Jan 19 Reverse-Joni Mitchell: City will sod a parking lot to put up a park

Good morning !

I’ve done two wintry things this week that I haven’t done in years. On Monday I went outdoor skating on the pond next to Dallas and yesterday, I shoveled snow.

Great to feel Canadian again—that’s exactly the right amount of winter for this guy.

— Mark

Today’s approx read time: 4.5 minutes

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🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 5 / 4

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 7 / 4

Day after: 🌧️ 8 / 5

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NEWS

City buys Romeo’s lot on Blanshard to build a slice of nature

Turning a paved lot into paradise—that's the City of Victoria's plan for the long-empty Romeo's lot at the corner of Blanshard and Fisgard. The city has purchased it and the adjoining lot—where Urbana Kitchens currently operates—to build a new park for the downtown core.

Romeo’s has been closed for a couple of years while Urbana Kitchens plans to move in the spring. The city bought the parcels of land—a combined 25K-sq. ft. of space—for $11M, using reserve funds set aside for the purchasing of parks.

Exactly what the park will look like is still to be decided but Thomas Soulliere, deputy city manager, said access to nature will be the priority. “We’ll be reintroducing nature back to this part of the city,” said Soulliere, adding that an area for playground equipment likely will be included. “We’re really looking for a well-rounded place that can serve people of all ages and abilities.”

The cost to develop the park and when construction will begin have yet to be determined, the city said.

Read Robyn Bell’s full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

Live webcams: See the status of Vancouver Island’s highways before you travel.

Check Canada Post delivery service alerts.

Garbage pickup: If your trash wasn’t picked up yesterday as scheduled, expect pickup Monday.

New public feedback platform for Saanich: HelloSaanich.

NEWS

More questions follow criticism of CRD biosolids consultation

Days after we published a story on the long-standing issue of how the CRD plans to manage waste biosolids, more questions have surfaced as the district’s board responds to critics of its public consultation process.

It’s a divisive topic with a long history of deferrals and delays when it comes to any real solution-oriented action. But as biowaste pushes the physical limits of the Hartland Landfill, the solution remains up for debate. 

Concerns are being raised, not just about the content of the CRD’s consultation materials, but the process by which they landed in the public sphere in the first place. And it’s not just members of the public that have questions. Some board members say they have been caught off guard by what they see as a lack of transparency and a failure to deliver balanced information. 

CRD Board Chair Colin Plant has called for a special board meeting on Jan. 31 to address his and other board members’ concerns about how the consultation process was designed, and reviewed and by whom.

“It’ll really be a check”, said Plant “on how we got here.”

Read Sidney Coles’ full story here.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🏒 Hockey Day in Vic: HKY clinics, street/ball hockey. Target shooting, Ship Point. Alumni game at SoFMC. [Events]

📺Victoria is profiled on PBS travel show Samantha Brown’s Places to Love, this Sun. View Here. Or Here.

🍽️ Nominate your favourite local restaurants in the Tasting Victoria Restaurant Awards. Enter your nominations in any of the 18 categories here!

🤝 Now hiring: Early Childhood Educator (ECE) at Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group.

🗞️ In Other News

VicPD has a suspect but looking for the victim in a spitting incident
It happened Tue. just before 1:30pm near the intersection of Quadra and Yates—a man spat in a woman’s face. A VicPD officer says they witnessed it and spoke with the victim, who was pushing a baby stroller. The suspect faces possible assault charges but VicPD would like to speak with the unidentified victim who walked away. [VicPD]

Vic Fire Department nails down Mayfair Mall blaze 
Crews were called just before 9pm Wed. with smoke billowing from Polished Perfect Nail Salon. It soon became clear it was a significant blaze, so more firefighters and equipment were requested to contain it in a single shop. At the same time, another call came in for a fire on Herald, which VFD also knocked down. [Victoria News]

Some Sidney Island residents: Kill the cull, most deer gone
Some are calling for Parks Canada to “avoid further embarrassment” and cancel Phase 2 of the cull. Phase 1 cost $834K for US and NZ sharpshooters to kill 66 fallow deer over a week and a half. A group of residents says Parks Canada spent 12 years developing a project that is now unnecessary because the number of deer has declined. [Times Colonist]

Man and son rescued by helicopter from Comox backcountry
While on a hunting trip near Comox Lake, the man slipped on ice and fractured his leg. The road they were on was a “pure sheet of ice” making it difficult for search-and-rescue workers to reach them by ground. Once reached, the two were flown out, and the father was taken to hospital. [CHEK]

Nanaimo RCMP say woman’s death was a homicide
Responding to a wellness check on Jan. 10, Mounties found a 33-year-old woman dead in her apartment. They also found an unidentified man who fled but has since spoken with them. Now they’re looking for a 2007 Nissan Sentra with BC licence SP272P that was reported stolen and is believed to be related to the investigation. [Nanaimo RCMP]

SPONSORED BY COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Let's talk urban living with Uytae Lee

Join for an engaging evening with Uytae Lee, host of the popular urbanist YouTube channel "About Here". He'll kick off with some Victoria-area trivia before exploring topics ranging from housing to transit and beyond, promising an engaging dialogue on the facets that shape our urban experience.

Tuesday at 5:30pm. Learn more and register here.

🗓️ Things to do

🏒 Hockey legends book signing: Ron MacLean, Ken Reid, and Brian Burke sign copies of their books. Today. Munro’s Books. 11:30am-1pm.

🥃 Victoria Whisky Festival: The annual festival at Hotel Grand Pacific will feature whisky tastings, masterclasses, and awards. Until Sunday.

🎧 Longwalkshortdock: The electronic musician will perform alongside Shman and Gasolina at Capital Ballroom. Today. Doors 9pm. Show 9:30pm.

🎨 Art Battle: Watch local artists compete to create the best artwork at Victoria Event Centre. Today. Doors 6pm. Show 7pm. 

😂 Whose Live Anyway?: The cast members of Whose Line Is It Anyway? are performing their improv tour at the Royal Theatre. Today. 8pm.   

 🎻 The Clay Pigeons: The Victoria-based band will perform the music of John Prine and others at Hermann’s Jazz Club. Today. Doors 5:30pm. Show 7pm.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Victoria Conference Centre is now biosphere-certified: It is the second conference centre in North America to receive the certification. [Capital Daily] 

South Island fire departments get provincial funding: Central Saanich, Metchosin, Sidney, and the CRD will get funding from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund. [The Westshore] 

Thursday’s headlines: Two people and dog rescued from frozen lake; Denman Island man wins $500K in lottery; premier promises answers in death of Port Alberni boy and more. [Jan 18]

Island Rottweiler, pit bull killed for allegedly attacking sheep. [CHEK]

Snow closures and other snow stuff. [Times Colonist]

That’s it!

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