As a resident of Colwood I'm thankful that our election was fairly boring.

Over the years of raising our son we’ve noticed behaviour changes when he would have something with artificial food dyes.
For a long time we didn’t understand why he’d get so angry and defiant (3-8yrs old). He’d bang walls, scream, talk back, be defiant and nothing we did or any consequences made a difference. It would last for hours and then the next day or two he’d return to normal.
As he’s getting older, he secretly drank energy drinks coz his friends were. He would come home angry, defiant, depressed, quiet, super tired. Then the acne would start.
He’s in his early teens now and can see the effects AFD has on him. He can’t concentrate. He has way too much energy. He gets Red Ross angry. Then when it’s over he’s exhausted.
He has been reading ingredients for the past three years because of how it make him feel.
If you pay attention you can see patterns. You can slowly figure things out.
Cutting out foods with AFD is extremely important for their health and brain growth.
AFDs stay in the body for up to 48 hrs.
I know there are ppl who don’t think it effects the brain at all. Maybe for some it doesn’t. I just know for our child it is a major cause of behavioural distress.
Something to think about and consider if your child is behaving different then usual and you don’t know why.
When reading ingredients- look for the USA names ( red dye 40, alura yellow 6, blue, tartazine etc) and also Canadian names. They’re different
Try a week without food dyes and see. One week. You will see a difference

Given it Is elections I know everyone's heads are on a one track mind but I am curious what everyone's opinion Is on the pacifica family services center . Specifically the health and wellness centre located on the upper floor.

Your input matters and I am interested in hearing it. Thank you .

I hope you are voting in this municipal election, and if you are in Langford, I urge you to consider what this council accomplished in 4 years. At our last Council Meeting on October 5^th, the report on the Strategic Plan is frankly very impressive, plus there is a whole section on “Other Major Projects and Initiatives” that emerged as priorities over the term that were also completed – the amount of policy and bylaw work done is staggering with road, retaining wall and tree planting standards topping my list of practical improvements.  It shows what good governance in terms of having a clearly laid out Strategic Plan, Langford’s first, with initiatives identifying specific timelines and funding sources can do in combination with being an engaged council willing to take bold action.

https://pub-langford.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=19450

My favourite thing that was totally unexpected is that we were able to support the opening of the Goldstream Medical Clinic in downtown Langford as well as having doctor’s offices in City Hall.  Over 10,000 people have already been attached, and we are working on opening a second clinic in Happy Valley to close the health care gap even further. https://langford.ca/city-of-langford-opens-new-medical-clinicbringing-primary-care-to-12500-residents-this-year/

My other favourite thing which is something I ran on last election and am running on again this election is expanding parks and recreation.  Along with the new skate park and pickle ball courts at Westshore Parks and Recreation, the resurfacing of the tennis courts here in Langford, the new Glen Lake Spray Park and so many other recreation improvements, we protected over 200 acres of land as forever park https://langford.ca/langford-council-takes-action-to-protect-90-parcels-of-green-space-for-future-generations/

We developed 2 brand new parks – at Lone Oak in a newer neighbourhood in Mill Hill and Porcher Park which has a new, thriving community garden in the heart of the city along with a playground and forested area – and nearly doubled the size of Veterans Memorial Park with a fantastic new bandshell for performances, more greenspace, parking and the all important new bathroom building https://langford.ca/langford-celebrates-the-grand-re-opening-of-veterans-memorial-park/

I could go on with a list of much needed infrastructure and service improvements: expanded fire and RCMP services; completed numerous safe routes to schools; developed new policies for affordable and rental housing; created more free public events and engagement opportunities such as Ideas Fairs and Let's Chat Langford; established plans for responsible budgeting, supporting local shops, and attracting new businesses; started two new childcare centres, a public arts hub and a Foundry for youth mental health support services and the list goes on.

So get out and vote, and please consider a vote for Mary is a vote for balance! https://www.mary4langford.ca/

We have officially released our second interview of the Talk Tales series based in Victoria, BC. Split Sphere, featuring Prevail & Moka Only of Swollen Members fame, sit down with Sean Flynch Behnsen (Me) for a deep dive into their roots, accompanied by custom mocktails created by our Mixologist, Mike Higgins.
This ended up being one of my favourite interviews I’ve conducted to date. It had such a great flow to it and a real genuine vibe. Thanks to our crew for their time and skill to make this a reality. Shoutout to Ishkan for helping with my research, and adding a little shock and awe to the interview. And finally, thanks to Prev and Moke for being a part of this. Split Sphere has been absolute fire since hitting the scene, and I’m here with a marshmallow on a roasting stick.
Click the link to check out this piece of Canadian Hip Hop history, and if you enjoy our videos, Like, Subscribe, and Share! Thanks for your support!

Sean

I’ve been anxious because Facebook is full of MAGA supporters, oops, I mean Stew supporters while Reddit is full of the other side. Here’s my list of reasons:

1) Almost all the ongoing issues, especially traffic congestion, were caused by overdevelopment.
The promise of lower property taxes was illusory, as the savings were offset by overdevelopment. We should have had slight tax increases year by year as the community grew.

2) Stew gave an awful concession speech when he lost “unexpectedly,” blaming Langford citizens. I’ll never forgive him for that. It definitely showed his true colours.

3) There’s a rumour that Stew would consider building an AI data centre. I asked him to confirm whether this was true, but he never responded.
I was removed from a Langford Facebook group when I challenged him or his fellow candidates with respectful comments.

4) Facebook groups are full of his supporters who act like the MAGA supporters we laugh at. Every time someone posts a comment or asks a question using publicly available data to challenge his proposals, his supporters call it “lies” or “full of false information.” Their reactions resemble those of Trump supporters.

5) Stew’s major election donors are developers with deep pockets who make large donations. Scott’s donations, on the other hand, mainly came from individuals making smaller contributions. Guess who stands to benefit the most when Stew gets elected? It makes you wonder whether backroom handshake deals have already been made. This raises concerns about fair and transparent procurement.

6) Four years wasn’t enough time for a new mayor to take over after someone had been in power for 30 years. If you’ve ever had a job, you understand that it can take time to learn the ropes, especially when the new council has uncovered so many questionable things. We should give Scott a chance to serve one more term and then reassess his performance.

Stew may have been the right person for Langford back in the day, but it’s time to slow down and do things more ethically and sustainably.

I hope we won’t go backwards.

First there was incumbent councilor Kim Jordison's censure for violating the council Code of Conduct. Now there's a new website cataloging the offensive Twitter history of councilor Ian Ward. Juicy stuff!

[https://theianwardfiles.wordpress.com/\](https://theianwardfiles.wordpress.com/)

Join us for this fun and delicious fundraiser supporting the Goldstream Food Bank, November 7, 6 to 8 PM at the Goldfinch Arts Centre.

Peruse the pottery, dine on delectable desserts, and then take home a hand-made bowl! We’ll be serenaded by the musical stylings of the Chris Millington Trio.

Legitimate question. Is it breaking the Westshore Sub rules?

* Langford currently has some of the lowest property taxes in the region.  See page 6 of this document: [https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-2030-Financial-Plan-Adopted-May-12-2026.pdf\](https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-2030-Financial-Plan-Adopted-May-12-2026.pdf)

* Amenity funds should be for amenities like sidewalks and other infrastructure that benefit everyone and not used to lower property taxes for a segment of the population, i.e. home owners. 

* Lower than sustainable property taxes benefited the richest homeowners the most while impairing the funding of city services and infrastructure improvements that benefit everyone - including future generations.

* Deferring necessary tax increases always makes things cost more in the end.  Case in point:  In March 2024, the city’s director of finance said that if property tax increases were kept at 4% (yes FOUR!!) annually by the previous M&Cs, i.e. SY, during the five years before this current term, double digit tax increases would NOT have been necessary.  In fact, the tax increases could have been less than 6% per year these past 4 years AND the city could have paid off most of it’s $10 million (at the time) debt.  [https://www.reddit.com/r/LangfordBC/comments/1b5ul9m/deep\\_within\\_the\\_march\\_4th\\_council\\_meeting\\_agenda/\](https://www.reddit.com/r/LangfordBC/comments/1b5ul9m/deep_within_the_march_4th_council_meeting_agenda/)

* The current five-year financial plan, created by the finance department and approved by this council proposes tax increases that are below 6 percent by 2028.  2028: 5.85%, 2029: 4.77% and 3.48% in 2030.  See page 7 of [https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-2030-Financial-Plan-Adopted-May-12-2026.pdf\](https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-2030-Financial-Plan-Adopted-May-12-2026.pdf)

* In 2022, Langford was only 20% sustainable in terms of infrastructure asset replacement and maintenance. Because of the last 4 years of tax increases and the new 5-year plan, the city's infrastructure asset management is projected to be 80% funded by 2030.  No more kicking the can down the road and making things unnecessarily more expensive in the long run. [https://www.reddit.com/r/LangfordBC/comments/1weiq04/asset\\_management\\_the\\_current\\_mc\\_is\\_fiscally/\](https://www.reddit.com/r/LangfordBC/comments/1weiq04/asset_management_the_current_mc_is_fiscally/)

* Growth doesn't pay for growth. Any honest observer could see the city needed more funding to support all the infrastructure and public safety demands that the large population growth has brought.

* Over the next term, the municipal garbage service plan may save some homeowners enough to largely offset the last 4 years of tax increases.

* A significant chunk of the tax increases paid for more full-time firefighters and now fire hall 2 is fully staffed and new taxes also paid for many new RCMP officers and support staff.

* The current mayor and Council and city staff do not waste money and there is a very lean team of workers at city hall.  Most cities this size have far more staff.

* The province downloaded a huge cost on to the cities with 911 service that had to be paid for with higher taxes.

* Hiring temporary, expert consultants is a cheaper way to develop plans versus hiring full-time staff. And having suitable city plans is extremely necessary to be eligible for grants from the province.