Looking back…
Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A look back through the Sooke News Mirror archives.
May 30, 2007
Bombers away!
Efforts to put out a forest fire on a ridge north of Church Road was aided by water bomber airplanes when firefighters had difficulty taming the blaze due to weather conditions.
Sooke Deputy Fire Chief Steven Sorensen said a 10 person forestry crew were still working on the two acre fire he suspected was lit by a poorly extinguished campfire.
It was a difficult spot to work on because of steep terrain and winds which were gusting to 60 kmh.
May 31, 2006
DP applicants frustrated with process
Frustration over delays in processing development permits is sending some developers and property owners over the deep end.
At the last District of Sooke council meeting on May 23, at least one person vented his dissatisfaction with the process, the delays and red tape he had to go through to get on with his project.
May 28, 2003
Grant comes through, more work ahead
Sooke finally received a grant to develop a community sewage project, after three years of applications and lobbying the provincial and federal governments.
The Canada-British Columbia Infrastructure Program grant for about $11.6 million was approved to help fund the $17.4 million project.
“I am so excited for the future,” acting mayor Marcus Farmer said. “I just think you can’t overlook the importance of this project. It is going to lay the groundwork for everything in the community.”
The sewage project was one of 35 “green” projects planned for Sooke, with the price tag for whole plan soaring at over $127 million, giving council lots of practice waiting on grant requests.
May 27, 1998
T’Sou-ke try to evict Sooke Basin fish farm
The T’Sou-ke Nation want to kick a fish farm out of the Sooke Basin.
T’Sou-ke hereditary chief Frank Planes served an eviction notice to Prime Pacific Seafarms during a protest led by native war canoes, fish boats and pleasure crafts.
“Now people will hear our plea for help to get this polluting thing out of here because we need these harbours,” Planes said as he stapled the eviction notice to the door of the unoccupied office to the cheer of environmentalists and fellow First Nations supporters.
The T’Sou-ke Nation fear feces from the penned Atlantic salmon are polluting the basin and killing bottom dwelling sea life.
May 26, 1993
Sooke teachers vote to strike
Sooke teachers voted 75 per cent in favour of a strike with 87 per cent of the district’s 470 full-time equivalent teachers voting.
“We are delighted with the result since the board has done what it can to scare teachers about layoffs,” Sooke Teachers’ Association president Kathleen MacKinnon said.
Saanich teachers voted 65 per cent in favour of strike action while Vancouver teachers walked out with only 58 per cent support, she added.
Teachers had voted earlier to reject the school board’s latest offer which MacKinnon described as “worse than the previous one.”
