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Saving Salmon v. Highway Upgrades: Victoria Students Explore Perspectives

A Central Middle School Grade 8 class visited Goldstream Park to examine the proposed Malahat highway expansion, which would widen 1.7 kilometres of the corridor and install over 1.5 kilometres of median barriers.
Concerned it would cause irreversible harm to salmon-spawning grounds, WSANEC elder Carl Olsen began protesting the project in early 2023, prompting the province to pause it in February 2026 for additional environmental analysis.
Grade 8 student Tesekla Cook said she was unaware of the expansion before visiting, while classmate Grayson Murphy highlighted potential safety benefits: "it will allow the emergency vehicles to go by more, and less head-on collisions."
The exercise aimed to help students understand that complex issues rarely have a single perspective, as classmate Pearl Tupper noted, "It's important to protect the salmon because we're not just protecting the salmon, all the other animals will be affected."
Beyond the classroom, Olsen continues to share stories about the significance of the land and Indigenous perspectives on development, while the Goldstream Protectors continue drawing attention to the park's needs to this day.

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