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COMMUNITY Halloween is a mere 10 days away and the folks over at Eerie Acres are already scaring up a few devilish ideas Page 5
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Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Sooke is Selling!
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Public art enhances a community’s livability and we should all be working toward creating more of it Page 10
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2015 Sooke Home Sales: 327 2014 Sooke Home Sales: 300 TAMMI DIMOCK
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MP Randall Garrison ready to get back to work, despite huge NDP loss Kevin Laird Sooke News Mirror
Monday was a bittersweet night for Randall Garrison and the NDP. Garrison won a second term as MP, this time in the reconfigured riding of Esquimalt-Saanich Sooke, but the party was decimated across the nation being demoted to third-party status in the House of Commons. In the lead-up to the election, the New Democrats were poised to form government leading most polls. “The reason we didn’t get there is that we stood on principle and I’ll always be proud of the campaign [NDP leader] Tom [Mulcair] won. He didn’t give in to fear. He didn’t give in to division. He didn’t give in to those negative things that the Conservatives were promoting,” Garrison told party supporters at an NDP after party at Esquimalt Legion on Monday night. Garrison captured 35 per cent of the popular vote, with 23,816 votes cast. Liberal David Merner placed second with 18,573 votes, followed by Green Frances Litman, Conservative Shari Lukens and Communist Tyson Strandlund. Merner, who was considered the Liberals best shot at winning an Island seat, said his team worked hard at upsetting Garrison. “We had a responsibility to work as hard as we can and I believe we did, and that’s all that matters,” he said. “We’ve laid a track for next time, so we’ll see where that track takes us.” Garrison said although the NDP was unsuccessful, it did manage to push Prime Minister Stephen Harper out of
FuNdiNg APPROVEd FOR NEw libRARy Kevin Laird Sooke News Mirror
Kevin Laird/Sooke News Mirror
MP Randall Garrison won another term on Monday night, but the New Democrats suffered huge losses nationwide. office. Now the NDP’s task is to finish some unfinished business, he said. Garrison wants to make sure Liberals bring shipbuilding jobs to this riding – a promise made by the Conservatives – by next year. SEE ELECTION • PAGE 2
How you voted CANDIDATES *Randall Garrison, NDP David Merner, Lib. Frances Litman, Green Shari Lukens, Conservative Tyson Strandlund, Communist * Elected ** Preliminary results
VOTES 23,816 18,573 13,578 11,885 135
The Capital Regional District will borrow $6 million to build a new Vancouver Island Regional Library in Sooke. The CRD will take out the loan on behalf of VIRL. VIRL would service the debt for construction of the new library. A new library has been planned for Sooke for several years, as the current facility on Anna Marie Road is outdated. Recently, plans for a new library took a back seat after there were no successful applicants in the bid to build the facility. The proposals fell through due to the facility’s required 10,000 square footage, including that it must be contained on one level. The library plan was referred to VIRL’s executive board is expected to debate the proposal and report back to the VIRL board this fall. North Saanich and Sidney are also looking at potential library sites. klaird@sookenewsmirror.com >> We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to editor@ sookenewsmirror.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and your name.
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