Sept 4 - Not so cool. Cool Aid closes part of its facility

Good morning !

More than three years now, and still no leads in a homicide in Rockland. I found this to be an interesting read.

Also today, more details on Cool Aid’s move to slim some spending and one of downtown’s first 24/7 corner stores is no more.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤️ 27 / 14

Tomorrow: ☀️ 30 / 15

Friday: ☀️28 / 15

7-day forecast

NEWS

Growing complexity of client needs prompts Cool Aid component to temporarily shutter

Victoria’s Cool Aid Society has announced the temporary closure of its Downtown Community Centre (DCC) as it reassesses its approach to meeting the evolving needs of its clients. CEO Elin Bjarnason explained that unsustainable funding and a shift toward addressing higher-intensity needs, including concurrent substance use and mental-health disorders, prompted the decision.

The DCC, which previously offered drop-in education, training, and wellness programming will be re-evaluated to ensure its services are more reflective of changing needs and their sustainability. 

Bjarnason says recent renovations in 2022 that cost $700K, will be integrated into the DCC's future that may see it repurposed as a night shelter or other flexible-use facility.

The new Cool Aid Crosstown development, opening this fall, will provide 102 affordable apartments and 52 supportive housing units but won’t offer the DCC’s previous services. As the colder weather approaches, there is hope that the DCC’s space might still be used for emergency shelter.

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Blanshard upgrading continues until Sept. 15

Road construction and closures. [City of Victoria]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

3 years later, no developments in unsolved Rockland killing

On Aug. 31, 2021, first responders found then-Edmonton-based artist Jeremy Gordaneer in his mother’s home on Carberry Gardens, a small street just off Fort, near Craigdarroch Castle. He was suffering from and succumbed to, life-threatening injuries. In the time since, no update has come regarding who killed him, or why. 

In a 2022 video, his sister and his daughters called on the public for more information on “what happened and why we don't get to have a dad anymore.” In 2023, his wife Thea Patterson, who attended Oak Bay High with him as a teenager, called on the BC and federal governments to allocate more resources to DNA testing and other investigative tools. 

Police have now released a more detailed timeline of Gordaneer's death over the long weekend, hoping to again prompt public input. 

• On Sat. Aug. 28, Gordaneer arrived in Victoria to visit his mother

• On Aug. 30, at 5pm, he went to dinner with his daughters downtown, then stopped at a pub on Government

• By 7:51pm, he had walked up Fort and was seen outside his mother’s home on Carberry Gardens

• On Aug. 31 around 5am, officers were called to the home and found him with life-threatening injuries 

The son of another Victoria artist James Gordaneer, Jeremy's art practice mixed painting, sculpting, dance, and set design. He was Camosun’s artist-in-residence in 2016. His wife called his death a loss to art and theatre not only to Victoria but to Edmonton and Montreal as well. 

NEWS

Local burger places beckoning you this fall

I found myself in the Westshore recently and I had a hankering for a burger. I won’t tell you which of the following burger bistros I sat down at to satiate my meaty desires, but I will say it was delicious.

If you find yourself with a craving for some ground round—topped with cheese and maybe a whole lot more—and you’re on the Westshore, here’s an easily digestible piece in The Westshore (you’ll have to scroll down a touch), on local burger joints to check out.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

⛳ Uplands named Canada’s best-managed medium golf club. [Victoria News]

🎭 Early Music Society of the Islands celebrates its 40th season with a unique dinner-and-opera event. Step back in time with Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo. Find out more.*

🐐 Beacon Hill Children's Farm is now on fall hours, open 10am-4pm with goat stampedes at 10:10am and 4:10pm. [Info/Photos]

🍺 Canada’s oldest beer festival, the Great Canadian Beer Festival, will celebrate its 30th year on Sept. 6 and 7, at Topaz Park in Victoria. Get your tickets before they’re gone!*

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🗞️ In Other News

Mainstay Chinatown gift and grocery store closes 
According to former city councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, who is now a coordinator at the nearby Chinese Canadian Museum, Quonley’s Gifts and Grocery at the corner of Government and Fisgard closed on Mon. The owners of what is believed to be the first 24/7 corner store in the area have been preparing for the closure for a month, she said. No official word as to why, although Thornton-Joe suggested rising costs may have been a factor. [CHEK]

Victoria couple scratches & wins $500K 
A trip to California is now in the plans for Truong Thai and Tram Nguyen after their $10 Cash Blast ticket turned up the top prize. “I had goosebumps, my jaw was wide open,” said Thai, whose wife was so surprised she said she couldn’t walk. The couple purchased the winning ticket at the kiosk at Hillside Centre.[BCLC]

More jellyfish are expected in BC lakes due to climate change
There isn’t much research into sea jellies and only two researchers in Canada studying the "mysterious" peach blossom jellyfish worry they’ll outcompete the indigenous species. They say if climate change leads to freshwater temperature increases, the gelatinous creatures will be seen even as far north as Alaska. The jellyfish is native to China—it’s considered a delicacy in certain Asian cuisines—and first appeared in BC in 1990. [CTV]

Scientists using DNA in the H20 to see if orcas are OK
Specks of blood, mucous, and fecal matter are often left in the killer whales’ wake, providing valuable information on the whales.
Biologists can analyze the material to determine a whale’s sex and while they already know the male-female ratio of the southern residents, the breakthrough will help them study lesser-known populations of orcas and even humpbacks. [Times Colonist]

SPONSORED BY MLA LORE

Hey Capital Daily Readers

As your MLA representing Victoria-Beacon Hill, my commitment is to serve you better. Whether you seek advocacy, assistance, information, community outreach, or recognition, my team and I are here to support you every step of the way. Let's work together to ensure that Victoria Beacon Hill thrives together.

Sincerely,
Grace Lore
MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill

🗓️ Things to do

🎶 Back to School: Get back into the swing of school with a night of music featuring Alcoves, Dockside, Luna Land, and The New Owners. Victoria Event Centre. Thu. 8pm. [Tickets]

🐖🎸 RELICS: Tribute to Pink Floyd. Hear an homage to Pink Floyd’s work at Hermann’s Tomorrow. 7pm. [Tickets]

🤹 Juggle Club: Head to Club KWENCH for a juggling session for seasoned jugglers and amateurs. Today. 4pm. [Info]

📸 Victoria Camera Club. 2024/25 opening meeting of the Nature Shared Interest Group. Tonight. Via Zoom. 7-9pm. [Info]. Season Opener and Competition Night. Join in person at Norway House or on Zoom to learn about VCC's 24/25 program. Tomorrow. 7:30-9pm. [Info]

🎞️ Playing at UVic’s Cinecenta: Parasite (black & white version). Two families in Seoul—one barely scraping by, the other living in luxury—become entwined. Today & tomorrow. 5pm & 7:30pm. [Info]

🚢👉 Today at Ship Point: All-level flow by One Yoga. 11:30am-12:15pm and 12:45pm-1:30pm. Food trucks, lawn games from 4-9pm. Folk music from Dana Sipos from 5-6pm. DJ Nova Jade’s Bad Rabbit Radio broadcast from 6-8pm. [Info] 

🪦Speaking of Death… Conversations about end of life, well before death. Facilitated learning experiences for those curious about end-of-life planning. Cafe Fantastico in Qudra Village. Tonight. 6-7pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: Victoria, Parksville Paralympians grab gold in Paris; Salt Spring Rooster racket goes to the courts; CFL game at RAP draws complaints it was ‘over-sold’; And more. [Sept. 3] 

Colwood singer’s home attacked with fire and gunshots. [Capital Daily] 

School zone speeding regulations are back, as of yesterday.

Cree author Darrel J. McLeod dead at 67. [Times Colonist]

Classroom cellphone ban now applies in BC schools, with some exceptions. [Vancouver Sun]

Heritage BC’s Industrial Heritage Map is now live, showcasing ghost towns, mills, mines, powerhouses, and more.

A spectacular South Island sunrise shot by our friend James MacDonald.

Turkey vultures perch on the Gulf Islands before flying to South America. [VanIsleWildlife]

That’s it!

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