Oct 29 - Change coming to Esquimalt council

Empower single-parent families to thrive by DONATING TODAY

Good morning !

A CRD mainstay is leaving politics. Not immediately, but ahead of the next election.
Hard to believe, we’ll be voting for mayor and council positions in less than a year.

It’s almost Halloween, and if you’re looking for something to get you into a ghoulish state of mind, we’ve got you covered.

Way to go, Blue Jays!

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤️ 14 / 8  

Tomorrow: 🌥️ 12 / 8

Friday: 🌧️ 11 / 8

7-day forecast

NEWS

Esquimalt’s mayor won’t run in the next municipal election

Esquimalt’s longest consecutively serving mayor says it’s time to hear from new leadership—and the new grandmother says the time is right to leave the council for a pretty good familial reason.

“My first grandchild is four months old, and they live in the community, and so I really want to be a part of that,” Desjardins tells Capital Daily.

To not have her name on the ballot for the next municipal election—353 days from today—leaves Desjardins with a “bittersweet feeling,” but she says she’s pleased with the transformation Esquimalt has undergone since 2008, when she was first elected to the big chair. 

“When I became mayor, we were concerned because we were losing businesses, and we really weren't growing,” she says.

“And so, you fast forward to today, and we are a very sought-after community. We have fantastic recreation facilities, and we have amazing family and cultural events that go on in our community, and so it really is the place to be now.”

Desjardins became an Esquimalt councillor in 2005. Three years later, she won the mayoralty race, something she would repeat in 2011, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

One of the accomplishments Desjardins holds dear is Esquimalt’s agreement in 2016 to host the region’s wastewater treatment plant at McLoughlin Point. It netted the district $17M. Esquimalt used part of that payment to build the Gorge Pavilion. 

“We've transformed the park, Gorge Park, which really wasn't known by people—it's now a wedding venue.”

Desjardins counts the relationships she and her councils have built with the Navy, First Nations, and industry within Esquimalt as highlights in her time as the district’s longest consecutively serving mayor.

“The other thing I'm extremely proud of is that we became a place where community people with ideas felt that they could come forward and do something. So the Esquimalt Farmers Market came out of that, the Township Community Arts Council, Rib Fest, and all of those things.”

The one thing she hopes to help facilitate in her final year in office is Esquimalt’s desire to leave its shared policing arrangement with Victoria. 

“We're being asked to provide another million dollars to the [VicPD] budget, and that's a 3% tax increase to Esquimalt residents,” she says.

“That's the third year in a row that we've been asked for that, and so at some point, it becomes very unsustainable to continue to be asked for that kind of funding.”

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Blue-green algae advisory remains in place for Prior Lake and the main beach at Thetis and Elk/Beaver Lake. [CRD]

Single-lane alternating traffic in Saanich:

• Burnside at Albina, today, 9am-3pm

• Quadra between Cloverdale & Tattersall, today, 9am-3pm

• Near 760 Walema, today, 9am-3:30pm 

• Near 1848 Feltham, today through Nov. 12, 9am-3:30pm

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

NEWS

Halloween Events in Victoria 2025

Gather all your ghouls and goblins—the spookiest day of the year is happening this week. 

This time, Halloween serendipitously falls on a Friday—it may not be as spooky as Friday the 13th, but if you swap the numbers, it’s pretty close. There’s also plenty happening before and after, allowing you to keep the haunted vibes going all week.

There are plenty of family-friendly events and adults-only parties for you to choose from, including bonfires, haunted houses, trick-or-treat extravaganzas, and late-night dancing. You can even attend a Halloween BBQ—we’re one of the few cities in the country that can pull that off in late October.

If you’re looking to celebrate the spiritual aspects of the season—many cultures believe the veil thins between our world and the spiritual realm at this time of year—we’ve listed some Día de Los Muertos events as well.

Check out the full list here.

SPONSORED BY 1UP VICTORIA SINGLE PARENT RESOURCE CENTRE

1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre: Building Hope for Single Parents, One Family at a Time

Raising children alone can be overwhelming. Between skyrocketing housing costs, juggling childcare, and trying to put food on the table, single parents in Greater Victoria often face impossible choices. For more than 40 years, 1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre has been standing beside them, offering not only practical resources but also compassion, community, and hope.

At 1Up, parents find more than a thrift store or a drop-in centre, they find connection. Whether it’s a workshop on budgeting, a mentor who’s walked the same path, or simply a warm cup of coffee and someone who listens, the centre helps families feel less isolated and more empowered.

One parent described 1Up as “a place where I finally felt seen. I went from struggling alone to knowing I had a village behind me.” That sense of belonging can make all the difference for families working toward stability and brighter futures.

And now, the community has a unique opportunity to make its support go twice as far. An anonymous donor has stepped forward to match every donation made between Sept. 25 and Nov. 30, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $25,000. That means every gift, big or small, will have double the impact on local solo-parent families who need it most.

In a city where the cost of living can push parents to the breaking point, 1Up offers a lifeline. With community support, that lifeline can be stronger than ever.

Empower single-parent families to thrive by donating today.

⭐️ Capital Picks

👠 Rocky Horror Friday at the Vic Theatre.

🎃 Smashing Pumpkins back at Westshore. [Saturday 10am-2pm]

🔥 Burning Mom at the Belfry until Nov. 23

 🌊 Florence Lake Pier is renovated and open. [City of Langford]

🦺 Safety in Greater Victoria has been graded a "C+" in 2025. Curious to see the other grades and insights? Read the 20th anniversary edition of Victoria's Vital Signs today!*

🐳 J-Pod up close: See—and hear—the orcas as they swim through Active Pass. [Facebook video]

^{*Sponsored Listing}

🗞️ In Other News

Saanich lags on housing goal, but is speeding up development approval
Saanich is still trailing the province’s two-year housing goal, according to a target update released on Monday. The district built 442 net new homes, 25% shy of its target of 601. However, the district says it has fast-tracked its approval for developments. In total, 950 units have now cleared development permits, and 1,708 have building permits. Saanich’s five-year target, ending in 2028, is 4,610 net new homes. [CHEK]

Teachers’ union grieves class size at new Saanich middle school 
The Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association (GVTA) says there are roughly 25 students in each of the English-language classes at Cedar Hill Middle School, and there should be no more than 20, considering there are between three and seven special needs students in each class. The grievance, filed with SD61, says there is supposed to be a maximum of two children with special needs per classroom. The GVTA says in filing the grievance, it hopes to provide the school board with more reasons to expand the new school, which just opened in September. [CTV]

The art of the steal in broad daylight in Oak Bay leaves painter down $20K
Someone’s got a lot of nerve—and presumably, up to $20K in stolen artwork after a brazen daytime theft 10 days ago. An artist was unloading art supplies from their car in the Monterey Rec Centre parking lot at roughly 10:45am. They briefly left two large portfolios containing 30 to 40 unframed watercolour paintings—valued at $500 each—on the roof of their vehicle. Five minutes later, when they came back, the artwork was gone. [OBP]

🗓️ Things To Do

🎞️ Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again. Film screening of the story of how the Nechako River, rich in sockeye salmon and white sturgeon, was forever changed when the Kenney Dam was built to power Kemano, near Kitimat. Cincenta, UVic. Nov. 6. 5pm & 7pm. [Info]

🧶 46th Annual Creative Craft Fair: Join artisans presenting crafts, gourmet food, fine art, photography, clothing, glass art, jewelry, bath and beauty products, wine, spirits, and fine woodwork. Pearkes Rec Centre. Nov. 7-9. Various times. [Info]

🎤 Victoria’s Angela Verbrugge: Moonlight and Mischief. The jazz vocalist has just released her fourth album, In the Wonder of the Night. She is back from touring Italy and about to tour Asia. Hermann’s. Tomorrow. 7-9pm. Livestream also. [Info]

🎭 A Midsummer Nightmare: Stumble through the fairy circle in this unsettling 30-minute Shakespearean horror experience, moving down the paths of Mt. Tolmie with fractured words and darkened creatures. Mt. Tolmie, Summit Trail. Final day. [Info]

🎨 Cult of Cute Catastrophes: Step into a world of curious contraptions, playful experiments, and musical mutations in this interactive Halloween art show for all ages. Monkey C Interactive's Artcade. Through Sunday. 2-10pm. [Info]

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

🎸🎹 Wednesday Jam with host Brooke Cooper: Victoria’s musicians are invited to take the stage for a jam, a great place to showcase your band. BYO instrument and/or mic to participate. The Loft. 6-9pm. [Info]

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

✍️ Couplets and Crafts: Bring a craft to work on and a poem to read for this cozy combination of crafting and poetry open mic. Little Gladstone Studio. Today. 7-8:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: YMCA pool to replace the Crystal Pool during construction; PEA halts picketing, hoping for strike settlement; GVHA unplugs shoreline power plan. [Oct. 28]

Keep an eye on electricity when decorating for Halloween, says BC Hydro.

Rocky Point Bird Observatory to use grant to hire data expert. [Times Colonist]

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

Single-lane traffic in Saanich: Reynolds from Cedar Hill Cross to Cumberland through tomorrow, 9am-3pm

2025 Socks Campaign. [Cool Aid drive]

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

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

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to a fellow Victorian.

And before you go, let us know: