Nov 4 - 257 Islanders killed by toxic drugs so far this year

Good morning !

We’re officially in the dark days of winter now that daylight saving time has ended.

While I always love the extra hour of sleep it provides on the first day, I can’t say I thrive when the sun sets at 5pm. If you also struggle with the shorter days, you may take some comfort in knowing that there are only seven weeks until the winter solstice—each day after that will have slightly more sunlight than the last.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

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🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ⛅ 10 / 8

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 12 / 10

Day after: 🌧️ 12 / 9

NEWS

93 toxic drug deaths in Greater Victoria
so far this year

In September, 11 people in Victoria died of toxic drugs, bringing the city’s 2025 total to 93 deaths—one of the highest in the province. Greater Victoria has had the third-highest drug death toll for cities this year after Vancouver and Surrey.

The Island has lost 257 people to toxic drugs in the first nine months; 33 of these deaths occurred in September. 

Campbell River has been hit particularly hard by the toxic drug crisis. The small Central Island city has had one of the highest rates of toxic drug deaths in BC this year and recorded a massive spike of 13 deaths in the space of six weeks between September and October. 

BC recorded 158 unregulated drug deaths that month, the equivalent of 5.3 deaths per day (a slight uptick from July and August, which averaged 4.8 and 4.8 daily deaths, respectively).

In the first nine months of the year, 1,384 British Columbians died from toxic drugs. While still far too high, the number of toxic drug deaths appears to be trending downward overall: this year is on track to be the first with fewer than 2K deaths since 2020. 

However, a rise in youth (those under age 19) toxic drug deaths was recorded this year: 20 young people died after using toxic drugs between January and September, compared with 17 during the same time frame last year.

Fentanyl and its analogues remain the most common cause of death—the substance was found in 85% of the deceased. Cocaine (found in 52%) and methamphetamine (51%) were the second and third most common substances.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Galloping Goose to close weekdays near Viaduct Park, Nov. 17 through December. [CRD]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

J-Pod’s youngest calf missing, believed dead

The Center for Whale Research (CWR) shared a sad update about J-Pod over the weekend—J64, the calf born in late September, was nowhere in sight during a recent encounter with the Southern Resident orca pod, a sign that it likely has died.

“We found J42 and held the camera trigger down while waiting for J64 to pop up behind her. Unfortunately, J64 did not surface after J42,” CWR said in a release. 

“We hoped it was nursing or something, but we kept seeing J42 surface repeatedly, and there was no calf with her. After a few long dives and still no calf, we had to conclude that J64 did not survive and was now gone.”

Normally, the research centre waits until a whale is missing from three separate encounters to consider it deceased, but it’s extremely unlikely for a newborn to wander off from the group, especially its mother, “for any length of time,” the CWR said.

There’s already a high mortality rate among newborn Southern Resident killer whales, and this rate increases for newborns of first-time mothers. J64 was J42’s first confirmed calf.

“Poor nutritional status and the transfer of toxins from mother to calf during gestation and lactation are key factors,” the CWR said. “Southern Residents need healthy, abundant Chinook Salmon populations to sustain themselves and the calves they raise if this population is to survive.”

The other two young calves, J62 and J63, were spotted during the encounter and continue to appear healthy. J64 was the fifth calf born to J-Pod this year and one of three to die within weeks of its birth. 

In September, J36 was seen pushing the dead body of her small calf, which was believed to have been stillborn.

NEWS

Despite Saturday’s loss, Victoria fans enjoyed the
Blue Jays’ historic playoff run

We’re here to disseminate local news. That’s our mandate.

Our audience analytics indicate that some of our readers—but definitely not most—are enthused with sports coverage.

Sometimes, though, athletics elbow their way into the collective consciousness, as was the case these past few weeks with the Toronto Blue Jays. According to a poll we ran on Sunday, 90% of respondents followed the team’s run.

“The Blue Jays team brought the whole of Canada and a lot of other world Canadians together, which is something our country needs right now. Thank you, Blue Jays!!!” wrote one Capital Daily reader, among the 45% of voter poll respondents who voted they definitely got caught up in Blue Jay fever, but now it was onto other things. 

A further 25% also said they jumped in, 100%, and ended pretty emotionally spent Sunday morning, following the Jays’ devastating 5-4 Game 7, extra-inning, chances-filled, nail-biting World Series finale defeat. 

“Emotional” and “heartbreaking” were recurring themes in your responses to our poll, which asked whether you got caught up in the Jays’ thrilling postseason run.

Only 10% of respondents said they weren’t in some way engaged in the games.

“It was an emotional rollercoaster ride for me,” said one reader who seemed to speak for many. “I even stayed up late and watched the 18 innings a few days ago. So sorry they lost. What a heartbreak it must be for them.”

There’s that word again.

The Canadian TV ratings throughout the first six games were incredible, and as most of you would expect, they went through the roof for Saturday’s Game 7.

Nearly 45% of Canada’s population watched some part of that game, which averaged 10.9M viewers (1 in 4 of Canada’s population). Apart from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, it was this country’s most-watched English-language broadcast on record.  

Canada’s team, indeed.

SPONSORED BY WONDERHEADS THEATRE

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol is pure holiday magic

The WONDERHEADS make their highly anticipated seasonal return to the McPherson Playhouse this December with A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol, their remarkable reimagining of the Charles Dickens classic. A feast for the eyes, ears, and heart - with a generous kick to the funny bone - this astonishing production brings Ebenezer Scrooge’s magical Christmas eve journey to life with giant masks, whimsical puppets, and wondrous theatrical invention.

The WONDERHEADS, who specialize in visual storytelling, have been praised by the CBC as “Pure magic” and the Globe and Mail as “Ingenious.” Now in its sixth year of touring, A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol has become a festive tradition for thousands of theatregoers every winter. Running Dec 19-21, tickets are on sale now!

⭐️ Capital Picks

👖UVic Students’ Society Clothing Swap today. 10am-4pm

🎭 West Shore Arts Gala Thursday at Olympic View Golf Course.

🧑‍🧒 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.*

^{*Sponsored Listing}

SPONSORED BY THE CANADIAN CLUB OF VICTORIA

The Canadian Club of Victoria's November meeting will feature Rear-Admiral Nigel Greenwood, RCN (Ret'd)

"Navigation and Maritime Security in Canada’s Arctic"

Join us on Monday, November 10th from 11:45 AM - 1:30 PM at The Hotel Grand Pacific (463 Belleville Street).

Deadline for registration is Friday, November 7th - noon. Non-members are welcome to attend! Details here.

🗞️ In Other News

VicPD spent $22K+ on swearing-in ceremony
An FOI request revealed the cost of swearing in new VicPD Chief Fiona Wilson in August. The biggest expense for the 300-person event was the rental of Government House, plus costs for transportation, livestreaming, performers, and overtime. The funds were approved by the police board and were included in the 2025 budget. VicPD is currently requesting a 10% budget increase for next year. [CBC]

Eby says BC won’t run anti-tariff ads as it had planned
The province has switched gears on its plan to run anti-tariff ads in the US after the blowback from Ontario’s similar campaign, which used clips from Ronald Reagan’s 1987 speech about the negative consequences of tariffs. US President Donald Trump cancelled trade negotiations with Canada after the ad aired, and Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized to Trump last week. Despite this, BC intended to move forward with its anti-tariff ads, but during yesterday’s forestry summit in Vancouver, Eby said the province would instead align communication plans with the federal government. [CP / Yahoo]

Lindsay Buziak’s mother begs police to keep daughter’s murder investigation open
This past Sunday would have been Lindsay’s 42nd birthday, and her mother, Evelyn Reitmayer, took to YouTube to say she’s devastated police have closed the active investigation into her daughter’s Feb 2, 2008 stabbing death. Yesterday, Saanich Police said in a release that the investigation remains “active and ongoing,” despite some officers being reassigned to other cases. The realtor, then 24, was showing a home in Saanich when she was brutally attacked. Reitmayer said police have indicated to her that there are people who have pertinent information but are too scared to come forward. [CHEK] 

SPONSORED BY CONTINUING STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

Make career goals feel less like a dream.

Turn aspirations into career achievement. Gain real-world skills, train with experts, and show up career-ready with Continuing Studies at UVic.

🗓️ Things To Do

👗 UVic Clothing Swap: Refresh your wardrobe sustainably by trading gently used clothes for new-to-you pieces in this free campus swap event at The SUB, UVic today. [Info]

🤝 Community Connect: An evening of networking among non-profit leaders, local business, and social enterprises at theDock Centre today. 5:30-8pm. [Info]

🎺 Meridiem Wind Orchestra: War & Peace: Hear powerful wind ensemble works at the Dave Dunnet Theatre at Oak Bay High tonight. 7-9pm. [Info]

🎭 Burning Mom: Watch a one-woman show—portraying a mother's self discovery at Burning Man—at The Belfry Theatre tomorrow. 1pm & 5pm. [Info]

🍷 Cinq à Sept Launch Party: Kick off Intrepid Theatre’s Incoming Festival with drinks and conversations with Victoria arts leaders at Intrepid Studio tomorrow. 5-7pm. [Info]

🎶 Concert of Remembrance: A moving tribute of song and story with the Band of the 5th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery at Dave Dunnet Theatre at Oak Bay High. Nov. 8. 7:30pm-9pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday’s headlines: Victoria’s Caribbean community flexes muscle in support of Hurricane Melissa victims; Weekly roundup; Zombie worms are disappearing—and that’s bad news. [Nov. 2]

Victoria mayor ‘disappointed’ city bylaw department had a series of bullying investigations. [CTV] 

18 sculptures stolen: Esquimalt's ‘Garden of Monsters’ art display mysteriously taken away. [CHEK] 

Missing man: Treshaun, 28, last seen Sept. 9 on Gorge E. [VicPD]

Second-Hand Shop Around: Support local second-hand shops around Victoria and earn discounts. Now through Dec. 13. [DVBA]

That’s it!

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