mandymoochops

I feel i have to reply here, I only have experience with one reserve - that being Maskwacis (formerly Hobbema). I know that is a brutal (though very rich) reserve. There are 4 bands live on this one and there is constant murder / violence etc etc between the gangs there - in fact it's the majority of the murders that happen in this area span from this place.

I don't think the op was being racist I really don't - I wouldn't want to live close to a reserve with this amount of trouble that fans out from it - so I don't think it was an unreasonable question. No more so than wanting to avoid areas of high drug use / crime etc.

My husband grew up in Ponoka - right next to the reserve they played hockey with the natives - and even he said you wouldn't go to the reserve after dark.

I will add though there is rarely any trouble between natives and locals, quite the opposite in fact - so unless you are planning on living in the middle of a reserve I think you'll be safe I'll wager most of the natives on the reserve are wonderful people - it's only the bad apples you ever get to hear about / bump into - same as anywhere really.

The4BellsLondon

I hope it wasn't blatantly racist ... Maybe it was the wording ?

Martin the cdn expat

More likely it was the reading skills of some people.



IB, the Sooke Nation controls 2 parts of the town.

One is close to the bridge to enter Sooke, the other is off Grant Road,
towards the other side of town.
Grant is the residential side, the other is more industrial.

I concur with rivingtonpike, it's no worse than anywhere else.
The locals will know where's good. 2K for rent is fine.

Sooke to Victoria for work is a bit of a drive, with lots of traffic.
I would look closer to Victoria if you can.

The4BellsLondon

Yeah probably .. Not .

rivingtonpike

I'm with MagnumPI on this one. My initial reading of the OP wasn't that it was specifically racist. It is, unfortunately, blunt but true that house prices tend to be compromised relative to a property's proximity to a reserve. What could and should be done to address this and other first nation issues is an entirely different matter. It is unfair to accuse the OP of racism when a contentious fact is stated; especially when they are enquiring about an area they perhaps have little knowledge of. I don't mind admitting that, level playing field - I wouldn't "chose" to live right at the edge of a reservation's entrance/exit. By the same token, I wouldn't "choose" to live in a high crime area of Glasgow, Lagos or New York.

The4BellsLondon

But you haven't blamed a particular group for the high crime rate in your example areas... I wouldn't want to live in a high crime area but I wouldn't come on and say .., there are a lot of xxxx in the area what's it like ?

AlvicBC

Did you ever replace that mechanic?????

getoutofbritainquick

Yes I did thanks. I got a really good guy from Kelowna. He is a very keen rugby player and was attracted by the Canadian HQ being located in Langford.
One thing I would say have lived in Langford for a year or so is I would avoid it like the plague. Not a very nice place at all in particular the people who run it for the benefit of themselves and their friends. The make up rules and ignore them as they chose. We liked the area when we first moved here but having seen the blatant destruction of the Bear Mountain area by developers who have no interest in anything but themselves. Ironically we return to Surrey to see our friends more often than not as they were much more welcoming and friendlier than we have found on the Island, but then maybe that's the area we live in. I still like the Island but would probably move closer to town next time we move.

rivingtonpike

I was listening to a piece on the radio this morning about the first sexually transmitted disease and family planning clinic attached to a High School on a permanent basis. It was Belmont High School in Langford.

getoutofbritainquick

The school will go soon as it looks like being replaced by a Thrifties! There are 2 new schools being added to the school district. Schooling has not been a problem so far and the kids grades have actually gone up since we moved from the LM. We did debate putting my 2 children into private school but they don't want to move. Bear Mountain is an outstanding place but they are destroying so many areas with the new developments. They dug up the 10th fairway which was the most beautiful part of the village just to build extra properties. What is it with developers in BC. They start a fantastic subdivision but never finish it or destroy it with some totally out of character development which doesn't fit in with the rest of properties. We have seen this before in BC. We originally wanted to move to Kettle Valley in Kelowna. The subdivision won many development awards until they swamped it with high density (expensive) single family homes and ruined it.

AlvicBC

Lol that was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment as my a husband is a Heavy Duty Mechanic. Getting him a job of course would be the major concern. Do you know if there is much work in his field on the Island?

rivingtonpike

My wife thinks it's going to be a Save On. Time will tell. The school is indeed going to be replaced by two new ones. I'm not sure that will negate the apparent need for the first STD clinic in a High School though.

james.mc

We’ve lived in the Sooke area for a couple of years now (moved here from the Algarve, Portugal) and I wouldn’t turn the clock back a bit, other than to have moved here 10 years sooner!

Interesting perspective some people have about Sooke and the commute from Victoria! Commute to work.. return to and live in paradise (sort of )

There is a solid reason why many people from Victoria head out this way to the beaches, parks and Sooke Potholes in the summer months. They want to get out of the city! We’re lucky as we are here all year around

I wouldn't live in Victoria if you paid me! I’d not live in Langford either, because I see it as not more than an overspill for Victoria. Sooke on the other hand is most definitely separated from both the above by a buffer zone of Metchosen land in-between.

Soon, a new connector road is to be constructed around Langford that cuts out Langford as part of the Victoria-Sooke Commute.
Sooke Lost around 100 residents in 2013 (out of around 12,400) but predictions are that the Sooke will double in size over the next 10-15 years. It has trebled in size since 1967. Unlike Victoria and Langford (both boxed in geographically or by legal boundaries) Sooke has plenty of land to be able to expand onto.

Plans are afoot to open up the Sooke harbour area to businesses/shops/cafes so that Sooke harbour becomes more of a year round focal point. Some re-zoning has already been put in place to that effect.
You can get all of your weekly grocery shopping needs from Sooke. Big ticket items would likely need to go to Langford Big box stores.
We have a few banks here. We use TD which is open 7 days a week. Has a drive through ATM machine also.
Three gas (petrol) stations which seem to be priced around the same as other islands stations.
There is a Costco and many other bog box stores in Langford for those that might be interested.
Langford is about 20 minutes drive from Sooke.
Victoria is about 30-40 minutes in light traffic.

Yes, there is a First Nation community in the area however, as posted earlier, no more of less of a presence than anywhere else that I am aware of. The T’Sou-ke First nation community are leading the way in the region by way of producing energy from solar sources.

Island First Nation grasps potential of alternative power - Local - Times Colonist

My father lives in Victoria. I remember him saying to me two years ago, when we were looking at buying our home (in East Sooke), that we are so far from everything! Clearly because he could not see much by way of buildings he felt that was the case. He just didn’t know that looking at raw nature every day might be somewhat more in the centre of things that living in a city might appear to be!

Here in East Sooke we are 5 minutes walk from East Sooke Park. 15 minutes drive from Sooke Potholes. French Beach, China Beach, Botanical Beach ( Juan de Fuca Provinical Park ) are all readily accessible from Sooke. Sooke is on the The Pacific Marine Circle Route and the last place for 80 odd km to fill up before you step out/drive into the wilderness


Live in Victoria by choice? - no chance!

james.mc

Not true in the slightest! You'd only need to look at the area once to realise that is simply not the case!