Oct 4 -Another entertainment venue bites the dust

Good morning !

If you enjoy live music and also prefer your orcas live, well, we’re going to disappoint you this morning. We have lousy news from both stage and sea.

Sorry.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 15 / 9  

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 16 / 10

Sunday: 🌤️ 17 / 10

NEWS

Downtown’s Victoria Event Centre to close at the end of the month

The news came suddenly, as it tends to on social media: “We’re incredibly sad to inform you all that after 20 years in operation we will be closing our doors on Oct. 27,” reads a post from the venue’s Facebook page.

“We have learned that our lease is being terminated, and new operators will be taking over the space for Nov. 1st.”

It hasn’t been made public who those new operators are and whether they will continue to use the building to showcase entertainment and musical acts.

“Like many arts venues in Victoria, we have been struggling post-pandemic, and although we’ve had positive signs of getting fully back on track, thanks in large part to support from the City of Victoria and other partners, we just could not weather a substantial rent increase as the owners were no longer able to partially subsidize the space,” the posting said.

The building at 1415 Broad, just across the street from the cream-coloured CTV-CFAX edifice, includes Coastline Surf & Sport and has been listed for sale for at least three months.

“Losing an inclusive and accessible venue like the Victoria Event Centre is a major loss for Victoria,” Coun. Matt Dell tells Capital Daily. “The VEC hosted a very wide range of events, and was a second home for many people.”

Thousands have flocked to the VEC to experience electronic and punk concerts as well as comedy, drag, burlesque, and shows of other genres.

“We’re not alone in this,” the non-profit’s Facebook post continues. “Community-driven arts and cultural spaces are being shut down or priced out in cities across the country. We are taking some time to review our next steps.”

See Mark Brennae’s full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Traffic disruptions, CCTV deployed for downtown demonstration. [2-4pm tomorrow]

Blue-green algae bloom advisory for Elk, Thetis, Durrance, Beaver, and Prior lakes. [CRD]

Another earthquake was felt at 2am today. The 3.8 magnitude quake happened between Tsawwassen and Galiano Island, a week after the 3.8 earthquake near Sidney. [Details]

NEWS

 Orca survey says Southern Resident population loses 3, treading water at 73

Those 73 don’t include newcomer L128 which was born in mid-Sept., and has been seen with its mother, L90, near Sooke.

In its 2024 census, completed July 1, the Center for Whale Research (CWR) in Friday Harbor, Wash., saw a drop in the Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population to 73 from 75.

Two adult males, K34 and L85, along with calf J60—the only whale born within the census timeline—died during the study period.

The reason for the slight decline is hardly a mystery. A study released in April found the population was accelerating towards extinction, due to a multitude of factors.

“They do have to eat,” the late Ken Balcomb explains in a video on the Center’s website. “I mean that’s clearly obvious. Now we know that they’re not getting enough to eat and we know that most of what they eat is Chinook salmon.”

Balcomb, the CWR’s founder and senior scientist—and a champion for the threatened mammal—died in December 2022. 

As of July 1, J pod, the grouping most likely to appear in waters near Victoria, had 25 whales. K pod, the pod with the fewest members, had 15; and L pod—the largest grouping of SRKWs—had 33.

As for the newest calf, first seen by shore-based observers on Sept. 15 with its mother L90 along the west side of San Juan Island: so far, so good.  

“The calf (L128) is VERY new; it's tiny and has very clear fetal folds,” Micheal Weiss, the CWR’s research director wrote on the organization’s website on Sept.16. “We can also confirm that the calf is nursing and moving normally. We will continue monitoring the mother and the calf while they are in the area,” he said.

The CWR has been photo-identifying whales since 1976 and that nearly five-decade span of research has helped to create the only long-term data on SRKWs’ behaviour, health, and social dynamics.

The CWR keeps track of all births and deaths. It also has built a database with information on where the whales go and for how long, paying attention to their social and foraging patterns. 

It reports the annual southern resident count twice a year: July 1 and Dec. 31.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

😋 Everything you need to know about Victoria’s food scene. Join 30K+ local foodies and subscribe to Tasting Victoria’s weekly newsletter.*

🎃 Hand out youth recreation passes instead of candy. [City of Victoria]

🌊 Join COAST's webinar exploring the unique challenges and opportunities faced by ocean entrepreneurs across regions, featuring insights on ESG and blue economy trends. Register now!*

🕷️ Island spiders up close: See the tiny creatures in stunning detail. [Facebook photo]

🍁 The Canadian Club of Victoria presents Community Safety & Well-being, featuring Sandra Severs, president of the Victoria Downtown Residents' Association. Oct. 8, 11:45am-1:30pm at Hotel Grand Pacific. Get your tickets today!*

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🗞️ In Other News

NDP pledges ‘grocery rebate’, free menopause treatment, and transit for seniors 
The free transit would be in off-peak hours and there’ll be a $1K “middle-class tax cut” for groceries, party leader David Eby announced yesterday. Also in the NDP campaign platform: a promise of free hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women; a first-ever addictions treatment centre for construction workers; a mental-health councillor for every school. Eby also said if elected he’d increase the speculation tax and get rid of the no-pet clause for rental apartments. See the Green Party’s platform here. See the Conservatives’ platform here. [CTV]

One dead in float plane crash north of Port Hardy on Mainland
The plane went down Wed. evening in Warner Bay on the Seymour Inlet, north of the tip of the Island. A rescue team pulled two survivors from the scene but a third was found dead. [RCMP]

Saanich landlord on the hook for $33K mess as tenant overstays
By a full year, according to landlord Edward Price, 78, who says the tenant—who eventually vacated—left broken windows, holes in walls, graffiti, and trash strewn outside. Price says the tenant who was only supposed to be there for four months, stopped paying rent two months in. Price tried the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) but found the process complex. He even got his sons and Saanich police involved, to no avail. [CHEK]

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🗓️ Things to do

🍷 Victoria International Wine Festival: Seminars, wine dinners, and grand tastings featuring 367 wines from 113 wineries across 18 countries. Today & tomorrow. [Info]

🎪 Mayfair Mall Circus: From thrilling acrobats to hilarious clowns, the circus has something for everyone. Through Mon. [Info]

🏮 Esquimalt Lantern Festival: New date for the annual festival to explore beautiful lanterns lit after sundown at Gorge Park. Today. 5:30pm. [Info]

🎸 Cold Fame Album Release Party: Join the Victoria alt. rock trio, along with special guests at Capital Ballroom. Today. 7:30pm. [Info] 

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: New hotel breaks ground at YYJ; BC Housing was warned about Vivid condo concerns; No moose-hide pins for John Rustad, says group; And more. [Oct. 3] 

Chinatown Museum becomes permanent. [Capital Daily] 

Additional 500+ housing units potentially for UVic. [Times Colonist]

Mysterious coconut kernel found near Elk Lake. [Facebook photo]