Oct 31 - An evening of vampires and umpires

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Good morning !

I remember where I was when the Blue Jays won their first World Series in 1992. I was working for an Ottawa radio station, and I hit the bars to get the reaction of some crazed baseball fans. The following season, I was among those crazed fans when Joe touched them all, and the Jays won it all again.

If you’re among the many swept up in this story of Toronto’s talented, compelling, and likable baseball team, where will you be for tonight’s Thriller?
Suggestions below.

Let’s go, Blue Jays!

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 10 / 8

Tomorrow: 🌦️ 11 / 7

Sunday: ⛅ 11 / 7

7-day forecast

NEWS

Spirits should be high as ‘Boo’ Jays chase 3rd World Series title tonight

For many across North America, cultural behemoths will collide tonight with the World Series up against Halloween. 

The Toronto Blue Jays and LA Dodgers will begin Game 6 pretty much at the same time ghosts and ghouls will be knocking on doors.

On the tube, you’ll see Kevin “Superman” Pillar as a TV analyst, but fellow former Jays Candy Maldonado, Mike Myers, and Joey Bats won’t be in the lineup in what could be the series clincher.

Tom “Terminator” Henke, Lloyd “Shaker” Moseby, and Junior “Mint” Felix aren’t playing, either, but Toronto fans are hoping for a sweet night and their third Series title. My cliché festival ends with a ghost runner.

For those not catching the game at home—and if you’re clever, within arm’s reach of the candy bowl—here’s a list of area bars where you can watch. 

The Games Room & Sticky Wicket: The Strathcona Hotel and the HarbourCats have been teaming up to put on this Jays watch party since Game 1. 

“It’s been rocking,” says HarbourCats managing partner Jim Swanson, who’s predicting a Dodger win tonight behind the pitching of Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Game 7 Sports Lounge: This new sports bar on Douglas has been getting good word of mouth with its wall-to-wall TVs and stadium-style sound.

The Canadian Brewhouse: The Uptown sports pub has the game—and bowling.

Leopold’s on Yates is a vibrant place and should be packed with Jays fans.

The Local’s patio on Wharf is amazing, and inside are the screens.

The Bard and Banker on Government is always good to catch the game.

The volume will be on at 4 Below Sports Bar on the Island Highway. The JBI in James Bay, the Loft on the Gorge E, and the Beagle on Cook are among the many pubs that will be showing the game.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Recall: Milwaukee chainsaws have been recalled due to laceration hazards. [Gov’t of Canada] 

Single-lane alternating traffic in Saanich: Near 1848 Feltham, through Nov. 12, 9am-3:30pm

EV charging cables cut/stolen in West Shore. [RCMP]

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

A little chilling reading for you on this Halloween morning

It’s All Hallows’ Eve, and we’ve poked into the Capital Daily story morgue to flesh out some spooky stories about our at-times ghostly city. Victoria is said to be one of the world's more haunted burgs because of its stormy past.

Early-day Victoria’s streets were lined with brothels, opium dens, and gambling halls. During the gold rush, this place was wild and at times, lawless. 

The downtown area was the site of executions and unmarked graves—some of which were built over or disturbed. That can’t be good for a spirit’s mood.

Is Victoria the most haunted city in BC?

A City of Victoria walking tour pamphlet boasts that our city has “more ghost stories associated with it than any other city in British Columbia.”

The Young building at Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus is known for paranormal narratives, while the Empress made Condé Nast’s list of the world’s most haunted hotels.

The Saanich Peninsula has its share of spectral stories, from apparitions at Butchart Gardens to a phantom farmer at Stelly's X Road to a ghost child at Stonehouse Pub.

About four years ago, on the then-Capital Daily podcast, historian and Ghostly Walks owner John Adams shared his favourites among the many ghost stories tied to buildings in Victoria—especially those around the Inner Harbour.

One year later, we wrote about The Haunting of Vancouver Island—author Shanon Sinn’s focus on the darker side of Island ghost stories.

Last year, we talked to a Camosun prof about the origins and meaning of Halloween. 

Some local paranormal tales

In the bestselling book Michelle Remembers, a woman tells her psychiatrist (and future husband) numerous “repressed memories” of disturbing cult rituals, abuses, and even murder in 1950s Victoria—but the facts never line up.

In 2020, Capital Daily looked at the legacy of Michelle Remembers, and in 2023, we interviewed the filmmakers behind the documentary Satan Wants You, which delved into the case.

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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, for up to $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.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🏅 Fairmont Empress named BC’s ‘Leading Business Hotel’ at World Travel Awards. 

🏆 Winner of COAST Pitchfest 2025 announced: Seafoam, creators of sustainable seaweed-based building insulation, took home the $10K prize in the Victoria competition. 

🦷🍬 Tricks to protect your teeth while enjoying Halloween candy. [Island Health]

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🗞️ In Other News

Oak Bay deer contraception program successfully reduced the population
It may feel like the deer problem in Oak Bay hasn’t changed over the years, but a new report shows that the immuno-contraception program—which was trialed between 2019 and 2022—reduced the population significantly. It didn’t affect the number of adult deer, but fawn births dropped by 65% in the first spring after the trial began. However, three years on from the trial’s ending, the number of deer has gone up again—and car strikes are still a concern for the municipality. Mayor Kevin Murdoch says he’d welcome the contraception program's return. [CHEK] 

South Island police services face various staffing issues
Newly installed VicPD Chief Fiona Wilson said with 28 officers off work for various reasons, including leaves of absence, suspensions, and long-term disability, the force doesn’t have enough workers to fill positions. VicPD has 269 officers and wants to hire 16 more. Oak Bay Police said they have no vacancies, although two recruits are in training. Central Saanich has 28 force members, but only 23 of them are available for work. There were no statistics available from Saanich Police. [CTV]

Saanich approves temporary art gallery, café for former Beach House 
The new owners of the heritage building by the water in Cordova Bay Village have been permitted to use the main level as a gallery for local and First Nations’ art. The plan is to put in a café, complete with a take-out window. The same building—which at first was a tea room and ice-cream stand—was the place to be in the 1950s, when it was a hot spot for live music and dancing. More recently, it was the Beach House restaurant from 2012 to 2023, when it became vacant. [Times Colonist]

🗓️ Things To Do

🎃 Check out our comprehensive list of Halloween events here. 

🧟 Nightmare on Douglas Street: Victoria’s most historic building comes alive for a night of pure spine-tingling energy—the ultimate Halloween rave. Studio 919. Tonight. Doors, 9pm. [Info]

🏃‍♀️ Boos and Brews: Fernwood Social Run Club: Celebrate Halloween with beers, costumes, and good company. Phillips Brewing. Today. 6pm. [Info]

📚 It’s Lit: Horror Trivia: Test your horror knowledge about Stephen King, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and more at this spooky trivia night at Small Gods Brewing Co. in Sidney. Tonight. 6–8pm. [Info]

👻 Halloween Open House at Broad View United: Enjoy trick-or-treating, a photo booth, a K-pop-themed concession, and a cozy indoor movie. Broad View United. Tonight. 6–9pm. [Info]

🍻 The Haunted Hop: Victoria Halloween Bar Crawl: Join hundreds of partygoers for Victoria’s biggest Halloween crawl, featuring live DJs, costumes, and access to the city’s top venues. CRAFT Beer Market Vic Harbour. Tonight. 8pm–12:45am. [Info]

🍺 Haunted Taproom Halloween Bash: Celebrate Halloween with a live DJ, dance floor, themed cocktails, and a costume contest. CRAFT Beer Market. Tonight. 9–11:30pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: Monument park honouring interned Japanese Canadians going up at St. Ann’s Academy; Protocol changes at walk-in clinics now in effect; Possible progress at James Bay gas station. [Oct. 31]

Island man arrested nearly 20 years after assaulting multiple women in Ontario. [Times Colonist]

Another vegan restaurant closes: bye-bye, Virtuous Pie. [CHEK]

Wanted man, Richard Kubic, 42. [RCMP]

Library for gamers: GV Public Library now offering new Switch 2 games. [GVPL]

Now and then: See a composite of two photos of Yates Street—one from the 1890s and the other from modern day. [Facebook photo]

That’s it!

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