As Oak Bay allocates five more years to determine a long-term plan for Spewhung (Turkey Head), community stakeholders continue to share visions for it while roughly 22,000 square metres go largely toward parking.
Coun. Andrew Appleton, a former volunteer with the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network, walks the site regularly and sees many options for such a prized communal area.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 have a great deal of public space in the district,B次元官网网址� he said. While some want lots of parking at Spewhung, he added, others would like greater versatility.
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Songhees Chief Ronald Sam said Spewhung remains underutilized because it fails to commemorate the Lekwungen Peoples. His nation answered the districtB次元官网网址檚 request for marina proposals in 2020 with its own plan, but was removed from the selection process early on.
B次元官网网址淲e werenB次元官网网址檛 even given respect as a government,B次元官网网址� Sam said, calling the process obnoxious and adding he doesnB次元官网网址檛 agree with the extension of the current lease.
The Songhees are looking to expand economic development and offer a greater Lekwungen and tourist presence at Spewhung, he added. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 have reconciliation without true economic reconciliation.B次元官网网址�
Sam has not spoken with the community group ReconciliACTION Oak Bay and remains undecided about doing so. In fact, the Songhees are prepared to take legal action against the District of Oak Bay, he said, if thorough Indigenous consultation doesnB次元官网网址檛 ensue. However, Sam said he is B次元官网网址渨illing to go back to the drawing boardB次元官网网址� with council.
Rev. Craig Hiebert with St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, which is one of the members of ReconciliACTION Oak Bay, agreed Spewhung lacks visible Lekwungen presence and culture.
B次元官网网址淭he only idea I have is that we donB次元官网网址檛 have any preconceived ideas,B次元官网网址� he said, describing the group as B次元官网网址渁verage citizens keen to see (their) commitment put to reconciliationB次元官网网址� through creative collaboration with the Lekwungen Peoples.
Members recently met with Esquimalt Chief Robert Thomas to discuss consultation ahead of a long-term plan for Spewhung, but Hiebert said Thomas didnB次元官网网址檛 mention specifics.
Biologist and restoration specialist Jacques Sirois sees Spewhung as offering a chance to showcase Oak BayB次元官网网址檚 Indigenous and settler history and B次元官网网址渁 place to make reconciliation happen for real.B次元官网网址�
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For a district thatB次元官网网址檚 ripe with heritage sites and B次元官网网址渇irst and foremost a Salish Sea community,B次元官网网址� he said Oak Bay lacks a designated place to tell its history. He proposed a visitor or heritage centre designed like the former Oak Bay boathouse at Spewhung that first arrived with the ill-fated Mount Baker Hotel in the 1890s and last stood in the 1960s.
Sirois said the existing parking lot was built for Sealand of the Pacific in the late 20th century and needs to be shrunk to half its size, modernized, better maintained and equipped with suitable infrastructure for stormwater runoff.
B次元官网网址淢aybe it could be designed to be a (proper) storm-watching site.B次元官网网址�
He also wants action taken to address the dozens of anchored boats north of the marina that he said float unattended most of the year, degrade underwater eel-grass habitat for fish, and sometimes sink.
B次元官网网址淲e need to take better care of Oak Bay B次元官网网址� and what I mean by B次元官网网址極ak BayB次元官网网址� is the bay itself.B次元官网网址�
Kelly Loch of the Stewardship Centre for BC went a step further, suggesting such sustainable practices as restoring fish habitat, improving beach access and adding extra sand, gravel and vegetation to absorb waves and reduce flooding and erosion. She advised against concrete seawalls or loose rock breakwaters, which are costly to install and can diminish the esthetics and environmental friendliness of the foreshore.
Community Association of Oak Bay president Kris Nichols said Spewhung offers great potential for a nice green park with picnic benches and the occasional market, but struggles as a B次元官网网址減aved wasteland.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚s that really the best and highest use for such a beautiful property?B次元官网网址� he asked. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 got to be something better.B次元官网网址�
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In a 2017 process that didnB次元官网网址檛 involve First Nations, the community association gathered roughly 55 stakeholders at Spewhung and worked with the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network to present a myriad of community visions to council, which used them as background in its request for proposals. Popular ideas included a pier, farmer and artisan market, amphitheatre or performance stage, historical interpretation facility, saltwater pool and skateboard park, indicating a shared interest in activating Spewhung to a greater extent.
Afterward, association secretary and local architect John Armitage produced a rough birdB次元官网网址檚-eye view sketch of Spewhung to help visualize various developments suggested. He said SiroisB次元官网网址� boathouse idea could serve as a Songhees smokehouse or Indigenous or nature interpretation centre, adding that deciding what to do with the marina, bay and land-water interface around Spewhung is crucial.
Nichols said the association has always looked toward a long-term plan for the marina and Spewhung that encompasses all community values B次元官网网址� climate action, people-oriented public space and reconciliation.
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