Dec 22 - The best restaurants in Victoria

Good morning !

Today we bring you what is always one of our most popular pieces of news in the year: the readers’ choice restaurant survey results. Before that, though, we look at the new housing target updates for Victoria, Saanich, & Oak Bay.

Remember that this is our final weekend newsletter of the year and our last fully free Sunday edition. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today to get full access in the new year and to help us bring local stories to life. 

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧 11 / 8

Tomorrow: 🌦️ 12 / 8

Tuesday: 🌧 10 / 5

NEWS

Housing targets update: Victoria far ahead while Oak Bay way behind

A year and a half ago, the province released a list of 10 municipalities it deemed most in need of more housing. Last fall, it set numbers for them—including a target of 10,176 units over 5 years for Victoria, Saanich, and Oak Bay together.

Victoria well ahead of schedule 

Now, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has released the first progress report and Victoria leads the pack with 1,477 units built vs. an expected first-year pace of 659. That's 224% of the year target and nearly a third of the way to the 5-year total goal. Saanich is 5th overall with 338 vs. a target or 440 (77%). 

Oak Bay way behind 

Oak Bay is one of a pair (the other is West Van) coming in far behind projections. Oak Bay has completed just 16 units, against a target of 56 (29%). The municipality has long been known for its reluctance to build new housing, but now the minister may step in—either by appointing an advisor to help the district or directly intervening in decisions. Kahlon said it was “a little disappointing” that Oak Bay was barely in double digits given its neighbours Victoria and Saanich's volumes. 

Treatment unfair, says mayor 

Mayor Kevin Murdoch argues that his small municipality is being unfairly singled out and that the thousand-unit deficit reported in Vancouver matters much more. He told Black Press that Oak Bay has been trying to get help from the province and its advisors for the past year, and that the district told BC that it would be slow in the first year because approvals don't immediately translate to finished homes. 

A month after the housing targets came out last fall, Oak Bay approved a 14-unit proposal for The Quest after more than a decade of rejecting its predecessors.

The mayor of West Vancouver has made a similar case about being made an example of, despite progress.

To reach its overall target of 664 new homes, Oak Bay now needs to deliver about 160 units per year. The ministry will talk to Oak Bay officials until mid-Jan before deciding whether to add an advisor. 

FOOD

Victoria's best restaurants (as voted by you)

For a smaller city, Victoria has an incredible food scene. And throughout a year that has challenged even the most established venues, many local spots remained solid, expanded, or just recently opened their doors.

A couple of weeks ago, our sister publication Tasting Victoria unveiled the winners of the 2024 Tasting Victoria Restaurant Awards. The winning restaurants in each of the 18 categories were selected based on more than 4,000 nominations and votes from Tasting Victoria and Capital Daily readers earlier this year.

We hope this downloadable PDF brings you closer to Victoria's culinary community, and helps you to see a new restaurant with fresh eyes—and taste buds. There are a lot of great restaurants that made this list but of course, there are a lot of amazing restaurants that didn't. It just shows you how robust and deep our city’s amazing food scene is.  

Learn more about the winners here.

NEWS

No white Christmas: Unremarkable weather expected after up-and-down recent winters

Precipitation is expected all week, though none of it white and fluffy. Today expect “strong & gusty southeast winds” this afternoon in Greater Victoria & Southern Gulf Islands, and high winds up-Island.

Temperatures aren't expected to dip below 5 this week in Greater Victoria. Though some sun may break through on Monday, it'll come with high wind.

It's nothing too unusual for Greater Victoria, but it comes after two diametrically different winters. Last year, in what was overall one of the mildest winters on record, much of the Christmas week similarly involved light rain and temperatures around 8C. But the year prior, the late-December snowfall wreaked havoc with life in Victoria.

2 years since our last snowy holidays: the wild winter weather of 2022

An overnight storm dropped 35cm of snow overnight for Dec. 20. Not only did it stop local bus service and knock out power, but it also made last-minute holiday shopping even more chaotic.

Staff and owners of local toy stores told Capital Daily how their most important time of the year was wracked by problems with staffing, heating, restocking, and even safety in packed stores with slippery floors.

The biggest downside, though, was likely the effect on holiday travel throughout the Pacific Northwest. Locals trying to leave and trying to get home found themselves stranded for days in airports as flights were delayed and cancelled due to severe winter weather.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🐶 Celeb dog moves to the Island: The goofy-looking “Picasso masterpiece” named Brody—with a massive following on Instagram and Tik Tok—has relocated with his owner. 

🌟 See how your donation to the Belfry helps bring new plays to life, ensures accessibility and can even transform people's lives.*

🍁 Fall photos: Celebrate the end of (astronomical) autumn with these reader photos from The Westshore.

🍽 These restaurants are serving Christmas dinner, though many reservations are now spoken for. [Tasting Victoria]

🎧 There are amazing people in our community and you need to hear their stories. The Vital Victoria Podcast spotlights positive changemakers in Victoria. Listen today!*

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

The Grinch who stole… the Grinch: Mascot poached from peninsula farm
Ian Stewart says his inflatable Grinch is popular in the neighbourhood—kids on the bus wave as they go by—but was taken while deflated. [CHEK] 

Cold Comfort ice cream opens second location. 
The popular local treat-maker now has a spot in Cook Street Village serving scoops and sandwiches near Dallas Road and Beacon Hill—and hot apple cider this winter. [Tasting Victoria]

Mars bomber will stay in Pat Bay until mid-Jan.
The retired aircraft will get another mechanical evaluation before attempting a third flight down to San Francisco and eventually on to its new museum home in Phoenix. [Times Colonist]

Cowichan Valley driftwood voted Stick of the Year
A Duncan musician's “ancient energy sword” has won the inaugural international contest on social media, narrowly beating a kid from Poland’s troll club in the final round. [CBC]

Murder no more: BC free of invasive hornets
As the US announces the elimination of the northern giant hornet / Asian giant hornet, BC is confirming that it has been years since any sightings. In 2019, hives were found in Nanaimo containing the large hornet notorious for killing and decapitation bees (which prompted the nickname).

SPONSORED BY PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA

Give the gift of opera

BOGO Tickets to The Little Prince or Rigoletto! Purchase any weeknight ticket in section B/C/D for either opera, and get a 2nd ticket of same or lesser value for FREE. Dec 26 - Jan 1. Valid for new orders only, for Tuesday or Wednesday performances. PROMO CODE: OperaBoxingDay

🗓️ Things to do

🎠 Carousel in the Park: City of Langford. Enjoy hot drinks from Morningstar Coffee’s mobile cart and holiday carolers. Veterans Memorial Park. 12pm-7pm. [Info]

🧑‍🎄 Santa visits The My-Chosen Cafe: Carlos, Tootsie, and Mack have made a special Santa menu and the proceeds will help support their friends at The BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre. 10am-2pm. [Info]

🎁 The Abkhazi Garden Festive Market at 1964 Fairfield. 11am-4pm. [Info]

🧱 Final day for special holiday Lego exhibition at Westshore Town Centre mall near Dollarama. Noon-5pm. Food bank donations encouraged.

👀 In Case You Missed It

A local mother's 3-year quest for the truth achieved the reclassification of her daughter's death—and challenged the competence of the coroner and VicPD. [Capital Daily]

BC gets a new Lt. Gov.: Janet Austin cycles out after 6.5 years. Plus: Nurse imposter sentenced. [Dec. 21 newsletter]

Friday news: UVic prof gets Order of Canada. FortisBC tries to convince councils to keep gas in new builds. [Dec. 20]

Fanny Bay oysters from Taylor brand recalled over norovirus concerns.

Water floods onto ferry's car deck in Washington near Strait of Juan de Fuca. [Facebook video]

Foot-long worm found on a North Saanich beach. [Facebook]

King Charles cancer treatment continuing into new year [Guardian] 

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