June 24 - Locals take another run at Olympic gold

Good morning !

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get to see parts of SkaFest, AfriCa Fest, and Jazz Fest. It's hard to get a better weekend day than summer warmth, sunlight until almost 10, and good music and good company.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 4 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ⛅ 18 / 11 

Tuesday: ⛅ 21 / 13

Wednesday: 🌧️ 16 / 12

7-day forecast

NEWS

Island rowers returning to Olympics in pursuit of more medals

Half of the members of the women’s eight boat that won gold in Tokyo will return for Paris, including Avalon Wasteneys of Campbell River. Wasteneys said in a release that she is looking forward to the full Olympic experience after Tokyo was limited in 2021 by the pandemic.

Joining her in the boat will be locally based Sydney Payne and Victoria's Caileigh Filmer, who is back on the water after several years in cycling. She won bronze in Tokyo in the women’s pair with Hillary Janssens and will now return to women's eight, in which she competed at Rio 2016.

Rowing has traditionally been among Canada's strongest Olympic sports (43 total medals), and Islanders are disproportionately represented in that success.

The national rowing program is based out of North Cowichan, and until recently was in Victoria/ Saanich, meaning that many of the athletes live in the South Island. The support staff also skews local, with four of the 10 Paris-bound staff hailing from the Island.

However, there is less Island representation in Paris than there has been in the recent past, with no Kai Langerfeld or Conlin McCabe—the duo that was 0.6 seconds from bronze in men's pair. Capital Daily followed their training process for this story three years ago, and also told the story of Rebecca Zimmerman, a member of the Tokyo eight team who didn't get to be part of the gold-winning race.

This year's national rowing team will also feature the Paralympic debut of Jacob Wassermann, a survivor of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash.

⚠️ Bulletin

This week’s weather: Mostly a mix of sun & cloud.

Oilers get their shot today to make history with Stanley Cup comeback from 0-3.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Langford will support free public transportation for youth and seniors at UBCM

On Saturday, we covered BC Transit's plan to raise local bus fares by 20% next April. But while it looks to increase costs, Langford has just voted to support removing them entirely for older and younger riders. City council unanimously voted to request BC government legislation for free transit for residents under 18 and over 65, citing significant health and social benefits.

This comes as the Victoria Transit Riders Union has been urging municipalities to endorse such a policy ahead of this fall's Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention, at which BC municipalities vote on which policies to prioritize as a group. Apart from Langford, Saanich and Oak Bay have also supported this call for free transit.

Councillor Colby Harder highlighted the impact of losing driving ability on seniors' independence and health, framing accessible public transit as a way to mitigate that. A recent report from BC’s Office of the Seniors Advocate also highlighted transportation barriers for seniors, particularly in rural communities such as parts of the Westshore. 

Read the full story at The Westshore.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🟣 Bright purple plant, bright green visitor in Saanich. [Photo]

🐐 New kids on the farm: Pregnant goats Lemon Sorbet and Cookies&Cream delivered three kids between them last weekend. [Photos]

🎶 Eventide summer concert series will return July 3. [Announcement]

🥖 Community Food Support seeks July volunteers. [Info]

🤝 Now hiring: 1st or 2nd Line Cook at The Blue Poppy Restaurant.

🗞️ In Other News

Greater Victoria has 20,000+ tech workers, per VIATEC report
The annual economic report also estimates $5.9B of direct revenue from the sector and $2B indirect. It concludes that the industry benefits from the region’s lifestyle, mild climate, shorter commutes, and post-secondary schools—but struggles with recruitment, funding, and reliable supply chains. [Victoria Tech Journal]

Saanich looks to shift Panama Flats plan away from agriculture
The district acquired the 25ha Flats in 2011, and the decade-old 2014 plan aimed to put part of it into the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). The land commission rejected that, and the focus has since shifted to recreation, species conservation, and storm water management. An updated plan would start in 2025. [Times Colonist]

Island MP's bill on “shrinkflation” passes first reading
This fall Parliament will consider Cowichan-Malahat-Langford NDP MP Alistair MacGregor bill to require more transparency on food prices—including cases of companies maintaining the same price but shrinking the unit size. [CHEK]

🗓️ Things to do

🎙️ Laura Anglade Quartet: During JazzFest, the French-American singer will be joined by drummer Valerie Lacombe, bassist John Champman, and guitarist Sam Kirmayer at Hermann’s Jazz Club. Today. 7pm. [Info]

🎺 Jackson/Wilson Duo: The trombonist and guitarist will perform at Fathom Lounge during JazzFest. Today. 9pm. [Info]

🎷 Rowan Farintosh Trio: The Island-based saxophonist will be joined by bassist Seth Leupold and drummer Boshko Maric at Ship Point as a part of JazzFest. Today. 4:30pm. [Info]

🎹 Cory Henry: The Grammy winning keyboardist and singer will perform during JazzFest at Wicket Hall, with an opening performance from Windcruiser. Today. 9pm. [Info]

🎥 Irena's Vow at Cinecenta: The Louise Archambault film about a Polish nurse during WWII will be shown at the UVic theatre. Today. 5pm and 7:15pm.  

👀 In Case You Missed It

Best outdoor dining in Canada: Six local restaurants make OpenTable list. [Tasting Victoria]

Second-degree murder verdict in trial over stabbing outside Yates bar. [Sun. newsletter]

Wildfires near Port Alberni and Duncan were brought under control on Thursday. [CityNews]

Sights of SkaFest: Friday's festivities summarized in this supercut.

The last dance between a bee & crab spider in Sidney. [Photo]

HarbourCats 6 Bells 2 on Sunday. 

The strawberry moon

In yesterday's poll, just under half of respondents said they saw the extra-bright June full moon. In these photos, its reflection on the water helps the glowing moon look almost as bright as the sun.