Nov 13 - John Horgan: 1959-2024

Good morning !

This morning we say so long to a kind and affable man who was our premier for five years.

The city has lost yet another place to rock out. And the feds order port workers back to the job. Maybe they’ve saved Christmas because goods will be flowing through BC’s ports again.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️12 / 8 

Tomorrow: ⛅ 10 / 6

Friday: 🌦️ 8 / 5

NEWS

Former premier John Horgan dies of cancer at 65

John Joseph Horgan, who served five terms as Langford MLA and 5+ years as premier, died yesterday after a years-long battle with cancer. 

“John was a leader, a dreamer, a spouse, a dad, a friend,” Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said in a statement. 

“Whether you knew him for years or met him just once on a chance encounter, his warmth, kindness, and energy were real, and something you’ll remember.”

Horgan passed away peacefully at the Royal Jubilee Hospital [yesterday] morning “surrounded by family, friends, and love in his final days,” according to a statement from his family posted on social media X.

“Our hearts are broken,” the brief statement began. “Live Long and Prosper,” is how it closed, referencing Horgan’s affinity for Star Trek. 

He is survived by his wife Ellie and sons Evan and Nate. 

“John Horgan believed in the power of public service,” began a post on X by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“He saw it as a privilege, as a way to help others and to make our country better.”

Read Mark Brennae’s full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Swartz Bay: Noisy overnight work until Nov. 29. [6pm-2am]

Flags on Beacon Hill and at the legislature lowered to half-mast for John Horgan.

Canada Post issues 72-hour lockout notice to CUPW workers.

GVPL changing audiobook formats starting today. [GVPL]

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

Ports dispute ordered to binding arbitration; ships collect in Juan de Fuca Strait

Calling failed negotiations to be at “a total impasse,” federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has ordered striking dock foremen back to work and negotiators of both sides into a process of binding arbitration.

The strike at the Port of Vancouver has caused significant disruptions in the region’s shipping. If you look out into the Juan de Fuca Strait, you’ll see a growing number of fully loaded vessels anchored off the Westshore. They couldn’t unload, so they had to stay put.

The strike began on Nov. 1 and has shut down container handling at Vancouver's port. It’s affected other piers, including in Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince Rupert and Montreal.

It’s a robot war; with the union—representing 730 workers—worried about anticipated automation in port operations, which dock foremen fear will mean job losses. 

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade has estimated in the two weeks or so workers have been off the job, some $800 million a day in trade has been disrupted. With the Christmas buying season on the way, retailers are worried about inventory.

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here. 

NEWS

City loses another music venue: Quadratic Sound in Rock Bay gets zoned out

Victoria music fans are grieving the loss of another local night spot—the third event space to end programming this year. Quadratic Sound posted a statement on social media saying the property that leases the spot on Queens is only zoned for warehouse and industrial purposes. After a visit to the Rock Bay site last week, bylaw officers informed the operators that they can no longer operate as a private club.

“Changing this would require a complex rezoning process that only the property manager can initiate and unfortunately, they have no motivation to do so,” read the post. 

Quadratic Sound plans to continue using the space for musicians to rent as a practice studio or recording spot. Still, they won’t be able to hold any concerts, ending one of the few paid-performance opportunities for local musicians in the city. Since opening, the venue has hosted 300+ events, with 10K attendees, generating $71K paid directly to artists, according to venue staff. The team says finding a new location for Quadratic Sound events is possible but not a priority now.

Read more about the latest in a series of music-venue closures in Victoria. 

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⭐️ Capital Picks

♥️ Twentyman family of Victoria grieves brother Bruce. [GoFundMe]

🏃‍♀️ Greater Victoria residents gave the region's sports and recreation a grade of B+. Read all the results of the new 2024 Victoria's Vital Signs report online today!*

🖼 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria: Members’ Appreciation Sale. [Today-Nov. 27]

🚗 Shop local this holiday season! Enjoy free parking at downtown parkades on Nov. 16 and 23 courtesy of the Downtown Victoria Business Association.*

🤩  Stars in Saanich: Actress Gabrielle Union and former NBA player Dwyane Wade take in the beautiful views on PKOLS (Mt. Douglas) while exploring Victoria. [Instagram]

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

BC teen with bird flu now in critical condition, says Bonnie Henry
The youth was hospitalized on Friday as their condition varied over the weekend. It’s not clear how the Fraser Valley teen contracted the virus. This is believed to be the first known human case of avian flu in Canada. That will need to be confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, but Henry says she’s “confident” the teen is infected with H5N1. There are currently 23 BC sites—mostly commercial poultry farms—dealing with a bird flu outbreak, with 6.4M birds estimated to have been infected in the province. [CBC]

Salmon hope: 2 dead coho found in Oak Bay’s Bowker Creek
It’s the first sign of coho salmon presence there in 70 years. The carcasses were found days apart earlier this month, a sign the coho—which were once abundant in this creek that runs through Oak Bay, Victoria, and Saanich but died off because of urban development—could be returning. It’s also possible the fish took a wrong turn and swam up from Oak Bay Marina. [CHEK] Visit our compiled listings, as there’s still time to watch the salmon run.

UVic basketball teams sweep UNBC in the last home games of season
The men blew out the Timberwolves, 102-48 and 92-62, while the women pulled away in games that were close late. Diego Maffia—Canada's reigning Player of the Year—put up a season-high 35 points for a home crowd that won't see his prodigious play again until Jan. The Vikes begin a four-game road stretch to close the 2024 slate, heading to UBC for games on Fri. and Sat. Watch on Canada West TV presented by BioSteel. [UVic]

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🗓️ Things to do

🎸 Arkells: The Big Feelings Tour. The nine-time Juno Award winners are here to please, and to provide a night of unstoppable hits and fan favourites. Save-On-Foods-Memorial-Centre. Sat. 7:30pm. [Info] 

🍸 Sip & Shop Holiday Market: The third annual Sip and Shop Holiday market is back at Bard and Banker with local vendors, live music, and tasty libations to sip on today. 4-8pm. [Info] 

🍛 Indian Feast Cooking Class: Join the London Chef for an evening of India, exploring the traditional cuisine, rich history, and food culture of this region—learn to cook fresh garam masala, basmati rice, spiced minted peas & potatoes, and more. Sea Cider Farm. Tonight. 6pm. [Info]

🎹 Billy & Elton the Legacy: See the tribute of some of the biggest-selling “piano men” of all time. Mary Winspear Centre. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🎤 Jim Cuddy: All the World Tour with special guest Devin Cuddy–that’s Jim’s son, who fronts the Devin Cuddy Band. McPherson Playhouse. Tonight. 7:30pm. [Info] 

🧑‍🎄🐶🐱 Pet photos with Santa: By donation to Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders. Unit 104, 975 Langford Pkwy. Sat. & Sun. 10am-2pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: MLAs to be sworn in following recount; UVic 3-peats as Canadian rowing champions; Nanaimo Avalanche survivor back at work after being buried alive; And more. [Nov. 12]

Watch Monday's Remembrance Day ceremony: video via CHEK YouTube.

102-year-old Langford man recalls his 35 bombing missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. [Times Colonist]

Tattoos from a sailor: Chinatown's Ophidia Tattoo will add hand-poke specialist Scrimshaw Tattoos, who sails around the coast with his dog in a 1956 wooden sailboat. [Video]

Bram Stoker's birthday was Nov. 8. Browse the GVPL's vampire book collection here.

WHL action Monday: Victoria Royals 3, Kamloops Blazers 1.

That’s it!

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