Delegation Letter: Request for Improvement to Water Access

May 27th, 2015

Dear Mayor and Counsel,

Thank you for your time considering the following request.

Shoreline Middle School has over the last five years been developing a paddling program to enhance experiential learning opportunities at the school. What started with grade six and seven students paddling and racing Dragon Boats has expanded to include what we are calling “The Big Canoe Program,” hands on learning of Canadian history as well as traditional knowledge of flora and fauna through both school based and outdoor learning experiences.

Recently Shoreline Middle School has expanded the program again to include paddling a large, 36’ West Coast First Nations canoe, similar to what the Songhees Nation used at the start of the last century. This new canoe, and three smaller Voyageur style (25’) canoes that have been donated to the school, will be stored on site. Staff and students are excited about the new acquisitions and the possibilities they bring.

Across from the school at approximately 2773 Shoreline Drive there is a strip of public property that can be used to access the Gorge Waterway. Students make use of the Gorge regularly during the spring months of April, May, and June. Some of this is to prepare for the Grade 8 overnight paddling trip around Newcastle Island at the end of the school year. To date, we have accessed the Gorge at the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club (VCKC). The closer access of Shoreline Drive would greatly enhance the school’s program by reducing the travel time for students and staff walking to the VCKC clubhouse.

We would like to request the township of View Royal make some improvement to this access point with the deposition of salmon rearing gravels that would reduce the chance of students or staff turning an ankle. Currently although the access is ideally situated the larger stones on the slope do not make it easy to carry the canoes to the water.

On another note, in conversation with Dave Podmoroff from View Royal Parks we have learned there may be plans to improve the shoreline of the Portage Inlet Linear Park. This is great news and we do hope these plans will move forward. Throughout May and June Shoreline Middle School has landed canoes at this park often, stopping to practice setting up shelters and lighting camp stoves. Although this park is close to the highway, the lack of residences and the fabulous views make the students feel as though they are in a more remote location that they actually are. Having a bit of shore without the large riprap will make it much safer to access the grassy area and less chance of damaging the canoes we beach on shore.

Any work done to reduce the hazards at these two access points would have a tremendous effect on enhancing Shoreline Middle School’s growing paddling program. With a student body of approximately 300 and each student paddling multiple times a year, these improvements will be noticed and appreciated.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Nadine Naughton Principal