Oct 12 - Local schools' student surge

Good morning !

A 13-foot great white shark was found washed ashore in Haida Gwaii. Scientists from the Fisheries Department confirmed the species by analyzing the shape of its teeth and tail fin.
Why do I just know I’ll be thinking about this when I take my weekly swim off Dallas this morning?

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ☀️19 / 7

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 16 / 9

Monday: 🌨️ 14 / 11

NEWS

Plans for new & expanded local schools; SD62 rivals Surrey as BC’s fastest-growing district

SD62—the Westshore schools’ board—says it has “exceeded its projected growth for the 2024-25 school year” and plans to work with the province to build more schools.

It’s not alone.

Enrolment in Greater Victoria’s core district, SD61, has grown to 21,067 this year from last year’s full-district roll call of 20,855. One of its schools, Vic High—the oldest high school in the province—reopened in the spring following a lengthy and delayed retrofit, and the district will welcome an additional elementary school next year to replace Cedar Middle School. 

The Vic High renos may have been just as much about seismic upgrading as accommodating more kids, but the four-year project netted a new library and learning commons, as well as room for 200 additional students. There’s also a new neighbourhood learning centre that will offer child-care programs once it opens next year. 

“Beyond Cedar Hill Middle School, we just conducted an open house at Sundance-Bank Elementary in August for which we are planning to upgrade the site seismically, but to also allow for more capacity,” a Greater Victoria School District spokesperson tells Capital Daily.

There are 60 public school districts in BC, operating 1,600 schools that serve approximately 600K students from kindergarten to Grade 12. One of them, Surrey’s, is growing at quite the clip. In Sept., it had to find room for 2,200+ students—some 1,300 more than was first expected. With over 80% of its 124 schools now over capacity (per a CBC report) it’s asking the province for 25 new or expanded schools

The Westshore's Sooke School District doesn't have the sheer size of Surrey, but it's in a similar growth mode—which means SD62 has also had to plan for expansion.

Read Sidney Coles’ full story on local schools’ futures here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Royal Victoria Marathon weekend road closures today & tomorrow.

Traffic disruptions & CCTV downtown today (approx. 2-4pm); there is a planned march for Palestine & Lebanon.

Check the BC Ferries website for current wait times over busy long weekend.

NEWS

Victoria barber misses first place by a hair in international blade-throwing competition

As a professional barber, Aahmes Deschutter has automatic eye-hand coordination and knows his way around sharp things.

So it shouldn’t be a shock to hear the amiable haircutter was able to toss a knife with enough exactitude to place second at DangerFest 2024, an international knife-throwing competition held last month in Pierceton, Indiana. 

“It's a big deal just for the fact it is the largest event, and it attracts some of the best throwers in the world,” Deschutter tells Capital Daily.

Deschutter, who’s been cutting hair at Victory Barber & Brand on Blanshard since it opened 13 years ago, says precision is a requirement for his work and his sport.

And make no mistake, knife throwing is a sport, popular particularly in Europe and Asia and with pockets of play here in BC, where axe-throwing is becoming the new bowling. There’s a professional league, the WKTL—World Knife Throwing League—a world championship, and an international knife-throwers hall of fame in Pembroke, near Ottawa.

Read Mark Brennae’s full story here.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🎃 Give recreation passes instead of candy. [City of Victoria]  

👰📚 A bookstore wedding: Russell Books hosts a happy couple. [Photos] 

🤝 Now hiring: Carpenter at The Butchart Gardens.

🌃 More aurora borealis viewing is expected tonight, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is a shot our Sidney Coles took Thurs. night on Dallas, looking above Clover Point.

Send your own aurora photos in over the weekend and we may show some of them in the newsletter!

🗞️ In Other News

Down a major vessel, BC Ferries expects a busy Thanksgiving weekend
Last year, 430K+ passengers used the service this long weekend, which is usually the year's fifth-busiest, BC Ferries told CHEK. Extra sailings on smaller vessels are planned this time because the Queen of New Westminster remains out of the lineup after it lost a propeller last month. As with most long weekend, BC Ferries recommends targeting off-peak times and days, leaving the car at home and walking on, and checking the website for wait times.

Harris Green businesses chosen for city tax-cut pilot project 
Property taxes come from assessments based on the highest and best use of a site, so some small businesses are evaluated similarly to big, new condos. Under the test program, some 20 eligible businesses will have 20% of their assessed land value taxed at half the normal commercial rate. It could save the owner of a property valued at $2M about $2,400 on property taxes of $38K. [Times Colonist]

Alleged drunk driver drove into person after being confronted about drunk driving, witnesses claim
After Thursday’s alleged slow-speed hit-and-run at the Peninsula Co-Op on Goldstream, witnesses gave police the grey 2005 Mazda 3's plate number. West Shore RCMP found the driver, aged 66, and say he tested at twice the legal blood-alcohol limit. The RCMP are recommending crown charges of impaired driving and assault with a weapon—the car. The pedestrian was treated on-scene for non-life-threatening injuries. [RCMP]

🗓️ Things to do

🎃 Pumpkin Festival in Langford: Pumpkins, gourds, arts and crafts, and a mini market with fresh produce. Lohbrunner Community Farm Cooperative. Today & tomorrow. 10am-4pm. Also Oct. 19 & 20. [Info]

🎃 Halloween Stories & Scavenger Hunt: Join Merridale’s distillery for a fun-filled, interactive, and family-friendly tale of past and present Halloween traditions. Merridale Cidery and Distillery. Today & tomorrow. 12pm & 2pm. [Info]

🎭 The Land Acknowledgement or As You Like It: A devastating yet laugh-out-loud examination of land acknowledgments as cultural and political practice. Metro Studio Theatre. Today. 2pm & 7pm. [Info]

🎶 Zappostrophe: The Music of Frank Zappa. Zappostrophe is a Vancouver-based 8-piece band, playing favourites and lesser-known works from Frank Zappa's eclectic recordings. Victoria Event Centre. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

Want more events? Subscribe to This Week In Vic and get our weekly events newsletter every Tues.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Friday headlines: Pharmacare, free contraception bill passes; Sooke stockholder sues, says he lost millions; Swiped dinosaur returned to Liquor Planet; And more. [Oct. 11]

Election ethos: CRD’s ridings are changing. [Capital Daily]

Fireworks on Halloween? Depends on where you are. [CHEK]

Pandora pellet gun shooter: Police seek witnesses. [Video]