Nov 19 - Six Island MLAs join Eby's new cabinet

Good morning !

You may have heard about today’s “bomb cyclone” that will bring up to 90km-per-hour winds to Greater Victoria (the wind will be even more intense for those up-Island).

Meteorologists are predicting power outages and ferry cancellations as the storm is expected to rage throughout the night into tomorrow morning.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 7 / 7

Tomorrow: ⛅ 9 / 7

Day after: 🌧️ 8 / 7

7-day forecast

NEWS

Cabinet ministers sworn in yesterday at Government House

There was an air of celebration as a white bus unloaded soon-to-be-announced cabinet ministers outside of Government House yesterday. Of the 47 NDP caucus members, 23 were named ministers, four were named ministers of state. It was a good day for women MLAs who were appointed to key and powerful cabinet roles such as finance, infrastructure, labour, and education. It was also a good day for MLAs from Vancouver Island and the CRD. 

All designates wore white roses in memory of John Horgan, as they did at their swearing-in ceremony last week. They were welcomed into the ceremonial space by Lekwungen traditional dancers.

The ceremony was presided over by the King’s representative in BC, Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin.

Austin described public service as “gruelling, often thankless and demands one’s whole self.” Once she reaffirmed David Eby through his oath of allegiance to the King, his oath of office and of confidentiality, Austin did the same, en masse, with all the ministers designated before Eby assigned them their cabinet roles, one by one.

The new cabinet includes 23 ministers and 4 ministers of state, including Eby. Among those are a pair of local MLAs back in familiar ministries (Grace Lore and Lana Popham) and a pair of local MLAs leading ministries for the first time (Diana Gibson and Ravi Parmar).

Read the full list of cabinet members—and the notable challenges ahead.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Very high winds expected today as ‘bomb cyclone’ weather system arrives.

Crystal Pool still closed, except for non-water activities. [City of Vic]  

Still no mail: Canada Post workers on strike. [Updates]

Reminder: Call before you dig. Someone may have forgotten in Langford.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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NEWS

UVic to preserve world’s largest archival collection on transgender history

UVic is taking on the task of digitizing its massive collection of original materials chronicling the history and activism of transgender people. Earlier this month, UVic Libraries announced that it received a $400K+ grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to digitize film archives of video and audio interviews with prominent activists, educators, and physicians. 

The project will digitize, preserve, describe, and make accessible 521 at-risk items within the school’s Rikki Swin Collection, ensuring the footage won’t be lost as media technology evolves.

“The reality for Trans+ people during most of the 20th century was one of profound isolation, secrecy, silence, and shame,” said Aaron Devor, chair of transgender studies at UVic. “Due to media fragility and hardware obsolescence these items are completely inaccessible in their current state, and at risk if not digitized.”

The majority of the footage was captured from the 1970s to 1990s. The archives include queer community events from this time, such as the Fantasia Fair, an annual conference for people who cross-dress—many attendees were trans women. UVic’s application for funding was one of 18 selected out of 133 submissions.

Transgender education at risk in BC and elsewhere

Education on trans people and their history has been at risk in BC, with the BC Conservatives running on an election promise to repeal the SOGI 123 program, which includes lessons on sexual orientation and gender within standard sexual health education in BC. Canada’s Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has also made disparaging comments about trans women and adolescents, drawing condemnation from human rights organizations like Amnesty International. 

Multiple queer activists have warned that a Poilievre government could be harmful to 2SLGBTQ+ people. For those living south of the border, the recent US election has left many 2SLGBTQ+ people in fear of US President-Elect Donald Trump’s second term, with trans rights in particular at risk.

The rise in discrimination against queer and trans people has created urgency for UVic to preserve this history.

“With proper care, we can preserve this collection and make it available to the originating communities, to researchers, to Trans+ people everywhere, and to others who support social justice and equity,” Devor said.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🐙 The girl is mine: See two male octopuses fight it out over a mate in Nanoose Bay. [Facebook video]

🍜 Free appetizer with your ramen until Nov. 30 at newly opened Raku Ramen at Broadmead. (California roll, yam roll, or wakame salad.) [Tasting Victoria]

🗞️ In Other News

Downtown business owner says the city is ignoring her safety concerns
The owner of Heirloom Linens on Discovery says she and her employees often don’t feel safe because of an encampment that goes up every day opposite her warehouse. She says kicking people off Pandora—BC Housing says some 62 people have been relocated to a shelter—has simply moved the issue a few blocks. [CHEK]

Doctors set up a pop-up overdose prevention site at Jubilee
Some 50 volunteers, doctors, and social workers plan to run the site for three days—there’s another group going for five days in Nanaimo—if police don’t shut it down. The BC government promised overdose prevention sites in front of hospitals last year but reneged in the spring amid political blowback, including complaints about hospital patients using drugs inside close by nurses and other staffers. [Filter]

CRD looking for landing spots: may send biosolids to Mainland nursery
Most of the biosolids—the nutrient-rich product recovered after it has gone through the wastewater treatment process—gets burned up in a kiln at a Richmond cement plant. But the CRD needs more places to send it, and that may include the nursery which may be able to take 10-30% of the load. The CRD is devising its long-term plan to build an advanced thermal processing plant to turn biosolids into biofuel at the Hartland Landfill. [Times Colonist]

Rescue attempt of orphan bears in Sooke hampered by tricky terrain
Sooke wildlife org Wild Wise says the cubs are currently sheltering high up in a tree, making their attempts to retrieve them unsuccessful. The org has been monitoring the cubs since spotting them in the tree on Sat. The mother of the three cubs was struck by a car last Thurs.

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🗓️ Things to do

🎄🎶 Jann Arden Christmas: Get into the holiday spirit with talented singer and comedian Jann Arden as she puts her unique spin on the classics at the Royal Theatre tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🧠 The Psychology of Serial Killers: Join Dr. Rachel Toles, true crime’s preeminent psychologist, as she dives into the minds of people who commit horrible crimes at the Charlie White Theatre tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🍌 Raffi: See the beloved children’s performer—and former Salt Spring resident—at the Royal Theatre on Saturday. 2pm. [Info] 

👀 In Case You Missed It

Monday’s headlines: BC cabinet to be named today; Expect high winds tonight with ‘bomb cyclone’ effects; Driver guilty in Palestinian protest car incident; And more. [Capital Daily]

Y-buy? That’s the question in Langford. [The Westshore]

Peruvian river with human rights has UVic connections. [Capital Daily]

Below-market rentals get a break from city on development cost charges. [Times Colonist]

Langford gets veterans’ crosswalk on Station. [Goldstream News Gazette]

Victoria’s festival project grant: Applications now open.

A huge skate (the animal, not the footwear) found washed onto a Tofino beach. [Facebook photo]

That’s it!

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