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News & Business

February 2010

NEWS ARCHIVE:

Feb.27. A tsunami advisory has been issued for all of coastal BC following today's 8.8 earthquake in Chile. The West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says a tsunami advisory means there is a possibility of strong localized currents. No significant inundation is expected, but low-lying coastal areas and beaches are at risk. The provincial emergency system says experts predict the first wave arrival time of 15:11 PST at the southern BC coastline. The District of Sooke says "persons should move out of the water, off the beach and out of the harbours and marinas from the arrival time and up to 2 hours afterwards". Info/updates will be posted on the District’s website. See: Canadian Press Story | District of Sooke bulletin

Feb.26. Today is Sooke Day at the Olympics O|Zone venue in Richmond, BC. A Mayor's Reception hosted by Janet Evans will greet invited guests as well as volunteers who have helped with the display. The interactive display reached its target of 100,000 visitors by Day 5 (of the Feb.12-28 venue action), according to Evan Parliament, Chief Admin Officer, District of Sooke. Samples of smoked salmon courtesy of E-Fish-Ent will be distributed to visitors. Eco-tourism and the visual arts have been the primary thrust of the presentation, in the District's work to put Sooke on the tourism map. Sooke-Day Story

Feb.25. The bronze medal in Women's Ice Skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics was won by Canada's Joannie Rochette tonight. She skated second to last on the 24-skater program.

Feb.23. A "personal best" record score in the women's short program ice skating was set by Canada's Joannie Rochette this evening at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Her 71.36 score (surpassing her previous best of 70.0) was particularly powerful in light of her mother's sudden death from a heart attack upon arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete in the Olympics. Final skate (long program / free skate - 4 minutes) takes place Thursday evening, Feb.25, starting 5:00 pm Pacific; the official lineup has Rochette on the ice towad the end of the program (23rd of 24).

Feb.22. Canadian ice dance skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have won Gold for Canada in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC tonight, Feb.22. It's the first Gold medal in ice dancing for any North American team. Story.

Feb.22. Sooke has a new association of writers, editors, publishers, booksellers and others who are interested in promoting a range of literary pursuits. With a name still to be finalized, the group's mission includes creating a "third plank" for tourist attraction to the Sooke area (in addition to eco-tourism and the visual arts), that being "literary tourism" achieved through various events and workshops. Story.

Feb.12-28. A good number of movers and shakers of Sooke have been (and still are) attending Sooke's tourism promotional venue at the OZone venue, as part of the Winter Olympic Games, Feb.12-28. Volunteer passes were received by those who have gone to the mainland to promote our community. Story to come.

Feb.15. A new storefront business offering printing, meeting space and training in Sooke opens today as the MapleLine Business Centre at 6707 West Coast Road. The premises also houses the MapleLine Magazine office and is the new home for the MapleLine Journalism Program.

Feb.12. The outdoor cauldron of the Winter Olympic Games was lit by Wayne Gretzky during a 2.5-hour opening ceremony in Vancouver. It's the first time an Olympic ceremony has been held at an indoor venue. Canadian Olympic athletes were greeted with a standing ovation. Entertainment performances included singers Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan. The Olympic flag was carried in by Betty Fox (mother of Terry Fox), actor Donald Sutherland, singer Anne Murray, astronaut Julie Payette, and others. The death yesterday of an athlete from Georgia (while on a luge training run) was acknowledged with a minute of silence. Full coverage on CTVOlympics.ca .

Feb.11. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has released some H1N1 followup: The median age of the 8,507 Canadians hospitalized for H1N1 was 28, compared to 71 during a regular flu season. Compared to a typical flu season, proportionately more H1N1 patients required specialized and intensive hospital care. There were 4 deaths of pregnant women with H1N1 compared to "exceedingly rare" death occurence from regular seasonal flu.

Feb.9. Every moment of the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 will be streamed online. The CTV-Rogers 80/20 consortium covering the Olympics during Feb.12-28 will offer more online coverage of the Games (2,350 hours of streaming video plus interviews and behind-the-scenes clips) than has ever before been seen of Olympic Games. Online coverage will be at CTVOlympics.ca as well as on social media, plus on air by 11 TV stations and 10 radio stations.

Feb.6. A moderate number of onlookers came to the Sooke Fire Hall to view Sooke's BC Streets display for the 2010 Olympics O|Zone celebration venue. Story & photos.

Feb.5. Sooke's display for the O|Zone venue at the Olympics will be on display Sat. Feb. 6 at the Sooke Fire Hall, 2225 Otter Point Road, from 10 am to 3 pm. Volunteers worked long hours in a relatively short period of time to construct the 20' x 40' exhibit which includes representations of a killer whale, a beach, a lighthouse, the Sooke boardwalk, and more. After the weekend, the display will be packed up and transported to the "BC Streets" display in the OZone venue, located in Richmond, BC for the duration of the Feb.12-28 Olympic Games. "Sooke 2010" is highlighted at the District-sponsored www.sooke2010.com/sooke-olympics.com .

Feb.1. The average house sale price in Sooke in January 2010 (17 sales) was $399,306 which is the same price point as sales in May 2009. The overall average price of single family home sales in 2009 in Sooke was $404,339. Prices fluctuate based on various market factors including how many new homes onto the market in addition to resale housing. Last month there were only 2 townhome sales (averaging $331,450); there were no condo sales in January. Story on real estate trends for 2010.

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Send comments and news releases to: editor@maplelinemagazine.com

Community Events

February 2010

EVENTS ARCHIVE:

Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce ~ Lunch Meeting. Tues. Feb.2. 12 noon. At Village Food Markets Upstairs meeting room. RSVP by noon Mon.Feb.1. info@sookeharbourchamber.com

Sooke Community Arts Council ~ Regular Monthly Meeting. Tues. Feb.2. 7:30 pm. In the Potlatch Room, Sooke Harbour House. Send agenda items to sookeart@shaw.ca .

Health & Wellness Issue ~ MapleLine Magazine. Release date Wed. Feb.3. Watch for the Winter-Spring 2010 issue of MapleLine Magazine (Health & Wellness issue) coming Wed. Feb.3 as an insert in the Sooke News Mirror. Includes guest editorials from the District's Chief Administrative Officer, the 2010 president of the local Chamber of Commerce, the co-owner of Sooke Harbour House, and a rep from Sooke Food CHI. Available in Sooke town centre (stores and coffee shops, SEAPARC, Sooke Region Museum, and District of Sooke office lobby).

Sooke Consciousness Cafe ~ Regular Monthly Meeting. Thurs. Feb.4. 7:00 pm. At the Reading Room Cafe in the Evergreen Mall, 6660 Sooke Road. Doors open 7 pm for networking and purchasing refreshments, meeting 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Info.

See Sooke's Olympics Games O|Zone booth before it is shipped to Richmond, BC. Open to the public. Sat. Feb.6. 10 am to 3 pm. At the Sooke Fire Hall, 2225 Otter Point Rd., Sooke.

Sooke All Arts Society. Tues. Feb.9. 7:00 pm. Planning meeting for a summer visual art tour likely to be held the 1st week of August. All Sooke-area artists welcome. At the Reading Room Cafe, Evergreen Mall, 6660 Sooke Rd., Sooke.

Volunteer Bureau. Wed. Feb. 10. 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Planning meeting for a Volunteer Bureau for the Sooke Region.

Funding Foundation. Thurs. Feb. 11. 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Planning meeting for a Funding Foundation for the Sooke Region.

Sooke has a booth at the O|Zone in Richmond, BC ~ Feb.12-28 ~ as part of the Olympic Games celebrations. See the booth before it goes to the mainland: Sat. Feb.6 (10 am to 3 pm), at the Sooke Fire Hall, 2225 Otter Point Rd., Sooke.

Sooke is to be represented by a walk-about, interactive display at the 2010 Olympics, with a 20' x 40' booth in the BC Streets display (10 municipalities on display) at the O|Zone location in Richmond, BC, Feb.12-28. Funded and organized by the District of Sooke. The display is being constructed at the Sooke Fire Hall (with artistic input from artists organized through the Sooke Program of the Arts Committee), then dismantled and shipped to Richmond for the event. An open house was held on Sat. Feb.6 at the Sooke Fire Hall for Sooke residents to view the display before it is shipped. The presentation in Richmond will require six Sooke volunteers per day (3-11 pm).

Open Your Heart to Haiti. Sun. Feb. 14. 2:00 pm. Benefit concert for Haitian relief, at EMCS, 6218 Sooke Road. Admission by donation. Doors open at 1:30 pm. Presented by the Sooke Community Choir and features performances by: Ekoos Vocal Ensemble, Grace Notes, Kim Brandt ~ guitar, Mary Brown ~ harpsichord, Nancy Washeim ~ soprano, The Pothole Pipers, Sooke Philharmonic Chamber Players, Sooke Philharmonic Chorus, Sooke Community Choir. Sponsored by: EMCS Society, Sooke Moving & Storage, Sooke Fax & Copy Centre, Village Food Markets. Info: 250-483-6842 or 250-642-4284.

How interesting is your business? Journalism Workshop Series - focus in February

The writers in the MapleLine Journalism Program will be focussing on writing about business in the next few weeks. This is a career development program suitable for young adults (17+) and working adults who want to build a portfolio in CP Style, get articles published, and receive a completion certificate. If (in the Fall of 2009)you or your business expressed an interest in having an article written about your company (or organization), please expect a phone call or email about it during February.

MapleLine Business Centre opens in Sooke, at 6707 West Coast Road (across from Peoples Drug Mart), Mon. Feb.15. 9 am to 5 pm. Official opening of the new MapleLine Business Centre on Mon. Feb.15. Reps from businesses and organizations are invited to drop in 9 am to 5 pm. Bring a plant for the outdoor flower boxes (Double D Gardens says be sure they're deer resistant) and get a $10 print discount coupon. The new centre offers print, marketing, design services, website setups, web hosting, book self-publishing support, photocopying, Internet station, computer training, and meeting space. Phone 250-642-7729 to pre-order your business print requirements (flyers, brochures, posters) or to itemize your toner/ink supply requirements in the Office Supply Registry.

Regular meeting, Sooke Community Development Assoc. Wed. Feb.17. 7 pm. In the meeting room at Village Food Markets (upstairs).

Food drive for the Sooke Food Bank. Sun. Feb.21, 10 am to 2 pm. Donations will be received at Village Food Markets and Western Foods. Coordinated by the Harbours District Girl Guides as a national service project to help eradicate hunger and poverty.

Planning meeting for new Sooke Writers Association (group name to be finalized). Mon. Feb.22. 1 pm. For anyone interested in the maintenance of writing and books in the modern age. Come vote for the name of this new group. At the Mapleline Business Centre, 6707 West Coast Road, Sooke. Info: MapleLine Magazine or Reading Room Bookstore .

Monthly MapleLine Journalism Program workshop. Thurs. Feb. 25. Topic this month: Writing about environmental issues. Pre-registration required (certificate program). Thurs. Feb. 25, 7:00 to 9:30 pm, MapleLine Business Centre, 6707 West Coast Road. Info.

Monthly BizNet meeting with speaker. Thurs. Feb. 25. Open to all businesses. Speaker tba. Thurs. Feb. 25, 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Sooke Ocean Resort, 6669 Horne Rd., Sooke. Cost is $20 per person for refreshments; RVSP requested.

Seedy Saturday - Sat. Feb.27. 10 am to 2 pm. Seasoned gardeners and first time planters, come buy seeds, swap some, learn planting tips and meet friends. At SEAPARC Leisure Complex. Fee $5. Info: 250-642-8000

Olympic Torch Grand Finale ~ Sat. Feb.27 ~ 1:30 to 4:30 pm, Sooke Community Hall. Sooke will do its part to wrap up the 2010 Winter Games with an event at Sooke Community Hall, Feb. 27. Including acknowledgement speeches and recognition of torch bearers. Kids activities by SEAPARC. Refreshments, displays.

Sooke has a booth at the O|Zone in Richmond, BC ~ Feb.12-28 ~ as part of the Olympic Games celebrations.

Sooke is represented by a walk-about, interactive display at the 2010 Olympics, with a 20' x 40' booth in the BC Streets display (10 municipalities on display) at the O|Zone location in Richmond, BC, Feb.12-28. Funded and organized by the District of Sooke. Stories.

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Click here for a summary of 2010 PRINT EDITION editorial themes and ad deadlines.

Sooke Leaders

Event backgounders | Lost & Found

Health, Environment, & Art

February 2010

ARCHIVE:

Awareness Film Night ~ Wed. Feb.17. 7:00. See The Age of Stupid - a hindsight look at ignoring global warming. Environment author Guy Dauncey will give a presentation after the film. At EMCS Theatre, 6218 Sooke Rd., Sooke. By donation.

HELP BEAUTIFY SOOKE TOWN CENTRE! All businesses welcome to drop in Mon. Feb.15 to the new MapleLine Business Centre (6707 West Coast Road - across from Peoples Drug Mart), between 9 am and 5 pm. Please bring a shrub or perennial for planting in our outdoor flower boxes ~ we'll give you a $10 discount coupon for your next print order over $67.07 or meeting room booking (coupon valid to Apr.30). One coupon per business. Ph. 250-642-7729 www.maplelinebusinesscentre.com

February is Heart Month. Canvassers from the Heart & Stroke Foundation will be in the Sooke area. Also: see articles on The Heart Smart Diet - a nutritional approach to heart health and also Health policy in Canada.

The Photography of Jack Most ~ February 10 to 28. At the Little Vienna Bakery, 6726 West Coast Road, Sooke.

Winter Pruning Party - Sat. Feb.27. 10 am to 12 noon. Pruning demonstrations of dormant fruit trees: apples, pears and grape vines. Bring pruner for hands-on experience. Grafting demo and fruit tree clinic to answer questions about cultivation and management. Free event at Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road (in Colwood). Info: 250-391-2600

ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 2010: click here

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