Opinion

We had just started our stroll along the beach on Lochside and, unbeknownst to me, my credit card had fallen out of my pocket. A lady witnessed it and tracked us down two blocks later with my credit card. She and her husband went out of their way to find us and we are very appreciative. Thank you.

There is a clear theme emerging in the development applications being brought forward in Saanich. Many greatly contravene the scale and form that are allowed or considered reasonable by planning, zoning and other guiding documents, and a dismayingly large number conflict with neighbourhood expectations and values.

My father turns 97 in May. I have not seen him in two years. I may never see him again. He lives in England and I have lived in Canada for 33 years. In the past we have visited every year, more frequently since my mother and his wife of 61 years passed away in 2009.

With regard to David Black’s Feb. 18 op-ed concerning hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games: Greater Victoria’s 13 municipal ‘fiefdoms’ are gaining a growing reputation for “missing the forest for the trees.” There’s always a small vocal group of naysayers ready to rush to judgment and criticize any and every big, bold, challenging proposal that would bring benefits to the area.

MLA Murray Rankin looks back on nearly four months in his new job

I read with interest David Black’s commentary about the possible hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

I just finished reading the article “Feds to pay for 80 abandoned boat assessments and removals in B.C.” by Greg Sakaki, and I am wondering if there were any questions put to the ministry on why the owners of those abandoned vessels are not paying for the cleanup. It seems that the taxpayers are always cleaning up after big business (i.e., oil well clean up).

To say it is demeaning and demoralizing when Saanich council approve agendas before them without respecting the wishes of the community is an understatement. This was evident in December 2019 when council (except Couns. Brice, Brownoff and Chambers) voted to pause the study of new Local Area Plans (LAPs) for the district. Some residents and all but one community association (Prospect Lake) were against this, but were summarily disregarded.

I am writing in regards to the proposed parking fees at CRD regional parks. I am a resident of Central Saanich and frequent Beaver/Elk Lake and Island View Beach daily. I am totally opposed to parking fees as I am a homeowner and pay property taxes which helps fund our parks and pay CRD staff wages.

The critical question the Feb. 18 article on mayor salaries ignores is why are 400,000 residents of Greater Victoria paying over $650,000 for 13 mayors while the 400,000 residents of the Regional Municipality of Halifax pay $190,000 and the 970,000 residents of Edmonton pay $200,000 for their mayors. Why do we need 13 separate mayors, councillors and administrators for a job that can demonstrably done by one?