(for older Notices, check our Notices Archive)

Seniors Vancouver Art Gallery Tour
and Saanich Heritage Bus Tour and Tea Please click here for dates, times and further information

IMPORTANT NEWS!
The Saanich Fire Department has announced that the ban on camp fires and beach fires in the municipality has been lifted.

Beach fires on Cordova Bay and Sayward beaches

Copied from the "What's New" page of the District of Saanich website:

Effective July 1, 2010 the Saanich Fire Department will no longer be issuing beach fire permits for Telegraph Bay Beach. Beach Fires will still be permitted at two locations within the Municipality: - Cordova Bay Beach - from Cordova Bay Park to Sayward - Sayward Beach - off Parker Avenue. Permits for these two permitted areas can still be purchased at any of the three Saanich Fire Stations. All public enquiries and/or questions relating to the above change may be referred to Assistant Chief Todd Cave, Fire Prevention Division at 250-475-5500.

The following was endorsed by the Public Safety and Emergency Planning Committee:
(a) Council amend Fire Prevention Bylaw No. 8807 and remove the required beach fire setback of 45 meters and replace it with a requirement for all beach fires to be located in an approved "community beach fire pit" that is owned and maintained by the Municipality at an approved location as determined by the Fire Chief.
(b) Effective October 15, 2010 all beach fires within the Municipality will be restricted by permit to community beach fire pits only located at Cordova Bay Park, Agate Park, and Sayward Park.

Art Knapp garden centre, Mattick's Farm

There are lots of bargains to be had at Art Knapp now that summer has almost gone: hanging and standing basket prices have been slashed, as have prices on all the annual and other plants. Holly and her crew will be happy to give you plenty of ideas for your garden, so do pay them a visit.

Duffy the Dragon books for fund raising

Cordova Bay resident, Kate Noble, has created a character, Duffy the Dragon, who is a very sweet natured, large red-winged dragon. Duffy lives with his King and his friends Mizzle the Mouse and Turtle the Cat in the magical land of Tatla. He loves to help others and especially children.

Kate is producing a series of storybooks, with these characters, to raise funds for a few major charities. At this point, she has been officially authorized as a fundraiser for The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) specifically for pediatric cancer research and the fundraising efforts of Cops For Cancer and the Tour de Rock to support Camp Goodtimes, The BC Children's Hospital Foundation, the Children's Wish Foundation and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

The first book has just been published entitled "Duffy At Camp Goodtimes" in which Duffy helps his young friend Erin, who is undergoing cancer treatment, to attend summer camp. It is available for $10.00 at all Scotiabank locations and at the Red Barn locally as well as other venues in Victoria and on the Island. Kate will be doing some book signings locally, and $5.00 from every book sale is donated directly to the CCS. The next book is tentatively scheduled for the end of September entitled "Duffy The Superhero" and is raising funds for the BC Children's Hospital Foundation. "Duffy The Christmassy Dragon" will be out in October to support the Children's Wish Foundation. Next year, and hopefully into the future, Kate will continue with several more books annually supporting various charities.

All stories are told in rhyming verse, which children seem to love and adults enjoy reading, are in a 24-page 8.5" x 8.5" book format, fully and beautifully illustrated, and printed by Hemlock Printer (Vancouver and Victoria). For more information, please call Kate: 250-858-7015.

Safety first at Pat Bay/Sayward intersection

The CBA has told highways officials that it is “well past time” that safety improvements are implemented at the dangerous intersection of Patricia Bay Highway and Sayward Road.

A current traffic safety report states that short-and-medium-term measures to improve safety at the notoriously dangerous intersection of Patricia Bay Highway and Sayward Road would cost – only $381,000. And the report said the changes should be considered for implementation.

For more information and background, please click on: Pat Bay/Sayward intersection safety issues.

Letters to the Editor

In response to many suggestions, the new Cordovan will include a Letters-to-the-Editor column. This will provide a forum for comments and questions from residents of Cordova Bay on local issues, and hopefully give some answers.

You are most welcome to write sooner if you have a question or comment relevant to Cordova Bay. One of the executives will be pleased to respond. Please contact us by e-mail:

letter-to-editor@cbasn.com.

Volunteers needed for Outerbridge Park
on Royal Oak Drive

Glendale Gardens, in partnership with Saanich Parks, has agreed to operate, maintain and manage the lands known as Outerbridge Park. The primary activities of the volunteers will be to: restore the gardens; remove invasive plants; maintain the trails and lands as a park and nature sanctuary.

Volunteers will work Thursday mornings from 9:00 – 12:00 noon under the guidance of Dave de Shane, former Saanich Parks Manager and Niagara Falls Horticultural School and volunteer with Glendale Gardens. Dave is a highly skilled horticulturalist and anyone interested in learning more about plants and garden maintenance will find that working with Dave is a constant and rewarding learning opportunity. If you are interested, please contact the Co-ordinator of Volunteers at: volunteers@hcp.bc.ca – or if you don’t have e-mail, phone Glendale Gardens at 250-479-6162 and the Co-ordinator of volunteers will contact you.
There is an interesting article in the Saanich News, 29 June 2010, to read:The way Mrs Outerbridge intended.

Retirees enjoy regular hikes

The Cordova Bay Hikers meet every Wednesday, September to June. Most members are retirees. Morning hikes and longer lunch hikes are scheduled each week. The two main social events are a Christmas potluck luncheon and a picnic in June. Each year there are overnight hikes, staying in accommodation for one or two nights. If you are interested, just go to the Cordova Bay shopping plaza at 8:45 a.m. on any Wednesday. The 2010 season resumed on January 6.

Old Shed at Haliburton Farm