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Start your engines and grab your earplugs—there’s a monstrously cool and loud motorsport event coming to Victoria this weekend!
Back by popular demand, this event has been dubbed the Motorsports Spectacular, and will be invading the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre from Friday, January 5th to 6th.
There will be a total of three shows to choose from, and you’ll be joined by a collection of motorsport enthusiasts cheering nearly as loudly as the engines’ collected roar!
Featured in the lineup are bone-crunching monster truck racing, a wheelie contest, high-flying freestyle motocross action, and more thrill-a-minute, death-defying stunts.
If you’ve had the pleasure of witnessing this event before, you’ll be excited to welcome back the impressive monster truck lineup including Rockstar, Power Up, California Kid, Spitfire, and Identity Theft.
All these massive trucks generate up to 15,000 horsepower and weigh up to 12,000 pounds!
There will be a mix of evening and matinee shows available, and tickets are still available.
Prices start at $15 for kids and $30 for adults!
Did you know that it takes a crew of 30 people, 36 hours, and 600 TONS of dirt to bring this event to life?
It’s that season again where almost everything in the city has a little twinkle or sparkle to it as holiday decorations line the homes and businesses of Greater Victoria!
Santa and his elves will be on their merry way soon, along with Frosty, Rudolph and Jack Frost nipping at your nose.
Yes, it’s one of the most wonderful times of the year when Victoria is going to be transformed into a literal winter wonderland—and we don’t want to miss one bit of it!
If you’re planning on decorating your home (or already have!) to kick off the most festive season of the year, submit your address to our 9th annual interactive Christmas Lights Tour Map.
Our map will feature all the best home light displays from across the city and will even be optimized for mobile—so your favourite co-pilot can guide you along any of the routes you choose to take!
If the entire street is lit up, please include in the message block.
To add your home or business to the map, send the address, community you’re located in (Saanich for example), and a photo or two that we can show our readers—also feel free to include a message to lightmap@victoriabuzz.com.
Or, you can add any homes or businesses where you see twinkling holiday displays to help people around the region get into the holiday spirit.
Grab hot chocolates for the family, hop in the car, tune into 98.5 The Ocean and crank up the Christmas music, as you head out on the Christmas trail!
With so many light displays around the capital region, we wanted to narrow down some of the best spots to catch the lights around town.
We put together three routes that take you past some of those big and beautiful displays. Keep checking back as we will continue to add more. If you would like us to add your house or see a home that should be on the list, please send in using our online form.
The map is optimized for mobile, so your trusty navigator can guide you along any of the routes as you go.
Take a Virtual Tour
Can’t make it out to see the lights? Not a problem. Victoria Buzz photographer, Colin Smith, has been buzzing around town capturing photos of many of the lit up homes so you can enjoy from the comfort of your home, or, you can add them to your must-see locations!
The City of Parksville is being sued for including a Christian prayer in the opening ceremonies of their inaugural city council meeting.
They are being sued by the BC Humanist Association (BCHA), who on two previous occasions have addressed the city council to remind them of their duty to be religiously neutral in all official council matters.
These two reminders have gone ignored and now the BCHA are pressing forward with their legal proceedings.
The BCHA says that specifically, following the 2022 local elections, Parksville’s inaugural council meeting included blessings from the minister of the Parksville Fellowship Baptist Church.
They say the prayer was “explicitly Christian, asking attendees ‘to pray with me, to our God’ and concluding with ‘I pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.’”
“We wrote to Parksville before releasing our 2020 report on prayers in municipal governments,” said Ian Bushfield, Executive Director, BC Humanist Association.
“We wrote to them again following the 2022 elections.”
Bushfield says when they announced their agenda for the last inaugural meeting, they publicly called the council out and asked that they observe the law.
Saying a prayer at a municipal council meeting has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada since 2015.
Since that time, the BCHA has been auditing municipalities throughout the province to ensure all are complying with the law.
According to the BCHA, Parksville and the City of Vancouver are the only two municipalities in the province that continue to ignore the fact that prayers at council meetings have been declared unconstitutional.
Victoria Buzz reached out to the City of Parksville for a statement on the matter. A City spokesperson replied by saying, “The City of Parksville has no comment on these proceedings as the issue has been referred to the City’s lawyers.”
For the 11th consecutive year, the Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookie campaign is kicking off on Vancouver Island on April 29th and running until May 5th.
The cookies will be sold at 21 different Tim Hortons locations across the Greater Victoria area and proceeds will go towards Children’s Health Foundation on Vancouver Island—specifically Jeneece Place.
Jeneece Place is located on the grounds of the Victoria General Hospital and provides a home away from home for families and children who need medical care on Vancouver Island.
The facility was launched by Jeneece Edroff, who envisioned a place for stressed out families of sick children to go to in order to feel some semblance of normalcy during a turbulent time.
Over the past decade, Smile Cookie Week has raised over $440,000 for the Children’s Health Foundation on Vancouver Island. And when you consider the $1.50 price of the cookie, that equals more than 293,000 cookies!
This money has funded over 2,300 overnight stays at Jeneece Place for families in need.
Earth Day is fast approaching, Victoria—it’s the perfect opportunity to take a moment and appreciate the beautiful places we live, as well as reflect on ways you can lessen your environmental impact.
Whether that’s removing invasive plant species, repurposing new or gently used products, or taking public transit, there are plenty of ways you can make a small, meaningful difference!
Here’s what’s happening in and around Victoria this Earth Day:
BC Transit is thrilled to announce free transit for Earth Day!
They believe that Earth Day highlights the importance of sustainability and encourages others to make choices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Taking public transit is one way to make a difference, so they wanted to make that as easy and accessible as possible for anyone taking a fixed bus route or using handyDART services.
Although they don’t have anything specific planned for Monday, you can get ahead and sign up for any future activities they have in the works!
On Wednesday, April 24th they have a youth-specific event happening in Colwood—here, students will meet other like-minded kids while also learning about environmental issues and increasing biodiversity.
Other events in the near future include a litter pickup in Langford on Saturday, April 27th.
Springtime brings a reminder of the city’s sparkling beauty—everywhere we turn, we see green grass, budding leaves and flowers scattering the ground and blooming in trees.
Definitely beats the snow that still blankets other areas of Canada, that’s for sure!
So, get outside, count your blessings and sniff some flowers at a number of different gardens around the city.
We’ve even included the iconic Butterfly Gardens just in case you’re looking for a sprinkle of tropical in your garden adventures (especially while it rains outside)!
Check out this special screening available only on April 22nd—the official Earth Day. For school groups, bookings are available up until May 31st.
75 theatres across Canada have partnered with Ducks Unlimited to provide exclusive screenings of the film, Wings Over Water, narrated by Academy Award-Winning actor Michael Keaton and produced with the support of Ducks Unlimited Canada
Wings Over Water was filmed on location in the Prairie Pothole Region, which is a huge swath of connected rivers, lakes and wetlands across three Canadian provinces and five US states.
With gorgeous cinematography and attention to detail, it follows the migratory journeys of three bird species.
Watch this exceptional film for only $6.99—with proceeds supporting conservation through Ducks Unlimited Canada!
To find a theatre near you that’s screening, check out the Ducks Unlimited website.
One of the best ways to enjoy the warming weather and budding flowers is embarking on a nature walk or two!
Luckily, Victoria offers a number of prime walking locations that satisfy every nature need—whether it’s ocean views, flowers and/or wildlife you’re looking for, there’s something for everyone.
To celebrate the essence of spring and the increasing appearances from our pal, the sun, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite spots for you!
For the veggie lovers out there, or those hoping to dabble, this is for you!
Victoria is recognized for many things, not only the gorgeous scenery and close proximity to the ocean, but also for its food—particularly the impressive amounts of vegan and vegetarian options.
So, for this Earth Day, consider checking out a vegan restaurant to try!
If you’re not new to the world of veganism, consider subscribing to a vegan meal service, Easy Vegan.
Founder Jocelyn Light is committed to providing the Greater Victoria community and beyond with convenient, fresh, and delicious plant-based meal options.
Plus, Easy Vegan will incorporate and celebrate locally grown produce—so, you know exactly where it’s coming from.
Residents and visitors alike, you’ll want to hear this!
BC Transit will be offering free public transit on Monday, April 22nd in recognition of Earth Day.
Yes, you read that right—completely free for the whole day!
They believe that Earth Day highlights the importance of sustainability and encourages others to make choices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Taking public transit is one way to make a difference, so they wanted to make that as easy and accessible as possible for anyone taking a fixed bus route or using handyDART services.
In a media release, BC Transit has shared their active commitment to furthering their positive impact on the environment—this includes the Low Carbon Fleet Program, which is underway.
The program supports CleanBC and their provincial targets for greenhouse gas emissions.
Across the province, there are over 280 Compressed Natural Gas buses so far, with funding now secured for an additional 141 electric buses.
You can use the Transit App, Google Transit, or any other app that provides real-time bus tracking to plan your transit journey.
Visit the BC Transit website for more information.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Victoria on Friday, April 19th in order to announce new federal funding for post-secondary education and innovation seekers through Budget 2024.
In this announcement, the Prime Minister recognized that Gen Z and millennials are “the engine of our economy.”
“Everything that is created, built, served, and sold in Canada is increasingly being done by millennials and Gen Z,” he said.
“They’re the young parents, the students doing cutting-edge research, the young entrepreneurs with startup ideas. Canada’s success depends on their success.”
Trudeau says that because of this, the feds will be funding research and innovative endeavours at several universities throughout the country.
This funding is coming as a total package of $4.6 billion with $2.6 billion of that being allocated towards grants, scholarships and fellowships. The Canadian government says this is in an effort to make sure financial barriers are not preventing the future of innovation from developing.
This funding includes $1.8 billion which will boost some core research grants by 30% over five years. Primarily, this will benefit grad students and post-doctoral fellows in the areas of climate action, health emergencies, artificial intelligence, and psychological health.
Another chunk of that funding will be $825 million over five years to increase the annual value of master’s and doctoral students’ scholarships to $27,000 and $40,000, respectively, and post-doctoral fellowships to $70,000.
Additionally, $30 million will be set aside for Indigenous researchers—$10 million being split up between the feds First Nations, Métis, and Inuit partners.
The Canadian government says another $1.3 billion of the newly announced research and innovation funding is going towards the affordability of post-secondary institutions.
This money will increase in full-time Canada Student Grants from $3,000 to $4,200 per year and it will increase the housing allowances used by the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.
Lastly, $734 million is going towards support for research infrastructure and institutes, according to the Canadian government.
Specifically, the feds say this funding will be investing:
$399.8 million over five years in Canada’s sub-atomic physics research laboratory, located at the University of British Columbia
$176 million over five years in CANARIE, a national not-for-profit organization that manages Canada’s ultra high-speed network to connect researchers, educators, and innovators
$83.5 million over three years in Saskatoon-based Canadian Light Source, helping scientists and researchers to continue making breakthroughs in areas ranging from climate-resistant crop development to sustainable mining processes
$45.5 million over five years in Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute, headquartered at Queen’s University to help engineers, researchers, and scientists innovate in areas like clean technology and medical imaging
$30 million over three years in University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for Pandemic Research, advancing the study of high-risk pathogens to support vaccine and therapeutic development
The Canadian government says on top of this funding for research and innovation, their main priorities of Budget 2024 are building homes faster, investing in health care and making life more affordable.
It is unclear whether Prime Minister Trudeau will remain in Victoria or if he will be leaving for the weekend, as per his itinerary.
Happy weekend, Victoria—it should be a wonderful one!
No excuses for boredom this weekend, with a rich mix of different events from dance parties to market shopping, you’re bound to find something that interests you.
Don’t miss out on special events such as Disney Trivia, End of Days House Show Tour, and a dog adoption event in Nanaimo!
Earth Day is right around the corner as well, so make sure you take the time to do something to appreciate the earth and lessen your environmental impact.
For all of this and more, here’s 12 things to do in and around Victoria this weekend—April 20th and 21st:
Team up with the Victoria Green Team and other community members to help out the local ecosystem!
The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada, and they plan a series of activities to both foster connections between participants and have a positive impact on the environment.
April is jam-packed full of meet-ups to partake in, including removing invasive species and planting native species.
Their full list of activities and registration (including their two events for this weekend) can be found here.
There’s a new exhibit at the Maritime Museum in downtown Victoria titled, No Walk in the Woods: The History of the West Coast Trail.
It opened on April 11th and will be available to view until October 26th.
Come along to the Maritime Museum in downtown Victoria and follow the rain-soaked path from the tragic wreck of the S.S. Valencia, that led to the creation of the lifesaving trail, to the stories of adventurers who brave the modern-day West Coast Trail.
This is your last chance to check out Intrepid Theatre’s second annual Incoming Festival—presenting an array of brand new performances promised to inspire, shock and excite.
Ticket prices vary by show, so you can purchase individual tickets or buy their three-day pass.
Similar to other Intrepid Theatre shows, Incoming Festival will offer their “Pay-What-You-10” tickets—which means that 10% of show tickets will be only $10.
Get ready for another sensory feast at the Mint Night Market, hosted at The Mint restaurant this Saturday!
At 5 p.m., The Mint transforms into a vibrant hub featuring local vendors with goodies such as pottery, prints, stickers, jewelry, knitted goods, herbal goodies and trendy clothing.
Saanich has decided to organize a special Earth Day festival, and you can get involved!
Just behind Municipal Hall this Saturday, attendees are invited to gather and celebrate our planet, fight against climate change, and learn about everyday ways we can lessen our impact on the Earth as a community and as individuals.
There will be live music, food trucks, vendors and activities for the whole family!
Click here for more information and workshop registration.
(Saanich Parks, Recreation & Community Services / Facebook)
Where: Just behind Municipal Hall, 770 Vernon Avenue
Join the crew at Herald Street Brew Works for a danktastic 4/20 vibe with local bands, Baby Boy & Earthly Delights, and the Frolickers!
“It will be both cliche, but really fun,” said The Earthly Delights
“There will be songs you definitely know—one’s that are very closely knitted with 4/20 and cannabis culture—and also you’ll probably be able to spot the most notable stoners from pop culture gracing the stage.”
Tickets are $15 if purchased in advance and $20 at the door.
If you’re up for a road trip to Nanaimo, the organization From Stray to Stay is hosting a Spring Fling Adoption event at Bosley’s University Village this Saturday!
They’ll be bringing all of their adorable adoptables for people to meet and snuggle with in hopes of finding future families.
There will also be a BBQ available for a minimum donation of $5.
The Mint is hosting a trivia night specifically tailored for all of the Disney and Pixar lovers out there—so come with a team of up to six, or try it solo, and prove your knowledge superior.
There will be three rounds of trivia and the questions range from easy to extremely tough. There’s lots of prizes to be won!
(Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre / Jay Wallace Images)
Victoria Royals coverage presented by:
If you’re looking for game day eats, Domino’s has you covered! Whether it’s pre-game fuel or post-game celebrations, you can easily order online today and score 25% off on delicious pizza, wings, and more. Enjoy the game with Domino’s!
The Victoria Royals enter the 2024 off-season having taken a modest step forward, integrating quality young talent into the roster while also making the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
It’s an exciting time for Royals fans, who have been patiently waiting for their team to start trending in a positive direction.
It’s even more exciting for Royals Vice President of Hockey Operations Joey Poljanowski, whom Victoria Buzz spoke with last week. He gets his first full summer to continue building the organization, after being hired at the end of last July. Given the Royals offseason started in late March last season, that’s joining the party a bit later than preferred.
“It’s everything,” Poljanowski said, regarding having the entire summer.
“You’re coming in halfway through the summer last year, and a lot of different strategies have been implemented and a lot of different plans are already in their later phases.”
It’s an interesting time for any executive to join a club, given the WHL, US, and Import Drafts all take place in early May. Those selections were made. The roster was nearly set.
“Really, it was about preparing for training camp as quickly as possible.”
With a “transition year” under his belt and an entire hockey season to evaluate the organization, Poljanowski is set for his first full summer behind the helm. He wasted no time taking action, promoting Associate Manager Jake Heisinger to General Manager.
“It was important to make sure we brought [someone in] to enhance our overall hockey operations department,” Poljanowski said, referring to bringing Heisinger on last July.
“He did a tremendous job this year and was instrumental in a lot of decisions that led to what we accomplished this season, which was retooling our draft cupboard while still having a competitive team and helping change our culture.”
For Poljanowski, culture improvements and changes take place at the top of the organization and trickle down to every off-ice staff member, on ice coach or performance staff, and of course the players.
Heisinger is the man to continue that cultural growth, receiving glowing reviews for his day-to-day work habits and process.
“It’s his communication skills, leadership, organization, and his vision,” Poljanowski said. “He has an idea of how to build an elite WHL franchise and he knows how to do it different ways.”
“He did a great job and is more than deserving of the promotion to take on the general manager role.”
With two young studs to build around in centerman Cole Reschny and defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, the Royals will stroll into the WHL Bantam Draft with a boatload of draft picks, owning two first round picks, two second round picks, a third, and two fourths.
The Victoria Royals’ four year draft grid.
Those first and second round picks in particular are huge opportunities to continue building the franchise, where Heisinger will carry the load.
“This is Jake’s bread and butter coming up.”
Between the WHL Bantam Draft, the US Prospects Draft and the Import Draft, management finally has a chance to put their stamp on the organization through the draft, which appears to be the preferred method of roster building.
With Heisinger taking further charge of building the roster and ready to lead the draft table, Poljanowski can continue working on and improving the organization throughout – slow and steady.
And he’s confident he has the correct people steering the ship.
The right people in the right places
Paramount to any successful organization is, of course, the people who run it. While fans focus on the 20 players on the ice every game, there are dozens of people working behind the scenes to execute everything from scouting, to in-game fan experiences, to scheduling travel and hospitality, to building out community and hockey camp programs.
For the Royals to improve and elevate to a consistent playoff performer – and more importantly – contender, it isn’t just about finding good hockey players. You need to have all departments of the franchise running with one goal in mind: championships.
“It starts from the top down,” Poljanowski said. “You want to bring in good people that have that work ethic and passion for the game… and the knowledge of what it takes to develop people and players.”
That’s especially true in the WHL, where there is no option of handing out multi-million dollar contracts to plug a roster hole. The only way to improve is to manage your assets intelligently, have success in the WHL Bantam Draft, and maximize the development you can get out of every player that comes through the organization.
Obviously, a well-financed operation helps in recruiting front office and staff roles, but ultimately, it’s the people in charge that have to foster and create successful standards and culture.
You need to have high character people propelling the franchise forward.
Which was one of the main things Poljanowski believes the Royals accomplished this year. After hiring James Patrick to be head coach last November, he believes in the people the Royals have in place. And not just who – but where they’ve come from and the variety of experiences and perspectives they can bring to the table.
“Jake with his Winnipeg (Ice) ties, Jeep (James Patrick) with Buffalo, Dallas (as an assistant coach) and his NHL career, and then for myself, with London (Knights), Hockey Canada, and Arizona (Coyotes), you see what other teams have done and what success has been.”
It’s those two – Heisinger and Patrick – along with assistant coach Morgan Klimchuk that fuels Poljanowski’s optimism for the years ahead.
That’s the key trio to propel the hockey operations side forward.
“When you’re talking about the strength of the organization, it’s definitely in our hockey operations leadership group with those three in particular.”
Heisinger will build the roster, Patrick will lead the squad, and Klimchuk will support Patrick in connecting with the players and making sure they feel heard. And of course, that they’re improving.
Klimchuk himself is in his second year with the team as an assistant coach, moving behind the bench after playing his final season as an assistant captain of the AHL’s Belleville Senators in 2019-20.
He was the 5th overall pick by the Regina Pats in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft, and starred in four seasons with the Pats before being traded to Brandon to finish his WHL career. He had three 30 goal seasons in the WHL before being selected in the 1st round, 28th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2013. Eventually, he would suit up for the Flames in his professional career, earning his single NHL appearance during the 2017-18 season. Otherwise, he carved out a solid AHL career, scoring 62 goals and 133 points over 6 seasons.
“Not only was [Klimchuk] a first round NHL pick, but a first round Bantam Draft pick too,” Poljanowski said. “He’s someone who’s been through it too and has that connection with the modern day athlete.”
Klimchuk brings valuable experience to a group of teenagers, having dealt with the expectations of being a top WHL pick. He’s also experienced both the challenges and promise of being a first round NHL draft pick, and knows what it takes.
He’s young for a coach at 29-years-old, a person in the organization the players should feel comfortable voicing their struggles and challenges to over a long season.
“He’s kind of that player’s coach, another person who has so much experience at a young age and has a long runway as a coach in hockey, too.”
With Patrick, the resumé is obvious. He enjoyed a 21-year, 1280 game NHL career, captained a Canadian World Junior team to a gold medal, played in the 1984 Olympic Games, and won the 1987 Canada Cup. You don’t accomplish that without strong daily habits and processes.
“His NHL presence, his daily attitude, his vision, and his work ethic,” Poljanowski said. “He has a demand for [high standards] and he’s continuing to push our guys constantly.”
“We believe we have one of the best coaches in the Western Hockey League.”
Also invaluable is the combination of his coaching resume. He was an assistant in Dallas and Buffalo over 11 seasons, playing the role of the player’s coach before taking over for the Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice franchise right as they began a rebuild. Patrick got to give his head coaching philosophies a go and found success, helping lead that team to last year’s WHL finals before ultimately falling to Seattle.
With today’s generation of athlete, it’s critical to strike a balance between being demanding, yet communicative.
“His communication, you know, he’s a pro. He’s a pro through and through. He’s coached elite players… and he always has that NHL experience to draw back on.”
“Having him, it’s everything for us.”
Given that Patrick was hired in early November with the season already under way, and both Poljanowski and Heisinger came at the end of last July, this summer and upcoming season will be the first where the “new” management has a chance to truly operate as a trio.
For Poljanowski, that’s working with his staff on the summer hockey camp programs the Royals run, while also focusing on planning community and outreach programs. Heisinger will run this management’s first ever draft, and will be busy finalizing draft lists for the upcoming WHL Draft. There’s also the US Prospects draft and the Import Draft – the latter which Poljanowski will also work closely on.
For Patrick, it’s his chance to run a training camp and have the players dialed into his philosophies from day one, while also running High-Performance and youth camps alongside Klimchuk and some of the other development staff throughout the summer.
Then this management and coaching group will be able to dive head first into the 2024-25 season with everyone getting a full summer of preparation.
Building community programs and a sustainable franchise
With their first season under their belt and many key hiring decisions made, Poljanowski will continue working on two key pillars for the organization: building a sustainably successful franchise with a strong community footprint.
“What we want to do and what we came here to do is build a sustainable franchise,” Poljanowski said. “We don’t want to go through the ups and the downs of, you know, battling for first overall picks and then building around one draft and going for a run.”
“Then it’s three good years but you’re in the gutter after for another four.”
So far he and Heisinger have backed up those ideals, pushing aggressively to acquire quality draft capital over the next few years while being reluctant to trade high picks. That’s highlighted by their trade record and the draft picks they were willing to ship out this season: a 5th rounder in 2024 to get Pasternak, a 2026 5th to get Laventure, and both 6th (2025) and 9th (2027) round selections to get Brinson.
You’ll notice none of those prices include picks in the first four rounds.
And of course to bolster the draft cupboard, they brought in Ben Riche, two 1st round picks, as well as 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round picks in the Kalem Parker blockbuster in October.
A summary of October’s blockbuster trade. (whl.ca)
Coming from the London Knights organization – one of the model franchises around the entire CHL – Poljanowski has seen what’s possible. The Knights have made the OHL playoffs 21 years in a row, and have been to the finals six times over that span, winning four of them. Somehow, they’ve managed to avoid the classic up-and-down junior hockey cycle.
“London is obviously where I’m from and the organization that I grew up with,” he said, having spent four seasons there as the Manager of Hockey Operations. “Every single year the team was competitive, and then every few years they decide to really go for it.”
“We want to have a competitive team where we’re always in the picture.”
Whether they can execute that goal or not will be determined in the coming years, but Poljanowski’s first full summer at the helm also means he and his staff can continue developing and implementing their offseason community plans and programs.
“One thing that we really wanted to do was redevelop our development plan and our community planning,” Poljanowski said. “We’re a community team, we have really passionate and fantastic fans, and we want to make sure that we’re giving back to them and developing the community programs.”
The Royals in-game fan experience evolved last year, with some live music outside of Gate 1 for select games last season, an in-house DJ, and the Fan Zone in section 106.
There’s also tons of ways to impact the community and fans outside of the arena, too.
Through helping with learn to skate programs, contributing to HEROS Hockey and supporting the Moose Hide Campaign, while also doing school and hospital visits, the Royals have a ton of ways to contribute to the city. Hockey is a language many Canadians speak, and can create moments young kids never forget – a quick interaction with a Royal, being encouraged by a player or staff member at a camp, or just from plain ol’ fashioned autograph signings and banter.
Royals players have the opportunity to be accessible, local role models for kids in the area.
“You can never be too good of a community member,” Poljanowski said. “As part of our offseason it’s really targeting how we want to continue to be strong community members and increasing our footprint here.”
Part of the challenge of coming halfway through the summer is executing initiatives like these, but they were able to get moving on a few of them. The Royals Hockey Help fund, for example, was added late in the season in February. It’s an initiative that helps minor hockey programs struggling for funding to get the support they need and keep kids playing hockey.
The Royals are also launching an inaugural series of High-Performance Camps this summer to help nurture local players with ambition in the sport.
“Some of these things launched late in the season, but we wanted to launch these types of initiatives to continue to grow over the offseason and really implement for next year,” Poljanowski said.
It’s all done with the aim of providing entertaining hockey, a place for people to gather, and impacting the town at a local level.
Oh, and getting the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre back to being the “Barn on Blanshard”.
“What I learned in the nine months of being here is what a special group of fans we have here in Victoria. We want to make sure we continue to give back to the community and show our appreciation to the fans for coming out during the ‘dark days’, if you will.”
“Our goal from ownership and what we want to be doing is creating that culture and environment that brings people together. At the end of the day that’s what hockey’s about, bringing people together.”
“And giving them something to cheer for and having a team that they’re proud of.”
What’s next for the Victoria Royals this summer
Stay tuned for our conversation with recently promoted GM Jake Heisinger, as he prepares for the upcoming WHL Bantam Draft, US Prospects Draft, and Import Drafts happening in early May.
The Royals have two first round selections in the WHL Bantam Draft, 8th and 18th overall.
Get ready to unleash your inner hero with the PAW Patrol, Victoria!
In case you missed it, Nickelodeon and VStar Entertainment Group will be bringing PAW Patrol Live! “Heroes Unite” to Victoria this month.
Coming to Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday, April 27th to 28th, this is your chance to join the pack in four action-packed shows.
This brand-new production is an interactive live stage show where members of the audience become unleashed heroes, aiding the pups as honourary pack members while they embark on a global adventure to return to Adventure Bay just in time.
In PAW Patrol Live! “Heroes Unite,” Ryder and the pups tackle their biggest challenge yet: Mayor Humdinger clones Robo Dog, causing chaos worldwide.
The PAW Patrol must catch the clones, rescue Robo Dog, and prove that lending a paw makes you the ultimate hero!
With stunning visual effects, captivating storytelling, and a vibrant musical score, this staged extravaganza promises action and fun for the entire family!
Event organizers encourage attendees to get ready to dance in their seats and sing along as they join the pups on their thrilling journey.
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP say they are investigating a hit-and-run collision that claimed the life of a woman last night.
According to police, the incident occurred on Thursday, April 18th at around 9:50 p.m. on the stretch of Highway 1 between Green Road and Beverly Street in Duncan.
Police say the woman who was struck by a vehicle was confirmed dead at the scene by the BC Coroners Service after paramedics attempted to save her life unsuccessfully.
The suspect vehicle was not located at the scene, making this an alleged hit-and-run case.
The woman who was struck and killed has not yet been identified, according to police.
The Trans-Canada Highway was closed for several hours while forensic evidence was gathered to try to determine who the woman was, who may have hit her and what occurred to cause her death.
As of this publication, that stretch of highway has been reopened to the public.
Now, police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the driver and vehicle involved.
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP are requesting motorists who were driving in that area between 9 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. last night to check their dash cam video for any relevant information.
Anyone who has information on this incident should contact North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at (250) 748-5522.
The Ehattesaht First Nation has launched a GoFundMe online fundraiser in an effort to ease the financial burden that has been put on them trying to save an orphaned orca calf near Zeballos.
Since March 23rd, the Nation along with neighbouring communities and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have been trying to coax the young, newly orphaned calf out of a lagoon being blocked by a significant sandbar.
This sandbar is the same one that the calf’s mother was beached upon and died.
The orca calf was given the name kʷiisaḥiʔis, which is translated to Brave Little Hunter by the Ehattesaht First Nation. They say that ever since kʷiisaḥiʔis was stranded in the lagoon she dwells now, she has become part of their family.
“She is like one of our children who has lost their mother and we need to get her to a place where her grandmothers and aunties can take care of her,” wrote the Ehattesaht First Nation in the online fundraiser’s description.
“Right now those aunties cannot hear her. She is isolated in a small lagoon at the end of a small inlet and her cries for her family only echo on the steep rock of the mountainside and never over the gravel bar to the open ocean. It is too far.”
The Nation recognizes that kʷiisaḥiʔis is scared of humans and this is part of the reason she has not been cooperating in the efforts to get her past the sandbar and out of the lagoon.
They say that although all their partners in this effort have been “limitless in their response,” the Nation has had to feed and house a great number of people while dropping other priorities like work, responsibilities to the Nation and family to prioritize kʷiisaḥiʔis’ rescue attempt.
“Everything is expensive here and we can no longer carry all of the burden,” the Nation wrote.
“We can give our time in being part of the crews, of feeding everyone, of housing them but as this carries on we are having to adjust our budgets and make sure that we are all in this with good intention and with a good heart.”
The Ehattesaht First Nation has set a goal of $500,000 for this GoFundMe campaign and thus far, they’ve raised just under $9,000 in under 24 hours.
Get ready, Victoria—another hip hop sensation is coming to town!
Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Flo Rida will bring his high-energy live show to Victoria’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Wednesday September 4th.
Known for his infectious beats and vibrant performances, Flo Rida will entertain fans with a night of chart-topping hits from his extensive catalog.
Concertgoers can expect to hear his 7x platinum-certified hit, Low (Feat. T-Pain), as well as other worldwide favourites such as Right Round (Feat. Ke$ha), In The Ayer (Feat. will.i.am), Club Can’t Handle Me (Feat. David Guetta), Good Feeling, and Whistle.
Additionally, Flo Rida’s guest appearances on platinum-certified tracks like David Guetta’s Where Them Girls At (Feat. Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj) and Olly Murs’Troublemaker (Feat. Flo Rida) are sure to thrill the crowd.
The Florida-born artist has sold well over 100 million singles worldwide and has solidified his reputation as a true international icon.
But Flo Rida’s impact extends beyond music.
Through his Big Dreams for Kids Foundation, he has positively influenced the lives of thousands of youth athletes by promoting values such as honesty, loyalty, integrity, and sportsmanship.
Flo Rida is also a successful entrepreneur, serving as a brand ambassador for Celsius Energy Drink and Seagram’s Gin, and owning establishments like The Licking Restaurant franchise and Club Studio 183.
As the CEO of International Music Group, he has been instrumental in nurturing emerging artists such as Natalie LaRose and Baby Soulja.
As Flo Rida continues to make strides in both the music industry and philanthropy, his multifaceted legacy as an artist and community leader remains unmatched. His upcoming performance in Victoria is sure to be a memorable night for fans, as he showcases his enduring talent and vibrant stage presence.
A survey has been launched by Capital Bike in order to determine where Victoria residents would like to see future bike lanes be installed.
The City of Victoria is currently working on an update to their Official Community Plan (OCP).
Capital Bike plays a role in this because they operate as a non-profit organization in the city with the purpose of advocating to the city on behalf of all cyclists.
The City of Victoria just finished the installation of Fort Street’s protected bike lanes and both Saanich and Esquimalt completed installing new, mostly protected bike lanes on Tillicum Road.
Next, Victoria is installing bike lanes along Gorge Road all the way from Government Street into Saanich, and Esquimalt continues to work on the Lampson Street corridor’s protected lanes.
These are just the latest in the Capital Regional District’s ever-expanding all-ages and abilities (AAA) cycling network.
Now, Capital Bike wants to know what the next project they should be advocating for is and that is why they launched this survey.
In the survey, Capital Bike asks respondents whether they would like to see the next bike lanes emerge on main roads or side roads and they are asked to rate various routes on personal importance.
They are also asking in what area Victorians would like to see a bike valley similar to city hall’s be implemented.
The survey is meant for those who work, live or patronize businesses in the City of Victoria specifically.
It only takes around six minutes to complete and can be found online here.
According to a recent survey by BC-based Research Co., most British Columbians are in favour of the federal government’s initiative to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but support wanes if this means energy costs will rise.
The Research Co. survey asked respondents from throughout the province how strongly they support various methods of creating energy.
Here is what they responded with:
Wind:
agree – 79%
disagree – 11%
unsure – 9%
Geothermal:
agree – 65%
disagree – 12%
unsure – 23%
Biomass:
agree – 43%
disagree – 19%
unsure – 38%
Hydropower:
agree – 80%
disagree – 10%
unsure – 10%
Coal:
agree – 24%
disagree – 68%
unsure – 11%
Natural gas:
agree – 65%
disagree – 24%
unsure – 11%
Oil:
agree – 43%
disagree – 46%
unsure – 10%
Nuclear:
agree – 42%
disagree – 44%
unsure – 14%
Climate priorities
Overall there was a resounding positive feedback about attitudes toward cleaner and greener sources of energy, although many still agreed with the use of natural gas in particular.
The respondents to this survey were also asked what they thought about the province continuing to expand the liquid natural gas (LNG) industrial sector.
To this question, again many agreed with 58% being in favour of LNG expansion; however, 44% also said that natural gas energy should be banned in new build construction.
This shows a clear split on what to do with the natural gas sector as BC strives toward net-zero emissions.
The top three concerns for British Columbians, according to the survey, are: energy costs becoming too high for households to afford, wildfires impacting BC and climate change’s effects on the world/Canada.
For wildfires in BC, 84% of respondents said this was concerning to them making it the most prioritized issue when it comes to climate matters in the province.
On Vancouver Island, only 74% said this was concerning, making islanders the least concrete over wildfires while in the interior, the concern is markedly higher.
The second largest climate-related priority, according to the survey, is energy costs becoming too expensive for households to be able to afford at 83%. Comparatively, energy costs for businesses becoming too expensive is only concerning to 68% of respondents.
Thirdly, the survey found that the general growing concern for climate change’s impacts on the world at 77%, with 76% of respondents saying climate change’s impacts on BC was concerning.
Net-zero emissions
The feds net-zero plan calls for either the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions or offsetting them. This can be done through example actions such as tree planting or employing capture carbon technologies.
Canada, as well as all other members of the G7, have committed to the goal of having net-zero emissions by 2050.
Next, the survey asked respondents if, all things considered, they agree or disagree with this net-zero commitment.
To this, 70% said they supported the initiative, 19% said they disagreed and 11% said they were unsure.
However, it is important to note that when asked if they would still support the net-zero emission goal if energy costs rose, respondents answered with the following:
If energy costs rose by 10%:
agree – 67%
disagree – 21%
unsure – 12%
If energy costs increased by 20%:
agree – 49%
disagree – 38%
unsure – 13%
If energy costs increased by 20%:
agree – 40%
disagree – 48%
unsure – 13%
This data shows that according to the survey, British Columbians care more about financial priorities rather than those relating to curbing the climate crisis.
Research Co. conducted this survey by polling 800 British Columbians from throughout the province between March 19th and 21st.
As part of the federal government’s Budget 2024, the spotlight is being shone on housing and the current crisis facing many Millennial and Gen Zs who fear they will never be able to afford a home.
The feds say that for generations, one of the foundational dreams of Canada’s middle class was that if you found a good job, worked hard and saved money, you would be able to afford a home.
This is similar to the years following the Second World War, when soldiers came home from fighting overseas, unable to afford housing.
“Rising rents are making it hard to find an affordable place to call home and rising home prices are keeping homes out of reach for many first-time buyers,” reads chapter one of Budget 2024—more affordable homes.
“The ability of an entire generation of Canadians to achieve the promise of Canada is at risk, despite their sheer grit and hard work.”
As a part of Budget 2024, the plan to build more homes for the middle class and more affordable housing is a multi-faceted one.
The ultimate goal of the Canadian government is that no hard-working Canadian should spend more than 30% of their income on housing—be it renting or mortgage payments after putting a down payment on a home.
Building on bases
According to the Canadian government, they want to build 3.87 million new homes by 2031, just seven years from now.
To achieve this, the feds say they are relying on all levels of government to commit to the process and not hinder new homes being built.
One of the strategies the feds are employing is to build on underutilized military properties across the country, including CFB Esquimalt.
The Department of National Defence owns 622 properties across the country with a total of 2.2 million hectares.
Though these properties do provide housing and space to many members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), much of this land is underutilized.
So, the Canadian government says they want to take some of this land and build homes for civilians on it, as well as build new homes for their CAF members.
This process is in the earliest stages, but the feds say they are currently exploring opportunities for redevelopment on military land in Greater Victoria.
(Tyler-Dale Moon and Winona Myles playing Anne Shirley / CCPA)
At last, it’s Friday, Victoria!
Start your weekend off with a gigantic hoorah by treating yourself to something fun and fulfilling.
There’s a great mix of events happening around the city, including a live re-telling of the classic tale, Anne of Green Gables, live music at Sticky Wicket and a burlesque pop-up market downtown!
Don’t forget about Intrepid Theatre’s Incoming Festival—there’s only a couple of more days to catch it.
Here’s 5 things to do in and around Victoria on Friday, April 19th:
For lovers of classic tales and theatre, the Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) is bringing L.M. Montgomery’s timeless piece, Anne of Green Gables to the McPherson Playhouse stage.
Starting on Friday, April 19th and running for eight performances, this adaptation of the longest-running Canadian musical is sure to captivate audiences and bring a renewed love for the story.
This will be the CCPA’s first production of Anne of Green Gables, and will mark the finale of their 25th anniversary season and has a significant number of CCPA alumni on the creative team.
The Sticky Wicket invites you and your pals to start your 420 weekend off with a bang!
Celebrate with headlining artist Dopethrone, who’s sharing the stage with Severed Arm, Moonbather and Stinkhorn.
As described, it’ll be a night of sonic intensity and heavy vibes as they present an unforgettable concert featuring some of the most powerful names in the stoner/doom rock and metal scene!
This community event is jam-packed with fabulous opportunities for everyone to enjoy!
This market will feature burlesque costumes, vintage peices, festival and swim wear, bejeweled hats and headpieces, accessories, performer photos, candles and so much more.
Meet people within the burlesque community and have a blast!
It’s not too late to catch Intrepid Theatre’s Incoming Festival—presenting an abundance of new and unique performances.
It started on Thursday, April 11th and will run until Saturday, April 20th across a couple of different theatres downtown!
Take a look at their schedule and ticket prices here.
Similar to other Intrepid Theatre shows, Incoming Festival will offer their “Pay-What-You-10” tickets—which means that 10% of show tickets will be only $10.
Where:
Metro Studio Theatre, 1411 Quadra Street
Intrepid Studio, #2 1609 Blanshard Street
Festival Hub, #2A 1609 Blanshard Street
When: Thursday, April 11th to Saturday, April 20th—showtimes vary
Watch our local team Pacific FC take on Valour FC!
Come with your family and friends and immerse yourself in the high energy, grab yourself some treats to enjoy during the game, and cheer as loudly as possible.
Ticket prices vary depending on your section, but you can purchase those here.
It’s time to dig through those cupboards and finally get rid of your spare gently used, expired or new hygiene products.
Only rather than contributing to landfill waste, your products will be repurposed and given to those in need!
“This campaign addresses a fundamental need: access to hygiene essentials, which serve as catalysts for health, hope, and dignity,” said a spokesperson with Soap for Hope.
“Vulnerable people…struggle to afford or access basic hygiene products. By donating gently used or new hygiene items, individuals in the community not only divert these items from the landfill but also provide crucial access to hygiene essentials for those who need them most.”
Shopping centres around Victoria have paired up with Soap for Hope and will have collection bins open from April 20th to May 17th.
The centres collecting products include:
Tillicum Mall: Drop-off bins located at the bottom of the escalator
Mayfair Mall: Saje
Hillside Mall: Canadian Tire
Below is an image of the items that they’ll be accepting:
(Soap for Hope accepted products)
To note, they prefer unopened boxes of menstrual products, however, will also accept opened boxes of tampons/pads so long as each individual menstrual product is in its own package.
“You are doing great work by helping the environment and helping someone in need at the same time,” said Emily Miller, Promotions Coordinator for Anthem and spokesperson for the campaign.
“You could be helping a friend, a neighbor, or family member without even knowing.”
Miller added that these types of campaigns build momentum for community involvement, and if the impact is helping both the environment and those in need, it makes sense to participate.
“The recipients of repurposed hygiene products are in Greater Victoria,” said a spokesperson with Soap for Hope.
“The hygiene products will be given to children in low-income schools, seniors needing a helping hand, financially insecure families visiting food banks, women in transitional homes, individuals living in shelters, newly arrived refugees, and people affected by fires and floods.”
(Soap for Hope Campaign)
Donate at any point during mall hours and feel good about contributing to Soap for Hope’s repurposing project.
And on top of the feel-good reward that accompanies making a difference, donors will also have a chance of winning a Saje package worth an estimated $350!
This special package will include the limited-edition Aroma Nook Ultrasonic Diffuser in Pistachio, along with the Happy Home inviting diffuser blend collection, comprising of scents like Energy, Liquid Sunshine, Rain Forest, and Refresh.
You’ll also receive some Soap for Hope souvenirs such as a tote bag, water bottle, and other hygiene products.
In case you’re curious, Soap for Hope Canada currently works with 120 community facilities and organizations in Greater Victoria.
Since 2015, they’ve distributed nearly 10 million hygiene products and linens to over 500 community facilities across BC and Alberta—diverting nearly 1 million pounds from the landfill.
Earlier this month, the Q’shintul Mill Bay Nature School (QMBNS) announced to its teachers and the families they serve that the school will be switching gears and will no longer be able to serve many of those who relied on their unique programs.
School District 79 announced that beginning in the 2025/26 school year QMBNS will be switching permanently from a kindergarten to Grade 7 school to a kindergarten to Grade 2 school.
In addition to this change, George Bonner Elementary School will be shifting from a Grade 1 to Grade 7 school to a Grade 3 to Grade 7 school by the 2026/27 school year.
Beginning in September 2025, parents hoping to have their children at QMBNS beyond Grade 2 will have to either send their kids to Bonner or opt to home school them.
Parent advisory council (PAC) member Emily Doughty says that because of her kid’s neurodivergency and additional needs, she is feeling let down as she does not believe that Bonner will be able to accommodate her child.
“This is devastating for many families, and is especially a concern for our families with kiddos with complex special needs,” Doughty told Victoria Buzz.
“They’ve tried traditional schools and cannot be accommodated. If this goes through, multiple children will be forced to homeschool.”
Doughty says it feels as if the only school that could effectively educate her kid has been ripped out from under her, as this move feels more like a closure than a grade reallocation to her.
In the notice provided to parents, School District 79 asked them to make the abrupt decision of what to do for the upcoming school year as the transition begins from a nature-based learning institution to a primary/early learning institution.
Parents were only given until April 15th to make their decision of whether to transfer their kid to Bonner, keep them in QMBNS for one more year or take them out and homeschool them.
“These changes will begin in September 2024/25 school year with staff and facilities to meet a primary school program needs,” Leslie wrote in an email to parents.
However, she did say that students will continue to have the opportunity to utilize QMBNS’s outdoor facilities while fostering their natural curiosity at the school.
Doughty is upset with these changes because she says the School District 79 made the decision to end the nature program and reallocate the grades without any parent consultation with the schools’ parents or children.
She started an online petition as a last resort to keep things the way they are and guarantee her child a safe place to get an education.
“Our school is beloved and critical to our children,” Doughty wrote in the petition description.
“We have worked hard to foster a fully inclusive learning environment that cannot be found in the same capacity elsewhere.”
She says that many of QMBNS’s children have attended numerous other schools, that haven’t worked for them, and have finally found their place.
“For multiple students, there are NO other options,” Doughty added.
She says that to her knowledge, most parents have decided to keep their children at QMBNS for the last year they are able to attend.
Thus far, the petition has garnered 1,230 signatures of its goal of 1,500.
As of this publication, there is no word of these changes on School District 79’s website.
Calling all lovers of literature—writers in particular!
The City of Victoria is now accepting submissions for their 2024 Butler Book Prize and Children’s Book Prize.
The deadline to submit is Friday, May 24th and the winners will be announced and celebrated at a gala event this fall—each prize includes a $5,000 cash award!
In terms of details, the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize will be awarded to a local author for the best book of fiction, literary nonfiction or poetry.
This prize was established in 2004 and is a partnership between the City and Brian Butler of Butler Brothers Supplies.
Previous winners of this award include globally renowned poet Lorna Crozier for her book The House the Spirit Builds; novelist, essayist and short fiction writer Pauline Holdstock for Confessions with Keith; and two-time Giller Prize winner Esi Edugyan for Out of the Sun: On Race and Storytelling.
As for the City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize, this is awarded to an author or illustrator for children/youth.
The prize was initially established in 2008 and funded by the late Mel Bolen of Bolen Books, and has been sponsored by the City of Victoria since 2020.
Previous winners of the youth and children’s prize includes prolific multi-genre author Mark Leiren-Young for his book Orcas Everywhere; illustrator Julie McLaughlin for her work in Little Pine Cone; and Indigenous author and anthropologist Wendy Proverbs for Aggie and Mudgy: The Journey of Two Kaska Dena Children.
In order to be eligible for the prizes, your books must have been published between April 1st, 2023 and March 31st, 2024.
If you’re outside of these dates, just keep an eye out and apply next year!
It must be new work, not a reissue or revision of a previously published work.
For the full list of guidelines and submission forms, you can visit the Victoria Book Prizes website.
To view a full list of previous winners, you can visit the City of Victoria’s page dedicated to the Victoria Book Prizes.
After two days of searching, a tragic end has come in the search for a missing senior.
The family of 75-year-old John Mathers’ reported him missing Monday afternoon, and his vehicle was found unoccupied at Englishman River Falls Park in Errington shortly after.
Arrowsmith Search and Rescue joined Oceanside RCMP in a search of the park and surrounding area on Tuesday and on Wednesday afternoon RCMP said Mathers had been located deceased.
“The cause of his death is not considered suspicious,” said RCMP.
“The RCMP offers its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.”
After two of the biggest renditions of the Rifflandia in Victoria, the festival has announced what day one of three will sound like this year between Friday, September 13th, and Sunday, September 15th.
Friday’s headliners this year will be Canadian DJ REZZ and iconic American hip-hop and R&B legend, Ja Rule.
Ja Rule was one of the biggest names in music throughout the 2000s and garnered himself several Grammy nominations and has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Jay-Z, DMX, Method Man Redman, Nas and Ashanti, with whom he collaborated several times.
He was also one of the founders of the Fyre festival, which became a renowned and notorious disaster and has since been the subject of several documentaries.
REZZ is the moniker of Isabelle Rezazadeh who is a Ukrainian-born Canadian DJ hailing from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
She has been producing and DJing since 2013 when she was signed to deadmau5’s record label. In 1017 she rose to prominence in Canadian electronic music with her album Mass Manipulation, which earned her a Juno Award for best electronic album.
REZZ’s sound has been described as mid-tempo bass, mechanical, industrial and menacing.
Amongst the other artists announced, there is a real mix of genres being represented, with pop star Slayyyter, 90s R&B legends C+C Music Factory, Canadian alternative rock icons Tokyo Police Club, underground indies the Born Ruffians, local rock n’ roller Garret T. Willie, Vancouver DJ Nostalgix and more!
Rifflandia also noted in their Instagram announcement of Friday’s lineup that comedy will be a big part of this year’s festival once again via the Lafflandia stage.
According to Rifflandia, there will be four stages, including Lafflandia, that this year’s acts will be playing throughout the new site on the Matullia Lands in Rock Bay.
The new site is adjacent to Phillips Brewing’s backyard where the festival used to take place.
“We are thrilled to be breaking new ground at the Matullia Lands and announcing our first of three daily lineups, nearly one month ahead of last year.” Nick Blasko, President & CEO, Rifflandia Entertainment Co.
Rifflandia says that the Saturday’s lineup will be announced on May 9th and Sunday’s lineup will be announced on May 30th.
Right now, tickets are on sale at “Tier 1” prices, with the cost of tickets only going up. The next price increase will take place on Friday, April 19th when “Tier 2” pricing comes into effect.
Rifflandia Festival is one of the longest running large-scale music and arts festivals in Western Canada having operated since 2008.
Past iconic musical icons have graced the Rifflandia stage, such as Iggy Pop, Run The Jewels, Lorde, Moby, Charli XCX, Post Malone, Courtney Love, Paris Hilton, and so many more.
What do you think of the lineup so far? Let us know in the comments!
VicPD say they are seeking public assistance in locating a missing 18-year-old youth who hasn’t been seen in a week.
The missing youth’s name is Aiden and according to police, he hasn’t been seen since Wednesday, April 10th. He was last seen in the 500-block of Yates Street.
Police say he wasn’t reported missing until five days later on Monday, April 15th.
According to VicPD, Aiden can be described as a Caucasian male standing 5’9” tall with a slim build, blue eyes, facial hair and dark brown shaggy hair.
Aidan was last seen wearing black Nike shoes, an army-green coat and black sweatpants.
Police say anyone who has seen Aidan should call 911 immediately.
Anyone with information about where Aidan may be should call VicPD at (250) 995-7654.
The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) have announced that an investigation of theirs in Parksville has come to a close.
The IIO was investigating a situation in which a man was found dead on an unmarked trail in a secluded part of the wilderness near Little Mountain.
Oceanside RCMP officers were investigated by the IIO because anytime police deal with a situation in which someone dies or is seriously hurt, it must be determined if police action or inaction was the cause.
From there, the IIO will either clear the involved officers of any wrongdoing or they will have charges recommended against them.
According to the IIO, Oceanside RCMP were called around 12:05 p.m. on March 24th after a man was noticed lying in a secluded area of brush away from an unmarked trail just south of Parksville.
After leaving the area, the individual who noticed the body called police.
Police say that when officers arrived, they were unable to find the body going off directions provided by the one who discovered the body.
On March 25th, the witness returned to the area and saw the body still lying in the same position.
This individual called the police again and waited for them to arrive.
Police say they were then able to locate the body and determined that he was already deceased upon being discovered.
According to the responding officers, they searched the wrong area the night prior and say his body was difficult to discover due to his positioning.
The IIO then reviewed evidence, including police statements, 911 recordings, witness statements as part of this investigation.
It was determined by the Chief Civilian Director of the IIO that there was “no causal connection between any action or inaction of an officer” and the deceased’s death.
The BC Coroners Service is also conducting an investigation related to the man’s cause of death, but it has yet to be concluded.
In tomorrow’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Victoria City Councillors Jeremy Caradonna and Krista Loughton will bring forth a motion to ban unhoused Victorians from sheltering overnight in Irving and Vic West Parks.
According to Caradonna and Loughton, sheltering in Victoria parks has taken place for years, but was exacerbated by the pandemic reducing the number of shelter beds in the city.
Currently, there are just five of parks that unhoused Victorians are permitted to shelter in overnight between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
This number was recently reduced from nine in November of last year when Stadacona, Topaz Park, Hollywood Park and Regatta Point Park were added to the list of parks where overnight sheltering is not permitted.
For those parks, the City hired a relocation coordinator to identify the individuals sheltering in the park up until a specific date and to “house or better shelter” them.
16 individuals were identified from these four parks, plus an additional nine who were offered housing or better shelter.
“As of October 25th, everyone from the list of 16 has either received housing or better shelter, are no longer sheltering in the named parks or have declined offers of housing assistance from the Parks Relocation team,” said Shannon Perkins, Director of Bylaw and Licencing Services at the time of the last four parks having an overnight shelter ban being put on them.
The City never confirmed how many of these 25 individuals were actually given access to housing.
According to Caradonna and Loughton’s council member motions, those who shelter in Irving Park and Vic West Park move frequently between the park they take refuge in and Pandora Avenue.
They added that they believe by housing those who shelter in these parks will take some burden away from Pandora Avenue and the services offered in that area.
Recently the HEART and HEARTH programs have been brought into the city because Victoria signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Province.
This MOU was signed in an agreement that would see more services brought in to aid Victoria’s unhoused community and find suitable solutions.
“The intention of HEART and HEARTH, in the Victoria context, is to address the encampments on Victoria’s streets and in its parks,” reads the council members’ motion.
“The reopening of Caledonia Place (formerly known as Tiny Town) has resulted in 30 people moving from area shelters into that facility, thereby freeing up 30 beds in shelters that can help reduce the burdens placed on the City’s parks.”
According to Caradonna and Loughton, more shelter space is expected to “come online soon,” which will reduce the need for unhoused Victorians to sleep rough in City parks.
The two councillors will discuss this motion in the Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 18th.
There, they will request that City staff be put to work with all relevant service providers to “house or better shelter” those currently sheltering in Irving and Vic West Parks.
They will also recommend that city council work toward banning sheltering in these parks by August 1st.
If this motion carries and is made a bylaw, Oaklands Park, Gonzales Park and Pemberton Park will be the only parks in which overnight sheltering is permitted.
If you’re looking to have your voice heard when it comes to issues related to quality of life in the capital region, now’s your chance!
The Victoria Foundation’s 19th annual Vital Signs Survey is open now, and they’re looking for your opinion.
The Vital Signs citizen survey asks Greater Victorians to weigh in on 12 Vital Signs issues related to quality of life.
These issue areas include housing, safety, health & wellness, belonging and engagement—just to name a few.
This year, residents can fill out a short or long version of the survey, which can be found online—survey responses are used to produce the comprehensive Victoria’s Vital Signs report, which combines public opinion and statistics to provide a snapshot of livability and well-being in Greater Victoria.
Last year, the Victoria Foundation had the highest response rate in Vital Signs history with 5,319 survey completes! They’re looking to hear from those voices again and more as they enter the 19th year of the Vital Signs program.
The 2024 Vital Signs report will be released in the fall.
The survey just opened, and will run until Friday, May 31st—don’t miss the chance to have your saywhile you still can.
Also, by filling out the survey, you could win one of three $100 gift cards to Country Grocer! You can also double your chances of winning by filling out the long form of the survey.
“Victoria’s Vital Signs provides the community with information that sparks action to improve our region,” said Sandra Richardson, Victoria Foundation CEO.
“There is a significant amount of complex and integrated challenges in our community, and we hope the theme for 2024 and information collected will help us identify solutions for our region to help our grandkids and future generations.”
Victoria’s Vital Signs was launched in 2006, and is a community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our communities and identifies significant trends in a range of areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs is coordinated nationally by Community Foundations of Canada.
Looking for an evening out with one of America’s top musical treasures? Well, you’re in luck!
In the peak heat and joy of summer, on Friday August 23rd, John Fogerty will be making an appearance in Victoria with special guest, Hearty Har at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
This tour, titled The Celebration Tour is in honour of his songs from band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), who he was the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter for.
Fogerty’s work forged a distinctive, groundbreaking sound, that’s equal parts blues, country, pop, rockabilly, R&B, swamp boogie, and Southern fried rock ‘n’ roll—united by his uniquely evocative lyrical perspective.
Additionally, Fogerty is a Grammy winner, has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
He is also the only musician to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his song, “Centerfield,” which remains a staple at baseball stadiums across the country.
Many of his hit songs, released both as a solo artist and while in CCR, have sold over 100 million records. Highlights include “Proud Mary,” “Susie Q,” “Fortunate son,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” among many others.
General admission tickets for Fogerty’s Celebration Tour go on sale on Friday, April 19th at 10 a.m.—set your alarms and get ready!
Platinum ticket packages are already available for purchase and include front row, floor sections and other close-to-the-stage seating. Prices for these areas range from around $130 to $374.
We hope you’ve been able to soak up some sunlight—nothing better for chasing away the lingering winter blues.
This Thursday presents a mix of high-energy and lowkey events, so you can tailor your evening depending on your social battery and tiredness.
For something fast-paced and loud, head over to Lucky Bar for an evening of live music. If you’re hoping to interact with fewer people, consider a sunset hike up PKOLS (Mount Doug).
For all of this and more, here’s 5 things to do in and around Victoria on Thursday, April 18th:
Help welcome Shaela Miller from Lethbridge as her and her band perform live at Lucky Bar—joined by special guest, Sail Cassidy.
Miller has gained worldwide recognition for her country music with multiple festival appearances, her voice being featured in HBO’s True Blood and CBC’s Heartland and many other accomplishments.
Although she isn’t saying goodbye to country, her forthcoming album After the Masquerade, is a self-indulgent trip back to a world of music she’s been patiently waiting to explore.
Tickets are $15 if purchased in advance and $20 at the door.
Show your support and come for a free artist talk with City of Victoria Artist in Residence Kemi Craig and the creative team behind the exhibition Afroquatics: A Call and Response Below the Surface.
This talk will delve into exhibition themes and the technology that supports the installation, developed by Victoria’s Hololabs Studio.
Take advantage of the predicted sunny weather and go on a hike!
Not only are you able to see all of Victoria—including glimpses of downtown Victoria and the harbour, you’re also surrounded by lush, moss covered forest floors, established trees, and varieties of shrubs.
You can choose to drive to the top or hike from the bottom (Irvine Trail). Note that this hike is considered moderate in difficulty and may be unsuitable for some as it gets steep at times.
There are plenty of leisurely strolling trails in and around the park though, if that’s more your speed!
Where: East Saanich
When: Thursday, April 18th—park is open from dawn until dusk!
Catch the sold-out sensation from the 2024 Victoria Film Festival, The Old Oak Pub.
This film follows the landlord of the pub as he opens his doors as a food bank to aid Syrian refugees. He forms a bond with Yara, a young Syrian photographer, and through this friendship, they discover profound commonalities that transcend cultural differences.
Tickets are just over $13 and can be purchased here.
One man is in custody after it was reported he was threatening people along the Galloping Goose Trail with a knife on Tuesday.
On April 16th, at approximately 7:12 p.m., West Shore RCMP received a call from a witness who advised that there was a man on the Galloping Goose Trail near the area of Atkins and Brydon Roads who was brandishing a knife and threatening people with it.
Responding officers attended the area and were able to locate the suspect who was arrested without further incident.
The suspect was arrested for uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and possession of a prohibited device.
Upon searching the suspect police seized a knife that opened with centrifugal force, which is against the law to possess.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was displaying symptoms of being intoxicated by alcohol.
The 47-year-old suspect was held in police custody and is set to appear before the courts today.
“Thankfully no one was physically injured in this incident. We want to thank the witness who called police right away and provided a detailed description of the suspect and his location which allowed police to apprehend the suspect quickly,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar, West Shore RCMP Media Relations Officer.
A Comox Valley driver is going to face hefty penalties after being nabbed for excessive speeding for the second time in six months.
On November 22nd, 2023, at 3:49 p.m., a Comox Valley Municipal Traffic member was on Headquarters Road when he observed a vehicle traveling at 112 km/hr in a 60 km/hr zone.
The driver’s car, a Mini Cooper, was impounded for 7 days, and the driver was issued a violation ticket for excessive speed.
Fast forward six months, on March 13th, at 1 p.m., the same officer was on Veteran’s Memorial Parkway when he observed a vehicle traveling at 106 km/hr in a 60 km/hr zone.
Comox Valley RCMP said the officer recognized the driver from their previous interaction in November. This time, he was in a Pontiac Firebird and was impounded for 7 days.
He was also issued a violation ticket for excessive speed.
In BC, police can impound your vehicle for excessive speeding. They will impound it for seven days for a first offense, 30 days for a second offense within two years and 60 days for any subsequent offense within two years.
The driver is also responsible for paying all towing and storage costs.
Vritika Gupta, who plays the role of Reena Virk in "Under the Bridge" (IMDb)
WARNING: This article contains graphic details which may be disturbing to some readers.
A deplorable act of violence which took place in 1997 right here in Victoria has been made into a limited series and aired its first two episodes in the United States last night, on Tuesday, April 16th.
The show is titled Under the Bridge and is based on a book written about Virk’s death at the hands of her classmates by Victorian born author, Rebecca Godfrey.
Under the Bridge stars Lily Gladstone who was recently nominated for an Oscar for best actress because of her role in Killers of the Flower Moon and it also stars Riley Keough who recently starred in the limited series Daisy Jones & The Six.
Virk’s role went to 14-year-old Vritika Gupta, who has been acting since age 7.
Although the series launched last night on Hulu and has aired in Brazil, France, the United States and Mexico last night, it has been announced that the show will air in Canada on May 8th via Disney+.
What happened to Reena Virk
14-year-old Virk was killed after she met with a group of teenagers underneath the Craigflower Bridge, now 27 years ago.
There, she was beaten viciously by a few in the group until one of the youths stopped the beating violence.
Virk then reportedly tried to flee, but she was badly beaten and was followed by two of the teens who broke off from the group.
Warren Paul Glowatski and Kelly Marie Ellard proceeded to drown her while she was unconscious after viciously assaulting her a second time.
Then 16-year-old Glowatski was convicted of second degree murder and given a life sentence.
However, he was still a minor at the time and through a lengthy parole hearing process was granted full parole in 2010.
Ellard had a long, drawn out sentencing as well.
She went through three trials because of hung juries and judgment errors but was eventually given a life sentence in 2005 with possibility of parole in seven years.
She was granted conditional day parole in 2017 and changed her name to Kelly Marie Sim.
In May 2022, then 39-years-old, Sim (Ellard) waived her right to a parole hearing as she did not feel ready to return to society on a full time basis.
The limited-series
The series has acquired the rights to the story via Rebecca Godfrey’s book but it is unclear at this time whether or not the production team making the limited-series consulted with Virk’s family for permission in making the show.
Some of the show’s episodes will be headed up by Indo-American director, producer and writer, Geeta Vasant Patel.
So far, the first two episodes have received mostly positive reviews, with the first episode, “Looking Glass” has a 7.3 rating on IMDb and the second episode, “The John Gotti of Seven Oaks” has an 8.0 rating.
(Rocky Horror Picture Show / Photo by Nathan Spiller)
Atomic Vaudeville, a beloved local theatre production company, is thrilled to be celebrating 20 years of creating live art!
Marking this monumental occasion will be their 87th cabaret titled, Spring Cabaret: Hope SpringsInferno, held at the Victoria Event Centre (VEC) from April 24th to 27th.
Hope SpringsInferno will present your hosts Hope and Death as they lead an all-star cast on a journey described as a “pop-culture worm ride through spicy dunes, idyllic children’s forests and the mean streets of mob-era Fernwood.”
Come and celebrate 20 years of eccentric, community-driven theatre with singing, dancing and soul searching!
“Our company is a central hub for emerging and established professionals. We provide artists with not only valuable experience but expressive platforms to create new work, which excites and connects our audience,” said Atomic Vaudeville Co-Leader Britt Small.
“Atomic Vaudeville has played a unique role in our local community and over 20 years have become leaders at expanding both the approach to and vision of what theatre can be.”
(Atomic Vaudeville Cabaret / Photo by Helene Cyr)
Since Atomic Vaudeville’s inception in 2004, they’ve worked with over 400 different local and visiting artists, and continue to provide support and mentorship to voices in the Victoria community.
Artists they’ve platformed and mentored include JIMBO the Drag Clown (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Ingrid Hansen (Jim Henson Company puppeteer), and Shirley Gnome (Juno Award nominee).
If you have yet to attend a cabaret, rest assured that they are a hit in Victoria for a reason—hosting productions twice a year at spring and Halloween!
You may already be familiar with their long-time iconic production of cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has become a community staple.
It features a stellar cast and a clear aesthetic vision executed by production designer JIMBO, before he became an international drag superstar.
They’ve also produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and were the original producers of hit musical Ride the Cyclone before it was picked up by Broadway producers for a US tour.
Since then, Atomic Vaudeville has been developing a new musical The Batshits: Halloween Never Dies featuring original songs by local musician and gay renaissance icon Hank Pine, and a script by Becky Johnson (Baroness Von Sketch).
(Atomic Vaudeville Cabaret / Photo by Helene Cyr)
No matter the show, each has become well known for their bold audience engagement, absurdist social and political commentary, singing, dancing and clowning.
Don’t miss out on the chance to celebrate 20 years and make their 87th cabaret an extra special one!
Preview tickets are $27 and standard show tickets are $33—both can be purchased online.
BC’s Ministry of Forests announced today that they will be conducting another round of aerial spray treatments to try to eradicate spongy moths on Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island.
The Province says this invasive species of moth, also known as Lymantria moths, are detrimental to the delicate ecosystems of Vancouver Island and to all the native species that used to thrive in the region prior to colonization.
In recent years, spongy moths have wreaked havoc in residential areas of Ontario and the eastern United States because the caterpillars defoliate trees when feeding on leaves.
If left untreated, these moths could be a serious threat to urban forests and farms, according to BC.
The pesticide used to get rid of spongy moths is called Foray 48B and is commonly used in organic farming.
The active ingredient, Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki (BtK), is naturally present in urban, agricultural and forest soils in the province and is not harmful to humans.
BtK has been approved in Canada to control spongy moth populations since 1961.
The Province says they will spray between late April and mid-June this year to target the emergence of spongy caterpillars.
Spongy caterpillars and butterfly caterpillars will be impacted by the spray only after they have ingested the BtK.
BC plans to treat the following areas in Vancouver Island region:
The City of Langford officially opened their newest park this week following some upgrades to make the green space more accessible and inclusive of its community.
The official opening of Lone Oak Park at 319 Lone Oak Place took place on Monday, April 15th, and Langford’s Mayor Scott Goodmanson says it will add to the vibrancy of the community and their access to green spaces.
“This is an excellent example of the power of community coming together to advocate for the betterment of the City,” said Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson.
“As a growing community, neighbourhood spaces like these are more important now than ever. I hope this encourages residents to continue to participate in public engagement opportunities.”
Lone Oak Park includes a new playground, walking loop, grass area, picnic tables, bike racks, and an environmental restoration area.
These features were decided upon based on a community engagement campaign conducted by the City of Langford, who asked community members what kinds of amenities would best serve them.
This new park sits on .4 acres of property, which was dedicated to the City as parkland because of the subdivision of two lots on Mill Hill Road prior to incorporation back in 1992.
The City says that the playground features 20 different play elements and it promotes strategic thinking and physical development.
It also features a sensory play wall for children with diverse needs who seek sensory stimuli.
According to Langford staff, this was one of many projects undertaken by the parks department.
Some other projects include the renovation of Porcher Park, Glen Lake Park and Desmond Park, along with improvements which are coming to the Centennial Park tennis courts and the Langford Lake boat launch.
Have you been to the park yet? What did you think of the playground? Let us know in the comment section below.
Those familiar with Butchart Gardens and the year-round bliss it provides will not be surprised in the slightest by its recent achievement!
A UK-based hotel chain, Premier Inn, has used eye-tracking technology to analyze how eye-catching 48 different flower fields around the world are when in full bloom.
In other words, they analyzed how long people stared at photographs of the blooms for, took the average ‘fixation time’ and compiled the data into the list you’re about to see!
In their final findings, titled ‘The world’s most beautiful flower fields’, we see Butchart Gardens displayed next to famous world-renowned gardens—confirming just how significant this iconic landmark is, and why people travel to see it.
(Butchart Gardens)
Taking home 4th place, Butchart Gardens falls closely behind Crested Butte Wildflower Festival in the US and Monet’s Garden at Giverny in France (both tied for second), and Torres del Paine National Park Daisy Flower Field in Chile in first place.
Butchart Gardens all began with one woman’s passion for landscaping and gardening, her hopes to create an oasis from a former limestone quarry in her backyard becoming the legacy we know today.
It all began in 1904 when Robert and Jennie Butchart moved to Vancouver Island to build a cement plant on a rich limestone deposit at Tod Inlet.
Soon after, the cement production exhausted the resources at the limestone quarry, and Jennie then manifested a grand sunken garden that still exists as one of the Gardens’ many attractions today.
It’s now a National Historic Site with over 900 varieties of plants awaiting visiting eyes.
Also included amongst the attractions are the Japanese Garden, the Tea House, the Rose Garden, the Seed and Gift Store and much more.
Other gardens included on the list include Mainau Island, Germany taking fifth place; Wild Lupins Lake Tekapo, New Zealand coming in sixth; and Kaas Plateau, India in seventh.
If you wish to see the full Premier Inn list of top-ranking gardens globally, you can check out the results here.
Another restaurant has announced that they are closing their doors for good, just on the heels of Shatterbox Coffee and Smith’s Pub.
This time, it is Chorizo & Co. who have had the unfortunate task of announcing that their restaurant is closing down.
Owners Stephen Quigley and Dave Brooks announced their closure on Tuesday, April 16th via Instagram.
“To all of our followers, it is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that Chorizo & Co. will be closing [its] doors,” wrote Quigley and Brooks.
“We have made the difficult decision to sell the restaurant.”
The current owners say that they have already found someone to take over their location on Fort Street and that the new owners have a new concept and idea for the space.
Because of this, Chorizo & Co.’s last service will be on Saturday, May 18th, giving them time to pack up and get the space ready to change hands.
“We would like to say that it has been an absolute pleasure to have had the opportunity to live our dream and operate a restaurant in this city amongst some of the very best,” wrote Quigley and Brooks.
“We thank every single one of you who have stopped in over the past five and a half years. You’re what made all of this so special.”
Quigley and Brooks hope that those who have enjoyed the space and the food will try to stop in one last time before their closing date, and that those who have never gotten to eat there might come by and try it out before it is gone.
“Thanks again for being such an incredible community, we truly could not have done it without you,” they concluded.
The City of Victoria has officially opened up registration for all summer camps this year!
There are several camps to choose from this year for kids aged from 3 to 14-years-old and the City says that registration fills up fast.
“From outdoor explorations to creative workshops, our camps offer a diverse range of activities designed to ignite imaginations, foster friendships and create lasting memories for your children,” said the City of Victoria in a media release.
“Immerse your little ones in a world of excitement as they embark on adventures led by experienced instructors who prioritize safety and fun.”
There are Swim and Splash camps for kids to learn swimming skills and have fun with their peers at the pool, there are playground camps for kids to play different types of games like Survivor, Ninja Academy, Space Race and Into the Wild and there are specialty camps as well.
Some of the specialty camps include activities like learning computer skills, claymation, video game creation and app building and there are engineering camps where kids can learn to build robots or play Dungeons and Dragons.
The sports camps include skateboarding skillbuilding, scootering, soccer, roller skating, basketball, tennis, ultimate frisbee or a combination of some of these sports.
For skateboarding, there is also a girls and LGBTQIA2S+ only opportunity to learn to skate.
Kids can also engage in longer camps such as a camping trip up near Tofino.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in the camps that are available this summer throughout July and August.
The City says their goal is to have every kid feel free to engage in the recreation opportunities of their choice in a safe, meaningful and inclusive manner.
They say that families who need one-on-one inclusion support for their kids can take part in a summer camp inclusion program which started on Monday, April 15th.
These families can have their kids have up to three weeks of inclusion support at no extra cost, so they can share in the same experiences as every kid taking part in summer camps.
Check out all the camps available this summer through the City of Victoria’s camp guide here.
And remember that camps fill up to capacity quickly so don’t procrastinate!
As 4/20 approaches, the anticipation for cannabis enthusiasts across British Columbia intensifies, including the capital city.
Amongst the plethora of cities embracing the high life, Victoria stands tall as the pinnacle of cannabis culture in the province.
Uber Eats’ latest insights unveil Victoria’s reign as the foremost destination for cannabis connoisseurs, marking it as the first and foremost “dopest” city in BC.
Since April of last year—when cannabis delivery services were made available via Uber Eats in BC—the province has seen a surge in demand for safe and convenient access to these kind of products.
Victoria, with its vibrant culture and progressive attitude towards cannabis, emerges as the frontrunner in this budding industry.
From the historic charm of downtown to the scenic beauty of its coastal surroundings, Victoria provides the perfect backdrop for cannabis enthusiasts to indulge in their favorite strains.
Among the top ordering trends in Victoria and across the province, the demand for premium cannabis strains is notably high. Tiger’s Blood takes the crown as the most sought-after strain, embodying the essence of BC’s cannabis scene with its potent blend of flavors and effects.
Following closely behind are iconic strains like Rolls Choice, Ghost Train Haze, Pink Kush, and Blue Dream, each offering a unique experience for consumers seeking the finest quality cannabis.
Beyond Victoria’s leading role in cannabis consumption, Uber Eats’ data sheds light on other notable trends shaping the industry across British Columbia. From the popularity of pre-rolls and edibles to the rising demand for flower (bud), consumers are exploring a variety of consumption methods to suit their preferences.
Furthermore, the collaboration between Uber Eats and local cannabis retailers has revolutionized the way Canadians access cannabis products, offering a safe and reliable delivery option for adults aged 19 and above. By leveraging Uber Eats’ extensive network, cannabis retailers in Victoria and beyond have been able to expand their reach and connect with a wider audience of cannabis enthusiasts.
As we celebrate cannabis culture this 4/20, Victoria stands as a testament to the growing acceptance and normalization of cannabis in British Columbia. With its vibrant community and progressive outlook, Victoria leads the way forward, inspiring other cities to embrace the ever-evolving landscape of cannabis legalization and consumption.
The top five dopest cities in BC for orders:
Victoria
North Vancouver
Vancouver
Port Moody
New Westminster
The top five dankest strains ordered in BC:
Tiger Blood
Sativa 20% Plus – Weed Me Grind
Sourz by Spinach – Strawberry Mango
Indica 20% Plus – Weed Me Grind
Ghost Train Haze
The most popular ways to consume (Cannabis products ordered the most in Canada)
Happy Wednesday, Victoria—we’re almost over the hump!
Raise your spirits at Fernwood Inn’s comedy night, dance your heart out at band KSAR’s birthday party, or catch another incredible and unique theatrical show at Intrepid Theatre’s ‘Incoming Festival’!
In case you’ve forgotten, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit is still on and awaits your curious eyes.
Here’s 5 things to do in and around Victoria on Wednesday, April 17th:
Come prepared to dance Victoria, this’ll be a birthday celebration unlike any other!
Local band KSAR officially turns one-year-old and they’re hosting a party with special guest, violin weilding sorceress iLLann.
In case you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to KSAR yet, their song is described to have strong balkan, middle eastern dance and afrobeat influences that are interlaced with contemporary pop, indie rock, and chamber folk styles.
This live show will be colourful and exuberant, fun, danceable and emotionally charged!
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and can be purchased here.
The Township of Esquimalt Parks is coordinating an Earth Day celebration that will include working with schools and community members to raise awareness for environmental impact and keeping our forests healthy.
Activities will include invasive species removal, planting local species, trail building and more.
Contact them for details on how you can get involved!
Where: Highrock Cairn Park
When: Wednesday, April 17th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Returning for its second year, Intrepid Theatre is thrilled to present their Incoming Festival, a new festival with brand new performances promised to inspire, shock and excite.
It will take place from Thursday, April 11th to Saturday, April 20th across a couple of different theatres downtown!
Ticket prices vary by show, so you can purchase individual tickets or buy their three-day pass.
Similar to other Intrepid Theatre shows, Incoming Festival will offer their “Pay-What-You-10” tickets—which means that 10% of show tickets will be only $10.
Where:
Metro Studio Theatre, 1411 Quadra Street
Intrepid Studio, #2 1609 Blanshard Street
Festival Hub, #2A 1609 Blanshard Street
When: Thursday, April 11th to Saturday, April 20th—showtimes vary
Community favourite exhibition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year has returned to the Royal BC Museum as of March 1st!
This exhibit uses the power of photography to raise awareness around animal advocacy and environmental conservation while showcasing some of the world’s best nature photography.
Grab your family and friends and see what was worthy of display this year up!
Where: Royal BC Museum, 675 Belleville Street
When: Opened Friday, March 1st and runs until June 2nd during museum hours
From far and wide, members of different galactic alliances, kingdoms, realms and worlds came together in peace to celebrate Langford’s inaugural Island FanCon on April 13th and 14th!
Attendees and curious passerby were hailed by the array of incredible cosplay costumes lining up in front of the building to enter the world of FanCon.
Once inside, guests were treated to a number of celebrity special guests, panel conversations, endless amounts of merch that stretch the imagination and much more.
Vendors offered more than just merch—in fact, Kreative Ink had a tattoo booth set up, indulged by none other than ‘The Mountain’ Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and his wife, Kelsey Henson. It was a great way to pass the time while Björnsson did photo-ops!
Additionally, there was a red carpet set up for anyone wanting to strut their stuff for the cameras. It was open to all ages and included scheduled timeslots so everyone would get the chance to walk.
Without further ado, we’ve compiled a list of 22 captures from this weekend’s inaugural Island FanCon in Langford—let’s start with the celebrities that were present!
(Jessica Darrow at Island FanCon / Photo by Nevada Alde)
Jessica Darrow is a singer and actress known for voicing the character Luisa Madrigal in Disney’s Encanto and for playing Mikki Easton in Fifteen-Love.
(Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson at Island FanCon / Photo by Nevada Alde)
Best known for his role as Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane on the beloved fantasy series Game of Thrones, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson shared screen time with names like Pedro Pascal and Lena Heady.
The series was his first major actor role and led to screen time in subsequent projects with stars such as Mike Tyson and Alexander Skarsgård.
Below is a photo of his wife, Kelsey Henson getting a tattoo from a Kreative Ink artist.
(Kreative Ink tattooing Kelsey Henson at Island FanCon / Photo by Nevada Alde)(Emily Swallow at Island FanCon / Photo by Nevada Alde)
Emily Swallow plays the Armorer on the smash hit series The Mandalorian as well as its spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett. The character has become a beloved character in the Star Wars universe and has been instrumental in the show’s catch phrase “This is the Way”.
She also stars as the recurring character Amara in the wildly popular series Supernatural and was the voice of Lisa Tepes on the Netflix cartoon iteration of Castlevania.
Police and search and rescue crews are searching Englishman River Falls Park for a missing 75-year-old Parksville man.
The family of John Mathers’ reported him missing Monday afternoon, and his vehicle was located later that day, around 7 p.m., at the park in Errington, south of Parksville.
Arrowsmith Search and Rescue joined Oceanside RCMP in a search of the park and surrounding area on Monday evening, continuing into Tuesday morning at daylight.
Mathers is described as Caucasion, standing 5’10” tall, weighing 140 pounds, and balding with light-brown hair and a short beard.
He was wearing black sweatpants, a black jacket, a black ball cap and grey runners.
Anyone who sees Mathers or who has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Oceanside RCMP at 250-248-6111.
A Victoria woman, Danielle Kliaman, was enjoying a vacation in Thailand when her vacation was cut short by a tragic incident.
The 21-year-old was allegedly hit by a drunk driver while riding a scooter she rented in Koh Phangan.
According to Danielle’s older sister, Jessica Kliaman, her right foot was “severely mangled” and now requires immediate surgery to save her foot.
Jessica says that although Danielle did have insurance, the expenses for her surgery, airlifting her and getting her back to Canada are predicted to exceed $150,000.
“Danielle is currently in Koh Samui and needs to be airlifted to Bangkok to undergo surgery,” said Jessica.
“Time is of the essence and the situation is critical. Without immediate intervention, she risks losing her foot entirely.”
For the time being, in order to save Danielle’s foot, the family is paying out of pocket and hoping to recoup some of their massive costs.
For that reason, the Kliamans started a GoFundMe page to help them not go into massive debt in order to save Danielle’s foot.
“We are humbly asking for your support to help save Danielle’s foot and bring her safely home to us,” Jessica wrote.
“Your donations will go directly towards covering her medical expenses and ensuring that Danielle receives the necessary treatment to recover from this devastating accident.”
Jessica provided an update on Monday, April 15th in which she said that Danielle had been airlifted to Bangkok successfully and undergone her first surgery.
Unfortunately, Jessica says that at this time it is unclear if Danielle’s foot will be able to be saved or not.
She says that Danielle needs at least four more surgeries before she can fly home to Victoria.
Thus far, the fundraiser has raised over $27,000 of their $150,000 goal.
Victorians who purchase sheets of 10 single ride BC Transit tickets will have to pay a little more starting next month.
Starting May 1st, BC Transit said they will be removing the discount applied to sheets of 10 single ride tickets in the Victoria Regional Transit System.
Currently, a sheet of 10 tickets costs $22.50, providing a slight discount from the full fare of $2.50 per ride. There are plans to eliminate the 10 ticket fare entirely later this year.
While no other fare costs are being changed at the moment, BC Transit recently concluded public feedback on possible fare increases for the Victoria system.
BC Transit proposed options ranging from raising single ride fares to between $2.75 and $3, increasing the day pass to $6 from the current $5, setting the month pass at $90 instead of $85, and adjusting the concession month pass to $55 from its current price.
The aim of the increase is to enhance the number of service hours in the Victoria system, leading to more frequent bus operations.
Tilt Phillips Backyard music series day two (Curtis Blandy/Victoria Buzz)
The Phillips Backyard concert series is back again this summer with a stacked lineup of international superstars, Canadian icons and local legends.
The two events will be named once again after Phillips beers Tilt, their lager and Reverb, their west coast IPA.
Tilt will take place between July 5th and 7th whereas Reverb will happen between August 9th and 11th.
The festival will kick off with Saint Motel and Half Moon Run headlining the first day, Friday, along with locals Ok Charlie, who were just featured as a Zone @91-3 band of the month.
Vancouverites Vox Rea and Hotel Mira are also slated to be openers, both of whom have shocked and awed Victorians at past Phillips Backyarders and Rifflandias.
The Saturday on Tilt weekend has Canadian pop icon Jessie Reyez headlining along with Flyana Boss, a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles.
Opening that show will be local band, LIINKS, along with BC’s SonReal and Teon Gibbs, who also blew people away with his soulful sound at last year’s Rifflandia.
This year, the festival pulled in none other than the mysterious Canadian cowboy himself, Orville Peck to headline Tilt on the Sunday, along with his good friend and collaborator Noah Cyrus.
Opening that show will be Vancouver’s own Haleluya Hailu, Nova Scotia’s Goldie Boutilier along with local country rockers, Born Reckless.
After the dust has settled from the first Phillips Backyard weekend, the first weekend in August will see the Black Pumas take the stage as Friday’s headliners.
They were supposed to play Rifflandia in 2022, but had to drop out of the lineup at the last minute. At that time they announced they weren’t breaking up, just going on hiatus as they cancelled all tour dates.
Along with the Black Pumas Friday’s show will be stacked with locals, Current Swell, the Bankes Brothers, Trophy Dad and Squamish’s own, Surf Hat.
Saturday will see hip-hop icon Earl Sweatshirt headline along with Cautious Clay, a soul and R&B performer from Cleveland.
Vancouver’s Jungle Bobby, Victoria’s TK The Artist and Astrocolor will also be playing on the Saturday.
The finale of the festival this year is as stacked as it’s ever been with Jungle headlining. They are a duo of producers based out of London, England who will likely be performing with a full band.
Along with Jungle, Sunday’s finale at Reverb will see DJ legends DRAMA take the Backyard’s stage with local openers Murge, recent Zone band of the month, Nicky MacKenzie and Posh Coat.
Who are you most excited to see this year at Phillips Backyard’s Tilt and Reverb? Let us know in the comments!
Here is a playlist with every act that is playing at Tilt and Reverb this year included:
A suspect remains at large after a stabbing in broad daylight in downtown Victoria Monday.
On Monday, April 15th, just before 10:30 a.m. VicPD officers were flagged down in the 600-block of Yates Street after some one had been stabbed.
VicPD said responding officers provided first-aid, and the man was transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Several sidewalks along Douglas and Yates Street were closed while police investigated.
Police said pedestrian foot traffic was disrupted in the area while three scenes were sectioned off and documented, and evidence was collected by the Forensic Investigative Services section.
There were no other victims, and there have been no arrests.
“BC Emergency Health services received a call at 10:27 a.m. today April 15th regarding a police incident on the 600 block of Yates street in Victoria. Two ambulances responded to the scene. Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to one patient who was transported to hospital,” says paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites.
This was the seventh stabbing incident since March 1st in Victoria, with two incidents as suspected homicides.
In a statement, VicPD said each case is considered isolated there is no direct connection.
“Although the number and close frequency of recent stabbing events is concerning, it is not significantly higher than most other years, as indicated in the chart below, which details reports of all Assaults Involving a Knife during each Quarter over the past five years. It’s important to note that these numbers do not specifically indicate stabbings, but all assaults that involve a knife,” said VicPD in a statement.
VicPD said officers have increased patrols in the downtown core in recent months, including foot patrols.
VicPD are asking anyone who witnessed the event today, or anyone who may have CCTV footage of the event, to call them at (250)-995-7654 . To report what you know anonymously, please call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
According to the most recent rental report by Zumper, a platform for finding and leasing rentals throughout North America, rent is up by nearly 7% across Canada.
Specifically, the one-bedroom rate climbed 6.8% ($1,889 per month) and the two-bedroom rate increased 6.7% ($2,335 per month); however, these numbers are low compared to what the going rate for rent in Victoria is.
Holding onto the fourth most expensive major Canadian market title, Victoria’s current average rate for a one-bedroom home is $2,080 per month while a two-bedroom home will cost around $2,620.
Month-over-month, Victoria’s rent rate has increased by 2.5% for one-bedrooms and 2.2% for two-bedrooms.
On a year-over-year basis, the rate at which rent is increasing in Victoria is low when compared to other cities at 4% and 3.1% for one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms specifically.
Cities like Edmonton have been the reason why the yearly rates of increase are around double what they are monthly.
Over the last year, Edmonton’s average rent for a one-bedroom has gone up by 28.2% while two-bedroom homes have increased 22.3%.
Despite this rate of increase, rent in Edmonton will cost around $1,320 for a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom goes for approximately $1,590 per month.
This makes Edmonton the third least expensive major Canadian city, according to Zumper.
The most expensive city to rent in remains Vancouver.
In Vancouver, a one-bedroom costs around $2,650 per month, while a two-bedroom will cost someone $3,790 per month to rent.
Close behind Vancouver are Toronto and Burnaby, followed by Victoria with Halifax trailing closely.
Celebrations are in store as the Royal Canadian Air Force commemorated 100 years of service as a unique military entity on April 1st.
And what better way to do that than with the comeback of the Comox Air Show on May 18th, hosted by 19 Wing Comox.
“With just over a month to go, the excitement over this event is palpable. The Royal Canadian Air Force has a long and distinguished history with many proud traditions that merit recognition by all Canadians. Generations have served with distinction over the past century, and we look forward to honouring that history and celebrating our exciting future with the return of the Comox Air Show,” said Colonel JP Gagnon, 19 Wing Commander.
This free event will be held at 19 Wing/CFB Comox, with the gates opening from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the public are invited to come and enjoy aerial displays, tour static displays, and meet the personnel of 19 Wing Comox.
The event will feature military displays, food trucks, a Kids Zone, and more.
Aerial performers will include the CF Snowbirds, the CF-18 Demo Team, CH-149 Cormorant, and CP-140 Aurora, as well as the CC-130 Hercules performing a Search and Rescue para-drop.
Other performance aircraft include the KC-135 Stratotanker and CH-146 Griffon.
Invited static aircraft include the CH-148 Cyclone, the new Airbus 330, United States Coast Guard Jayhawk and Dolphin helicopters, as well as a USCG Hercules, and a PBY Canso from Canadian Heritage Warplanes.
Hey thrift shopping enthusiasts, get ready for some exciting news!
Another Value Village is set to open soon in the capital region.
The thrift store chain is expected to open a curated selection of goods in a boutique-style retail concept, providing a more streamlined shopping experience.
The new store will open later this year at Colwood’s Colwood Corners development.
Victoria Buzz has reached out to Value Village for more specific details on what customers can expect with this new location but did not hear back in time for publication.
According to details online, the company’s “boutique” offering will have fewer categories of items than the main Value Village in downtown Victoria because it’s a smaller space.
Most Value Villages require loading bays and warehouse-like square footage to accommodate all of the receiving and sorting that takes place.
The company, well-liked by bargain hunters and thrifty shoppers, has faced criticism in recent years due to its elevated prices and disassociation from charitable causes.
“We are a for-profit company that champions reuse. Shopping in our stores doesn’t support any nonprofit,” the company notes on its site. “We pay nonprofits for your stuff, helping them fund programs in our communities.”
Are you looking forward to the second location opening in Colwood? Let us know in the comment section below.
Victoria and Vancouver Island have a lot of musical talent, and Victoria Buzz wants to highlight some of the best and brightest local artists and bands.
Every Monday, there will be a fresh ‘New Music Monday’ article to help people find and support local artists and bands that are up-and-coming, well established or hidden gems!
For this endeavour, Victoria Buzz has partnered with our good friends at CFUV 101.9 FM, UVic’s campus radio station, to find and select the musicians and bands for this regular column.
This week, Blush. is the New Music Monday highlight!
The band has been playing together for only six months with the full lineup of Anton Wilson on guitar and vocals, Eric Josephs on drums, Renata Baldwin on keys and Rosie Said on bass.
In that time they have managed to record and release their first EP, Still Wet.
This EP is a nostalgia-fueled take on shoegaze and alternative indie rock that has been a favourite on the CFUV airwaves since its February release.
The band started with Wilsons and Josephs before getting a couple of their coworkers in on the Blush., as all four members work at The Courtney Room in downtown Victoria.
According to Wilson, Still Wet was inspired by music he had been writing on acoustic guitar before he had help from the rest of the band on fleshing out a fuller sound.
“I’ll kind of come to the band with an idea for a song and it’s actually really cool to see how they transfer from acoustic to plugged in with distortion,” Wilson told Victoria Buzz.
Wilson says he was listening to a lot of acoustic focussed artists such as Big Thief and Alex G as well as melodic “floaty and ethereal” bands like Built to Spill while writing Still Wet and that sound really translates to the EP.
With their first release, the band said they really just wanted to get something out there and even though they love these songs and continue to play them in their live set, they feel as if they have already grown so much since their February release.
“It really felt like a timestamp situation,” Wilson said.
“They aren’t exactly who we are now, but that’s who we were and we just wanted to capture that.”
Josephs and Wilson decided that of the songs they recorded on Still Wet, they wanted to highlight “Software Update.”
“We wrote this song when we first started jamming and it was such a bad song,” Wilson laughed.
He says the lyrics were not resonating with himself or the band and it was too fast when they wrote it, so the band decided to take it back to the drawing board.
Wilson and Josephs worked together to slow the song down by coming up with a slower drum beat and then Wilson says he got a new pedal that offered his guitar tone additional delay and reverb.
As for the lyrics, Wilson completely rewrote them and set the song in a different direction.
“I really wanted to capture Victoria with it,” he said.
“I wanted it to be more chill, laid back, you know, take it in, I just kind of pictured being by the water.”
Themes of rebirth also worked their way into this song which Blush. says is ultimately what they wanted Still Wet to be about—as if the band is still wet from being reborn as a group through this project.
They also say that they are really proud of the song “a snail house for big dog.”
“I think that one is a cool song to pick out of the EP as well because it is very indicative of the music we’re playing more recently,” Josephs explained.
“It’s a lot more rock and roll maybe.”
Josephs says that in their earlier written songs he was hitting the drums softly to compliment the more folk-focussed songs, but with “a snail house for big dog” he gets to hit a bit harder and the dynamics of their songs change.
“It’s like woah, this is fun, this is cool—look at how much space this makes and how we can open it all up,” said Josephs.
“It was a fun song to tape and I think it’s a lot more the style of music we’re playing now.”
Blush. will be playing a couple shows this summer after taking a short hiatus in May to tighten up some songs and work in order to get back in the studio whenever they have the opportunity.
In June, they are heading up-island to play a show at Tofino Brewing Company on the 27th, but before that, they’ll be playing a smaller show here in Victoria on June 7th at Little Fernwood Gallery.
CFUV is a non-profit campus and community radio station that plays a ton of local music of all kinds across Vancouver Island. If you like to support local music they are an amazing resource with a plethora of new local tunes in their arsenal.
Both Wilson and Josephs say that CFUV is a huge part of the Victoria music community and that they couldn’t be dining what they are dining without a resource like them.
“CFUV is a staple in our community for live music,” Wilson told Victoria Buzz. “They’ve taken us in with open arms and been really encouraging to us.”
“They’ve taken the time to uplift such a broken music community here in Victoria.”
He also says that he believes there will be a revival of the music scene since so many venues have been lost and that CFUV will be at the forefront of that revival because of their programming and the shows they put on.
“Their community, they’re just a really great organization that fills a much needed niche in Victoria’s music scene,” Josephs added.
Tune into CFUV 101.9 FM on air or online!
Let us know what you think of Blush. in the comments below.
For families with children 0-5 years old. Join for story time! Each week, the facilitator will read a story and lead the group in songs and rhymes. Sign-up weekly.
Where: Esquimalt Recreation Center, 527 Fraser Street
From the minds behind The Intouchables comes a comedy. The film centres on Albert and Bruno, two friends with compulsive spending habits who are drawn into environmental activism by the promise of free food and beer rather than any political conviction.
In September of last year, the VEC launched a new project, ‘Bands!Bands!Bands!,’ that would help foster new relationships within the local music scene and because of its successes, it has been expanded.
This event is a music series that takes place once per month on a Tuesday night.
Where: The Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street
When: Tuesday, April 16th from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Following their memorable tour to three renowned UK cathedrals and churches last summer, the Christ Church Cathedral Young Choristers are now gearing up for an exciting journey to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Enjoy a night of music bingo, where proceeds will contribute towards their upcoming trip in summer 2025.
Indulge in a complete food and drink menu throughout the evening.
Victoria’s passion for soccer is infectious, and if the packed stands at Pacific FC’s home-opener this past weekend were any indication—we’re only just getting started.
The buzz around town is real, and a lot of that has to do with Pacific FC’s more-than-stellar roster—but did you know that along with their impressive game play on the pitch, a few of the players have an incredible social media game too?
Many of the PFC’s players have some intriguing backstories to go along with their attractive Instagram feeds, and we’re bringing you 5 PFC players you should absolutely be following on Instagram AND on the pitch—that is, if you’re not following them already!
A recent addition to the Pacific FC Roster, Aly Ndom joins Pacific FC for the 2024 season. Hailing from just north of Paris, France, Ndom brings some international flair to the Trident’s squad. Having launched his career in France playing against some of the biggest names in world soccer—including Brazilian superstar Neymar—Ndom will certainly be a big addition to the Island team.
Plus, he’s worth a follow on Instagram for his carefully curated black and white aesthetic alone.
Kicking off his 5th season with the team, Josh Heard grew up playing soccer in Victoria with Lakehill Soccer Association before being drafted by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
Heard made his way back to the Island to join Pacific FC in 2020 and hasn’t looked back, becoming the captain of the team in 2023. Heard also helps coach in the Pacific FC youth programs and is always happy to stop for a photo or an autograph!
A fan favourite due to his high-flying play and unique on-field look, sporting a signature headband, Kunle Dada-Luke is a player who will get you out of your seat. T
he fastest player in the Canadian Premier League, Dada-Luke has drawn comparisons to fellow Canadian speedster Alphonso Davies. Dada-Luke’s headband has become iconic and you can find fans sporting their own KDL Headbands at Starlight Stadium on game days.
Affectionately known as TMG amongst teammates and fans alike, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère is entering his fifth season with Pacific FC while stepping into a leadership role within the squad. Born and raised in Repentigny, Quebec, TMG is a no-nonsense figure on the pitch, leading the Tridents’ backline into battle each week. A Canadian Youth Team International Player, Meilleur-Giguère brings a level head and a wealth of experience to the PFC squad.
Off the pitch, Meilleur-Giguère is a proud doggy dad to his pup Whisky and can often be found at local dog parks in Langford!
Okay, so he’s not technically a player, but you’ll still find him on the pitch every game—and on Instagram!
The first employee of Pacific FC, Head Coach James Merriman has been with the club from day one. Starting off as the Assistant Coach, he took over the reins as Head Coach in 2022 and has led the team into a playoff spot under his two seasons in charge.
Born and raised in Cedar, Merriman embodies the easy-going yet hard-working spirit of Islanders. His passion for his community is shown through his work as a Board Member of Hope & Health who work to bring access to sport for development and social impact opportunities to Indigenous youth on Vancouver Island.
Pacific FC’s season has quite literally just kicked off, but season and single game tickets are still available. Join the hype and take part in all the action this season with 15 home games at Langford’s very own Starlight Stadium!
(What the future location of Cedarwood Inn & Suites will look like / GMC PROJECTS)
The time has come to bid farewell to Sidney’s Cedarwood Inn, a cherished staple of the community for 49 years.
For almost half a century, the inn had stood as a beacon of hospitality along the waterfront, its walls echoing with the laughter and stories of guests from far and wide.
The iconic hotel situated along the waterfront was sold in 2020, and since then, there have been ongoing plans to develop the property into more homes for the community.
Plans are in motion to transform the property into a vibrant residential and commercial hub. Acquired by GMC Projects, the future vision quickly materialized with a mix of condominiums, townhomes, and commercial spaces.
Located at the corner of Lochside Drive and Weiler Avenue, this project introduces a three-storey condominium building accommodating 49 units, complemented by a café or eatery overlooking the intersection.
The condominiums will offer a range of one-bedroom to three-bedroom plus-den layouts, catering to various preferences and needs.
Adjacent to the condominiums, along Weiler Avenue, will see a collection of 48 two-and-a-half-storey townhomes. These residences, featuring two to three bedrooms, are tailored for families and will feature ocean views.
Last week, the Cedarwood Inn announced they would be closed for good as of Sunday April 14th. Throughout the entire weekend, the motel sold off items ranging for picture to chairs that would go towards the Sidney Food Bank.
As part of the conditions of Sidney council’s approval, the developer will be contributing approximately $167,800 to community park acquisition and improvement.
Council has approved a residential development with different types of housing options at the current site of Cedarwood…
