Good morning {{First name}}!
It's been a tough week for music fans, to say the least—RIP Dolly Parton and Tim Curry—but we've got some good news for Victoria jazz lovers.
Hermann's Jazz Club could be returning soon, if everything goes to plan. Check out our first story for more details.
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes
🌡 Weather Forecast
NEWS
Hermann's Jazz Club on track to reopen this fall
New cement flooring and pillars have been added to the Hermann’s building. Photos: Arts on View Society
Renovations at Hermann's Jazz Club are well underway and operators say the club could make a comeback as early as this fall.
The iconic jazz club nearly closed at the end of April when financial problems and required building repairs appeared too challenging to overcome. But music fans quickly stepped in and, within a month, helped fundraise the $450K needed to keep the club—and its operator, Arts on View Society (AVS)—going.
Once the funds were raised, Hermann's and the neighbouring View Street Social were closed for renovations. As repair work began, it was discovered that the building's flooring had extensive deterioration, including damage to two of the original load-bearing posts, which AVS said had “likely been supporting the building for well over a century.”
"For several weeks, the project was in something of a holding pattern while we waited for the new structural pillars and concrete floor to be completed," said Al Smith, AVS board chair. "This was a much larger and more complex undertaking than it might sound."
Smith said the work required close coordination among engineers, fabricators, consultants, and skilled tradespeople to properly fix these issues, putting it a month behind schedule.
The new pillars and flooring are now in place, said Smith, who called it "an exciting turning point in the project."
"With this critical structural work behind us, we can now shift our attention to rebuilding the interior and bringing the club back to life."
AVS has also been working to improve the organization's financial standing, including paying off four years of GST. Read on to see how the society plans to restructure.
⚠ Capital Bulletin
Road closure: Southbound Cook closed from Finlayson to Cedar Hill today. 7am-7pm. [City of Victoria]
Parking lot closure: Brookleigh Boat Launch parking lot in Elk / Beaver Lake will be closed until 10am today. [CRD]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
On the water today? Check the tide times for Victoria.
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NEWS
BC Transit says ‘fleet constraints’ forced dozens of bus cancellations
BC Transit bus in downtown Victoria. Photo: Shutterstock
It was a bit of a hurry-up-and-wait Wednesday for many bus riders across the city yesterday as BC Transit had what it called “temporary fleet availability constraints.”
Riders waited for buses that didn’t come.
As of mid-afternoon yesterday, there were more than two dozen affected routes.
“BC Transit is currently experiencing a high number of trip cancellations and some service impacts in the Victoria Regional Transit System due to temporary fleet availability constraints,” the transit authority said in an email to Capital Daily.
While some of the alerts on the BC Transit website identified detours, the majority were cancellations due to buses needing unscheduled maintenance, the authority confirmed.
“It’s mostly buses needing unscheduled maintenance with very individual issues,” a spokesperson said.
They said they expect this to be “a short-term issue” and did not comment on how this morning’s commute would unfold.
BC Transit said once a trip cancellation has been confirmed, alerts are issued on BC Transit’s website.
“We encourage our customers to use the Umo app, Google Transit, or any other app of their choice for real-time bus tracking and to check for alerts regularly at alerts.bctransit.com/Victoria.”
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⭐️ Capital Picks
🌿 Got tree trimmings? Wild ARC needs donations of fresh cedar branches for its enclosures. All sizes are welcome, especially larger branches (7-10 feet long).
🎞️ Island-shot film screening in Victoria: Horror comedy Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma—shot at camps in Sooke and Shawnigan Lake—is playing at Capitol 6 and SilverCity this week. [Trailer]
💐 Summer splendour continues at The Butchart Gardens, with vibrant displays, seasonal colour, and lively atmosphere offering an exceptional showcase of the season’s full brilliance.*
🫣 Multi-Gendered Peepshow, part of Fringe Festival, through Tuesday at 9:30pm in Fernwood Square.
🌿 CRD residents are invited to attend an introductory workshop about gardening with drought-resistant native plants. Registration includes a packet of locally grown native seeds.*
🎡 Saanich Fair is next weekend, Sept. 5-7. [Info]
*Sponsored Listing
🗞 In Other News
Victoria deck fire prompts significant response
Victoria firefighters were called to Vivid at the Yates early yesterday morning after a small fire broke out on a balcony. Because the fire was in a highrise, multiple fire apparatus and personnel were dispatched to the building. The fire was contained to the exterior and was extinguished within 30 minutes, with no injuries reported. [CHEK]
Sea lion freed at Race Rocks after weeks tangled in plastic
A 280-kg sea lion was seen entangled in a plastic packing band on Aug. 1, but rescue efforts were delayed for weeks due to weather conditions. On Aug. 17, a team from Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society freed the sea lion at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve near Metchosin. Despite dense fog that day, the team was guided to the rocks by DFO and a drone, where they were able to sedate and disentangle the animal. [Times Colonist]
Central Saanich’s Butterfly Gardens hope for a butterfly effect
One of the tourist attraction’s longtime suppliers of butterflies is among many in Colombia reeling after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake took down her home on Aug. 10. Vanessa Restrepo, the owner of Alas de Colombia, has taken her family to live on their butterfly farm. From now through Sept. 30, Victoria Butterfly Gardens will donate 10% of admission revenue to the family. Visitors are also welcome to donate. [Black Press]
🗓 Things To Do
🕺 Dance Your Ability Circle: Move your body and connect with others at Victoria Native Friendship Centre today. 10:30am-11:30am. [Info]
🧺 Summer’s End Community Picnic: Share a meal while enjoying the outdoors at Banfield Park today. 12-2pm. [Info]
💐 Flowers & Fairies: Spend the evening wandering through the flower fields, learning about specialty flowers and regenerative farming at Flora & Fauna Farm tonight. 6-8pm. [Info]
🧶 Craft Club: Join this beginner-friendly class to learn new skills and make delightful projects at MakeSpace North Park today. 6-9pm. [Info]
😌 A Place to Find Calm From the Chaos: Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Join the Inner Quest for an inclusive, peaceful healing experience at 1600 Cook tonight. 7:30-8:30pm. [Info]
🎞️ Shrek in Bullen: Catch this outdoor movie screening at Bullen Park tomorrow. 8:30pm. [Info]
🎭 Spamalot: The popular Monty Python musical will open at the Royal Theatre tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]
🤠 Country Roads Festival: Multiple-award-winning Doc Walker and Aaron Pritchett headline at this festival in Starlight Stadium. Saturday. 3:15pm. [Info]
🎵 Victoria Folk Music Society (VFMS) Weekly Gathering: Dublin2 with Martin Nolan will perform at Norway House. Sunday. Jam at 6:45pm; Open Stage at 7:30pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Wednesday’s headlines: 165 Islanders killed by toxic drugs in first half of 2026: Chamber of Commerce says US tariffs are another reason to stop PST expansion; Victoria realtor fined $200K. [Aug. 26]
Brentwood Bay actor joins Heated Rivalry cast for season 2. [CHEK]
Early leaf fall likely caused by drought. [Black Press]
Man arrested in Ucluelet in alleged Hawaiian child sexual exploitation case. [Times Colonist]
Victoria Fringe Festival has begun across the city.
Greek Fest is Friday-Sunday & Sept. 4-7. [Details]
See cruise ships arrive and leave Ogden Point on this live stream.
The Canadian College of Performing Arts 2026-27 season subscriptions are available here.
That’s it!
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