Jan 9 - BC Ferries elevator malfunction

Good morning !

There’s an elephant seal currently moulting on Cadboro Bay Beach. The seal may look distressed or beached, but it’s all part of a natural process for the animals who often choose Island beaches as a place to shed their skin (you may remember the stair-climbing junior seal, Emerson in Oak Bay last spring). Make sure to give it lots of space if you’re enjoying the beach over the next few weeks.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 9 / 3

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 7 / 2

Day after: 🌦️ 5 / -8

7-day forecast

NEWS

BC Ferries improvises with car deck poop deck as ship’s elevators go down

When both elevators on the Queen of Cowichan went down, BC Ferries had to resort to Plan B: Bring out the porta-potties.

“What you find with the vibration of ships, occasionally the elevators do go out of service,” BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall tells Capital Daily.

“So that is our backup plan, to bring on porta-potties until we can get the technicians on to get those elevators fixed.”

Technicians managed to repair one of the elevators yesterday and were working on the second in the afternoon. 

Both banks of elevators were discovered to be out of order at approximately seven Sunday night, limiting access between the vehicle and passenger decks to the stairs of the vessel that carries travellers between Nanaimo’s Departure Bay and Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay.

The bathrooms are located on the ship’s passenger deck, making it difficult for those with mobility issues to access via the stairs. 

BC Ferries put out an advisory about the problem and gave the option to customers travelling in vehicles and requiring elevator access to the passenger decks “to travel at a later time.”

BC Ferries averages 475 sailings per day, and the incident is uncommon. 

“So you know, often, all of our sailings will go without a hitch, and unfortunately, media can glom on to the one that we have an issue,” Marshall said.

“I don't have the total number of customers who were inconvenienced but obviously, if somebody you know requires the use of an elevator, it would have inconvenienced them and we certainly apologize.”

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Multiple ferries cancelled today on Swartz Bay / Tsawwassen route due to weather.

UVic’s David Strong Building closed for repairs to heating system.

Victoria’s indoor pickleball programs begin today. 

Moulting elephant seal on Cadboro Bay Beach. Don’t approach it and keep dogs on a leash.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

Nominate your favourite local restaurants in the Tasting Victoria Restaurant Awards. Enter your nominations in any of the 18 categories here!

NEWS

4 Islanders awarded BC’s Medal of Good Citizenship

21 British Columbians received the 2023 award for acts of selflessness and dedication to community service, with Premier David Eby saying each “made their community a better place.”

Victoria’s Tim Cormode, for making nature accessible to all
Two years ago, he founded the non-profit Power to Be to support families and individuals dealing with cognitive, physical, and financial barriers to the outdoors. Four years later, Cormode created the Power to Give Foundation, which has deployed $60M to support the work of charities expanding access to the outdoors. 

Saanich’s Parminder Virk, for supporting diversity and caring for her community
She leads the Punjabi Cultural Community Association of Victoria, bringing the organization to prepare hundreds of free meals for local food outreach programs. She’s also organized several cultural community events as co-ordinator with Saanich Parks and Rec., and supports those in recovery as co-ordinator for the Outreach Bridging program with Island Community Mental Health.

Duncan’s Rhoda Taylor, for 40+ years bettering Cowichan Valley
Taylor served as an executive board member of Volunteer Cowichan for nearly 30 years and is the current board of directors chair of Literacy Now Cowichan, making education accessible for all ages. Rhoda actively works with the Cowichan Intercultural Society as a refugee sponsor and helped start Meals on the Ground, providing 500+ barrier-free meals monthly to those in need. 

Nanaimo’s Craig Evans, who was a dedicated farmer and community food security advocate
He founded Nanaimo Community Gardens and Nanaimo Foodshare Society in 1987, creating programs for locally-grown, high-quality food sharing in his community. He helped establish the farmers’ markets around the city. Even while facing a terminal illness, he worked to ensure his programs would continue. Evans passed away last March and received the award posthumously.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🧶 Our Place seeks donations of recreational supplies for knitting, crafts, and music. [Info]

🧘 Feeling stressed? Learn meditation techniques, find balance, and gain tools for daily life with Tall Tree Health.*

🤝 Now hiring: Staff Lawyer with Together Against Poverty.

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🗞️ In Other News

Vic High re-opening pushed back another month 
The school has been under construction since 2020 and was supposed to be ready for classes by this past Sept. but SD 61 pushed that back to the new year. Now its principal says students currently at the S.J. Willis swing site will return in March, not Feb., due to delayed interior work (electrical and flooring) and resulting safety concerns.

Victoria woman wins big with online slots
Charlene Boustead scored over $600K playing online slots on BCL’s website. She plans to pay her mortgage, renovate her home and retire early. [Victoria News]

Campbell River flight school to offer fully-electric plane
Sealand Flights will be the first business of its kind in BC to train with an entirely electric option. Flight training will begin next month using the Pipistrel Velis Electro plane, which can fly for 50 minutes solely on battery power. [CHEK]

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake recorded near Port Hardy
It happened yesterday evening, at a depth of 5km. Earthquakes Canada says no tsunami was expected.

🗓️ Things to do

Owen Chow Quintet: See the trumpet player at the James Bay United Church as part of the Young Artists series, tonight at 7pm.

Chorus Guest Night: Join this drop-in night to sing with the male chorus at Holy Cross Catholic Church, tonight at 7pm.

Down By Law: Jim Jarmusch’s nightmarish and fairy tale-like classic film will show at Cinecenta. Today. 5pm and 7pm.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Mon. headlines: Victoria enjoys warmest Dec.; Developer wants to add two storeys to under-construction Esquimalt condo; SS Pacific drawing comparisons to RMS Titanic. [Newsletter]

Former Port Alberni councillor Helen Poon, 34, dies in New Zealand crash. [Alberni Valley News]

Slow-moving sea critters: An undersea tour of nudibranchs and sea stars.  [Facebook photos]

A Christmas feast for the goats: Tree disposal at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm. [Photos]

Afghan sisters studying safely at Saanich’s St. Margaret’s School. [Times Colonist]

That’s it!

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