Oct 9 - BCGEU strike hits remaining provincial liquor stores

Good morning !

On Tuesday, a beautiful full harvest moon rose above the city. We’ve got a great photo to share today—and we welcome any additional shots from readers—to admire as we head into multiple nights of rain and cloudy skies.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 13 / 9

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 12 / 10

Day after: 🌦️ 12 / 9

NEWS

Strike closes all BC’s provincial liquor and cannabis outlets

Remaining government-run liquor and cannabis stores were shut down yesterday as the union representing striking civil servants stepped up its job action by expanding picket lines to all provincial alcohol and marijuana outlets.

When asked whether they’d be closed again today, “Absolutely” is what Paul Finch, the BCGEU president, told Capital Daily. 

“We don’t take this escalation lightly, and we know that disruptions to services are difficult for the public—we regret the impact this is having on communities,” Finch said.  

“But after months of patience, our members have been left with no alternative. The government has a choice: they can sit down and bargain with us—or they can continue to let this disruption escalate,” Finch said. 

Workers at the Ministry of Citizens’ Services—including all Service BC workers—and the Ministry of Labour in Victoria also joined the picket lines. As of yesterday afternoon, 25,000 members of the British Columbia Government Employees Union (BCGEU) were picketing at 431 worksites.

Private liquor and cannabis outlets remain open, but their supplies remain behind the pickets at the province’s liquor and cannabis distribution warehouses. 

“We’re ready to talk. We've been ready,” said Finch. “The ball is in their court.”

With the strike in its sixth week, the union remained miffed about a meeting on Sept. 29, the first sit-down between the two sides in two and a half months.

Finch said provincial negotiators showed up three hours late—even though they were staying in the same Victoria hotel as union negotiators. Their long-awaited offer was a 2% wage increase each year, plus an additional 1% in adjustments and allowances, Finch said.

The union was underwhelmed. It’s asking for a 4% increase each year over two years, plus adjustments. Finch called the negotiators’ tardiness a “cheap stunt to create the illusion of bargaining,” knowing that no real bargaining would take place. 

“I don't think any reasonable person would say, ‘Well, you know, .5% movement is going to, in totality, solve the strike,’” Finch tells Capital Daily. 

On Monday, the union held what it called “one of the largest labour rallies in BC in decades,” with upward of 10,000 members and supporters on the legislature lawn on the day MLAs returned to the precinct. 

“Until the government takes bargaining seriously, strike action will continue to grow,” the union said.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Saanich water main upgrades: Cedar Hill Cross between Borden and Cumberland.  Single lane alternating. Today-Oct. 10.

Traffic disruption: Fort, between Vancouver and Cook, will have intermittent lane closures tomorrow. 9am-3pm. [City of Vic]

Pistachio recall due to Salmonella. [Pistachio Kernel]

Book ahead: BC Ferries says Thanksgiving weekend will be busy.

SPORTS

Former HarbourCat leads the way as Blue Jays beat Yankees to advance in MLB playoffs

The Blue Jays moved on to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016 with a 5-2 win last night in Yankee Stadium, and the big hit came from former HarbourCat Nathan Lukes.

With the Jays nursing a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning, Lukes stroked a two-out, two-run single to centre that broke the game open as Toronto clinched the best-of-five American League Division Series in four games.

“That’s the biggest hit at the Major League Baseball level by a former HarbourCat, and the biggest of his career, for sure,” a beaming Jim Swanson, managing partner of the West Coast League HarbourCats, tells Capital Daily.

Lukes, 31, was the HarbourCats player of the year in 2014, playing mostly in right and centre field.

The above framed photo hangs in the HarbourCats office, but Swanson hardly needs a visual reminder of the impression the Californian made here.

“Nate was one of the most intense and committed players we ever had,” Swanson says. “He worked harder than anyone else, and that was the key to his strength.”

That hard work has paid off in the bigs. Originally drafted by Cleveland in 2015, Lukes signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent in 2022 and played his first game with the Jays the following season.

More of a part-time, fill-in guy when he arrived, Lukes has blossomed into a solid two-way player who got in 135 games with the Jays this season, supplied some timely hitting—12 homers and 65 runs batted in—and some sensational defensive play in the Blue Jays outfield.

Lukes is one of eight former HarbourCats to make it to the major leagues—including Victoria’s Nick Pivetta, whose San Diego Padres were eliminated from the National League playoffs last week.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn and Abbotsford-born starting pitcher Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians are two other former HarbourCats competing in this year’s MLB playoffs.

Lukes and the Blue Jays will host the winner of the Seattle-Detroit series (which will be determined tomorrow) in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, with the winner moving on to the World Series.

NEWS

BC introduces law that would allow the province to sue vaping companies

After successfully taking on Big Tobacco, BC has its sights set on making Big Vape pay its share of the health-care burden it caused.

Yesterday, the province introduced the Vaping Product Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, a proposed law that would enable BC to take legal action against vaping companies that used misleading promotions to sell their products.

“Deceptive practices by vaping manufacturers are driving harmful behaviours, especially among youth, and placing growing pressure on our health-care and education systems,” said Niki Sharma, BC’s attorney general. 

“On our watch, British Columbians will not be left paying the price for corporate deception.”

Much like the lawsuit against tobacco companies—which was launched by BC in the late 1990s and became a Canada-wide class-action suit, with more than 20 years of litigation taking place—this law, if passed, would allow the province to sue companies to recover the steep health-care costs associated with vaping.

The tobacco lawsuit resulted in a $32B settlement for all of Canada ($3.7B for BC). BC intends to use this money to invest in cancer treatment and primary care, and research into treatments, as well as to promote smoking cessation. The province received its first payment of nearly $1B in August.

Vaping isn’t the only harmful industry the province wants to hold to account—BC says it’s also working on similar legislation against manufacturers of the notorious “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs).

The BC Supreme Court also recently certified two Canada-wide class-action lawsuits—BC is the lead plaintiff—against opioid manufacturers and distributors and the consultancy firm McKinsey for its role in creating and spreading the opioid epidemic.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🍄 Crystal umbrellas: Translucent harefoot mushrooms seen 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.*

🌕 Full moon rising: See the harvest moon rising above Mt. Baker in this shot from the Malahat. [Doug Clement / Facebook]

👄 The Rocky Horror Picture Show! 50th anniversary: 5 screenings at Vic Theatre.
^{*Sponsored Listing}

🗞️ In Other News

UVic opens $38M Indigenous Law wing 
Five years after launching the world’s first Indigenous Law degree, which combines the study of Indigenous and non-Indigenous laws, the university has opened new classrooms in which to teach them in a 26,264-square-foot building that connects to the Murray and Anne Fraser Building. First Nations had a hand in the design of the new building, which “thoughtfully tells stories of Coast Salish legal traditions from Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples,” the school said. [CHEK]

The latest COVID-19 vaccine will be out next Tuesday
Invitations for those at highest risk should begin to appear this week in email boxes and through texts via BC’s Get Vaccinated system. Additional appointments will be arranged as more vaccines arrive, the province said. Those not at a heightened risk can book a shot through their local pharmacy, with many ready to administer the vaccines beginning next Tuesday. If you haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine in BC, you can register here. [Times Colonist]

Study: Victoria is the most anxious city in Canada
It may be known as a chill, laid-back city, but work has a lot of residents on edge, according to a study from Compare the Market. Victorians are searching for phrases like “work burnout” and “work stress” more than anywhere else in the country. Data on internet searches related to anxiety found there were around 1K searches for every 100K people in the city, giving Victoria a score of 91.37 out of 100—a significant gap from the second-most anxious place,  London, Ont., which had a score of 86.62. Quebec City was the least anxious, with a score of 21.63. [Victoria Buzz]

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🗓️ Things To Do

🎬 Classic Horror Movie Nights at Craigdarroch Castle: Watch Creature from the Black Lagoon in the iconic castle, with time to explore the rooms, today. Doors 4pm, movie 4:30pm. [Info]

🤸 Group Calisthenics Workshop: Join a vibrant community for skill-building workouts suitable for all levels at Lam Circle today. 5-7pm. [Info]

🥫 Confidence in Canning: Homesteading Series: Master food preservation with demonstrations, equipment displays, safety tips, and recipe suggestions at Pati Gardens today. 6-8pm. [Info]

😂 Special Delivery Comedy Tour with Jared Nathan: Catch the hilarious "Golden Ticket Winner" from Kill Tony in this can't-miss stand-up show at The Mint tonight. 7-10pm. [Info]

🎭 Improv Comedy with Musical Guest: See comedians create completely original scenes inspired by live music from Derry of Lake Placid at OK, Dope HQ tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info]

🎸 RATTLESHAKE: Get on the dance floor with funky-bluesy-rockin' tunes at this high-energy show at Wheelies Motorcycles & Cafe tomorrow. 7-11pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Wednesday’s headlines: Province pushes for on-time payment for construction work; 25 years of Clayoquot Biosphere protections; Potent new drug appearing in Victoria’s illicit drug supply. [Oct. 8]

James Bay apartment fire quickly put to rest by Victoria firefighters. [CHEK]

Victoria landmarks captured in an artist’s book of paintings. [Times Colonist]

CJFL playoffs: Westshore Rebels host Prince George Kodiaks. [Saturday at Starlight Stadium]

Have your say: Victoria Regional Transit Plan survey and engagement opportunities.

City of Victoria residential leaf collection starts Oct. 14. [See schedule]

Great BC ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is Oct. 16.

That’s it!

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