May 29 - New cancer treatment at Jubilee extending lives

Good morning !

Today, we’ve got some exciting news (new cancer treatments at RJH appear to work), some concerning news (cougar sightings are becoming more common in the CRD), and some fun news (summer festivities at Langford Station). Read on to learn more.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ☀️ 19 / 9

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 19 / 11

Day after: 🌦️ 15 / 10

NEWS

Cougar captured in Sidney as wildlife encounters ramp up

The juvenile female was sedated and relocated to near Shawnigan Lake by RCMP and conservation officers. She was tranquilized after returning to a backyard she had rested in earlier.

There were also cougar sightings last week near PKOLS, on Royal Roads grounds, in Brentwood, and in a parking lot near Uptown. The Sidney core also had a black bear reported. 

At this time of year, these large animals are emerging to find food for new young or after hibernation. 

Human expansion prompts more encounters

It may also seem like cougar encounters are rising in general in recent years. But the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation's Sophia Cuthbert told The Westshore last fall that this is likely due to more development encroaching on cougar habitat, not a rise in the Island's cougar population of 800-1,100. Particularly in the fast-growing Westshore, urban development often crosses wildlife corridors—and more people mean more opportunities for encounters. 

If you come across  a cougar, experts advise making yourself big and noisy—not turning your back or running.

Predators target livestock—and garbage

Outright attacks on humans are very rare, but livestock predation is fairly common. A reader told Capital Daily that a quartet of cougars has been killing livestock around the Malahat.

Last week, Sooke-based Wild Wise wrote that there was a surge in human-predator conflicts, including bears killing unsecured chickens and cougars eating livestock and outdoor cats. 

Predators “don’t understand that we expect them to avoid garbage, pets, or livestock,” the society wrote. “They’re simply following their instincts to survive and taking advantage of the calories in front of them, whether they are natural or non-natural.”

Wild Wise said that local humans bear responsibility for preventing these conflicts by cleaning BBQs and food scraps and securing garbage, compost, and pets. 

Read more about cougars in the region here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Fire bans: Category 2 and 3 fires will be banned in the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes the Island, starting tomorrow. Campfires still allowed for now. [BC Gov]

Missing girl, 13, found safe, West Shore RCMP say.

Sooke byelection: Nominations close on June 6. [Info]

NEWS

New treatment at Royal Jubilee putting late-stage cancer patients into remission

The Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH) was the first hospital on the Island—and one of the first in BC—to offer the groundbreaking treatment. Bispecific T cell engagers—the new type of drugs—appear to be able to treat a range of cancers, including certain types of melanoma and blood cancers like lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

“It's an antibody treatment that simultaneously binds to a cancer cell and a T-cell,” Dr. Ashley Freeman, an oncologist at BC Cancer, explained. “The idea is that the T-cell kills the cancer cell.” 

It’s a form of immunotherapy, essentially using the body's own immune system to fight cancer. Unlike chemotherapy—a more drastic approach which kills off cancer cells while also killing healthy cells—bispecific T cell engagers only target cancer cells, says oncology nurse Erica Kroeger. 

BC Cancer and the RJH first partnered  to trial the drug in June 2022. Since then, some of the hospital’s late-stage cancer patients—who had no other treatment options—have gone into full remission thanks to its use. 

“When it [bispecific antibodies] works, it has the potential to work really well for people,” Freeman said.

Island Health notes that bispecific T cell engagers are still in early stages of use and may not be the right option for all cancer patients. But those working in oncology at BC Cancer’s Jubilee facility say they have high hopes for its potential to change cancer treatment.

“Even 10 years ago, when I started it was mostly just chemotherapy. Immunotherapy was this thing that was coming out, and now we have these bispecifics and it's just going to snowball,” said oncology nurse Mackenzie Gavidia-Alas. 

Freeman hopes partnerships, like the one with BC Cancer and the RJH, will continue in other health authorities in BC. She says when health authorities and hospitals work together, it improves doctors’ ability to treat patients with the most up-to-date medicine.

“As cancer care evolves, it's becoming more complex,” she said. “We really do need the support of our broader system to deliver the care.”

NEWS

Langford's Fridays at the Station event series returns for summer

The Langford Station, located along the train tracks behind the city's main strip, launched in 2022 with food trucks and retailers in converted shipping containers. Its Fridays at the Station were originally just a way to highlight brews with a weekly beer garden and music. 

Then the Station won the Community Project Award from British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA). Some of its shipping-container vendors saw this and took the chance last year to pitch a weekly market that would bring in more stalls—and more shoppers to visit them. 

This year, the event is expanding again to focus on fresh local produce and themes for the different Fridays, including:

• Opening night tomorrow with balloon art, music by the Capital City Syncopators, face painting, and entertainment by That Bubble Guy (whose parade plan Capital Daily recently covered)

• June 6: Pride at The Station with Four Frames Photo Booth, That Bubble Guy, a drag show hosted by Leo Moon, and music by Jessica Lydia Benini 

• June 13: The Road to Ska Fest with Phonosonics and DJ Cabin Fever (aka Caleb Hart)

• July 25: Beach Bash

• Aug. 29: Common Ground Festival

The Friday series has been run since its start by the Victoria Beer Society. This year it will be the Society's main focus in Langford due to the cancellation of the Langford Beer Festival. 

Events run 4pm-dusk every Friday until Aug. 29. More info.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🗺️ Vancouver Island named in Top 15 destinations to visit in Canada. [Lonely Planet]

🌳 Tree with albinism seen in Mystic Vale. [Facebook photos]

🗞️ In Other News

Lacking volunteers, Westshore activist pauses BC Health Care Matters campaign
Former Esquimalt-Colwood Green candidate Camille Currie says the group, which advocates for more family doctors, has been short on volunteers, funding, and real responses from the health ministry. The Langford small business owner's loss of her family doctor prompted Currie to start the group in Jan. 2022; she has two kids with neurodegenerative conditions. [Times Colonist]

Shamrocks begin chase for another undefeated season in Colwood
The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) club rolled to a perfect 18-0 record last regular season before bowing out to the Ontario champion Six Nations Chiefs in the Mann Cup. The Shamrocks are off to a productive start in 2025-26, opening with back-to-back wins and have now not lost a regular season game since July 20, 2023. The club is still waiting for off-season acquisition Zach Manns, whose Saskatchewan Rush just lost to the Buffalo Bandits in last Sat.’s NLL championship. The Shamrocks host Burnaby tomorrow night. [Black Press]

BC minimum wage rises to $17.85 on Sunday, but advocates say it’s not enough
Minimum wage will rise 2.6% this weekend, up from $17.40 an hour. The wage increase is tied to inflation. But wage advocates say the province should be focusing on creating a living wage requirement, tying wages to a city’s cost of living. For Victoria, this would be $26.78 an hour. The advocates argue higher wages would boost community economies, with more people able to shop or eat out. Employer groups counter this, saying the current rise in minimum wage tied to inflation hurts small businesses. [CHEK]

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🗓️ Things to do

🕵️ Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at Chemainus Theatre Festival, now until June 1. [Info]

🎶 ECHO: Memories of the World: A co-presentation of the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria, blending music, video, spoken word, and soundscape to explore Indigenous stories at McPherson Playhouse tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🤣 The Flo Show: Stand-Up Comedy: Join Danielle Florence and a lineup of top comedians at Ollie Quinn at 531 Pandora tonight. 8:30pm. [Info]

🥍 Victoria Shamrocks vs. Burnaby Lakers: At the Q Centre tomorrow. 6:45pm. [Info]

🍓 Ichigo Strawberry Moon Market: A vibrant Japanese-inspired food and arts market with 25+ food vendors and 75+ artisan stalls at Fernwood Community Centre. Sat. 11am-4pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Wednesday’s headlines: Victoria Honorary Citizen Award nominations open; Video of assault on Douglas; Extremely low tides again today. [May 28]

Opposition to Bill 15 to speed up infrastructure builds gets loud. [Capital Daily] 

VicPD video of assault on View and Douglas. [May 21]

Help reshape Bowker Creek. [Open House] [Survey]

Baby goat boom at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm: See the five new kids and their proud mothers. [BHCF]

That’s it!

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