Jan 21 - The beer business is tough

Good morning !

Some cry-in-your-beer news to start with: One of the area’s breweries has tapped out.
But it’s not last call for its delicious pints. Another beerhouse has pounced on those.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤️ 7 / 4  

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 6 / 4

Friday: 🌤️ 7 / 4

7-day forecast

NEWS

Lighthouse to close its brewery and tasting room this month, Phillips gobbles up its beer brands

After 27 years, it’s the end of the flight for the Esquimalt brewery—but it’s not quite the last call for its beer.

On Monday night, Lighthouse Brewing announced it was shutting down, and yesterday morning, cross-town Phillips announced it is buying the Lighthouse lineup of local craft beer.

“There are many external factors that contributed to this decision, including economic and market conditions, unsustainable overheads, increased cost of materials and services,” Ben Thomas, Lighthouse Brewing co-owner and general manager, said in a video released on social media.

“Right across the board, this overall saturation of the beer market and changes in consumer drinking habits, the impacts on the business and on me personally, over this time have been significant,” he said. 

Thomas said the Lighthouse tasting room will remain open until the end of the month—there’s a big thank-you party on Saturday—and it will hand off its stable of suds to Phillips, effective Sunday.

“By selling its brands and IP to Phillips here in Victoria, Lighthouse is ensuring its much-loved legacy portfolio of high-quality beers, including Shipwreck IPA, Race Rocks Amber Ale, and Company Lager, will continue to have a home and remain locally made in Victoria,” the Phillips Brewing & Malting Co. said in a release. 

“Phillips will immediately begin to do all the brewing, packaging, marketing, and selling of the Lighthouse brands moving forward.”

Read the rest of the story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Goldstream day-use area closure remains in place after December storm damage. [BC Parks]

Fog alert for the Island continues today. [Environment Canada]

Saanich road closure: Bodega between Ker and Arena, through tomorrow, as BC Hydro installs fast chargers at Pearkes Rec Centre.

Saanich single-lane alternating traffic: on Arena, through tomorrow.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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NEWS

New 24/7 shelter coming to Victoria

A new all-day shelter is set to open in Victoria, with priority going to those living on Pandora and Ellice.

Bridge Street Pathways Shelter—located on Bridge in the Rock Bay neighbourhood—will offer 34 beds, with meals, showers, laundry, and storage space included. There will also be additional health and community support available onsite. Connective—formerly known as the John Howard Society—will manage the facility, providing staff to be available to shelterers 24/7.

The two-storey building, which is owned by the city, will undergo minor renovations to add sleeping and day-use areas, shower facilities, and portable washrooms. The city will spend $700K to run the shelter over the next three years; the province will also provide funding over this period through BC Housing.

The shelter is slated to open in the spring. Ahead of that, BC Housing plans to notify residents and businesses in the area to outline how it will operate. 

This marks the eighth HEARTH project in Victoria since 2024, when the city signed a memorandum of understanding with the province to increase temporary housing availability. 

“We’re making great strides in Victoria, working together with the city to help more people sheltering outside move indoors, building a safer, stronger community for everyone,” Christine Boyle, the provincial housing minister, said in a statement.

Still, the city has felt the strain of Greater Victoria’s homeless problem. It has long called for more help—from provincial and federal governments, as well as neighbouring municipalities—in managing its unhoused population. Victoria has the majority of shelter beds and services, drawing people from other communities and, at times, overwhelming its support system.

In October, councillors said nearby municipalities had relied too heavily on the city during weather emergencies and needed to step up support.

Since then, Sidney approved an emergency warming centre and is currently looking at potential operators for an emergency shelter. 

In September, Saanich doubled its shelter capacity to 50 beds at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, and the district has an emergency shelter option available.

Victoria’s 2025 Point in Time count highlighted a 5% increase in the city’s unhoused population since 2023. It also noted a rise in safety concerns within shelters—76% of respondents said they had reasons to avoid them.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🍽️ Dine Around and Stay in Town begins tomorrow.

💸 Have your say: Saanich budget survey.

 🎵 The Offspring with Bad Religion tomorrow at Save on Foods Memorial Centre. 

🦉Short-eared owl, a species of special concern, is seen flying through the southeast Island. [Facebook photo]

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🗞️ In Other News

Canadian found dead on Australian beach identified as an Island woman
Piper James, a 19-year-old from Campbell River, was on a five-month “trip of a lifetime” that began in late October. Her body was found on Monday morning, Australian time, surrounded by a pack of dingoes, near the water on K'gari (formerly known as Fraser Island), a World Heritage-listed island off the coast of Queensland. No cause of death has been released, as a post-mortem was scheduled for today. Her parents, who found out the horrific news through the mother of Piper’s friend and travel companion, are scheduled to fly to Australia to bring their daughter’s remains back to Canada. [Times Colonist / CP]

Lots of damage on trails says PKOLS–Mt. Doug Conservancy
The conservancy wants to emphasize the importance of staying on the trails, citing damage caused by people veering off to make new paths. Michelle Watt, the conservancy vice president, says human and dog use over the years—particularly during the pandemic—has widened the trails, leaving some vegetation disrupted and trampled. According to a conservancy survey, as much as 60 to 70% of the park’s south end has been damaged by people and their dogs, she said. [CHEK]

More older Canadians say they can’t afford to retire, says survey
Results of the survey of 6K adults aged 50+ suggest many feel uncertain about their financial future—and they’re lonely. A growing percentage—43%, compared with 38% two years ago—said they won’t be able to afford to retire when they had hoped. That same percentage, 43%, said they feel they’re at risk of social isolation, and 59% said they experience loneliness. Toronto geriatrician Dr. Jillian Alston says people experiencing financial insecurity are more likely to suffer a heightened sense of loneliness or feeling unengaged. [CTV]

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🗓️ Things To Do

🦺 Emergency Preparedness Workshop: Learn how to prepare for emergencies, make a plan, get your emergency kit together, and connect with your community. Victoria Fire Department Headquarters. Today. 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, welcoming musicians to bring their instruments to jam. The Coda. Today. 6:30pm. [Info]

🎹 Louise Rose: Alone Together: Canadian treasure Louise Rose returns with her popular solo jazz piano and vocal show. Hermann's Jazz Club. Today. 7pm. [Info]

🎭 I Don't Belong Here: Stories and songs at the edge of forgetting explore life inside a dementia care facility. Watch 15 poignant vignettes and 22 distinct characters navigating shifting realities. Mary Winspear Centre. Today. 7pm. [Info]

🎭 I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change: A musical celebration of the mating game that tackles modern love in all its forms. Adult themes and language. Langham Court Theatre. Opens tomorrow. Runs through Feb. 8. [Info] 

🏒😆 Fundraiser for U13 Grizzlies Hockey: A night of laughs and drinks to fundraise for U13 Grizzlies Hockey. Hecklers Bar & Grill. Tomorrow. 8pm. [Info]

🎵📜 Victoria Historical Society presents: Music and History—What Could be Better, with Kouskous, a world folk music duo featuring Gary Cohen and Amber Woods, who will take a musical tour of Victoria with songs that tell the stories of the early days in this area. James Bay New Horizons Centre. Tomorrow. 7:15pm. [Info]

🧑‍🎨 Polymer clay workshop: Level 1: A class in jewelry design using polymer clay, a playful, colour-focused art form at Stairway Studio in Market Square. Feb. 28 and March 1. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: VicPD urges caution as collision numbers rise; Doctor tele-visits cutting greenhouse gas emissions; Cedar Hill Middle School about to be razed. [Jan. 20]  

Rat problem hits North Park neighbourhood following building demolition. [CHEK] 

Stories from Pandora: A look at life on the street. [Times Colonist]

Witty’s Lagoon trail closure: The Beach Trail remains closed due to a landslip in December. It’s expected to reopen this spring. [CRD]

Discover the Highlands with GV Public Library’s latest scavenger hunt. [GVPL]

Victoria resident wins $500K in Lotto Max draw.

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