Feb 18 - See the world's best wildlife photo

Good morning !

How was your Family Day? I got the chance to check out both the Royal BC Museum's busy by-donation day, where families of all kinds flocked to the new wildlife exhibit, and the Inner Harbour's Winter Lime festival for some good food and good dancing.

Today marks a stark “back to work" for the region and the province, as the legislature makes its long-awaited return amid economic uncertainty and diplomatic turmoil.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧 6 / 6

Tomorrow: 🌧 8 / 4

Day after: ☁️ 9 / 6

NEWS

Wildlife Photographer of the Year opens at RBCM, headlined by Island photographer

The exhibition of the best in nature photography arrives at RBCM every year-end; it began on Friday and runs until April 27. But it isn't every year that an Islander is the star of the show.

Or, perhaps, the one who found hundreds of stars of the show. Taken in Cedar Lake, near Campbell River, Shane Gross's underwater image captures the tiny daily migration of hundreds of western toad tadpoles as they swim up from the depths to feed in the shallows.

Late last year the London-based Natural History Museum chose this shot by the Nanaimo-based professional marine conservation photographer as its 60th-edition contest winner. “The swarm of life” won the 2024 Grand Title over 59,228 other entries from 117 countries.

The daily gauntlet of predators and challenges means that 99% of them won't survive the 4-12 weeks it takes to become toads. Cedar Lake’s tadpole journey was also featured on Our Planet II last summer.

Gross told assembled media at the Friday grand opening that he originally showed up at the lake in the morning, ready to submerge. But a paddleboarding local told him the tadpoles were at their most present by afternoon, so he waited out on land before getting into the water in full gear.

To get the shot, Gross snorkelled in the lake for several hours, following lilypad trails made by beavers so that he wouldn't disturb silt and algae from the bottom that would obscure the shot. It wasn't until later that he got a real look at the 1,000+ images he'd taken—and concluded that this one, filled wall-to-wall with motion and life, was the best shot he'd ever taken.

Contest jury chair Kathy Moran said the image captured light, energy, and the connection between the species and environment. She noted that the contest tries to capture the magic of places and species that are not the typical wildlife photo stars.

Gross also won an Underwater Photographer of the Year award

Gross won the Macro category last year for another underwater-life-cycle photo, this one taken off the coast of the Island. It depicts strange deep-water plainfin midshipman fish, whose males sing to females in hopes of being rewarded with eggs to fertilize—if someone else doesn't get to them first. 

What else can you see in the show?

The gallery features stunning shots from around the globe. Some document animal behaviours, from reptiles trying to eat each other to parents caring for their young. Others show wildlife at home in both natural and urban environments—see a drone's-eye-view of a family of elephants, and a tiny fox kit playing on a winding road when the coast is clear at night.

There are also fascinating and brilliantly colourful photos of plants, lichen, and fungi. Outside the exhibit, you can get your photo taken with the shots of a gentle manatee family under water or a leaping stoat in the snow.

The youth-category winner combines 36 “focus stacked” images of the tiny world around us to deliver a pairing of a springtail and slime mold.

See more of the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year images.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

BC legislative session begins today, in first sitting since last May.

Gusts up to 60km/h today & tomorrow.

Rain will continue through to next week, but highs will hit 11C.

Night work at Shelbourne & Cedar Hill Cross begins today & lasts a month. [Project info]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

New BC legislative session begins today after hiatus since last May

New BC laws will be passed in the big old building on the Inner Harbour for the first time since last fall's narrow election. Its result took weeks to determine, and the shape of the government took several weeks more. The NDP sought an MLA from another party to fill the mostly procedural, usually nonvoting Speaker role—finding none, Premier Eby stuck with incumbent Raj Chouhan. The lack of a new Speaker to vote on removed the need for a brief fall session, delaying the resumption until now.

By the winter break, the BC NDP had hammered out a deal with the BC Greens to secure support on confidence votes. That support became especially crucial to the governing party after Victoria – Beacon Hill MLA Grace Lore announced a cancer diagnosis that may limit her availability.

Read more here on the details of the agreement, and its affect on South Island issues such as health centres and Fairy Creek. Local Sonia Furstenau then announced her resignation as party leader last month, which will leave the follow-through on these priorities up to the two MLAs including the peninsula's Rob Botterell. He is now the Greens’ House leader, while the mainlander Jeremy Valeriote is the interim party leader.

Eby's mandate letters guiding the ministries came out in the new year after a slight delay. Read what they say to Island ministers, and about local issues, here. 

Those priorities, though, have become overshadowed in this current sitting by the spectre of Trump tariffs. An impending possible trade war has shifted BC priorities and led the government to assemble a “war room” planning how to tackle the anticipated cross-border economic struggle.

Expect that issue to add pressure to what already looked to be an acrimonious session, with the large (44-seat) opposition caucus of the BC Conservatives having vowed to bring the government down early if they can find any opening to do so. 

Today's beginning of the session will be the first legislature appearance for the multiple first-time MLAs elected in the South Island. Learn more about them here.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🌸 Hummingbirds in motion in Saanich. [Vancouverisland_wildlife]

⛄ A lonely snow-person lingered last week at Royal Jubilee. Photo sent in by Bennett Guinn:

🤴🏽 Take your inner child to the opera with The Little Prince! Rediscover wonder and adventure with Pacific Opera Victoria. A magical experience, February 19–25.*

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Man talked down after incident closes Government
Part of the downtown tourist street, near the Bay Centre, was shut throughout Monday afternoon due to a man atop a ledge of the 6-storey Bedford Regency Hotel. Police said he was taken inside, and into custody, around 6pm. [Times Colonist]

LifeLabs workers begin strike; some centres will close on Thurs.
BCGEU reps say that the 1,200 medical testing employees have been without a contract for 10 months and are getting paid less than those doing similar lab work in hospitals. LifeLabs says it will maintain service, but with rotating location closures. [CBC]

Victoria Royals clinch playoff spot 
The local team lost twice this weekend, but its one win was enough to guarantee a postseason seat. The Royals are atop the BC division with a 32-15-3-6 record and are chasing Western Conference leader Everett—the team that beat them yesterday. [Royals]

All 5 Liberal leadership candidates meet fundraising deadline
The candidates have also begun to release policy plans, particularly on US trade, pipelines, and finance. They'll face off in debates on Feb. 24 & 25. [CBC]

🗓️ Things to do

📽 IMAX festival returns this week at RBCM. [Info]

🕰 Vintage Fair Fri. & Sat. at Mary Winspear.

🏠 Victoria Spring Home Show Fri. to Sun. this week. 

🍿 This week at Cinecenta: Mumbai-set Cannes winner All We Imagine As Light; Oscar-nominee Iranian political & family drama The Seed of The Sacred Fig; bold, energetic Cannes winner and Oscar nominee Anora. [Schedule]

🪕 The Smokestacks bring blues & bluegrass to Hermann's this Thurs. 

👀 In Case You Missed It

Our stories about Island families: How locals work with, bond with, live with, and memorialize loved ones. [Capital Daily]

Local hot chocolate festival is on for 10 more days. [Tasting Victoria]

Sunday news: Best local Chinese food. Challenges remain for shore power. Insider edition also includes: Victoria vs. BC over warming hubs in cold weather. Update on terminal girl's case. [Feb. 16]

140-year-old calling card of a Victoria woman. [Facebook photo]

Penguin pairs photographed by the Island's Kristian Gillies at the bottom of the world. [Instagram]

Plane ends up upside-down in landing at Toronto Pearson; multiple injuries. [CTV]