Good morning {{First name}}!

Looks like the music will play on.
The public just keeps coming through for the Victoria Jazz Society.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

Today: 🌧️ 8 / 7

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 11 / 5

Sunday: ☀️ 11 / 5

7-day forecast

To quote the chorus of a famous crossover song, “What a Difference a Day Makes.”

Just 24 hours after a heartfelt plea to “Keep the Music Playing,” the Victoria Jazz Society (VJS) announced yesterday it had met and surpassed its $250K fundraising goal to save JazzFest.

“It’s true, we have received over 550 pledges now that exceed our goal,” VJS spokesperson Kristen Binley said in an email to Capital Daily. “We will be making an official announcement on Monday.”

Last month, the society turned to a public fundraiser to preserve the 42-year-old jazz festival after longtime sponsor TD Bank ended its association.

Just two days before the crescendo of support, the society was $36K short of its funding target.

“If the Victoria Jazz Society has ever given you a great night of music, introduced you to an artist, or simply made Victoria a more interesting place to live, please pledge today," the society said on its webpage.

As of early this morning, the drive had reached $265,118 with pledges being accepted until midnight tonight.

Darryl Mar, executive director of the Victoria Jazz Society, said if the fundraising goal is met, JazzFest will "definitely go ahead in the last week of June next year.”

As for donations exceeding that goal, those will be used to revive the group’s other mainstay summer event, Harbour Blues 'n Roots Fest, which it put on hiatus due to funding issues, and to strengthen the organization, it said on its webpage.

“Additional funds will help ensure greater stability for the Victoria Jazz Society and support our ability to continue presenting live music, concerts, festivals, and community programming in the years ahead,” it said. 

“The more support we receive, the more confidently we can plan for the future of live music in Victoria.”

Saanich Police seeking anyone who saw this vehicle involved in head-on collision on Oct. 27 on West Saanich.

Single-lane traffic: 
• Tillicum between Regina and Burnside West today, 24 hours
• West Saanich between Wallace and Durrance, 8:30am-3pm

Road work: Belleville-Pendray from Quebec to Oswego closed today. 7am-7pm.

Once that carved pumpkin on your front steps has served its purpose as a universally accepted symbol to welcome trick-or-treaters, what do you do with it? 

Why, smash it, of course.

Several pumpkin smash bashes are happening the day after Halloween, so you can watch your gourd drop from 50 to 100 feet for a good cause. Make sure you clean your pumpkin before it plummets.

Sunday smashing

• Saanich Pumpkin Smash Bash at Tillicum Centre with Saanich Fire, 12pm-3pm
• Langford Charity Pumpkin Smash at Westshore Town Centre with Langford Fire, 10am-2pm
• Colwood Pumpkin Smash 2026 at City Hall with Colwood Fire, 1-3pm
• View Royal FireSmart Pumpkin Smash at the Public Safety Building with View Royal Fire Rescue, 10am-2pm

Composting and other ways to de-gourd yourself 

The most highly recommended way to dispose of Halloween pumpkins is to clean them off, remove the candle and any wax, and compost them.

The Compost Council of BC suggests you cut the gourd into small pieces so they decompose faster. It takes several weeks, but the pumpkin parts will break down into a dark substance called humus that enriches the soil. 

It’s also recommended to cover those pieces in straw or leaves, or even cardboard. It helps balance carbon levels, controls moisture, and reduces odours.

While some people have grown accustomed to displaying them on roadsides—or at the entrance to PKOLS, which seems to have become a tradition—it’s not recommended because it can attract wildlife to an unsafe area.

The good folks at the Pumpkin Project pick up the pumpkins from the homes of many of their displays.  

“They go to farms as much as we can to feed their animals. And then we compost the rest,” the company said. 

Pumpkin disposal suggestions

• Remove any wax, candles, or paint and place it in your municipal green bin
• Home compost it 
• Bury it in the garden or backyard; it’s good for the soil
• Contact a community garden or nearby farm to see if they can use it for their soil or feed

Mateína’s new Zero Sugar line delivers smooth, organic energy from yerba mate—no crash, no weird ingredients. With clean caffeine and theobromine, it supports lasting focus and mental clarity. It’s plant-powered fuel that helps you stay sharp, alert, and energized—without the sugar. Try it out today.

🎃 Trick or Treat at the BC Parliament Buildings today from 3pm to 4:30pm.

👄 Rocky Horror Picture Show at 6pm & 9pm tonight at Vic Theatre.

🧟 Bowers Family Halloween Carnival in Colwood, for Goldstream Food Bank. 

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

👻 Terror on Tiswilde haunted display in Metchosin for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

🔥 Halloween Bonfire & Fireworks in North Saanich, for CFAX Santas Anonymous, is tomorrow at 6:15pm. 

🚬 David Lynch: Improvised: Tonight & tomorrow, 8:30pm at Theatre SKAM.

*Sponsored Listing

The screen goes off. The argument starts. This evening is about stepping out of that loop without dropping your limits.

A practical parenting night with expert Dr. Allison Rees. Join us on Monday, Nov. 2 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the Upper Hall of the Gorge Pavilion.

Get Tickets here.

Saanich PD pauses Crime Stoppers tip line after cyber breach 
Saanich Police have temporarily stopped using Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers after a national breach of Navigate360, the system that manages anonymous tips for Canadian Crime Stoppers. The department is currently working with other agencies to review potentially affected records. Police said the pause protects tipsters’ confidentiality and anonymity. They’re directing people to the non-emergency phone line or online reporting instead. [CTV]

BC Supreme Court rulws Victoria man, missing since 2022, presumed dead
Almost five years after Ian Indridson vanished, the BC Supreme Court has declared him presumed dead. He was last seen by his wife on the morning of Jan. 10, 2022, when he left home without his wallet or phone; he was 54. His family tried to find him multiple times over the years, working with VicPD and hiring a private detective. His mother petitioned the court, and the presiding judge found reasonable grounds to believe he died. The judge wrote that the life insurance companies did not oppose the decision. [CHEK]

Andrew Vaughn is the first HarbourCats player to win a World Series
Vaughn and his Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one in this year’s Fall Classic. Vaughn hit a hefty .306 with the HarbourCats in 2017, and two years later, the Chicago White Sox selected him third overall in the 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. Vaughn, 28, was traded to the Brewers in June 2025. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native was one of 33 former West Coast League (WCL) players to appear in this season's MLB playoffs. [Black Press]

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

🎃🤣 Halloween Comedy Costume Show: Headlined by Danielle Florence with a showcase of area talent. The Mint. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]

💃 Halloween Dance: Learn various styles of dance with John De Pfyffer & The UVic Dance Club, then boogie in a social dance featuring ballroom, Latin, and swing. Victoria Edelweiss Club. Tonight. 7pm. [Info] 

🍺 Petrified Pub Crawl: A spooky three-hour pub crawl with ghost stories and libations at three historic pubs. Tonight & tomorrow. 7pm. Meet at the Empress. [Info]

🚣☠️  Something Wicked This Way Floats Halloween Paddle: Grab your broomstick (or paddleboard… or kayak… or canoe… or whatever floats your cauldron). Banfield Park dock. Tomorrow. 2pm. [Info]

🎻 Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra in Victoria: See young pianist Madison Brecht take on Chopin, with an opening performance of Rossini, at United Commons. Tomorrow. 2:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Groove Kitchen Halloween Dance Party: Enjoy the party-hearty quintet’s red-hot mix of funk, Latin, reggae and soul. SportsView Lounge at Oak Bay Rec Centre. Tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

Thursday’s headlines: JazzFest fundraiser coming down to the wire; Esquimalt signs agreement with Xʷsepsəm Nation; Victoria refuses $2.7 million home left to the city in a will. [Oct. 29]

Double-check any appointments: We are not falling back one hour on Sunday like most of the country. [CHEK]

BC Transit drivers' job action: 100 bus trips a day are being cancelled. [Times Colonist]

Vancouver Island voted the No. 1 best island in North America. [Condé Nast Traveller]

Stampede! A herd of elk captured sprinting in unison in the south Cowichan Valley. [Facebook video]

Exercises off Esquimalt: Navy conducts its largest yearly submarine and mass-casualty training. [Black Press]

Your Halloween display may be costing you more than you think, says BC Hydro. [CTV]  

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