The first crosswalk in the capital region to recognize veterans was unveiled in Langford in time for Remembrance Day, thanks to a big response from the public, says Dianna Seaton.
“I just can’t get over this community,” said the former Sooke School Board trustee. “It gives and gives and gives.”
An official ribbon-cutting took place on Thursday.
Seaton put the idea for the crosswalk forward about two weeks before Remembrance Day on the Langford Community Association Facebook page, after she saw that one had been installed in Hamilton, Ont.
She proposed that a similar crosswalk be installed in front of the Langford Legion on Station Avenue “and I got hundreds of responses.”
Former Langford mayor Stew Young and legion president Norm Scott both joined the effort to get it done, Seaton said.
“We started getting all these offers from people for donations or providing labour and materials, and it just kind of went crazy,” she said.
She said she and Scott visited Langford City Hall and got enthusiastic approval.
“It all came together because of all the people contributing.”
A total of about $8,000 was raised in short order to make the crosswalk a reality, Seaton said.
It opened Nov. 7, and is red and white with the words Lest We Forget and the silhouette of a soldier painted on both ends.
“People are just so happy about it,” Seaton said. “It’s really brought the community together. They’re feeling such pride.”
Young Saanich artists vie to be Mayor for the Morning
Young artists from kindergarten to Grade 5 are once again being invited to help design a holiday card for Saanich council, with the winner serving as Mayor for the Morning.
“Last year’s submissions were snow creative, showcasing some pretty amazing local talent. I gotta sleigh, I am tree-mendously excited to see what types of designs come forward in this year’s contest,” Mayor Dean Murdock said of the contest.
“My message to the kids is this: believe in your (s)elf and present your best work — yule never know what you can achieve unless you try. Good luck to all entrants!”
New this year for the winner is a chance to serve as Mayor for the Morning, going behind the scenes at municipal hall and learning the ropes of the mayor’s job.
It will also include an opportunity to meet firefighters, police officers and other Saanich staff.
Other prizes going to the winner will be drop-in passes to the municipality’s recreation centres, a signed holiday card from Murdoch and keepsake holiday cards.
The winning design will be featured in social media posts by Saanich during the holiday season.
The contest is open to Saanich students from kindergarten to Grade 5.
The deadline to enter is Nov. 27 at [email protected].
You can help redesign B.C. Transit’s website
B.C. Transit is inviting public feedback as it redesigns its website.
Transit said that more than 10,000 people use every day for things like trip planning, service alerts and accessing transit information, and it wants to make the site more reliable and user-friendly.
Efforts will also be made to improve the site for use by the growing number of mobile users.
Both bus riders and non-riders are encouraged to weigh in and let Transit know what works well, what doesn’t and what improvements could be made.
Have your say by taking part in the survey .
The survey will be open until Nov. 27.
Another $408,000 needed to buy Cortes wildlife habitat
The Nature Trust of B.C. is working to raise the final $408,000 needed to purchase more than 14 hectares of forest and wildlife habitat on Cortes Island, part of the Discovery Islands located off Campbell River.
The parcel, known as Manson Bay Forest, has mature Douglas fir, western hemlock and western red cedar, and is part of local ecosystems that are home to wolves, cougars, mink and deer.
“There are trees in Manson Bay Forest that are more than 200 years old,” said trust chief executive Jasper Lament. “We’re on a mission to protect them and this critical land on the Salish Sea because it is rare, ecologically important and irreplaceable.
“We must safeguard Manson Bay Forest and the species that live there, like the threatened barn swallow.”
Other at-risk species observed within a kilometre of the forest include the band-tailed pigeon, common nighthawk, purple martin and northern red-legged frog.
Conserving the forest will help protect the biodiversity and resiliency of the coast for future generations, Lament said.
It will also support the trust’s overall goal of conservation throughout the Discovery Islands, which has unique shallow marine habitats supporting shellfish, crustaceans, fish, mammals and marine plants, said Tom Reid, west coast conservation land manager for the Nature Trust of B.C.
The trust and its partners have conserved over 73,000 hectares of ecologically significant land since 1971.
The fundraising deadline for Manson Bay Forest is Dec. 31. Donate at .
