Opinion

They call these public hearings? Council will not answer questions about the proposal or proposed bylaw(s) except to provide clarification.

The problem is, as we all know, we still have approximately 15 per cent of people who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not vaccinated.

The North Saanich Residents Association (NSRA) wishes to clarify who we are and what we do.

I am the former mayor (2008-2018) of North Saanich and a charter member of Save North Saanich. Our website is carefully monitored and scrupulously factual in the information we provide to the residents of North Saanich.

It should have been an easy decision on Oct. 25 for the Saanich committee of the whole, but apparently not so.

Discussions regarding the Sidney wharf are taking into account the generally accepted fact of worldwide rising sea levels. On Vancouver Island, there are a variety of tectonic plates that are causing our land to rise as well and rise in some places faster than the sea is rising. Therefore, the changing of the sea level relative to the rising land should be considered, not just the rising sea.

The people discussing street trees are talking at cross purposes: Ginkgos are good precisely because nothing eats it. Specimens are long-lived and narrow cultivars are available that are suitable for narrow streets.

It was gratifying to hear all Oak Bay council members present at the Oct.12 council meeting express support for a strong community engagement process to determine the future of the Oak Bay Lodge property.

Dogs too need nature, trees, parks and beaches in order to be healthy, and humans need animals for emotional well-being. Both pets and wildlife enhance our lives. How sad when municipalities ban dogs from public nature-space. Many apartment dwellers who can’t have dogs at home enjoy watching other folks’ dogs at play.

Murray Rankin