Oct 9 - Rustad calls Victoria's downtown situation 'not normal'

Good morning !

Advance voting begins tomorrow for our provincial election, which is a week from this Sat. I can’t say last night’s lone TV debate moved the needle for me but I watched it and carved out the major points in our first story.

When Sidney Coles sent me our second story—about shrinkage—my first thought was that Seinfeld episode when George goes swimming in the Hamptons. I see it was about something completely different. And not nearly as funny.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 14 / 8

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 15 / 9

Friday: 🌤️ 13 / 9

NEWS

Provincial party leaders square off in ‘civil’ and lone TV debate

On-the-fence voters hoping a TV leaders’ debate might sway them into one camp or another may or may not be closer to a resolution if they watched last night’s 90-minute political presentation, which is kind of par for the course, considering how tight this race is.

Ten days before BC’s provincial election not this Sat., but next, it’s looking like it could be a photo-finish with the winner coming out on top by a snout.

Hate to break it to you, but it’s not going to be Sonia Furstenau.

The Greens don’t have enough, er… horses in the race to cover all ridings to mathematically win, so Furstenau—the longest-serving leader of this class—admittedly is in this to play spoiler and to build for the future.

“By electing Greens, we make sure that neither the Conservatives nor the NDP get all of the power,” she told reporters after the debate. 

“We were able to lay out many, many points,” Conservative Party Leader John Rustad said after he left the stage. He set a bit of a grim tone when he got on that stage by describing an overdose death he said he saw on the streets of Vancouver en route to the CBC studios.

The only televised debate slated for this campaign produced your typical Canadian civility, eh, sprinkled with a bit of tension between Rustad and the NDP’s David Eby.

The only talk about Victoria came after the debate, when Rustad said crime had become such an issue in our city that foot traffic downtown is down 60%.

“People don’t want to go downtown because they don’t feel safe,” he said. “That’s not normal.”

Read the rest of Mark Brennae’s story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Royal Victoria Marathon weekend road closures Sat. & Sun.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Sidney’s Mermaid Creek Salt Marsh: Is Mother Nature in charge, or are we?

Shrinkage is a thing. Must be. Here’s that word, again.

It’s happening in Sidney, where the council heard about the environmental challenges facing Roberts Bay—specifically, the salt marsh in its southeast corner.

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands constantly flooded and drained by the ocean tides. And this one, the Mermaid Creek Salt Marsh—home to many species of marine wildlife—is getting smaller, due to rising sea levels and sediment from Mermaid Creek.

A local journalist, Peter Wainwright, recently made a presentation to Sidney Council where he shared findings from various organization’s reports and his own research, showing how the marsh has decreased in size significantly over the past 60 years.

Wainwright said the municipality needs a strong plan to protect the area, including potential collaborations with different levels of government. 

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here. 

SPONSORED BY PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA

Don't miss this opera!

Will friendship and mercy triumph over jealousy and violence? Don’t miss Pacific Opera Victoria’s lush production of Mozart’s final opera, La clemenza di Tito, at the Royal Theatre Oct. 16 to 22. Tickets from $35 are on sale now.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🏠 50/50 Raffle: Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island. [Info]

🔋 Greater Victoria residents gave their overall quality of life a grade of B. Read all the results of the new 2024 Victoria's Vital Signs report online today!*

🪱 Tartan caterpillar photographed in Campbell River. [Facebook photos]

🤝 Now hiring: Electrician at The Butchart Gardens.

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

BC Transit now runs gap-free from Victoria to Campbell River
The transit authority has closed a 6km gap between Fanny Bay and Deep Bay, allowing continued service along the eastern part of the Island. While not a non-stop service—passengers will have to make multiple bus changes—it allows travellers to use public transit the entire way while heading up the Island. However, it will take many hours to travel between the two cities. [Times Colonist]

Campbell River removing invasive goldfish from a stormwater pond
The city will have to pump the pond and pick out the goldfish, which have been introduced by people releasing the common pet down storm drains. Goldfish can grow to the size of footballs and can live up to 40 years old when released into the wild. The city is moving fast on this. It says it wants to be rid of the fish in a bit more than a week from now. [CHEK]

Dump truck crash causes morning slowdown on TCH near Langford
The dump truck driver lost control of the vehicle yesterday and drove into a concrete median, which was pushed into the oncoming southbound traffic. Debris from the collision caused another driver, in a southbound Pontiac, to crash into a different highway divider, shutting both southbound lanes. The dump truck driver was ticketed for speeding. The Pontiac driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. [RCMP]

🗓️ Things to do

🍝 Rustic Italian Cooking Class: Join The London Chef for an evening of Italian cuisine, with a nod to Spain. Sea Cider Farm. Tonight. 6-9pm. [Info]

🎨 Paint Night: Join artist Miranda Carroll for a night of food, socializing, and painting. Boston Pizza Langford. Tonight. 7-9pm. [Info]

🍂 Harvest Party at Blue Grouse Winery: Celebrate the season with an autumnal evening filled with food, wine pairings, and lively folk music. Tomorrow. 5:30pm. [Info]

🎺 Island Ska Thanksgiving Special: Join the Victoria Ska and Reggae Society for a night of music at Lucky Bar. Tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🧟 Welcome to the Creepshow: A Halloween Burlesque & Drag Spectacle: Step right up to a spine-tingling spectacle. Victoria Event Centre. Tomorrow. 8pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday headlines: Vic dragon boaters’ big Italian victory; Oak Bay disturbance leads to weapons charges; Oak Bay’s Crystal Pite also inducted into Order of Canada; And more. [Oct. 8]

Conservatives commit to ‘end tent cities’ but can it be done? [CTV]

Sidney man wins $1M in Lotto Max. [CHEK] 

Leave service dogs alone. Here’s why. [Times Colonist] 

Seagull with snack: Maybe not go right down the sea gullet. [Facebook photo]

That’s it!

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