Oct. 17 - Is the air in schools safe enough?

Good morning !

Today we look at air quality in schools as we potentially head into another “tripledemic” season of flu, respiratory virus and, of course, COVID. Editor Mark Brennae dives into what schools need to do to keep transmissions down—and how they’ve failed to act on it.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 13 / 10

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 14 / 11

Day after: ☀️ 17 / 11

7-day forecast

🚘️ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Is the air in Victoria schools clean enough to fight COVID?

If you’re a parent, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced this first-hand: one of your children’s classmates shows up to school sick and your kid comes home with a runny nose and fever.

And now you’re calling in sick to work.

It’s cold and flu season, and we know now, also the seemingly interminable COVID season.

“We know that schools are the source of 70% of household cases of COVID,” says Dr. Susan Kuo, a family physician in Vancouver.

If that’s the case, it only stands to reason we would want to have the cleanest air possible circulating in our schools.

Kuo, also a clinical associate professor with the UBC faculty of medicine, says ensuring students are breathing in air unsullied by a virus or other infectant is paramount if we don’t want a repeat of what’s been happening the last few years: kids too sick to go to school.

Kuo is a member of Protect Our Province BC (PoP BC)—a grassroots group of physicians, scientists, nurses and community advocates who’ve published a series of open letters to the BC government, calling for safe classrooms and a return of a mask mandate.

The provincial government isn’t keen on bringing back a full-throttle mask mandate, if you listen to the Green party, partly because it wants to move the narrative forward—those COVID times were awful and reliving them is a bummer, and bad for the economy.

Besides, the province says, its 2023 budget was chock-full of money ($41M) for school boards to upgrade heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems at more than 100 public schools across the province.

So, did they? And more to the point, is the air our children breathe in and out seven hours a day as clean as it should be?

Keep reading here to find out how to clean the air, if local schools are doing it, and where all that funding went.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Road Closure. Oak Bay Ave. partly closed for sewer repairs until Friday. From Foul Bay to Mitchell. [Details / detour]

Missing man: Michael, 57, was last seen in Victoria Oct. 8. [Photo]

Traffic circle construction near the airport
A portion of the multi-use pathway on Stirling and Beacon will be closed starting tomorrow until mid-Nov. while a roundabout is built at the intersection of Galaran Road and Beacon Avenue West.

Blue Green Algae Bloom at Eagle Beach in Elk/Beaver Lake Park.

NEWS

Victoria Native Friendship Centre’s shelter now offering year-round services

Victoria Native Friendship Centre’s (VNFC) shelter has 25 beds and is open from 9pm-7am, offering a place for people to sleep, get a warm meal, do laundry and shower—and now, it’s going to be open all year.

Ron Rice of VNFC told Capital Daily he’s confident the change to year-round services will create a more stable environment for those utilizing it, as well as for staff.

He says it was a challenge to maintain the necessary team to provide seasonal services—two winters ago, the shelter had postings for 19 part-time jobs but only two people applied, forcing the shelter to remain closed that season. Last year, it didn’t open until the middle of Dec., just before a snowstorm hit.

“When we were scheduled to open and couldn't, we had people at the door waiting to come in,” said Rice. “[The closures were] definitely felt in the community.”

Rice says VNFC is working to secure funding to add an extra exit to the building, allowing the shelter to serve more people. He says the long-term care available with this extension is an important way to get people on their feet, like medical check-ups and connections to housing support.

“We had a father and son reunite at our shelter,” said Rice. “Over the course of the winter they were able to collect their identification, get their financial documents in order and by the end of the winter we were able to provide them subsidies to move into an apartment together.”

“It’s that kind of long-term trust building that we go through where people can start to benefit from other VNFC programs.”

SPONSORED BY PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA

An epic serving of fate

Pacific Opera Victoria presents Wagner’s Die Walküre at The Royal Theatre and two more shows remain - October 18 and 21 at 6pm.

In Richard Wagner’s mesmerizing opera Die Walküre, the second installment of his epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, a dramatic tale of gods, heroes, and destiny unfolds. Set in a mythical world of Gods and mortals, the story follows the intertwined fates of the brave warrior Siegmund and his long-lost twin sister Sieglinde. As their forbidden love blooms amidst a raging storm, they discover their true identities and their shared heritage as the offspring of Wotan, the mighty ruler of the Gods. However, their passionate bond sets off a chain of events that threatens the balance of power in the divine realm.

Tickets start at $30.

NEWS

Guns N’ Roses N’ a three-sailing wait

It may have been the perfect storm for some would-be and hope-to-be travellers to the Mainland yesterday.

With rough weather, a big boat out of service and a major concert happening in Vancouver, people who paid big bucks to see Axl, Slash and the boys had to take a page from their fav band by exercising a little patience.

As seems to happen whenever there’s a big game or concert Victorians nervously are hoping to arrive in time for, it was busy down at Swartz Bay yesterday, with a three-sailing wait for much of the day.

The Swartz Bay-to-Tsawwassen route is down to two vessels from three: The Spirit of British Columbia and Coastal Inspiration are both running but the Spirit of Vancouver Island is being repaired and is slated to be on the sidelines until tomorrow.

“While the Spirit of Vancouver Island is out of service, customers arriving at the Tsawwassen or Swartz Bay terminals without an advance booking could expect a 1-3 sailing wait,” The ferry website said.

There were two-hour gaps between sailings for most of the afternoon and many sailings were full, according to the ferry website.

BC Ferries warned customers travelling with a vehicle but without a reservation they might be risking a bit of a wait.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🚲 Free transit for bike riders during Go By Bike week, Oct 16-29.

📸 Photo: See this beautiful shot by photographer Murray Sharratt of kids watching this weekend’s eclipse in Esquimalt.

⚖️ Get back on the road. The experienced lawyers at Acumen Law Corporation will give you the best legal support for your driving prohibition case.*

🕊️ Prayers For Peace: A Vigil for Peace in the Holy Land. Christ Church Cathedral. Today. 5pm. There will also be a live stream.

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Rugby Canada extends men’s coach’s contract
His team missed out on qualifying for the World Cup but Kingsley Jones has a new two-year deal. The former Wales captain has been Canada’s coach since 2019. [Rugby Canada]

Another earthquake rolled through. Did you feel it?
Few did, according to the federal government’s Community Internet Intensity Map, which listed Sunday night’s 4.9 shaker as a Roman numeral “I” for not felt. Don’t forget ShakeOut is Thursday at 10:19am. Sign up here. 

UVic soccer tallies undefeated weekend as playoffs approach
The Vikes men rose to 9-3-2 heading into their final week of the regular season. The women are 8-4-2, after their first win on Trinity Western turf in a decade, and begin the playoffs this weekend.

Victoria two-bedroom rentals are now as expensive as houses
A new report shows the prices of two-bedrooms have risen to rival entire houses for rent with a median rate of $2,800 a month—a 1.8% rise in the last month. [Victoria News]

SPONSORED BY BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

Sponsor a tree today and double your impact

When you sponsor a tree at Festival of Trees before October 31, Scotiabank will generously match your sponsorship level dollar for dollar.

This means your sponsorship will go twice as far in transforming care at BC Children's Hospital for kids with the hardest-to-treat cancers. Don't delay, this opportunity ends soon.

🗓️ Things to do

🕍 Jewish Film Festival starts: Running today until Sunday, with multiple screenings, the festival showcases Jewish themes in film at the Vic Theatre. [Info]

📽️ CineVic presents the fourth annual One Take Super 8 celluloid screenings at Metro Studio Theatre, October 20 and 21. Get your tickets here.*

🗣️ Victoria Language Exchange: Make friends and practise a new language at Swans Pub tonight, 7pm-10pm. [Info]

*Sponsored Listing

👀 In Case You Missed It

Bamfield road work completed, four years after UVic bus crash that killed two students on the infamous 76km stretch. [Mon. newsletter]

Anacortes ferry may return early, before 2030. Plus: A rescue at sea, a playoff win for Pacific FC, and more. [Sun. newsletter]

Royals getting back on track, winning 3 of past 4 after 0-4 start to season. [Recaps]

Quirky lawn sign stolen in Esquimalt: The friendly “Keep on the grass” sign was quickly returned, Gisele Relitz says. [CTV]

Zombie time: If you missed seeing what the zed-heads looked like at this past weekend’s Victoria Zombie Walk, check out Colin Smith’s dead-on shots here.

The best bakeries in Victoria, as voted by readers like you. [Tasting Victoria]

That’s it!

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