Government employees on the West Shore may not have to face the downtown commute much longer.
The province has announced government buildings will be coming to the West Shore by the end of 2020.
“We know people in the West Shore are eager to have a workspace that’s close to home, so they can spend more time with family and less time idling in traffic,” reads a statement from the B.C. Ministry of Citizens’ Services.
“The West Shore is one of the fastest-growing communities in British Columbia. We are proud that after decades, the B.C. Government is finally moving forward on a new government workspace at Westhills in Langford.”
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This pilot project will take over an 11,000-square-ft. commercial space in the Lakepoint One condominium, near the Westhills YMCA-YWCA. This space will accommodate approximately 100 employees.
According to the ministry, this move will reduce traffic congestion and emissions, save residents money, and cut commute times. Approximately 20 per cent of B.C. Public Service employees who work in Victoria live on the West Shore.
“It’s the right location because it’s close to where young families are living,” says Langford Mayor Stew Young. “No one wants to commute that far, especially when all these officials are talking about climate action.”
Young says he’s been urging the government to get the ball rolling since his first speech as a politician almost three decades ago.
“I wouldn’t mind if they brought an entire ministry out here. The long term solution isn’t building bigger and better interchanges, it’s about bringing jobs closer to home.”
aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com
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