Times Colonist
Cost of living, homelessness, crime key for Duncan residents
At 67, Jojo AntEnna knows one of the most pressing issues for voters in Duncan because she’s experienced it firsthand. “Seniors housing,” she said. “Right now, there’s a lot of seniors. I notice it every time I go out, I see more seniors. They’re not...
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It’s about health care. Also the economy.
Jack Knox is taking the pulse of Vancouver Island’s 15 ridings, looking at them through the lens of issues readers say are important in the Oct. 24 B.C. election. Today: Courtenay-Comox and Ladysmith-Oceanside. An icy rain is falling in the Comox...
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Thousands in for the long run at 46th Royal Victoria Marathon
Kip Kangogo proved Sunday he can still go go. The 47-year-old veteran runner won the 46th Royal Victoria Marathon in two hours, 24 minutes and 28 seconds to finally break down the door that had been closed to him in previous close calls, including two...
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First Nation demands action to respect ancestors buried beneath road, calls for closing of park
Hereditary Chief Vern Jack, known as XÁLÁȾE, has spent decades driving down a road he knows was paved over his ancestors’ graves. Now in his 80s, Jack said he’s always known that thousandyear-old bones lie beneath West Saanich Road, along the...
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Victoria to explore creating day spots for the unhoused
Victoria city staff have been asked to look into providing a daytime destination for unhoused people so they don’t congregate on downtown sidewalks and boulevards. In its final meeting before the end of its four-year term, council asked staff to...
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Fake 'coyotes’ patrol Royal Athletic Park
The City of Victoria’s ongoing battle with large flocks of Canada geese damaging the field at Royal Athletic Park has gone to the dogs. In a bid to protect the playing surface, the city’s parks department has for the last few weeks been using a pair...
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Naming guns used in Tumbler Ridge would be ‘irresponsible’: minister
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says it would be “irresponsible” to disclose what guns were used in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting after an FBI complaint said the killer intended to use weapons including an SKS rifle that had...
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Popham’s exit paves way for dynamic Saanich South race
For the first time in almost two decades, the provincial riding of Saanich South is open for a potential three-way race, says a political expert. Five-term MLA Lana Popham, first elected in 2009, is not seeking re-election after handily winning the...
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NDP promises $90M to develop Oak Bay Lodge site
The NDP says it will contribute $90 million to turning the former Oak Bay Lodge site into a “campus of care,” provide free shingles vaccines for those 50 and older, and restart seven paused long-term care home builds if reelected to government. One of...
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Monument to Japanese Canadians reminder of dark period in B.C.’s past
Henry Shimizu was a carefree 13-year-old, working in his parents’ hotel and restaurant in Prince Rupert, fishing with friends and attending school, when his life was turned upside down. It was 1942, and government agents arrived with orders that all...
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Langford mayoral rematch offers sharply different styles
Scott Goodmanson is self-admittedly reserved and measured when it comes to being mayor of Langford. So it came as a surprise when he threw the first punch at former longtime mayor Stew Young in the most anticipated race of the civic election. At an...
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Alberta-B.C. coast pipeline dubbed ‘national interest’ project by Carney
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — A pipeline to haul Alberta oil to tankers on the B.C. coast took a big step forward Thursday. Prime Minster Mark Carney, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at his side, announced the line — to be known as Pacific Link — is the...
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South Island Powwow draws thousands to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The South Island Powwow continues to draw major crowds on Truth and Reconciliation Day, five years from when it first started. Eugene Sam, a member of the organizing committee, said it’s great to see so many Indigenous and nonIndigenous people coming...
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Snap election leaves parties scrambling for candidates
Provincial parties are scrambling to nominate candidates after the province’s snap election call last week for Oct. 24. Parties have until 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 — just 11 days from last week’s writ drop — to register candidates with Elections...
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Overselling decriminalization led to loss of public support: study author
“Overselling” the potential benefits of a pilot project to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs likely undermined public support, which may have lasting implications, says the co-author of a new study. When the pilot project didn’t...
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The crews that quietly keep YYJ safe
Even a lowly earthworm wiggling onto the tarmac can lead to a potentially catastrophic event at Victoria International Airport. The worms that emerge after rains can attract birds … “and birds and planes don’t mix well at airports,” said René Sheïr,...
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Transit eyes opening bus lanes to carpools of three or more
The question of whether dedicated bus lanes should be open to high-occupancy vehicles will have to wait until next year, —and even then, cars with only two occupants shouldn’t expect to qualify. Staff at the Victoria Regional Transit Commission will...
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Swimmers say farewell to Crystal Pool
Crystal Pool regulars will take their final dip at the 55-year-old pool on Friday before it’s set to close to make way for a new $209.2-million facility. Andrew Theise, who grew up in Victoria and has fond memories of learning to swim at the Crystal...
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B.C. will head to polls twice in October
British Columbia Premier David Eby has called an election less than two years into his mandate and amid chaos within the B.C. Conservative Opposition, whose leader quit days ago. The NDP leader went to Government House in Victoria on Tuesday to ask...
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Rustad, McInnis returning to B.C. Conservative caucus after Findlay quits as leader
Interim British Columbia Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson is moving to repair ruptures in the Opposition that saw 13 legislators quit caucus or be expelled by former leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who stepped down on Sunday. Former leader John Rustad...
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Growing old, facing homelessness
Avery Taylor, manager of Victoria operations for PHS Community Services Society, with resident Ethan Marcano, 71, at the former Paul’s Motor Inn. For seniors who lose their homes, or never had one, one of the few options is shelters, but they weren’t...
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Victoria bike-rental firms say Lime puts their businesses at risk
The owner of a Victoria company that rents bicycles to tourists says he can handle the vagaries of the weather and even the minefield that is Canada-U.S. relations. But John Varga, co-owner of The Pedaler Cycling Tours and Rentals on Belleville...
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Twice-evacuated Langford rental high-rise to be torn down, replaced
The owner of a twice-evacuated residential rental building in Langford says it will tear down the 11-storey concrete tower and build a replacement on the site. Ridgeview Place, also known as Danbrook One, on Claude Road in Langford’s downtown core has...
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Feds fund feasibility studies for Vic West to Langford rail
The federal government has announced $500,000 for feasibility and technical studies to explore whether the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway could be used for light passenger rail travel between Victoria West and Langford. The studies, to start in...
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Teachers call for action on ‘epidemic’ of school violence
The Greater Victoria teachers’ union is calling for “urgent action” from the school district and province to address what it calls an epidemic of studenton-student and student-on-staff violence. An average of 21 incidents of student-on-teacher...
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UVic partners with U.S. university in effort to drive AI innovation
The University of Victoria is sharing faculty members, research and classroom space with a U.S. university to help shape AI innovation. UVic and Northeastern University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, have entered a three-year...
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Cancer surgeons in Victoria are brothers from Iran. Sisters are patient and nurse.
When Victoria’s Shaveeta Jnagal was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 32, everyone told her she was at least fortunate to have Dr. Khorasani assigned to her case. “I’d tell people my surgeon was Dr. Khorasani and they’d say: ‘You’re so lucky,...
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A 15-year dream come true for Spectrum Community School
A new all-weather turf field almost a decade in the making is ready for action at Spectrum Community School. The field replaces grass fields plagued by uneven surfaces and drainage issues that left school teams unable to host home games at Spectrum...
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Setting the stage for Esquimalt Ribfest this weekend
Bash Fayad, left, and Jorge Del Toro of DTH Construction set up the stage for Esquimalt Ribfest. The event, focused on eating barbecued ribs, runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, at Bullen Park. Admission to...
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Island rallies to call for fairer federal funding for B.C. Ferries
Courtenay–Alberni MP Gord Johns is raising the alarm about impending ferry fare increases in rallies across Vancouver Island starting Monday, calling for the federal government to provide the same level of funding for B.C. Ferries as it does Atlantic...
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B.C. premier rallies behind Ottawa’s tariffs
Premier David Eby has invoked the memory of the 9-11 terrorist attacks and Canadian efforts to help their neighbours as he voices support for Ottawa’s counter tariffs in the trade conflict with the United States. Eby said Canadians stepped up to help...
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E-bike, e-scooter warnings and bans greet students returning to school
As students prepare to return to school today, they’re being warned of the dangers of e-bikes, e-scooters and other transportation devices amid rising injuries. The Sooke School District issued a notice on its website reminding students that they are...
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Massive Christ Church pipe organ gets its first noteworthy overhaul
Before he takes his seat at the massive organ at Christ Church Cathedral, Donald Hunt slips into a pair of soft-soled leather shoes, the kind that dancers use to feel the floor beneath them. The Anglican cathedral’s music director needs agility in his...
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Nanaimo housing project to be ‘dry’ after lobbying by city
For years, Nanaimo city councillor Paul Manly has said that people recovering from addictions need access to housing where drug and alcohol use is not allowed. When he was running the city’s Unitarian shelter on Townsite Road, Manly said he saw...
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Carney disputes U.S. claims about collapse of trade talks
THUNDER BAY — Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back on Thursday against senior members of the Trump administration who have been claiming his government tanked trade talks in the eleventh hour for political reasons. “I don’t think, with all respect,...
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Two more MLAs quit Conservatives, as Findlay’s chief of staff resigns
British Columbia Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay said she was the victim of a “co-ordinated political attack” after she accepted the resignation of her chief of staff and two more legislators quit her caucus on Wednesday, both citing ethical...
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Indo-Pacific military leaders gather in Victoria amid Canada-U.S. strains
Canadian and U.S. military leaders struck a collegial tone at the official opening of a gathering of chiefs of defence in Victoria on Tuesday, even as members of the Trump administration ramped up their denigration of Canada’s Armed Forces. On Monday,...
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Owner of Emily Carr’s boarding house pushes province to assist in repairs
The owner of Emily Carr’s home and boarding house in James Bay is losing hope that the provincial government will help preserve the place where the celebrated artist painted, wrote books and lived out her last days. Peter Willis said repeated attempts...
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Family losing hope for answers five years after artist’s killing
Five years after her brother was killed in their mother’s Rockland home, Alisa Gordaneer is losing faith that her family will ever have answers in what remains an unsolved homicide. Police have shared little about Jeremy Gordaneer’s death on Aug. 31,...
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Monument with 22,000 names honours Japanese Canadians sent to internment camps
A monument park honouring the thousands of Japanese Canadians forcibly removed from the West Coast and sent to internment camps during the Second World War is taking artful shape on a tranquil pathway between Beacon Hill Park and St. Ann’s...
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B.C. closing Cowichan Valley road in area where boy was hit, killed by car
The provincial government will close public access to a gravel road in the Cowichan Valley following the death of a 12-year-old boy who was killed by a speeding driver. The closing of Poplar Road was announced by Juan De FucaMalahat MLA Dana...
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Flowers line up for their close-up at Ship Point
A woman takes photos at the end of Ship Point in Victoria’s Inner Harbour on Tuesday. Today’s forecast is for mainly sunny skies in Greater Victoria.
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Royals and stars dazzle, $14.5 million raised at Foster gala
With special guests such as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Bill Gates, Adam Levine and Rick Hansen in the crowd, $14.5 million was raised on Friday at the David Foster Foundation’s 40th anniversary gala. There were four donations of $1 million each, and...
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Island tourism group floats sustainability fee for visitors
A non-profit tourism association is floating the idea of charging visitors to Vancouver Island a sustainability fee to fund things like trail improvements and public washrooms, along with conservation efforts. 4TVI, formerly Tourism Vancouver Island,...
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Spate of ‘nuisance’ fires wreak havoc across Island
When Nanaimo RCMP Insp. Donovan Tait first heard about the garbage-can fire that torched an A&W restaurant in the early hours of Tuesday, his mind immediately went to his hometown of Port Alberni. A fire had ravaged the Service B.C. building there...
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Snowbirds say goodbye, for now
The Canadian Snowbirds gave a dramatic farewell to Victorians on Tuesday, thundering across the waterfront in a 45-minute precision performance that drew gasps of wonder and a wave of patriotic appreciation. An estimated 30,000 people lined the city’s...
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‘Devastation’: About 230 homes destroyed by wildfire tearing through Okanagan
The chief of the Okanagan Indian Band says about 230 homes have been destroyed by a raging wildfire near Vernon. Dan Wilson said 30 homes of band members and 200 non-band homes had been destroyed by the Bradley Creek fire, which evacuees said was...
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This Saanich fence is also a museum that shows off Canadian designs
When his old fence needed replacing last November, Allan Collier didn’t just put up a new fence — he also incorporated a custom miniature museum display. The Saanich furniture builder and retired high school woodworking teacher has long been...
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‘Believe in hope’: Transplant recipient grateful for Foster Foundation help
Tamara and Evanne Fisher will be easy to spot next weekend at events celebrating the 40th anniversary of the David Foster Foundation, including a ticketed black-tie gala and a free concert at the Inner Harbour. Chances are, the mother-and-daughter duo...
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Langford plans to make it easier to bike, walk and bus
Every few months, Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson starts his morning by standing on the Millstream overpass, looking down on the Trans-Canada Highway and counting vehicles flowing east for the workday. There’s a spot where the highway stretches to...
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$7M times two: Federal grants awarded for Metchosin firehall, sewage to biochar
Two $7-million federal grants were announced Thursday for projects in the capital region, one for a facility to produce biochar with leftover solids from sewage treatment, and another for replacing Metchosin’s aging firehall. The two were among 54...
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West Coast Trail hikers say they were alone as conditions deteriorated
Hiker Benjamin Currie says he was warned during a Parks Canada orientation about problems with a cable car over a creek on the West Coast Trail, but was told that if anything went wrong, or if there were updates, they would let people know right...
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‘Torrential’ rain prompts evacuations from West Coast Trail
One of the hikers forced out in an evacuation of the West Coast Trail amid hazardous conditions says he experienced “torrential” rains for approximately 44 hours straight. Patrick Laprise, who had travelled from Montreal with his 15-year-old son to...
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Residents of 70 Mile House told to leave as wildfire nears
70 MILE HOUSE — Residents of 70 Mile House and surrounding areas were told to leave their homes Monday in an expanded evacuation order prompted by a growing wildfire that has already forced the evacuation of nearby Clinton. The order from the...
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Life on Pandora
One city block. So many heated opinions. Mayor Marianne Alto called it “a hive of misery.” A pastor at a downtown church told media that while it troubled him to go against the gospel by shutting out the people who live there, he’d rather do that than...
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Eleven people rescued after fiery seaplane crash near Saturna Island
A seaplane after it crashed in Shallow Bay on Sucia Island, about 10 kilometres east of Saturna Island, on Thursday at about 5:20 p.m. In videos, passengers can be seen exiting the plane as smoke rises, before bright orange flames engulf the fuselage....
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Province breached duty to restore hotel after it was used as housing, judge rules
The province breached its obligation to restore a Duncan hotel used as temporary housing during the COVID-19 pandemic to its original condition, and failed to pay rent while the hotel was in unusable condition, a judge has ruled. The Ramada hotel’s...
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Esquimalt’s quest for its own police force hits a roadblock
Esquimalt’s plan to re-establish its own police department has hit a setback, after larger police detachments in the region expressed no interest in picking up specialized services such as forensics, detention and major crimes investigations. The...
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Nanaimo man recalls witnessing drowning, after spike in deaths
It’s been more than 10 years since Chris Allison saw a man drowning in Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake, but it’s an experience he says changed him forever. Brothers Clint and Mike Little were out fishing on the lake in April of 2014, and were about to pack up...
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1,450 people missed in prison-escape alert
The names of about 1,450 residents who registered for an emergency public-notification system were dropped during the transition to Metchosin’s new fire chief in the spring. That means they were not included in the initial public notification after...
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Fatal crash highlights key role and risks of helicopters in remote B.C. areas
This week’s fatal helicopter crash highlights the crucial role of helicopter pilots in remote areas of the B.C. coast, and the risks they face, say residents and industry representatives. The crash early Tuesday in the Loughborough Inlet area, between...
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Duncan man’s giant maple burl is looking for new home
When Glen McLeod decided to remove a massive burl that had grown out of a maple tree in his front yard, he knew it would be a big task — but he didn’t realize it would become a multi-decade effort that changed his life. It was more than 20 years ago...
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New drugs make it harder to tackle disorder
The rise in street drugs that don’t respond to Naloxone has been an unanticipated snag in the City of Victoria’s $10-million effort to tackle street disorder, but staff say the city is still making headway. Kerrilee Jones, the city’s assistant...
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Peninsula mulls scaled-down rec centre plan after Sidney rejects borrowing
Councils on the Saanich Peninsula will consider a scaled-down proposal for a new recreation centre after Sidney rejected borrowing for a more expensive version. Borrowing $9.1 million for the proposed facility requires consent from Sidney, Central...
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