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A day after we reported a small uptick in the Southern Resident orca population, the endangered whales welcomed another calf. 

A newborn was spotted swimming with J-Pod this week, bringing the estimated number of Southern Resident orcas to 77.

Even more noteworthy is the calf's likely mother, J35, also known as Tahlequah. This whale made international headlines in 2018 for carrying her deceased calf for a record 17 days in what became known as a "tour of grief." She lost another calf in 2024, which she carried for nearly two weeks, and has two surviving sons. 

The newborn calf, J65, is believed to be less than a week old, appears to be healthy, and has been confirmed male. 

However, researchers caution that only half of all Southern Resident orcas survive their first year.

Let's hope J65 can pull through!

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

Today: ⛅ 14 / 6

Tomorrow: ☀️ 13 / 7

Day after: 🌧 10 / 9

7-day forecast

Spooky season is upon us, and Halloween is kicking off early in the capital city. 

This year, the stars have aligned for the haunted holiday to fall on a Saturday. There's plenty of fun to be had for all ages, with family-friendly and adults-only events happening over the next two weeks leading up to the big day.

Dive into Victoria's ghostly history with haunted museum and cemetery tours, learn about spooky sea creatures in the region, and shop Halloween-themed goods from local merchants.

On Oct. 31, there will be several trick-or-treating events, costume contests, and bonfires to celebrate the ghoulish day. As the evening grows darker, dance parties will be popping up around the city for those 19+.

See the full list of Halloween-themed events here.

Saanich single-lane traffic: Burnside West between Early Grey and Qu’Appelle today, 9am-3pm and 9pm-6am.

Hamsterly Beach playground closed next week for slide replacement work. [CRD]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

On the water today? Check the tide times for Victoria.

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More than 2,100 people have signed a change.org petition calling for Victoria coun.-elect Wendy Bowkett to resign just days after being elected.

The petition cites “her unprofessional online behaviour” and says that in the last year, “Bowkett has been proudly anti-immigrant and transphobic on her public X account.”

The petition links readers to a series of screenshots purportedly from Bowkett commenting on transgender issues and immigration. 

“Wendy Bowkett’s tweets are full of misinformation and disinformation,” Eddi Wilson, who started the petition, said in an interview with CTV News.

“I want to demand better from our politicians at all levels of government.”

In an email to Capital Daily, Bowkett, who was elected to Victoria City Council on Saturday, said, “The challenge in responding to these accusations is that there are also many fake posts attributed to me, generated by people looking to attack me.”

“I know that some comments I have made on social media could be construed as snarky or mean,” she continued. “I am sorry for that.”

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said she would like to see Bowkett address the issue.

“All I can say is that Wendy was elected, as were all the members of council, in the appropriate due process,” the mayor told Capital Daily.

“Obviously, every council member has a responsibility themselves to determine whether or not they believe that anything has been misconstrued or attributed incorrectly, or anything like that.”

The petition points out that Victoria has the highest proportion of transgender and nonbinary residents of any Canadian city and said it is “unacceptable to have a member of [the] council making decisions for the population when she holds openly hostile views to such a significant portion of its residents.”

Bowkett said that as a community volunteer for more than two decades, she has always worked with people with an inclusive mindset. 

“That is exactly the approach I will bring to my work as a councillor.”

The end is just the beginning. Presented in reverse chronological order, Betrayal, Harold Pinter’s magnetic masterpiece, focuses on the affair between Emma (who is married to Robert) and Jerry (who is best friends with Robert).

Pay-what-you-want tickets are available for all performances.

🗳️ All votes counted: City of Victoria 2026 official election results.

💋 Rocky Horror all-drag tribute tonight at The Greenhouse Theatre.

🍷 Victoria International Wine Festival is Nov. 6 & 7 at VCC. [Details]

Snap election dashes hope of passing law named for Island child
Xavier's Law was set to have its third reading at the legislature this week, but the snap election has caused the bill to die on the floor. The law, named for Xavier Rasul-Jankovics, who was killed by a speeding driver while out rollerblading near his Cowichan home last summer, would have allowed police to issue roadside driving bans to reckless drivers. Xavier's family had hoped the law would be enacted this fall, but the private member's bill would need to be resubmitted to the new legislative assembly. [Times Colonist]

Sooke recount complete, no changes to election results 
The recount and manual ballot review confirmed the 2026 election results, with no change to who was elected mayor or councillor. Five ballots had circles not filled in enough for the counting machines to register, though officials determined the voters’ intentions were clear. Five candidates gained one or two votes, including mayor-elect Kevin Pearson. Turnout in Sooke rose to 5,498 voters this year—about 40% of the electorate—from 3,358 in 2022. [CTV]

Hockey fraud warning: fake tournament invitations
BC Hockey—the governing body for amateur hockey in BC and Yukon—is warning minor hockey associations across Greater Victoria to be aware of fraudulent tourney invitations being sent throughout the province. The Victoria Minor Hockey Association released a scam alert on Oct. 20 in response to a fake invite to a “Victoria Admirals U18 Holiday Whiteout tournament” supposedly slated for Jan. 1-3, 2027. It dangled a memorable event and came with a faux entry fee of $1,800 per team. Find sanctioned BC Hockey events here. [Black Press]

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🎭 Il Trovatore: See one of Verdi's most thrilling operas at the Royal Theatre tonight. 7:30pm & Saturday at 4pm. [Info]

🎶 Wall of Sound—Julian Seagull: Come sing and dance to funky harmonies, with openers Bob Thunder and Blinker, at The Coda tomorrow. 6pm. [Info]

🐛 Meet the Keeper—Curious Crawlies: Spend this week's Pro-D Day learning about strange and fascinating animals at Butterfly Gardens tomorrow. 11am-2pm. [Info]

🎵 Allan Rayman: The Toronto artist celebrates 10 years of Hotel Allan with a show at Encore Victoria. Saturday. 7:30pm. [Info] 

📖 Book Launch: The Old World: Victoria author Jaye C. Watts introduces the second installment in his dystopian science fiction trilogy at theDock. Oct. 30. 7-9pm. [Info]  

😆 Jim Jeffries: The acclaimed comedian is bringing his newest standup show to Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Nov. 8. [Info]

Wednesday’s headlines: Is amalgamation dead?; Southern Resident orca population grows slightly; Fewer women mayors on the Island. [Oct. 21]

Greater Victoria School Board has all new members after a tough year. [Times Colonist]

Suspected impaired driver crosses TCH median in Langford and crashes into rock wall. [CHEK] 

Island-filmed TV series Yaga debuts this Friday on Crave. [Victoria Buzz]

Sip local, win prizes: Collect stamps every time you bring a reusable cup to a participating Victoria cafe for your chance to win. [Details] 

N is for No Second Test: Novice drivers with clean records don’t need another test, effective Oct. 19.

We All Need a Home: A matinee play today, 1pm at Oak Bay High.

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