Feb 6 - Italy for Islanders as Winter Games begin

Good morning !

My TV is going to get quite the workout over the next couple of weeks.
It’s going to be all CBC—I’ll be getting my tax dollars’ worth of the Winter Olympics from Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Events are live our time from 3am to roughly 1pm PST, with recaps and show encores the rest of the day.
Italy is nine hours ahead.
Buona visione!

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌥️ 11 / 6  

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 13 / 5

Sunday: ⛅ 8 / 5

7-day forecast

NEWS

3 from the Island representing Canada at the 2026 Olympics in Italy

The XXV Winter Games officially begin today—although they started Wednesday—and three Island athletes are wearing the Maple Leaf, including Saanich’s Amelia Wells. 

It’s the first Olympic Games for Wells, a 23-year-old cross-country skier, who will become the first Islander to compete in a Nordic skiing event at the Games. Wells is slated to take part in tomorrow’s 20km skiathlon (10km classic + 10km freestyle), which begins at 4am our time. 

Cassie Sharpe, from Comox, via Calgary, will count Milano Cortina as her third Olympic Games. She got her start skiing down the slopes of Mt. Washington. The 33-year-old freestyle skier won Canada’s first Olympic medal (and it was gold!) in women’s halfpipe at PyeongChang 2018. Sharpe added silver four years later at the Beijing Games. 

Sharpe will be joined by Dillan Glennie, from Courtenay, in the women’s freeski halfpipe qualifications on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 10:30am our time. Glennie, 25, and originally from North Van, will be making her Olympic debut when she whooshes down the hill at Livigno Snow Park, near the Italian-Swiss border.

Canada is expected to win as many as 28 medals at Milano Cortina 2026, with hopes raised high in the hockey, curling, speedskating, and freestyle skiing competitions.  

Led by Marie-Philip Poulin, our women’s hockey team is once again favoured to take gold. However, their march to the podium got off to an inauspicious start yesterday. Its opening round match with Finland had to be postponed to next Thursday after more than half of the Finnish roster fell ill with norovirus.

The Canadians will now open their tournament tomorrow (12:10pm, CBC) against Switzerland.  

The men’s tournament begins on Wednesday, and Canada plays its first game the following day, against Czechia. Flanked by fellow superstars Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby once again captains Canada, which is slightly favoured to win the gold as NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time since Sochi 2014.

The opening ceremonies from San Siro Stadium in Milan will be held today (11am, CBC). They will feature performances by singers Mariah Carey and Laura Pausini and tenor Andrea Bocelli.

CORRECTION: A headline in this space yesterday should have read: AI-driven prostate cancer treatment trial in Victoria showing promising benefits. We apologize for the error.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Hummingbird alert: Ensure feeder water is clean. [CHEK]

Careful: Gift card scam. [Oak Bay Police]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Date set: Y to move downtown in mid-March

The YMCA-YWCA on Broughton will close its doors on March 12 and relocate to the Bay Centre in early April, the organization has announced.

In a website update, the Y confirmed that members have until March 4 to opt into continuing their membership at the new downtown location. An exact opening date for the new facility has not yet been set, so membership fees will be paused during the transition.

The Y was forced to find a new home after developer Concert Properties bought the 851 Broughton site with the intention of erecting a two-tower housing project. 

The Y plans to move into the Bay Centre’s top floor, a space occupied by GoodLife Fitness for 15 years before it closed in 2024.

The new Y will feature modern cardio and strength equipment, along with amenities such as two hours of free underground parking and bicycle storage. 

However, the new footprint will not include a pool, gymnasium, or racquet sports courts.

The departure from Broughton doesn’t mean the Y’s pool will be drained forever. 

The City of Victoria plans to take over the venue to maintain swimming programs once the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre closes, which is expected to be this fall.

Following a civic referendum last February, the city was approved to borrow up to $168.9M to replace the aging rec centre on Quadra. 

The total cost for the new facility is estimated at $209M, with construction expected to take four to five years.   

This story ran for our Insiders on Feb. 1. Consider becoming an Insider today and be the first to receive stories every Sunday.

SPONSORED BY PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA

Experience a thrilling opera classic

Pacific Opera Victoria presents Puccini's Tosca. Set in Rome during a time of great upheaval, the passion, the music, and the power of love will keep you on the edge of your seat. See this dramatic masterpiece live at the Royal Theatre from Feb. 18 to 24. Tickets start at $35.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🏅 The XXV (25th) Olympic Winter Games officially open today.

🎞️ Victoria Film Festival starts today and runs through Feb. 15.

🪩 Tight Hair Disco at The Coda. [Tomorrow night] 

🎸 Hawksley Workman Duo at Capital Ballroom. [Tuesday night]

SPONSORED BY BC DAIRY

Growing food system resilience, organically

Just north of Armstrong, Annelise Grube-Cavers and her family run Fresh Valley Farms, a certified organic operation raising pork, chicken, beef, and eggs. Built on rotational grazing and transparency, the farm shows how organic systems can strengthen land stewardship, animal welfare, and regional food resilience.
Read her story.

🗞️ In Other News

‘Unreal’ attack on McKenzie leaves UVic international student with facial injuries and questions
The biology student from Beijing was walking home with groceries on Jan. 22 at approximately 9:30 at night when a man walking on the sidewalk in the opposite direction bumped into him. He said the man then pushed him to the ground and began making sexually suggestive gestures with his hands and hips. The man then attacked him, leaving him on the ground along with his belongings and now shattered glasses. By the time he regained his bearings, the man was gone, he said. The student suffered multiple head fractures. Nothing was stolen. [Times Colonist]

Finance minister prepares public for cuts in Feb. 17 provincial budget 
Speaking last week at a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon, Brenda Bailey said a ‘serious budget’ is coming for ‘serious times,’ and when it’s announced, she’s “going to be the most unpopular person in the province for a while.” The latest data indicate the province has a deficit of $11.2B, and that’s territory that calls for cuts, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said. [CTV]

Woman faking nursing credentials on South Island sentenced to 115 days in jail
Charrybelle Talaue, who pretended to be a nurse throughout the CRD as early as December 2023, was handed the sentence on Tuesday for one count of forgery and two counts each of identity fraud and fraud. Talaue was charged in BC in 2024 and had additional charges laid in Alberta after collaborative efforts by Central Saanich Police and police in the province. Talaue fled the Island while awaiting a trial and was apprehended in Idaho. She is currently in custody and scheduled to appear in a Victoria court in May for outstanding charges. [Central Saanich Police]

🗓️ Things To Do

🕺 Dance City Night: Bring a partner or come solo for an evening of ballroom dancing, beginning with a cha-cha workshop followed by social ballroom dancing. Victoria Edelweiss Club. Today. 7:30-10:30pm. [Info]

👣👐 Footprints: the Ryan Oliver Quartet presents the music of Wayne Shorter. Juno-nominated saxophonist Ryan Oliver and his quartet perform the songbook of jazz legend Wayne Shorter, featuring beautiful melodies and surprising harmonies. Hermann's Jazz Club. Today. Doors 5:30pm, show 7-9pm. [Info]

🎷 CCN/Aterballetto Mixed Program: Italy's first National Choreographic Centre makes its Western Canadian premiere with a triple bill featuring Rhapsody in Blue, Crystal Pite's Solo Echo, and Glory Hall. Royal Theatre. Tonight & tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎼 Fauré Requiem & Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony: The Victoria Symphony gathers the musical community in the magnificent Christ Church Cathedral, featuring sublime repose and a thundering organ finale. Christ Church Cathedral. Tonight & tomorrow 7:30pm. [Info]

🤣 Girls Night! An evening of standup comedy featuring some of Vancouver Island's best female comedians. Also, chances to win prizes from Victoria's Foxy Box. The Mint. Tonight. 8pm. [Info]

🎸 LFG Presents: Very Beautiful (etc.), with The Daves: Semi-rehearsed, filthy rock 'n' roll from a band promising disgustingly good times and sub-par excellence. The Coda. Tonight. 9:30pm-1:30am. [Info]

🎺 John Lee Trio: Multi-instrumentalist and acclaimed Canadian jazz artist John Lee made his US debut at Jazz at Lincoln Center at age 19. He’s from Nanaimo. Fathom Lounge, Inn at Laurel Point. Tomorrow. 7:30-10pm. [Info]

🏠 Navigating the Real Estate Landscape for Seniors: The Victoria Seniors Business Network presents a free session featuring panelists Tony Joe, Mark Phillips, and Jill Phipps. Seniors’ Resource Centre, Metchosin. Feb. 12. 1-2:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: AI-driven prostate cancer treatment trial in Victoria showing promising benefits; CRD building permit changes coming in March; Uplands Riffington mansion for sale. [Feb. 5] 

Vancouver Island Epstein files connections. [CHEK]

YYJ lands on friendship deal with 4 Saanich Peninsula First Nations. [Times Colonist]

Recall: Custom-made roller blind with cord shield recalled due to strangulation hazard for children. [Health Canada]

Have your say on Victoria’s Noise Bylaw before Sunday.

Greater Victoria Sports Awards: Nominate someone here until Feb. 16.

Pinup Pets: BC SPCA calendar call: Through Feb. 21. [Info]

Bird-on-bird hunt: Two eagles try to snatch a duck near Rathtrevor Beach. [Facebook video]

That’s it!

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