Jan 6 - Sea lion out on highway again

Good morning !

This week may end up being a big one for national-level news (more on that below). But as we begin our first full week back from the holiday break, we're continuing to catch you up on some of the local and Island stories that developed over the holiday period.

Some of those stories are continuing to develop—such as the case of the sea lion found wandering around one of the Island's major highways.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Monday: 🌥 8 / 2

Tuesday: ☁️ 6 / 4

Wednesday: ☁️ 8 / 5

NEWS

Officials trying to capture Hwy 4 sea lion

A plot to catch the Tofino-area interloper is afoot (aflipper?) after the sea lion was seen lying around the highway. It appears to have gotten from the ocean into Kennedy Lake, and then has been coming out from the lake onto the highway—multiple times over the past week. 

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The Department of Fisheries & Oceans has been monitoring the situation, and a fisheries officer told CHEK that she encountered the sea lion personally on Thursday night. While off the clock, Denise Koshowski used her car and car horn to herd the animal off the road; she thinks it may have health problems. On Sunday there were patrols on the highway, per CHEK, and the Vancouver Aquarium was on hand with a cage. 

The sea lion is increasingly reminiscent of another land-roving pinniped: Emerson the elephant seal, who lounged all over Greater Victoria while moulting and was relocated multiple times.

Don't let sea otter get on your surfboard, officials advise

The Kennedy sea lion is not the only intrusive marine mammal seen lately. A Sooke sea otter originally photographed by Doug Clement kept following a trio of human surfers and getting up on the board. The humans tried to avoid contact with the otter, which DFO says was the right approach. 

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⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Road closure: Belleville from Menzies to Oswego will be closed for work for 6 weeks, starting today.

Crystal Pool referendum advance voting process begins today.

Trudeau could resign this week as Liberal leader, and potentially as PM, the Globe and Mail first reported. A Reuters source then said that a step-down looks likely, but no final call has been made. He is expected to make an announcement by 8 this morning.

“Considerable” avalanche risk today in alpine parts of mid-Island.

Mostly cloudy this week; sun & cloud returns on weekend.

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

NEWS

Colwood's plan to employ 8 doctors draws attention from cities across Island (and Canada)

Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi told Canadian Press late last month that he’s been getting calls from around the country from other municipalities “curious about what the heck we’re doing.” What Colwood is doing is attempting to address its healthcare shortage by hiring doctors itself to staff a city-run clinic.

Under the city’s plan, some 10,000 locals would get a family doctor by 2027. The recruited doctors would be municipal employees with vacation days and pensions. But the money to pay them would come from Colwood billing the province under a framework established in 2022, rather than from local taxes.

The pitch to doctors: not having to oversee a small business. In December the city announced it had found the first of a planned eight doctors for a municipally run clinic in Royal Bay. Dr. Cassandra Stiller-Moldovan will move here from London, Ont. this year, and she has cited not needing to run a full family practice as part of the appeal.

Read more about the Colwood doctor plan at The Westshore.

Also in that latest edition of The Westshore newsletter: A crashed car reveals a man shot multiple times. The top stories from ‘24 on the ‘Shore.

NEWS

Prominent Greater-Victoria-raised artist Joe Average dies at 67

Raised in Sooke, Esquimalt, and Oak Bay, he was living in Vancouver when he pushed to make art a career after an HIV-positive diagnosis in 1984. His brightly coloured and stained-glass-like paintings soon became coveted, he donated many of them to fundraisers fighting HIV/AIDS and cancer. He continued to produce and donate work until his death on Dec. 24.

Average was inducted into the Order of Canada last year for his art, philanthropy, and 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy. In 2019 the artist designed a Canadian coin commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality.

In 2021 he created a mural [see above] to adorn Helmcken House, which provides affordable housing to BC residents with HIV/AIDS. The operating society's exec director said then that Average “spoke up for this community and was a public figure at a time when many others could not do.”

SPONSORED BY CDM SUMMIT

Victoria’s digital marketing summit 2025

For the first time, the CDM Summit is coming to Victoria on January 23! This one-day event brings innovators and trailblazers together to explore cutting-edge strategies and trends in digital marketing. Don’t miss the chance to connect with and learn from leaders in the industry.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🐙 Name the new octopus: The Salish Sea Centre wants visitors to vote for which sea-star-themed name to give to its newest resident. [Info]

🌕 Anosh Irani's play, Behind the Moon, starring Rizwan Manji, starts rehearsals at the Belfry Theatre next week. Learn more.*

🐛 Wooly bear caterpillars can be seen in the winter—but their bands don't actually predict the weather. [Blog]

👩‍🎨 Open call to artists for Ministry of Casual Living exhibition proposals. Deadline Jan. 7. [Info]

🍽 Victoria’s favourite culinary festival is back! Kick off the Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria season with its Gala Launch on January 23 from 5-8pm.*

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Driver hits e-cyclist in Caledonia protected lane
The road was shut for part of Sat. after the SUV “just smoked” a delivery driver while turning into a parking garage, per a resident who helped. DoorDash Canada confirmed that the cyclist was on the clock delivering at the time; gig workers in BC recently became eligible for work injury compensation. [Times Colonist]

Police not at fault for fatal crash into taxi, IIO determines
On Oct. 19 a driver sped away from an attempted downtown stop and rear-ended a stopped cab, killing its driver Ronnie Singh. The Investigations Office has found that it was lawful for VicPD to make the stop, and that officers avoided launching into a high-speed pursuit when the driver fled.

1,500+ non-compliant short-term rentals being targeted by province
The province says that it is pursuing enforcement against Airbnbs and other rentals that are illegal under its new rules. Some 1,300 were flagged through public complaints, and most owners are moving into compliance—though 75 are under active investigation and risk major fines—the ministry says. [Vancouver Sun]

Ladysmith's Pamela Anderson: Golden Globe finalist
Anderson, 57, was nominated for the best actress in a drama film category for Gia Coppola's low-budget The Last Showgirl, which opens in US theatres this Friday. She was up against Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Tilda Swinton, and eventual winner Fernanda Torres.

Motorist caught drinking & driving while accusing sober driver of drinking & driving
Oceanside RCMP responded to an impaired driving call in Qualicum Beach on New Year's Eve afternoon. The accused driver had pulled over and was being stopped from driving again by a second driver. But after police did tests, they say that the second driver was the one who failed. The first driver was just bad at driving in the dark. 

🗓️ Things to do

🎸 Sum41: See the pop punk legends at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, with special guests PUP and Gob. This Friday.

🎭 Whose Live Anyway: See improv legends from Whose Line Is It Anyway—including two original cast members—at the Royal Theatre on Jan 17.

🎶 Choral Evolution: Open rehearsal for singers interested in joining new session of Choral Evolution. 6:30pm in Sooke at Ed Milne Community School music room. [More info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday news: Major fires on NYE. First Island baby of 2025. 3-wheeled truck driver leads police chase. [Jan. 5]

Beaver construction site on Gabriola Island. [Facebook photos]

Alpaca rolls in leaves at Beacon Hill Children's Farm. [Instagram photos & video]

BC’s priciest property is once again the Vancouver home of billionaire Chip Wilson (and his infamous election sign). Capital Daily rounded up the priciest local properties on Sat.

Alice Munro's biographer explains his controversial decision not to reveal family abuse scandal in book. [The Walrus interview]