News on topics that impact Cadboro Bay.
Starting February 2021, the District of Saanich is undertaking an infrastructure project on Hobbs St. at Maynard St. The project includes the design and installation of a raised crosswalk, separated concrete sidewalk with nonmountable curb, as well as a new painted crosswalk across Maynard.
This project aims to improve safety for pedestrians using these connections to and from Maynard Park and Frank Hobbs Elementary School. Read the construction notice here.
Construction for the Arbutus Attenuation Tank will require temporary pumping to take place 24 hours a day for approximately two weeks. This work is expected to begin during the first week of February, however, it is weather dependent so the timing may change.
The Arbutus Attenuation Tank will be a 5,000m3 underground concrete tank that will temporarily store wastewater flows during high volume storm events to reduce the number of sewer overflows.
Read the CRD Notice here.
Jan 5, 2021 – Late this afternoon the Junita AM, a 30 foot sloop washed ashore on the beach in front of Waring Place in Cadboro Bay. Thanks to Mr. D Sawyer for the initial report. The Coast Guard was immediately notified (File #2021-0011) as well as the Environmental Response Team to deal with a potential diesel fuel problem.
The Environmental Response Team will return in the morning of January 6th to continue their assessment of this vessel. Representatives of the Cadboro Bay Residents Association are attempting to contact a person that may be the owner of this boat.
To cap off the 2020 year, Victoria News featured its top stories of 2020 and included two from Cadboro Bay.
In the opening spotlight is six-year-old Callaghan McLaughlin, who set up a joke stand outside his home to create smiles and laughs amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. Read his story from April, 2020 here (Photograph above by Kelsea McLaughlin).
Also noted to have captured interest was the proposal by a Saanich Councillor to review off-leash dogs on Saanich beaches. Given the importance of Cadboro Bay Beach, the Cadboro Bay Residents’ Association cast a wide net to hear the varying perspectives on the matter from across the community. Reports, news articles and a video presentation are all available here.
On Wednesday, December 30, 2020 around 3 pm, high winds caused a 30-foot Yamaha fiberglass sloop sailboat to break loose from its mooring buoy in Cadboro Bay. Breaking waves washed it ashore, restricting safe access to the beach. Its mast hovered inches above a glass-walled fence on a private property on Waring Place.
A Cadboro Bay Residents` Association (CBRA) Board Member attended the scene within the hour. CBRA contacted the Coast Guard and spoke to the owner of the Waring Place property whose fence was in danger of being damaged.
The Canada Shipping Act, R.S.C allows any person to secure a vessel in distress and then pass the cost to the vessel’s owner, however a registration number was not located on the boat and it is unclear whether the boat owner has been identified.
The homeowner contacted Cold Water Divers Inc. and arranged the removal of the boat from the beach. That task was completed at high tide the morning of December 31, 2020. The boat has been returned to a mooring buoy in Cadboro Bay. CBRA urges boat owners to routinely inspect their boats to ensure secure connection through the seasons.
In cases like this, local community members bear expense and effort in the response, sometimes without awareness by the boat owners responsible for the problem. As the winter season advances, more boat wrecks can be expected—six vessels washed onto Cadboro Bay Beach in January 2020 alone. It was eleven months before they were removed.
In this incident a local homeowner stepped up to have the boat removed immediately. When a boat is dealt with promptly the removal costs can be less than $1,500 in the simplest cases. But once a boat is damaged, sunk, or ensnared the cost to remove it can be significantly higher.
Safety risks and access impediments result for beach users, and environmental hazards result from leakage of fuel, oil, and holding tank contents, along with debris that becomes strewn across the beach and bay.
A longer-term solution to prevent boats from breaking loose and ending up on the beach is under consideration by the Municipalities of both Oak Bay and Saanich. CBRA has been meeting with both Municipalities and several options are being explored. CHEK News has also featured this incident, with video footage of the scene and an interview with CBRA.
CBRA is grateful this incident was resolved quickly, and we thank the Waring Place homeowner for removing the boat from the beach. CBRA also extends a thank-you to all community members that support CBRA in its efforts to put an end to derelict boats in Cadboro Bay.
Happy New Year Cadboro Bay! Discover some simple ways to include environmental goals in your New Year’s resolutions by reading CRD’s latest newsletter. Active transportation, energy efficiency in the home, water conservation and waste reduction are just a few ways you can make a difference.
CBRA has been working for many months with Municipal, Provincial, Federal Government Representatives and our companion organization the Dead Boat Disposal Society to once again remove the derelict vessels from both the beach and the bottom of the Bay.
This is the second time in less than 3 years that this massive undertaking has been accomplished.
Our next step is to work with the Municipalities of Oak Bay, Saanich and the CRD to put a stop to this cycle of abandoned or neglected vessels ending up in Cadboro Bay.
We believe that an owner financed vessel Remediation Fund is part of the solution when combined with the regulated management of mooring buoys and anchorages in Cadboro Bay.
For additional photos, news reporting and latest updates on derelict boats, visit https://cadboro.ca/projects/
From gift giving to meal planning, here’s how to make the 3Rs work during the holidays!
The holiday season brings a lot of joy into our homes but it can also bring a lot of extra
waste. Packaging and wrapping paper, leftover food, plastic toys that often aren’t loved for as long as they last… it all adds to the local waste stream. The good news is that it doesn’t have to. Following the principles of the ‘3R pollution prevention hierarchy’—reduce first, reuse second and recycle third—can help to reduce the environmental impact of the holiday season.
Here’s ten simple ways to create a holiday that’s memorable in all the right ways!
It’s that easy! Learn more at www.crd.bc.ca/holidayrecycling.
Huge savings on new Electric Bikes, Vehicles, EV Charging stations, and Heat Pumps. This is part of the 100% Renewable & Resilient Saanich 2020 Climate Plan.
Glenys Verhulst, Sustainability Planner, Planning Department, District of Saanich provided CBRA with an excellent presentation on the Climate Plan and highlighted some of the fantastic home and vehicle incentives available.
Discover more:
A cougar was sighted in the Phyllis Park lookout area on Monday evening (Nov 23) and again Tue evening in the Mt Baker View area. If you are in the area, keep your small children and pets close.
