flower14. Insures residential mortgages15. Gran Argentine plain16. Beak or bill18. Isaac’s mother21. Sloping loose rock debris23. Ballerina painter Edgar25. Work stoppage26. Self-immolation by fire rituals28. Can’t move29. Measures atmospheric pressure31. Dash34. Adult male human35. Foot (Latin)36. Hearths39. Milksops
40. Wax letter closures44. Withdraw from circulation45. Manila hemp47. An alloy of copper and zinc48. Fire embers50. Thousand cubic feet (abbr.)51. Catches56. British Air Aces57. Blossoming62. Rush-like marsh plant63. Small integer
DOWN 1. Allotments 2. One of the six noble gases 3. Next to 4. Upper left keyboard key 5. Used with sis boom bah 6. Supervises interstate commerce
33. Inheritors36. Marked by extreme emotion or force37. Perceive with the eye38. A very large body of water39. Nuclear near reach weapon41. Basics42. Thai language43. In short supply46. Wings49. Left heart there51. Domestic swine52. They ___53. Point midway between S and E54. Western states time zone55. Upstate NY airport code58. Iron59. Libyan dinar60. Trauma center61. Point midway between N and E
7. The 17th Greek letter 8. Old English 9. 1/16 inch in printing10. First lights11. N. Central African country12. Sodium13. More humble in spirit14. Foreign Service17. Hive insects19. Honorable title (Turkish)20. Head covering21. Throat infection22. Mediterranean Greek island24. A brother or sister25. Golfer Snead27. Indigenous Laplanders28. Cornbreads30. Radioactivity unit31. Flax spinning staff32. Upbeat part of a measure
Today’s Answers
A30 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
Daniel PalmerBlack Press
When Ernie Dechant tells peo-ple he used to be a blood spatter expert in the RCMP, he anticipates the wide eyes and prodding for his grizzliest crime stories.
Dechant instead chooses to highlight the supportive Greater Victoria community he’s discover-ing as one of two civilian program co-ordinators for Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers.
“What I love about this job is when you see crimes of a personal nature, the tips come flooding in. The community won’t stand for it,” says Dechant.
Crammed into a tiny office in the basement of the Saanich Police Department, Crime Stoppers is once again ramping up in the Capi-tal Region with dedicated civilian staff. (The program was previously run in-house by police officers.)
The two-person team, whose salaries are covered in part by each police department in the region, includes Dechant and fel-low co-ordinator Amanda Schenk. After setting up in November, the pair is now on a mission to better inform the community about the
unique service.“Crime Stoppers really is about
gathering information, that’s our mandate,” says Schenk, who grew up in Saanich and spent her sum-mers between university working in Saanich police’s records depart-ment. “The other part of it is let-ting people know we’re keeping the community safe.”
The biggest misconception of Crime Stoppers, says Schenk, is that potential tipsters are often afraid they’ll be compelled to identify themselves or testify if a tip proves worthwhile to a police
investigation. But that’s just not true.
“We can guarantee your protec-tion by never having your infor-mation in the first place,” Dechant says. “There is legislated case law that protects you and the tip infor-mation, and we couldn’t identify you even if we were compelled by a court order.”
Every 1-800 call is answered by a 24/7 call centre in Ontario, where it’s screened and then sent to the relevant jurisdiction. If the tip is urgent, anonymous callers are asked to call 911. Incoming phone
numbers aren’t recorded.“In our office, we get tips when
we come in in the morning, and begin putting them out to Crime Stoppers liaisons at each police department from there,” Schenk said.
Police liaisons are then respon-sible for determining whether action is required or if the tip is kept for information only.
After 30 days, Schenk and Dechant follow up with the police department to determine whether a cash reward of up to $2,000 is appropriate for the tipster.
“We have a tip calculator that assigns points and calculates the reward value based on how much property and drugs were seized and the arrests made. If there’s a risk to the caller, that drives up the reward as well,” Schenk says.
Each week, Dechant and Schenk gather information on at-large criminals and crimes where police needs tips.
Volunteers will soon be needed for the upcoming summer event season, when Crime Stoppers will up their community presence and begin spreading the word about how their service makes an impact.
“Crime Stoppers combats the two things that stop people from reporting crime: fear and apathy,” adds Schenk. “We combat those through anonymity and the poten-tial of a cash reward. The result is the community is safer for it.”
For more information or to report a tip anonymously, visit victoriacrimestoppers.com or call 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Crime Stopperssets up shop
Daniel Palmer/Black Press
Amanda Schenk, left, and Ernie Dechant pose with the Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers van, which will be used to promote the program at events across the region.
Crime Stoppers statsn Tips Received in 2013: 680n Recovered Property/Drugs in 2013: $195,164n Rewards Approved in 2013: 19n Arrests Made: 2,349n Cases Cleared: 2,391n Rewards Paid: $423,586n Property Recovered: $5,727,892n Drugs Seized: $25,043,660n Total $ Recovered: $30,771,552(Source: Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers, April 2014)
OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A15OAK BAY NEWS - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 www.oakbaynews.com • A31
Thursday, Feb. 5Monterey middle
school is accepting applications for the 2015 -16 school year
Parent information night from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Meet students, teachers and the principal, and find out more about programs and tour the school.
Oak Bay Art Club show at Goward House Society, 2495 Arbutus Rd., runs weekdays to Feb. 25.
Friday, Feb. 6Drop-in Family
Storytime from 10:30-11 a.m. at the Oak Bay branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, 1442 Monterey Ave.
Living with Stroke. All stroke survivors and their families are welcome. Program runs until March 22. Gordon Head Recreation Centre, 4100 Lambrick Way, Saanich, 1 to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7Volkssport 5/10 km
walk. Meet at Cedar Hill Recreation Centre, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd. Registration 9:30 a.m.; walk 10 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 8AGGV Lecture
Series. The Shaping of Modern Art. Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1040 Moss St., 2 p.m. Info: aggv.ca.
Volkssport 5/10 km walk. Meet at Fairfield Community Centre, 1335 Thurlow Rd. Registration 9:30 a.m.; walk 10 a.m. Contact is Ada at 778-922-1950.
Monday, Feb. 9Family Fun Day
at Victoria West Community Centre, 521 Craigflower Rd.
Second Information & Outreach for Lolita the lost local orca from 11 a.m to 12:30 p.m. at Willows Beach. A group of local whale lovers is asking that the local orca Lolita be released from captivity in Miami Seaquarium and returned to her family in L pod which
swims off our shores. A “retirement plan” has been organized for her rehabilitation and family reunion -- details can be found at Washington state-based www.orcanetwork.org.
Tuesday, Feb. 10The Keys To
Transforming Your Life is an interactive and experiential spiritual program. It runs from Feb. 10 to April 14, from 7 to 10 p.m., at the Centre for Inspired Living, 380 Cook St.
Drop in Toddler time, for youngsters 16-35 months and their caregiver. Toddler-terrific stories, songs, rhymes and puppets. No registration required. Starts 10:30 a.m. at the Oak Bay branch of the GVPL, 1442 Monterey Ave. For information, call 250-590-0150.
Volkssport 5/10 km walk. Meet at Running Room, Broadmead Shopping Centre, 777 Royal Oak Drive. Registration 5:45 p.m.; walk 6 p.m. Contact is Gail at 250-477-4472.
Wednesday, Feb. 11Monterey middle
school is accepting applications for the 2015 -16 school year. An informal drop-in to Grade 6 and exploratory classes, arrive anytime between 10.30 a.m. and noon at 851 Monterey Ave. 250-598-4589.
Friday, Feb. 13Soprano Lambroula
Pappas performs with the Palm Court Light Orchestra performing arias from La Boheme and Tosca, 7:30 p.m. at UVic Centre. Call 250-721-8480 for tickets.
Victoria Chamber Orchestra presents a Beethoven concert, First Metropolitan Church, 932 Balmoral Rd., 8 p.m. Tickets available at victoriachamber orchestra.org.
Drop-in Family Storytime from 10:30-11 a.m. at the Oak Bay branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, 1442 Monterey Ave.
Saturday, Feb. 14Volkssport 5/10
km walk. Meet at Esquimalt Recreation Centre, 527 Fraser St. Registration 9:30 a.m.; walk 10 a.m. Contact is Hazel at 250-385-5439.
Sunday, Feb. 15Volkssport 5/10
km walk. Meet at Pearkes Recreation Centre, 3100 Tillicum Rd. Registration is at 9:30 a.m.; walk 10
a.m. Contact is Joan or Gord at 250-479-6512.
Share your community event email your community calendar item to [email protected].
Community Calendar
Want to get your event on theOak Bay Community Events page?
The Oaks Restaurant, Oak Bay Avenue - Band Nights FEBRUARY DATES (from 7 pm till 9 pm)• Feb. 6th - 0zmoses plays crowd pleasing
favorites.• Feb. 13th - Young musical genius plays piano &
sings in the Craig Henderson Trio. • Feb. 20th - Diamond-Tooth-Molly and her band
Rig-a-Jig play lively Celtic tunes. • Feb. 27th - The guys of Bijoux du Bayou bring the
down the house with cajun style.• First Sunday of every month - Stephen Brown
and the Bastion Band 5:30 pm-8:30 pm.
Eclectic Gallery - Artists Salon• Till Feb. 28th - Eclectic Gallery introduces their
first ‘Salon’ style exhibit featuring over a dozen
gallery artists who really immerse themselves in their vision of discovery. Their work is fluid, expressive and abstract while often being site specific. It brings the viewer to a plane of contemplative reflection as does nature itself. What is remarkable, for example, is the way Jim McFarland uses color by rendering nature’s palate further than what the eye sees. Similarly, with Desiree Bond and Mark Brennan their abstraction of detail draws us into the image as if we were inside their imagination. Kenna Barradell handles still life work like none other.
Carlton House, Oak Bay Avenue• Free Informative Seminars - Please reserve
your spot as space is limited, call 250 595 1914 or email: [email protected]
• Feb. 7th at 1 pm DOWNSIZING - presented by Jill Phipps. • Feb. 12th at 2 pm CONDUCTOR VSO - Maestro Tania Miller.• Feb. 19th at 2 pm LAW FOR SENIORS - presented by Fiona E. Hughes - • Feb. 26th at 2 pm ADVANCED CARE PLANNING - presented by Dawn Dompierre. Windsor Pavilion, 2451 Windsor
Road• February 12th at 7 pm - Oak Bay Heritage
Lecture - The sacred and healing plants of Uplands Park. Friends of Uplands Park and Oak Bay Heritage
present - The sacred and healing plants of Uplands Park, presented by Dr. Nancy Turner with Songhees Elder Sellemah (Joan Morris). Donations welcome - refreshments served.
Oak Bay Recreation Centre (Upstairs Lounge)• February 13th - Valentines Dance with
Groove Kitchen. Concert starts at 7:30 pm A red hot mix of funk, Latin and soul. Take your
sweetheart and your dancing shoes for a great evening of music and dancing. Groove Kitchen are a quintet playing classics by Maceo Park, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Tickets are $12 and are available at Ivy’s Bookshop, Oak Bay Recreation Centre reception or online and for full details at www.beaconridgeproductions.com.
Tickets are $15 at the door.
Oak Bay Recreation Centre• February 16th - Coast Capital Free Swim
between 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. - Enjoy free admission to the Everyone Welcome Swim.
Monterey Recreation Centre - A Glittery Affair • February 19th - 5 pm till 8:30 pm. Advance
tickets required. Call or visit Monterey Recreation Centre. Tel: 250 370 7300. - A wonderful evening opens with a delicious dinner, followed a beautiful dance demonstration, followed by live music, the Bob Morrison Orchestra, with vocalist Miranda Sage.
Oak Bay United Church, 1355 Mitchell St. ‘I Remember You’ - a concert in support of
the Canadian Cancer Society• February 27th - Doors open at 7:00 pm. -
Suggested minimum donation, $10. A concert for a great cause, featuring Don Williams, Baritone, Kiiri Michelsen, Mezzo Soprano, Andrew Greenwood, Saxophone and Peter Dent on the Piano.
Oak Bay Recreation Centre (Upstairs Lounge) Live music
from - The Sweet Lowdown• February 27th from 7:30 pm. - The Sweet
Lowdown blend original songwriting and three part harmonies with an old fashioned groove. An award-winning acoustic roots trio. Tickets are $12 and are available at Ivy’s Bookshop, Oak Bay Recreation Centre reception or online and for full details at www.beaconridgeproductions.com. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Monterey Recreation Centre Rummage Sale
• February 28th - 9am till 1pm - This very popular sale will have numerous stalls including, books, attic treasures, art, clothing, linens, electronics and more.
Regional Sustainability StrategyInfrastructure & Energy
Regional Sustainability StrategyInfrastructure & Energy
Regional Sustainability StrategyA HEALTHY SUSTAINABLE CAPITAL REGION
Infrastructure & Energy
Regional Sustainability Strategy
Tell us what you think!The Draft Regional Sustainability Strategy, a plan for the future of our region to 2038, is ready for your feedback.Before February 15, 2015, visit our website to provide your feedback on this draft and to discover other ways to give ongoing input as the process continues.www.crd.bc.ca/sustainability
A16 • www.oakbaynews.com Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - OAK BAY NEWS
v ic tor ia ’s newest show!
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Victoria’sEarlyBuilding,RenovationandDecorShow!
Friday, February 271:00 pm - 9:00 pm
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