COMMUNITY EVENTS | 🌿 No Ivy League: Ivy removal in Uplands Park every Sunday in May from 1-3pm. Meet Friends at Uplands Park at the Dorset/Lincoln entrance off Beach Drive. All tools, gloves and instructions will be provided—including refreshments at the end. | 💐 Mother’s Day Brunch at Oak Bay Beach Hotel on Sunday, May 12. There will be a special brunch menu at Oak Bay Beach Hotel with seating at 10am, 10:30am, 1pm, or 1:30pm for a cost of $129 for adults, $59 for children over 3. | 🌳 District of Oak Bay to hold circle of life for Garry Oaks on Tuesday, May 14 at 10am on Beach Drive (between Beresford & Windsor). | 🛍 Multifamily yard sale to be held Saturday, May 11 at 3260 Uplands Place from 9am to 1pm. All profits will be given to a local school to help with back-to-school basics for families in need. | 🎡 Oak Bay Tea Party will return to Willows Park, May 31 to June 2. Check out the details of the annual summer fair, including the parade schedule, food, kids craft centre and the floating tea cup challenge! |
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| | COMMUNITY NEWS | 🏘 Oak Bay falls behind housing targets. So far only seven new homes have been built out of a one-year target of 56, and all are secondary suites. An additional 24 new units could be on the table with Carnarvon Park’s revitalization, and Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch said it’s unlikely they’ll hit their overall target of 664 new homes by 2028. [Capital Daily] | 🌵 April drier than normal across Vancouver Island. Temperatures were an average of around 8C, which has been relatively normal, however rainfall has been half of the usual amount with precipitation of only 40.7 mm, which typically averages 92.1 millimetres. [Oak Bay News] | 🚨 London Drugs cyberattack forces store closures for over a week. The BC pharmacy said there is no evidence that consumer data was compromised, and it remains unknown whether it was connected to a set of sophisticated cyber attacks on provincial government networks, announced by Premier David Eby on Wednesday. [Vancouver Sun] | ⛺️ UVic students camping in solidarity with Palestine for over a week say they’ll remain until their demands are met. The “People’s Park” encampment say they are demanding UVic divests from a list companies that it says “benefit from the genocide of the Palestinian people.” The university said the issue of divesting from the named companies is “complex.” [The Martlet] | ♻️ Oak Bay Tea Party’s Zero Waste Team seeking volunteers to help attending several stations throughout the grounds directing patrons to deposit their discards into the appropriate totes. The shifts will be no longer than three hours to cover Friday to Sunday, May 31 to June 2. [Oak Bay Local] | 🏡 Last chance to provide feedback on the Carnarvon Park Master Plan Refresh Survey - which remains open until May 10. Share your feedback on the proposed redesign of Carnarvon Park, including what should be revitalized or repurposed. | How do you feel about housing in Oak Bay? | | | P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here. |
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| | PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT | To join the conversation, become a member of the Oak Bay Local Facebook Group | Disclosures on hospital wait times | An Oak Bay local reached out to the group this week to share their concern for those waiting in the ER to see a doctor this week. They reported seeing people in great need looking for answers about their health, and when they’d be able to see a doctor. After waiting around 12 hours, they said the triage nurse indicated that this kind of a wait time is the new normal. | After writing a letter to the Ministry of Health, they suggested calling for public disclosure of wait times in order to provide information and to set an expectation for how long people can expect to wait in an ER. The original poster said they felt “hopeless” that their letter could change the situation, and other commenters echoed the sentiment that this situation is dire, and even went so far as to call the experience “traumatizing”. Others suggested that there used to be an ability to see wait times in the ER, but that this is no longer available. | Other commenters suggested it’s a political issue, and one that they will be watching candidates for in the next election. | |
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| | | Uptick in animal control on Beach Drive | An Oak Bay local shared their observation that there has been a notable increase in the amount of animal control officers on duty at Willows Beach. This follows months of active discussions around dog walkers not adhering to the guidelines of keeping all dogs on leash along the beach. | While some commenters jokingly said that they appreciate the update on this “highly controversial and contentious issue” others said that sadly this hasn’t been far from the truth. Some commenters said that the presence of animal control officers has led to many following the rules more closely and in turn, people who have felt unsafe walking in the area are now more inclined to enjoy the beach as well. | |
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| | SPONSORED BY INTERTIDAL COUNSELLING & WELLNESS | | Your life in review | As an older adult, you may be facing a host of unique challenges. You don’t have to take them on alone. | In our Life Review group, participants will imagine their life as a book, sharing moments of joy and past hardships. Each week there will be a writing topic and ensuing discussion. Group members will identify what is most meaningful in their lives and use these insights to form plans and aspirations for the future. | Running June 7, 14, and 21 at Christ Church Cathedral. Registration closes May 23. Please email blair@intertidalwellness.ca to register. |
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| | IN OTHER NEWS | | Mother’s Day Craft Fair | Lansdowne Middle school students are hosting a craft fair this Saturday, May 11 from 10am to 1pm at 3495 Upper Terrace Rd. Visit the fair and support young crafters and maybe pick something up for Mother’s Day. |
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| | | PHOTO OF THE WEEK |  | Photo credit: Michelle Toone |
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