May 9 - Downtown movie theatre up for sale

Good morning !

It could be the last picture show over at the Odeon Theatre on Yates. The movie house has been put up for sale.

We have a new Pope, and there’s a tug of war going on over trees in an Oak Bay neighbourhood.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ⛅ 18 / 10

Tomorrow: ⛅ 15 / 8

Sunday: 🌦️ 17 / 9

7-day forecast

NEWS

Lights, camera, action: downtown Odeon Theatre building for sale

The 25K-square-foot property at 780 Yates is listed for $8.5M on the real estate site JLL Investor Centre. 

The listing says the location allows for “mixed-use development including residential, hotel, retail, and office.” It makes no mention of maintaining the Cineplex-brand seven-screen theatre.

The building is zoned in the “Central Business District of Victoria’s Downtown Core Area Plan,” which allows for development at a maximum height of 24 storeys and up to 150K square feet of space.

The Odeon opened in 1948 as a one-screen cinema and has been renovated multiple times to expand capacity. 

Development on the table for both of Victoria’s downtown multiplexes

The Odeon is the second multiplex in Victoria whose future is uncertain; Capitol 6—kitty-corner to the Odeon—has been slated for development since Jawl Properties bought the building in 2015.

Three years ago, the city permitted Jawl to turn the theatre into a 10-storey office space. However, the project appears to have stalled. And films are still being shown there.

The Odeon and Capitol 6 remain the downtown core’s only multi-screen theatres showing newly released Hollywood films.

The Vic Theatre often screens independent, art-house, and classic films, as does The Roxy Theatre—which is operated by the same company as Capitol 6—in Quadra Village. 

The Vic and The Roxy are single-screen theatres. If the Odeon and Capitol 6 are both redeveloped, the closest multiplex to downtown would be SilverCity at Tillicum Mall.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Douglas closed between Humboldt and Belleville today. [City of Victoria]

Beachlands is closed today in Colwood, but pedestrians can access the beach and park.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

NEWS

Oak Bay neighbours worry developer wants to remove trees—from their lawns

A group of residents opposed to a proposed multi-unit development in Oak Bay says the developer wants to chop down trees on some of their properties next door. 

A construction impact assessment and tree management plan dated Jan. 2, 2025, indicates three trees sitting on properties neighbouring 960 Foul Bay, five on municipal property, and several boundary trees—including protected Garry oaks—are to be cut down to make room for construction. 

“Based on review of the plans and our understanding of the project scope, twenty-six (26) on-site bylaw-protected trees are likely to require removal due to impacts from the proposed construction, along with three (3) off-site protected trees and five (5) municipal trees,” the report said. 

The three off-site trees are located “where they are likely to be severely impacted by [the] proposed construction and are recommended for removal,” the report said. 

They are also rooted in the neighbours’ yards.

The project involves moving a 111-year-old mansion a few metres closer to Oak Bay Avenue to make room for a three-building, 16-townhouse development.  

The Save Brighton Greenway Neighbourhood Group says it’s not anti-development, but calls this proposal a “massive money grab.” It also asserts the developer is taking advantage of the community's need for more housing. 

“The destruction of private property is aggressive and egregious,” the group said in an April 25 letter to Oak Bay’s mayor and council. 

The developer, Marking Developments, said the initial construction impact assessment “contained some inaccuracies.”

Company owner Jen Travelbea said in response to concerns from neighbours, the project team has been “working to ensure as many trees as possible are retained on-site, including all of those on neighbouring private properties.”

The group said that admission only raises more questions. 

“The Travelbeas are exploiting this community to see how much they can get away with,” the group said in an email to Capital Daily.

Travelbea said decisions on tree retention on bordering public spaces are made by the District of Oak Bay.

Emails to the mayor and councillors were not returned to Capital Daily. 

“The District is still processing that application and [is] unable to comment on the application,” Hayley Googrove, the district’s communications manager, said in an email to Capital Daily, before directing us to the district’s development tracker.

SPONSORED BY TEDXVICTORIA

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⭐️ Capital Picks

✝️ Robert Prevost, 69, named new pontiff. [Pope Leo XIV]

🎀 Mother's Day options for this weekend. [Capital Daily]

🤡 Rigoletta’s Opera 101: by Pacific Opera Victoria. [Today & tomorrow]

💖 Still searching for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Pure Day Spa’s Mom’s Sweetest Escape—with sparkling sips—or a gift card offers love, luxury, and lasting joy.*

🏞 Gorgeous turquoise waters in East Sooke Regional Park. [Doug Clement Photography]

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Suspected homicide in Victoria prompts calls for weapons ban in all supportive housing
The BC Coalition for Safe and Sustainable Supportive Housing says weapons should be banned and changes made to make supportive housing safer for staff and residents. The comments come after a body was found on the property of Waterview supportive housing on the Gorge. The deceased man did not live in Waterview. Experts say the Residential Tenancy Act makes it difficult for housing operators to prevent weapons, as well as non-residents, from entering the building. [Times Colonist]

Highly toxic invasive plant spreads through Saanich neighbourhood
Italian arum, known to be harmful to people and animals, is spreading throughout the South Island, according to the CRD. It can cause severe skin irritation, illness, or death, and spreads easily through BC’s temperate climate. Saanich became aware of the problem five years ago and manages 16 affected sites where herbicide treatments have had “poor success.” The plant must be dug from the roots and should not be composted. [Saanich News]

New retail centre begins construction in Colwood 
Arbutus Landing will feature Rexall, among other tenants, when the 42K-square-foot retail space opens (next summer, it’s expected), and it will sit between Royal Bay and Beachlands—two of the Island's fastest-growing neighbourhoods. The four-building development is to be built at the corner of Metchosin and Ryder Hesjedal Way, across the street from PARC, the Royal BC Museum’s huge archives & collections building, which is also expected to be ready next summer. [Goldstream Gazette]

🗓️ Things to do

🕯️ Candlelight Concert: The Best of Hans Zimmer: String quartet performs Hans Zimmer’s hits in a candlelit setting. St. Ann's Academy. Tonight. 8:45pm. [Info]

💕 Legally Blonde: The Musical: Follow Elle Woods on her journey from California to Harvard Law in this high-energy, feel-good musical, performed by VOS. McPherson Playhouse. Through Sun. [Info]

🌮 Cinco De Mayo Agave Paired Dinner: Celebrate with Mexican-inspired eats, tequila, and mezcal tastings. Westin Bear Mountain. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🌍 Stories from the Silk Roads: A three-day vibrant event of music and film to celebrate the rich heritage of Canadians with roots in the Asian continent. Caffe Fantastico in Quadra Village. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎵 Lunchtime Concerts at Market Square: Enjoy live music every Friday in May. Market Square's lower courtyard. Today. 12-1pm. [Info]

🤣 The Crowd Work Show: 100% improvised standup. Alex Forman & Nash Park take the stage together with no prep and will have to create comedy by talking to the crowd. The Mint. Tonight. 8pm. [Tickets] 

🎪 Cirque du Soleil: Crystal: A breakthrough ice experience, where world-class ice skating and unexpected acrobatics fuse to create the first on-ice experience from Cirque du Soleil. Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Now to May 18. Various times. [Info]

🌱 Annual Public Plant Sale for the Sooke Garden Club. Evergreen Shopping Centre. Tomorrow. 10am-2pm. [Info]

💡 3rd annual Colwood Ideas Fair. Come to discuss local issues including neighbourhoods, housing, transportation, parking, health, disaster resilience, youth, volunteers, animals, litter, and more. Colwood Corners. Tomorrow. 3-5pm. [Info]

📦 Community Garage Sale: China/glass, clothing, plants, books, garden items, etc. BBQ. Free admission & parking. St. Joseph’s The Worker Church Hall. 753 Burnside. Tomorrow. 9am-2pm. [Info]

👩‍🌾 Porcher Park Community Garden Meet & Greet: Meet fellow gardeners, sign up for a garden plot, and have your questions answered. 822 Wren in Langford. Tomorrow. 11am-12:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: Langford writer, business owner dies of cancer; Rifflandia announces lineup; Buccaneer Days is on in Esquimalt. [May 8]

Saanich to ask residents if they want to borrow $150M to rebuild operations HQ. [Times Colonist]

Massive grey whale carcass washes up on Tofino beach. Visitors are advised to keep their distance. [CTV]

BC Premier Eby tells Fox News Trump ‘doesn’t respect our sovereignty’. [CHEK] 

Wanted by West Shore RCMP: Sandra Humphreys, 42. [RCMP] 

Marilena on Douglas named No. 39 in Canada’s 100 Best restaurants list.

Powerful portraits from last year's Sooke Fine Arts Show, which seeks submissions this month for the 2025 show. [Facebook photos]

That’s it!

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