Nov 25 - BC legislature won't be back this year

Good morning !

Today's top news is about two delays: One to BC's government, and one to local recreation. Read more on these below—and then hurry up and wait.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧 7 / 1

Tomorrow: ⛅ 8 / 3

Wednesday: ⛅ 8 / 4

7-day forecast

NEWS

No BC legislature sitting until February

Premier David Eby has pivoted away from plans for a fall sitting, the Premier's Office announced in a Friday release (per Canadian Press). That session was intended only to nominate and vote on a Speaker of the Legislative Assembly rather than to pass new policy. 

The NDP had been seeking a Speaker from another party, because nominating one from their bare-minimum majority of 47 could result in ties if all Conservatives and all Greens voted against something the NDP introduced. That search has proven unsuccessful, and the party will continue with its 6-time Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Raj Chouhan in the role. 

The Speaker is a procedural role that one MLA takes on, gaining a higher salary in exchange for becoming largely nonpartisan. The Speaker's role is to help keep the legislative process functional, and does not vote except in tiebreakers. And those tiebreaker votes are supposed to avoid ultimately deciding policy and instead direct legislation toward more discussion. 

NDP government will rely on winning votes case-by-case

The party has been in contact with the Greens, who hold 2 seats including Saanich North, about some form of governing arrangement. This would have been necessary just to form government when the NDP looked to have 46 seats, but became less crucial once Surrey-Guildford flipped in recounts. 

Discussions continued but no formal or public deal has emerged. Friday’s release said that the party will seek support in votes from the Greens and any other MLAs. John Rustad has vowed that his party will obstruct the NDP's governance at every turn, in an effort to force another election. 

The former BC United MLAs that were elected as Conservatives have rejected becoming Speaker, a move that in 2017 got Darryl Plecas kicked out of the then-BC Liberals. There was speculation that ex-BCU Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar could consider the role due to his public objections to Juan de Fuca - Malahat Conservative candidate Marina Sapozhnikov's anti-Indigenous comments, but he publicly rejected the role.

The lack of fall sitting does not delay legislation, since it was always intended to be for the Speaker vote. But it does rule out certain forms of NDP-Green collaboration—while potentially leaving some time for a different sort of deal to materialize. A Green Speaker would have been a tall ask for the party, because it would halve its power to pursue, and speak on, its own agenda in the legislature. 

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Sun & cloud this week after today, but lows may hit 0 C.

Missing man, 64: Royal Oak resident Christian is known to frequent Esquimalt, Saanich, and Lochside trail. [Police description; link may go inactive if person found]

Royals lost 3-7 to Red Deer on Sat. and 4-5 in overtime to Calgary on Fri. 

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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NEWS

Crystal Pool will close until end of December

The North Park pool will not reopen prior to its scheduled Dec. 2-29 maintenance period, the city announced Friday. 

It had closed Nov. 12 due to a problem with a valve in the filtration system. It was supposed to reopen after a week, with the city rush-ordering a part and aiming to do quick repairs. The gym facilities remained open, but the pool, hot tub, sauna, and steam room were suspended  

The part did not arrive by the Nov. 20 opening date, and the city has now opted against a brief one-week reopening. It will now begin its maintenance period early, though the front desk will be open for registrations on all but a few dates.

Drop-in activities, and rec and pool programs are now suspended (except for off-site programs) and partial refunds are coming. While Crystal Pool is closed, its memberships can be used at partner facilities such as Oak Bay, Saanich, Esquimalt, West Shore, SEAPARC and Panorama rec centres, and the downtown Y.

Referendum is drawing close

When the facility reopens on Dec. 30, it will be just weeks away from a Feb. 2025 referendum on its future. The city is asking to borrow $169M—$100M more than the cost estimate back in 2018— and has put forward two options for where to build a new Crystal Pool (where the current building is vs. beside it) and how long to take to complete it. 

There are info sessions about the referendum scheduled for this Thurs. and Sat.

You can read more about the replacement proposals at the city site or at Capital Daily.

Note that the third option on Caledonia, proposed by the city's hired designers and mentioned in the article, did not make it to the referendum ballot. The city is seeking public input on the future of that Caledonia land, currently but temporarily home to Tiny Town / Caledonia Place, in a separate public input process. 

SPONSORED BY THE BUTCHART GARDENS

The Magic of Christmas

Celebrate the season with a visit to The Butchart Gardens’ Magic of Christmas. The annual tradition of twinkling lights, festive greenery and holiday magic runs December 1 – January 6. The Gardens will be open 3pm - 9pm, with viewings until 10pm. Reserve your date and time to visit here.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🌎 WE ARE ONE! An amazing live show featuring the legendary Roy Forbes, Caleb Hart (Caribbean), CBC's Gregor Craigie and many others. Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.*

🌈 A rainbow beside the Beacon Hill totem pole. James MacDonald photo.

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🗞️ In Other News

Mural restoration on southern side of Breakwater wraps up
Métis mural painter and original Unity Wall youth artist Jesse Campbell has updated dozens of the wall’s designs, originally by Darlene Gait and Butch (Clarence) Dick. North side restoration will be done next year. [GVHA]

100 years of Mill Bay ferry
Service began in Oct. 1924, despite objections by Malahat First Nation over the land used for a wharf. But within months, ice sank the vessel and it had to be repaired and relaunched. The Times Colonist recounted that incident, and the rest of the sailing’s history this past century.

Duncan grandmother paints 4m-wide Star Wars mural
With young Remington watching and overseeing for lore-accuracy, Sandra Kroek spent some 200 hours populating a basement wall with scenes and characters. [CTV] 

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🗓️ Things to do

☂️ Antigone: 方 performed by the Canadian College of Performing Arts’ Studio Ensemble: Ho Ka Kei's Antigone: 方 is a timeless and timely tale of resistance in the face of oppression. Canadian College of Performing Arts, 1701 Elgin. Thurs. Nov. 28-Dec.1. [Info]

🎁 Cool Nights, Warm Hearts: Choral Evolution, a 50-member, mixed voice, auditioned choir sings a blend of enduring choral pieces and cozy folk songs, including a rich selection of Canadian works. Dec. 6 & 7 at Holy Trinity Church in Sooke. Dec. 8 at Juan de Fuca 55+ Activity Centre. [Info]

🧑‍🎄 Santa Claus Parade is this weekend.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Orphaned bear cubs still at large. Power outage update. Fire damage to school & charity. [Sunday newsletter]

A very ‘70s living room in Cobble Hill. [Facebook photos]

Sat. news: Case of teen's death reopened by police. City-wide conferences heating up for 2025. Westshore infrastructure weather woes. [Newsletter]

Man who died on Esquimalt bus on Sat. had a medical incident, and was unresponsive with hands turning blue, Times Colonist reports. 

Octopus vs. storm: UVic-based ocean monitoring catches underwater weather. [Video]

…99, 100. Ready or not, here I come: A black bear in Sooke is seen hiding behind a tree after hearing a car drive by. [Facebook video]