There have been numerous stories in local media over the past week about trees and other plants blooming “unseasonably early” this winter, with many attributing this to climate change.

This is misleading. There are certain fall- and winter-blooming plum and cherry trees that blossom every year in Victoria, starting in November or December.

These are distinct from those that bloom in February, March and April.

Similarly, some varieties of rhododendrons bloom every year at this time, and there are always a few daffodils that are genetically predisposed to blooming early every year, typically in late December or January.

I’m certainly not a climate change denier — I absolutely believe that human-caused climate change is a serious threat. However, seeing trees and flowers blooming during the winter in Victoria is not the result of climate change.

Throughout its history, Victoria has had a mild climate that allows for winter blooms. Old tourism advertisements from the 1930s talk about flowers in the winter.

There was an article in the Daily Colonist from Jan. 4, 1891, in which a resident catalogued 60 different types of trees, shrubs and flowers blooming in Victoria on New Year’s Day in 1891 — long before we began to experience climate change.

Steven Murray

Victoria

As a Saanich resident and recent retiree, I have issues with the financial responsibilities put on the mayor and council. This year, it looks like another large property tax increase.

When I got my municipal bill, I was shocked by the increases in water and sewage. If it wasn’t for a need for a doctor, which I have, I would move somewhere up Island.

I feel trapped, and my only recourse is at the ballot box in the next election, which can’t come soon enough.

Mike Wilson

Saanich

A big thank you to Saanich council for rezoning Panama Flats as a nature sanctuary and protecting vital habitat for migratory birds.

The capital region is Canada’s birding capital with 426 different species recorded. About 15 per cent of all birds within North America need wetlands for survival, including breeding,........

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