A commentary by a former mayor of ­Colwood.

The announcement of a new medical clinic in downtown Langford is welcome and desperately needed. With an estimated 27,000 West Shore residents lacking access to a family doctor, bold, creative steps are appreciated by all.

I applaud the efforts of Langford, the South Island Primary Care Society and the Freemasons for stepping up where the provincial and federal governments have not.

But while I understand the public enthusiasm around this development — and the similar municipally run Colwood Clinic — I also worry we are beginning to normalize municipalities taking on the financial and legal risks of responsibilities that constitutionally fall to senior levels of........

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