Wed. June 28 - Pride Week is Coming

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

Some big bucks are coming to the Island in federal funding for business, there’s still no word whether Esquimalt-Metchosin MLA Mitzi Dean will resign as children and family development minister, and Pride Week is just about to get the parties started. We’ll tell you what’s happening and where to find it.

— Mark

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny. High 21C / low 13C.

🌫️ Air Quality: Low risk today (2/10), possible light smoke in the morning.

EVENTS

Here’s what’s happening for Victoria Pride Week

Events have been popping up throughout June for Pride month, but this weekend marks the official kickoff to Victoria Pride Week. As the city with the highest proportion of trans and non-binary people in Canada, Victoria’s vibrant queer community has much to celebrate in this jam-packed week.

Things start off on an athletic note on Canada Day, which is Saturday, with the Memorial Drag Ball Game—an event that started in the early ‘90s to honour those lost to the HIV/AIDs crisis. The Fernwood Pride Run follows on July 2.

The yearly Big Gay Dog Walk returns on July 6 for people and their pets to walk, mingle, and celebrate the queer community—participants, including their pups, are encouraged to wear costumes and could even win some prizes.

There will be Pride events all week at Friends of Dorothy, and The Vicious Poodle will host Pride-specific events alongside its regular weekly drag shows, including Pride trivia on July 6, Wig Stock on July 8, and a Pride dance on July 9.

The week’s events will close with the Pride parade on July 9, starting at Douglas and Pandora and ending at Menzies and Kingston. The party will continue in James Bay’s MacDonald Park with the city’s top drag performers, food trucks, vendors—and of course a beer garden—at Festival in the Park.

There also will be youth-specific events taking place, including a free masquerade dance party for those 15-21 tomorrow at Victoria Odd Fellows, and an all-ages queer activism night at the Bay Centre on July 5.

Capital Bulletin

🚧 Salt Spring sinkhole: Repairs of a large sinkhole on Beaver Point Road are ongoing, while the northbound lane remains closed.

🐶 $1M for Duncan SPCA shelter replacement: The proposed facility will be an animal behaviour centre, the first of its kind in Canada.

🐟 Fish offal spill blocks Hwy 19: Pictures of the scene north of Nanaimo shows fish parts strewn across the road. The highway lane is now reopened.

🍄 Death Cap mushrooms growing in Oak Bay: The municipality is warning residents of the toxic mushrooms that can cause severe illness.

NEWS

Esquimalt MLA must resign as children and family development minister, First Nations groups say

The First Nations Leadership Council wants Esquimalt-Metchosin MLA Mitzi Dean to resign immediately from her minister role because of the way her department oversaw the case of a fostered Indigenous boy who, along with his sister, reportedly had been tortured. The boy, 11, was beaten to death. A court found the ministry hadn’t checked on the children in seven months.

In a statement released Monday, the First Nations Leadership Council blames Dean for an “inadequate approach and ongoing lack of accountability.”

This month, a man and a woman—who along with the children cannot be identified under a publication ban—were sentenced to 10 years in prison in Chilliwack for the February 2021 death. The couple pleaded guilty to the boy’s manslaughter and aggravated assault, and the aggravated assault of his sister, who was eight.

BC’s representative for children and youth—an official watchdog that can make recommendations to government—will now further investigate the case and “ensure that the system is transformed” to prevent future ones.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) has been negligent, lacks oversight, and needs a “systematic review” of its child protection policies, said Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BC Assembly of First Nations. Teegee pointed to a similar case two decades ago that led to 17 recommendations for the ministry.

Read more about the criticism Dean is facing and what she said in a statement on Monday, in the full story at Capital Daily.

NEWS

Victoria ocean tech organizations to receive $8.1M in funding

The federal government has pledged to invest more than $8.1M for seven organizations in Greater Victoria that focus on ocean technology, life sciences, and clean energy.

The government hopes the investment will create more than 800 jobs, training opportunities for more than 500 British Columbians, and generate $23M in revenue growth.

“[The funding] will help Canadian businesses that are seeking to expand internationally and help expand our presence in the ocean economy,” said Harjit Sajjan, minister of International Development and Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan).

Through PacifiCan funding, $5.7M will be allocated to four organizations under the agency’s regional innovations ecosystem program, including $3M for the South Island Sustainability Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) to create a new Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) to support businesses focused on ocean technology and the Indigenous Prosperity Centre (IPC), which fosters Indigenous entrepreneurship in the Island’s ocean economy.

“Indigenous people are already leaders in the blue economy,” said Christina Clarke, executive director of the IPC. “First Nations on the South Island have prioritized marine and land stewardship. Conservation and protection is their highest priority.”

Three businesses will receive nearly $2.5M to support sustainable business practices, and to increase hiring and manufacturing. Peloton Technologies, a cloud-based payment platform for companies, will receive $1.5M, Aluula Composites, a composite textile firm, will get more than $700,000, while $250,000 will go to Origen Air System, a sustainable air purifying company.

UVic is pegged to receive $1.9M to support two projects, including new equipment for the Proteomics Centre, and a project to replace diesel generators on Haida Gwaii with renewable energy sources.

Insight on quality of life in Greater Victoria

Find over 75 indicators on the quality of life in Greater Victoria on the Victoria Foundation's Vital Victoria Data Hub, a companion to the Foundation's annual Vital Signs Program.

From housing and health to learning and safety, the hub is constantly updated with data.

Visit the Vital Victoria Data Hub today!

Capital Picks

🎸 BADBADNOTGOOD at the Royal Theatre: The Toronto-based jazz and hip-hop group will perform tonight during TD Victoria International JazzFest, 7:30pm.

🎵 Brandee Younger Trio at Hermann’s Upstairs: As a part of JazzFest, the Grammy nominated harpist will perform tonight alongside drummer Allan Mednard and bassist Rahsaan Carter, 8pm.

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🎹 Will Bonness Quintet at Hermann’s Jazz Club: During JazzFest, Winnipeg-based jazz musician Will Bonness will be joined by clarinetist Virginia MacDonald, guitarist Jocelyn Gould, bassist Jonathan Chapman, and drummer Curtis Nowosad, 7pm.

🎙️ Garden City Harmony at Cameron Bandshell: Sing along in this drop-in choir today at Beacon Hill Park, 5:30-7:30pm.  

🎷 Heather Ferguson is joined by some of Victoria's top jazz musicians, Tony Genge, Joey Smith, and Kelby MacNayr—to rock the street with the greatest songs of the 20th century! 3pm on Saturday at Broad and Fort—and it's free!*

🎹 Gabriel Palatchi Trio at Victoria Event Centre: The Argentinian pianist will play alongside drummer Issah Contractor and bassist Scott White for JazzFest tonight, 9pm.

🛍️ The Island Mavins Handmade & Vintage outdoor market on July 15 and 16! Check out their Instagram page to see vendors, market details, and enter their competition to win 'Mavins' bucks!*

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In Other News

🐩 Saanich off-leash dog decision recessed
The council’s decision on the People, Pets, and Parks draft strategy that would see an increase in the number of Saanich parks requiring dogs to be on leash has been pushed to tonight after four hours of public input Mon. Tonight’s decision process will include a staff presentation to help deliberate on the draft. [Times Colonist]
Capital Daily reported last week that 7,000 dog owners and supporters had signed a petition to stop the limiting of off-leash parks.

🔥 Every Island wildfire this year has been human caused
The 46 wildfires in the Coastal Fire Centre so far outnumber the normal average of two. Humans typically cause 40% of wildfires in BC, whether intentionally or accidentally, indicating the abnormality of this year’s Island fires. A campfire ban remains in place. [CHEK]

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In Case You Missed It

📰 Tuesday’s headlines: BC warns of summer droughts, Point Ellice House reopens, newborn orca spotted, and more. [June 27]

🤤 Book your seats to Pacific Opera's 23/24 full-flavoured season: deliciously epic Die Walküre (Wagner), spicy flamenco-fusion Ainadamar (Golijov), and scrumptious The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)—three shows for $72!*

✈️ Porter Air to offer flights from Victoria to Toronto: Daily roundtrip flights between the two cities will begin Sept. 20, with roundtrip fares starting at $476.

👟 Beaver/Elk Lake trail upgrades: The trail remains open with delays during the June 19-30 work (between Beaver Beach and northeast Beaver Lake) and June 28-30 work (Brookleigh Boat Launch to Hamsterly Beach).

🏳️‍🌈 Duncan Pride parade debuts: Hundreds marched on Sunday for the Cowichan Valley festival. [CHEK]

🗳️ No early election: Premier David Eby says that despite byelection landslides in safe Westshore and Vancouver seats, neither he nor the public has any interest in a fall election. [CP]

🧰 U.A. Local 324 has plumbing and pipe fitting positions available right now! They provide steady and stable employment with higher wages and generous benefits. Learn more.*

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