May 29 - HarbourCats get bad playoff news before season starts

Good morning !

Many years ago, I foolishly drove my rental jeep onto what I thought was a deserted Mexican beach. I got the thing stuck in the sand pretty badly, too. Within a few moments, two VW Bug police cars pulled up and I thought I was in for it. But the officers were bueno hombres to me. They helped to push my jeep out of there. I share this because I see some drivers are pulling this stunt in the Comox Valley. See that in our In Other News section.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 14 / 7

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 15 / 8

Friday: 🌤️ 15 / 11

7-day forecast

NEWS

HarbourCats get the boot for the playoffs, told to leave RAP for renovations

If the HarbourCats make the playoffs this season, they’ll have to play their games on the road.

The city has told the West Coast League (WCL) baseball club to make way for changes to Royal Athletic Park (RAP) ahead of Touchdown Pacific, a regular-season CFL game between the BC Lions and Ottawa Redblacks to be played there Aug. 31. “It's hard to wrap your head around,” Jim Swanson, HarbourCats managing partner, tells Capital Daily. “The playoffs are kind of what you work towards, right?” 

Usually, yes. 

The HarbourCats have made the post-season six of the last seven years, but if they make it seven of eight, they’ll do it away from the friendly confines of RAP. The HarbourCats—the stadium’s main tenants—recently were told they need to vacate by Aug. 7, the final day of the WCL regular season, to allow for a series of enhancements to the park, including the installation of a large bank of seats and new sod to cover the baseball configuration.

It was up to Swanson to break the news to fans at last night’s season ticket pickup mixer—usually an evening to enthuse about the season ahead, not to lament the loss of exciting playoff games later this summer. “A mix of upset, mix of disappointment, mix of resolve, and a mix of surprise—’How can they do this to you?’” is how he described their reaction. 

When asked whether the city would compensate the ballclub for any lost revenues, a spokesperson responded: “The City hasn't been presented with evidence that this will result in financial losses for the HarbourCats.”
Swanson said he would beg to differ. “That’s simply not true,” he tells Capital Daily.

Read Mark Brennae’s full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

The minimum wage goes up 65 cents/hour on Sat. [$17.40]

Saanich extends deadlines on biodiversity conservation and urban forest strategies. [Until Friday]

Low-flying helicopters over Langford. [BC Hydro mapping]

Missing person: Simon Carr, 57, was last seen Sunday near Watkiss Way and Helmcken.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

WSANEC matriarchs raise funds to buy back land

In W̱SÁNEĆ communities and beyond, it’s the women who hold everything together, says Matriarch Tracy Underwood. 

“The SENĆOŦEN word for women is SȽÁNI,” she said. “And if you look it up in our SENĆOŦEN dictionary, you’ll see the second definition of the word is ‘a knitting stitch.’ And that brings a whole new perspective to women’s place in the fabric of society.”

Underwood is the president of the non-profit XAXE TEṈEW̱ Sacred Land Society (XTSLS), which recently launched the Rematriate Stewardship project. The project is meant to bring housing and land to Saltwater Salish women and their families on Vancouver Island, so they can better steward their unceded homelands.

The Rematriate Stewardship project kicked off its first fundraising campaign at ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School in W̱JOȽEȽP (“Tsartlip”) on Red Dress Day earlier this month with the goal of raising $400,000 by Aug. 5. 

The group ultimately wants to provide a 20% downpayment on acreage on southern Vancouver Island as a tangible way to restore the sacred relationship between Matriarchs and their lands and waters. The site itself has not been decided yet but they are currently working with a realtor to secure something once the down payment is in place.

The W̱SÁNEĆ Nation itself has re-established ownership of unceded sites—ȾIKEL and SISȻENEM—in recent years, after creating its own land trust. XTSLS is the latest organization working to fund the return of Saltwater Salish lands, which were never given up by their original owners.

Read the full story here.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🪙🏈 50 Cent to kick off BC Lions season opener vs. Calgary. [June 15]

🤝 Now hiring: Horse-Drawn Carriage Driver & Sales People at Tally-Ho Carriage Tours.

🗞️ In Other News

Langford man faces 7 child exploitation charges
The charges against Jae Alexander Hegan, 31, involve child pornography and child luring. RCMP said police forces had been investigating Hegan since Sept. and allege he lured three girls online and exploited them, making child sexual abuse material of them and putting it on the internet. Hegan was arrested in Jan. and released on several conditions. [RCMP]

Home broken into 6 times while she was in hospital: Saanich senior
Returning after an extended stay in the hospital because of pneumonia, Anne Tolmie, 78, says her home on Blenkinsop was ransacked and robbed as many as six times. She says everything has been taken or touched, from antique china to the copper piping in the basement. Neighbours helped clean up last week, only to see the home broken into again. Police found cigarette butts, a beer can, and a burglar’s pry bar in the home. [CHEK]

Baggins Shoes on Johnson to close storefront, remain online
After 55 years in business, the store will close in Oct. due to “the increasingly challenging landscape faced by retail businesses coupled with a decline in downtown foot traffic by an estimated 30-50% in recent years.” Founder and owner Glen Lynch said the custom print shop will stay open and the rest will move online. [Victoria Buzz]

From the ‘I Hope it Doesn’t Start Happening Here’ Dep’t
People are driving on beaches. Some residents in the Comox Valley say it’s getting worse. People are driving on at low tide and leaving (or in some cases, attempting to leave) at high tide, sometimes abandoning garbage to float about as the water rises. A reminder that parking on the beach is ecologically bad news and against the law. [Comox Valley Record]

🗓️ Things to do

📚 Summer Book Sale. St. Mary’s Churchmouse Books celebrates all things green. St. Mary The Virgin Anglican Church. June 8. 10am-2pm. [Info]

🌊 World Ocean Day. Learn about local research and conservation initiatives through educational, fun, and family-friendly activities. Fisherman’s Wharf. June 9. 11am-4pm. [Info]

🥳 Cook Street Block Party. The Cook Street Village Business Association and CCGF Events present the 5th annual Village Block Party to celebrate the Cook Street Village and the Fairfield Neighbourhood community. June 9. 10am-6pm. [Info]

🩰 Victoria Academy of Ballet: In Performance: See the dancers perform ballet and contemporary pieces by award-winning choreographers at McPherson Playhouse. Tomorrow. 6:30pm. [Info]

💄Peaches’ Palace: See the local drag and burlesque star perform. Friends of Dorothy Lounge. Tomorrow. 8:30pm. [Info]

🎭 Salty Springfield: Join this Simpsons-themed cabaret and games night at Victoria Event Centre. Costumes encouraged! Tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Wes Carroll Album Release: Hear new music from the artist at this release party, happening at Hermann’s. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🧑‍🚒Wildfire Preparedness Day. Broombusters in Sooke leads the event at Stickleback Urban Trail Head near Journey Middle School on Ponds Park Corridor. Sun. 11am-1pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: Parking fines going up 50%; BC Ferries must improve relationship with communities, report says; Swiftsure survives possible cyberattack, sails past US sub; And more. [May 28]

CityVibe event guide available. [City of Victoria]

Recall: Nutrl Tumblers—which had been offered as a gift with purchase recently—have been recalled for containing sulphuric acid.

Courtenay senior loses life savings in scam. [CTV] 

Kyle’s CPR saves woman who collapsed at Gorge pub. [Times Colonist]

Saanich’s new bike-lane sweeper has a name. [CHEK]

That’s it!

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