Good morning {{First name}}!

Results from our poll on Wednesday about the future of the amalgamation debate suggest a community with varied views. While 17% of respondents said there’s still reason to keep the discussion alive, more than 52% said a Victoria-Saanich merger is dead—with 33% calling it dead “as a doornail” and 20% saying it’s dead “for now.”

A strong contingent of 29% sees the amalgamation concept evolving into a service-sharing agreement sometime in the future.

— Mark

_{Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes}

Today: ☀️ 14 / 7

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 10 / 8

Sunday: 🌦️ 12 / 9

7-day forecast

Just one week after a municipal election, Islanders head to the polls again tomorrow, although many have already cast their ballots.

So far, 100,242 people in Greater Victoria's eight ridings have voted at advance polls for Saturday’s provincial election. With 352,170 registered voters in the region, that's nearly one-third of the electorate. 

The four advance polls in the riding of Saanich North and the Islands have been the busiest, with more than 17K residents casting ballots early—34% of the riding’s eligible voters. 

Number of advance voters in each riding:

Victoria–Beacon Hill: 14,110
Victoria–Swan Lake: 10,877
Saanich North and the Islands: 17,021
Saanich South: 13,298
Oak Bay–Gordon Head: 10,458
Esquimalt–Colwood: 12,364
Langford–Highlands: 8,815
Juan de Fuca–Malahat: 13,299

For those planning to vote tomorrow, polls will be open from 8am to 8pm. Find voting locations for your riding here.

Missing person Daniel Morrison-Miniano, 30, last seen in Sooke. [RCMP]

Free bus transit tomorrow, all day, election day. [BC Transit]

Single-lane traffic for paving: Burnside West at Wascana today, 9am-12pm.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

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

Cook between Bay and Maplewood is clearing up after being a construction zone since the beginning of the year.

That stretch of Cook—which the city considers “one of Victoria’s highest-collision corridors”—has received a facelift that includes safety improvements to intersections and existing crossings, new crosswalks and protected bike lanes, signal upgrades and accessibility improvements, and road repairs and paving.

Anyone driving through will have endured slower traffic, lane closures, detours, and parking issues since the work began. Some noise and kicked-up dust, too. But that’s almost over. 

“Together with transportation upgrades on other major corridors and neighbourhood streets, the project will create safer, more comfortable connections for people walking, cycling, driving and rolling in our city," said city spokesperson Colleen Mycroft.

The remaining work is “expected to take another three to four weeks,” she said.

This week, crews will finish installing traffic signal infrastructure at Cook and Finlayson. 

The intersection’s new equipment will have to be switched online, which may require a short closure, Mycroft said. 

Over the next few weeks, crews will work on electrical connections, with testing and final inspections to follow.

“This work aligns with the city’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan priorities to expand the AAA bike and roll network and improve the 'moving experience' of pedestrians, mobility device users and the public generally,” the city says on its website.  

The next Canadian Club of Victoria speaker is Kevin Scott from the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.

Come join the Canadian Club of Victoria Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 9:30am to 10am at Berwick Royal Oak.

The deadline to register is Friday, Oct. 28 at noon. Non-members are welcome to attend. Details here.

🍁 The True North Annual Benefit Concert to support the Shelbourne Community Kitchen is 6pm tonight at Broadview United.

🏒 Victoria Royals host Kelowna Rockets tonight & tomorrow at SoFMC.

📚 Celebrate Women's History Month at GVPL: See recommended non-fiction books for adults and kids. 

📋 Seniors and their families are using this readiness organizer to help keep daily life going when someone needs to step in at short notice.*

💀 Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) 2026 is Oct 31 at Sea Rider.

🧶 The 47th Creative Craft Fair is Nov. 6-8 at Pearkes Rec. Centre.

*Sponsored Listing

On Nov. 6 & 7, Athens-based dance company The Lion and the Wolf brings My Fierce Ignorant Step to the Royal Theatre. Led by award-winning choreographer Christos Papadopoulos, 10 dancers build an ecstatic soundscape of voice and movement inspired by the sonic memories of Papadopoulos’s childhood in Greece. From $35!

Police work to address traffic problems near Ogden Point
VicPD says it has been working with the James Bay Neighbourhood Association to tackle aggressive driving linked to cruise ship traffic after residents raised concerns during the summer's record cruise season. On Oct. 3 and 9, officers issued seven tickets, including for driving without insurance, and handed out warnings for speeding and unsafe cycling. They also monitored traffic patterns and taxi activity on Dallas to understand where more enforcement is needed. [Black Press]

VicPD investigating bus fight and separate incident involving an axe
One person was taken to the hospital in the first incident, and another was taken into police custody in the second. On Monday afternoon, an argument over reserved seating blew up into a physical fight outside the bus, stopped at Quadra and King. One person received minor injuries. Earlier that day, someone used an axe to break into a vehicle near Pandora and Chambers. Police were told the person was also trying to set the vehicle on fire. A suspect fled, but VicPD tracked them down nearby and arrested them. [CHEK]

BC Transit driver OT ban is affecting students and community 
Each day, city buses arrive and depart some 1,100 times at UVic, a major regional transit hub serving 16,000 riders. The union representing drivers and mechanics reinstated its overtime ban on Oct. 5 when contract talks with BC Transit broke down. The results, both on campus and off, have been crowded buses, longer wait times, and students running late or missing classes altogether. Riders have been advised to check for real-time scheduling updates via the BC Transit Victoria Alerts Page. [The Martlet]

🎹 Friday Music: Piano: UVic School of Music students tickle the ivories, playing timeless classics to contemporary sounds at Phillip T. Young Recital Hall today. 12:30pm. [Info]

👻 Scare-ium of the Salish Sea: The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is hosting its annual family-friendly Halloween event today. 4:30-8pm. [Info]

😂 A Chorus of Disapproval: The Canadian Heritage Arts Society (CHAS) and the Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) present Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy at the CCPA Performance Hall in Oak Bay. Tonight-Sunday. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Canadian Beauty: A Grateful Dead Tribute: The local tribute band will perform tunes by the Dead at The Coda tonight. 9pm. [Info]

🩰 Out Innerspace: See this dance performance, which balances comedy and tragedy through jaw-dropping choreography, at McPherson Playhouse tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎹 Cheng² in Concert: The Juno-nominated sibling team, Cheng² Duo (pronounced Cheng squared), joins clarinetist James Campbell at Alix Goolden Hall tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]  

🎃 Halloween Market YYJ: The fifth annual market returns with spooky creators, magic makers, and more at the Da Vinci Centre. Tomorrow & Sunday. [Info]

👗 Mrs. Roper Romp: Dress up as the wacky landlord from Three's Company and join this themed walk and pub crawl. Meet at the Parliament Buildings on Sunday. 2pm. [Info]

🎞️ Victoria Symphony Presents The Music of Studio Ghibli: Hear scores from classic Miyazaki films, including Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service, performed live at the Royal Theatre. Oct. 30 & Nov. 1. [Info]

Thursday’s headlines: Victoria councillor-elect petitioned to quit before she starts; Sooke recount reveals no result changes necessary; Hockey fraud. [Oct. 22]

Halloween-themed events coming up in Greater Victoria. [Capital Daily]

UVic website back online after cybersecurity scare. [CTV]

Reynolds Secondary teen wins seat on Tofino council by acclamation. [Times Colonist]

Snap provincial election seems to have caught both leading parties unprepared. [CHEK / CP]

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

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

Victoria International Wine Festival is Nov. 6 & 7 at the VCC. [Info]

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