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This is Vancouver Island is by islanders, for islanders. Each week we catch you up on a local news story, or celebrate an element of life in our region. From ferries to bus strikes, public safety to outdoor swimming, we've got you covered. Hosted by Kathryn Marlow, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.
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An independent forestry panel released its report to the B.C. government this week, saying massive change is required to fix the industry in this province. We ask our political panel what they make of the recommendations, plus the latest political moves to deal with the ongoing extortion crisis in Surrey and beyond and just how austere they think the B.C. budget will be when it's released on February 17. Former Green Party MLA and Tsartlip First Nation member Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull weigh in on the week's top political stories with CBC host Gregor Craigie.
Sport fishers in B.C. are raising concerns about proposed changes to the salmon allocation policy for B.C. - which Fisheries and Oceans Canada (aka DFO) uses to determine which who gets priority access to different types of Pacific salmon. A court ruling in 2018 said the federal government had to add First Nations' commercial rights to the list, and the ministry has been working with First Nations, sport, and commercial fishers to review the overall policy - which is nearly 30 years old. Sport fishers say a new discussion paper shows their rights are at risk - but First Nations say that's not the case. We walk you through it.
B.C. Premier David Eby, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, met with the prime minister this week in Ottawa. Eby called the conversations "borderline friendly" - but he also used the word "treason" in response to Alberta separatists earlier this week. Our political panelists have thoughts about the word treason, and the current state of B.C./Alberta/Canada relations. Plus, they weigh in on the growing list of candidates in the race for B.C. Conservative leader. Hear political insiders Andrew Reeve (former press secretary and deputy director of communications with the BC Liberal and BC United parties), Elizabeth Cull (a former NDP cabinet minister), and Adam Olsen (former Green Party MLA, and a member of the Tsartlip Nation) speak with CBC host Gregor Craigie.
This week a group of Parksville-Qualicum residents presented a petition to their MLA, calling for more respite for caregivers who look after their aging loved ones. It came as B.C.’s seniors advocate pointed out there are nowhere near enough publicly-funded long term care beds to match the growing number of seniors in the province. Some island communities have the highest populations of seniors in Canada, so on today’s episode we hear from folks in Parksville-Qualicum and the Comox Valley about how some people are struggling to look after their aging spouses, with few opportunities for a break. We’ll also speak with the head of an island hospice society about how non-profits like hers are trying to support people, and their loved ones, and the end of their lives.
The whole world is talking about that speech the Prime Minister made at Davos this week - including our B.C. politics panel. They also weigh in on Premier Eby's confirmation that his government will amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) this spring. Hear from our political insiders Elizabeth Cull (a former NDP cabinet minister), Adam Olsen (former Green Party MLA, and a member of the Tsartlip Nation), and Andrew Reeve (former press secretary and deputy director of communications with the BC Liberal and BC United parties).
This week Lighthouse Brewing in Esquimalt announced it’s shutting down operations and selling its brand - saying it costs more to brew beer than they can bring in by selling it. On this week’s episode we hear from co-owner Ben Thomas about the difficult decision, and how the BCGEU strike was the breaking point. Plus, we talk to Chris Bjerrisgaard of Sidney’s Small Gods Brewing about how they’re managing to stay afloat as beer sales decline across the country. While you’re here, check out this previous episode of This is Vancouver Island, about how two local breweries are expanding into non-alcoholic drinks to adapt.
Welcome to a new edition of This is Vancouver Island! Starting today, we'll bring you a weekly dose of B.C. politics with our political insiders. Hear former Green Party MLA Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull weigh in on the week's top stories with CBC host Gregor Craigie. This week: the end of decriminalization, Prime Minister Carney's meeting in Prince Rupert with Coastal First Nations, and post-secondary institutions (like North Island College) worry about further cuts.
A plan to redevelop the Capital Irons lands, at the north end of downtown Victoria, got an important vote of confidence from city council this month. It means that hundreds of units of housing will likely be built, as well as a new home for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and a place where a local fish company can dock its boats, and process and sell its stock. We get the details on this week's episode.
Whether you commute by bike, bus, or car, you’ve likely encountered detours and delays in Greater Victoria lately…and that’s not going to change in the short term. A number of construction projects have lanes closed and/or detours in place. On this week’s episode: are construction closures becoming more common? And what could ease traffic? We ask Susan Brice, a current Saanich councillor and Capital Regional district director, and longtime local politician who’s also worn many other hats.BTW, if you want info on the BC Hydro-related road closures we mention in the episode, check them out here. Get updates on the Galloping Goose closure here. The city of Victoria also has some upcoming work on both Blanshard and Bay, details should be posted here.
Every once in a while, frustrated ferry users bring up the idea of a “fixed link” - a bridge or tunnel that would permanently connect Vancouver Island to the rest of B.C. It happened this week when stormy weather led to nearly a hundred sailing cancellations just before Christmas. It also came up this summer, as discussions dragged on about the new ships that B.C. Ferries ordered from a shipyard in China. So this week, a repeat of our July 17 episode: do we need a bridge or tunnel? What it take to build one?
The provincial government is trying to get more housing built, and more quickly. But some local developers who are trying to build missing middle housing in Greater Victoria (ie duplex, triplexes, and townhouses), say they’re still facing roadblocks. Meanwhile, some local governments are ramping up their fights against the bill. CBC Victoria’s Rohit Joseph has been looking into it all, and joins us to share what he heard.
Leonard Sylvester, a 38-year-old Penelakut man, died in hospital last month -- less than three weeks after a routine medical procedure. Throughout his hospitalization, his wife Boedaya Sylvester says she was not properly communicated with, and she says they were treated differently because they’re Indigenous. In this episode we hear from Boedaya and from Island Health, which has promised to review what happened.
The community of Crofton got devastating news this week, with Domtar announcing it’s closing its mill there, putting 350 people out of work. In this episode we hear about why, and what’s next. We’ll also check in on a retraining program in Port Alberni, for laidoff mill workers there.
Downtown Victoria business owners say they’re seeing a positive impact, four months after the city launched the first phase of its community safety and wellbeing plan. City staff say they’ve completed 2 of their 11 priorities, with the other 9 underway. Folks on Pandora have mixed reviews. We take a look at it all in this week’s episode.Want to learn more about the plan? Check out our episode from when it was first launched.You can also read the whole thing on the city's website.
We know communities across the island region are struggling with housing. That challenge can be especially acute on smaller islands, with even more limited space: what are you supposed to do if you have a job, but nowhere to live? Or if you can’t hire people, because they can’t find housing? On Salt Spring Island, the Country Grocer has solved that problem by creating housing for its staff. CBC reporter Emily Fagan went to the island to learn more, and tells us about it on this week’s episode.
Wild deer are a common sight in greater Victoria, as we humans keep building our homes in their habitat - but the immuno-contraceptive experiment in Oak Bay seems to have worked at managing the population. On this episode we check in with one of the founders of the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society (UWSS), which came up with the plan to give birth control to urban deer. Kristy Kilpatrick also talks about how she’s seen attitudes towards deer change in the decade since UWSS started its work.
Even though it’s been three months since a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled that Quw’utsun Nation (Cowichan Tribes, Stz’uminus First Nation, Penelakut Tribe, Halalt First Nation and Lyackson First Nation) hold Aboriginal title over some land in Richmond - the news is still making headlines, especially on the mainland. That’s because the land includes some private property. But does the decision threaten private property rights in B.C.? An island leader explains why he doesn’t think so.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) has been trying to find a way to install shore power at Ogden Point, so that some of the cruise ships that stop there can plug in and use electricity - instead of relying on fossil fuels to keep the lights and other ship services going while the vessels are in port. But now, the GVHA has abandoned the plan. It says even with $31.5 million dollars promised by provincial and federal governments, it would need at least another $61 million dollars to do all the work needed - and it just doesn’t have the money. So what happens now?
There are unhoused people living in communities across Vancouver Island, but not every community has a place for them to go on nights when winter weather is so bad that it’s dangerous. The province provides funding for winter shelter, so why doesn’t everyone apply for it? Host Kathryn Marlow and CBC reporter Maryse Zeidler look at three areas with three different levels of support: Campbell River, Sidney, and the Cowichan Valley.
Every time the earth shakes on the island, we flock to social media to see who else felt the tremor. But did you know you can also report your experience to Earthquakes Canada, to help with future research? Seismologist John Cassidy explains how researchers like him rely on such information. Plus: the latest on the earthquake warning system. This episode originally aired October 1, 2024.
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