Popular Victoria weather website and school network to shut down after two decades

A popular Victoria weather website and school-based station network will shut down this month after more than 20 years due to a lack of resources and support.

This initiative started by former BC Green leader and UVic climate scientist Andrew Weaver and his long-time colleague Ed Wiebe in 2002.

It grew from a single weather station at UVic to a network of 167 stations, mostly located in schools. These stations have provided real-time weather data for students, teachers, local governments, gardeners, cyclists, and broadcasters.

“Due to a lack of resources, this website and the network will no longer be maintained effective September 30, 2025. We’ve enjoyed working with the schools on Vancouver Island for the last 20+ years. Unfortunately, UVic/PICS have not stepped in to keep the project going. And both of us are too old to be scrambling on school roofs,” reads a message on the site.

News of the shutdown has disappointed many on social media, with residents expressing sadness over the loss of such a valuable community resource.

Weaver stated that the project was never meant to be a research initiative, it aimed to engage the community.

“I have always firmly believed that as university professors, we have a duty to give back to the communities in which we live and work. This was my attempt to do so,” he explained.

Initially, funding for the network came from external grants, including public engagement funds, which helped support Wiebe’s role until 2017.

At that time, Weaver secured a last-minute agreement with the University of Victoria to keep the project going, but that support gradually decreased, especially during the pandemic.

UVic officially owns the physical equipment purchased through those grants, while Weaver maintains the intellectual property.

He pointed out that the university’s senior administration has “lost touch with what it means or takes to engage the community.”

Weaver refused community donations without a long-term plan and avoided corporate sponsorships, as he wanted to keep the project free from commercial influence in public education.

Instead, he has consistently argued that the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), a UVic-based organization with a $95-million endowment, could provide sustainable funding.

Over the years, the network has had a significant impact. Families enjoyed seeing their neighbourhood stations on local weather broadcasts, teachers used the data to teach the BC curriculum, and children used the information for science fair projects.

Community members relied on the data for everything from road maintenance to gardening.

If the project ends this month, Weaver says he will remember the joy of seeing students learn from the weather data. However, he also feels disappointment in UVic’s lack of long-term support.

He believes that other institutions, like Royal Roads, Vancouver Island University, or Camosun College, could better support the network if it is to continue.

“Things come and go all the time,” Weaver reflected. “If the project ends, so be it. People will remember what they wish to remember. I would prefer it to keep going.”