March 17 - UVic wins national championship

Good morning !

We hope you enjoyed the weekend and the pleasantly surprising amount of sun we got amid the rain.

We open today's newsletter with another pleasant surprise—UVic's UVictory in the national university basketball championships after losing the country's top player to injury and finishing only third in the western region.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Monday: ⛅ 10 / 1

Tuesday: 🌤 11 / 3

Wednesday: 🌧 10 / 4

7-day forecast

NEWS

UVic wins national university basketball championship

The UVic men's basketball team has won the U SPORTS title for the first time in 28 years and the ninth time overall. The Vikes blew out Calgary yesterday, 82-53, tallying their largest-ever margin of victory in a title game. 

In one of Victoria's most compelling sports storylines in recent years, the team did it despite losing Canada's top player, the western conference championship, and its coach of two decades.

Eastern newcomers excel in Victoria

Last offseason, coach Craig Beaucamp joined the NCAA Division I Pacific Tigers after 21 years with UVic. He was replaced with Murphy Burnatowski, who came here from Dalhousie alongside national defensive player of the year Sam Maillet. 

Burnatowski was named coach of the year after leading the Vikes to an undefeated regular season. Maillet was named national tournament MVP yesterday for his performance this weekend, which included coming back from a mid-game ankle injury vs. Calgary.

Doninant win erases only blemish in 25-1 season

UVic lost in the western semifinal vs. Calgary earlier this month but secured bronze to make the national tourney and yesterday took revenge on the Dinos in the national-gold rematch.

UVic took an early lead and built on it with a dominant game on both offence and defence, holding Calgary to just 11 points in the final quarter. Leading scorer Renoldo Robinson was named a tourney all-star alongside Maillet.

Storybook ending to era defined by local star

UVic has come close for years but had not secured a championship despite being top-seeded in the tourney. In this 2020s era UVic has also boasted the multi-time top U SPORTS player in Canada in Oak Bay’s own Diego Maffia. His resume includes both the most points in UVic team history and a 96-point explosion for Oak Bay High. 

But the Vikes had to complete their undefeated regular season without him after he tore his ACL in Jan., ending his senior season early. Without him, the team rallied to continue its undefeated streak and, now, to cap off his career by finally getting Victoria the championship Maffia had vowed to bring the city.

Watch the full final game here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

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NEWS

North Saanich considers picnic tables for mothballed pickleball courts

The district's pickleball saga continues. Council has been weighing new pickleball courts (at a cost of around $700K) at Blue Heron Park, and now will consider the repurposing of the existing $200K outdoor courts at Wain Park.

Those were shut down last May following noise complaints. The pickleball community and district council have been at loggerheads since. Last month there was to be a judicial review into the shuttering of the Wain Road courts, but proponents decided to drop their request.

That followed an outburst in council chambers in Jan. by one of the pickleball court supporters. He was incensed that council was collecting survey responses on the Heron Park proposal from residents as far as 600m away—quadruple the distance of usual sound mitigation considerations.

A week ago the council decided to consider adding basketball hoops and picnic tables onto the court area.

“In my 10 years on council, I have never had any resident approach me to say that they wanted picnic tables on a hot asphalt surface surrounded by a 10-foot chain-length fence,” Coun. Jack McClintock, who has been trying in vain to reopen the pickleball conversation in council, told the Times Colonist.

Further south, the Capital region will soon gain 11 new pickleball courts at Topaz Park per an announcement this month.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

😩 Funny faces of sea lions swimming in the herring spawn. [VanIsleWildlife / Instagram]

🐙 Hikers find an octopus in the tidepools just south of here in Bellingham, Washington. [Video]

🚗 Keep your licence. The experienced lawyers at Acumen Law Corporation will give you the strongest legal defence to keep you in the driver’s seat.*

🍰 Maria’s Cakerie & Desserts opened last week at Hillside mall. Open Thurs.-Sun. with cupcakes, New York-style chunky cookies, brownie bites, cake cups, and more. 

💆🏽‍♀️ Banish winter dryness with Pure Day Spa’s Spring Blossom Facial or Renewal Mani-Pedi. Glow this spring! Locally owned and operated for 18 years. Spots are filling fast—book now!*

✍ Drawing Inspiration at RBCM: Supplies provided to sketch something from nature in the Natural History gallery. Noon-3pm today.

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🗞️ In Other News

Courtenay woman says she lost $330K to Victoria mortgage broker Greg Martel
Bankruptcy proceedings continued last week in the multimillion-dollar case, whose central figure's whereabouts remain unknown. A Comox Valley mother recently appeared on the Discovery series Hustlers Gamblers Crooks to speak about her losses—but only on the condition that she wouldn't have to say the name of Martel, the local at the centre of the debacle. [CBC]

Cowichan Valley bus strike continues, 6 weeks in
Transit workers rallied in Duncan on Saturday, seeking a deal from Transdev—the company BC Transit contracts to manage the regional system. The labour dispute has cut off bus service for the valley and one of the intercity routes linking Victoria to Cowichan and Nanaimo. [CHEK]

Hudson's Bay plans full liquidation unless it gets last-minute reprieve
Canada's oldest store is positioned to liquidate all 80 locations, including both in Victoria, as it seeks creditor protection. [Canadian Press]

Former Little Jumbo space is now Cera Korean Tapas
Cera is reopening in a new location on Fort with a new concept focused on tapas and plates to share, mixing Korean drinking culture with fresh food and cocktails. The internationally recognized Little Jumbo, which was voted Best Cocktail Bar in the 2021 Tasting Victoria Awards, closed last fall citing a 40% rent hike and rising operating costs.

🗓️ Things to do

St. Patrick's Day events today in Victoria

Irish Times Pub | Monday | All day
Grab a Guinness and hear some live Celtic music all afternoon at a pub dedicated to all things Irish. [No cover]

St. Patrick’s at 17 Mile House | Monday | All day
Enjoy a hearty bowl of soup and Irish coffee or maybe a green-dyed beer while enjoying live Irish music.

Belleville’s Social | Monday | All day
Enjoy cottage pies, house-made spinach and artichoke dip, Irish cream cheesecake, and Guinness at this celebration. 

St. Patrick's Day with Cookeilidh at Six Mile Pub | Monday | 6pm
Toe-tapping Irish and Celtic tunes by Cookeilidh at the Six Mile Pub. [No cover]

Paddy Rolling Stone: A St. Patrick's Pogues Tribute | Monday | 7pm
A tribute to The Pogues at Langham Court Theatre, with performances by Irish dancers, an open dance floor, and a cash bar. [$25]

St. Patrick’s Day Trivia | Monday | 7:30pm
Head to Christie's Carriage House Pub for a fun night of classic random Sixty Watt general knowledge trivia with a touch of the Irish. Wear green. [Free to play]

St. Patrick's Day Weekend Party at the Bard and Banker | Sat-Mon | Various times
A celebration filled with Irish culture, music, and dance. Performances by O’Brien’s Irish Dancers and live music. [Free entrance]

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Penny Farthing | Sat-Mon | Various times
Live music, featuring your favourite Irish folk songs and more. [Free entrance]

Bartholomew Pub St. Patrick’s Celebration | Fri-Mon | All day
Grab some Irish food, Irish pints, cocktails, and whiskey.

Shamrock Shadows: Victoria's Irish Spirits  | Monday | 7pm
Special edition of Ghostly Walks covering Irish history in Victoria.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday news: Alaska threatens BC cruise industry in trade war. Belleville terminal reaches milestone. 8 under-the-radar local restaurants. [March 16]

Saturday news: Council's new homelessness & parks plan. New poet laureate. Possible charges for officer over cyclist collision. [March 15]

Orcas at Ogden delight toddler in this video. [CHEK] 

Wrap-around rainbow: A perfect mirror image of The Empress. [Doug Clement]

CRD seeks volunteers for the Point in Time survey on March 25 and 26.

Emily Carr through the decades. [Facebook photos]

Red Fish Blue Fish has reopened for the season. 11am-7pm daily.