IN THE NEWS

🏡 James Bay residents concerned about Victoria OCP’s effect on heritage. The James Bay Coalition says if the City of Victoria’s proposed Official Community Plan (OCP) is adopted as-is, the oldest residential neighbourhood on the West Coast north of San Francisco will lose affordable and heritage housing and too many trees. Many Oak Bay residents share similar concerns to this neighbouring municipality. [Capital Daily]

🚍 Spring bus schedule changes started this week, affecting routes to UVic. The departure of many students and the upcoming arrival of many tourists have the Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC) shifting its peninsula and campus routes. The 76 between Swartz Bay and UVic will be on hiatus until fall classes begin. It takes less than 50 minutes, saving time compared with a two-leg trip, but only runs on Fridays, Sundays, and holidays. In addition, there will be more routes to the Butchart Gardens and other tourist destinations. [BC Transit]

⛴ A busy travel weekend will begin with some ferries out of action. Exacerbating the busyness is the continued absence of the Queen of Surrey (primarily serving the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver) and the Queen of Oak Bay (Nanaimo to Vancouver). These vessels, both aged 44, are now delayed until early May, but are expected back in time for summer. [BC Ferries]

🤢 Greens see red, cut from French and English federal election debates. There were four podiums instead of five on stage for the French-language television debate, when the leaders of Canada’s major parties—excepting the Greens—were expected to take part. Just 12 hours before the French affair, the debate commission informed the Greens they couldn’t take part because they decided not to run candidates in every riding (minimum allowed to qualify for the debates is 90% of the 343 seats) after initially telling the commission they would. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is appealing the ruling and calls it “a really critical moment for Canadian democracy.” [iPolitics]

☑️ Federal Election information for Oak Bay residents. Eight candidates are vying to win the riding, a strongly held NDP zone since 2006. Capital Daily has compiled information on each candidate for the Victoria riding, which includes Victoria, Oak Bay, and parts of Saanich. The latest census data pegs the electoral area’s population at 123,482, of which 100,230 are eligible to vote on or before April 28. [Capital Daily]
Federal election advance voting on April 18-21, in person, by mail.

🤒 Sick notes to be banned in BC for short-term illnesses. Employers won’t be able to ask for proof of illness after this fall, clearing up the administrative burden on health-care workers. The Canadian Medical Association estimates that last year, BC doctors wrote 1.6M sick notes, costing on average 9-10 hours of work a month per worker. For years, health-care advocates—including Dr. Bonnie Henry—have criticized the practice. [CHEK]

✍🏽 The Victoria Foundation is celebrating 20 years of Victoria’s Vital Signs program. Take part in the region’s annual checkup and enter the draw to win a $100 gift card to Country Grocer. Read the full article here.*

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