Fri. April 28 - Province provides temporary housing for RidgeView residents

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

You may have seen my name on a few bylines—but my time as an intern at Capital Daily is coming to a close. I’d like to thank my former editors for giving me this opportunity eight months ago at the start of my career, right before my graduation from UVic. It’s been a pleasure to tell so many of your stories and to help keep local journalism alive—though I must confess I never imagined that I would have to deal with a stolen bicycle wheel at 2am while covering election night.

There’s still a few stories of importance that I’m working on for Capital Daily, so you haven’t seen the end of me yet!

— Michael John Lo

NEWS

Province to provide 5 days of emergency housing for Ridgeview Place residents

The BC government is stepping in to provide five days of emergency accommodations to support tenants of RidgeView Place, who were told to evacuate their building on Monday due to structural concerns of the troubled highrise at 2770 Claude Rd.

Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson announced the news at a press conference Thursday, where he also noted that building owners Centurion Property Associates Inc., a Toronto-based asset firm, has increased its one-time “compassionate assistance” payment to residents from $1,000 to $2,500 after “heavy influence” from Langford.

Goodmanson thanked BC ministers Bowinn Ma and Ravi Kahlon for their timely assistance and support this week.

Provincial support for RidgeView Place residents is being administered through the Emergency Support Services (ESS) program. ESS is designed to provide aid in the first 72 hours of a crisis before other supports kick in. A provincial worker has been assigned to be a community navigator for those affected. Goodmanson indicated that there will be enough space to account for every unit rented at RidgeView Place.

The ESS centre at 877 Goldstream Ave. will be open for the next three days to provide one-on-one assistance for those at RidgeView Place who are looking for short-term accommodations in Westshore area hotels.

“We hear so often that provincial governments are slow and it takes forever to get things done,” Goodmanson said.

But it hasn’t been the case here, he said.

Capital Bulletin

☀️ Today’s weather: Mainly sunny with a high of 19C, and low of 7C.

🖼️ Free admission to the AGGV: Visit the AGGV for free for Celebrate Art Week. It kicked off yesterday and runs until May 3. The free admission is sponsored by Odlum Brown.

🚨 Newborn baby found dead in Victoria parking lot: After discovering the body of a newborn outside the Blanshard Centre on Wednesday night, police are searching for the mother, whose well-being may be at risk.

NEWS

Best seafood restaurants in Victoria

There are a lot of perks to living in an oceanside city, and one of them is the abundance of delicious seafood—and restaurants that really know what they are doing with local ingredients.

Each year when Tasting Victoria launches its annual restaurant awards, one of the most popular categories for voters is the best seafood category. And this year, the 2022 winner managed to hold on to the top spot.

From food trucks to casual fine-dining, seafood can either be dressed up or chilled out. The top three winners in the 2023 Tasting Victoria Restaurant Awards, presented by Gordon Food Service, show the wide range of excellent seafood that our city has to offer.

Check out the best seafood restaurants, as voted by Tasting Victoria readers.

TOGETHER WITH DODD’S FURNITURE & MATTRESS

Dodd’s Famous One Day Sale is here!

Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress is hosting their famous One Day Sale, this Saturday, Apr. 29 with deals so good they can’t advertise some of them, you have to stop in to the store and see them for yourself!

But that’s not all, not only is the Dodd’s team marking down items all over the store, they’re also offering incredible additional discounts.

• Save the tax on all regular priced mattresses. Got Sleep?

• Save 10% on all mattress accessories.

• Save 15% on custom furniture—so you know it fits just right!

• Save 50% off patio furniture.

• Free premium pillows and free weighted blankets with select mattresses.

• And so much more!

There’s never been a better time to head on down to Dodd’s Furniture & Mattress. This Saturday, Apr.29 for unbelievable savings!

Capital Picks

🎵 Rocky Mountain High at the Farquhar at UVic: Celebrate the music of John Denver, as arranged by his longtime friend, conductor, and arranger, Lee Holdridge. [Tickets]

🎺 Victoria Conservatory of Music’s Joy of Life Festival: With two concerts this weekend on Friday and Saturday at Alix Goolden Performance Hall, the Victoria Conservatory of Music presents Daniel Lapp’s Joy of Life Festival. [Details/Tickets]

🎼 Celebrate the legacy of Pacific Opera’s founding Artistic Director, Maestro Timothy Vernon, at the star-studded Friends of Timothy concert and exhibit featuring over 100 artists! Get tickets.*

🎙️ Steve Dawson at Christian Science Church: Vancouver’s Juno-winning artist and producer Steve Dawson will perform at the Christian Science Church. [Tickets]

🎻 The Peninsula Singers Spring 2023 show: The show titled Singing Through a Century will feature music of the 1920s to the 2020s all weekend long at the Mary Winspear Centre. [Details/Tickets]

🇺🇦 Help Ukraine Vancouver Island garage sale: HUVI is hosting a garage sale with used small appliances, clothing, sporting equipment, and other goods at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Nanaimo from noon to 5pm today, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. [Details]

🤝 Now hiring: .NET Framework Developer at Megabyte Programming Services Ltd.

*Sponsored Listing

In Other News

🛢️ Oil spill simulated to test marine disaster response
As Canada’s only West Coast oil spill response team, the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) simulated a 2,500 tonne oil spill outside Esquimalt Harbour on Wednesday. The exercise, which takes place every two years to ensure preparedness, involved all 12 ships operated by WCMRC. [Goldstream News Gazette]

🍴 Victoria food bank to partially reopen after fire
After a fire caused significant damage to Victoria’s Mustard Seed branch in March, the food bank will reopen a portion of its building. Since the fire occurred, Mustard Seed has been operating out of its parking lot. While some services, like the chapel and hospitality centre, will remain closed, the food bank will begin serving hot drinks and meals six days a week on May 6. [CTV News]

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTH ISLAND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP

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Join over 1,600 South Island Prosperity Partnership newsletter subscribers for the latest stories on our region’s progress toward innovative, sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

In Case You Missed It

💲 UVic makes cuts over budget shortfall: Faculty and unions called for BC to change its model as job losses stem from Island universities’ overreliance on international student money, an open letter argues. [Capital Daily]

😴 It’s a day like any other. But how long have you been waiting to make that change? Take the first step at Intertidal Counselling & Wellness.*

🚒 Victoria Fire Department opens new headquarters: The state-of-the-art 12-storey building opened Wednesday and is one of the largest mixed-use fire halls in Canada. [Capital Daily]

*Sponsored Listing

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