Times Colonist
Monument honours Cowichan sweater and knitters
When Marie Jack gets into a rhythm with her knitting needles at her home in Duncan, she can go for hours. By the end of a week — sometimes even less — she has produced a woollen masterpiece: the durable, warm and world-renowned Cowichan...
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Plan in works for new park around Fort Rodd Hill
The City of Colwood is working with Parks Canada and local First Nations to create a national urban park around Fort Rodd Hill-Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site. Parks Canada land around Fort Rodd Hill would be combined with pieces of...
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About 400 U.S. health workers have accepted B.C. jobs: Eby
A mass shooting in 2022 at the hospital where she worked in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sowed the seed for a decision by pathologist Dr. Anne Herdman Royal to move to B.C. A man armed with an AR-15 style rifle opened fire on June 1 of that year at Saint Francis...
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Downtown police patrols paying dividends for businesses, agencies
Tucked into budget motions passed by Victoria council last week was a line approving the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. It was an unnecessary addition, given that the plan was approved last July, but Mayor Marianne Alto said she wanted to tie...
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Loss of provincial funding raises questions about Garth Homer housing project
Loss of provincial Community Housing Fund money has left a society that provides programs for adults with developmental challenges scrambling in the midst of building a new facility with a housing component. The Garth Homer Society, whose clients...
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Rejection of 35-storey tower sends chilling message to developers: CEO
The developer behind what could have been the city’s tallest tower says the City of Victoria’s land-use policies may have triumphed, but it will be the city that loses out in the long run. “Policy 1, progress 0,” said Jon Stovell, chief executive of...
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A pool of memories: Downtown Y bids farewell to Broughton Street
Merrianne Holm has many memories of her 12 years enjoying the facilities at Victoria’s Downtown Y, but probably the top one is when she dropped her wedding ring while swimming in the pool. She despaired that it would never be found, but the lifeguard...
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‘Comfort carts’ aim to ease ER waits for seniors
“Comfort carts” equipped with everything from blankets to hearing aids to keep seniors more comfortable during long emergency-department waits have been delivered to 13 acute-care hospitals on Vancouver Island. The carts, resembling rolling filing...
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Student describes moments before woman was killed in her house
A university student says she was listening to a podcast on headphones in a ground-floor bedroom of her house near Uptown when she heard someone screaming “help me” outside. Sarah Paul heard footsteps coming up her front steps, and the front door...
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Rehabilitated shoreline new feature at Esquimalt Gorge Park
If you had never been to Esquimalt Gorge Park and stumbled across a recent restoration project, you might be tricked into thinking the area always looked that way. And that’s exactly the point. It was designed using local plants and natural materials...
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On-the-move military spouses can now access WorkBC sooner
Military spouses and their adult children moving to B.C. can now access WorkBC services from outside the province, as part of a national effort to make it easier for military families that often have to move on short notice for the Canadian Armed...
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B.C. targets weapons in supportive housing
The B.C. government has introduced legislation that would give supportive-housing operators more power to deal with weapons and violence — a change that has been needed for a long time, says the CEO of Our Place Society. Julian Daly, whose...
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Esquimalt mayor wants apology after branches ripped from flowering tree
Esquimalt’s mayor wants an apology from a group of people who snapped off branches from a flowering plum tree in a public park, telling a bystander they were taking the branches for a wedding. “It’s extremely disappointing. Our parks are there for...
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Past attempts at a year-round daylight time a failure: sleep expert
An expert in sleep and circadian rhythms says the move to yearround daylight time in B.C. is an experiment that history has proven will go “terribly wrong.” Camosun College psychology instructor Michael Pollock says research supports the benefits of...
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B.C. moves to end time changes
B.C. residents will move their clocks forward by one hour for the last time on Sunday as the province moves to permanent daylight time. Premier David Eby made the announcement Monday in the B.C. legislature as an audience of South Park Elementary...
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Port applies to dredge Burrard Inlet to boost exports
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has applied to dredge Burrard Inlet in a move that would allow tankers to more fully load with oil. In a proposal to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, the port authority seeks to dredge both sides of a...
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Ukrainians hopeful about staying on Island 4 years after fleeing war
As Ukrainians mark four years since Russian forces invaded their country, many who came to Canada to escape the war have settled here and are hoping to stay. At a rally on the B.C. legislature lawn on Sunday marking the anniversary, Anastasiia...
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Canadian men curl to Olympic gold
Canada’s Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant, Marc Kennedy and Brad Jacobs celebrate after beating Britain in the men’s curling gold-medal match at the Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Saturday.
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Top U.S. court strikes down Trump tariffs; he says he has options, imposes 10% rate
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he will sign an executive order imposing a 10 per cent global tariff — and lashed out at Supreme Court justices hours after America’s top court struck down his use of an emergency legal tool to...
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B.C. sets aside $50 million to expand naloxone access
The B.C. government will spend $50 million to expand access to easy-touse nasal naloxone across the province over two years in a bid to help prevent overdose drug deaths. Health Minister Josie Osborne made the announcement Thursday, saying nasal...
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New taxes in B.C. budget will add to housing costs, industry warns
If the provincial government is intent on addressing what it believes is a housing shortage, it has a funny way of showing it, homebuilders and real estate experts say. The provincial budget delivered on Tuesday included an expansion of the provincial...
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Budget brings tax pain and little relief
Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said Tuesday the provincial budget is an attempt to protect critical services, which means pausing things it wants to do in favour of what it needs to do. Capital spending over the next three years will be limited to $38...
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Walking soccer is keeping these aging and injured players in the game
At 81, Peter Denby thought his many decades of playing soccer might be coming to a close. “I was getting to the point where running was more difficult for me, so I was looking for something else to do,” said Denby, who had been playing soccer since he...
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Port Angeles plans another welcome rally for Canadians
Escalating rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at Canadians is compelling Victoria’s closest U.S. neighbour to open its arms once again. Port Angeles, Washington, linked to downtown Victoria by the Coho ferry for 67 years and considered a...
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Remembering lives lost in Tumbler Ridge
TUMBLER RIDGE — Details have emerged about the eight people killed and two seriously injured in the mass shooting at a high school and a home in Tumbler Ridge. Here’s what is known: Zoey Benoit, 12 Lori Hayer said on social media that she got an...
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RCMP name shooting victims as Tumbler Ridge families speak out
RCMP have named those who died in Tuesday’s shootings in Tumbler Ridge, including the five children and teacher who were killed at a school and the mother and stepbrother of the shooter. The victims at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School were Abel Mwansa,...
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‘Canada is grieving’
The person behind one of British Columbia’s worst mass killings has been identified as an 18-year-old female school dropout who killed family members at home, then gunned down random students at a school before firing on police and killing herself as...
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Art installation unveiled as reminder of Indigenous connection to Inner Harbour
Long before the causeway and Empress Hotel were built, the waters of what’s now the Inner Harbour lapped against a tidal wetland. The area teemed with shellfish, crabs and fish, and three freshwater streams flowed to what the Esquimalt and Songhees...
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B.C. Greens won’t renew accord with NDP, citing ‘stalled or undelivered’ commitments
The B.C. Green Party has announced it will not renew an accord with the governing NDP when it expires next month, potentially undermining the stability of the provincial government with its one-seat majority. Green Leader Emily Lowan said there were...
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On the trail, one battle after another
Times Colonist contributor David Sovka, whose wife Roseanne was seriously injured when her bike collided with a van on the Galloping Goose trail near Uptown, chronicles her ordeal in Islander, starting on page D1. He writes: “I suppose most of us think...
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Canadian athletes march at opening of Winter Olympics
Two freestyle skiers carried the flag and led the way for hundreds of Team Canada athletes Friday as the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics officially opened with a multisite ceremony spread across northern Italy. Moguls skier Mikaël Kingsbury, of...
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Langford OKs two towers for downtown
Langford council has approved a large new development in its downtown core that would see two towers rise 13 and 22 storeys and provide about 300 housing units. It isn’t the first time rezoning for buildings of those heights and density have been...
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Port Alberni man’s stroke a wake-up call, too many people unaware of risk: report
Roman Frank was putting on his pyjamas to go to bed the night of Oct. 20, 2024, when his mind suddenly went blank. “The next thing you know, I was on the floor,” the Port Alberni man said. “It hit me like a ton of bricks.” The now 54-year-old...
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Bike and bus lanes on Quadra off the table in revised Saanich plan
A controversial plan for the future of Quadra Street and McKenzie Avenue in Saanich won’t include reducing vehicle lanes on Quadra to make more space for cyclists and buses. The original plan included transit-designated lanes, protected bike lanes and...
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Boat fire in Sidney sinks three yachts
Sidney’s fire chief says a blaze at Van Isle Marina on Sunday morning that sank three large yachts was the largest marina or yacht fire he’s seen in 30 years as a firefighter. No one was injured in the blaze, which engulfed three 70-foot yachts at...
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Sheep moved to safety after flooding in Comox Valley
Comox Valley Search and Rescue crews work to save sheep from floods near Courtenay. Sea-Doos, rescue sleds and kayaks were used to help bring people and animals to safety after heavy rainfall in the region.
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Volunteers rescue residents trapped by floods near Courtenay
Search-and-rescue volunteers were helping residents trapped by flooding along a creek north of Courtenay on Friday. The B.C. River Forecast Centre said that heavy rain had caused the level of Dove Creek to rise “significantly” overnight Thursday, and...
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Splashing around Ross Bay
Walkers watch as waves whack the seawall in Ross Bay near Clover Point on Thursday.
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Dump-truck crash shows need to be aware of stopping distance: Nanaimo company
The head of a Nanaimo construction company is urging drivers to be aware of the longer stopping distance required for large, industrial vehicles after dash camera video of a crash involving one of his dump trucks was released on Monday. The video...
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Trump threatens 100% tariffs on Canada
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening Canada with 100 per cent tariffs over a trade deal with China. Referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “governor,” his old insult for former prime minister Justin Trudeau, the president’s Saturday social...
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UVic needs to clarify drug policies as decriminalization ends: law student
A University of Victoria law student is calling on the university to clearly inform students that they will not be disciplined for seeking help related to illicit drug use once personal possession becomes illegal again in B.C. “I think there’s a high...
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Victoria at capacity for homeless support: Alto
Victoria is at capacity when it comes to dealing with those facing homelessness and requiring supportive services in the region, says the city’s mayor. “While we have done more than our share, we are now at a point where we have pretty much concluded...
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Courthouse rally calls for action on intimate-partner violence
Dozens of people gathered outside the Victoria courthouse on Wednesday morning to demand urgent action on intimate-partner violence in the wake of the death of a 41-year-old college instructor. Laura Gover, a mother of two, was found dead in her...
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Family ‘shattered’ by loss of Island woman, 19, found dead in Australia
The father of a Campbell River teenager who was found dead surrounded by a pack of dingoes on an Australian beach this week says her family is “shattered” by her loss. “We will always remember her infectious laugh and her kind spirit. I admired her...
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Day-use area at Goldstream closed to assess dangers after storm knocks down huge tree
An old-growth Western red cedar that came crashing down during a series of wind and rainstorms last month in Goldstream Provincial Park has prompted an assessment of other potentially dangerous trees and the continued closure of the day-use area. The...
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Scenes from the 900 block of Pandora
Bill Phelps gives a peace sign in front of Our Place Society on Pandora Avenue. Like a number of the people living homeless in Victoria, Phelps had a rich life and even ran his own businesses before ending up unhoused. Thirty years ago, he ran...
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Peninsula First Nation eyes addition to reserves, developer partnership
A Saanich Peninsula First Nation is ready to apply to add more than 100 acres of land to its reserves, and to explore major development plans, says its chief. Tsawout elected chief Abraham Pelkey said his nation will go ahead with long-standing plans...
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Minister: B.C. won’t extend decriminalization experiment
B.C. will abandon its controversial three-year experiment with decriminalizing possession of small amounts of illicit drugs, B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said Wednesday. “Despite the hard work and good intentions behind the pilot, it has not...
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Saanich teen critical after hit-and-run in Richmond
A Saanich teen is in critical condition after being hit by a car late Saturday in Richmond while running from an attack, his mother says. Richmond RCMP said they were called around 11:25 p.m. to the 4200 block of No. 3 Road after reports of a...
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Southbound Keating ramp expected to be complete by spring
Six months after the northbound off-ramp for the Keating Cross flyover opened on the Pat Bay Highway, some area residents are getting impatient for the southbound ramp. The Ministry of Transportation and Transit said in a statement that there isn’t a...
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Plan to redevelop Capital Iron lands nears final adoption
A massive project that’s expected to inject more vitality into a quiet end of Victoria’s downtown is one step away from becoming a reality, after council backed it Thursday night. Council voted unanimously to move forward Reliance Properties’ plan to...
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Expansion not in cards as work on Bay Street bridge about to begin
Replacement or significant expansion is not in the immediate future for Victoria’s Bay Street bridge, which is set to undergo significant maintenance resulting in closure of the eastbound lane starting next month. Ross Kenny, the city’s assistant...
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‘Hope to go home again:’ Victoria’s Venezuelans have mixed emotions after U.S. incursion
Abelardo Rivas was once a respected architect in Venezuela, his buildings adorning the streets of Caracas and other towns and cities. But for two decades, he’s been an enemy of the state, a political agitator and personal friend of Nobel Peace Prize...
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Loud and smelly ‘bachelor party’ of sea lions at Trial Islands
Jacques Sirois got up close and personal with some of the hundreds of sea lions piling onto the rocks around the Trial Islands Ecological Reserve this past week. “The smell is enough to make you faint if the breeze is just right,” said Sirois, a...
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Assessments paint picture of a stable real estate market in Greater Victoria
Greater Victoria’s stable housing market and continued demand for homes on Vancouver Island has translated into little change in the assessed value of homes in the capital region, according to the B.C. Assessment Authority. While residential property...
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
What better way to start a new year than a Robert Bateman painting? This one is Orca Procession (acrylic on board, 30” x 42”, 1985). Robert’s thoughts on his work: “Orca” is the generic name for the “killer whale.” Most people now prefer to use the...
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University moves to develop housing around campus edges
A 40-acre undeveloped site on the edge of the University of Victoria campus could eventually be home to a community hub with up to 3,800 housing units, along with businesses and services. Development of the property called Cedar Hill Corners, which...
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2025 The year in Times Colonist photos
Times Colonist photographers Adrian Lam and Darren Stone pound the pavement in the capital region year-round, finding images that illustrate Greater Victoria’s many communities and neighbourhoods — some to go with reporters’ stories, others just...
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Pilot and seaplane firm sue each other over Bella Bella crash
A Port Hardy-based seaplane company and its former chief pilot are suing each other over a December 2023 crash where a twin-engine plane lost power shortly after takeoff from Bella Bella and crashed into dense forest. All four passengers and the pilot...
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MERRY CHRISTMAS
Once again, we are featuring Robert Bateman’s art on our front page as a Christmas gift to our readers. This one is Winter — Snowshoe Hare (acrylic on board, 32” x 20”, 1978). This is what Robert has to say about the work: From under the spruce tree...
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First Nation defrauded of $406,000 for treatment centre will get some funds back
An organized crime group operating out of Eastern Canada is suspected to have played a part in stealing $406,000 from the ‘Namgis First Nation meant for a wellness and treatment centre at Alert Bay. The First Nation, which has been building a 16-bed...
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Woman gets 13 years in death of Island carver
George David’s half-finished carvings don’t tell the story they were meant to. The Indigenous artist, a member of the Tofino-area Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation on Vancouver Island, was murdered in Washington state in 2016. On Dec. 15, an Arkansas woman...
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Island timber firms get $8 million to expand value-added production
To address the effects of punishing tariffs on wood exports, the province is handing nearly $8 million to two Vancouver Island forest companies to allow them to adapt their products for new markets. Western Forest Products’ value-added plant in...
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‘I drank because it took the pain away’: Umbrella Society offers help to those battling addictions
Mirene Hudlin is discovering how liberating it is to cry and laugh again after decades of using alcohol as a crutch for her emotions. “I drank because it took the pain away,” said Hudlin, who recalls her first sip of alcohol at age 21. It was the...
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Heavy rain returns as Island set for a December cooldown
The last of the warm, subtropical air on Vancouver Island is giving way to colder air from the west, bringing an end to conditions that led to record-breaking temperatures. Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said Tuesday the Island should...
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‘The whole community was in shock:’ Menorah lighting goes ahead despite deadly attack
Rabbi Meir Kaplan was preparing for Sunday’s annual menorah lighting at the B.C. legislature with his wife late Saturday night when he heard about the deadly mass shooting unfolding at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. “The whole community here was...
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Woman with chronic pain turns to rare therapy
Weeks after Gabriola Island resident Marilyn Conner tripped on a jagged section of a Nanaimo sidewalk and shattered her left hand, she developed chronic pain so intense she wanted to throw up. “It’s like a pain that can’t be tolerated,” said Conner,...
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Mayors and First Nations to work on commuter rail, but no route proposed yet
Greater Victoria mayors have agreed to work with First Nations on a commuter rail route between Victoria and Langford that would not bisect Esquimalt Nation, though no alternate route has been proposed. The Esquimalt and Songhees nations, as well as...
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Esquimalt seniors on hook for removing deer killed by someone else’s dog
An Esquimalt couple were distraught when an unknown dog fatally injured a deer in their yard. They were also on the hook for nearly $300 to have the dead animal hauled away. It began on Friday night. Susan and Keith Clamp had just returned from...
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