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- Dec 8 - Melissa McDevitt's body found near Sooke Potholes
Dec 8 - Melissa McDevitt's body found near Sooke Potholes
Plus city council makes another push for affordable housing
Capital Daily Team
December 08, 2023
Good morning !
It may be cloudy and wet but somewhere there’s snow. And that somewhere is . . . Mount Washington.
Hope you’ve got your boards all waxed up.
— Mark
Are you a skier living by the sea? |
Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Melissa McDevitt’s remains found near Sooke Potholes
Melissa McDevitt out on a hike with her dad Tom. Photo: Submitted
Almost exactly a year after she went missing, the 39-year-old Victoria woman’s remains were found Wed. afternoon near deep gullies of chest-to-head high foliage in Sooke’s Sea to Sea Regional Park.
“Today's a good day because it's the beginning of Melissa's final journey home,” said her father, Tom McDevitt, who along with his wife Maggie had been living a year of anguish—a parent’s worst nightmare for 362 days.
McDevitt told Capital Daily the nightmare can ease and their healing can now begin.
“It was also great news because we were not left to speculate about if she was still in harm's way or where she was and what happened to her,” he said.
Melissa went for a hike on Dec. 9 last year and she never came back. In July, Capital Daily published a story on new clues that could help in the search for Melissa.
“Although a full determination has yet to be made, RCMP do not believe that criminality was involved in the woman's death,” the force said in a release.
Jamie Cogdill, one of the hundreds who tirelessly searched the rugged area near Sooke Potholes, said the profound grief over the unknown has turned to the profound grief of pure loss.
“We needed an ending to the story that did not need to be written,” he said.
Capital Daily spoke with Melissa’s father and the people who found her remains.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Beware traffic ticket email scam, says Central Saanich PD.
McDonald Park Road multi-use path construction completed in North Saanich.
Don’t eat Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupe: National death toll rises to 5, number of cases almost doubles.
Free rides on Chemainus-Thetis Island-Penelakut ferry tomorrow to celebrate ship's new name Pune’luxutth.
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Vic city council will formally ask feds for more affordable housing money
Victoria City Hall. Photo: City of Victoria
Coun. Dave Thompson’s motion passed unanimously, with an amendment from Coun. Chris Coleman to pursue the support of the province’s munis to pack more parliamentary punch.
Council is calling for a co-ordinated plan with all three levels of government to “immediately and rapidly” increase funding of deeply affordable, co-operative, supportive, student and seniors’ housing, and to double the relative share of non-market community housing.
The feds slammed the door on the social safety net in the 1980s and ’90s to reduce taxes but the provinces didn’t pick up the slack, so the municipalities were left with all the heavy lifting. As a result, the council says, one-fifth of the CRD’s population is unable to afford a place to live. “It’s the very least we can do for these people,” Thompson said in chambers.
“And I’m hoping that with many other actors that are calling for the same across Canada, that it eventually will lead to an era of greater reinvestment in social housing.”
Coleman proposed the council share the motion with the Canadian Federation of Municipalities (CFM) because there’s strength in numbers. “If we’re going to put this motion forward, to the federal government, we should also do it to our greatest advocacy body, which is the CFM.”
In April, Vic’s city council became the first in BC to pass a motion to allow non-profits and co-ops to fast-track the building of affordable housing.
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⭐️ Capital Picks
🪄 The Magic of Tony Eng exhibition is now open at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Fan Tan Alley. [Map]
🩰 Did you know? Mini-subscriptions are available for Dance Victoria's 2023/24 season. Don't miss Compagnie Hervé KOUBI, Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, and Ballets Jazz Montréal! Visit the website.*
👀 Sorry, Santa: Gingerbread castle.
⛷️🏂🏼 Mount Washington opens today.
🌿 Discover the gift that keeps on giving! Purchase a $100 Root Cellar gift card this December and receive a $10 voucher! Purchase gift cards here.*
🤝 Now Hiring: Accounting Technician at Westin Bear Mountain Resort and Spa.
*Sponsored Listing
🗞️ In Other News
Homeowner shows intruder his naked guns in Nanaimo break-in
Difficult to figure out who was more surprised: the would-be burglar swinging a pair of baseball bats or the naked man who tussled with him to defend his home. A bizarre home invasion ends with a 20-year-old up on charges and a homeowner who still has his shoes. [Times Colonist]
Saanich police chief ties personnel to budget-boost demand
Looking for a 9.74% budgetary bump, Dean Duthie told city council staffing levels are at a “critical point” because there hasn’t been an increase in the number of officers (14 constables) in seven years. [Saanich News]
Esquimalt approves 119-unit apt. near Gorge Vale Golf Club
Five single-family lots will be rezoned to make room for the six-storey complex at Lampson and Tillicum, which is expected to take 3.5 years to complete. Whether it will be a strata building or rental-only has yet to be determined. [Times Colonist]
VicPD makes 109 arrests in an 8-day shoplifting operation
They also recovered $29K in stolen merchandise during the Nov. 27-Dec. 5 op dubbed Project Lifter. Those arrested had a combined 1,103 previous criminal convictions, including 186 violent offences, as well as 21 outstanding warrants. [VicPD]
There goes the neighbourhood: Fault line found in Saanich
Using computer animation to map an area and remove everything above ground, including houses and trees, scientists can see fault lines they previously didn’t know were there. There’s one that runs under Elk Lake, across the Pat Bay Highway, and onto a neighbourhood in Cordova Bay. There’s evidence an earthquake rumbled through 2-5K years ago. [CHEK]
🗓️ Things to do
🎅 Anything Goes Market: Christmas market with all proceeds from the door going to food outreach for the homeless. Dec. 17. Victoria Legion on the Gorge. [Legion Info]
🎁 Glenshiel Christmas Market. More than 30 vendors. Homemade cookies, too! James Bay Community Centre. Tomorrow. 10am-4pm. [Info]
🎤 Jon and Roy Holiday Special: Jon and Roy return to the Royal Theatre for their 14th yuletide special. Special guests, too. Tonight. 8pm. [Tickets]
🎸 Canada’s Tribute to The Band: The Great Divide performs the music of The Band. Hermann’s Upstairs. Tonight. 8pm. Doors 7pm. [Tickets]
👠 Kenaissance: Canada’s Drag Race finalist Kendall Gender performs a show inspired by Beyonce’s iconic Renaissance World Tour. Capital Ballroom. Tonight. 9pm. Doors 7pm. [Tickets]
🎙️ Tonight! Prepare for an enchanting evening of jazz as vocalist Heather Ferguson takes the stage at Hermann's Jazz Club. Get tickets today!*
*Sponsored Listing
👀 In Case You Missed It
Access to child care: The long list of challenges that Indigenous families face accessing child care in the CRD. [Capital Daily]
Island companies get cleantech funding from Innovate BC to advance and support the sector. [Victoria Tech Journal]
Thursday’s headlines: Victoria city council considers housing projects; Curbside blue box recycling changes; Made Here holiday market. [Dec. 7]
Three little piggies: The pigs at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm are not big on mornings, but boy, do they dig breaky. [Video]
That’s it!
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