March 28 - Province pushes active transportation

Good morning !

Our lead stories involve the environment, and I see the second as a reminder of the importance of upholding the rights of the smallest amongst us, even if, unfortunately, it has to inconvenience the many.
When I look at the sickening attack on rights—human and environmental—taking place to our south, I’m thankful I live in a place that maintains the integrity to strive to do the good thing—the right thing—for the greater good.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 10 / 7  

Tomorrow: 🌥️ 9 / 6

Sunday: 🌥️ 11 / 6

NEWS

Municipalities get funding for active transportation

BC will spend $24M to fund 50 projects—each project receiving $500K or $50K for planning—that encourage walking, biking, and other non-vehicle transportation. 

Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth says the goal is to reduce reliance on cars and promote healthy activities. The funding is part of the province’s commitment to CleanBC, with plans to lower emissions by 40% and increase active transportation by 30% by 2030. 

Capital Region municipalities will receive $5M for improved active transportation, with Victoria getting $1M to expand bike lanes on 1.8km of Cook Street and 600m of widened protected bike lanes on Blanshard.

Other local municipalities receiving grants: 

• Saanich, $1M: Improving safety near Tillicum Elementary with 750m of new sidewalks, improved pedestrian crossings, and traffic calming. Phase 3 of the Shelbourne Improvement Project, adding to the street’s bike lane network and including improvements to Pear.

• Esquimalt, $500K: Phase 1 of Esquimalt Road improvements, adding protected bike lanes connecting Lampson bike lanes on Dominion. Projrct includes flashing crosswalks.

• Sidney, $500K: Adding the Bowerbank neighbourhood bikeway to connect an elementary school to a local park and Lochside Trail.

• View Royal, $500K: New sidewalk connecting Atkins to Galloping Goose.

• Langford, $1M: Improvements to the west and east portions of Latoria—considered two projects—to add protected bike lanes near the city’s new elementary school.

• Sooke, $500K: New sidewalks, multi-use paths, and crosswalks through the Throup Road Corridor.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Road paving: Eastbound lane closure on Gorge (Rock Bay to Dunedin) continues today. 7am-7pm. [Details]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Downtown-area street resurfacing put on hold after hummingbird nest surfaces

North Park residents wondering why their street hasn’t been paved, even though it’s looked ready for resurfacing for a couple of weeks, should know: there are two reasons.

Firstly, it’s been rainy and a bit on the cold side—not ideal for paving.
And more recently, the project has gone to the birds—in a good, responsible way.

Earlier this month, city crews milled a two-block (Fernwood to Chambers) stretch on Pembroke, an east-west artery that runs parallel to Bay and leads to Royal Athletic Park.

Milling involves removing the top layer of asphalt to level it and prepare it for paving. That was slated to happen on Tuesday. But the day before, a resident reported a hummingbird nest nearby.

“City staff immediately paused the paving work,” spokesperson Colleen Mycroft told Capital Daily.

And they “contacted the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, who advised that hummingbirds are protected under the provincial BC Wildlife Act and the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act,” which says any work that could negatively affect the population must be stopped until nesting season is over.

That could be up to four weeks says the city, which is “currently weighing options” to complete the work.

One of those options is waiting it out, putting the paving on the backburner until nesting is over—again, possibly in four weeks. The city also may seek the advice of a professional biologist to determine if there’s a way to pave while complying with environmental regulations.

Hummingbird nests are small and very difficult to find, appearing as a bump on a branch. They’re built by the female hummingbird, usually 10 to 90 feet high up in trees or shrubs. According to Birds&Bloom, females usually lay two bean-sized eggs, which take 4-6 weeks to hatch.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🖌️ 1 month left to see From Warhol to Banksy and From Balzar to Hunt, the Pop Art shows at AGGV.

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☑️ Poll worker positions for the April 28 federal election. [How to apply]

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🗞️ In Other News

More child-care spaces coming to Langford, with $7M in BC funding
We mentioned yesterday that Saanich is amending its bylaws to allow for more (home-based) child-care openings, and now we learn Langford is getting more daycare options, too. The BC government has announced $15M to create 200+ new child-care spaces, including $7.1M for 73 spaces in Langford at a site on Carlow (currently the Centennial Centre for Arts, Culture, and Community). The city tells Capital Daily it expects construction to begin early next year. [City of Langford]

Former BC chief coroner criticizes study linking safer supply to increased drug deaths
Lisa Lapointe says the study, published last week, did not offer the full picture on the effectiveness of the program, saying the number of opioid-related deaths decreased in 2024. Toxic drug deaths fell 13% last year, with the number of fentanyl-related deaths dropping. Former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart says the study’s evidence of increased drug-related hospital visits after decriminalization was introduced in 2023 showed a reduced stigma in seeking health care for overdoses, which he argues was the intention of decriminalization. [CP/ MSN] 

VIU president resigns amid complaints from students, faculty
With four years left on her second five-year term, embattled Vancouver Island University president Deborah Saucier has announced she will step down a week from today to “reflect and recharge.” VIU’s faculty association presented a non-confidence motion about Saucier to the Nanaimo-based university’s board of governors, and students have called for her removal after her nixing of an $8.25M child-care centre project and some spending issues. The TC reported that VIU CFO Emily Huner will succeed Saucier.  [Times Colonist]

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🗓️ Things to do

📚 Spring Fling Book Fair: More than 40 independent Victoria writers will be selling their books. Browse and meet area authors. Free admission, door prize drawn every hour. Fernwood Community Centre. Tomorrow. 10am-4pm. [Info]

🎸 Lester Quitzau Trio: See Juno-winning guitarist perform soulful grooves at Hermann's. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎶 Judy Collins: Hear the timeless voice of folk singer Judy Collins at the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🕴️ The Men in Black Music Performance: Experience Canada's top Johnny Cash tribute band, The Men in Black, at the Mary Winspear Centre. Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

☕ Perfect Milk: Milk Steaming and Latte Art: Learn the art of steaming perfect microfoam and pour your first latte art design at The Stick's Roastoreum in Sooke. Tomorrow. 3pm. [Info]​

🎵 Pablo Cardenas: Journey to the Heart of Latin America: See the Cuban pianist present an energetic tribute to Latin American music at Hermann's. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🏒 Century Celebration of Victoria Cougars Hockey: Join the Victoria Hockey Legacy Society for a community festival in Oak Bay, marking the 100th anniversary of the Victoria Cougars' 1925 championship win. Tomorrow and Sun. 10am. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: Philips Backyard festival lineup announced; Victoria authors to meet, talk, and sell; No Frills grocer coming to Victoria Public Market. [Mar. 27]

Double rainbow photos from our readers. [Capital Daily]

Tofino records warmest March 26 since records kept. [CTV] 

Selling sunscreen may be banned in Lake Cowichan. [CHEK]

Swan Lake is not just for swans: A violet-green swallow zooms through the nature reserve. [Facebook photo]

Tutti Frutti in Victoria: See Little Richard performing at the Memorial Arena. Circa 1957. [Facebook photo]

That’s it!

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