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Aug 10 - Forgotten items become treasures
Vancouver Island marmot population gets boost with 17 new pups born. Another Floyd's bites the dust.
Capital Daily Team
August 10, 2025
Good morning !
Happy Sunday! One of my favourite live bands, The Roots, will be playing at Phillips Backyard today. For those going, I hope you enjoy!
If you didn’t snag a ticket to the festival, there are music shows happening today at Cameron Bandshell (free) and The Butchart Gardens (included with admission).
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Lost hotel guest belongings get second life at pop-up shop
Soap for Hope volunteers and team members. Photo: Soap for Hope / Facebook
If you’re looking to make a clean getaway with some new-to-you clothing, accessories, shoes, or even bedsheets, you may want to head to Market Square next week.
Second Hand Hope, a social enterprise of Soap for Hope Canada, is popping up at Market Square on Tue.
“We have a pair of shoes in right now… I don't know the brand, but one of my staff was like, ‘This is a really expensive brand, and this is $1K,’” Anne McIntyre, founder & executive director, tells Capital Daily.
Soap for Hope is a nonprofit that collects toiletries and similar items from top hotels and distributes them to the needy.
It also curates clothing and accessories left behind by guests, and after months-long stays in the lost and found, hotels like the Fairmont Empress, Chateau Victoria, and Quality Inn in Sidney purge for space, and drop items off monthly, sometimes weekly.
Second Hand Hope is billed as “the only store in Canada transforming lost and found items from top hotels into funding for essential hygiene programs, while keeping quality goods out of the landfill.”
It standardizes pricing, so there’s no difference between a Pierre Cardin suit and one bought off the rack at a department store. T-shirts are $5. Dresses go for $15.
McIntyre recounts a woman looking at one found item, “The woman's like, ‘Are you sure?’ And we're like, ‘yes’ So she bought it, and she said, “This is a $1K dress.”
The store provides about 150K items monthly to 125 community facilities, including shelters, food banks, and schools. It even uses DoorDash to deliver hygiene products to seniors.
McIntyre says they receive items from as far away as Alberta. A recent shipment from Silver Star included skis, boots, and poles.
The revenue helps to keep the nonprofit going.
“We're able to buy toothbrushes, deodorant, brushes—things that we cannot repurpose. We're able to keep the lights on and have staff,” she says.
The pop-up at Unit 120, 560 Johnson will be open 10am to 6pm each day until Sun.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Heat warning: Inland and East Island—from Duncan to Campbell River—today through to tomorrow. Temps reaching up to 30C. [Environment Canada]
HarbourCats beat Edmonton Riverhawks 3-1 to force Game 3 today in WCL playoffs. Watch live on HCats.tv.
Lowest tides of the year at Botanical Beach today through Tue. Peak low tide at 8:22am today.
Broughton Parkade closed today.
Jutland closed at Gorge intersection today through Fri., 24/7. [Info]
Broad closed between Johnson and Yates for approx. one week. 7am-5pm. [Info]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
