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- Jan 8 - $140K in stolen goods recovered in the Westshore
Jan 8 - $140K in stolen goods recovered in the Westshore
Massive development on Capital Iron lands nearing final approval. Victoria man gets additional four-year sentence while serving life in prison.
Capital Daily Team
January 08, 2026
Good morning !
Today in our Capital Picks section, we have a fascinating video of a deer swimming from Quadra Island to Campbell River. I've heard of grizzly bears island hopping—the Texada Island grizzly, for example—but I never knew deer could do this as well.
Nature never ceases to amaze me.
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Westshore police discover $140K in stolen property, officers still looking for owners
RCMP are still looking for the owners of this Speeco 35-ton wood splitter, among other items. Photo: Westshore RCMP
While pursuing a suspect wanted on “several unendorsed warrants,” Westshore RCMP discovered $140K worth of stolen property, according to the police force.
In November, the RCMP’s Critical Response Unit (CRU) began the investigation and eventually arrested a man, 42, who possessed a stolen Chevrolet pickup truck and flat deck trailer containing stolen scaffolding, construction equipment, and a 35-ton SpeeCo Wood Splitter.
According to the RCMP, officers began to suspect the man had additional stolen property in his possession and executed several search warrants, finding a Ford F-350 pickup truck, RV trailer, cargo trailer with construction equipment and various tools, all of which were stolen.
Many of the items have since been returned to their rightful owners, but police are still trying to track down who these tools belong to:
Speeco 35-ton wood splitter
Antique Howe platform scale
Fill-Rite pump with red and black tidy tank
Dual-lid packer truck bed toolbox containing assorted tools
RCMP is asking anyone who recognizes the items and knows who the owners are to contact the department.
The arrested man has since appeared before the courts, according to the police, and is “currently remanded into custody and charged with several offences in relation to this investigation.”
“Recovering stolen property not only holds offenders accountable but also allows us to return valuable items to community members and businesses that rely on them,” said Cpl. Danny Grieve of the West Shore RCMP CRU.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
New federal pleasure craft licensing requirements.
Saanich single-lane alternating traffic: Near 613 Kent, near Carey, 9am-3pm through Friday.
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Capital Iron lands project faces final public hearing tonight
Photo: Reliance Properties
Victoria councillors are expected to decide the fate of a massive, two-block, multi-building expansion tonight.
The Capital Iron lands project, a 6.7-acre (2.7-ha) mixed-use development north of the downtown core, is in the final stages of the approval process, and the public has one more chance to weigh in.
That’ll be tonight at a city council meeting where developer Reliance Properties—no strangers to the city, having renovated the previously jagged Janion Building, among other projects—will discuss this one and hear from the public.
Reliance spokesperson Jonathan Lim is cautiously optimistic that the council is on board—although councillors can’t officially endorse anything before the citizenry has its say.
Mayor Marianne Alto has praised the proposal as "a fascinating combination of trying to create a new neighbourhood at the same time as being able to support and nurture light industry."
In November, Victoria’s city council unanimously approved the first and second readings of the redevelopment plan to build an arts and innovation district on the site, which would include 500 residential units, commercial and office space, and a new home for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV).
If approved, construction would be phased over an estimated 10-year period and would cost in the neighbourhood of $800M in today’s money, Lim said.
More than a dozen buildings, including two 14-storey condo towers, an eight-storey edifice for rentals, and a five-storey structure for the AGGV, are planned for the area bordered by Store, Government, Discovery, and Chatham.
Originally planned for 20 and 15 storeys respectively, two of the proposed buildings had their height capped to align with Victoria’s Official Community Plan and to reduce their impact on the neighbourhood.
Public concerns expected to be touched on tonight include the interplay between residential and industrial land use, any possible environmental impact, and potential future tax implications.
“I know there are some pre-recorded videos already, and some people have indicated that they're going to call in, but you don't have to do that—you can just show up,” said City of Victoria spokesperson Colleen Mycroft
The proposal could get the green light tonight, although Mycroft said there is the possibility of the debate spilling over into another day.
In terms of public input, we're seeing, certainly, on balance, a lot of support,” Lim tells Capital Daily.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm and will be livestreamed on the city’s website.
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They need safety, dignity, and a place to call home—and you can help make that happen. Please donate to PHS today.
⭐️ Capital Picks
🦌 Island-hopping deer: A deer was spotted swimming from Quadra Island to Campbell River. [Video]
🙂 825 Fort Street—Contemporary Rentals. Heritage Soul. Live on fabulous Fort in downtown Victoria's most vibrant neighbourhood. Now leasing for February 2026 move-ins.*
⛷️ New Year update from Mt. Washington Ski Resort: More snow to come this week. [Video]
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED BY CONTINUING STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
Lifelong learning where you live.
Want to learn a new language? Build your confidence and conversational skills in our French, German, Japanese, or Spanish courses. Registration is now open at the new John Horgan Campus in Langford.
🗞️ In Other News
Salmon letdown in Oak Bay’s Bowker Creek
Volunteer environmentalists stocked the stream with thousands of chum salmon eggs in anticipation of a salmon run that didn’t come. The nonprofit Friends of Bowker Creek Society (FoBC) placed 36K eggs in 2023, hopeful of signs of life three to five years later. Those hopes were low, the FoBC said, for several reasons, including incubation boxes that were not exact fits for Bowker Creek, the waterway’s physical barriers, pollution, and the fact that adult chum returns were fairly low this year in Salish Sea rivers and streams. [Black Press]
Victoria man who killed stranger while on bail sentenced for stabbing roommate
Mohamed Daud Omar, 31, is already serving a life sentence for killing a man outside Lucky Bar in 2022, having been found guilty in 2024. Weeks before he killed the stranger at the Yates bar, he stabbed his roommate in the arm during a fight and later attempted to break into his locked room. When his roommate exited the room, Omar appeared again with a knife and struck him in the head, cutting him. This week, Omar was sentenced to four and a half years for aggravated assault and attempted break-in, to be served concurrently. [Times Colonist]
Island couple wins $500K in lottery
The Coombs couple got a half-a-million-dollar Christmas gift, winning the BC Lotto Extra prize on Dec. 23. They initially thought they had scored a free play but were pleasantly surprised to find it was a massive cash win. The ticket was purchased at Save-on-Foods in Parksville. The couple plans to use their winnings to take a vacation. [CHEK]
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SPONSORED BY ROCKY POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY
Education Programs at Rocky Point Bird Observatory
Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s education programs begin Jan. 8 with monthly Feathers and Flight Night—accessible, expert-led talks on birds, habitats, and conservation. Throughout the year, we offer workshops, school programs, and community events that inspire curiosity, build skills, and connect people of all ages with nature. Register here.
🗓️ Things To Do
🤘 Mean Bikini with Quit It! and Die Job: Cumberland's queer hardcore skate punk band will team up with Calgary's Quit It! on their release tour at The Coda tonight. 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]
🤠 Country Night: Featuring Victoria's own Tumblin' Dice will be playing classic rock, pop... and of course… country, at the Irish Times tonight. 9pm-12am. [Info]
🎺 The Owen Chow Quartet presents 'Feel-Good Music': Victoria-raised trumpeter Owen Chow returns from New York to showcase brand new original music and jazz standards at Hermann's tonight. 7-9pm. [Info]
🎶 LJ Mounteney: Experience soulful, bluesy vocals and Canadian feel-good roots music from LJ's album Mama Danced at The Coda tomorrow. 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]
🎵 Barrie Sorensen: Original Jazz: After a decade as a sideman, Barrie Sorensen debuts as bandleader with modern original tunes spanning funk, jazz-rock, swing, and Latin grooves at Hermann's tomorrow. 7-9pm. [Info]
😂 Girls Night!: An evening of stand-up comedy featuring some of Vancouver Island's best female comedians—headlined by Julya Van Der Sloot—at The Mint Restaurant tomorrow. 8pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Wednesday’s headlines: Greater Victoria’s most expensive premises; BC Transit to turn area streets into Electric Avenue; Former police chief considering run for mayor. [Jan. 7]
Victoria’s former Olympian Silken Laumann had a near-death experience—and not on the water. [Times Colonist]
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]
Christmas tree still up? Dispose of it this weekend. Saanich, View Royal, and Sooke.
First full moon of 2026 rising over Victoria. [Vancouver Island Buzz]
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]
That’s it!
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