April 17 - Some James Bay residents not OK with Vic OCP

Good morning !

Some James Bay residents aren’t too keen on Victoria’s vision for the city’s oldest neighbourhood. A busy weekend is expected at Swartz Bay, and we have our federal election hub prepared for your political perusal.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ☀️ 15 / 7

Tomorrow: ☀️ 16 / 8

Saturday: 🌦️ 11 / 7

NEWS

James Bay residents rail against Victoria OCP

The James Bay Coalition says if the City of Victoria’s proposed Official Community Plan (OCP) is adopted as-is, the oldest residential neighbourhood on the West Coast north of San Francisco will lose affordable and heritage housing and too many trees.

“If you're looking at heritage [designation], there is nothing in the OCP that explicitly protects heritage,” coalition spokesperson Mariann Burka tells Capital Daily.

“Same with protecting existing trees, it's not covered.”

The group will hold a rally outside City Hall today from noon to 1pm. It’s calling on the city to strengthen renter and greenspace/tree protections, make affordability a priority, and protect James Bay’s heritage buildings.

The city’s OCP, currently being shaped and debated, will determine where to locate housing and businesses and set out transportation and climate-action priorities. The group says that as it’s drawn up right now, the OCP puts too much pressure on James Bay.

The city says it conducted a “very robust” engagement process with the James Bay community, that, unlike the CRD or BC Housing, it’s not in the business of building affordable housing, and that four- to six-storey development throughout the city—including in James Bay—will lead to more available affordable housing.

But the group calls the proposed OCP “bad news."

Read Mark Brennae’s full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Federal election advance voting on April 18-21, in person, or by mail before April 22. 

Free parking downtown tomorrow and Easter Sun.

Flight delays in Vancouver: staff shortages. [YVR Updates]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

NEWS

Capital Daily’s 2025 Election Hub is open for business

The French-language television debate was held last night, allowing leaders of four of the five major parties to spar en Français.

All the candidates on stage agreed to start two hours early so viewers in la belle province and those watching across the country wouldn’t have to miss a pivotal Montreal Canadiens hockey game inconveniently scheduled for the same evening.

It was a big deal: An important Habs game usually attracts roughly one million French-language viewers. A French-language debate usually pulls in 4-5 million viewers nationwide, mostly in Quebec.

So millions were watching last night as Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Bloc Québécois rep Yves-François Blanchet went at it. 

The Greens were disinvited because the debate commission—established in 2015 to ensure fairness in these events—determined the Green Party shouldn’t take part because it’s running 232 candidates across the country, or 69% of the total number of ridings, after initially telling the commission it would meet the criteria of running candidates in 90% of the nation’s 343 ridings. Elizabeth May, the party’s co-leader, has appealed the ruling.

As for who ‘won’, if you believe in such things, it was probably the Liberal, Carney, who entered the evening with a double-digit lead at the polls. The others tried, but couldn’t land a haymaker on him, as Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne put it.
“[Carney] didn’t hurt his cause, and therefore, he helped his cause,” Coyne told the At Issue panel on CBC's The National.

“Conversely, Pierre Poilievre, who needed to make ground on [Carney], didn’t help his cause, and in that way, hurt his cause.”

As the Toronto Star’s Chantal Hébert saw it, “Mark Carney came out unscathed,” she told the panel. “None of the punches from the other leaders really landed—and that by definition means that he gained.”

The English-language TV debate goes today—at 4pm our time.

Eleven days before the election, congrats to the early birds who have already voted.
For those still sussing out their choice, we’ve opened our 2025 Election Hub, with all you’ll need to make an informed decision at the polls. 

Find what you need for the upcoming federal vote here in our 2025 Election Hub.

NEWS

A busy travel weekend will begin with some ferries out of action

BC Ferries says sea travel this long weekend will be busy, particularly when leaving the Island today and tomorrow and when returning Sunday and Monday. It recommends that you book car reservations in advance or travel as a walk-on, and aim for off-peak days and times.

Exacerbating the busyness is the continued absence of the Queen of Surrey (primarily serving Sunshine Coast to Vancouver) and the Queen of Oak Bay (Nanaimo to Vancouver).

These vessels, both aged 44, are now delayed until early May, but are expected back in time for summer. 

“While refit schedules were planned well in advance, unexpected repairs this season have compressed timelines and reduced dry dock availability for other vessels,” the ferry line said. Its release adds that these limitations “reflect the realities of operating an aging fleet.”

New vessels won't be built in Canada

BC Ferries was approved to order four new vessels (not the requested five) to help address the fleet’s age, beginning in 2029. 

There has been some public discussion, especially amid the US trade war, of building the ships in Canada. But BC Ferries confirmed this week that none of the bids submitted was from a Canadian company. The corporation says it will therefore focus on a “build-globally-and-maintain-locally” approach, and plans to choose a shipyard by June that can deliver the vessels “on time, affordably, and to a high standard.”

⭐️ Capital Picks

📺 Election: federal leaders' English debate. [Today at 4pm]

🎬 Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival returns to The Vic Theatre for three days of short films from BC and around the Pacific Ocean, plus Q&As, parties, networking, and more, May 1-3. Learn more here.*

🏒 Victoria Royals 4 Spokane Chiefs 3. Game 4 of WHL Western Conference semifinal is tomorrow night. Royals lead 2-1.

🎭 On NOW TO MAY 1, join Pacific Opera Victoria for Rigoletto Revelry, an online fundraising auction to fuel the future of opera in our community.*

🗻 Mt. Baker + Esquimalt = a stunning view. [Doug Clement]

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Massage worker sentenced for sexually assaulting 5 clients
The assaults took place between May 2019 and March 2021 at Big Feet Reflexology and Acupressure on Fort, which has since changed its name. In a ruling handed down last month and published online yesterday, Ajesh Jacob was sentenced to two years less a day in jail. In the court’s decision, Jacob is described as having massaged the women’s exposed breasts, buttocks, and inner thighs. The ruling cited several incidents, including one where a client’s breasts were exposed and Jacob “massaged both and played with her nipples. He then touched her crotch.” [CTV]

Sick notes to be banned in BC for short-term illnesses
Employers won’t be able to ask for proof of illness after this fall, clearing up the administrative burden on health-care workers. The Canadian Medical Association estimates that last year, BC doctors wrote 1.6M sick notes, costing on average 9-10 hours of work a month per worker. For years, health-care advocates—including Dr. Bonnie Henry—have criticized the practice. [CHEK]

Greens see red, cut from French and English federal election debates
There were four podiums instead of five on stage last night for the French-language debate, and it’s expected there will be four again tonight when the leaders of Canada’s major parties—excepting the Green Party—take part in the English version. Just 12 hours before last night’s French affair, the debate commission informed the Greens they can’t take part because they decided not to run candidates in every riding after initially telling the commission they would. Green Leader Elizabeth May is appealing the ruling and calls it “a really critical moment for Canadian democracy.” [iPolitics]

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🗓️ Things to do

🎤 If You Could Read My Mind: The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot. The Lightfoot songbook provides an irresistible invitation to explore his lyrics and revel in his melodies. This international star speaks most eloquently to us. Belfry Theatre. April 22-May 18. [Info]

🕺Victoria International Kizomba Fest: Sensual edition: Bachata & Kizomba. VIKF 6th Edition offers four days of workshops, three daytime socials, four nights of dancing, and three afterparties. Fifteen+ hours of workshops and a gala night. Victoria Conference Centre. Tonight at 9pm-Mon. [Info]

🖊️ Writers Connect @ Kwench: The Utility, Ethics, and Risks of Generative AI for Writing Professionals with Lucas Kavanagh. Kwench. Tonight. 5-7pm. [Info]

✍️ Victoria Poetry Project: Hosted at the Kings Road Roastery, Victoria Poetry Project presents Tongues of Fire, Victoria's longest-running spoken word open-mic. Caffe Fantastico. Tonight. 6:30-9pm. [Info] 

🎭 Paper Street Theatre: Improvisation that feels like real theatre. Featuring special guests Tony Beeman and Cynthia Lair from Unexpected Productions in Seattle, alongside the artistic director, Dave Morris. Intrepid Theatre Club. Through Sat. [Info]

🍿 Film: Safe Haven: The Rainbow-Jordan Wilderness: BC’s inland rainforest film and presentation. An award-winning film by Damien Gillis and Valhalla Wilderness Society, which highlights a globally significant temperate rainforest near Revelstoke. Vic Theatre. Tonight. 7-8:30pm. [Info] 

🎵 Flamenco Guitar Evening, featuring Gareth Owen and Jake Lee. Tables are available for two, four, and six people and are charged at $25 per seat. Please arrive promptly to claim your table. The Mint. Tonight. 7-9pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Wednesday’s headlines: Lifelabs workers look for changes; Nine years since the opioid crisis began; Big Blanshard project gets first green light. [April 16]

Roger the Marmot has awoken at the Empress. [CHEK]

Sorry, Canada sign from an anonymous American. [CTV]

Sidney is named top retirement destination by Forbes magazine. 

Bystander intervention workshop (was on Wed.) [From Good Night Out]

Island’s best waterfalls: Check out the natural wonders from north to south. [Facebook photos]

That’s it!

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