Sept 6 - Students encounter rental scams and more

Good morning !

So, how was that yesterday?

First day back to school, and that means mornings may be a bit different for parents as they rush their children off to class.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌤️ 19 / 10

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 18 / 11

Day after: ☀️ 19 / 10

7-day forecast

🌫️ Air quality: Low risk today (2/10). Current smoke forecast.

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

NEWS

Incoming students face high rates, dodge rental scams

University and college students who haven’t yet secured lodging in Victoria face a daunting challenge to find a place to live.

It’s the old supply-and-demand curve—and when you consider the thousands of students in need of a place to stay, that curve is not in the students’ favour.

As of January, the percentage of available purpose-built rentals was just 1.5%—while the rate for available condominium apartment rentals was a miniscule at 0.2%.

With housing at a premium, students are not only dealing with expensive options—they’re also having to make sure they’re not being taken to the cleaners by scammers.

Rental websites such as Craigslist, Used Victoria, and Facebook are filled with legit ads, but there is a small sector of scammers who see opportunity in the student-tenant’s quest for quarters.

In 2019, the Better Business Bureau found 46% of people looking online for rental accommodations encountered fake listings.

Read Sarah Madsen’s story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

School zones are back: 30km/h limit, 8am-5pm on weekdays.

NEWS

Victoria web developer hits a high note

A Victoria man who’s gone from building bridges to building websites wants to bridge the gap between music lovers and new tunes.

Devin Bushey has built a website that sorts and creates a custom Spotify playlist based on upcoming concerts in town. Recordshop.cool is a site music lovers can use to browse lesser-known artists.

“Nothing else out there is like it,” Bushey tells Capital Daily. Anyone with a Spotify account can log in and use it for free.

“It takes each artist that’s listed and it takes their top track and creates a Spotify playlist directly on your account within a second,” Bushey, 30, says. “The idea is that it allows you to discover the unfamiliar artist.”

Bushey, who moved to Victoria from Alberta seven years ago, was a structural engineer, but went to Camosun to become a software engineer.

Following two years’ of development, he released the website on Reddit in June before approaching Rifflandia’s director of marketing, Jared Holland, who liked what he saw.

“One of the biggest challenges for a big music festival is getting the audience to really know and understand and be excited about the entire lineup from all the different tiers and types of music that’s coming,” Holland says. “It basically gives the audience the best songs from every artist that comes.”

And it gives some of the lesser-known bands an extra boost.

“I think it’s huge because a lot of the artists that we were able to attract to Rifflandia, they’re incredible artists but people will remember their amazing songs sometimes more than their names,” Holland says. “So this might be able to remind them and get them in front of that music again.”

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🚗 Street upgrade drop-in sessions: Have your say on Victoria street upgrades for 2024-25 at tonight’s drop-in session.

🎙️ Check out the latest Rising Economy podcast to find out why the gender wage gap persists and how women can negotiate fair compensation from employers.*

💸 Place bids for Fringe-raiser auction: Today is the last chance to bid and win prizes while supporting Fringe events.

🌏 Sing for change! Make a positive difference for the planet and its people through song. West Coast Reach's inclusive choirs are accepting new members. Get more info or email [email protected] / call 250-882-4339.*

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🗞️ In Other News

The doctor is not in, the ER is closed: Saanich Peninsula Hospital emergency department will continue to close overnight because of a doctor shortage. Overnight closures were set to end two days ago, but Island Health has extended them.

End-of-summer sting: You may notice more wasps flying about as their populations are most abundant at the close of the season. Researchers confirm that wasps are very active right now, but they may be more interested in bees than people. [Times Colonist]

VicPD searches for clues in 2021 murder: Jeremy Gordaneer, 49, died from injuries that may have been sustained at his mother’s home in Carberry Gardens. His family is appealing to anyone who knows what happened to him to contact VicPD.

Police make arrest in summer fires: Edwin Singh, 42, is charged with four counts of arson relating to incidents in which cars or items in loading zones were set on fire in the north end of Government. No one was injured in any of the fires, which resulted in significant damage to property.

Call for UVic to go 100% smoke-free: The BC Cancer Society is urging the university to shut its 16 designated on-campus smoking areas. As of August 2022, approximately 100 of 260 Canadian colleges have gone entirely smoke-free, though the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) notes that number may be higher now. [Martlet]

Algae away, hopefully, at Elk Lake: The CRD has been testing an oxygen generator—or oxygenator—at both Elk and Beaver lakes to help prevent frequent blue-green algae blooms. Oxygen is pumped into the water to limit the amount of phosphorus in the sediment that rises to the surface, causing algae growth. [Times Colonist]

🤝 Now Hiring

Thinking of making your next career move? Let us help!

• Associate Dentist at Oaklands Dental

• Digital Marketing Specialist at Westin Bear Mountain Resort & Spa

• Communications & Engagement Officer at COAST (Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies)

• Christmas Installers at The Butchart Gardens

• Early Childhood or Infant and Toddler Educator at Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group

• Early Years Manager at Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group

• Community Engagement Manager at Dance Victoria

• Cooks at The Butchart Gardens

Looking for more openings? See 40+ jobs open now on YYJobs.

Hiring? Post your job to have it featured here, and fill your opening fast!

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🗓️ Things to do

🎸 Tom Vickery & Friends: Join the music act at Hermann’s for a relaxed evening of jazz, cocktails, and great food!

🎶 Pacific Opera Victoria's season of full-flavoured opera is on sale now! 3-opera subscriptions starting at $75, single tickets starting at $30.*

🧛 Twilight at Cinecenta: See the hit film based on the book series today as part of this week’s Best of the 00s series.

*Sponsored Listing

👀 In Case You Missed It

Tuesday’s headlines: HeroWork, the local charity that helps local charities, closes; bacteria warnings return to major local beaches; Sooke Mayor Maja Tait vies to replace longtime local MP Randall Garrison; and more [Tuesday newsletter]

Royal Jubilee closes another operating room: 150 fall surgeries to be postponed. [Monday newsletter]

BC Transit bus and SUV collide at Victoria intersection: Two people were taken to hospital after the crash at Douglas and Bay on Saturday afternoon. See security camera video. [CTV]

That’s it!

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