Decrease in crashes = a great birthday present!

Here is a very kind birthday card my office made for me.

Safety improvements made at Pat Bay and Sayward appear to be working well. Only time will tell (and keep driving safely!) but it is certainly a very positive sign that there has been a significant decrease in serious crashes at this intersection since the safety improvements were completed exactly one year ago.

Thanks are due to the Cordova Bay Community Association (notably Graham Shorthill featured in the card) for keeping the pressure on. I recall past-president Roger Stonebank bending my ear on this issue before I was even elected! Thanks also to the Ministry of Transportation, especially former Minister Blair Lekstrom, Senior Engineer Dave Edgar and District Manager Kirsten Pedersen, as well as the skilled workers who brought the plans to life in a very dangerous workplace. Thanks also to Saanich, BC Transit and local business owners... and of course all of us BC taxpayers who footed the bill!

Lana
MLA, Saanich South

The Heights at Mt. View is open!

What a huge day in our community! We now have a beautiful new seniors residential care facility in Saanich South called The Heights at Mt View. 

President and CEO of Baptist Housing Howard Johnson said he has visited more than 200 sites around North America to incorporate latest advances for seniors with dementia and who are in need of complex care. 

Maltby Lake Event a Success

Here is a report on the event from Carmel and Woody Thomson:

Thank you for venturing out on such a miserable evening to attend the Open House & Community Meeting for the protection of Maltby Lake. Woody and I were thrilled with the turnout. During the Q&A portion, and while I sat amongst a panel of stellar presenters, was it wrong for me to count heads? I counted 79. I admit to being nervous stepping up on the stage, but so glad I did if only to see the faces of the many supporters who have been with us from the beginning. Thank you!

To have a forum dedicated to understanding the ecology, and the natural and conservation values of Maltby Lake was phenomenal. We wish to thank Saanich-South MLA Lana Popham for hosting the learning forum and to her constituency assistant Samuel Godfrey for organizing the event with volunteers.

Guest speakers were experts in the fields of science and conservation. They presented significant information (data) during the course of the evening. It was satisfying to see Maltby Lake recognized for what it is: An ecologically sensitive ecosystem rarely found in the urban landscape.

Location change for Maltby Lake meeting!

The community meeting about Maltby Lake will now take place at:

Claremont Secondary School, 4980 Wesley Road. (Click here for a map.) Tuesday Oct. 21^st.

Agenda

7:00pm - 7:20pm      Displays, coffee, tea and delicious sweets from Cascadia bakery.

7:20pm - 7:30pm      Introduction, MLA Lana Popham

7:30pm - 8:10pm      Presentations on the environmental value of Maltby Lake

·         Mary Haig-Brown, Chair, Friends of Tod Creek Watershed

·         Ian Bruce, Executive Director, Peninsula Streams Society

·         William Shulba, Maltby Lake Mapping Project; and

·         Adam Taylor, Executive Director, Habitat Acquisition Trust

8:10pm - 8:30pm      Questions & answers, discussion.

8:30pm - 8:40pm      Next Steps & meeting close, MLA Lana Popham

We’ve changed the location to accommodate far more interest than we had anticipated. We now have more than enough space (the theatre in the school) so feel free to share the invite and bring a friend or two.

Site C doesn't fit behind closed doors

Site C doesn't fit behind closed doors

Hydro-electricity is extremely important for our province. It's an economic engine and a source of clean and renewable energy.

The Site C project is potentially the next big public hydro project and it’s been up for discussion for years. This past week the BC Liberals granted this project environmental approval. They claim that the benefits outweigh the social and environmental costs of building it.

The Federal Government has said the same thing.

The next step that a responsible Government would take in a project this size, 8 to 10 (or more) billion taxpayer dollars, would be to send it to the BC Utilities Commission.

Protect Maltby Lake

UPDATE: Location change! 

The event is now being held at Claremont School, 4980 Wesley Rd. (Map here) 

No RSVP necessary.

Dear Friends,

Please join me at my Community Office on Tuesday October 21st, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm for an Open House & Discussion about Maltby Lake. 

Few are aware of this extraordinary place, even though it is in Saanich and just ten kilometres from Victoria. There is no place closer to the provincial capital that surpasses Maltby Lake in terms of ecological value or wild beauty.