Oct. 15 - Sidney-Washington ferry could come back years early

Good morning !

Looks like the eclipse ended up being observable from Greater Victoria after all, with the clouds making room for locals to look (not directly, I hope!!) yesterday morning.

— Cam

Apologies if you got this newsletter in your inbox twice today; we had a problem with the send-out.

Today’s approx. read time: 4 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 17 / 11

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 14 / 8

Tuesday: 🌧️ 14 / 9

7-day forecast

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

NEWS

Sailors rescued from open waters off Island (video)

On Tuesday the US Coast Guard air-rescued two Canadian men, both now safe and in stable condition, who were in a drifting vessel. The boat was 130km from Neah Bay, WA (which is at the northwest tip of Washington and directly south of Port Renfrew), putting it well out to sea.

The air crew and swimmer, who recorded this video of the rescue, were dispatched from the Astoria station at the top of the Oregon coast, rather than the Port Angeles station directly south of Victoria,

That Port Angeles crew was used on the night before Canada Day this summer, when a woman and two teen girls were rescued 3km south of Victoria and taken to Vic General; a man died when the boat sank.

Another dramatic Coast Guard rescue this spring picked up a Victoria man, who had allegedly stolen the sinking boat after allegedly left dead fish at the “Goonies house” in Oregon.

NEWS

Sidney-Anacortes ferry may return before 2030

The century-old passenger route may not need to spend a full decade in limbo after all.

Sidney Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith told CHEK that he went south with a delegation last month to call for the ferry’s earlier return. Washington State Ferries (WSF), he said, is considering this fall whether to lease a new ferry for the route.

WSF decided early this year not to bring back its one international route, which had been suspended since the pandemic began. It cited having only one vessel (the MV Chelan) qualified to make the cross-border trip, and was unwilling to reassign that vessel during a broader vessel and staff shortage, or to risk disrupting international travel whenever that vessel was unavailable.

Sidney owns its ferry terminal and has a lease and operating agreement with WSF that runs through 2031; McNeil-Smith said after the original 2030 estimate broke that Sidney was looking at its options with that agreement.

Read Capital Daily’s original full story about that delay, the reasons behind it, and the problems that the Sidney-Anacortes route was already having.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Bus detours due to paving at Fort & Cook. [Details]

Aggressive owls in Reay Creek Park: Sidney warns public to wear hats, keep small dogs leashed, and take extra care in early morning and at dusk.

Rain expected tonight and for much of the next week.

NEWS

Pacific FC moves to semifinals with another close playoff win

The local pro soccer team beat the Wanderers 1-0 in Halifax on Saturday to move within one more win of its second Canadian Premiere League finals.

Pacific also won 1-0 on Wednesday, scoring in the last moments of extra time in Langford to get past York FC.

Pacific faces toughest road ever to a CanPL trophy

Past years’ playoffs, including 2021 when PFC won, were a simple semifinal-final format for four teams. But this year, to reward the regular-season’s top team, the league restructured the playoffs.

The top two teams now play one semifinal while the rest of the teams—and eventually the loser of that first semi—face off until one is left to challenge for the cup. That means that PFC, due to slipping down to 4th as the regular season closed, now has to beat every other playoff team one-by-one.

“We stood up,” coach says

Head coach James Merriman said on Saturday that “the way our season ended, we were in a difficult moment, we tried to fight it a little bit and it challenged us a little bit.”

“Then in matches like this under this adversity, you find out who you are,” he said. Breakout star Kekuta Manneh added that it had been a “rough 72 hours” having to win two knockout games with a trip all the way across Canada in the middle.

Match highlights here:

Next Saturday (4pm) Pacific will face Cavalry FC, the regular season’s top team by far. Cavalry was upset 2-1 by Forge FC, the Hamilton team that has now been in every CanPL final ever played—losing only to Pacific.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🌙 See the eclipse over Victoria, shrouded by clouds, in this atmospheric shot by local photographer Alec Lee.

📈 5,319 Greater Victorians were surveyed on the most pressing issues in our region. The results are now in! Read Victoria’s Vital Signs 2023 today.*

🐱 Hurt kitten needs surgery: The BC SPCA is fundraising to remove the badly injured and possibly infected eye of a little cat found in a forested area.

🏡 Discover Victoria Real Estate: Downtown luxury condominiums complement historic neighbourhoods filled with beautifully maintained Arts & Crafts and Tudor style homes. Where will you call home?*

🤝 Now hiring: Administrative Services Coordinator at Camosun College Faculty Association.

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Mother found guilty of manslaughter in son’s shooting
Port Alberni’s Samantha Dittmer did not intend to kill him with his hunting rifle, the jury found. But they found her handling of it dangerous, forseeably harmful, and below a reasonable person’s standard of care. [Times Colonist / Vancouver Sun]

11 bus will resume Tillicum route in January
Riders were upset when a construction-induced detour appeared to become permanent, cutting the 11’s long-running Tillicum-downtown service and partly replacing it with the 25. [Saanich News]

Court sides with Ucluelet again over blocked subdivision
In 2021 the municipality used bylaws to thwart 30 proposed strata lots on a site originally intended to be a golf course (before a 2008-financial-crash-driven bankruptcy). The BC Supreme Court ruled that Ucluelet’s move was legitimate and not in bad faith, and site owner Onni’s appeal against that ruling has now been shut down. [Westerly News]

🗓️ Things to do

Sunflowers for Ukraine The concert will celebrate 45 years of the Ukrainian Culture Society on the Island at the Dave Dunnet Theatre at Oak Bay High. 6:30pm today.

Chocolate: A Tasting Event Calling all chocolate lovers! Taste samples and win giveaways at this chocolate event at Victoria Conference Centre.12-5pm. $20

Head & Tail of the Gorge regatta featuring UVic men's and women's rowing teams. Starts near Old Town, ends at Esquimalt Park. 10:30am & 1pm.

Australian Bee Gees This tribute band is ensuring the Bee Gees’ music is “staying alive”—see them at McPherson Theatre. 3pm.

Doing Death Better Meaningful conversations, deathcare resources, and planning tools at this event for end-of-life planning at the Church of Truth. 2:30-4:30pm

👀 In Case You Missed It

Victoria wants changes to local elections, while CRD has delayed its paid parks parking decision. [Sat. newsletter]

Friday headlines: Affordable daycare delays, spooky fungus, and second-hand hidden gems. [Capital Daily]

You’ve seen a rainbow—now check out this magnificent fogbow photographed in Oak Bay.

Full lunchtime closures at local fabric shop have drawn attention recently; Makehouse Co-op says its workers deserve a full, uninterrupted break. [CBC]

The best vegetarian / vegan restaurants in Greater Victoria, as voted by readers like you. [Tasting Victoria]

That’s it!

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