Sooke is changing.
The old guard is not listened to as much as it once was and other influences are coming forward to define what the community should/could look like.
There are groups sprouting up that want to take a good hard look at waste not - want not, co-housing, tanker traffic, community gardens, bicycling arteries, and the list goes on. This is a good thing all in all, as life as it once was in Sooke is being phased out and higher sensibilities are at the forefront. They are altruistic and concerned about some rather lofty ideals. There is nothing wrong with that, but perhaps what they should be looking at is the every day decisions being made on the ground and around the council table. People are objecting to the new roundabout, access to and from the local malls, connector roads and sidewalks - things that affect every one who lives in Sooke. Most of it is about accessibility. Change is a good thing, but it needs to be centred on common sense.
With all of the energy and time spent on rather idealistic issues, maybe these same folks could look at what is happening around them, on the ground in Sooke. The practical things, the more mundane things that don’t get press but are pressing issues. They have the people resources and the expertise to take a stand and be a strong influence. New voices at the microphone during council meeting would be a welcome addition. There are those people who are community watchdogs, in a sense, and they could use some help. When the same voices are heard meeting after meeting, it becomes like a record playing in the background, rather than a newscast.
Sooke is a community of people who all have the same goal in mind, and that is the wellbeing of the whole.