Oct 10 - BC's biggest pumpkin

Good morning !

A lot of us may be feeling heavier after holiday dinner, but none of us are any match for the thousand-pound Island pumpkin that just won BC’s premiere pumpkin competition.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 13 / 11

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 12 / 9

Thursday: 🌤️ 16 / 9

7-day forecast

🚘️ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Island-grown pumpkin wins title of BC’s biggest

Islander Kerri van Kooten-Perras took 1st place in Langley this weekend with a 1,152lb (523kg) Atlantic Giant Pumpkin named Walter. For comparison, that’s two or three times the weight of typical adult male bears.

Walter is the biggest she’s ever grown—in 2017 she placed 3rd with a 1,074-pounder—but won’t be returning to the Island for a victory tour.

“Walter has now settled into his new home at Coastal Blacks Pumpkin Fest,” [pictured above, right] van Kooten-Perras said. “He has met some new barnyard friends and is looking forward to all his visitors."

BC actually had an even bigger pumpkin

Even the massive Walter has nothing on another giant pumpkin grown by a BC resident this season. Dave Chan from Richmond placed 5th at the Safeway World Championship in Minnesota, with a 1,632-pound behemoth.

But even that was no match for the new world record of 2,749 pounds—2.5 times the weight of Walter, and comparable to a youngish female hippo. That new record was set at the same competition by a pumpkin from near San Francisco.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Mild earthquake (4.3) in Washington was felt in South Island on Sunday.

COVID booster booking invitations expected to begin rolling out today.

Some Thurs-Fri sun now expected during an otherwise rainy week.

Victoria road closures include parts of Cook, Alder, Douglas, and Gorge East.

This week’s lost & found pets via ROAM & FLED.

NEWS

Local nursing students want paid practicums

Victoria’s post-secondary nursing program is grappling with under-enrolment this fall, despite the high local demand for health-care workers. A group of students, with the support of some instructors, are arguing that unpaid practicums are discouraging people from enrolling and causing BC to lose people to other regions.

They argue that these required stints of practical experience should either be paid, offset by tuition waivers, or replaceable with paid work that students have found in the in-demand industry.

The students say—as they also said last year—that many of them are being burnt out juggling high-pressure practicums, studies, and the jobs that are often needed in such an expensive region and short-staffed industry.

Educators have been calling for reform, too

In the summer, Capital Daily’s feature on nursing education looked at the reasons why some educators say the program needs to change in order to keep people from leaving the industry.

Read that story here.

NEWS

5 Island companies make list of Canada’s top-growing businesses

The Globe and Mail’s list of Canada’s 500 top-growing businesses for 2023 features these locals:

• 16th – Certn a Victoria background-checking company. Its yearly revenue grew a reported 2,045% to between $25M and $50M, and it now has 435 employees.

• 47th – Alpha IT (Nanaimo): IT, cybersecurity, and web development services. 870% growth.

• 107th – DeeBee’s Organics (Victoria): Organic freezer pops. 439% growth.

• 140th – Premier Cloud (Victoria): Cloud services and solutions. 341%.

• 405th – First Light Technologies (Saanich): Solar-powered outdoor commercial lighting. 84%. 

More on this story, and other local tech news, at Victoria Tech Journal.

SPONSORED BY SOUTH ISLAND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP

Unpack Greater Victoria's food supply gap

The Rising Economy podcast from South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) features leading thinkers, news-makers, and change-makers sharing bold insights about economic issues and trends impacting Greater Victoria. Check out the latest episode “How Do We Close the Island’s Food Supply Gap (and Why it Matters More than Ever)?”

With more than 80% of our food coming from off-Island, only 20-30% of our farmable land in production, and only three days of fresh food available at any given time, Vancouver Island has a major food supply gap. In this podcast, we talk to three people working hard to fix the system — Darren Stott, Greenchain Consulting; Tom Hyde, Mill Bay Processing; and food systems specialist Dr. Patricia Reichert.

Listen here.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🪧 Keep ON the grass: A charming lawn sign in Esquimalt wants passersby to enjoy the turf—though commenters noted it’s important to check if any dogs enjoyed it first.

💃🏽 Dance Victoria presents New York’s world-class Gibney Company in a virtuosic mixed evening on November 17 and 18 at the Royal Theatre. Find tickets here.*

🍂 Bursts of red from autumn trees in this shot of Oak Bay by Colin Smith.

🤝 Now hiring: Comfort Advisor (Outside Sales) at Sasquatch Heat Pumps.

*Sponsored Listing

Last time: streetcar to the Kwik-E = Tram / mart
Congrats to everyone who submitted the correct answer

🗞️ In Other News

“Abusive behaviour” delays Monday ferry to Denman
Police were called to the Buckley Bay terminal over a customer, BC Ferries told CHEK, citing its “zero tolerance” for a range of abusive behaviour, including verbal, toward staff. BC Ferries has paused public meetings over what it says is a rise in hostility and threats from the public, including an alleged gun threat last month in Gibsons.

Pub that banned man for rolling joint must pay him $10K
The BC Human Rights Tribunal sided with a Port Alberni ex-cop who says he uses cannabis for his PTSD. It found that it was reasonable for him to roll medical marijuana inside before smoking it outside, and that the pub’s stern reaction wasn’t warranted and constituted disability discrimination. [BCHRT]

SPONSORED BY THE ROOT CELLAR

Those who love green sauce; and those who haven’t tried it yet

Which are you?! No sauce is as famous in the city of Victoria as this deliciousness from The Root Cellar.

Discover your love of green sauce at TheRootCellar.ca, available exclusively at their flagship market on McKenzie Avenue at Blenkinsop, and their second location in Cook Street Village.

🗓️ Things to do

13th Latin American and Spanish Film Week + Music Show: Movies, music, and discussion. All this week, at UVic and around town. [Schedule]

Vancouver Island’s largest and liveliest celebration of books and book lovers, Victoria Festival of Authors, runs from October 11-15 with over 35 authors taking part. Check out all the events taking place.*

Last month for fishing exhibit: “Salmon tales: how fishing shaped BC” runs until Oct. 28 at the Maritime Museum.

Guided museum tours today of the Native Plant Garden and Natural History section at RBCM. [Schedule]

Free art gallery admission on Thursday (5-9pm) at the AGGV.

The Clay Pigeons play the music of John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, and more. Sat. 7pm at Hermann’s.

*Sponsored Listing

👀 In Case You Missed It

Stories of Island families, from struggles and sacrifices to triumphant reunions. [Capital Daily]

Ferries won’t go electric yet: The 2025 target for the Island Class hybrids to go full electric appears to be out the window, putting BC’s 2030 ferry emissions targets in jeopardy. [Capital Daily / LJI]

Chefs can train for free through a new Camosun program intended to address local restaurant industry shortage. [Capital Daily]

Sunday headlines: Sculpture honours late wolf and chief. A new season for whale songs—and a new way to hear them. [Newsletter]

CORRECTION from Sunday: The artist behind the Staqeya sculpture is Kent Laforme, not Ken. See his work here.

Death in Pacific Rim park near Tofino on Sept. 16 is being investigated by BC Coroners Service. [Westerly News]

That’s it!

Yesterday’s poll results: A slight majority (around 60%) of you said you had a traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Others switched it up with ham/pork or fish, while some described their vegan or vegetarian meals.

I should also mention, since a few people wrote in about it: “Eating good” or “eatin’ good,” as I said yesterday, is a long-standing colloquial phrase typically referring to eating hearty, indulgent meals. It isn’t quite the same as eating well, which some folks thought I was trying and failing to say.