On the homefront
The year in Oak Bay real estate and building A10
LETTERS: Support small businesses; deer appearance at municipal hall of interest /A4 DRIVEWAY: The 2015 top five picks /A6
OAK BAYNEWS Friday, January 1, 2016
www.oakbaynews.com
2015:
The year in review
What were the big stories in Oak Bay this year? What captured headlines or captivated letter writers? Join us in revisiting the top stories of 2015.
JANUARY Bowker Creek spill cleaned up Routine reporting from residents alerted the Oak Bay Fire Department to fuel leaking into Bowker Creek. “They found a very slight amount of oil up near the back of the rec centre,” said deputy fire chief Tom Pearse. “They followed it upstream and determined it was on the other side of the border there and notified Saanich.” Residents are encouraged to report the smell or sight of possible contamination of waterways either to the fire department or Oak Bay public works.
Sorting out sewage
Death of an artist
Cull permit comes through
The Capital Regional District started the new year with a new working group of the three east side municipalities to scope out waste water treatment options for Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria. Nils Jensen, Oak Bay Mayor and CRD chair, said the working group would look very much like the one created in November by Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford, View Royal, and Songhees Nation. “There will be meetings in the three communities. There won’t be a lot of duplication, we’ll be sharing a lot of information,” Jensen said. “It allows us to work together and reach out to residents. There will be a lot of options on the table.”
Famed Canadian artist Ted Harrison died in Victoria on Jan. 16 at the age of 88. He left behind a colourful legacy. Harrison painted daily in his Oak Bay Avenue studio for years, shared his skill with Monterey middle school students and was a familiar face in local coffee shops and on the street. He was known for his bright depictions of the Yukon – where he spent two decades – and the Pacific Northwest where he spent his last two decades. Harrison came to Oak Bay in 1993 and opened the studio in 2006 where fans from near and far would come and watch him. The studio closed in 2012.
Oak Bay prepared to embark on an urban deer cull as the district received its permit in late January from Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to proceed with a cull through the CRD’s Regional Deer Management Strategy pilot project. Oak Bay applied to cull using a modified clover trap and bolt gun method where the animals are captured in a large netted box using bait. The modified clover trap is collapsed on the animal and the contractor uses a bolt gun similar to those used in commercial slaughter. See February, Page A2
The ONLY 55+ gym in Victoria. Why it’s better for you.
No contracts. No loud music. No additional fees for coaching. No cookie cutter gym. Instead, you get monthly memberships, free one on one monitoring, jazz and classical music, a classy setting in Oak Bay Village, and a state of the art fitness studio for ages 55+. Ask about our w w w. f i t - 4 - l i f e . c a
Totally Free Try Out.
250-382-2328
Memberships start at $49/month.
2 n d f l o o r A t h l o n e C o u r t , j u s t a b o v e F a i r w ay s i n O a k B ay V i l l a g e