Oct 28 - It's fun to swim at the YMCA

Good morning !

Great news for those who, like me, love having access to a community rec centre—the City of Victoria is planning to take over the soon-to-be-empty YMCA/YWCA building as an interim facility while the Crystal Pool is shut for construction.

The interim city pool should also help reduce pressure on recreation centres in neighbouring municipalities, which have been bracing for a massive jump in demand upon the Crystal and YMCA’s closures.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 10 / 9

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 14 / 9

Day after: ⛅️ 10 / 9

NEWS

City makes play for Y to replace Crystal Pool
for next 5 years

The city has jumped in headfirst to alleviate its impending downtown pool availability problem by working on a deal with the owners of the downtown Y building on Broughton to operate the facility when its occupants move to the Bay Centre early next year.

City staff are in talks with Concert Properties to operate the Broughton building, providing a five-year replacement for the Crystal Pool, which will be closed as construction on a new facility begins next fall, the city said yesterday, ballparking for the first time when the pool would close. 

And when it does, pool patrons will be able to get their swimming and fitness fixes about a dozen blocks south on Quadra. 

“We asked staff to leave no stone unturned in finding solutions that lessen the impact of the Crystal Pool closure,” said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto. 

“The result of that work, in collaboration with community partners, is a big win for Victoria’s pool users.”

The group “Let’s Get Crystal Clear,” which supported a pool reboot, championing a "Vote Yes" campaign during the lead-up to last February’s referendum on pool construction, called the news “a dream come true” for swim clubs, seniors, and families across the city. 

“This is fantastic news for all of us,” she said.

The city also said there will be enough space in the Y facility to continue to offer a variety of fitness and recreational programs.

In February’s referendum, 58.7% of voters gave the city permission to borrow up to $162.2M to build a new rec centre and pool to replace the 54-year-old building for $209.2M.

Read the full story here. 

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Beaver Beach playground closed until Nov. 7 for resurfacing work. [CRD]

Single-lane traffic in Saanich:

• Reynolds from Cedar Hill Cross to Cumberland through Thursday, 9am-3pm

• McKenzie between Gordon Head and Shelbourne today, 9am-3pm

NEWS

PEA leaves pickets, hopes for a settlement like BCGEU's

A day after the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and provincial government reached a tentative agreement to end their eight-week strike, members of the Professional Employees Association (PEA) backed off the picket lines yesterday.

The union and province have signed a return-to-work agreement, and the union has agreed not to strike for 30 days while negotiations resume. 

“We are actively looking to book dates with the employer to resume negotiations in the next couple of weeks,” Melissa Moroz, executive director of the PEA and lead negotiator, told Capital Daily. 

Moroz said the province extended to PEA “the same general wage increases as well as other key proposals” agreed to by the BCGEU, encouraging the union representing more than 1,600 licensed professionals, including engineers, foresters, lawyers, veterinarians, and geoscientists, to remove its pickets and return to bargaining.

On Sunday morning, the BCGEU announced a tentative agreement, effectively ending the longest public service strike in BC history. It saw 25K of its 34K workers off the job.

“For eight weeks, they held the line—standing up for themselves, their families, and the public services that make life in BC possible,” said Paul Finch, the union president.

The tentative agreement, reached with the assistance of mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers, is a four-year proposal under which workers would receive a 3% wage hike along with additional pay adjustments, as well as non-monetary improvements and benefits, including: 

• Improved telework conditions and a modernized contract to reflect today’s workplace realities

• Stronger job protections, including a new process to review excluded positions 

• A faster grievance tribunal process to resolve disputes more efficiently

• Improved vision care and counselling benefits 

• A category of fully remote workers with unique agreement protections

Finch called the agreement “a first step” toward closing the gap between public-sector pay and the rising cost of living and said he is recommending that membership ratify the proposal when it votes on it within a week to 10 days. 

Read Mark Brennae’s full story here.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🧦 2025 Socks Campaign. [Cool Aid drive]

🎭 Pacific Opera Victoria presents their FINAL PERFORMANCE of The Turn of the Screw at the Royal Theatre TONIGHT at 7:30. Tickets available from $35.*

🐐 What do the animals get up to at Beacon Hill Children’s Farm during the winter closure? [BHCF]

📚 Unlock your potential! Become a Community Scholar! GNS offers renewable scholarships of up to $15,000 for exceptional new local students in Grades 6-12.*

🦉 Hooo are you looking at? A beautiful barred owl looks directly into the camera in Nanaimo. [Facebook photos]

🧑‍🧒 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.*

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🗞️ In Other News

GVHA tosses out plan to shore power cruise ships
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority says a lack of money is the main reason for scrapping shore-power plans for Ogden Point. Despite a combined $31M in funding from the federal and provincial governments, the project’s cost has ballooned to at least $100M. The plan would have allowed cruise ships to plug into clean energy and turn off their engines while docked in Victoria. The project could have cut emissions by up to 38%. But the power required was immense: powering one cruise ship would have been the equivalent of keeping the lights on for all of James Bay, the GVHA said. [CHEK]

BC Transit passengers in Saanich stranded for four hours after power lines fell on bus
Midnight riders had an extra-long commute that left them stuck on a bus until 4am Sunday after a fallen tree took out power lines in Gordon Head. A power line struck the top of the No. 28 bus, making it unsafe to leave the vehicle until BC Hydro had inspected it. The hydro company was busy attending to other issues on the stormy weekend night, leading to the hours-long delay. [Times Colonist]

Dead humpback ‘could be’ the same one struck by whale-watching vessel last week
A Prince of Whales vessel collided with a humpback whale while out touring in Island waters on Thursday. It was struck when the whale "unexpectedly surfaced” in front of the transiting boat, which was moving quickly to its next destination. The whale wasn’t the only one hurt—multiple passengers sustained injuries, including chipped teeth and head trauma. The company called the strike “minimal,” but over the weekend, a humpback washed ashore on Keats Island. Prince of Whales says it may be the same humpback. The DFO is currently investigating the cause of the whale’s death. [CTV]

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🗓️ Things To Do

🎨 Beverly Jean Hancock: What Makes You Smile: Opening Reception: Explore joy and tenderness through quirky paintings inspired by what makes people

🎭 A Midsummer Nightmare: Stumble through the fairy circle in this 30-minute Shakespearean horror experience, moving down the paths of Mount Tolmie, today and tomorrow. [Info]

🍞 Rise & Shine Bread Making: Homesteading Series: Learn the steps, tips, and techniques for making homemade bread, including loaves, buns, and focaccia, at Patio Gardens today. 6-8pm. [Info]

🎯 Benji's Pub Quiz: Test your knowledge with Benji's highly entertaining quiz show featuring a deft comic touch and shared knowledge that excites players of all ages at Phillips Brewing & Malting Co tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎭 Alex Forman's Student Showcase: Watch OK, DOPE's beginner and advanced improv students show off their newly acquired skills live on stage at The Mint Restaurant tonight. 8pm. [Info]

🎻 Nordic Dreams: Award-winning Cascadia Strings performs lush music by Scandinavian composers at The Coda tomorrow. 6:30pm. [Info]

🎨 Halloween Paint Night at the Loghouse Pub: Create spooky art while enjoying the pub atmosphere in this creative social evening at Loghouse Pub tomorrow. 6:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Sunday’s headlines: Esquimalt condo gets mural makeover; Weekly roundup; New 500-home development breaks ground downtown. [Oct. 26]

Dog shooting in Sooke: Still no answers 1 week afterward. [CHEK]

Eby says BC’s anti-tariff ads, aimed at Americans, to go ahead. [CTV]

Whoa, Nelly!: Victoria’s Nelly Furtado plans to ‘step away’ from performing.  [CP24 / CP]

Help prevent flooding during fall storms with these tips. [City of Vic]

Chinatown Gate of Harmonious Interest is under construction. [City of Vic]

New tools for little readers, including Yoto players and cards, are now available at GV Public Library. [GVPL] 

Hearty dinner: An Island black bear sow catches a massive salmon for her cubs while an American dipper snacks on eggs. [Julie Collis / Facebook]

That’s it!

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