Back in the Day: Social housing, Sarajevo and Slug Fest

From the archives of the Goldstream Gazette Vol. 17. No. 30 & 31, July 22 & 29, 1992.

History repeats itself, so the saying goes. Flipping through the archives from 30 years ago, you get a distinct sense of deja vu.

Social housing was front of mind for councillors in Metchosin, who were upset about the province’s newly introduced rules requiring municipalities to add a provision for social housing in their community plans. Then councillor (now mayor) John Ranns said he was worried the rules undermine Metchosin’s rural nature. Then MLA Moe Sihota defended the move and said he’d rather be defeated in the next election than sell out his commitment to social housing – he would remain in office until 2001.

Down the road at the Canadian Forces base, soldiers were in training and vying for a place as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force set to be sent to a conflict in an eastern European country. The soldiers were practicing various manoeuvres to prepare them for deployment to Sarajevo, which had become a key battleground as the Bosnian War broke out.

While soldiers were learning war strategies, kids in Devonian Park were learning more about slugs at the second annual Slug Fest. The theme of learning continues in the pool, where a pair of 13-year-old synchronized swimmers, Sabrina Bonafonti and Darrienne Dunn returned victorious from the BC Summer Games with gold medals around their necks, just six months after taking up the sport.

Some things were different. While words like “heat warning” are being used to describe the weather today, back then one Goldstream Gazette journalist described the weather as “sensational,” – with an average daily high of 19.6 C, according to historic Environment Canada data.

The weather is not the only thing that is hotter now than in 1992, so are housing prices. A five-bedroom house with a large backyard in Esquimalt was on the market for $188,000, while a bachelor apartment in Langford was available for rent for just $395 per month.

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