BREAKING NEWS ~ Sooke: ARCHIVE Jan.2010 Visit: Bi-weekly Sooke ENews pages

News & Business

January 2010

ARCHIVE:

Jan.27. The new Sooke Community Development Association (SCDA) met tonight to elect directors and officers to it first Board. An itemization of eight aspects of the District of Sooke's Official Community Plan (OCP) that are deemed to be top priorities for developers was discussed. Apparently 61 potential members are interested in the organization, with 35 members having paid the $100 membership fee to date; 22 people attended tonight's 1.5-hour meeting that was co-chaired by Allan Bradley, Chris Ricketts and Kate Linnet. The OCP checklist had been prepared by Randy Welters. Officers were acclaimed: Steve Moir, a local builder, as president; Catherine Cloutier of Wild Rocks building supply as VP; Cheryl Vavra, notary public, as acting treasurer; Kate Linnitt as secretary.

Jan.26. The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce will be sending at least one of its directors to every District of Sooke Regular Council meeting during 2010 (it was decided at the Board's Jan.26 noon-hour meeting); reports back to the Chamber will help business in Sooke stayed informed of business-related municipal decision-making.

Jan.25. The construction of 322 modular housing units as part of a Seniors’ Rental Housing (SRH) initiative was announced today by CMHC; the modular units will be shipped to selected rural communities across BC to provide affordable housing for independent seniors and persons with disabilities. The $15.5 million in federal and provincial funding is being made available through an amendment to the Canada – British Columbia Affordable Housing Agreement. News release.

Jan.23. A rally at Victoria's Centennial Square from 1 to 3 pm on Sat., Jan.23 attracted over 1,000 people to the downtown open area alongside Victoria City Hall. Attended by MPs Denise Savoie and Dr. Keith Martin (Gary Lunn, MP did not attend), the event was in protest of Parliament being closed for three months. "Government needs a new direction: one that puts you [the voter] first," said Martin. Protest statements were presented on signs and T-shirts.

Jan.20. A new business centre in Sooke will open Mon. Feb.15 at 6707 West Coast Road. Housing the office of MapleLine Magazine, the MapleLine Business Centre will also offer printing and document design services, web design and hosting, Internet workstation, meeting space and other business support services. Books by self-published authors will be sold on consignment. Staff in training Feb.8-12 will produce print jobs at 10% discount for local business: info@maplelinebusinesscentre.com

Jan.20. The elementary schools in Sooke will offer full-day kindergarten starting Fall 2010 (to June 2011). Half the kindergarten students in BC will be in full-day session this fall, with the remaining group to follow in 2011-2012.

Jan.18. VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION. Sooke Firefighters launched an impromptu hot dog sale on Sat. Jan.16 to raise funds for emergency relief in Haiti, raising $2,686. On the previous day, local business man Neil Smith of HHS Drilling and Blasting volunteered his time and equipment to clear Sooke Road after a logging accident, allowing traffic to resume hours sooner. Other volunteers (under the tutelage of Evonne Black of the Sooke Fine Arts Show Society), are creating a large display for the O|Zone gathering place in Richmond, BC as part of the BC Olympics Feb.12-28 which will showcase Sooke to the world. A volunteer recognition award ceremony (being organized by Elida Peers, Sooke Historian) will be held at Sooke Community Hall on Sunday, March 7.

Jan.16. The Hartland Landfill may ban kitchen waste by May 2012. Households through the Capital Regional District (CRD) may be required to contribute all kitchen food waste to a new composting pickup program that would run hand in hand with the CRD's bluebox recycling program.

Jan.15. A logging truck accident road near Gillespie Road had caused traffic to be closed for a few hours earlier today. At 3 pm Emergency Services had opened up one-lane traffic past the logging truck accident; full road service was restored by 4:30 pm (though short closure periods may still occur for cleanup).

Jan.15. In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, Emergency Preparedness coordinator for Juan de Fuca, George OBriain, says he has been receiving inquiries about emergency preparedness here in Sooke. Volunteers who wish to be trained are invited to attend regular meetings. Story to come.

Jan.12. Sooke will 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 now being constructed at the Sooke Fire Hall (with artistic input from artists organized through the Sooke Program of the Arts Committee), then will be dismantled and shipped to Richmond for the event. An open house will be held for Sooke residents on Sat. Feb.6 (10 am to 3 pm) to view the display before it is shipped. The presentation in Richmond will require six Sooke volunteers per day (3-11 pm). Contact info to come.

Jan.12. The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce had a swearing-in of its new Board of Directors, presided over by Mayor Janet Evans, during its noon lunch meeting, Jan.12.

Jan.6. BCFerries will be increasing its fares slightly by the end of January, but only on the lesser-used routes; Tswassen/Swartz Bay trips will not see a fee increase.

Jan.4. It's back to school and work for many residents of Sooke today, following the Dec.25-Jan.3 holiday season. Business licence renewals have been issued by the District of Sooke, payable by January 31. BC Assessment has sent out 2010 property valuations; appeals due by January 31.

Jan.1. It is now against the law in BC to drive a motor vehicle while using a hand-held cell phone or texting. Starting Feb.1, fines will be issued for these offences.

ARCHIVE DECEMBER 2009: click here

ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 2009: click here

ARCHIVE OCTOBER 2009: click here

ARCHIVE SEPTEMBER 2009: click here

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

Community Events

As occurred in Sooke ~

Archive January 2010:

Polar Bear Swim. Fri. Jan. 1. Annual Polar Bear Swim. Register by 11:30 am that day at Whiffen Spit. Sponsored by the Otter Point Volunteer Fire Department Association.

Consciousness Cafe. Thurs. Jan.7. 7:30 pm. Discussion group on a wide open range of topics about mindful living. At the Reading Room Cafe, 6660 Sooke Rd. Open at 7 pm for networking, meeting 7:30 to 9 pm. $2 per person. Ph. 250-642-0391.

Regular Council Meeting - District of Sooke. Mon. Jan.11. 7 pm. Regular council meeting, Council Chambers, 2205 Otter Point Rd. www.sooke.ca

Executive Meeting - Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce. Tues Jan.12. 12 noon. Chamber meeting, all members welcome. Bring a member or any business person who has not recently attended. At Village Food Markets upstairs meeting room. www.sookeharbourchamber.com

Conversation with Michael Ignatieff. Fri. Jan.15. 10:00 to 11:30 am. Everyone welcome. National conversation leading to Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017. Michele Pujol Room, Student union Building, UVic, 3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Rd), Victoria, BC.

Living on Earth as if we want to Stay. Fri. Jan.15. 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Issues of climate, energy and economic stability. At the Friends Meeting House, 1831 Fern St., Victoria. Admission by donation. www.sustainwellbeing.net

Coffee with Council. Sat. Jan.16. 10 am. Chat informally with some of the District of Sooke councillors. Location tba. www.sooke.ca

Committe of the Whole - District of Sooke. Mon. Jan.18. 7 pm. Open to public input. Council Chambers, 2205 Otter Point Rd. www.sooke.ca

Planning meeting for some local literary events in 2010. Mon. Jan.25. 1 pm. All writers and editors welcome. In the upstairs meeting room at Village Food Markets. Info: MapleLine Magazine or Reading Room Bookstore .

Planning meeting for the new Sooke Community Development Association. Wed. Jan.27. 7 pm. Group of contractors, developers, Realtors, property managers, lenders, trades, etc. finding common group in Sooke as it grows. Election of directors and officers, at Village Food Markets upstairs.

Free Fire and Life Safety training. Wed. Jan.27. Sessions last 60 to 90 minutes depending on topic. Offered by the Sooke Fire Dept. to area residents and businesses on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Topic and time for the Wed. Jan.27 evening session tba.

Be Crystal-Meth free. Info Night. Wed. Jan.28. Spencer Middle School. 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Information presentation sponsored by Langford's Mayor and Council ~ how meth and street drugs harm users, how to recognize meth use and how to protect your family. At Spencer Middle School, 1026 Goldstream Ave., Langford. Free bracelets & T-shirts. Info: info@crystalmethbc.ca or 250-744-4111.

Symposium on Global Issues. Sat. Jan.30. 10 am to 5 pm. Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Workshop. The Well Foundation. At Sooke Harbour House. $25. Phone to register: 250-642-2517. Info.

Book Reading. Sat. Jan.30. 7:00 pm. Author Cedona Holly will read from her book Meditation Manual for the Modern Day Mystic. Refreshments on sale. At the Reading Room Cafe, Evergreen Mall, 6660 Sooke Rd., Sooke.

ARCHIVE DECEMBER 2009: click here

ARCHIVE (Nov.09): click here

ARCHIVE (Oct.09): click here

ARCHIVE (July to Sept.09): click here

Back to Breaking News

Health, Food & Environment

ARCHIVE: Jan.2010

Awareness & being involved.

ADVANCES in SCIENCE & HEALTH:

Top Nine of '09 - health and science stories of 2009, as announced on CBC TV News, Dec.22: 1. Discovery of 'Ardi' (the oldest human skeleton), filling in some blanks in understanding human evolution. 2. H1N1 for instigating a 'successful dry run' in handling a flu pandemic. 3.Genome analysis of 50 types of cancer, with three (breast, lung and skin) being announced so far. 4. Vitamin D promoted as highly necessary for human health, especially in the northern hemisphere where lack of adequate exposure to sunshine is unavoidable. 5. Water on the moon is discovered by NASA. 6. Twitter reaches critical mass with 25 million users. 7. Three Canadian astronauts went into space this year. 8. Diabetes-related stem cell research at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto makes progress in understanding a cure. 9. Discovery of an Alzheimer's gene by University of California researchers.

Dec.22/09. Add this enzyme to fried foods to prevent cancer? Health Canada seeks public input regarding the proposed addition of asparaginase to foods that are known to contain the carcinogenic asparagine amino acid. Asparaginase is an enzyme that hydrolyses asparagine, neutralizing its cancer-inciting properties. The enzyme would be added to foods fried at high temperature such as bread and potatoes. Input by the Feb.21, 2010 deadline may be submitted by email. | Health Canada info page. | CBC news story

Awareness Film Night ~ Wed. Jan. 13. 7:00. See The Yes Men Fix the World - pranksters who impersonate CEO's of corporations. At EMCS Theatre, 6218 Sooke Rd., Sooke. By donation.

Sooke Food CHI - Activity planning for 2010 ~ Wed. Jan. 13. 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Directional planning meeting. Bring potluck (optional). At Village Food Markets (upstairs meeting room).

Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) ~ Thurs. Jan. 14. 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Meeting to develop a funding foundation and/or volunteer bureau. At CASA, 2145 Townsend Rd., Sooke. RSVP as light supper will be served. Marlene Barry, 250-642-3390.

Wisdom, Insight, Beauty. Sat. Jan.16. 10 am to 4 pm. Sessions with spiritual counsellor, artist and author Cedona Holly. EMCS Conference Room. By donation.

ARCHIVE JANUARY 2010: click here

ARCHIVE DECEMBER 2009: click here

ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 2009: click here

ARCHIVE (summer-fall 2009): click here