The village read, for people who actually live here. Tide 2.7m and rising at Willows. Sunset 8:14 pm. Market Wed 4–7 · Oak Bay Avenue. Tue · School board candidate information session, 6:30 pm · Boleskine Road. The piano is out at Estevan.

Oak Bay Local
← All issuesReading No. 130
No. 130Saturday, July 4, 2026Oak Bay, B.C.

🦦 The family that stopped traffic on Beach Ave wasn't human.

5 min · about one cup of tea · from the desk
 
 

Today

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21° 11°

Sun

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Mon

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Tue

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Wed

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Happy Saturday, Oak Bay.

It's been a year. It's good to be back.

We've missed you, and we've got a lot to catch you up on. So grab a drink, settle in, and let's get into it.

The Oak Bay Local team

 
 

This week in Oak Bay

Oak Bay Painted Pianos – Summer 2026

Photo: District of Oak Bay

Oak Bay Painted Pianos – Summer 2026

This weekend, find them at Loon Bay, Estevan Village, Willows Beach, Cattle Point, and the marina walkway. Open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pull up a bench and play.

 
 

Community Events

🧘

Yoga in the Park 2026 – Free. Tuesday, Jul 7, 6:00 p.m.: Free outdoor yoga at Willows Beach Park. Bring a mat.

🌙

Oak Bay Night Market. Wednesday, Jul 8, 4:00 p.m.: Oak Bay Avenue closes to cars and fills with local makers, food, and music.

🎵

Oak Bay Summer Concerts in the Park – 2026. Thursday, Jul 9, 6:00 p.m.: Free live music at Willows Beach Park. Daniel Cook & The Radiators headline; Kele Fleming opens.

🎼

Pop-up Outdoor Piano Concert: Brooke Maxwell. Saturday, Jul 11, 3:00 p.m.: Brooke Maxwell plays an outdoor piano set at Estevan Village. Bring a chair.

🎨

2026 Arts Alive Opening Celebration. Thursday, Jul 16, 6:30 p.m.: Oak Bay Arts Alive kicks off the summer gallery crawl.

🚗

Jaguars on the Island. Saturday, Jul 18, 9:00 a.m.: The Jaguar Club of Victoria annual Concours brings 100-plus Jaguars to Windsor Park, one of the largest Jaguar shows in North America.

 
 

The Pick · Local partner · Ottavio

Ottavio Happy Hour crew outside the Oak Bay Avenue bakery

Happy Hour on the Avenue. The crew's ready when you are.

Ottavio's Happy Hour runs daily, 3 to 5 p.m., at 2272 Oak Bay Avenue, with table service on the patio Thursday to Saturday. Come settle in on the Avenue.

Plan your visit →

Local ads help keep Oak Bay Local free. Become a partner

 
 

In the News

🦦

An otter family turned Beach Avenue into a wildlife crosswalk. A mother river otter led her three pups across Beach Avenue near Willows Beach just after 9 a.m., halting cyclists and pedestrians. The pups paused mid-street for a brief huddle before carrying on to the water. [Oak Bay News]

🏠

Victoria approves 6-storey purpose built rental building on Oak Bay border. Council signed off on rezoning at 1908 Foul Bay Road, where a long-vacant office building will make way for 87 rental homes with work-live suites at street level. Council also wants the building secured as rental in perpetuity. [Victoria Buzz]

🏛️

Oak Bay police board looking for new member. The civilian board that oversees the police department has an open seat for a two-year term starting September 1. Applications close this Sunday, July 5. [Oak Bay News]

🚨

Person arrested with stolen property and a weapon in Oak Bay. Oak Bay Police arrested one person found with stolen property, ID and a weapon after a June 27 report of two people looking into backyards near Epworth Street. One resident has since been reunited with their belongings. [Oak Bay News]

 
 

From the Oak Bay Local group

A few of the moments you shared this week.

A man in a cream shirt sits at a marina patio table, sailboats moored behind him.

Mary McArthur shared a coffee at the marina with her friend Mehdi this week, and the group lit up: more than 500 reactions. A lot of you clearly know and love him.

📷 Mary McArthur Photography, in the Oak Bay Local group · see the post →

 
A great blue heron flies low over calm water, wingtips near its own mirrored reflection.

Robert Harwood caught a great blue heron skimming its own reflection at Queens Park. "I am reminded," he wrote, "of an oft-repeated lesson about the nature of eternity."

📷 Robert Harwood, in the Oak Bay Local group · see the post →

 
Two dachshunds, one red and one black-and-tan, lying together on a white bed with a floral pillow.

And an ask to close on: Lola and Louie, two Oak Bay dachshunds holding down the bed. Their humans need a mid-August house-sitter, ideally someone retired and dog-savvy, since Louie is the anxious one and Lola runs the pillow. If that's your kind of company, they're in the group.

📷 Violette St. Pierre, via the Oak Bay Local group · see the post →

 
 

Enjoy the village this week.

The Oak Bay Local team

 
 
 

Oak Bay Local · Oak Bay

Made with care in Oak Bay, Victoria BC

Independent village news, supported by readers and local businesses. Sponsors do not influence our coverage.

— The Oak Bay Local desk. Next one Saturday, kettle time.

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