Jan 24 -Vic protester faces deportation

Good morning !

Today we have stories about a man and his Victoria wife who wait and hope he won’t be kicked out of the country tomorrow. A special gym gets renamed after a special person. And we liked this story from CHEK about a new way to look at camping.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤️ 6 / 2 

Tomorrow: ☀️5 / 2

Sunday: ☀️ 6 / 3

NEWS

Climate activist set to be deported tomorrow after spousal sponsorship denied

Zain Haq found out yesterday that his spousal sponsorship application for permanent residency—which he submitted with his Canadian wife Sophia Papp—was not accepted, after nearly two years of processing. He’ll be deported tomorrow, barring a last-minute intervention from the immigration minister. 

This decision came after Haq said Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) lost his application for a temporary residency permit. 

Haq, 24, says it’s unclear why his application was denied and IRCC has given him little information. His lawyer Randall Cohn said the couple deserves to have a “fulsome legal explanation” to explain “why their legitimate application was denied,” though he said it would be unlikely to get this explanation before Haq’s deportation. 

Cohn slammed the decision, saying, “The spousal sponsorship outlines humanitarian and compassionate grounds to overcome any inadmissibility.” 

Given that Haq is not a threat to safety and his marriage is authentic, cases like his are typically approved to “avoid unnecessarily tearing a family apart,” he said.

In a release, Papp said she feels “betrayed by Canada,” and that bureaucracy has determined who she is allowed to live with.

“The only reason Zain is ‘technically’ ineligible to remain here in Canada is because of nonviolent climate activism,” said Papp. “The sincerity of our relationship and his ties to Canada should overcome that technical barrier to uphold the true spirit of democracy.”

Haq and Papp said they believe there is a bias against climate activism within IRCC, which they say is at the heart of Haq’s case. In the meantime, they’re turning their focus to Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller—who intervened when Haq was nearly deported last April—in the hopes that he will reopen the spousal sponsorship application and grant Haq a temporary residency permit before he’s forced to leave the country.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Migratory birds: Brant geese are arriving on the Island, particularly Island View Beach. People and dogs must keep their distance. [CRD]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Gym for people with mobility challenges to be named after accessible exercise proponent

When people go to MOVE Adapted Fitness on Topaz for rehab or exercise, they’ll soon be looking at a “Pillar of Power” for inspiration.

This afternoon, the fitness centre’s exercise area for people with mobility challenges will be named the Adam De Levie Gym. The name will be proudly displayed on a pillar to honour the legacy of its former president, who would have been 34 tomorrow.

“So, it's Adam’s power sending out to all these people in the gym working out,” said Pauline Martin, owner of Neuromotion Physiotherapy + Rehabilitation, the gym’s parent company.

A longtime athlete, De Levie was left paralyzed from the waist down in 2008 by a rugby injury. He died last June. His hard work helped create a gym dedicated to serving the specialized needs of people with disabilities.

“Adam wanted people to have a place where they can feel comfortable getting treatment or to be able to exercise,” Martin says.

That place is MOVE, the first gym in the province designed for people with disabilities when it opened in 2013 on Yates as a non-profit offering equipment and services catered to people who have suffered a heart attack, stroke, or brain injury, or who have multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, brain tumours or other neurological conditions.

The gym debuted in 2007, originally designed for people who had sustained spinal cord injuries. It ran into financial troubles last year when it came out that it owed $125K in taxes to the CRA, and it had lost its charity status. The fitness centre was saved when Neuromotion, a rehabilitation facility that provides care for individuals with neurological injuries, took it over in Aug. 

Martin says Neuromotion sees approximately 30 new people with neurological conditions each month. “So that means there's probably at least 150 new neurological injuries in Victoria every month,” Martin tells Capital Daily.

“A lot of people's lives can change on a dime.”

The company announced that each year on Adam’s birthday, it will donate $1K to Westshore accessibility advocate Tanelle Bolt’s Rad Society drive to provide adaptive equipment—such as adapted mountain bikes.

“She has a big box in Langford filled up with adaptive equipment so that people can go and explore the forests,” Martin said.

Neuromotion also is looking for donations to help sponsor gym memberships for those unable to afford one.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Robbie Burns Day is tomorrow. [Why that is.]

⚾ HarbourCats announce 2nd School Spirit Day. 

🏠 New Year’s Open House. [City of Langford] 

🗞️ In Other News

Vacant Central Saanich land at centre of expropriation lawsuit
The former owners of land expropriated last year to be the site of the new municipal hall and police and fire station say they were paid a lot less than the property is worth. According to Park Place Seniors Living, the 2.2-acre (.9 ha) parcel of land at the corner of Wallace and Hovey was assessed at $7.2M—more than double the district’s assessment of $3.1M. Central Saanich ended up sending a cheque for $4.6M. The company responded by filing a lawsuit. [Times Colonist]

City of Victoria approves $100K grant for struggling theatre company
After months of debate and several amendments, the city council agreed yesterday to provide the money to the Other Guise Theatre Company, which originally had asked for $250K to help pay the mortgage for the recently acquired building at 716 Johnson. When that request was denied, the company came back with a $125K ask. Coun. Chris Coleman suggested the amended amount with no conditions, emphasizing the theatre company would have to raise the difference on its own. [CHEK]

Upgrades coming to Hartland Landfill as dump site area approaches capacity
Hartland’s Cell 3 which has been taking waste since 2016, is nearing its maximum load and will be closed sometime this year, so a fourth cell is being opened. The new cell—the first of three—is expected to accommodate the region’s solid waste for the next 25 years. The landfill is also putting in new scales to speed up service as well as a kitchen scraps transfer station. [Victoria News]

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🗓️ Things to do

🍝 Dine Around and Stay in Town: Enjoy bites from 50 of Victoria’s top restaurants, with three-course menus set at deliciously low prices. Today through Feb. 9. [Info] 

🎻 Emily Carr String Quartet: Metamorphosis 2: An evening of classical music, including Schubert's String Quartet No. 1 (D. 18) and String Quartet No. 15 (D. 887). Christ Church Cathedral. Today. 5pm. [Info]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Robbie Burns Night: Honour the legacy of Scotland's beloved poet with a reading of Address to a Haggis and bagpipe performances. Bard and Banker. Tonight. 6pm. [Info]

🎭 Dancers of Damelahamid: See the Indigenous dance company honour Elder Margaret Harris, through the traditional art form she helped revitalize. McPherson Playhouse. Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

❄️ Frozen in Time: Join your two favourite princesses for an afternoon of storytelling and songs. McPherson Playhouse. Tomorrow. 11am & 2:30pm. [Info]

🎨 Paint and Wine Night: Join Barbara Morris for a night of painting lessons—with a glass of wine. Archie Browning Lounge. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🎶 Catherine MacLellan: See the Prince Edward Island folk singer-songwriter play a selection of tunes from her seven albums. Charlie White Theatre. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🎹 Tony DeSare: Rhapsody & Blue Eyes: DeSare will perform the timeless songs of Frank Sinatra and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Royal Theatre. Tomorrow. 7:30pm. Sun. 2:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: Dine Around and Stay in Town returns; Indigenous Priorities grants announced; Sooke man arrested after RCMP seize possible explosive device. [Jan. 23]

Sannich man pleads guilty to making child porn. [Times Colonist]

Murderous sea otter’s behaviour due to lack of mate, says researcher. [Victoria News]

Pink Baker: Mt. Baker sits atop the city at sunset in this view from The Beachlands in Colwood. [Doug Clement Photography]

Young search dog finds missing girl in Courtenay. [Times Colonist] 

Hair ice: The rare phenomenon caused by a fungus was spotted on wood in Cumberland, mimicking white hair. [Facebook photos]

The many lives of 770 Yates: See the different retailers and bars that have occupied the storefront. [Facebook photos]

That’s it!

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