Feb 22 - Mainland earthquake reaches Island

Good morning !

We’ve got a few rainy days ahead, but I’m personally alright with that—there’s been a surge of great TV shows returning this month and I’ve already fallen behind. Looks like I’ll be cozied up indoors this weekend.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 10 / 8

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 9 / 7

Monday: 🌧️ 9 / 7

⚠️ Minor flood risk: High streamflow alert for South and West Island. [River Forecast Centre]

NEWS

4.7-magnitude quake near Sunshine Coast felt here

The shaker struck at 1:26pm yesterday approximately 24km northeast of Sechelt on the mainland, and was felt across the Vancouver area and here on the Island.

There were no reports of damage and Victorians took to social media—some to say they felt it, and others to say they didn’t.

So why did some feel it—as they did with the 3.7-magnitude quake rattling last Thursday—in the Cook Street Village and parts of Fernwood while others in adjacent James Bay didn’t?

Why some places get more shaking

Earth science professor Brent Ward says that the Cook Street Village is most likely built on a package of sediment that is not as dense as the ground beneath the James Bay neighbourhood.

“In areas with thick, loose sediments where the velocity of the earthquake wave is lower because the sediments are less dense than rock, it means the ground shaking is more intense,” says Ward, co-director at SFU’s Centre for Natural Hazards Research in Burnaby.

Ward was on Hornby Island when his brother said to him, “Did you feel that?” he tells Capital Daily.

“It was like something hit the house, and the dogs all freaked out. And so people on Hornby felt it a lot.”

That’s another thing:

How do animals seem to know when a quake is about to hit?

Ward says animals may have an early-warning system because they can detect the primary shock waves, which are the result of the energy that builds up when the underground rock is under stress and ruptures along a fault, releasing that energy.

Primary waves (P waves) precede secondary waves (S waves) and can travel through water, solids, and gases. S waves—also known as surface waves, the ones that cause the damage—only travel through solids.    

“It could be that your animal picks up on those initial waves that most of us wouldn't feel,” Ward says.

Tremors could continue this weekend

Earthquakes Canada’s preliminary measurements had the quake—originally measured at 5.1 magnitude, later upgraded to 5.4, and then downgraded to 4.7—rumbling through at a depth of 1km, so we may feel some tremors over the next few days. 

Natural Resources Canada seismologist John Cassidy told the Times Colonist shallow earthquakes typically bring aftershocks that may or may not be felt in the coming days.

NEWS

Victoria children’s book publisher says censorship is on the rise

A Victoria-based children’s book publishing house is standing by its authors amid book bans and censorship threats across Canada and the US. 

Andrew Wooldridge, owner of Orca Book Publishers, told Capital Daily book bans are hardly new—one of the first books published by the company when it launched in 1984 was subject to a ban—but they’ve become more frequent in recent years.

Tomorrow kicks off Freedom to Read Week, which encourages people to speak out about intellectual freedom. Orca Book Publishers said it’s cognizant of the recent rise in the frequency of people calling for banning books and wants its authors to know the company has their backs.

One book published by Orca, Pride Puppy!, has been at the centre of a censorship case that has reached the US Supreme Court. A group of religious parents in Maryland wants its children removed from class when books containing LGBTQ+ themes are explored.

Pride Puppy! is a children's alphabet book that follows the story of a family who lose their dog at a Pride parade and are reunited with it thanks to the help of those attending the procession. The book’s plot focuses on spending time with family and helping others—lessons that can be found in many children’s books. Wooldridge said there’s “nothing objectionable” in the book, but detractors take issue with the appearance of Pride flags in its illustrations.

“A lot of what we're seeing right now is hate disguised as parental rights,” Wooldridge said. “It's really an attempt to make books unavailable to children at the end of the day.”

Wooldridge says these bans can hurt business for publishers and can harm the mental health and reputation of authors. He worries that the polarization of these topics could lead authors and publishers to avoid telling valuable stories.

Read the full story by Robyn Bell here.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🎞️ Lost Orca: the Legend of Luna at RBCM IMAX until March 16. 

🐆 Spot the cougar: Can you see the big cat blended into the woods of East Sooke Park. [Facebook photo]

⭐ "Funny and poignant...first-rate performances." Behind the Moon at the Belfry Theatre closes on March 2. Limited seating is available.**

🎤 26th Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival tickets go on sale next Fri.

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. Remember, the full Sunday newsletter is exclusively for Insiders.

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🗞️ In Other News

Island festivals join call for province to replenish fund
The BC Fairs, Festivals, and Events Fund (BCFFE) came into effect to help festivals recover from the hit they took during the pandemic. Funding can cover 20% of an event budget to the tune of up to $250K. The BCFFE was active last year but it’s not known whether it will be back this year, even though it was an NDP election promise. Two dozen+ organizations—including Rifflandia, Phillips Backyard, and Victoria Wine Fest—have written the province, pleading for the fund to be renewed. [CHEK]

Nanaimo will look at changing major downtown construction plan's timing
Businesses along the downtown's primary strip on Commercial say they're beleaguered by street construction that has been ongoing since last fall. That is slated to wrap by May, but a new proposal suggests delaying construction on nearby Diana Krall Plaza to 2027-28—instead of late 2025—to give them more time to recover. Instead, work further along Terminal Ave. would be bumped years earlier, to 2026 and 2030. [Nanaimo News Now]

O Canada lyrics have been changed before, says musicologist
If you’re one of the many who noticed Chantal Kreviazuk changed part of the lyrics to O Canada when she sang it before Thu’s Canada-US hockey game in Boston, know that she’s not the first. University of Toronto professor Robin Elliott says usually when it happens there is an outcry but given the political climate, many Canadians get where Kreviazuk was going with it. [Yahool! Sports / CP]

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🗓️ Things to do

🏛️ Heritage Week at the Sooke Region Museum: Celebrate local heritage at the Sooke Region Museum, exploring the theme of “pastimes in past times.” Starts 10am today. [Info]

💙 Coldest Night of the Year: Langford: Join this family-friendly fundraising walk to support local charities addressing homelessness and hunger, starting at Starlight Stadium, today. 4pm. [Info]

🚶 Coldest Night Of The Year: Pandora: Join Our Place Society for Victoria’s fundraising walk to support our neighbours experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness in our community. Start and finish at 1027 Pandora today. 4pm. [Info]

🎶 David Santana: Kurt Rosenwinkel: Experience David Santan’s take on the music of Kurt Rosenwinkel, a visionary who redefined jazz guitar, at Hermann's tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎻 Ian Maksin: "Beyond Neoclassical": Cellist Ian Maksin performs a fusion of classical, jazz, and world music at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church tonight. 7pm. [Info]

😂 Jared Nathan's West Coast Comedy Tour: Comedian Jared Nathan brings his West Coast Comedy Tour to town, promising an evening of laughter and entertainment at The Mint tonight. 8pm. [Info]

👚 Wear 2 Start clothing sale today & tomorrow. [WorkBC]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Friday’s headlines: CRD considers soft-plastic recyclable pickup; CFAX legend Mel Cooper dies at 92; Vic’s rental market expected to expand. [Feb. 21]

City says the province left it out in the cold during last week’s weather emergency. [Capital Daily]

BC’s safer drug supply: Take-home option ended. [Capital Daily]

Found: Missing Saanich man, 79, located yesterday. [CHEK]

Canada 3 USA 2 (OT) [Connor’s goal and more]

Morning heron hang in Witty’s Lagoon. [Doug Clement Photography]