Sept 12 - Charity loses in Ribfest rip-off

Good morning !

It’s a good bet that pretty much everyone has a beef with the rapscallions in today’s first story.
Someone made some fake Ribfest drink tokens to save a few bucks on booze—at the expense of charity.
There is human redemption in this story, I promise.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

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NEWS

Esquimalt Ribfest gets smoked by someone with a 3D printer

Esquimalt Ribfest coordinators say it’s “about as low as it gets,” but they’re holding out hope—and putting up a cash reward—they’ll find whoever is responsible for circulating hundreds of bogus drink tokens, which effectively took money out of the hands of charity.

“It's kind of like reaching into the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle and grabbing a handful of cash and running off, right?” Tom Woods, committee chair for Esquimalt Ribfest, tells Capital Daily.

At one point during last weekend’s outdoor meat extravaganza at Bullen Park, volunteers noticed something wasn’t right with some of the round, green drink tokens. The colour was a little off, and the writing was a little different. It was Saturday, and the vendors were busy, so a lot of the replicas got through. At least 200 fake tokens were used, at roughly $8 per token, Woods said.

“I don't know if you can do anything lower than steal from a children's charity,” Woods said. “That's about as low as it gets.”

The money from the liquor sales is earmarked for Ribfest’s ongoing drive to help Esquimalt High land an artificial sports surface.

“We're coming forward with more than a million dollars for the provincial government, and we're hoping to get funding this time around for a turf field here in Esquimalt,” Woods said.

VicPD is investigating the theft, and Ribfest organizers are offering a $500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fraudulent tokens. They’re directing any witnesses to Crime Stoppers. 

Woods said he worries this 3D printer token business could affect other charities. 

“It's super easy to get one of these printers now, and all you’ve got to do is show up first thing in the morning, buy a token, and then go home and print 50 of them off. Right?”

Good old human redemption in 3-2-1

Since hearing of the theft, the community has stepped up. Businesses—Sasquatch Heat Pumps, for one—have already contacted Woods, looking to help offset the lost revenue.

Entrance to Ribfest was gained by donation, which totalled $93K over the three days. That money goes to a firefighters' charitable foundation to be redistributed into small portions for needy organizations, Woods said. 

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Can you ID these theft suspects at Pedder Bay Marina?

Traffic disruptions and CCTV deployment downtown tomorrow. [2pm-4pm]

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Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

NEWS

Art and accessibility on display at RBCM

The Royal BC Museum has a new art piece on display—and it was fashioned out of 68 individual pieces created by Garth Homer Society (GHS) participants.

GHS is a non-profit organization that offers a range of life-enhancing support services to people with developmental disabilities, including social and employment opportunities, community outings, and housing. 

One such social initiative is the Artworks program, which serves as a creative outlet for participants and an opportunity to make friends. 

Their latest collaborative art piece, titled Garden City Arts, is currently showcased at the RBCM in the main hallway on the first floor. It will stay there through October 31.

The travelling mosaic work was created at the GHS’s Paint the Town event in May; Red Shirt Day, which promotes accessibility in public spaces, takes place that month.

The artwork comes equipped with an audio guide, which describes the work and offers personal testimonials—ideal for those with visual impairments.

“The piece makes me feel positive, reflect positivity,” Ashley Fraser, an artist from the Garth Homer Society’s Artworks program, said in a release. “The event made me feel kind of like we are all part of a big family, so to speak.” 

The partnership between GHS and RBCM has been ongoing; many of the museum’s volunteers come from the program and assist in customer service and behind-the-scenes work. They previously created a barcoded bookmark system for 100K reading materials in the BC Archives.

“Garth Homer participants and leaders support our organization in various roles,” Holli Hodgson, volunteer services manager at the Royal BC Museum, said in a statement. “They are dedicated and provide consistent and exceptional service in all their volunteer positions.”

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🎵 It’s Rifflandia weekend.

📖 Get inspired! Read the latest Pulse magazine, from the Victoria Foundation, for remarkable stories of impact organizations, investing trends, and the foundation's latest financial highlights.*

📚 Human rights book club: BC Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender’s provincewide book club released its titles for September. Check out the selection of adult and preschool-age books.

🏫 New Francophone school coming to Colwood. [BC Gov]

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🗞️ In Other News

Canada-US travel down for 7th straight month, Coho also affected
Statistics Canada said Canadians took 25% fewer return flights to the US and 33% fewer return trips in vehicles last month compared with last August. Black Ball Ferry’s Vic-Port Angeles service saw 15% fewer passengers, keyed by a drop of 30 to 35% in the number of Canadians taking the Coho. The Trump tariffs, safety concerns about being in the US, and Air Canada work disruptions are seen as the reasons. Black Ball said it doesn’t plan any layoffs, but it has postponed some dolphin work slated for where the ship moors in Port Angeles. [CHEK]

Westshore RCMP hands out $267 in fines to 1 cyclist 
Langford staff and the RCMP conducted an enforcement blitz of bike and scooter riders last Thursday. They issued 25 warnings. The only tickets handed out were to a cyclist who was pinched for riding carelessly—on the sidewalk—and without a helmet.
The cyclist was fined $129 for riding on the sidewalk, $109 for being careless—weaving in and out of traffic and coming too close to a pedestrian—and $29 for not putting on a protective lid. Police said more blitzes are planned for the Westshore. [Black Press]

Wesley Ridge Fire destroyed 2 train trestles, but Island rail supporters remain hopeful
There’s been much chatter about reviving the former Island rail system, which used to run from Esquimalt to Nanaimo. The Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) has worked for years to research a comeback. But these plans have hit a new hurdle with the loss of at least two trestles—the status of a third is not known yet—near Cameron Lake. ICF’s CEO says he’s optimistic that good engineering could bring the trestles back if they’re needed. [CHEK]

🗓️ Things to do

⛵ Community Day: Trekka Returns!: Celebrate 70 years since Trekka set sail by creating linocut postcards and exploring the Maritime Museum with admission by donation. Maritime Museum of BC. Today. 9:30am-4:30pm. [Info]

♿ 50th Anniversary Open House: Celebrate 50 years of the Action Committee of People with Disabilities and learn about their achievements in making communities more accessible. 948 View. Today. 11am-5:30pm. [Info]

🛍️ Ship Point Market: Last of the season. Browse unique artwork and crafts with beautiful scenery overlooking the Causeway Marina, Empress Hotel, and BC Legislature. Ship Point Pier. Today-Sun. Fri 4-10pm, tomorrow 12-10pm, Sun 10am-5pm. [Info]

🎼 Cathedral After Dark: Immerse yourself in introspective neoclassical music by Toby Johnston-Stewart featuring piano and strings under the soaring gothic vault. Christ Church Cathedral. Today. 9pm. [Info]

🌸 Natural Dyeing Workshop: Flower Pounding: Learn to create beautiful patterns on fabric using locally grown flowers and natural dyeing techniques to make your own tote bag. Brereton Room, Crystal Pool. Tomorrow. 10am-12pm. [Info]

🥕 Moss Street Farmers Market: Browse local and organic farm-fresh produce, handmade crafts, artisanal clothing, and inspiring services. Sir James Douglas School grounds and Porter Park. Tomorrow. 10am-4pm. [Info]

🔬 Museum Tots—Microscopic: Introduce children ages 3-5 to maritime learning through crafts, play, song, and dance with this week's microscopic theme. Maritime Museum of BC. Tomorrow. 10:30-11:15am. [Info]

🏛️ Government House Public Tours: Explore the art and rooms of BC's Government House while learning about the Lieutenant Governor's ceremonial and constitutional roles. Government House. Tomorrow. 11am-12pm. [Info]

☕ Victoria Coffee Party: Celebrate local photography while sipping delicious brews and swaying to music at the first-ever Victoria Coffee Party. Nor. Coffee. Tomorrow. 1-4pm. [Info]

🌊 Sea Glass Jewelry Workshop: Learn about the history and beauty of sea glass while designing your own stunning piece of jewelry using locally sourced materials. Maritime Museum of BC. Tomorrow. 2-3:30pm. [Info]

💃 Caliente Salsa Saturdays: Join a fun night of dancing to salsa, bachata, merengue, and cha cha cha with no partner or experience required. Studio 4 Athletics. Tomorrow. 8:15pm-midnight. [Info]

🎸 Bryan Adams: Roll With The Punches Tour: Global rock icon Bryan Adams brings his biggest tour in years, featuring classic hits, deep cuts, and new tracks with The Sheepdogs. Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Tomorrow & Sunday. [Info]  

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday’s headlines: Province backs out of mattress recycling plan; UVic gets $5M for reconciliation work; Victoria gas prices jump. [Sept. 11]

Royal Oak murder victim's name identified. [Times Colonist]

Lapu Lapu Day attack suspect faces 31 charges, ruled fit to stand trial. [Vancouver Sun]

Open House: Saanich Fire and Police. [Sept. 13,10am-2pm]

Bike share planning: Share your thoughts on Victoria’s future bike-share program before Sept. 24. [Survey]

Public discussion: Climate Ready James Bay. [Oct. 2 at 5pm]

‘John from Langford’: John Horgan’s son Nate, released a new song about his dad on Bandcamp. [Listen here]

Summer Reading Club participants can share their feedback on the program until Sunday. [Survey]

Little Free Library No. 1,000 celebration. [Sept. 20] 

That’s it!

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