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Jan 7 - Area's most expensive premises
BC Transit powers up and former VicPD boss ponders mayoralty race
Capital Daily Team
January 07, 2026
Good morning !
Kash Heed, Bill Blair, and Julian Fantino: police chiefs who traded law enforcement for politics. Victoria's former top cop is thinking about joining them.
— Mark
Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
North Saanich property is the most expensive in Greater Victoria
The Queen Mary Bay Estate (1850 Lands End) in North Saanich is the most expensive property in Greater Victoria. Photo: Sotheby’s Realty
According to BC Assessment’s annual report, property values have largely remained steady in Greater Victoria, increasing or decreasing within a 2% range per municipality—excluding the Highlands, which dropped in value by 3%.
The Crown corporation responsible for valuing all real estate in the province assessed 2.2M+ properties with a combined value of $2.75 trillion—a decrease of nearly 2.5% since last year.
The most expensive properties were located mostly in Vancouver or Whistler, though James Island near Sidney—at an estimated $57M—was the third-highest valued property in the province, a ranking it has held for several years now.
Of the properties assessed in Greater Victoria, only one cracked the top 100 most expensive in BC. A home in North Saanich (1850 Lands End) was valued at more than $19M, securing the No. 97 slot.
This puts it above the previous most expensive home in the region (3160 Humber in Oak Bay), which is now the second-priciest in Greater Victoria and 110th most expensive in BC.
The majority of Greater Victoria’s costliest homes are located in Oak Bay. Seven of them can be found on the same block within the ritzy Uplands neighbourhood, with prime waterfront access.
Here are the 10 most expensive properties in Greater Victoria.
1850 Lands End Road (North Saanich) Value: $19,080,000. #97 in BC
3160 Humber Road (Oak Bay) Value: $18,632,00. #110 in BC
3175 Beach Drive (Oak Bay) Value: $16,140,000. #176 in BC
3125 Beach Drive (Oak Bay) Value: $15,723,000. #197 in BC
3150 Rutland Road (Oak Bay) Value: $14,587,000. #251 in BC
8408 Lawrence Road (Saanichton) Value: $14,305,000. #266 in BC
3155 Beach Drive (Oak Bay) Value: $13,790,000. #300 in BC
963 Beach Drive (Oak Bay) Value: $13,208,000. #354 in BC
3150 Tarn Place (Oak Bay) Value: $12,772,000. #394 in BC
3195 Humber Road (Oak Bay) Value: $12,629,000. #407 in BC
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
First snowfall on the Malahat: Reminder to use winter tires.
Share feedback on Victoria’s 2026 draft budget: Learn the details—including the proposed 10% property tax increase—and share your thoughts by Jan. 23. [City of Victoria]
Noise bylaw: Have your say in business survey until Jan. 31 [City of Victoria]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
52 more electric buses in the cards for Victoria
An electric BC Transit bus. Photo: BC Transit
The new vehicles will join the other 10 electric buses that entered Victoria’s transit system last year, bringing the city’s eventual total to 62 by 2027, according to BC Transit.
The transit authority said 125 heavy-duty electric buses will hit the streets of eight municipalities in the province. It says that by the end of this year, 80 electric buses could be in operation throughout BC.
“The new electric buses are quieter and more energy efficient than their diesel counterparts,” BC Transit said in a release. “Each electric bus will save about one tanker truck of diesel fuel per year, or about 550 fill-ups for a mid-size car.”
Funding was first announced nearly seven years ago, with $28M coming from the provincial and federal governments and the Victoria Transit Commission for the first 10 electric buses. This financing was massively expanded to $395M in 2023 to allow for the additional 52.
The money will cover the cost of building charging infrastructure. The electric buses will have enough juice to operate through one day of transit and will need to charge for five to six hours each night.
Electrifying bus fleets in the province is part of the CleanBC initiative. The province says it plans to replace more than 1,200 gas-powered buses with electric coaches by 2040. According to the CleanBC report, transportation caused nearly half of BC’s total emissions in 2023.
SPONSORED BY THE CANADIAN CLUB OF VICTORIA
The Canadian Club of Victoria's January meeting will feature Dr. Helga Hallgrímsdóttir, deputy provost, University of Victoria
Join us at our Canadian Club of Victoria Luncheon Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 11:45am to 1:30pm at the Hotel Grand Pacific, where Dr. Helga Hallgrímsdóttir, deputy provost, University of Victoria, will discuss Universities as Partners in Strengthening Primary Care.
Deadline to register is tomorrow, Jan. 8, at noon. Non-members are welcome to attend. Details here.
⭐️ Capital Picks
🌲Christmas tree still up? Dispose of it this weekend. Saanich, View Royal, and Sooke.
🏠 Check out the Belfry’s free Interactive (kid and adult-friendly) Open House on Saturday, Jan. 10, from 12 noon to 4pm. Full details.*
🎴 Play bridge, cribbage, or canasta—or dance instead—at the Cook Street Village Community Centre. [January calendar]
⚾ Play ball: See the massive crowd gathered to watch a 1920 baseball game on the site of the future Crystal Garden (built in 1925). [Facebook photos]
🌕 First full moon of 2026 rising over Victoria. [Vancouver Island Buzz]
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED BY CONTINUING STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
Show up skilled and confident!
Sharpen your skills with online professional development through Continuing Studies at UVic.
🗞️ In Other News
Former VicPD chief Del Manak mulling over run for mayor
Manak says since he retired last summer, he’s had community leaders ask whether he plans to declare himself a candidate in this fall’s municipal elections. He tells CHEK he hasn’t made up his mind about politics—or what he will do next—but that he has received some job offers. Manak retired in August, after 35 years in policing and almost a decade as Victoria and Esquimalt’s chief constable. He was replaced by Fiona Wilson. Mayor Marianne Alto has announced her intention to run in the Oct. 17 vote. [CHEK]
Parole Board denies full parole for 1 of Langford teen’s killers
Kimberly Proctor was 18 when two teens lured her into a house and sexually assaulted her in 2010. Kruse Hendrik Wellwood, 16, and Cameron Alexander Moffat, 17, suffocated her and dismembered her body. Her badly burned remains were found the next day under a bridge. The teens pleaded guilty to the murder, were sentenced as adults, and received life sentences with no chance for parole for 10 years. In 2024, Moffat was denied day parole, and last May, his bid for full parole was rejected. Wellwood was turned down last fall and again last month, with the board saying he had a high risk of reoffending. [Times Colonist]
Major crimes unit investigating suspicious death in Gordon Head
One person is in custody after the death, which police said occurred inside a home on Blair near Shelbourne. Police began the investigation on Monday before the RCMP-led Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) took over yesterday. Saanich PD said in a release that the death is believed to be an isolated incident with “no indication that anyone else is outstanding.”
SPONSORED BY DESTINATION GREATER VICTORIA AND THE BCRFA - VICTORIA BRANCH
Victoria's favourite foodie festival returns
The Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria Gala is serving mouthwatering bites from 60+ Victoria restaurants, wineries, and breweries!
Your ticket grants you access to abundant restaurant bites, bevvies, live entertainment, & possibly the most dazzling foodie’s night out in Victoria.
It’s a night to remember—get your tickets today!
🗓️ Things To Do
🍺 Beer Club with Category 12 Brewing: Sample small-batch craft beer from a local brewery that's been perfecting its brews for over a decade using Canadian equipment and local ingredients. Cask and Keg Liquor Store. Tomorrow. 6:30-7:45pm. [Info]
🎸 Mean Bikini with Quit It! and Die Job: Cumberland's queer hardcore skate punk band teams with Calgary's Quit It! on their release tour, plus Vancouver's viola-core band Die Job. The Coda. Tomorrow. Doors 6pm, show 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]
🧑🎤 Bowie’s Birthday: Celebrate the life and music of David Bowie as DJ Robbie plays the best of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and The Thin White Duke. Lucky Bar. Tomorrow. 8pm-12am. [Info]
🎺 The Owen Chow Quartet presents 'Feel-Good Music': Victoria-raised trumpeter Owen Chow returns from New York to showcase new original music and jazz standards with masterful improvisers. Hermann's Jazz Club. Tomorrow. Doors 5:30pm, show 7-9pm. [Info]
🤣 Girls Night: An evening of standup comedy featuring some of Vancouver Island's best female comedians, headlined by Julya Van Der Sloot. With Alex Forman and Carilynn Nicholson. Win prizes from Victoria's Foxy Box. The Mint Restaurant. Friday. Doors 7pm, show at 8pm. [Info]
💏 Speed Dating: Ages 40+: By LoveSpark Connections. Single in Victoria and tired of swiping? Join us for a fun and relaxed afternoon of face-to-face conversations, where you can spark genuine connections in a comfortable setting. The Old Spaghetti Factory. Saturday. 11:45am-2:30pm. [Info]
🎼 Pacific Opera Victoria presents Zombie Blizzard: An intimate and powerful collaboration between renowned soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee and composer Aaron Davis, with the poetry of Margaret Atwood. McPherson Playhouse. Jan. 18. 7:30pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Tuesday’s headlines: January events; 5-week construction coming to Douglas from Topaz to Burnside; 1 dead in Saanich house fire. [Jan. 6]
Missing person: Treshaun, 28, last seen Sept. 9 in Rockland area. [VicPD]
Missing person: Patricia, 30, from North Cowichan/Duncan area, was last heard from on Nov. 26. [RCMP]
Team Canada takes bronze at World Juniors. [CTV]
Galloping Goose closed between Cecelia and Gorge East. Detour via Waterfront. [CRD]
Oldest Chinatown in Canada: A closer look at Fan Tan Alley over the decades. [Facebook photos]
A running start to 2026: See the goats at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm kick off the year with a mini stampede. [BHCF]
That’s it!
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