March 29 - Commuter concerns in the city

Good morning !

For some of you, it’s a long weekend; for others, it’s also the final days of spring break with kids returning to school Tuesday.

All I know is baseball has begun, the Jays are unbeaten, and summer can’t be too far away.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 4 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 12 / 4

Tomorrow: ☀️ 14 / 3

Sunday: ☀️ 14 / 5

7-day forecast

NEWS

Climate Justice Victoria calls on UVic to join the campaign for bus lanes

We’ll get another glimpse of heavy traffic as the holiday weekend coincides with the upcoming end of spring break. Those travelling to Victoria may be reminded of the need for potential rapid transit solutions to reduce commuter times for drivers and transit riders.  

The McKenzie corridor “pinch” the CRD hopes to alleviate with infrastructure enhancements to the Colquitz bridges will certainly be pinching drivers hard at either end of the holiday. The at-times slow-going will highlight the urgency for innovative solutions to regional transportation challenges and the need to reduce road congestion. There’s also the goal of meeting CleanBC’s 25% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets by 2030. 

Looking at Victoria’s growing transportation demands, Climate Justice Victoria is among those asking decision-makers to do more, more quickly with their existing plans. 

Read the full story here.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

25 spaces open for $10-a-day childcare at YMCA Victoria.

Downtown traffic disruptions and CCTV use tomorrow at 3pm.

Holiday facility and parking hours for this weekend in Victoria.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Easter events to attend in Greater Victoria this weekend

Easter is often considered the unofficial start of spring and the sunny weather forecast for this weekend won’t disappoint as many outdoor activities kick off for the holiday. 

The Easter Bunny returns for a jam-packed few days of chocolate treats, scavenger hunts, and family fun. From egg hunts and lawn games to Easter brunches and live music, there are plenty of events taking place across Greater Victoria the entire family can enjoy.  

Check out the weekend’s Easter events here. 

⭐️ Capital Picks

🥚10 great spots for Easter treats in Victoria. [Tasting Vic]

💪 Why get a body composition scan? A Dexa scan gives you a complete picture of your bone density, lean mass, and fat tissue and helps identify health risks. Now at Tall Tree Health.*

🍽️ Bubby Rose’s in Quadra Village closes: The owners behind Vancouver’s Dock Lunch will take over the location at 2571 Quadra. 

🍻 Great Canadian Beer Festival date announced: The craft beer festival will return to Royal Athletic Park Sept. 6-7. Tickets go on sale in June.

🤝 Now hiring: Director of Finance at the Belfry Theatre.

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

CFL’s Touchdown Pacific at Royal Athletic sells out in 1 hour
Tickets went fast for the Sat. Aug. 31 game featuring the Ottawa Redblacks and BC Lions. Capacity at RAP is to be expanded to about 14K seats for the game, around which a two-day festival at Ship Point will be held. The Lions have set up a ticket wait list here. [BC Lions]

Historic Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber headed to the museum
It joins a new wildfire exhibit at BC’s Aviation Museum. The Hawaii Martin Mars—a US navy transport plane during the Korean War—is one of only two Martin Mars water bombers still in existence. It was last deployed in 2015 to fight fires in BC, Alberta, California, and Mexico, capping five decades of service. [BC Government]

Witnesses sought: Police say cyclist spat on, hit by SUV driver
Police said it started Sun. afternoon at Govt. and Belleville where the SUV driver allegedly spat at the cyclist, who then tried to confront the driver at Douglas and Belleville. But the SUV struck them and knocked them off the bike, police said. The SUV: black, possibly a 2010-2014 Nissan or Saturn, BC Parks plates. [Description / VicPD]

Update: Baby orca rescue attempt persists for Brave Little Hunter
That’s English for kwiisahi?is, the name the Ehattesaht First Nation has given the two-year-old calf that won’t leave the up-Island inlet where its mother died six days ago. Fisheries Department marine experts were out in boats yesterday pursuing a way to coax the baby to open waters to reunite with its family. [Castanet]

🗓️ Things to do

🕷️ Earth Day Scavenger Hunt. Join the hunt all April at Butterfly Gardens. [Info]

🥦 Salt Spring’s Saturday Market launches tomorrow in a renovated Centennial Park.

🐣 Easter Weekend at Bilston Farm: Take your family to the farm for a weekend of Easter festivities. Through Monday. [Info]

🐣 Lion’s Easter Eggstravaganza. Bring your little ones to this egg hunt, with plenty of spring and Easter activities. Gorge Park. Tomorrow. 11am-2:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Dakhabrakha: Concert for Ukraine. See the legendary Ethno-Chaos group from Kyiv. The Farquhar at UVic. Tomorrow. 8pm. [Info]

🎼 Bass Coast: The Librarian. This Bass Coast pre-party will offer a taste of the summer EDM festival at Capital Ballroom. Tomorrow. 9pm. [Info] 

🎸 David Santana Quintet. See an explosive tribute to the legendary Wes Montgomery. Hermann’s. Tomorrow. 7pm. Doors 5:30pm. [Info]

💻 Indie Sleaze Vol IV. A night of your favourite turn-of-the-decade memories, featuring all the best tunes you blasted on your iPod. Hermann’s Upstairs. Tomorrow. 9:30pm. Doors at 9pm. [Info]

🎞️ Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Special screening of the classic British comedy, celebrating its 48.5-year anniversary. Vic Theatre. Tomorrow. 7:30pm. [Info] 

🎵 Club Havana: Another round of Cuban music with Pablo Cardenas as Hermann’s Upstairs continues its final week (for now). Tonight. Doors 7pm. Salsa class 7:45pm. Show 8:30pm. [Info]

🐖 Relics Show 2: An early Pink Floyd experience. Listen to the entirety of Dark Side of the Moon, plus assorted hits. Hermann’s. Tonight. 7pm (doors 5:30pm). [Info]

🎤 D12 & Obie Trice: The Detroit hip-hop artists play Wicket Hall tonight. 8pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Thursday headlines: Police watchdog looking into VicPD arrest; Duncan hockey stick up for sale; Arrest for random assaults; And more. [March 28]

Spring herring spawn as seen by satellite. [Capital Daily]

Vic’s best restaurants: Get your votes in. [Tasting Victoria]

Esquimalt Esquire: Man wins $500K in lottery. [BCLC]

Canada’s largest year-over-year population increase since 1950s. [CP / CBC]

Easter Bunny Photo Booth: Get a picture with the Easter Bunny at Mayfair Mall, running until Monday. [Info]

That’s it!

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