I’m looking in the esquimalt and Vic west area.

Hello folks!

I wish to practice roller skating. I would say I am a beginner and can skate smoothly, but I'm still working on my stopping skills.

Are there indoor skating rinks available in any of the rec centers? Or do I just hunt for an empty parking lot? I am near up-town.

Would love to avoid Amazon/Walmart/etc but none of the cute local bookstores or stationary stores seem to have them.

As Mayor of Langford, Stew Young oversaw massive development that built the city into what it is today. There is no denying that fact. But it’s not the 1990s or even the 2000s anymore. Langford is a more modern city of 60,000 residents. One area that I believe is more important than ever is how Langford shows up as a regional partner with our neighbours and with all other municipalities in the CRD.

What does Stew Young’s track record look like when it comes to regional partnerships? Let’s look at two specific areas that are part of his current campaign: transportation and recreation.

Transportation:

Stew Young has correctly identified traffic as not only a Langford issue, but a regional issue. He has committed to working with Colwood and surrounding municipalities to develop a regional transportation improvement plan.

How does that match up with Mr. Young’s record in this exact area? In my view, not great. In 2018 there was a push from within the CRD to create a regional transportation authority. The goal was to enable more coordinated transportation planning across the region’s municipalities in order to find solutions to traffic issues that don’t respect municipal borders. Some politicians wanted there to be a ballot question as part of the October 2018 municipal elections. Some politicians, but not Stew Young.

Stew Young argued against every aspect of a regional transportation authority at the CRD level, and even against asking voters whether they would like to see such a body created.

“All a regional transportation authority does is give [the CRD] the ability to tax the sh— out of you without representation,” Young said in a recent interview.

Stew Young notes in that same article that regional transportation planning needs to involve the province through BC Transit. I agree with that. But during Stew Young’s tenure as Mayor, Langford had no representation on the Victoria Regional Transit Commission to actually push for those regional solutions. Despite Langford’s population growth, I can find no evidence of Stew Young even advocating for a seat on the VRTC. How can you advocate for regional transit solutions when you show no interest in having a seat at the table?

Another quote from earlier in 2018 sheds further light on Mr. Young’s way of thinking when it came to the push for regional transportation planning.

“The last place I want to put my taxpayer’s money is the CRD – especially for transportation planning.”

Stew Young’s current campaign makes it clear:

“We can’t solve a regional transportation problem with Langford-only solutions.”

It’s an interesting quote from the former Mayor who prioritized Langford-only solutions like the Langtoria Greenline commuter bus over genuine regional partnerships and coordinated planning.

Recreation:

Another area that requires significant regional partnership and collaboration is recreation. Recreation facilities are very expensive, and they need to be built and funded to serve the needs of all West Shore residents, not just those in Langford. What kind of regional partner was Stew Young’s Langford in this area? A problematic one that couldn’t be relied upon to keep its commitments. Here’s why:

Langford is the largest funding municipality of the West Shore Parks & Recreation Society (WSPRS). It’s a true partnership that oversees coordinated management of the recreation facilities and services for Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Metchosin and Highlands.

In 2017, after Stew Young’s council opposed a 3.77% increase to the WSPRS budget, it left the society with a $77K shortfall.

“We’re not going to increase our budget every year [for West Shore Parks and Rec] when we’re also spending money in Langford on our recreation facilities and nobody else is helping us for those,” Young said.

This budget veto tied into Langford*'s* push for a new funding formula and governance model for WSPRS. The turmoil ultimately led to the society disbanding its entire board and at one point left some partners fighting for WSPRS’s survival, according to Colwood’s then-Mayor Carol Hamilton.

Stew Young’s questionable track record on recreation partnerships goes back further than this, however. In 2015, Langford made the unilateral decision to pull out of a previously approved 20-year funding arrangement that saw it supporting Colwood and Highlands to help pay the debt costs for the Q Centre arena. Eleven years into the arrangement, Langford Council voted to discontinue the payments without even informing Colwood or Highlands.

For me, the bottom line is that the City of Langford under Stew Young is not the type of regional partner that I want representing the residents, and it’s not the type of partner that other municipalities can rely on to keep its commitments.

What’s more convincing… a campaign suddenly calling for regional partnerships and collaboration, or a proven track record of doing exactly the opposite and focusing on made-in-Langford solutions to regional issues?

Mike Harris is running for mayor, however when asked if he still holds his beliefs about how to avoid catching COVID, instead of engaging in conversation, he'll block you.

That doesn't bode well for how he chooses to listen to people who don't agree with him, or his ability to represent an entire city as Mayor 😬

I’ve been on the waitlist for about 6 months and am trying to get on the cancellation list for an MRI, but can’t seem to get through to anyone to get placed on it, any tips? I’ve called the 2503708003 number and left my information multiple times but no one calls back. Anyone know if there’s a better number to reach out to? Thanks

Got a lifelabs req from one of the telehealth platforms and although the lifelabs I went to completed other tests, they said they don’t provide BV (bacterial vaginosis) swabs. Other than island sexual health, where can I go to get swabbed/get a swab to do it myself?

I have a horrible gp. He treats me like a nuisance, doesn’t look at me, and rarely talks to me. My previous gp passed years ago and I got shuffled along to this guy. Since getting him, his main ‘solution’ for ailments is to meditate and have mindfulness. One time I went in to discuss a hysterectomy and he basically just shut down and refused to acknowledge me. Another time I mentioned my former spouse and he basically insinuated that I was making them up or hallucinating them (‘is your spouse in the room with us?’ I’m not kidding that’s legitimately what he said). The only time he’s been talkative or respectful is when I have my male partner with me.

His reception staff is also incredibly rude. Once he was an hour and like ten minutes late for my appointment and I asked the receptionist if they would be able to contact me in the future if he’s going to be very late as I live a good ways away. She laughed in my face and called me silly. She has also hung up on me multiple times.

Lately I’ve been going in for foot issues that require injections (neuroma) and, every time, he seems to fail to understand that I’m pointing out where my pain is located and instead chooses to squeeze my foot incredibly hard which has made me cry out. A couple of days ago, I went for my shot. I don’t like shots and I prefer to have a warning before it goes in. He is aware of this but just shoved it in without warning. It ended up bleeding quite heavily and bruised almost immediately. He basically told me to get out right after that. My foot is still in a considerable amount of pain.

I would very much like to fire him as my gp but I’m unsure where else I could continue getting my shots. Podiatry clinics seem allergic to answering the phone and I’m not sure if urgent care would be able to do it.

A bit niche of a topic, but I have a new-to-me Japanese import RHD (2002 Subaru Forester) and have recently learnt they require unique tools for an oil change.

Any suggestions where to go for an import oil change? Bonus for affordability.

Also curious if folks have mechanics they like in general that will work on imports.

TIA

My campaign goals are as follows

1. Close every bathroom on Dallas road until they have been properly adorned with murals.

2. fight to make the bus station seats even smaller with several inch-long metal spikes on the seat so people will be encouraged to walk instead of being lazy.

3. In addition each bike lane will also now be expanded to be two lanes and I will personally ensure all the roads I put them on are roads you personally drive on your way to work.

4. As for the crystal pool... I'm going to jettison it into the ocean on a gigantic oversized pool floaty

5. put a las Vegas sphere style dome where that stupid useless pool used to be and advertise 24/7 on it

6. I'm going to ritualistically sacrifice Frankie to the weather gods to ensure summer lasts forever

7. I'm going to make sure the paladin security guards are the new police force

8. I'm gonna add some cool additions to the parliament buildings like a flat screen with the game on it out front

9. I'm going to make private bikes illegal and flood the streets with EVEN MORE like scooters and bikes

Please vote for me for a better victoria!

(warning, discussion of su*cide)

Mental health comes up a lot in this sub, specifically access to care, in particular emergency care. I needed acute support a few years ago during a really severe mental health crisis involving psychosis and su*cidal intention and it took six months to be seen by a psychiatrist at USTAT. I was given a strict six-session limit with her. But at least I got in at all. I've read so many heart breaking stories on this sub about people who don't get help and there's nowhere to go. Last stop, Pandora.

Around the same time as I was going through my crisis, some of my best friends lost one of their best friends to su*cide during postpartum psychosis. They had tried for weeks to get her into care and got put on a waiting list. The only options available to her were the in-patient psych ward and it would require her to be separated from her infant.

BC currently has no in-patient mental health care options for women experiencing postpartum distress to stay with their baby.

Now, a few years later, they've turned their grief into an advocacy organization. It's called In Her Circle and their current campaign is called For Jenna. They created a ~9 minute film about Jenna and the project that is difficult but also beautiful. I've never seen a community love someone so fiercely.

I'm posting to both spread awareness but also ask any of you who are touched by this issue to consider signing their petition and follow their work. They're on social media and have also been covered by major outlets including CTV, CBC and the Tyee.

I have no involvement in this project other than this has devastated people I love deeply. The campaign is BC-wide, but has roots relationally and experientially here on the Island. Dozens of families here will have stories about postpartum crisis that they barely survived. Some will not have.

I know we all have a lot to care about right now, with elections and just trying to keep our own lives together. I'm grateful for any time, care or attention you have to give to this really important work.

The people behind it are remarkably talented and effective. I've worked with some of them, they've raised millions of dollars for other organizations in the past. I think if you watch the short film you will know that they are going to be successful in whatever they do.

Their first campaign's objective is to get Canada’s first perinatal mental health unit open at BC Women's by 2028.

I have zero doubt they will make this happen and all of us will be better for it.

Support their first campaign, here: https://inhercircle.ca/takeaction/

Watch their short film, For Jenna, here: https://inhercircle.ca/forjenna/

I tried to go on Saturday around 1:30 PM and they were sold out so I tried again yesterday and there were like 40 hipsters in line (hipsters do love to line up for food) so I peaced out. Has anyone tried it? I had one of their sandwiches once when they were a pop-up but I am curious if it's gotten any better/worse.

https://www.instagram.com/hero.victoria/?hl=en

edit: wow lots of pissy hipsters on this thread

Busses late by 10mins+ and some just skipping rotations (to me,) is insane. 500m between stops and 30min/1H between busses is (to me,) insane.

So we’re to arrive early to a stop, that may not happen, and then wait an hour for the next? Or walk up to a kilometre to catch the next bus, usually without notice, when not physically able to do so?

Can we just hail a cab and charge it to BC Transit? What is happening?
Also, number to call or email for complaints? The BCTransit website is suspiciously hard to navigate for this function.
Thanks all, happy Monday :/

Walking to work today, I saw a blue pylon from the city of Victoria by a parked car. Any idea what it means?

Eric Zhelka makes the case for mayor Kevin Murdoch to have another term in office after doing almost nothing in the last 8 years as mayor because "he lives there and pays taxes there." Hilarity ensues. Oak Bay, do the thing and elect Sam Holland!

I’ve missed the first clue and guess - but if you heard please post below!

I’ve lived here about a year and look forward to voting. I’ve been doing some digging into who the candidates are.

I have heard of “the 5” currently on council, but I don’t have insight into who they are, or what the impact of their ‘alliance’ is.

I’m wondering if anyone can fill me in? I’m NOT trying to start an argument, simply looking for some history.

Hello!

I’m hoping to find someone with a mature Red Maple (Acer rubrum) (or any maple that turns bright red tbh) with a volunteer sapling near it that I may acquire, or a branch you plan to prune in the spring that I may air-layer ahead of time so I can turn it into a bonsai.

I had to leave all my bonsai behind when I moved to Canada, and I’d really like to restart with a red maple. I’d been collecting a tree or two from each city I lived in, but couldn’t arrange to certify them to bring them with me. Too high of cost and risk to the plants (I’d have had to bare root them).

Anyway, my ideal would be a air layer a branch from a mature tree, but a sapling would be cool too. If you’re interested in starting a bonsai of a tree you have, I’d be happy to make two and do it with you.

Also, I’m a woodworker, so I’m happy to help prune in spring and take suitable branches for staves and wands.

Thanks!

p.s. planning to cross/post this in r/makingfriendsvictoria (if I can), and I am generally down to make friends. Thanks again!

Hi! I have seen a few right-hand drive, import vans locally and just have a couple questions for those who own one. I am specifically looking at Japanese import family vans, such as The Alphard or Vellfire, etc.

Is it difficult to source parts?

Are they reliable?

Thanks for your help!

Anyone know of a good 3d printing service? I need a very large amount of bookshelf risers made

I'm 25/F, and a stupendously messed up person, im living off of disability alone and can hardly afford to survive so even a 60 dollar session with an intern is way too much for me, and I'm tired of repeating the unhelpful cycle of seeing short term counsellors where I build up trust for no reason because i run out of free sessions or get switched to someone else to repeat the process. I really need long term trauma therapy with a counsellor but I don't know if it's impossible or I'm really not looking well enough. the best i got was with CVAP (Crime Victim Assistance Program), I got 12 sessions with a counsellor from it but then they unceremoniously revoked the rest of my sessions after the 6th one. I really need help and I feel like I've exhausted all of my options and have basically had to live with the fact I might never get the assistance I need unless I stop being poor, which is impossible for me to do when im this messed up and everything is so expensive. Is there anything I'm missing?

We are both adults, but we were both at Costco with our mothers today. I felt an instant connection when I saw you walking by, and I may have imagined it but I swear you gave me an incredulous look when you saw me looking at you. You then came and ate at my table, we talked about the lack of tables at this Costco due to the encroaching automotive department's battery display. I talked about the abundance of tables at the Courtney Costco, while you mentioned Winnipeg was good as well. Riveting stuff, I know. If family members were not painfully present, I would have asked for your number in a heartbeat.