March 31 - Big local wins in arts & sports

Good morning !

As the month of March draws to a close, several locals have spent the weekend securing awards: a few Juno wins and a bronze rugby medal. The latter caps off an incredibly successful month for local sports, from high school up to national and international play. We round up some of the highlights below.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤 ⛈ 10 / 6

Tomorrow: ⛅ 11 / 6

Wednesday: ☁️ 11 / 2

NEWS

Victoria singer & Salt Spring icon win Junos

Breakout artist AP Dhillon won the inaugural South Asian Music Recording of the Year Juno last night in Vancouver. In 2023 Dhillon became the first Punjabi musician to perform at the annual Canadian music awards ceremony. He's since amassed several international hits and billions of streams, and his album The Brownprint debuted in the top three in Apple's Canadian charts last year.

Dhillon spent his teenage and college years locally, attending Camosun and working at a local Best Buy before breaking out as a musician. He maintained a home in Colwood, which was targeted last year in an arson that made international headlines.

He was also nominated last night for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and for Songwriter of the Year along with his collaborators.

Salt Spring icon Raffi wins Children's Album of the Year

The Egypt-born Armenian-Canadian Raffi Cavoukian has been one of the biggest English-language children's-music songwriters for some 50 years, with hits such as “Baby Beluga.” He and the Good Lovelies won last night for Penny Penguin.

He has lived on Salt Spring for the past nearly 17 years, though last fall he put his longtime home there up for sale.

A number of other Island artists were nominated last night but won't be bringing any hardware back over on the ferry, including:

• Crossover metal band Spiritbox

• Indigenous blues artists Blue Moon Marquee

• David Gogo, a veteran bluesman from Nanaimo

• Mother Mother, based on Quadra Island

• Eric Bearclaw, a guitarist from Cedar

• Christine Jensen, a jazz saxophonist born in Nanaimo

• Victorian Tuli Porcher, a fiddler/cellist in Inn Echo 

• Victorian Dougal McLean, a multi-instrumentalist with Vancouver indie band Peach Pit

• John Simon Fallon of Sooke, lead guitarist with Edmonton's Striker

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Fog this morning & thunderstorm risk this afternoon. UV index 4.

Sun & cloud this week, with highs up to 17C predicted by weekend.

Won't be in town to vote? You'll need to apply for a federal mail ballot by April 22. [Info]

BC Legislature resumes today.

Selkirk trestle will close for an hour at some point between today & Weds.

NEWS

March madness: A massive month for local sports

From start to end, this month has been packed with success and celebration by local teams at all levels.

It wrapped this weekend with the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Victoria Cougars winning the Stanley Cup.

Weekend also brought present-day hockey success

The Victoria Royals have gone up 2-0 in the opening round of the playoffs. The Royals finished on top of the BC Division of the WHL for the second time ever and the first in nearly a decade. They'll visit the Tri-Cities in Eastern Washington for three games, then return for two more if needed. 

On Friday the Colwood-based Victoria Grizzlies secured home ice for the BCHL playoffs, which begin this week. The Grizzlies remain 4th in the conference and will host Coquitlam.

Canada Rugby secures bronze in Hong Kong

The Langford-based Sevens women were blown out by New Zealand in the semifinal. But they beat France 21-17 on Sunday to come away with a medal and move up to 4th in the season standings. They'll be in Singapore this weekend for the next HSBC SVNS Series tourney, and in LA in May for the world championship.

Vikes finally win national basketball crown 

After years on the cusp, UVic won the U SPORTS national championship—and did it despite losing reigning league MVP Diego Maffia of Oak Bay to injury, and despite losing the conference semifinal to Calgary. That was the only exception to an otherwise undefeated season. 

The UVic swim teams finished #7 at the national championships in Toronto on March 6-8. The Vikes’ one medal was in the men's 4x200 Free Relay—its first in 25 years in that event. The team secured bronze after coming up 4th in recent years. 

Women's rugby secured silver in Canada West, and was awarded three all-star spots.

Local schools win 3 of BC’s basketball championships

UVic wasn’t the only South Island school to score some hoops success this month. Three of the eight BC high school tourneys were taken by local teams.

Local girls take 1A and 2A titles

Victorians opened the month by taking the crown in both of BC's lower-tier leagues (league tiers are based on school population). Pacific Christian were single-A champs, while St. Michaels won double-A.

Saanich school had BC’s best boys basketball team—again

Spectrum school successfully defended its title in the 4A league (the highest high school tier) in Langley. The Thunder beat Dover Bay 81-66 in the first all-Island championship game in nearly 50 years. [Langley Advance Times]

Oak Bay loses out due to tournament format

Spectrum and Dover were BC's top boys 4A teams as the regular season wound down. But their upper echelon also included Oak Bay—a team nowhere to be found at the final tourney. The Island region only gets two spots, and BC has no wild card berths. Just before Oak Bay's elimination, its coach Chris Franklin told The Province he has “no complaints,” arguing that it's most valuable for the tourney to represent all of BC.

SPONSORED BY PRESSUREPROS

Is your home disappearing under Victoria's green blanket?

The signs are unmistakable: black streaks down your siding, slippery moss on your walkway, and that green film that makes your driveway look decades older than it is. Just yesterday, PressurePros transformed an Oak Bay property in hours, removing years of Victoria's notorious moss and algae build-up. Using advanced equipment and eco-safe solutions, they safely restore everything from heritage brick to modern surfaces.

Why wait? Spring cleaning season is here, and spots are filling quickly. Save thousands compared to replacement costs, and protect your property value.

Book your free estimate today and receive a complimentary gutter inspection ($75 value).

⭐️ Capital Picks

✍🏽 Story Studio aims to inspire, educate, and empower youth to be great storytellers. It’s an award-winning organization that offers creative “fun-first” writing workshops for youth of all ages to create incredible stories. Read more here.*

🌅 Tofino sunsets snapped by Doug Clement [Instagram].

🎭 Pacific Opera Victoria presents Rigoletto - a tragic tale of revenge and redemption. April 23-29 at the Royal Theatre. Get tickets from $35 here, or call 250.385.0222*

🕸 Birds use spiderwebs & plants to build their nest. [VanIsleWildlife video]

🚗 Get back on the road. The experienced lawyers at Acumen Law Corporation will give you the best legal support for your driving prohibition case.*

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Salt Spring figuring out future of old fire hall
The island will get a new hall next year, and the Ganges hall will then be leased to the CRD for $1. The actual cost of maintaining or altering it will be expensive, though. The Local Community Commission doesn't want to knock it down, and is eyeing uses such as a public market as it launches a review. [Gulf Islands Driftwood]

Challenges expand as budget tightens for Alliance to End Homelessness
The group's chief executive says that it's down to two full-time and three part-time staff. But she says a recent 30K grant from the Victoria Foundation is helping to sustain operations as homelessness (including hidden forms, with people sleeping on couches and in cars) increases. [Times Colonist]

VIU students are trying to make Canada's biggest Nanaimo bar.
The bar would be 500kg, 21m long, and nearly 1m wide. It's being made in May as a fundraiser to get the culinary program new ovens—and to help train students on upscaling recipes for catering. [Nanaimo News Bulletin]

SPONSORED BY ARBUTUS GROUP WEALTH MANAGEMENT & DESIGNED SECURITIES LTD.

Tax-smart wealth management from trusted advisors

Discover a different approach to wealth management. As independent financial advisors with deep accounting expertise, Arbutus Group Wealth Management & Designed Securities Ltd. bring a tax-efficient perspective to protecting and growing your wealth.

The difference? They’re not a bank pushing products or a Wall Street firm chasing trends. They are accountants who understand that true wealth management starts with preserving capital and minimizing tax burden.

With no ties to financial institutions, Arbutus Group Wealth Management & Designed Securities Ltd. provide truly objective advice focused on your long-term financial success. Their conservative approach is built on decades of accounting and investment experience, and a commitment to putting your interests first.

Ready for wealth management that makes fiscal sense? Contact the team at Arbutus Group Wealth Management, at 604-336-4919.

🗓️ Things to do

🙋‍♂️Trivia Monday at 5th Street Bar and Grill. 7:30pm today. Free.

🖼 Hidden Gems tour of Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. Tomorrow at 11:15am. 

✂️ “Small World" solo art show from Dallas Segno, created with patterned paper from all over the world. Opens tomorrow at Gage Gallery.

🔎 Scavenger Hunt at the museum starting April Fool's Day and lasting all week. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday newsletter: Islanders up for Junos. Best burgers in town. Galloping Goose getting a new bridge. [Mar. 30]

Saturday: Vic Uber drivers could make history. 2 tax strategies: Sooke vs. Langford. Patient in hospital hallway. Eby changes contentious bill. [Mar. 29]

Family seeks answers after Indigenous teen’s death—possibly by freezing—while in care. [CBC]

Sea lions swimming under double rainbow [ CHEK]

A tiny shrew found under lumber. [Facebook photos]