A quick update for those of you who signed the Sooke traffic and tax petitions.
The online Facebook news publication 'Sooke Town' has shared an important update on the Throup Road Connector, the proposed route through Sooke that will help take local traffic off Highway 14.
According to Sooke Town, both provincial candidates in Juan de Fuca-Malahat have now confirmed support for the project, although their commitments are different.
Mike Hicks, Conservative candidate, says he would lobby the Province to help fund and build the Throup Road Connector.
Dana Lajeunesse, NDP candidate, has announced the NDP would provide $1 million toward right-of-way planning for the project.
The Connector has also become a major issue in Sooke’s municipal election.
According to Sooke Town, Sooke First has committed to completing the project by the end of the next council term. This has also been confirmed through direct outreach by Kevin Pearson who is running for mayor of Sooke. Other candidates have taken a more cautious position. Sooke Together, for example, has said in the District cannot currently afford the investment and that the project should advance when funding is available.
For those of us who have been pushing for traffic relief, this is important. The Throup Road Connector is no longer simply an idea being discussed locally. It is now part of both the municipal and provincial election conversations, with candidates being asked where they stand and what they are prepared to do to move it forward.
Mike Hicks also reached out to me directly with an update he asked me to share concerning property taxes.
He advised that the BC Conservative Party is proposing to reverse the current property-tax deferment interest rate for eligible homeowners aged 55 and older. The current rate for new 2026 deferrals is prime + 2%. The Conservative proposal is prime – 2%, a four-percentage-point difference.
For seniors using the program to help remain in their homes, that could be a significant change.
And now we’re at the point where the most important thing is simply to vote.
This is a critical election for Sooke.
The decisions made now will affect traffic, taxes, growth and infrastructure for years to come.
Take a neighbour. Take a friend. Remind someone who may forget.
SOOKE MUNICIPAL ELECTION
General Voting Day: Saturday, October 17
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Edward Milne Community School
PROVINCIAL ELECTION
Advance Voting: October 16–21
Final Voting Day: Saturday, October 24
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Find your provincial voting location here:
https://wheretovote.elections.bc.ca
Whatever your choice, please make it. We will update you as any important information comes forward on taxes and traffic in the coming days.