Monday鈥檚 Thanksgiving celebration brings to a close one of the loveliest summers our city and Island have ever enjoyed. There is truly much to be grateful for.
We had one of the earliest springs on record, after an unusually mild winter.
From the end of April to the last week of August, scarcely a drop of rain fell on Victoria. That was the lowest precipitation level in the past 25 years. We generally receive almost 900 cm of rain or snow annually. So far this year, only about half that amount has fallen.
While the lack of rain brought water shortages on much of the Island, the sunshine brought bumper crops. Local grape growers like Symphony Vineyards in Saanich are reporting 鈥渁mazing鈥� yields 鈥� in some cases records.
While it鈥檚 too soon to say for sure, early indications are that the 2015 vintage will be excellent. That鈥檚 good news not just for existing producers, but for the longer-term future of 91原创 Island wines. It鈥檚 likely we鈥檒l see growth in this industry down the road, if yields and quality remain high.
Farms on the Saanich Peninsula had some of the best fruit and berry crops in years. Strawberries, by some accounts, were the sweetest ever, and corn yields were huge. Vegetable harvests are also strong, with local stores increasingly able (and happy) to rely on local produce instead of imports.
This isn鈥檛 the whole story. Some farms in the central Island had limited cuts of hay, due to lack of rain and insufficient irrigation to make up the shortfall. That might result in a price increase for beef next year, as farms sell off some of their animals over the winter for lack of feed. But all told, this year was one of the most bountiful anyone can remember.
Amateur gardeners also felt the love. Tomatoes flourished, roses excelled and veggie plots overflowed.
Naturally, the tourist trade benefited from the sunny weather (the low 91原创 dollar also helped). Hotel occupancy rates are well above historical averages, cruise-ship passenger visits were up nearly 50,000 over last year, and both ferry and air traffic volumes have increased.
Victoria鈥檚 technology sector is booming. Job postings rose between 25 and 35 per cent over last year. There have been strong sales abroad 鈥� such as Viking Air鈥檚 deal with a Russian company to build 10 Twin Otter aircraft for use in central Russia.
And Carmanah Technologies, a growing power in solar lights and energy, posted some of its best results ever.
Real estate also enjoyed a surge. Residential sales are up 25 per cent over the past 12 months, and average house prices rose 8.7 per cent. With concerns about affordability in the capital region, that鈥檚 a mixed blessing. Yet it is a measure of the value people set on living in Victoria.
Challenges, of course, remain. Job losses in the central Island, caused by declines in the forest sector, are a major cause for concern. They鈥檝e led to a widening disparity between incomes in Greater Victoria and those in resource-dependent communities. From Nanaimo to Port Hardy, we urgently need an economic development plan with real teeth in it.
Homelessness shows no sign of receding, particularly in downtown Victoria, while efforts to tackle the problem are becoming ever more desperate. And long-awaited plans for a new sewage disposal system continue to encounter delays that will add millions to the final price tag. In short, we certainly have our work cut out for us.
Nevertheless, the point of Thanksgiving is to recognize those blessings we have enjoyed. And by most measures, we have more to celebrate this weekend than for many a year.
