Tues. June 13 - Goodbye Swoop

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning !

I was sad to hear about the plans to shut down Swoop airlines—mostly because I was eyeing up a cheap vacation for the fall. Looking at alternative fares, it seems I’ll have to do some rebudgeting. Thankfully, as I always say, Vancouver Island is a great vacation destination itself—perhaps an Island staycation will be a better plan.

NEWS

Swoop airlines, which flew discount flights to and from Victoria, will close

The airline, one of the few budget lines flying from YYJ, will now be folded into parent WestJet. WestJet says it will now set aside a number of lower-priced seats on its flights, but has not committed to maintaining all the Swoop routes.

The budget airline was launched in 2018 and in 2021 began flying from YYJ to Toronto and Edmonton, and later to more cities including vacation destinations in the US and Mexico. Swoop also briefly flew from Comox last summer.

Swoop’s planned Victoria-Toronto flights will continue until October. Tickets are mostly in the mid-$200s one-way for this summer and the $100s this fall. Current WestJet prices to Toronto trip are mainly $300s and $400s other than some $145 budget flights in early fall.

Read the full story at Capital Daily.

Capital Bulletin

🌤️ Today's weather: Mix of sun and cloud. High 20C / low 10C.

🌫️ Air quality: Low risk (3/10), with South Island projected to be spared the minor smoke on the mainland and the major smoke across Canada.

🚧 Highway 4 still closed: A detour remains in place for necessary travel while the highway near the Cameron Lake Bluffs wildfire is closed for another week-plus.

🔒 Witty’s Lagoon park closures: Interior trails and fields at Tower Point will be closed June 15-19 as herbicide is deployed against invasive species.

🤑 Another winning ticket: A week after it was announced that a Victorian has won half of the $70M LottoMax, a ticket sold in Greater Victoria is worth $500K

NEWS

51 Island health projects to receive Community Wellness Grants

The grants will go to non-profit, local government, and Indigenous organizations to help launch new projects that aim to offer support systems for health and wellness within Island communities, outside of primary medical care. Projects will receive a total of $800,000 from Island Health with each getting roughly $12,000.

Of the 51 selected, 15 programs are located in the south Island, with 10 in Victoria, four in Sooke, and one in Cowichan Valley. These programs offer support like community lunches, seminars, and peer support for people with disabilities, and group activities for at-risk youth or those dealing with mental health issues. Recipients include the Umbrella Society, Victoria Native Friendship Centre, and Boys and Girls Club of South Vancouver Island.

Dr. Reka Gustafson, Island Health’s chief medical health officer, said in a release that these projects “address the unique needs of each part of our region” and have a huge impact in supporting communities each year.

This year’s theme was “community resilience,” with a focus on diverse, connected, safe, nourished, and active communities. The program focuses on “upstream wellness interventions” to improve health among communities and reduce barriers to support.

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Capital Picks

🔄 Levidrome Which two words spell each other backwards and are described by this clue: Inked, now!
Answer on Facebook or Twitter and tag #levidrome and #capitaldaily. Last time: A poor blot = bad / dab

🎟️ Roots Reunited Online Silent Auction: This auction is supported by over 40 local businesses, including restaurants, museums, and coffee shops. The fundraiser will support a refugee family’s living costs for their first year in Canada.

🎨 Paint night at Irish Times: Get creative at this craft night for beginners, while enjoying the pub’s Guinness and prosecco specials, 6-8pm. [Tickets]

🗓️ Find out what’s happening in Victoria: Subscribe to a new free weekly newsletter to stay in the know.*

🤝 Now hiring: Sales and Marketing Administrator at Inclusion System

In Other News

🏛️ Embattled Victoria mortgage broker’s lawyer quits
Lawyer Ritchie Clark announced during a receivership hearing Friday that he would no longer be providing counsel to Greg Martel due to “ethical reasons.” The receivership hearing also reported that Martel has continued to fail to cooperate with the receiver PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). [CHEK]
Last month Martel had denied charges that his company, My Mortgage Auction Corp., is a Ponzi scheme.

🚨 Port Alberni nurse engaged in sexual misconduct with patient, barred from practice
The nurse engaged in practice issues between November 2019 and May 2020, and sexual misconduct between December 2019 and April 2020 with a psychiatric patient in his care. The nurse’s registration with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) has been terminated and he cannot reapply for five years, at which time he must prove good character and competence. [CTV]

⛵ Two Victoria teams in top five as Race to Alaska enters home stretch
Ship of Fools was #4 and Pestou was #5, as of 9pm Monday in the race map, in the 1,200km ocean race that doesn’t allow motors. Those local teams had gone 350 nautical miles since leaving Victoria on Thursday and were north of the Island’s top tip, but well back of leader We Brake for Whales. The winning teams are expected to arrive in Ketchikan today, but racers have until July 1 to finish.

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In Case You Missed It

🔥 Island families prepare for wildfires: Amid projections that this summer will be Canada's worst ever wildfire season, a North Island family gets ready for the unpredictability of current and future fires. [Capital Daily]

💻 Looking for lightning-fast internet, affordable prices, and top-notch customer service? Swipe right on oxio and use code CAPITALDAILY for your first month free.*

🌭 Four late night food spots in Victoria: A roundup of really good food that is served after midnight for late night bites. [Tasting Victoria]

📰 Monday’s newsletter: Effects of road closures from the Cameron Bluffs wildfire, Victoria’s wettest day in four months, and more. [June 12]

👟 Operation Trackshoes ends after 50 years: Last week’s UVic event was the final edition of the volunteer-run track meet for adults with developmental disabilities; it’s ending due to lack of people and resources. [CHEK]

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