May 30 - 35 Island teens died of toxic drugs in 5 years

Good morning !

The Oak Bay Tea Party will kick off tomorrow at Willows Park, ushering us into June (and hopefully some summer weather soon). It will have all the usual rides, games, tea service, and Baron of Beef. You can catch the parade, featuring local high school bands and dance troupes, on Saturday morning.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤️ 15 / 8  

Tomorrow: ☁️ 15 / 11

Saturday: 🌧️ 15 / 10

7-day forecast

NEWS

35 Island teens killed by toxic drugs in the last 5 years

Since BC’s drug emergency was first declared in 2016, toxic drug deaths have continued to rise throughout the province—and teenagers are not immune to the crisis.

From 2019 to 2023, toxic drugs have killed 126 BC youths under the age of 19, making it the leading cause of unnatural death for young people in the province, according to a report from the BC Coroners Service (BCCS). 

This rate equates to approximately 25 deaths per year. In 2023 alone, 28 BC youths died of toxic drugs.

On the Island, 35 youth deaths occurred in the five-year period, accounting for 28% of these deaths in BC. Greater Victoria had the second-highest youth death rate in the province, with 14 dying.

Of the 126 youths who died from toxic drugs in BC, 75 were aged 17 and 18—accounting for 60% of these deaths—40 were 14-16 years old and 11 were under the age of 14.

Read the full story by Robyn Bell here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Road construction: See which Victoria streets are currently affected by construction.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

City of Victoria has some truckyard fun

To quote a real green ham and egger, “If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”

Both Victoria and Saanich took a page from the Dr. Seuss jocularity playbook to engage in some clean forays of fun.

To help workers acknowledge National Public Works Week, the City of Victoria held an afternoon barbecue last week for its 300 or so staffers and handed out the third edition of its Meet the Fleet municipal vehicle trading cards.

This year’s pack features the zero-emission electric car and van, the road paver, the snow removal truck, and the mini excavator. Like a baseball or hockey card, each features a photo on one side and statistics, such as where they were manufactured (Missouri, Italy, Ohio, Georgia) and how long they’ve been among the city’s fleet of 430+ vehicles (293 city vehicles, 37 fire department vehicles, 104 police vehicles).

The city printed 750 cards and they’ve been a hit with workers and their families.

A limited number is available at City Hall—and if you are wondering how much all this jocularity is costing the taxpayer, the answer is $608, the city said.

Out in Saanich, they held a Name That Sweeper contest for a new bike lane street sweeper. More than 500 votes were cast through the HelloSaanich platform, and 250+ names were suggested, including Lightning McClean (22%), Sweep Pea (21%), Sweepasaurus Rex (15%) and Sweeping Beauty (14%).

The winner? Nope, it wasn’t Sweepie McSweepFace, but rather Curby which cleaned up garnering 28% of the votes. Check out Curby’s smilin’ grill here.

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Connecting to nature is good for your health. If you’re ready to experience the benefits of nature therapy, book now at Tall Tree Health.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🦌 Fawns snuggle in the grass in Nanaimo. [Video]

🤝 Now hiring: Enhanced Executive Support Analyst–Full Time–Victoria at ISM.

🗞️ In Other News

Bear Mountain ownership has trust breakdown, lawsuits fly
Ecoasis Developments and Sanovest Holdings Ltd. each hold a 50% stake in the 445ha Westshore resort community but they’re at odds on the operation and sale of some land. Sanovest holds a $62M loan on Bear Mountain and wants the BC Supreme Court to appoint a receiver after Ecoasis didn’t fully pay it off at the beginning of the month. [Times Colonist]

People doing good things in our community
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s Miracle on the Mountain gala raised a record $1M in support of a new CT scanner for Vic General. The sold-out event at Bear Mountain last Sat. raised $956K and Westshore and Foundation champions chipped in the rest to get to a cool mill. Habitat for Humanity Victoria raised just shy of $15K in its Open a Door art auction to help families own affordable homes. 

Border workers contract talks could affect Victoria tourism
It happened three years ago when the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members walked off the job for 36 hours. Some 9K workers have been without a contract for nearly two years and 96% of them have voted in favour of striking. The vast majority (90%) of frontline border service workers are designated essential, meaning they would continue to work. Mediation talks are slated for next week. [CHEK]

Sooke man accused of sexually assaulting stepdaughter to be extradited to US
J.L., as he is identified in court documents, lost his extradition appeal and will now face charges in Utah, where he is accused of assaulting the girl from 2012 to 2014 while she was 12 to 14 years old. J.L. moved to Canada—later settling in Sooke—when police were called but he says he wasn’t fleeing, instead moving on after a failed marriage. [CTV]

🗓️ Things to do

🩰 Victoria Academy of Ballet: In Performance: See the dancers perform ballet and contemporary pieces by award-winning choreographers at McPherson Playhouse. Tonight. 6:30pm. [Info]

💄 Peaches’ Palace: See the local drag and burlesque star perform at Friends of Dorothy Lounge. Tonight. 8:30pm. [Info]

🎭 Salty Springfield: Join this Simpsons-themed cabaret and games night at Victoria Event Centre. Costumes encouraged! Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Wes Carroll Album Release: Hear new music from the artist at this release party. Hermann’s. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎡 Oak Bay Tea Party: The annual summer fair returns to Willows Park with the usual rides, games, live music, and carnival food. Tomorrow. 4-10pm; Sat. 10am-10pm; Sun. 10am-7pm [Intro]

😂 Theatresports: Head to Kwench to watch this competitive improv comedy show. Tomorrow. 8pm. [Info]

🍕 Victoria Autism Family Pizza Night: For those on the autism spectrum and their loved ones, make new friends at this pizza night. Tomorrow. 6:30pm. [Info]

🎵 Good Vibrations: Hear pop classics sung by the Starlight Pops choir at the Dave Dunnet Theatre at Oak Bay High School. Tomorrow. 7:30pm; Sun. 2:30pm. [Info]

🎙️ Somewhere: Hear selections from the great American songbook, performed by talented Island musicians at Hermann’s. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🎈 Folktoria:  This festival is back at Centennial Square with live performances, international food, games, and art. Sat. 12-8pm; Sun. 11am-7pm. [Info]

🌊 Ocean Week: Ocean Week will kick off this Saturday, with educational events happening throughout Greater Victoria. Ocean Week will run until June 9. [Check out the full schedule here]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Wednesday’s headlines: Biologists warn of environmental damage when driving on beaches; Saanich’s new bike lane sweeper named Curby; Senior says her Blenkinsop home was robbed six times; And more. [May 29]

HarbourCats’ playoff hopes dashed before season starts. [Capital Daily]

First Nation matriarchs raise money to buy back lands. [Capital Daily]

BC therapists, counsellors may soon be regulated. [CHEK]

50 Cent to kick off BC Lions season opener vs. Calgary. [June 15]

Low-flying choppers over Langford. [BC Hydro mapping]

That’s it!

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