Amazing Places

What could be a more amazing place than an inclusive safe place? There will be safe places for more people locally, thanks to Eric Misener, a constable with the Saanich Police Dept.

Police-initiated, but with fulsome community input, Eric spearheaded the Saanich Police Safe Place programme, which originated with Seattle Police Dept.

The Saanich PD Safe Place programme aims to increase safety for marginalised members of our community, including the IBPOC, LGBTQ2S, and unhoused communities. Along with SPD colleagues, the group consulted with the Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee, Victoria Pride Society and the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria. 

SPD Safe Place designations have already been made at most Saanich Municipality facilities, along with Saanich Fire, Saanich Recreation, and Saanich Emergency Programme. 

Listen in as Eric explains the programme, why it’s important, and how your business or employer can get involved. He also shares some mental health insights and tells us about his “fish room”!

Amazing is right HERE!

As the Founder, CEO, & Managing Editor of HERE Magazine, and the parent organisation, REP Here In Canada, Fiona Bramble is constantly in motion. Fortunately, we were able to have her sit down long enough to have a chat.

While Fiona and HERE are based in Victoria, she connects people and communities across Canada. Both funny and touching, she shares stories about newcomers, immigrants, and refugees along the way. She has gathered a wide array of people and organisations around her to collaborate on some amazing events and programmes. From arts to job skills to health to literacy to technology, listen to how the HERE team employs an innovative approach in their outreach.

We’ll also reminisce about why we both get verklempt on the significance of a photo with BC Premier John Horgan.

We hope that you’ll enjoy learning more about this inclusive and diverse community, within our community.

In advance of a municipal election in the early 1900s, there was a scandal that hit Saanich.

Saanich Archives Specialist, Kimberly Head, tells us the tale of Cowper’s Caper - when Municipal Clerk Hector Cowper embezzled thousands from the Municipality of Saanich!

Where did the money go, and was Hector the only thief involved? Who gave him glowing character references? Join us for local intrigue, mystery, and a look at how differently such scandals were handled back then.

When you’re done listening, check out the Saanich Archives at https://saanich.ca/archives

Colwood is calling. Here at Amazing Places, we heard the call, so we invited Colwood Councillor Gordie Logan to join us this week. We’ve got parks and politics on the table, and especially the jewel - Latoria Creek Park.

Give us a listen; you’ll learn how extensive the Colwood park network really is, what’s planned for this summer, his personal apple fritter recommendation, park accessibility, and even the location of a hidden gem. That’s right - he spills the tea on a Colwood secret!

In true gremlin style, it appears one snuck in and snipped the last few minutes of this week’s podcast. While we’re missing Councillor Logan extolling the virtues of living in Colwood, and his welcome message to businesses to invest in Colwood, you can be sure we’ll ask him back in the future. Oh, and there’s the subject of a safe Galloping Goose crossing still to be discussed!

While we could have talked to seismologist John Cassidy for hours, we managed to pack a whole lot of information into 30 minutes. Join us as he takes us on a learning journey, covering the 3 types of local earthquakes, which municipality in the CRD is the geological newcomer, how to know that a tsunami has been generated, revealing just how close the Devil's Mountain Fault is to Victoria, giving us a whole lot of resources, and telling us the fascinating story behind an upcoming 322nd anniversary!

https://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/index-en.php

https://www.oceannetworks.ca/innovation-centre/smart-ocean-systems/earthquake-early-warning

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc

https://www.crd.bc.ca/prepare-yourself

https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/index-en.aspx

https://www.shakeoutbc.ca/

A small organisation with a big heart, Community Options for Children and Families works rather quietly in our region, supporting children, adults, and families. 

In true, "It takes a village" style, COCF Executive Director Kathleen Burton explains who supports them in supporting community. Learn about opportunities on how you can join in this village, as well as a wonderful fundraiser that local business Heirloom Linens is doing to support COCF.

Please join us for our Season 2 opener, as we talk about volunteering, tie-dyeing, community, government, planting flowers, not-for-profits, and barbeques and picnics! 

Are you making a resolution that you want, or that you're "supposed" to want? Teacher, Saanich Councillor, and CRD Chair Colin Plant, joins us this week to talk about parks, hiking, favourite local brunch spot, physical fitness, mental wellness, and New Year's resolutions. 

At this time last year, Colin and his wife Catherine went for a hike, and agreed to make time for health and each other, every week. They have managed to keep that resolution all year long in 2021. Listen along for his insight into how he managed to do that, and how you might too in 2022!

As Christmas Eve falls on a Friday this year, we decided to change it up this week. We're publishing a day early, and this is not your usual Amazing Places podcast!

Kerchiefs and caps optional. ;)

Did you know that your local school might be part of the School-Based Weather Station Network, victoriaweather.ca? Schools up and down Vancouver Island, as well as a few other buildings, have compact weather stations on their rooves! 

Ed Wiebe, from UVIC's School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, joins us on this episode, to give us the history of the project, the challenges during a pandemic, and fascinating weather info from cold fronts to a meteotsunami!

While I've used the website for years to check weather in my neighbourhood, Ed provides much more context as to all the ways the collected data can be used. If you're a weather buff, you'll enjoy listening.

How did you spend the height of the pandemic? Step in to the world of the Snuffleworts, with award-winning journalist Jean Paetkau, who along with her 2 children, wrote a wonderful tale that adults and children can enjoy.