April 21 - Senior vs. shipbreaker

Good morning !

This spring has been full of news about marine mammals, and today's newsletter has updates on the orphaned orca, Emerson the elephant seal, and humpbacks that have become documentary darlings.

But first, we also have updates today on two prominent court cases: a murder trial and a feud between an Island senior and an industrial site.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 12 / 4

Tomorrow: ☀️ 14 / 4

Day after: ☀️ 15 / 6

7-day forecast

NEWS

Drone-flying senior doesn’t owe damages to shipbreaker, court rules

Retiree and parrot owner Mary Reynolds, 73, was sued by Deep Water Recovery for filming its Union Bay operations. She took nearly 300 videos with a mini-drone, posted some online, and sought a civil restraining order against the company over in-person disputes in 2022. 

The BC Supreme Court ruled last week that her public opposition to the project over pollution concerns was not a “malicious campaign” nor were her videos a nuisance. The court has yet to rule on whether she can fly drones overhead, or on the general airspace restrictions for such sites. 

Owner Mark Jurisich told CBC that the business performs a necessary service dismantling derelict ships, and sits on long-contaminated industrial land.

Site received stop-work order last month

But the province recently determined the company was polluting Baynes Sound. Testing of effluent showed elevated materials such as zinc, so the company must now monitor for further discharges and report them or pay $300K. 

Regulating the site is complex

The feds mainly oversee the deeper water, the province the foreshore, and the Comox Valley Regional District the last further up. The regional district opposes the project (as does the K’ómoks First Nation) and wants the BC Supreme Court to make it stop. 

The Discourse has put together a timeline of the shipbreaking operation’s contentious past four years.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Sun, cloud, and some rain expected this week.

Free bus rides tomorrow on BC Transit.

Canucks host first home playoff game in 9 years tonight in Vancouver.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

First-degree conviction in 2020 Langford killing on forested road

In January 2020, a Langford couple driving through the dark reported a crashed Toyota blocking the narrow and densely forested Humpback Road. The next day, RCMP announced they were investigating the crash site as a homicide.

Within the vehicle was the body of Alex Knatchbell, 26, and within his body were 12 bullets. The gun that fired those bullets was seized when Victoria-area local Damien Medwedrich was arrested in Prince George a little over a week later. 

Medwedrich was convicted of first-degree murder last week in a judge-only trial. The trial revolved heavily around a protected witness who drove out to Humpback with Medwedrich that night, and texts and video provided by that witness. 

The judge determined that while the witness was very unreliable, the texts and recording indicated that Medwerich had planned and admitted to the potentially drug-trade-related killing. 

The defence had argued that the killing could have been a robbery gone wrong, that the evidence was circumstantial, and that the witness was both known to lie and motivated to lie due to being a potential suspect. 

NEWS

Island waters’ humpbacks star in Planet Earth III today

In 2018 the whale researchers at MERS, near the northern tip of the Island, didn’t expect to get a call from the world’s most famous nature documentary series.

But BBC’s Planet Earth crew was very interested not only in Island waters’ humpbacks, but also in how the whales got food into their bodies—and out. That curiosity led to an episode that makes its official Canadian debut today on BBC Canada.

Read the full story here to learn more about the filming process and about how the whales affect carbon in the ocean.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

📸 Emerson pretends to be driftwood in this Colin Smith photo of the famously friendly seal.

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😎 It’s patio season: As the weather warms up this weekend, check out Tasting Victoria’s ultimate patio guide.

🎶 Sunday music: Last night’s show sold out well in advance, but you can still hear the Clay Pigeons’ tribute to John Prine and other folk-country icons via the Hermann’s Jazz concert stream.

🤝 Now hiring: Supervisor - The Dining Room Restaurant at the Butchart Gardens.

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🗞️ In Other News

Orphaned orca accepts seal meal, buying rescuers more time
A new video shows Brave Little Hunter ate the 18kg of meat the Nuchatlaht First Nation members threw into the lagoon. The who has been there four weeks now, and her body mass was starting to decline. 

Pacific FC claims league co-lead with second win
The Langford soccer club beat Valour 2-0, and now shares top spot in the CPL with “younger sibling” Vancouver FC. It was the 100th game for local Sean Young, PFC’s longest-tenured player, who just signed a multi-year extension. The club also recently signed former Japanese league MVP Kengo Nakamura to a short-term visiting coach contract as he completes his certification.  

PM visits with Victoria mayor and Polish president
After Friday’s appearance at UVic, Justin Trudeau sat down briefly with Mayor Marianne Alto, discussing local issues including housing. The PM then met with Poland’s Andrzej Duda, mainly to discuss defence spending, at CFB Esquimalt.

TASTING VICTORIA AWARDS

The best vegan and vegetarian restaurants

You get to pick the winners in the Tasting Victoria Awards. Check out the finalists in this category and 17 more from best seafood to best bakery, best cocktails to best happy hour, the list goes on. Vote now.

🗓️ Things to do

🌎 Earth Day events continue today in Vic West, Langford, and Sidney. Silent disco, plant seeds, crafts, bikes, and more. See our roundup here.

🎺 Island Big Band: The jazz band will perform at Hermann’s Jazz Club. Today. Doors 5:30pm, show 7pm. 

🎸 School’s Out!: Celebrate the end of the school year at Victoria Event Centre with live music from Hot Pot, Head with Feet, Anteater Eater, and Lunaland. Today. Doors 7:30pm, show 8pm. 

🎤 D12 & Obie Trice: The rappers will be joined by Robbie G at Capital Ballroom. Today. Doors 7pm, show 8pm.

🎶 Matt Masters: The Calgary-based country singer will perform at Mary Winspear Centre. Today. 2pm.

🎻 Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade: A Juno-winning composer conducts the musical version of the iconic Thousand And One Nights tale. [This afternoon at Royal Theatre]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Council plans camping bans in 2 more Victoria parks—if they can manage to get people sheltered by August. [Capital Daily]

Friday’s news: Phillips Backyard and Rifllandia lineups. Solar-powered shellfish strategy. Art theft. [April 19]

Cougar warning for Mystic Vale Ravine at UVic.

Police car’s crash with cyclist last month in Langford was due to sightlines, not driver error, IIO concludes.