The chance to spill the beans with a councillor over a cup of brew drew praise from those who attended the district's Community Coffee on Monday at Whiffin Spit.
 
Everyone who dropped by between 10:00 and 11:30 gave council full marks for the initiative launched in January, which includes Community Coffee in parks throughout Sooke, and monthly Chamber Coffee at Municipal Hall, as part of Sooke Mayor Maja Tait's pledge to promote community engagement.
 
Sooke resident Gordon Ross said he believes the event is a good idea.
 
"There should be a coffee stand here all the time," Ross said with a laugh.
 
"I've been to the ones at the municipal hall, and it's a great way to talk to councillors in an informal setting. I had some questions about Sooke's septic proposal, but it's been squashed. That's good news for us because we live in a strata that maintains it's own septic system at a very reasonable cost."
 
William Wallace had a wide ranging list of questions for councillors Tony St. Pierre, Jeff Bateman, and Al Beddows that included the Official Community Plan (OCP) review, as well as the cost and priorities detailed in the district's transportation master plan.
 
Wallace, who withdrew his bid for the mayor's chair shortly before the municipal election last October, has concerns with the timing of an upcoming meeting on the OCP.
 
"Why is it on a Monday at 13:00 when many people are at work and can't participate?" he asked.
 
St. Pierre said that is the regular time for committees of the whole meetings, and there would be other opportunities for public engagement before the process is completed.
 
When Wallace asked for a a short list of proposed changes to the most recent version of the plan, which was delayed before the election to provide more time for input, St. Pierre said he would provide one.
 
"That's a very reasonable ask," St. Pierre noted.
 
Bateman said the Community Coffee events are one of multiple ways the district is providing for people to voice their opinions.
 
"We're a small town growing that's beginning to adopt the best practices in larger communities," he said.
 
He said he enjoyed having the opportunity to chat with Russell Davies, the owner of Ocean Breeze Drywall, who has done projects in Sunriver Estate for 20 years and is currently working on a project on Church Road that will add 78 townhouses and 54 houses.
 
"Russell's family has been in Sooke for six generations. It's great to see local companies getting work in Sooke, it keeps the working population working in Sooke," Bateman said.
 
Bateman said he also enjoyed hearing that Davies' great-grandfather used to drive the stage coach form Victoria to Sooke.
 
Davies said that he's heard from people from Vancouver, Ontario, and as far away as Hong Kong during his daily walks along Whiffin Spit.
 
"Everyone talks about how they love the spirit of this community. I love Sooke, and I think these Community Coffees are an awesome thing for anyone with questions about Sooke," he said.
 
Davies also praised the district's building inspectors.
 
"They're so helpful, the best I've dealt with in 45 years of installing drywall."
 
Sooke residents Jade Nelson and Marisa Vieira were in full agreement on Community Coffee events.
 
"It's great for people to to meet councillors and have the opportunity to ask questions," said Nelson, who picked up a couple of free, Slow, Children at Play signs.
 
"I personally would like to see them bring back All Sooke Days," Vieira added.
 
New Brunswick resident Kevin Mann said although this is only his second visit to Sooke, he's been impressed by the community's spirit and caring.
 
"We met some folks last night at the Sooke campground who are musicians putting on a concert at the Alex Goolden Hall on Sunday to raise funds to help a village in Africa. They're called Backyard Boulevard and we were impressed by their community-minded spirit, that chemistry of folks caring for neighbours here and far away," he shared.
 
Rick Stiebel.