Monday, December 11, 2023 – The holidays are a festive time to share with loved ones and a joyous season that brings our community together. It was a delight to see so many take part in the Sooke Firefighter’s Santa Run on Saturday and the Santa Parade on Sunday. Thank you to the volunteers who made these festivities possible and to all for helping our holiday spirit shine so brightly!
For more magical events, visit the District’s events calendar at sooke.ca/events. If you’re hosting an event, please submit it to the calendar so more in the community are aware of your activity.
As this year comes to a close, I am ecstatic to be celebrating a major funding milestone. The District has been successful in its most recent federal grant application to help us realize the Little River Crossing pedestrian corridor project — receiving $1.3 million in federal funding!
Construction is to begin next year on the long-awaited and much-needed project with a goal of substantial completion by summer 2025.
The bridge and associated trails for Little River Crossing will provide critical infrastructure to connect residents in the Sunriver neighbourhood with the Sooke town centre and nearby schools. The crossing will offer safe and efficient travel over Little River (Demamiel Creek) drastically improving residents’ ability to reach desired destinations including schools, local businesses and recreation amenities. The project will also incorporate interpretative signage to educate users on the cultural and natural history of the area.
In facilitating this instrumental connectivity, the project will support alternative modes of transportation — transforming an 8-kilometre round-trip drive on Highway 14 to an approximately 1-kilometre round-trip walk or roll to school for students.
The crossing, initially recommended by the Parks and Trails Advisory Committee (2016) and supported through Capital Regional District Active School Planning (Journey – 2018, Poirier – 2018, Sooke – 2021) and the District of Sooke’s Parks and Trails Master Plan (2020), is the result of the District’s steadfast commitment to increase community connectivity and make getting around Sooke safer.
It has been a long time coming and I’m thrilled that we will soon be breaking ground on this exciting project for our community!
As we prepare to say goodbye to 2023, I’m reflecting on the last twelve months and the progress taking shape in our community.
We broke ground on another major road project with the Church/Throup Roundabout.
We launched a Community Data Portal to make research and analysis more accessible to community stakeholders and businesses seeking information to make decisions about investing in Sooke.
We transitioned to 24/7 fire services and began a transition to 24/7 policing services.
We made streetlight and transit stop improvements and are working on several crosswalk improvements.
We welcomed Amazing Race Canada and received national exposure alongside an economic boost from the film industry.
We were home to an exciting provincial announcement on a new integrated health care centre coming to Sooke!
We launched a new Community Climate Action Seed funding program that is supporting neighbourhoods mobilize on FireSmart initiatives, events shining a spotlight on our parks, and is also assisting with several other great community-based initiatives including community garden projects and education workshops.
Now, we’re celebrating $1.5 million in funding with $1.3 million in federal funds for Little River Crossing and $198,000 to support Sooke’s FireSmart program!
Next, Council is focused on an executive search for our Chief Administrative Officer, continuing strategic planning and resuming dialogue on the Official Community Plan, while also learning more about the details of what new provincial zoning regulations and rules on short-term rental accommodations mean for Sooke.
Sooke municipal hall will be closed from December 25th to January 1st to allow staff to enjoy the holiday with their families. Please note that essential services are not impacted by this closure. Many thanks to our first responders, and parks and wastewater services staff who are so committed to ensuring the safety of our community and public spaces.
During this season of kindness and good tidings, I offer my appreciation and gratitude to the community for your continued collaboration and support. I am proud to call Sooke home and witness the generosity of your support through initiatives such as the Sooke Christmas Bureau, the Sooke Fire Fighters Charitable Giving Campaign and many, many more.
Be well, Sooke. From my family to yours, best wishes this holiday season.
Warm regards,
Mayor Maja Tait