Nov 12 - $6M for Royal Athletic Park updates

Good morning !

Hello again! We’re glad to be back in your inboxes after a brief break. I hope you all had a peaceful day yesterday.

Today, we’re looking at the newly announced funds for updating Royal Athletic Park. We also have some sad news about yet another humpback death in the Salish Sea.

—Robyn 

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

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NEWS

$6M coming from the feds for RAP stadium upgrades

A welcome surprise and with absolutely “no complaints.” 

That’s how the Victoria HarbourCats are receiving the news that the federal government has earmarked up to $6M for improvements to Royal Athletic Park (RAP). 

The money—announced in last week’s federal budget and formally declared Monday at RAP as part of the Carney government’s $51B Build Community Strong Fund—came as a surprise to both the baseball club and the city, which owns the park.

Mayor Marianne Alto said she is “thrilled” with the federal government’s direct-to-local-government funding of infrastructure.

So is Jim Swanson.

As managing partner of the HarbourCats—RAP’s prime tenant—Swanson has witnessed and participated in MacGyvering various pieces and areas of the aging ballpark.

He tells Capital Daily, “The washrooms look like Miami Vice set up camp and never left.”

“The fixtures in the washrooms, when they crack, they cannot be replaced,” he says. “They’re old code.”

Much of Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park is old code—understandable, considering the park dates back to the early 20th century. The grandstands caught fire in the mid-1960s and were rebuilt in 1967. After 58 years, the seating needs to be replaced. So do the lighting and scoreboard. Ditto for the concession stands.

Accessibility is six decades behind the times. 

All are issues that were to be sorted out previously, when the city put aside $2M of a $12.8M provincial grant to deal with the deteriorating diamond. But the city left those plans stranded on base when, in the summer, it reasonably opted to use that money for more pressing social safety measures. 

Swanson says the city has done “a great job of keeping it going,” considering the stadium’s senior-citizen status.
“There's been a Band-Aid or two, and some baling wire and a whole bunch of stuff to keep things running.”

Swanson is quick to say he was surprised—happily so—to have the feds select this project when there are many other worthy infrastructure choices—he mentioned the Crystal Pool replacement—and now it’s up to the city to determine how the money will be used.

“I don't think anybody should be expecting there to be tangible changes in place for this coming [HarbourCats] season,” he says.

But when they do come about, he lists lighting, seating, washrooms, and concession stands high on the list—and he’s also hoping the field can be resodded.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Saanich road closure: Cedar Hill between Cedar Hill Cross and Earlston for tree removal, Friday, Nov. 21, 9am-2:30pm.

Rockland closed at Cook, today through Friday, for emergency underground repair. [City of Victoria]

Cook closed between Johnson and Yates, today through Nov. 26, for underground utility servicing. [City of Vic]

NEWS

Another humpback found dead near the Island

For the second time in two weeks, a humpback whale has been found dead in Island waters. 

The large body of Polyphemus (BCZ0342), a 21-year-old humpback, was discovered Friday off the shore of Lasqueti Island, north of Parksville.

“This is an unfortunate incident, and we are working to better understand what happened,” the Fisheries Department (DFO) said in an email to Capital Daily.

“A necropsy is essential to know Polyphemus’s cause of death,” Jackie Hildering, a spokesperson for the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), said in an email to Capital Daily. 

“If this death is also from a vessel strike, indications that Polyphemus was alive at the time of collision include significant edema and hemorrhaging from an impact site.”

Late last month, a dead humpback washed ashore on Keats Island, a little south of Lasqueti Island, in the Strait of Georgia.

Days earlier, on Oct. 23, a Prince of Whales whale-watching boat made accidental contact with a humpback that suddenly surfaced near Vancouver. The captain hit the brakes to try to avoid hitting it. 

“Although the vessel was able to stop almost immediately, there was minimal contact with the whale during the maneuver,” the company said in a statement to CHEK News.

The DFO is also investigating that case.

Polyphemus was known to migrate to Hawaii, MERS said, although the whale’s presence in BC waters is another reminder that humpbacks generally don’t head south to Hawaii, Mexico, or Central America until February.

“It appears that many people do not know that some humpbacks are still feeding in BC waters,” Hildering said. 

“It is from October through December when there are the MOST humpbacks in the Salish Sea.”

MERS and the DFO encourage boaters—and non-boaters—to learn about their marine neighbours by taking this free, 90-minute course on whale behaviour and how to reduce threats.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🎵 We Are One! 2025: Outstanding performers commemorate Human Solidarity Day and the International Day of Persons With Disabilities. [Nov. 30]

🌱 Always be opportunity-ready! Set yourself apart with Continuing Studies at UVic and gain fresh skills to stay relevant in the job market.*

🏮 📞 Old Chinatown phone booths rediscovered. [Facebook photos]

🥞 Treat your family this holiday season at Pancakes & Pajamas. Join this festive fundraiser and support the health care journeys of Island kids.*

🐟 Why did the salmon cross the road? Flooding on a North Island road led a Coho salmon down the wrong route. It was redirected back to the nearby stream shortly after the video was filmed. [Facebook video]

🧑‍🧒 1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre: Building Hope for Single Parents, One Family at a Time. Empower single-parent families to thrive by donating today.*

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🗞️ In Other News

Two sightings of a black bear in Saanich put community on alert
A large black bear was seen walking along Burnside on Saturday morning, and Saanich PD has confirmed it received two reports of sightings. The police say the bear has shown no signs of aggression, but its presence in the urban setting is concerning. While the department tracks down the bear, it’s reminding people if they come across the animal, they should stay calm and back away slowly. Never approach or attempt to feed a bear. [Times Colonist]

Pilot lauded after outbound Victoria flight to Mexico diverts to Vancouver
Passengers aboard a WestJet flight to Cancun are applauding the pilot who made an emergency landing at YVR after the plane suffered bird strikes and was forced from its planned route to Cancun. It happened on Nov. 5, a Wednesday morning, not long after the Boeing 737 took off from YYJ. The plane circled the Island for 90 minutes before landing safely in Vancouver, where fire trucks and emergency vehicles waited on the tarmac. Passengers were placed on a plane at 2pm and arrived at their destination only roughly five hours behind schedule. [CHEK]

Victoria revises affordable housing incentive after lack of developer interest
City staff are reworking the affordable-rental tax break after finding that developers were deterred by the 60-year requirement for affordable housing. The bylaw was passed last year to incentivize developers to make 10% of building units priced at below-market rates. But the city said it has only received five applications since. Although the bylaw ensures developers make the same amount that they lose when lowering rents—saving between $800K and $2.5M over 60 years—the paperwork and decades-long commitment have been off-putting, staff said. The council approved a reduction from 60 years to 20, with plans to revisit the bylaw next year. [Victoria News]

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🗓️ Things To Do

🎵 Ben Caplan with Suzie Ungerleider: Halifax folk artist Ben Caplan brings his soulful voice to the Capital Ballroom, with special guest Suzie Ungerleider, tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

🛍️ Thursdays at Ecologyst: Monthly Shop & Sip: Browse unique natural fibre products produced in North America while sipping locally made beverages from Vancouver Island breweries and wineries at Ecologyst tomorrow. 12-7pm. [Info]

❄️ Sip & Shop Holiday Market: Shop curated local vendors while sipping cocktails at The Bard & Banker tomorrow. 4-8pm. [Info]

🗣️ The Soft Storm: Hear poetry by Victoria’s sixth Poet Laureate Emeritus, Marie Metaphor Specht, and Indigenous poet Shauntelle Dick-Charleson at Kirk Hall (masks required). Fri. 6:30pm & 8:30pm. [Info]

🎸 Sloan: The Canadian indie rock legends will bring their music to the Capital Ballroom. Fri. 9pm. [Info] 

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday’s headlines: Remembrance Day events; Weekly roundup; Rental prices cooling in BC. [Nov. 9]

Emergency landing in Vancouver for an outbound Victoria flight en route to Cancun. [CHEK]

Victoria NHLer Mel Bridgman died this week at 70. [Times Colonist]

Crystal Pool closed for annual maintenance shutdown Dec. 8-28.

Harbour Holiday Light-Up is Dec. 5. [GVHA]

Stunning giant Pacific octopus seen on a dive at Tyee Spit. [Facebook video/photos]

That’s it!

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