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A Victoria company afloat for four decades is slipping under the surface, I’m afraid.

And a group of investors with high hopes for the city’s arts community may have to exit stage left if it can’t raise more than $1M in the next two weeks.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

Today: 🌧️ 13 / 9

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 11 / 9

Friday: 🌦️ 13 / 4

7-day forecast

Five Star Whale Watching has suspended operations “due to various unforeseen circumstances and reasons out of our control,” owner Andrew Lees posted yesterday on the company website.

“Five Star is the longest-running whale-watching company in Victoria, and we thought we would be running for much longer,” he said, without getting more specific.

There remain approximately a dozen whale-watching operators in the region, with several based in the Inner Harbour, including Prince of Whales, SpringTide, BC Whale Tours, and Orca Spirit. Five Star was among this group.

After thanking staff, partners, and guests on its website, the company directed any new business to Orca Spirit Adventures.

Five Star began as a fishing charter business in 1985 and was instrumental in developing an environmental movement to protect the Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) with whale-watching rules and guidelines, the company said.

“We can be proud to have been the 1st company in Victoria (2nd in BC) to be a World Cetacean Alliance Certified Responsible Whale Watching Operator,” Lees said, referring to the whale watching industry’s global seal of approval.

Department of Fisheries (DFO) proposes a change to safety guidelines

The DFO is proposing to more than double the mandatory distance whale-watching vessels must maintain when approaching endangered SRKWs in southern BC coastal waters. The distance would increase to 1 km from 400 metres, which has been an interim measure from Transport Canada.

“The proposed amendments would mitigate the threats posed to the SRKW by physical and acoustic disturbance related to some vessel traffic,” the DFO and Environment Ministry said in a notice of the Canada Gazette published on March 7.

The distance restriction would remain at 200 metres for Bigg’s killer whales and other animals, the Gazette said, as these populations don’t face the “same imminent threat” as the SRKWs.

According to the Center for Whale Research in Washington state, the latest count is 74 remaining SRKWs.

The DFO is accepting public feedback on the proposed amendments.

Saanich single-lane alternating traffic: Royal Oak at Lochside, through Friday, 9am to 3:30pm.

Victoria road closure: Fisgard at Government, through Friday. [Info]

Sidewalk closure on Dallas, between St. Lawrence and Simcoe, for one month. [Pedestrian detour]

Blue-green algae bloom alert for Beaver Lake expanded to Elk Lake.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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A group’s dream of a permanent arts space in Victoria may be dashed after struggling to raise the money owed to its original investor.

The Other Guise Theatre Society, a Ladysmith-based theatre company, announced this week that it expects it will need to sell its building at 716 Johnson—formerly Tomley’s Market—if a new investor isn’t found by the end of the month.

“While we’ve raised a lot of money, we have not raised enough to complete the buyout,” says Other Guise executive director Mathew Payne. 

After working for three years to acquire the downtown space, the group bought it in 2023 for $2.4M. The purchase was made possible through two mortgages, an anonymous $300K donation, and a $1.8M majority backing from Victoria lawyer and investor Kate Kempton.

Kempton was expected to back the operation for 25 years, but due to health issues, she moved back to Toronto later that year and decided to pull out of the endeavor. The group has been working to buy her out ever since through fundraising efforts and grants. 

So far, it has raised $650K, but the clock is ticking to gather the full amount. Payne says if they don’t find $1.25M by the end of the month, they’ll be forced to sell.

Other Guise had lofty long-term plans for the venue, hoping it would become a permanent venue for the city, which has suffered the loss of multiple music institutions over the last five years. In 2023, Payne told Capital Daily the group hoped to fill the void left by the closures of Logan’s Pub and Carlton Club.

After months of renovations, the space opened in November with a 95-seat theatre, studios, and rehearsal rooms. The 9K-square-foot space has already hosted a range of events in its first four months, including markets, poetry readings, and concerts.

“It’s too soon to say what selling the building means for the future of the space,” Payne said. But he’s not giving up on Other Guise’s aspirations for a Victoria arts hub quite yet, regardless of who owns the space. 

“Perhaps we’ll get lucky and find a buyer interested in leasing back to us for a time. We’ve got contracts with renters through to June 2027, so we’d like to see those honoured.”

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🍸 2 weeks left to visit Citrus & Cane at its original location before it relocates to Trounce Alley.

🌇 Rent at Arden from $1,750 and enjoy exclusive access to a resident clubhouse with gym, sauna, lounge, and gathering spaces.*

🍜 Noodle Mania Fest. [March 25]

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🎭👢 Belfry fundraiser at Fluevog. [April 9]

⚽ FIFA Fan Festival in Vancouver to be free. [BC Gov’t.]

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Tyler Hubbard and Jon Pardi headline Sunfest as full lineup is announced
The popular country music festival returns to Laketown Ranch in Lake Cowichan for the BC Day long weekend, July 30 to Aug. 2. Headliners Hubbard and Pardi were previously announced, and yesterday organizers revealed who else will play the four-day event. The Juno-award Canadian band Time & The Glory Boys kicks off the festivities on the Thursday night, with American singer Riley Green having top billing to close on the Sunday. [CHEK]

View Royal councillor to resign after Saanich Police promotion
Damian Kowalewich has been bumped up to deputy chief and will step down from the council at the end of the month. Kowalewich, an inspector, has been with Saanich Police since 2005, when he entered the force as a recruit constable. He has advanced his career greatly, most recently serving as the officer in charge of the force’s professional standards division and integrated canine service. First elected to the View Royal Council in a byelection in 2017, he was re-elected the following year and again in the last municipal election in 2022. His seat is expected to remain empty until the next vote, scheduled for Oct. 17. [Saanich Police]

Pair arrested at Victoria home with drugs, guns, and $53K found not guilty
A judge ruled the two were innocent of drug trafficking and firearm possession charges because there was no evidence that the pair lived at the home, they did not possess keys or fobs to access the apartment, and police couldn’t produce matching DNA for fingerprints. The judge said she believed the two may have been unaware of the drugs and money, which she said were hardly visible. She found a “reasonable inference” could be made that the two arrived at the suite just as VicPD’s search began. [Victoria News]

CORRECTION: A story that appeared here yesterday erroneously said the Med Grill restaurant was located in Oak Bay. It is in Royal Oak.

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👐 Victoria Jazz Jam Session: The Tom Vickery Trio hosts Victoria's monthly jazz jam, welcoming musicians to bring their instruments and sign up to play. The Coda. Today. Doors 6pm, show 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]

🩰👑 Ballet Étoile presents Cleopatra: Ballet Étoile brings the drama, opulence, and intrigue of ancient Egypt to life in this acclaimed production with rich costumes and virtuosic dancing. Mary Winspear Centre. Today. Doors 7pm, show 7:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Postsecondary Thursday Lunch Concert: VCM postsecondary students perform works-in-progress in this free drop-in lunchtime concert. Victoria Conservatory of Music. Tomorrow. 12:30-1:30pm. [Info]

🎞️🏄 Movie Night at Patagonia Victoria: Totoganashi and Never Town. Two surf films that run quite a bit deeper than the ones from the 1960s. Proceeds support the Surfrider Foundation Canada, UVic chapter. Patagonia. Tomorrow. 6pm. [Info]

🎷 The Andrew Greenwood Quintet plays Gershwin: Victoria saxophonist Andrew Greenwood leads his quintet through timeless Gershwin classics. Hermann's Jazz Club. Tomorrow. Doors 5:30pm, show 7-9pm. [Info]

✍️🎵 An Evening with Josh Ritter: American folk-rock singer-songwriter and novelist Josh Ritter performs in support of his latest album, bringing his signature poetic lyricism and storytelling to Sidney. Mary Winspear Centre. Tomorrow. Doors 7pm, show 7:30pm. [Info]

📖🔦 Confabulation presents: Glow In The Dark: Six storytellers share true, unscripted stories on the theme "Glow In The Dark.” Expect tales of blanket forts, guiding lights, and night visions. The Coda. Tomorrow. Doors 6:30pm, stories 7:30pm. [Info]

👗Crafted Farmhouse Market: A boutique artisan market featuring handcrafted jewelry, home décor, clothing, artwork, and small-batch treats with local food trucks and live music. Mary Winspear Centre. Friday & Saturday. 10am-5pm. [Info]

Tuesday’s headlines: The heat dome’s environmental cost, five years later; Full JazzFest lineup is out; and Il Terrazzo is changing ownership after almost 3 decades. [March 17]

Exactly 6 years later, Victoria restaurants continue to feel the pandemic’s sting. [Times Colonist]

Bone-breaking slide returns to Colwood, not open to the public yet. [CHEK]

Beacon Hill Children’s Farm is open for the season—and has seven baby goats ready to meet visitors. [BHCF]

Second largest animal on Earth: Whale watchers were in for a treat over the weekend when they spotted a massive fin whale southeast of Victoria. [Eagle Wing Tours]

2 new double-deckers hit the pavement for BC Transit.

Tea Creek: A free film about Indigenous food sovereignty in Victoria. [April 1, City Hall]

Witty’s Lagoon: Sitting Lady Falls parking lot closed for paving March 30-April 2. [CRD map]

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