Wed. July 12 - City expanding north as major redevelopment approved

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

I remember the night the cabbie drove me in from YYJ when I first arrived here almost 12 years ago. We passed through dark street after dark street, with seemingly no skyline in sight. Well, a decade and a bit later, and boy has that changed. Victoria’s skyline is growing—for me it’s a good thing; sorry if you feel differently—with the latest addition being the subtraction of the White Spot burger resto and the Capital City Center Hotel (serves it right for spelling centre the un-Canadian way), and the impending addition of two 21-storey apartment and condo towers.

There are positive and negative aspects to a city in such a growth spurt. We know all too well the negatives, so let’s embrace the positives, such as the vibrancy and (in some cases) new, beautiful architecture. More details on this development below.

— Mark

🌥️ Today's weather: Mainly cloudy, clearing in afternoon. High 21C / low 12C.

🌫️ Air quality: Low risk today (2/10), light smoke expected.

NEWS

21-storey towers approved for former White Spot site

Following a public hearing, Victoria council greenlit the project to redevelop much of the block between Caledonia and Discovery on the east side of Douglas. It will include a 21-storey condo tower (147 units), a 21-storey market rental tower (171 units), a 16-storey BC Housing tower with a spectrum of below-market housing (133 units), and a public plaza along Douglas. The development’s lower levels will include offices, retail, a childcare facility, and a grocery store.

Before construction is expected to begin in approximately a year and a half, people currently housed in the former Capital City Center Hotel will move into 90 units of supportive housing. That project, in the hotel parking lot just north (across Discovery), should begin within the year.

Plan finalized for site partly owned by BC government

Once known for its popular Splash swimming pool, the hotel was one of several the province purchased during the pandemic for locals who were unhoused or at risk of becoming unhoused. The purchase happened in 2021, when 84 of the hotel’s 96 rooms already were leased as temporary shelter. A November 2020 fire in one of the 12 regular hotel rooms caused widespread damage and cost the region valuable shelter space for months. The hotel also was one of the sites of the COVID shelter outbreaks that Capital Daily covered in fall 2021.

This new Chard-BC Housing collaboration comes after two years of planning following the downtown White Spot’s closure after serving burgers for 50 years. It is one of several major BC Housing projects, and becomes one of the first major builds in the city’s planned northward expansion of the downtown core.

Both Victoria and Saanich have long-term plans to densify the Mayfair area between Douglas and Blanshard, and Victoria has plans for an arts district in downtown’s mainly industrial northeast. That will include a massive redevelopment of the Capital Iron land and the Caledonia-Discovery blocks west of Douglas.

Capital Bulletin

💉 Fall COVID boosters recommended: The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends a fall dose of a new formulation of the vaccine for those whose latest dose was more than six months ago.

🐾 Cougar seen near PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park): Two separate sightings were reported on Monday and Tuesday. Residents are asked to report additional sightings to Saanich Police.

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NEWS

100-plus Greater Victoria orgs to split $5.5 million for social services

One-hundred-and-thirteen organizations in Victoria, Oak Bay, and Saanich will share the $5,560,100-funding windfall, to be used for community care for low-income, marginalized, disabled, and other in-need people.

The money comes from the Community Gaming Grant, which provides $140M each year to support nearly 5,000 not-for-profit organizations.

Island non-profit organizations receiving these grants include:

• Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society ($69,050)

• James Bay Health and Community Services Society ($100,000)

• ACPD–Action Committee of People with Disabilities Society ($157,000)

• Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre Association ($100,000)

• Crisis Intervention and Public Information Society of Greater Victoria ($83,300)

• Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society ($75,000)

• Victoria Native Friendship Centre ($151,000)

• 1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre Society ($96,750)

• Victoria Sexual Assault Centre Society ($165,000)

• Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Vancouver Island ($195,425)

• Fateh Care Charity Society ($25,000)

SPONSORED BY UNITED WAY SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

Support Hulitan’s Indigenous daycare

United Way Southern Vancouver Island (UWSVI) is proud to be fundraising on behalf of Hulitan Family and Community Services Society for their daycare centre, which is now in development. UWSVI’s fundraising focus is to outfit the Hulitan Family Services Trauma Informed Daycare with equipment, with a capital campaign goal of $650,000.

Hulitan’s vision for the daycare is that it becomes a space where Indigenous children see something of themselves—something meaningful and positive—reflected in the toys they’re playing with and the books they’re looking at and reading. We all know children soak up everything they experience, so in a setting such as this daycare where first impressions are made, representation really matters. You can donate now at uwsvi.ca.

Capital Picks

🎙️ Garden City Harmony: Sing along with this drop-in choir today at Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park, 5:30-7:30pm.

🎶 Outdoor Summer Concerts continue at The Butchart Gardens, Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Entertainment included with the price of admission. See the complete schedule here.*

🎥 ODESZA: The Last Goodbye Cinematic Experience: ODESZA’s live show will be screened today at The Vic Theatre during the Victoria Film Festival, 7:30pm.

😂 Comedy night at The Fernwood Inn: Laugh along to sets from Victorian comics and improvisers tonight, 8pm.

🎵 Musical Bingo at Darcy’s: Test your musical knowledge tonight, 8-11pm.

🎻 Odyssey String Quartet at The Butchart Gardens: The quartet will perform tonight on the open-air stage, 8pm.

📽️ Cinecenta this week: The theatre at UVic presents Little Richard: I Am Everything, a documentary on the revolutionary reality of the rock’n’roll originator. 5 and 7:10pm tonight and Thursday.

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In Other News

🤝 Victoria charity closes program for people reentering the workplace
Our Place, a local organization that provides service to vulnerable groups, quietly closed its Our WorkPlace branch, laying off four staff and ending six years of support with little notice. Staff say they were unable to offer closure to clients who relied on the service to gain employment in a job market that demands a high skill level. A recent BC labour report suggests eight out of 10 new job openings in the next decade will require post-secondary education. [CBC]

🏥 Nurses rally at Vic General over staffing shortages
The BC Nurses Union on Sunday demanded the provincial government address staffing shortages that have led to what it calls “untenable conditions.” Late-night emergency closures at Saanich Peninsula have put added pressures on an already strained workforce at Vic Gen and Royal Jubilee. [CTV]
BC’s acute nursing shortage has been in an ongoing crisis that experts say needs major systemic changes to address. The province announced in January that it would push to recruit retired and foreign nurses to ease the crisis.

⚾ Victoria baseball player selected by Blue Jays in MLB draft
Sam Shaw, a star player for the Victoria Eagles, was selected by his dream team on Monday. Shaw said he had hoped to play for the Canadian club, having followed the Blue Jays throughout his life. Shaw was the second Canadian selected for the team in this year’s draft. [Times Colonist]

🐖 Lochside pig has a date with the vet
The SPCA has offered to have a vet take a look at the 18-year-old pig—a popular sight on the Lochside Trail—after previously telling its owners they had five days to pay for a vet visit or have it euthanized. The SPCA sent the notice after a complaint from a concerned member of the public, though the pig’s owners say the esteemed swine has a skin disease that makes it appear unwell. [CHEK News]

🤝 Now Hiring

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

• Comfort Advisor at Sasquatch Heat Pumps

• Account Coordinator at Capital Daily

• Associate Dentist at Oaklands Dental

• Payroll Clerk at The Butchart Gardens

• Area Fleet Manager at GFL Environmental Inc.

• Receptionist at Revera Inc.

• Superintendent at Bird Construction

Looking for more openings? See 50+ jobs open now on YYJobs.

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

SPONSORED BY DEFRIAS MANAGEMENT GROUP

Victoria Track Classic: Canadian athletics unleashed!

As Paris 2024 approaches, Canada's athletes prepare for success. The Victoria Track Classic is the final stop on the National Track & Field Tour. Witness the future of Canadian athletics on July 16 at Centennial Stadium. General admission: $15; kids under 12 enter free at selectyourtickets.ca.

In Case You Missed It

🏠 Locals frustrated with access issues to early childhood care: Zoning bylaws and a childcare-worker shortage have contributed to a lack of available daycares across the Westshore. [The Westshore]

📈 Join over 1,750 subscribers getting the latest insights on our region's pressing economic issues like housing, healthcare and more from South Island Prosperity Partnership’s weekly newsletter.*

📰 Tuesday’s headlines: The search for Melissa McDevitt suspended again, marmots released into the wild, aviation fuel leaks into Tofino Harbour, and more. [July 11]

💧 Salt Spring Island water advisory: A water main break may have affected water quality in the Beddis water system. Drinking water should be boiled until flushing, and water samples show no public health risk.

📶 Local company makes remote monitors for hazardous vessels: Barnacle Systems was paid $513K to install 39 of its BRNKL Rapid Deploy units, which let the Canadian Coast Guard monitor watercraft from afar. [Victoria Tech Journal]

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