April 4 - UVic researchers find answers in the stars

Good morning !

Our top stories today look at the CRD’s approach to waste management and a new discovery in the stars. I love reading about the unknown mysteries of the universe, especially when scientists get closer to figuring it all out.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

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Today: 🌤️ 12 / 5 

Tomorrow: ☀️ 11 / 5

Saturday: 🌤️ 10 / 6

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NEWS

Cost reduction, not waste reduction, focus of CRD waste management

Capital Regional District (CRD) municipalities are focused on streamlining services and prioritizing cost-efficient waste collection and processing through contracts with vendors. What they are not prioritizing is actual waste reduction. Saanich and Victoria provide free integrated solid waste pick-up for their residents, while other municipalities offer lists of private garbage collection companies for residents to choose from. 

Colwood councillors are considering exploring a single vendor for solid waste management to potentially cut costs for taxpayers. However, despite efforts to streamline services, waste levels at Hartland landfill continue to increase. 

The CRD has not implemented any serious waste reduction policy or campaigns, though it has promoted buying items with less packaging and borrowing items from friends, family and the sole regional tool lending library. While focusing on collection cost reduction, there's been minimal emphasis on waste reduction initiatives at the individual household level. 

Unlike innovative programs in Zurich and Vienna, which prioritize holding individuals accountable for waste reduction, the typical CRD approach remains centred on efficiencies derived from solid waste disposal vendor contracts. 

Despite ambitious zero waste goals, significant policy, infrastructure, and consumer habit changes are needed to achieve them.

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Draft budget public meeting: Have your say on April 25. [City of Victoria]

PKOLS-Mount Doug tower open house. [Info]

Tillicum-Craigflower intersection paving next week. [Esquimalt]

Wanted: Violent man Cody Ranger wanted by Nanaimo RCMP. [Info]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

UVic researchers find new stars outside our galaxy

An ancient group of stars orbiting the Milky Way was recently discovered by astronomers at UVic and a team of international scientists—and it could be the key to understanding the origins of the universe. 

The stars have been there for some time, of course—roughly 10 billion years—but their faint appearance made spotting the cluster difficult. Only five dozen bright stars cover the space ranging across 10 light years (by comparison, the Milky Way where we live contains 10 billion stars across 100K light years).

“It is either the faintest ancient star cluster known to date or the faintest and closest known dwarf galaxy ever discovered,” Simon Smith, a PhD student at UVic and lead author on the discovery paper, said in a statement.

Named Ursa Major III/UNIONS 1 (UMa3/U1 for short), the group of stars could confirm longstanding theories about the origins of the universe. 

The Cold Dark Matter Theory is the most widely accepted explanation for how the universe is structured, with dark matter making up a significant portion of the universe. This matter is difficult to detect since it doesn’t scatter light, making it essentially invisible. Scientists must look at surrounding visual objects to understand how dark matter functions.

Finding this dark matter in UMa3/U1, which Smith says is likely, could confirm this hypothesis first posited in the 1980s.

Smith and his fellow researchers say UMa3/U1 couldn’t have survived this long without the binding presence of dark matter, as it orbits through the Milky Way’s inner regions where the gravitational pull is strong enough theoretically, to pull apart the grouping of stars.

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Sunday market day! Meet 50 local makers this weekend

Mark your calendars for April 7 for the final “Meet the Makers” market at the Bay Centre – their biggest one yet!

Featuring over 50 local vendors, market highlights include free 3-hour parking, complimentary spring bouquets for the first 100 attendees, and a chance to win a $500 Bay Centre shopping spree.

The April 7 market is the final installment of a three-part monthly market series, hosted at the Bay Centre on the first Sunday of the month. Browse two levels of locally made art, homeware, clothing, jewelry, and more.

This event is created by the female led trio of artisans and founders of the Market Collective with a mission to create a platform to support local and handmade from grassroots to Canadian professional artisans.

Find out more here!

⭐️ Capital Picks

🎨 Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society Inspiration fundraiser. [Info]

🍹 Who has the best happy hour? Did your go-to spot make the final list of nominees? [Vote here] 

🚴 This is the best metric to improve if you want to live longer. Measure and track your cardiovascular fitness level with a VO2 max test at Tall Tree Health. *

🏈 BC Lions-Ottawa Redblacks added tickets. [At RAP]

🤝 Now hiring: VP, Fund Development and Communications at YMCA-YWCA of Vancouver Island.

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🗞️ In Other News

Stolen vehicle involved in hit and run—of a house in Fairfield
Officers were called to a house on Southgate near Quadra just after 5:30am on March 25 after a resident reported their house had been struck by a vehicle and the driver had run away. No one was hurt but considerable damage was done to the side of the house. Police determined the vehicle was stolen that morning and are looking for witnesses. [VicPD]

Hostel guest comes up heroic in weekend stabbing downtown 
We’re finding out more about the early Sunday-morning stabbing that claimed one life and injured a hostel employee. Turns out an out-of-towner stepped into the fray, blocking the attacker from further harming the front-desk worker. Police say the move saved the life of the woman, who was sent to the hospital with “life-altering” injuries. [Times Colonist]

New truck speed laws come into effect in BC tomorrow
That’s when commercial trucks weighing more than 11,793kg and built after 1994 must have “speed-limiter devices” to restrict their maximum speed to 105 kilometres per hour. The law was passed last year and doesn’t apply to emergency vehicles and coach homes. [CP / Toronto Star]

HarbourCats join Blue Jays, MLB in using ball-strike technology
The ‘Cats, development team the Golden Tide, and up-Island cousin Nanaimo NightOwls will become the first Canadian baseball teams other than the Jays to employ the Pitchcom system, which is a one-way electronics tool that allows the catcher and pitcher to communicate and select pitches. Major League Baseball (MLB) began using it last season. [HarbourCats] 

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🗓️ Things to do

🖌️ Colour Moves: Hermann Valentin Schmitt–solo exhibition at Rockslide Studio & Gallery, today-Sat. [Info]

🎤 Asher Roth: The rapper will take the stage at Capital Ballroom tonight, 9pm. [Info]

 🥕 Esquimalt Farmers Market begins today: The market is back for its 10th season today, happening at Memorial Park. It will run every Thursday until Sept. 26. [Info]

👠 UVic Fashion Society: Join this evening of fashion, culture and creativity at Wicket Hall today, 6:30pm. [Info] 

💄 FERN: A Drag Show: Catch the drag performance at the Fernwood Inn today, 7:30pm. [Info]

🎹 Kelby MacNayr's Tiny Rhythm Kings: Come celebrate music from the time of the kings, counts and dukes of jazz at Hermann’s tonight, 7pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Wednesday headlines: Here’s what just got more expensive; ‘Personal use’ eviction crackdown; Griz get a new owner. [April 3]

PKOLS comms tower location to be revealed. [Capital Daily]

Oak Bay says goodbye to beloved leaning tree. [Oak Bay News]

Three Island airports spilt $1.5M in upgrade funding. [BC Gov’t]

First Peoples Gallery exhibits open at Royal BC Museum. [Times Colonist]

Orca surprises Saanich paddle boarder near Jordan River. [CHEK video]

That’s it!

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