Homeward bound HMCS Regina nears the end of a marathon deployment Page A4
NEWS: Red Art goes for the green /A3 ARTS: Transitioning from the ice to the canvas /A12 SPORTS: Bays bumped from provincial spot /A16
OAK BAYNEWS Friday, March 8, 2013
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Untying the traffic knot Committee seeks traffic connection improvements David Leach and his family are a bit unusual. For 12 years, the Leach’s have lived without a car, relying on cycling, walking, transit and car co-ops to get around town. “I’m a commuter cyclist and I take my kids to and from after-school care by bike or foot,” he said. “We use a car share co-op and my wife buses or walks downtown.” With his focus on alternative modes Megan Cole of transportation, it Reporting seemed natural that Leach would join the Oak Bay Active Transportation Advisory Committee. “One of my concerns is my wife doesn’t bike because she’s nervous on the street because of people speeding and distracted drivers,” he said. In addition to dangerous intersections and gaps in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, Leach said he sees hazards around schools. “I walk my kids past Oak Bay high school to Willows school, and it can often be complete chaos,” he said. The committee is a volunteer body of 11 citizens who research and advise Oak Bay council on how to improve active transportation in the municipality. In addition to a focus on cycling and walking infrastructure, the group also worked to have a complete streets policy adopted in June 2012. PLEASE SEE: Connections key, Page A7
Edward Hill/News staff
A great horned owl sits with her three owlets in a planter box outside an office building in the Tillicum area of Saanich. Normally a reclusive bird, it’s unusual for an owl family to nest next to an area with regular, daily commotion, but it gave several non-profit agencies the opportunity to set up live-streaming webcams at hancockwildlife.org.
Owl family lands online reality show Edward Hill News staff
The big mama gives me the death glare. Her scowling yellow eyes never leave mine as three little puffballs tuck into her chest. You can’t sneak up on an owl, and this one is probably aware of every conversation and keyboard clack in the building where she’s made her home. It’s unusual behaviour, but two great
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horned owls have decided to nest in a concrete planter box under a window, four storeys off the ground. Where North Saanich had its famed eagle cam, Saanich is now host to live-streaming webcams broadcasting the daily drama of an owl family. So far, much of that action is the mom doting over her three down-covered owlets, while pops delivers a steady diet of rodents and birds after dark.
“It rare to have a nest situated next to a window where there’s a lot of activity going on,” said Jeff Krieger of Alternative Wildlife Solutions, an animal control company based in Metchosin. “Usually they take over nests of crows or red tailed hawks. Here they took over a planter. It’s a strange spot. It’s quite unique.” PLEASE SEE: Owls nesting in public, Page A10
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