Jan 28 - Dogs in Panama Flats must be on a leash

Good morning !

Weird things that caught my attention yesterday:

1) Gold is valued at $5,000+ US/ounce

2) I should have bought some gold

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

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Friday: 🌧️11 / 8

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NEWS

Saanich says dogs must be leashed in Panama Flats

Call it a canine compromise.

After plenty of public input and some back-and-forth, Saanich’s council has decided dogs will be allowed in Panama Flats—but they’ll have to be on a leash.

“After thoughtful consideration of the ‘leash-optional’ and ‘on-leash’ options presented by staff, Council has decided that keeping dogs leashed in designated areas of Panama Flats is the best way to allow them to enjoy the park while offering better protection for migratory and nesting birds,” Saanich said in a news release.  

“Putting dogs on-leash is, in fact, the compromise so that they can be there,” Coun. Karen Harper tells Capital Daily. 

Some 30 members of the public spoke at Saanich’s Monday night council meeting, with the majority (25-5) supportive of dogs being leashed, she said. 

“The overwhelming input [Monday night] was 80% ‘yes, do this,’” she said.

Earlier this month, the council approved an updated concept plan to manage the 46-acre parkland in Saanich’s Carey neighbourhood. It shifted the priority from agriculture to nature-first.

The council delayed its decision about what to do with dogs in the park until its Monday meeting.

There were three options: leash-optional, on-leash only, and no dogs, period. By a vote of 8-1 (with Mayor Dean Murdock the lone nay vote), the council decided for Door No. 2, on-leash only. 

In dissenting, Murdock argued the council should have followed through with the approved concept plan, which included an off-leash area.

There is currently an off-leash area at Hyacinth Park to the south.
And there’s a promise to make one to the north, near Roy Road.

“I think the community is very happy,” Harper said. “In fact, I came into Saanich today, and I had two people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you.’”

Not everyone is saying “thank you.”

Eulala Mills of the CRD DOGG Society says her canine community is “not surprised’ and “deeply disappointed.”

She says her group knows Panama Flats is a special and sensitive place.
“That’s why, during the consultation, we supported keeping dogs out of the wetlands and migratory bird areas. In return, we asked for something modest: a short leash-optional trail away from the sensitive areas.

“It wasn’t about that trail so much as a plan that finally acknowledged dogs and their families have a legitimate place in our parks.”

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

The PKOLS parking lot is closed this week. [CHEK]

Cook Construction: Bay to Maplewood bikelane pre-work runs until Feb. 6. 

Saanich road closure: Reynolds at Cedar Hill Cross, today, 9am-3:30pm.

Saanich single-lane alternating traffic: Wesley between Claremont and Catalina, through Friday, 9am-3:30pm.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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NEWS

BC not meeting growing demand for long-term care, says seniors advocate

BC’s seniors advocate says the province is not prepared for the increasing need for long-term care beds for its aging population.

The newly released 2025 Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory, an annual report from the Office of the Seniors Advocate BC, found a 19% increase in the population of seniors 65+ since 2019/2020, but only a 5% increase in the number of long-term care beds in the same period.

Dan Levitt, BC’s seniors advocate, said provincial data show 16K more long-term care beds will be needed over the next decade to meet the anticipated 26% growth in BC’s senior population, but the province has “no plan to meet this demand.”

The report’s summary states the Ministry of Health’s current 10-year bed expansion plan aims for a 10% increase in beds by 2030, but has no additional beds planned after that year.

“We know the gap between the senior population and older adults requiring public services will only widen if we don’t act now,” Levitt said.

Since 2023/2024, according to the BC Seniors Advocate Directory, the province has added four new publicly subsidized long-term care homes and 513 beds. However, there were seven fewer publicly subsidized assisted living units compared to the previous year.
Currently, there is a 2K-bed shortfall, which Levitt says is only expected to grow.

Waitlists and wait times for a spot in a long-term care or assisted-living facility have increased, but at-home support services “remain unaffordable” for many seniors.

The average wait time for all new admissions for long-term care was 131 days, a 17% increase from last year.

“The stories I hear from families at their breaking point, caring for their loved ones, are heartbreaking,” Levitt said. “We simply must do better.”

The report highlighted that the use of antipsychotic medication for long-term care residents without a diagnosis of psychosis remains above the national average at 28%.

There were some positive improvements found in the report, including an increase in single-bed rooms—representing 91% of long-term care beds—and a decrease in double-bed or multi-bed rooms. Funding per bed has also increased.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🏆 Salt Spring Islander nominated for Oscar: Russell Bowen is nominated for Best Visual Effects for his work on The Lost Bus, starring Matthew McConaughey.

⛴️ Sail the Salish Sea: BC Ferries is hiring.

🤝 Now hiring: The Roy Group leadership and development firm has an opening for a practice coordinator.

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Saanich acquires land for a park between Shelbourne and Cedar Hill
The lot sits at 1539 Church near Ophir, in the thick of the Shelbourne Valley, in an area that has several higher-density apartment buildings, with more growth expected. Saanich said seniors make up a significant proportion of the population and can use a park—the closest one is Gore Peace Memorial Park at Shelbourne and Church. The district used existing funds for the purchase, and it may explore renting out the property while park design is planned over the next 10 years. 

View Royal to allow short-term rentals during the FIFA World Cup
Airbnbs and other short-term rentals have been verboten in View Royal since 2022, but the town wants to capitalize on the expected wave of soccer fans going to games in Vancouver or Seattle and looking for a place to stay. Most on council—not Mayor Sid Tobias or Coun. Alison Mackenzie—voted in favour, hoping some of the soccer dollars will come to the Island. The council didn’t amend existing bylaws; it voted for an “amnesty” on them from June 1 to July 31. [CHEK]

John Wilson named president of HarbourCats and NightOwls
Wilson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, will head the company that oversees both of the Island’s West Coast League baseball teams. Wilson has been part of the core ownership group of the HarbourCats since 2015 and the Nanaimo NightOwls since their inception in 2020. He takes over from Ken Swanson—brother of managing partner Jim Swanson—who remains on the company’s board of directors. [HarbourCats]

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🗓️ Things To Do

🎺 UJAM Club Night: January Blues: Chase away the drab and damp of January by sharing your love of music, with singers and instrumentalists welcome on stage in Hermann's cozy atmosphere. Hermann's Jazz Club. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎸 Wednesday Jam: With host Brooke Cooper. Victoria’s musicians are invited to take the stage for a jam. A great place to showcase your band, get some stage time, and connect with other musicians. BYO instrument and/or mic to participate. The Loft Pub. 6-9pm. [Info] 

📚 Urbanism Book Club: The DRA's Land Use Committee hosts a monthly book club exploring urbanism topics, meeting on the last Wednesday of every month. theDock. Tonight. 7-8pm. [Info]

🎵⚽ Music Bingo Night: For the Bays United U12 Gold boys' soccer team. Because sometimes parents need to let out their pent-up irritability by belting out Journey ballads at the top of their lungs. Great prizes available. Fernwood Inn. Tonight. 6pm. [Info] 

❓🍺 Benji's January Pub Quiz: Victoria's Quiz Master Benji brings eight rounds of mental gameplay with good tunes, engaging visuals, and a sprinkle of lunacy to compete for bragging rights. Île Sauvage. Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎞️🦬 Where Have All the Buffalo Gone? An original play for young audiences exploring seven periods of Métis history through fiddle music, jigging, and a life-size buffalo puppet. Mary Winspear Centre. Tomorrow-Sun. Various times. [Info]

🖋️ Write Your Short Story: From blank page to a story you love in three weeks. Join Sue Scott for this exhilarating and supportive workshop and free-write your first draft. Carr House on Government. The next three Saturdays. 9am-12pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: Area police to use mental-health assessment app; Call for a boycott of Pattison companies due to ICE connection; Victoria Canada Day festivities dependent on securing more funding. [Jan. 27]

Langford nurse suspended for 7 months for privacy breach. [CHEK] 

Area man unwittingly becomes bagman for fraudster targeting Langford seniors, police say. [Times Colonist]

YYJ flights: Major snowstorm in Eastern Canada may affect travel here. [Check flights here]

Recalls: Pillsbury brand Pizza Pops due to E. Coli contamination and Angry Orange Stain Removers due to microbial hazards. 

Point Ellice Bridge construction is slated to begin in the second week of February and last four months. [Info]

100 Books to Read Before Kindergarten. [GVPL]

Saanich heat pump financing deadline is Feb. 9.

That’s it!

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