The outdoor range at Burnside is now officially and permanently closed. Indoor shooting will resume September 23 at Saanich Commonwealth.
Please make sure to read and abide by our new indoor shooting safety rules. We look forward to seeing you!
March 25, ’21 – Here are the latest plans for the site from BC Transit (pdf document)
News Releases
- Weston, S. (2020) ‘50-year-old island archery club displaced by new HandyDART depot’, CTV News, Vancouver Island, 8 July. Available at: https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/50-year-old-island-archery-club-displaced-by-new-handydart-depot-1.5016562 (Accessed: 13 July 2020).
- Ferraby, Al, host. “Future of Victoria Bowmen practice facility in question.” Mornings with Al Ferraby, CFAX 1070, 8 July 2020. https://www.iheartradio.ca/cfax-1070/audio/future-of-victoria-bowmen-practice-facility-in-question-1.12921474
- Joseph, Rohit, host. “Victoria archery club looking for a new outdoor range.” All Points West, CBC, 8 July 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-93-all-points-west/clip/15786901-victoria-archery-club-looking-outdoor-range
- Bala, J. (2020) ‘Victoria archery club loses outdoor range to handyDART facility’, CHEK News, 7 July. Available at: https://cheknews.ca/victoria-archery-club-loses-outdoor-range-to-handydart-facility-681146/ (Accessed: 13 July 2020).
- Grossman, N. (2020) ‘Victoria archery club says goodbye to outdoor range in View Royal’, Victoria News, 7 July. Available at: https://www.vicnews.com/news/victoria-archery-club-says-goodbye-to-outdoor-range-in-view-royal/ (Accessed: 13 July 2020).
- Dheensaw, C. (2020) ‘Victoria archery club slated to lose View Royal range’, Times Colonist, 6 July. Available at: https://www.timescolonist.com/sports/victoria-archery-club-slated-to-lose-view-royal-range-1.24166019 (Accessed: 13 July 2020).
- Information from BC Transit: handyDART Brochure (2020 January).
- Trevena, C. (2019) ‘Comment: New View Royal transit facility will help meet growing demand’, Times Colonist, 30 November. Available at: https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-new-view-royal-transit-facility-will-help-meet-growing-demand-1.24023403 (Accessed: 1 December 2019).
- Mehta, S. (2019) ‘View Royal archery club looking for new home after province moves in on property’, Goldstream News Gazette, 30 September. Available at: https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/news/view-royal-archery-club-looking-for-new-home-after-province-moves-in-on-property/ (Accessed: 30 September 2019).
- Screech, D. (2019) ‘Comment: Province’s override of View Royal council sets worrying precedent’, Times Colonist, 26 September. Available at: https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-province-s-override-of-view-royal-council-sets-worrying-precedent-1.23956734 (Accessed: 27 September 2019).
- Kines, L. (2019) ‘After View Royal objects to handyDART facility, province offers benefits’, Times Colonist, 22 September. Available at: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/after-view-royal-objects-to-handydart-facility-province-offers-benefits-1.23953644 (Accessed: 22 September 2019).
- Victoria Bowmen: Burnside Road Range Update, 2019 September 14. (includes extensive background information from View Royal)
- Kines, L. (2019) ‘In unusual move, B.C. overrules View Royal on land use’, Times Colonist, 14 September. Available at: https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/in-unusual-move-b-c-overrules-view-royal-on-land-use-1.23945927 (Accessed: 15 September 2019).
Relocation Information
A foreword from our president, Al Wills: We licence our outdoor range from the BC Government. They own that land and have recently transferred it to BC Transit. While application by BC Transit to put a handyDART parking/maintenance facility on the land was rejected by the View Royal Council it would appear the Provincial government will take steps to make it happen. As of September 25, 2019, we have been given a tentative deadline of June 2020 to vacate the property. This is going to be the best place to keep up with our plans, we hope to keep this page up-to-date with the latest accurate news on our situation.
We are looking very hard for a suitable replacement range, however, it is a complicated process, watch this space for announcements. Remember we always will have indoor shooting, which (in non-COVID times) provides much of our actual organized shooting. I urge you to support the club by renewing your membership or joining to help us promote our sport, regardless of the outdoor range situation, with your support we can continue the search and work to keep archery alive and well in the Victoria area.
Remember, the Victoria Bowmen is a ‘full service’ archery club and we’ve been around for a long, long time and have weathered such storms before! We are still going to host the 2022 Canadian Championships and will still support our many club programs.
Please feel free to discuss with me and or any board member your questions or concerns or please attend our monthly board meetings to have yourself heard. We hope you will continue to support your club for another year, at least!
We welcome any member opinions or recommendations, as well as those from the public. You can leave a comment at the bottom of this page, or contact us through our online form.
If you are proposing a relocation site, please keep the following requirements in mind:
- Lots must be +70m in length in order to enable full distance shooting plus space behind the shooting line.
- Lots must not be currently in use by any conflicting owner or organization.
- Ideal, but not necessary:
- Full daylight access
- Reasonable public transit access
- Space for parking
- Populated area (so as to avoid vandals and theft)
- Cleared of trees
Thetis Lake Pistol Range
In July 2002, the CRD Board adopted the recommendations of the Thetis Lake Pistol Range Advisory Group that the site become naturalized parkland within Thetis Lake Regional Park. In 2010, the Regional Parks Committee discussed other options, including using the site for an archery range. At that time, the Town of View Royal passed a council resolution reminding the Regional Parks Committee of the Board approved recommendation to rehabilitate the site to its natural state.
At the direction of the CRD Board, the CRD has invested significant financial resources and effort to remediate the contaminated soils in the former pistol range and to restore the natural vegetation in the area, with the objective of returning that area to use as park land. Use of the area as an archery range is not consistent with the objective of restoring this site to a natural state.
If you have any questions regarding the foregoing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Regards,
Brett Hudson
Manager, Planning, Resource Management and Development
Regional Parks
Capital Regional District