May 28th to June 3rd
- ‘Bike to Work Week’

new additions to future events:
Saturday, June 9th
- 8th Annual West Shore’s Chili Cook-Off @ Veteran’s Memorial Park, 11am-3pm

Sunday, June 10th
- TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes @ Bear Mountain Stadium, City Centre Park, Registration 8:30am, Walk 10am (For info: Kirsten Marten, 250-857-7326, kmarten@jdrf.ca)

Sunday, June 24th
- Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria The Island Savings 100km Tour de Victoria Ride starts at City Centre Park aprox. 8am, finishing at the B.C. Legislature (there are also The League 140km and The 50km rides)

David Grove is hoping his parking lot at Metchosin and Lagoon Roads in Colwood will be chock a block with electric vehicles of all kinds tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday, May 8) starting at 4:00 p.m., when one of the world’s most exciting electric vehicles will make a very special appearance at the Royal Bay Bakery (3337 Metchosin Road).

“I’m inviting everyone I can think of to come and see the Tesla and learn more about electric vehicles, including the VTRUX, a full size 4X4 pick-up truck. People often say they are interested in electric, but because of their work or recreational needs, require a pick-up. This is a real opportunity for them to do some tire-kicking close to home,” said Grove. Both vehicles are making a special appearance at the Royal Bay Bakery after hearing how David and his team have embraced solar power and are now offering EV charging at their Colwood location.

Everyone’s invited to come and meet Kent Rathwell of Sun Country Highway and his Tesla Roadster, both hot off their recent history-making trek from Saskatoon to the Vancouver International Auto Show.

David Grove and partner Gwen Snyder are clearly converts to electric vehicle driving having purchased a Nissan Leaf earlier this year, and according to an ecstatic Grove, “We’d love to show Kent a warm Vancouver Island welcome, so I’m hoping that everyone who’s already driving electric will try to stop by, too!”

If you’re interested in knowing more about electric vehicles or are already driving an electric car, truck, scooter, electric-assist bicycle come join in the fun at the Royal Bay Bakery, Tuesday, May 8 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. For more information, call David at 250.478.3717.

Royal Bay Bakery
David Grove
Owner
250.478.3717
royalbaybakery@shaw.ca

Fridays, May 4th & 11th
- Charlotte’s Web: the Musical by Four Seasons Musical Theatre @ Isabelle Reader Theatre, 1026 Goldstream Ave., 7:30PM

Sat., & Sun., May 5th&6th, 12th&13th
- Charlotte’s Web: the Musical by Four Seasons Musical Theatre @ Isabelle Reader Theatre, 1026 Goldstream Ave., 2PM

Wednesdays, May 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
- Learn to Fish @ Lake Ida Anne, 6-8PM

Sat. May 19th, Sun. May 20th, Mon. May 21st
- Luxton Pro Rodeo @ corner of Sooke and Luxton Roads

Monday, May 21st (Victoria Day Holiday)
- Langford Costco Park N’Shine Car Show @ Langford Costco, 799 McCallum Place, 11am-3pm, Gates open @ 9am

Do you know of anymore events – just leave a comment HERE. :)

7PM, TUES 1 May, Edward Milne Community School in Sooke

7pm, THURS 3 May, Ambrosia Events Centre, 638 Fisgard St

OUR FORESTS — VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Last year, opposition by thousands motivated CRD to refuse residential developments along the Juan de Fuca Trail as inconsistent with our regional vision. The Regional Growth Strategy is now being revised. SO now is the time for residents to come together and create a positive vision for the forest resource lands which occupy two thirds of CRD land area (on Vancouver Island), and to identify next steps.
Hear what the panelists and other residents think. Share your knowledge and suggestions for the future of these lands.
Program includes: short film by Maeva Gauthier
Panelists for Sooke: Rosie Betsworth, president of Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce and a leader on ecotourism issues; Bill Bourgeois, founder of the Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities Initiative; and Vicky Husband, Order of Canada-decorated environmental advocate.
Panelists for Victoria: David Anderson, former federal Minister of the Environment, Ken Wu, advocate for protection of old-growth forests, and Ben Parfitt, resource economist with Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Sponsored by the Jordan River Steering Group
For info. contact: Ana Simeon 250-386-5255

Growing up I had many school friends who hung out and eventually raced at the track. I am well aware of the racing culture of the track in Langford. It was part of Langfords identity. There were no complaints here.

3 years ago we bought property in the Highlands approx 5 km. from the track. To be honest I didn’t even think about the track and the noise. It is a beautiful, quiet area. The natural state of the land was what sold us from the beginning.

One evening, while working in the garden, I heard an incredibly loud noise. It sounded like a car was laying copious patches of rubber at the end of our driveway. Seriously, I went ripping down our driveway to ask the driver WTH….but when I reached the road there was nothing. It took me a few minutes to figure out that it was the race track. I was shocked that the noise could be so loud from such a distance.

Now, being a long time resident of Langford, I chuckled to myself. I started to reminisce about the early days of the track. I had no complaints….that is…until I soon realized that this was no longer a Saturday night thing. As others have posted it has become a multiple night practice, not including the practices, and special events. This is particularly frustrating because there is no longer a night on the weekend where I can invite guests over for a quiet dinner during the summer months.

I think it is unfair to suggest that the track has always been there when the use of the track has changed so significantly. Something will have to change with so much of Langfords population moving into such close proximity to the track and the use of the track changing to such a degree. The owner’s of the track cannot continue to completely disregard the concerns of surrounding residents. They have something unusual in that there are not many tracks anymore. It would be nice to show a bit of appreciation for what they have rather than making the situation worse by trying to fill up every nite with races and making the season longer. I don’t think they can win support with that kind of attitude.

They had my sympathy in the beginning but after 3 years of this, and the use of the track increasing, I have to say that I am discouraged. It is a helpless feeling knowing that the city of Langford just doesn’t seem to care what the surrounding resident have to deal with.

We bought a coffee, brought our books and laptops, and sat in our car with the windows open to listen to the track noise, before we made an offer.

We didn’t know, however, nor were we told by a realtor or developer, (until we were in the lawyer’s office that is, and all deals had been signed), that we had to also sign a caveat recognizing our proximity to the track, but we weren’t deterred, because the area was great, family oriented (and quiet, other than race nights). And people obviously like different forms of recreation. A couple of race nights a week were fine with us. As well, we’d lived downtown for a few years, and on Craigflower for a few years, so we’d lived with noise 24/7 in both locations. The Speedway didn’t put us off.

We’ve been very good neighbors of the Speedway, and all it’s patrons. We have never complained about the track and we’ve been here for years, but we are now suffering fatigue.

Why hasn’t Western Speedway respected us? We have honored their right to race, and to thank all of it’s kind neighbors, the Speedway has races and practicing several nights a week, drift racing (squealing tires for hours on end), earlier starts and later races, and now other venues meet here. The attendance, when you drive by the track, seems average, so why all the changes?

I am tired of bloggers who think that everyone who complains about the Speedway is some millionaire on Bear Mountain Resort throwing a temper tantrum, or an idiot without a brain who bought a piece of property near a race track and woke up one morning saying ” Good God, what’s that racket?!”

There are many people surrounding the Speedway, including all of the thousands of new home owners who are not in a golf resort, who have been allowed to build or buy within a 1-3 km radius of the track, AND who have been pretty considerate of track enthusiasts and their right to race, but it’s time to face the bad news. The present state of affairs isn’t working.

The families who live in the area are mostly regular folk, including waiters, waitresses, paramedics, tradespeople, nurses, military personnel, retail service providers, firefighters, teachers, police officers, and the like, who before you call them idiots, are there for you.

We all have families, work long hours, and appreciate a few nights out in the yard or a good night’s rest, like everyone else. And mostly, we’ve been pretty fair minded about the track, and have respected the rights of others to enjoy racing, but unfortunately, that’s changing.

That’s what happens when someone doesn’t play fair in the sandbox. We feel taken advantage of. There’s winter racing now, the regular season is ramped up, there’s drift racing, and races start earlier and end later. Like it or not, the development changes in the area are real. 1970 and “bush all around” is long gone. It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate the races, the development, the houses, the millionaires near a golf resort, or the regular guy like me. Done is done. The support and tolerance is waining and I don’t think anybody who attends the races would argue. The rules have changed.

Tragically Hip, Sam Roberts Band, Jet’s Overhead and Current Swell on the lower fields at Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre on July 13, 2012.

Tickets $59.60 (general admission) and $99.50 (VIP through ticketmaster only) plus applicable surcharge will go on sale Saturday, April 7th at 10 AM. Tickets available through West Shore Parks & Recreation (at Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre Reception), Lyles Place and online at http://www.ticketmaster.ca

Visit Rock the Shores website for more information.

The Supreme Court of Canada has made decision regarding non-conforming use (i.e. the use of the CR1 property is not in compliance with Langford’s noise bylawys). See Saint-Romuald (City) v. Olivier, 2001 SCC 57, [2001] 2 S.C.R. 898. Date:September 27, 2001, Docket: 27210. In regards to non-conforming use the Courrt clearly stated:

To the extent activities are added, altered or modified within the scope of the original purpose (i.e., activities that are ancillary to, or closely related to, the pre-existing activities), the Court has to balance the landowner’s interest against the community interest, taking into account the nature of the pre-existing use (e.g., the degree to which it clashes with surrounding land uses), the degree of remoteness (the closer to the original activity, the more unassailable the acquired right) and the new or aggravated neighbourhood effects (e.g., the addition of a rock crusher in a residential neighbourhood is likely to be more disruptive than the addition of a fax machine). The greater the disruption, the more tightly drawn will be the definition of the pre-existing use or acquired right. This approach does not rob the landowner of an entitlement. By definition, the limitation applies only to added, altered or modified activities.

So if non-conforming (noisy) activities are added and they cause aggravated neighbourhood effects then these additional uses can be limited by the Courts. So either Langford council starts showing some leadership on this issue or there could be a lawsuit pending with a pretty clear indication of success.