- Capital Daily
- Posts
- Jan 20 - VicPD warns of increase in pedestrians struck by cars
Jan 20 - VicPD warns of increase in pedestrians struck by cars
Island Health cutting carbon emissions through virtual care.
Capital Daily Team
January 20, 2026
Good morning !
The heavy fog that hung around the Island and Vancouver this weekend led to multiple flight delays and cancellations in Victoria. It’s expected to continue today, so if you have plans to fly out of YYJ, you may want to double-check your flight’s status.
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Take extra care on the roads, VicPD urges, after series of collisions
Photo: Mark Brennae / Capital Daily
It sounds obvious, but given we’re all human, VicPD has some simple—one could say pedestrian—yet potential life-saving advice for drivers.
“We are asking the public to slow down, stay alert, and make deliberate, cautious choices behind the wheel,” VicPD posted on its social media pages.
Here’s why the reminder.
VicPD has responded to an incident involving a pedestrian or cyclist being struck almost every day so far in 2026.
Since Jan. 1, the police said, there have been nine incidents involving pedestrians, seven with cyclists, and one with a person on a scooter. That’s 10 more traffic collisions than over the same period last year, the police service said.
“These are not statistics,” Chief Fiona Wilson told the media at VicPD HQ. “These are moms and dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles. You know, these are people on their way to work. They're on their way to school.”
Wilson said each one of these collisions is one too many. Fortunately, she said, none of the 17 incidents in 19 days resulted in a death.
The chief said police are seeing a lot of collisions caused by left-hand turns.
“So you know when people are turning, and particularly when it's dark and it's raining, just be really cautious and take that extra time before you make that turn to make sure there's no one in the road.”
That road, Wilson said, is there to be shared by people using various modes of transportation, but it’s those driving motor vehicles who carry the most responsibility to be careful because a simple moment of distraction, burst of speed, or act of impatience can have irreversible consequences.
“Watch for cyclists. Yield to pedestrians. Put phones away. Take the extra second,” VicPD’s post says.
Wilson said VicPD has asked for an additional four members for its traffic section, which she said has been “depleted so that we could reallocate resources to other areas” of the department.
“I think it's really, really important for us to get those resources back up so that we have those traffic members out there doing proactive enforcement.”
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Witty’s Lagoon trail closure: The Beach Trail remains closed due to a land slip in December. It’s expected to reopen this spring. [CRD]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.
NEWS
Virtual doctor visits are reducing carbon emissions on the Island
Dr. Jesse Pewarchuk and a colleague speak with a patient virtually. Photo: Island Health
Island Health’s virtual care options have made life easier for those requiring ongoing care from faraway doctors and specialists. And it turns out, it’s also helping to keep our planet healthy.
Island Health's Virtual Care Technology Services (VCTS) team has been tracking the carbon-cutting benefits of allowing patients to stay home, looking at travel kilometres saved and the average emissions per in-person visit.
From mid-February 2020 to mid-November 2025, virtual care has helped patients:
Avoid more than 23M kilometres in travel
Save more than $4.4M in travel costs
Save 2,600+ tons of greenhouse gas emissions, roughly equating to annual emissions from 578 passenger vehicles
The Bariatric Clinic—one of two in BC performing and sharing information about bariatric surgeries—has seen the largest benefit from offering virtual care. It alone has saved 9M kilometres of travel since adopting virtual options, helping patients from across the Island and elsewhere in BC to save time and money on appointments. Patients in the clinic’s bariatric program typically have appointments every three months.
Dr. Jesse Pewarchuk, one of the clinic’s internal medicine doctors, says he conducts at least 1K virtual visits a year, as many of his patients have a higher tendency toward serious illnesses and disability.
“We very strongly believe in health-care equity. We don’t believe that there is a difference between people who are here versus people who are elsewhere,” Pewarchuk says.
Island Health shared its strategy for tackling climate change in 2024. Its goals include a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with its 2010 baseline.
By prioritizing climate-friendly initiatives, Island Health could proactively be helping to keep Islanders healthy while at the same time, reducing future operational costs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of many global health-care groups to highlight the connection between the health of the planet and the health of people.
“Climate change is impacting health in a myriad of ways, including by leading to death and illness” from heat exposure, air quality issues, and extreme weather events, the WHO said.
The Canadian Climate Institute estimates the “impacts of climate change on health could cost Canada’s health-care system billions of dollars” over the coming decades.
|
⭐️ Capital Picks
🐬 Dolphin pod is seen zooming along in Howe Sound. [Facebook video]
🧑🏫 Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to lead with confidence. Attend an upcoming Open House to see how IB learning and belonging shape extraordinary futures.*
🗺️ Discover the Highlands with GV Public Library’s latest scavenger hunt. [GVPL]
🌱 Always be opportunity-ready! Set yourself apart with Continuing Studies at UVic and gain fresh skills to stay relevant in the job market.*
💰 Victoria resident wins $500K in Lotto Max draw.
🌿 New from Mateína: A zero sugar, organic yerba mate that delivers clean energy — no crash, no weird ingredients. Just plant-powered fuel that works.*
*Sponsored Listing
|
🗞️ In Other News
95-year-old Cedar Hill Middle School building to be demolished
With the new school up and running since September, the original building—constructed in 1931—is expected to be gone by the end of February. It will be replaced by a heated field atop a geothermal-energy system. Multiple former students, some in their 80s and 90s, took one last walk through the halls to say goodbye. [Times Colonist]
Fog forces flight delays, cancellations, even at sunny YYJ
It’s been sunny and clear here, but persistent fog in parts of the Island and in Vancouver has caused problems for air travel in and out of Victoria. The fog began on Friday and played a role through the weekend and into yesterday morning at Comox’s airport. It was bad enough to force the cancellations of six departures and four arriving flights there on Sunday. Several planes that couldn’t land at Vancouver’s YVR were diverted to Victoria’s YYJ. The fog is expected to continue into today. [CHEK]
PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates to bill $12M unravelling Greg Martel's Ponzi bankruptcy
The accounting firm says it’s only received $892K so far for untangling the scheme—where early investors are paid with funds from latecomers—that robbed 1,700 people who invested with the missing Victoria mortgage broker. The estimate is part of the minutes of a PwC meeting posted online. Martel allegedly brought in $301M but paid out only $210M in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in BC history. It’s not known where Martel, 49, is, and there are warrants out for his arrest across Canada and the US. [CBC]
🗓️ Things To Do
🎨 Forest Sky Paint Night at the Loghouse Pub: Grab a brush and your favourite drink for a guided paint night creating a peaceful night-sky scene at The Loghouse Pub tonight. 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]
🗣️ Let's Talk Tuesdays @ Murchies: Join an hour of casual conversation with new people in a welcoming space at Murchie's Fine Tea & Coffee every Tuesday. 12-2pm. [Info]
🚨 Emergency Preparedness Workshop: Learn how to prepare for emergencies, make a plan, and connect with your community at Victoria Fire Department Headquarters tomorrow. 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]
🎷 Victoria Jazz Jam Session 7: Victoria's premier monthly jazz jam returns with the Tom Vickery Trio as the house band at The Coda tomorrow. 6:30pm. [Info]
🍝 Dine Around 2026 Gala Launch: Kick off Dine Around and Stay in Town with restaurant bites and delicious beverages from 60+ Greater Victoria eateries at Crystal Garden. Thu. 5-8pm. [Info]
🎹 Tea With Wolfgang: The Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra presents an all-Mozart program in this annual British high-tea event fundraiser for the orchestra and Lionesses at Sooke Community Hall. Feb. 15. 2:30pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Sunday’s headlines: Dog dispute continues at PKOLS; Weekly roundup; Turner Building reboot about to happen. [Jan. 18]
Galloping Goose trail closure rests on property owner, but CRD ready to move in. [CHEK]
Layoff notices sent to thousands as federal government plans cutbacks. [seekr / CP]
The Bengal reopens at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. [CHEK]
Can you ID this TCH hit-and-run suspect? [RCMP]
Victoria at Dusk for Family Day weekend Feb. 13-15.
Plenty of fish in the sea: School of herring seen crowding around a dock on South Pender Island. [Facebook photos]
That’s it!
If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to a fellow Victorian.
And before you go, let us know:
What did you think of today's newsletter? |