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- Oct 22 - Iconic downtown totem pole heads home
Oct 22 - Iconic downtown totem pole heads home
New housing for veterans and seniors opens in Saanich. BC employers must offer medical leave.
Capital Daily Team
October 22, 2025
Good morning !
The CRD is considering expanding free transit to youths aged 13 to 18, with discussions taking place today. Currently, only the City of Victoria offers this perk to youth over the age of 12—and it’s helped boost the city’s youth ridership to 70%.
With local and provincial governments looking to get more residents using public transit, making it accessible to young people heading to school and recreational activities seems like a no-brainer to me.
Do you think all CRD municipalities should offer free public transit to youth? |
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Totem pole removed from Victoria’s Inner Harbour to be returned to carver’s family
Photo: Greater Victoria Harbour Authority
The pole has stood metres from the water at the corner of Belleville and Government since 1966.
Repaired and repainted once in 2014, it’s been weathered and is deteriorating, so it’s being returned to the family of the artist who carved it, Henry Hunt of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation.
“This totem pole has been an important part of the waterfront for decades and has been enjoyed by countless visitors and residents,” said Judith Ethier, acting CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), which controls the land on which the pole was sitting.
The cedar pole was carved in the Kwakwaka'wakw tradition and is one of 19 commissioned to commemorate the 1866 union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia. Placed at prominent locations, the collection became known as the Route of the Totems.
Members of the Hunt family—including Henry’s children Stan, Richard, and Dorothy—were there to celebrate the pole’s legacy, the GVHA said. In a pre-moving ceremony, Stan and Richard spoke about the significance of the pole and mentioned some memories about their father’s carvings.
“It’s amazing to think about how many people from around the world have learned about First Nations’ art and culture through this totem pole,” Stan said in a release.
“We are grateful that the pole has been hosted on lək̓ʷəŋən territory for so many years.”
It took about two hours to remove the pole yesterday morning, and GVHA spokesperson Richard Davies said the procedure was undertaken with great care.
“It was hoisted off the pedestal using a crane and then carefully lowered onto a truck for the journey to Fort Rupert,” he said.
The GVHA employed a specialist shipping firm familiar with transporting artworks and rare items, Davies said, to take the 59-year-old pole home to Stan’s residence.
A new cedar planter with Indigenous plants will be installed in its place before a new, not-yet-determined piece of lək̓ʷəŋən artwork is put there.
The totem pole carved by Henry Hunt. Photo: GVHA
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Single-lane alternating in Saanich:
Cedar Hill Cross between Borden and Cumberland, through Friday, 8am-4pm
West Saanich between Durance and Wallace
Wilkinson at Mann, today-Nov. 7, 9am-3pm
Road closure on 722-732 Lindsay
Paving on Esquimalt Road from Dominion to Lampson. [7am-3 pm weekdays until Oct. 28]
Beaver Beach Playground closed next week for resurfacing work. Oct. 28-Nov. 7. [CRD]
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NEWS
New housing for veterans and seniors
opens in Saanich
Nigel House. Photo: Durwest Construction Management
Nigel House, an 88-suite building for adults living with disabilities, including veterans and seniors, opened last Friday. The new facility has replaced the former Nigel House building, which was not fully wheelchair or disability friendly.
The six-storey facility includes 41 long-term care units and 37 independent living suites. There will also be 10 affordable housing units.
Nigel House is part of the planned Nigel Valley redevelopment, which covers nine acres of land near Saanich Municipal Hall and Swan Lake Park. The development will provide a total of 763 homes, with a mixture of affordable housing, long-term care, mental-health support facilities, and market-rate homes.
Nigel House is owned and operated by Broadmead Care Society, a Victoria non-profit that supports veterans and adults with disabilities. It provided $12M in equity for the units.
The care facility has the support of multiple levels of government: the province provided $11M in funding; Canada spent $3.2M; the Capital Region Hospital District funded $1M; and Island Health will cover the annual operating costs of up to $5M for the 41 long-term care beds.
Nigel House provides “dignified” housing for those who need extra support, said Christine Boye, BC’s housing minister.
“Everyone deserves a safe, comfortable place to call home, including those who have given so much to our communities,” Boyle said in a statement.
Nina Krieger, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake, said the mixed community of long-term care and independent living will provide “comfort and connection” for those living in the area.
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⭐️ Capital Picks
🐳 J-Pod’s newest member: See J64, the weeks-old calf, as it swims alongside its mother. [Center for Whale Research]
🎭 Pacific Opera Victoria presents The Turn of the Screw, Oct 22-28 at the Royal Theatre. Tickets start at $35 for this eerie and intriguing opera.*
🎃 Wicked Victoria on Government & Bastion Square. [Sunday 10:30am-3:30pm.]
🦢 Join Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary Nov 1-2 for a Winter Craft Fair, featuring beautiful sewn hand-crafts, including table décor, quilts, tree ornaments, stockings, and more!*
🐚 Massive fossil at Ammonite Falls near Nanaimo. [Facebook photo]
*Sponsored Listing
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🗞️ In Other News
BC to require employers to offer leave for illness or injury
An amendment to the Employment Standards Act will allow workers to take as many as 27 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 12-month period to undergo medical treatment and recovery. This standard is common in many other provinces. The leave can be broken up instead of being one continuous leave, ensuring that workers who need treatments like chemotherapy or who deal with recurring ailments can take the appropriate time to heal. [BC Gov’t.]
CRD to look at expanding free public transit for youth
Victoria councillors Jeremy Caradonna and Dave Thompson, who also sit on the CRD board, have introduced a motion to expand the free youth transit program region-wide. The proposed collaboration between the CRD and BC Transit is set to be debated today. Victoria is the only municipality in the CRD to offer free public transit for youth aged 13 to 18 (those under 12 received free transit provincewide). [Victoria News]
Al Ferraby’s latest court appearance delayed to next month
The former CFAX Radio morning man was to appear in court on Monday when prosecutors were to share details of their evidence in the case, but that was pushed back to Nov. 10. The 59-year-old was arrested Sept. 18 and faces two child-luring charges: telecommuting to lure a child under 16 to commit sexual interference or touching and telecommunicating to lure a child under 18 to facilitate the commission of child pornography. He was released on the condition that he not communicate online with anyone under 18. None of the charges has been proven in court. [CHEK]
🗓️ Things To Do
🎤 Sing Together: Connect with others and experience the joy of singing songs of community taught by call and response at Cordova Bay United today. 6:30-7:30pm. [Info]
👟 Fernwood Social Run Club with Mizuno Shoe Demo: Try out Mizuno running shoes during this week’s night run in the park behind Fernwood Community Centre tonight. 6:30pm. [Info]
🎹 Louise Rose: Alone Together: Experience the local Canadian treasure at Hermann's tonight. 7pm. [Info]
📚 Kate Beaton in Conversation with Lee Henderson: Join an insightful discussion about the award-winning graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands at Munro's Books tonight. 7-8:30pm. [Info]
🎶 Beyond Vimy: Live music, storytelling, dance and art in celebration of Canadian sovereignty, unity and world peace at Mary Winspear Centre. Sat. 2pm & 7:30pm. [Info]
⚰️ Day of the Dead Gala: An event of cultural engagement in an authentic Dia De Los Muertos experience at Victoria Odd Fellows. Nov. 1. 6pm-11pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Tuesday’s headlines: 2 dogs shot, 1 dies, in Sooke; Renowned mediator Ready to stop strike; Another MLA quits the BC Conservatives. [Oct. 21]
Southern Island fishers worried about possible changes to sport fishing rules. [CHEK]
Minor quake on Salt Spring was felt here early yesterday. [Times Colonist]
Missing person FOUND. [West Shore RCMP]
Missing person: Ashley Bosma, 40, from the Comox Valley, was last heard from on Oct. 13. [Comox RCMP]
BC Lions tickets for CFL’s Western semi-final go on sale today.
Greater Victoria Little Free Library Awards. [Vote Here]
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