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(for older news item, check our News Archive)

(Several News items kindly provided by Roger Stonebanks, CBA member.)

PLEASE CLICK ON ALL PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM.

Successful AGM for the CBA

A relaxed and informal AGM was held on 26 April in the 55 Plus Centre. Mayor Frank Leonard was the guest speaker, and he answered questions. He emphasized the importance of infrastructure renewal (pipes in the ground, bridges etc) and said the 3.25 per cent tax increase includes 0.75 per cent for this purpose. He hopes council continues this expenditure every year.
Most importantly, he emphasised a definite change in the coming years to garbage collection that will see kitchen scraps separated for composting rather than going to the dump. Click here to read about the two three-month pilot projects already underway within the District of Saanich. And for a recent Times Colonist article click here.

Volunteers from the 55 Plus Association provided delicious refreshments during the interval accompanied by a 'Cordova Bay' slideshow.
(Below) Seven members were elected to the board of directors - three of whom were re-elected - to join the four incumbents.

Please click on photo above for a page of photos.
To view Richard Alexander's 'stunning slideshow', click here.

The Beach House Restaurant to open in May

The rebuilt Beach House Restaurant is due to open in May, owner Kate Phoenix has confirmed to the CBA.
Kate bought McMorran’s Beach House/Charters Restaurant after it closed plus an immediately adjacent vacant lot and a lot used for parking on the other side of Cordova Bay Road for an undisclosed sum from the McMorran family in 2010. She will operate kitchens on both floors of the 350-seat restaurant as well as offering take-out food and soft ice cream. While she has not disclosed the total cost of the project, Saanich issued two building permits last year with a combined value of $522,400 for the interior strip-out and structural upgrade.
Saanich bought one seaside lot for $869,000 from the McMorran family which is now McMorran Park complete with two redwood benches, one donated by the McMorran family and the other jointly funded by the CBA and Saanich. Saanich Parks is planning a historical sign.
There's a very nice article written in The Martlet, the student newspaper at UVIC. To read it, click here.

Cordova Bay Day

It's on Saturday 23 June from 12.00 p.m. - 3.00 p.m.
In the grounds of St David by the Sea Anglican Church, Cordova Bay Road.
There'll be plenty of games, great food and entertainment for all ages, but no silent auction this year. Instead, the Cordova Bay Day committee is 'selling tables' for $25.00. Businesses and individuals can sell their products or introduce their ideas, pamphlets, or business cards by 'buying a table'. You get to keep all your profit. If you cannot 'buy a table', perhaps you will donate the $25 to help support our local community. Contact Sylvia Burkhardt: burkhardts11@yahoo.ca before mid May - she'll be happy to answer any queries you may have. Or her phone number is: 250-658-5318.
Or how about sponsoring one of the many games, with your business prominently advertised? Let Sylvia know soon. This event is a great way for Cordova Bay residents and businesses to enjoy themselves and share in the promotion of our Cordova Bay community. The profit made is given back to the community by way of donations and equipment to non-profit organizations and worthy groups, and it provides items such as benches at bus stops.

New Interpretive Sign for Doris Page Park

You may remember when Doris Page lived at the corner of Haliburton and Lochside Drive and tended the English country garden surrounding her cottage. Miss Page left her land and her garden to the municipality to be used as a natural green space after her death and it has provided a pocket oasis and a natural corridor to the seashore below.

(Click on the picture below to read the words on the beautiful new plaque.)

Jointly with Saanich, the CBA has donated an interpretive sign to replace the one vandalised a few years ago. It's installed in Doris Page Park on the west side of Lochside Drive. It's easy to see so if you're driving, biking or walking by stop and read the interesting history of this area.

Sidewalk construction on Cordova Bay Road

Construction of the new sidewalk on the west side of Cordova Bay Road, between Claremont Avenue and 5110 Cordova Bay Road, has been completed. And it's almost done between Claremont and Haliburton.

New steps from Walema Avenue to the beach

Saanich Parks will improve the access this summer/fall from Walema Avenue to the beach by replacing the concrete steps. Parks manager Rae Roer told the CBA on April 30, 2012, “This is a challenging site and we are currently exploring several options for materials and design.”

Parking at Fowler Park this year

Saanich Parks will create a gravel parking lot for about 30 vehicles at the south end of Fowler Park as approved by council in 2008 following two ‘open houses’ for the park. The area will be pre-loaded and allowed to settle before final work. The project should start in late May and finish in the fall. The area will not be usable during the pre-loading stage, Saanich Parks manager Rae Roer told the CBA on April 30, 2012. The parking area will provide a new connection to the Lochside Regional Trail and will alleviate some parking concerns in the neighbourhood including Lochside Park.

New Supermarket opens at Cordova Bay Plaza

Please click on photo above for others taken by Penny.

The doors swung open for the new Tru Value Foods supermarket in Cordova Bay Plaza on Wednesday April 11, 2012. The parking lot was full and about 200 people gathered to watch Saanich Mayor, Frank Leonard, cut the ceremonial ribbon.
The new supermarket replaces Food Forum which closed on Jan. 31, 2012. Tru Value Foods spent two months renovating and updating the premises. The new store is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week.
Tru Value Foods general manager, Phil Greenhalgh, thanked everyone responsible for the changes made to the premises over the last two months. “This store is not just our store, it’s your store, it’s a community store,” he said.
Here's a great write up from: the Times Colonist.

Changes but no changes at Adrienne's Tea Garden

It’s an ownership change but not an operational change – that’s the promise by the new owner, Sabine Schwaiger, at Adrienne’s Tea Garden, the popular café and meeting place at Mattick’s Farm.

Cordova Bay Plaza news

What's happening these days at Cordova Bay Plaza? A new plaza development with a much bigger supermarket, 16 apartments above shops in another building, and a stand-alone Scotiabank building was approved by Saanich council in 1999. But before the Development Permit was issued - underground gasoline pollution was detected and the development could not go ahead. Former CBA president Roger Stonebanks, a retired journalist, asks - what will happen to the 1960 strip mall? And, when? For the latest details, click here.
And to read archived information and background on the Plaza, please click here.

Claremont to offer school of fine arts free to students

Claremont Secondary School plans to open a school of fine arts in the fall, positioning itself as a destination of choice for students interested in music, dance, drama and visual arts. Billed as a "school within a school," the program will offer students a chance to graduate with two diplomas - one for completing their regular high-school requirements and a second for earning 40 credits from the Claremont School of Fine Arts. For information, contact Colin Plant at Claremont.

There's lots going on at St David by the Sea
Anglican Church

Have you heard of the "Three Saints Ministry" or "Theology Pub" or "Messy Church"?
Times are a changing and things are happening at St. David by the Sea, 5182 Cordova Bay Road. Reverend Canon Chris Parsons (on right in photo) and his team are working hard for the residents of Cordova Bay.

"Messy Church" is the last Saturday of every month at 10am at St. David's 5182 Cordova Bay Road. However, there's no meeting in July or August.

Check out the news on their up-to-date blog by clicking here.

CBA's recent community donations

Generous memberships from Cordova Bay residents have given us the opportunity of making $1,000 donations to two very special and worthy non-profit organizations in Cordova Bay.

Haliburton Community Organic Farm has built a shed for the volunteer farmers to store tools and seeds; and benches are to be placed along the farm's new wood-chip trail.
Here it is, along with a lovely plaque thanking the CBA.

The Cordova Bay 55 Plus Association has put the $1,000 towards a large flat-screen TV for the main meeting room at the Centre. This facilitates the showing of special-event TV shows that are more fun to watch as a group, and can act as a second screen for meetings when presenting in power-point.

2011 All Candidates Meeting

Cordova Bay Association for Community Affairs and Blenkinsop Valley Community Association hosted a very successful joint All Candidates Meeting on 26 October 2011.
16 of the 18 candidates attended, including three for SD 63. CBA director, Sylvia Burkhardt, went 'overboard' with her membership table 'seaside' theme!

New Pharmacy and Post Office are open

Owner Bob Mehr opened his third Pure Pharmacy, with a post office, on Monday 4 July 2011 at the former Beklen's restaurant location on Cordova Bay Road. Opening hours are 8.00a.m.-6.00p.m. Monday to Friday and 9.00a.m.-5.00p.m. Saturday.

One of the three Pharmacists: Mike, Howard or Terry, can advise you on traditional and compounding prescriptions.
Try some of the fabulous alternative cosmetic testers, including the Vitale natural-care range handmade on Vancouver Island. How about a custom perfume creation with your own private label.
Gifty's natural skin-care products, using unrefined shea butter, are hand crafted by the Takpo widows' group of northern Ghana, Africa.
Art Knapp and ScentSational Plants provided the plants in the outdoor patio area.
Sign up in the Pharmacy or phone 250-590-6053 for the free BC Hearing Services or the Cardiovascular Health clinics.
And behind the post office counter is Bonita, who many of you will recognise from the old Cordova Bay Variety Store.

The official opening of the pharmacy on 26 July was an all-day fun affair. (Below) Owner, Bob Mehr, greets customers and CBA member, Don Johnson, is at the pharmacy counter with Pharmacy Manager, Mike March.

Cordova Bay Day - 2011

Another great Cordova Bay Day was staged on Saturday June 25, 2011, by the Cordova Bay Association for Community Affairs (CBA) on the front lawn of St. David by the Sea Anglican Church on Cordova Bay Road at Sutcliffe Road.
This was the eighth annual Cordova Bay Day organized by the CBA as a community get-together, fun time and a silent auction to raise funds for Cordova Bay groups and endeavours. $2,230 was raised at the silent auction. If you have thoughts as to potential non-profit recipients in Cordova Bay, please email:cba.president@cbasn.com.

The Shriners were back with hot dogs, pop and popcorn and a clown as well as a calliope that played throughout the event; the clown led the parade of proud youngsters riding their decorated bikes and trikes; Cordova Bay Pre-School had a bake sale; Block Watch was present; CHIP (cardiovascular health) took blood pressures; Scotiabank at Cordova Bay Plaza again sponsored the live Latin band, Mike Lefebvre and Perros Libre; the CBA had its membership table and the Times Colonist newspaper was given away free; face painter Rhonda Broadfoot, sponsored by Saanich South MLA Lana Popham, was kept busy; the historical photographic display included a photo album belonging to Anne Pearson - her "Sea-Lake: Recollections and History of Cordova Bay and Elk Lake," which was published in 1981, is available at the Greater Victoria Public Library; Century Group of 5150 Cordova Bay Road sponsored the always-popular bouncy castle; a banana throwing game was sponsored by Pure Pharmacy, which opens on July 4, 2011, at the former Beklens Restaurant location - the first pharmacy in Cordova Bay; Victoria Pilates was present; St. David's Church had a coffee and tea table; inside, an inter-generational "messy church" was held focusing on families with young children; the golf challenge game was sponsored by Leila Cassels, Mortgage Depot.

All this was organized by a team of hard-working volunteers and Sally Tuckey, chairperson of the 2011 Cordova Bay Day Planning Committee, thanked all of them - Penny Joppe, Jack Colbert, Diane De Wolfe, Janice de Cunha and Shirley Jasperse. A big thank you goes to everyone who donated items to the silent auction - without you, it couldn't happen. And thanks to Roger Stonebanks for helping out by writing this article!

Here's Sally's slideshow: http://Click here to open photos. Then click 'Slide Show', top left.
And here's Penny and Tony's accompanied by photos from Helen Ayers, Richard Alexander and Sally Tuckey: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CB DAY 2011 ALBUM (91 photos). OPEN THIS ALBUM, DOUBLE CLICK ON THE FIRST PHOTO, THEN CLICK 'SLIDESHOW' OR JUST ENLARGE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS - ENJOY!