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OAK BAYNEWS Wednesday, August 26, 2015
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Oak Bay grants leeway for election Christine van Reeuwyk Oak Bay News
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Students from Oak Bay High and the Netherlands take samples from Bowker Creek where it runs behind the high school. The samples are part of an international water quality study.
Creek study sends students overseas Christine van Reeuwyk Oak Bay News
While many students fear the onset of fall, a handful of Oak Bay High students gearing up to study water, both at home and abroad. The students study Bowker Creek, which runs through their schoolyard where a major restoration is underway by the Capital Regional District. “We’re monitoring and surveying the creek before and after to see what effects the restoration has had and the impact on biodiversity,” said Robert Lee, a Grade 12 student participating in the Netherlands collaboration. “They sent some students here in April to participate in our water surveying activities.”
Students at Oak Bay High got involved early in the Bowker Creek restoration project through the CRD. They were part of information sessions two years ago, and started the testing past this school year. “We wanted to get a baseline of data to determine what the health of the creek was,” said science teacher Derek Shrubsole. Students pulled on hip-waders and took water samples, then had a local company volunteer to provide analysis. They learned that Bowker Creek suffers the fate of many urban waterways – somewhere along the line, it’s garnering e-coli among other things found after rain washes contaminants in from the roadways. “There’s no other smell or other signs that would indicate e-coli … it’s a typical urban waterway problem,” Shrubsole said.
“We also looked at the riparian vegetation … trying to get a sense of going into this what do we have now.” Oak Bay High is working with Maurick College in The Netherlands in an exchange centred around water security and sustainability. As part of this collaboration, Oak Bay hosted students from Maurick College during the Bowker Creek pre-restoration survey project in April. “It’s also a time for a cultural exchange where they get to experience a different part of the world. They came here and did that. Then we’re going to go in October and be part of a water-based project there.” PLEASE SEE: Oak Bay students plan return trip Page 2
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Campaign sings popping up on lawns may contravene Oak Bay’s sign bylaw, but council told staff to not enforce the policy due to an unusual set of circumstances. “It is important to the election process that we deal with this,” Jensen said. “We can, and have in the past, provided enforcement policy … in a very general nature.” Oak Bay’s sign bylaw that doesn’t allow for the unusual 78 days between when the election was called and the Oct. 19 voting day. Oak Bay’s sign bylaw states signs can go up no more than 30 days before an election. “It’s never been a problem in my experience in a federal or provincial election,” said mayor Nils Jensen during a special council held Friday morning specifically to address the issue. That section of the bylaw was likely “created in the way it was due to esthetics,” Jensen said, avoiding an overload of signs blighting the landscape which he called a “laudable goal.” Amending the bylaw would take four to six weeks so council opted to ask staff to disregard that portion of the bylaw related to campaign signs. Staff also use discretion with enforcement of signs that warn of deer and support the CBC, which appear throughout the community. During the Aug. 21 morning meeting, Coun. Kevin Murdoch also asked that staff add it to their list of things to consider during priority setting. Coun. Hazel Braithwaite suggested she’d like to see the subject broached, adding she saw contravention of the bylaw during the last municipal election. “I would like to see the sign bylaw made much clearer,” she said. cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
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