Oct 15 - Orca numbers treading water

Good morning !

Our first story brings some disheartening news about our orcas.

Our second is about making it easy to give.

Go Jays.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ☀️14 / 6   

Tomorrow: 🌤️12 / 6

Friday: 🌤️13 / 9

7-day forecast

NEWS

New Southern Resident orca census confirms population growth remains stunted

The 2025 Orca Survey, conducted earlier this summer and released this week by the Washington state-based conservation group Center for Whale Research (CWR), found 74 Southern Resident killer whales alive as of July. 

While this is a slight uptick from the 2024 census number, low birth rates and a high number of deaths continue to prevent the population from growing beyond 75 whales.

CWR researchers say immediate action, including policy change, is going to have to happen to save these salmon-eating whales from extinction. In a release, CWR said it’s time to “take the threats of climate change and ecosystem degradation seriously.”

Currently, there are 27 whales in J-Pod, 33 in L-Pod, and 14 in K-Pod.

Michael Weiss, research director at the CWR, warns that if changes aren’t made soon, at least one of the pods could disappear—along with its unique language and culture—in the next 50 years.

Read the full story on the births and losses experienced by Southern Resident killer whale families last year.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Single-lane alternating traffic in Saanich: 

• Cedar Hill Cross between Borden and Cumberland 8am-4pm through Friday

• Tillicum at Gorge West, all day through Friday

Boil water advisory: East Sooke Wilderness Mountains. 

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

Charitable ‘vending machines’ coming to Victoria next month

We realize we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, but come Christmas, if you’re having a tough time finding that certain something for that certain someone, there’s a pretty neat, altruistic opportunity coming to the Tillicum Centre next month.

Victoria will be among 130+ cities in 21 countries to host a Giving Machine, which is sort of “like a ginormous smartphone” that acts as a dispenser of gifts.

It’s basically a vending machine, with 30 gift ideas ranging from a hot soup lunch or protein shake for a student or unhoused stranger to safety aids for a senior or water purification tablets for someone in need on a different continent. 

One gift idea is a garden in a box, consisting of a container, soil, seeds, and instructions on how to garden. 

“It's supporting people in taking a step up on their own,” says Joyce Thomson, a spokesperson for the group behind the local Light the World initiative.

“You know that adage: ‘Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.’ It's that kind of thing.”

Since 2017, more than two million people have visited a Giving Machine and donated more than $60M in goods and services, a project spokesperson said.
Last year, 600K people swiped their credit cards on Giving Machines. They bought more than 350K items, including food, fresh water supplies for 1,800 communities, vaccinations for 660K children, and 11K backpacks filled with school supplies, he said.

Five of the seven charities supported through the machines are local, and two—Care Canada and UNICEF Canada—are international. 

The machines, from New Zealand, were first used in New York, and they’re coming here through the work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

“It's just unique, and it's different, and you can just walk up to it and look and decide what connects with your spirit,” Thomson tells Capital Daily.

The machines will be set up in the Tillicum Centre from Nov. 14 to Dec. 3.

SPONSORED BY CONTINUING STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

Success starts with the basics.

“In tough economic times, companies often scale back on training, but the current moment demands the opposite,” says Dr. Jo-Anne Clarke, dean of Continuing Studies at UVic. 

Businesses and employers are seeking professionals with practical skills in areas like communication, data analytics, finance, leadership, or project management. Many professionals who upskill or reskill also gain a renewed sense of purpose. “They are energized by the new insights and can implement them in their work right away,” shares Jo-Anne.

Taking courses that focus on specific topics can provide an effective way to complement your existing skills and help you stay competitive. If you’re interested in building the core skills employers want, explore business and career essentials.

⭐️ Capital Picks

👻 Curiosities of Craigdarroch—the After-Hours Tour. [Until Nov. 2]

🚌 Victoria Regional Transit Plan: BC Transit survey.

🧑‍🏫 Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to lead with confidence and compassion. Attend our Fall Open Houses to see how IB learning and belonging shape extraordinary futures.*

⚠️ Great BC Shake Out is tomorrow morning at 10:16

🧑‍🧒 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.*

🍃 Residential leaf collection is ongoing in James Bay, Fairfield, Rockland, and Gonzales. *Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Tiny Town temporary housing to close next spring
BC Housing aims to shut down the shipping-container village on Caledonia near Royal Athletic Park at the end of next March, according to a letter the Crown corporation sent to neighbours. The letter said the city, which owns the land on which the housing sits, has allowed residents to stay until the spring, even though permitting was to expire at the end of September. The city said the permit has been renewed three times since the project opened in 2021. There are no immediate plans for the lot, the city said. [Times Colonist]

IIO investigates VicPD after man seriously injured in Esquimalt
Last Thursday at around 5:30pm, VicPD responded to a report of a man with a weapon at a home on Dominion. Officers needed the assistance of a police dog. During the arrest, the man sustained a serious but not life-threatening injury, the Independent Investigation Office of BC (IIO) said. The IIO will determine if the injury meets the threshold of serious harm defined in the Police Act and whether police action (or inaction) was the cause of it. [IIO]

Grievances grow, so here’s an e-bike and e-scooter refresher 
Following an “increased level of complaints” over the summer as e-bike and e-scooter programs put more of these vehicles on our streets, West Shore RCMP wants to remind residents how to safely and legally use the newfangled vehicles. E-bikes have an electric motor, pedals, and three wheels, maximum. No driver’s licence is required—but a helmet is. E-scooters, or electric kick scooters, have two to four wheels and a platform on which the rider stands. There are motor power, speed, and braking limitations. [CHEK]

Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!

Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Capital Region. 

SPONSORED BY PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA

You belong at the opera!

Enter the eerie, spellbinding world of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, a psychological thriller where innocence meets the unknown. Based on the chilling novella by Henry James, this haunting chamber opera follows a young governess sent to a remote English estate to care for two orphaned children. But something is not right. Shadows linger. Whispers echo. And as the line between the supernatural and the psychological begins to blur, the governess is forced to confront the terrifying question: are the children being haunted… or is she?

The Turn of the Screw runs from Oct. 22nd to 28th at the Royal Theatre. Tickets start at just $35. Reserve yours today.

🗓️ Things To Do

👻 Haunted Halloween Tour: Hear spine-tingling tales of Victoria's haunted history and restless spirits while riding behind a beautifully adorned draft horse through the city's dark past. Corner of Belleville and Menzies. Through Oct. 31. 12-6pm daily. [Info]

✍️ Architectures of Protection: An Ekphrastic Writing Workshop: Creatively respond to visual art through ekphrastic poetry and prose inspired by the gallery's exhibition on protection and refuge. Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Today. 1-4pm. [Info]

🎭 Queer Open Stage: Watch 2SLGBTQIA+ performers showcase music, drag, poetry, dance, comedy, or magic in 10-minute sets, with sign-ups at the door or by email. theDock. Today. 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]

🎤 Sing Together: Connect with others and experience the joy of singing songs in a welcoming, no-experience-needed environment. Cordova Bay United. Today. 6:30-7:30pm. [Info]

📚 Victoria Festival of Authors: Celebrate the festival's 10th anniversary with 40 luminary guests, including Booker Prize nominees and award-winning Canadian authors, at various venues. Through Oct 19. [Info]

🎰 Drag Bingo: Win fun prizes while enjoying fabulous drag entertainment at this weekly bingo night. The Vicious Poodle. Today. First ball at 8pm. [Info]

✍️ Music & Poetry Evening: Published poets Rhona McAdam and Barbara Pelman will share their work, joined by the multi-talented musicians Shelley and Doug Thorsteinson in a collaborative night of verse and song. Goldfinch Arts Centre. Today. 6:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday’s headlines: Toxic drugs have taken 200+ Island lives so far this year; Weekly roundup; Best brunch spots. [Oct. 10]

Light rail ‘part of conversation’ as BC Transit looks to the future. [Times Colonist] 

BC Ferries vessel delayed while humpbacks play. [CHEK]

Why we shouldn’t feed wildlife. [CTV]

Get help replacing an ID at an upcoming GV Public Library ID clinic. [GVPL]

Giant Pacific octopus moves through mushroom-like anemones in Barkley Sound. [Facebook video]

That’s it!

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