Environment Canada issued a warning for high winds and snowy weather as a “weather bomb” storm passed over Vancouver Island Monday.

Explosive cyclogenesis, also known as a “weather bomb” or “bomb cyclone,” occurs when a rapidly deepening low-pressure system experiences a drop of at least 24 hPa (hectopascals) in 24 hours.

The centre of Monday’s “weather bomb” system was expected to pass north of Vancouver Island, while a fast-moving cold front crosses the south coast.

Environment Canada said late Monday morning that winds would shift direction from southeast to southwest from the morning to the afternoon, reaching speeds between 90 to 110 km/h over exposed coastal locations.

They also predicted between 2 to 5 centimetres of slushy wet snow may accumulate over inland parts of the island, including the Island Highway, Port Alberni, and Sutton Passes.

On the South Island, strong southeasterly winds with gusts over 90 km/h were expected along the Georgia and Haro Straits.

Speeds were expected to ease while remaining gusty into Tuesday afternoon, with a risk for flying debris and fallen trees knocking out power lines.

At 11:52 a.m., BC Hydro tweeted out telephone numbers to call to report downed lines and outages, as well as a link to information on how to prepare for a power outage.

Two tourist destinations on Vancouver Island are asking travellers from the Lower Mainland to stay away after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases linked to the area.

Tourism Tofino and Tourism Ucluelet have both posted advisories on their websites reminding visitors of a provincial health order for Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions that restricts residents in those areas from travelling for at least two weeks.

See also: B.C. top doctor issues regional order for Lower Mainland after 567 new COVID-19 cases

“If you are a resident of the Vancouver Coastal & Fraser Health regions, please note that non-essential travel out of these regions is not recommended until November 23rd at 12:00pm,” reads the advisory on the Tourism Tofino website.

“Please understand that the current COVID-19 situation remains fluid, with government regulations and health guidelines changing rapidly. We monitor provincial health updates closely to ensure both our visitors and residents remain safe and informed.”

Those who have reservations before November 23 are asked to contact their accommodation providers.

A similar advisory on the Tourism Ucluelet website reminds Lower Mainland residents to adhere to the recommendations of the Provincial Health Officer.

“The PHO has strongly encouraged avoiding all non-essential travel to and from home for the next two weeks,” reads the statement.

“If you are scheduled to travel to Ucluelet from these health regions between now and Monday, November 23rd, please speak to your accommodation provider to reschedule your trip until it is safe to travel outside of your community.”

After a major spike in COVID-19 cases Dr. Bonnie Henry issued a provincial health order to lock down social gatherings, travel, indoor group physical activities, and workplaces in the Lower Mainland on November 7.

These restrictions will remain in place until at least November 23.

All existing provincial health orders still apply to health regions outside of the Lower Mainland, but Henry says contact tracers are “not seeing that rapidly increasing number of cases” in other parts of the provinces.

Friday, November 13, saw record breaking daily case numbers in B.C. at 617, and there are currently more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before in the province including two people in ICU in the Island Health region.

A new report says that southern Vancouver Islanders consumed alcohol at a record rate in 2018, and higher than provincial or national averages.

According to the 2020 Vital Signs report from the Victoria Foundation, the 2018 estimated annual alcohol consumption per capita in the South Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area hit an all-time high of 11.2 litres.

That figure exceeds the provincial consumption rate for B.C. (9.4 litres in 2018) and Canada (8.2 litres from 2017-2018).

The consumption rate on the South Island is up nearly a full litre from 2013, at 10.28 litres.

The Vital Signs report says that for comparison, an average drinker on the South Island aged 15 or older consumed 638 bottles of beer in 2018, or 104 bottles per wine. That translates to just under two bottles or glasses per day, respectively.

Across BC, the highest consumption rate was in East Kootenay HSDA (14.4 litres) and the lowest in Richmond (4.3 litres).

Respondents to a survey on COVID-19 and alcohol consumption conducted by the BC Centre for Disease Control also said that people are reporting drinking more during the pandemic.

Vital Signs says that numbers from the BCCDC survey showed 28 per cent of British Columbians and 36 per cent of families with children reported increased alcohol consumption due to COVID-19.

The City of Victoria announced on Friday that it will be offering a new $100,000 grant to groups who offer support to homeless individuals.

Council voted on Thursday to allocate a portion of the City’s federal-provincial COVID-19 restart money to “help fund solutions that will move people indoors,” while also voting to end 24/7 camping by March 31.

The Emergency Social Services Provision Grant is the recipient of that allocation, a one-time grant program aimed at delivering mobile hygiene and other social services to people sheltering outdoors.

“What’s become clear in these past few weeks is that despite the fact that organizations that provide direct services to unhoused people have been awarded $464,952 through the federal Reaching Home program administered by the CRD…there is still an unmet need,” Mayor Lisa Helps stated in an email.

Not-for-profit organizations and informal groups are permitted to apply for the grant, however, applications from informal groups must include a letter of support from a registered not-for-profit organization.

Application forms are now open on the City of Victoria website, with an application deadline of November 25, 2020, 4 p.m. PST.

Projects will be assessed by Victoria’s city council on November 26 and funding will be distributed shortly after.

Victoria Police have arrested Matthew Brian Petker, 32, for allegedly starting a fire that injured several people and damaged a hotel in downtown Victoria last week.

At around 8:30 p.m. on November 5, police attended a suite at the Capital City Centre Hotel on Douglas at Discovery Street where after man “in crisis” called police.

While they were at the hotel, officers noticed a fire within the suite.

As the fire spread, police began evacuating nearly 100 people from building while firefighters battled the blaze.

During the evacuation process, police found and apprehended Petker, who they believed started the fire.

The suspect and four other people were taken to hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Several others, including officers on scene, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries related to smoke inhalation.

Petker has been charged with arson with disregard for human life, and arson causing property damage.

Police are now looking to speak to anyone who was injured in the fire, and believe there are other victims out there that have not yet spoken to officers.

Anyone who was in the building at the time of the fire and has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact VicPD at (250) 995-7654. Press 1 to speak with the Report Desk.

To report what you know anonymously, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The City of Victoria has set a deadline to end camping in parks, following a vote at council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday.

Members voted on a number of items in a motion brought forth by Mayor Lisa Helps and councillor Jeremy Loveday to address people sheltering in public parks, including a clause to end temporary 24/7 camping measures on March 31, 2021.

“We can’t have people living in parks permanently, or even to the remainder of this term, or even past March 31st,” Helps said at the meeting.

“Because it’s not good for people living in parks, and it’s not good for the other members of the public who also wish to use the parks.”

In their motion, Helps and Loveday wrote that they are confident that sufficient indoor spaces can be found before the deadline to house people currently sheltering in parks.

When asked by councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe for clarification about the use of the word “currently” in the motion, Helps said that priority would be given to individuals who have been homeless in Victoria for extended periods of time and are vulnerable.

“So if somebody just shows up here from Alberta in a pickup truck and says ‘oh, I’m camping in a park, I need housing,’ well obviously they haven’t been homeless for a long time in our city,” Helps said.

“We’re never going to prevent it 100 per cent, but that’s the idea, is that we tend to the people who have been there, and are in many cases very vulnerable.”

In addition to setting the March 31 deadline, Helps and Loveday’s motion also called on city staff to contact land-owners for the possibility of constructing a 30-unit “tiny home” cluster to house unsheltered people.

They also called on the Province to open Oak Bay Lodge to unhoused people aged 55 and over, until the building is demolished for redevelopment.

The motion received near-unanimous support, with Councillors Geoff Young and Sharmarke Dubow voting against the deadline, for opposing reasons.

Young expressed a concern for the deadline’s “escape clause,” which says that the March 31 amendment will only be scheduled once it is clear that housing and shelter space are available.

Dubow said he opposed the deadline because he did not feel comfortable setting a hard deadline on vulnerable people.

Young also opposed an item on the motion expressing support to the Province for the purchase of two sites on Yates Street and Meares Street for affordable housing.

BC Hydro reports that around 3,670 customers lost power at one point or another on Friday morning.

The majority of these outages took place in Colwood, Langford, Metchosin, and past Sooke near Shirley.

In some areas, power outages continued as of around 10:30 a.m. November 13.

BC Hydro says they are investigating the cause of the outages as of the time of publication, although it is known that at least one outage, in Highlands, was caused by a downed wire.

These gaps in service could be attributed to felled wires and trees after a wind storm hit southern Vancouver Island this morning.

Environment Canada said wind gusts up to 90 km/h battered the region on Friday morning.

A wind advisory remains in place for Greater Victoria throughout the day, and is expected to end in the evening.

A crash on Sooke Road slowed traffic to a crawl Friday morning, with eyewitnesses saying the driver was injured and being treated by paramedics.

Photos from the scene show the crash occurred just west of Langford, where the road widens into four lanes.

The crash occurred shortly before 9 a.m. Friday morning, with a dump truck driving off the road into a shallow ravine.

Eyewitnesses said the driver was trapped in the crash by debris.

West Shore RCMP tweeted at 9:54 a.m. that the collision only involved one vehicle, and traffic delays were expected for the next few hours.

Victoria Buzz has reached out to RCMP for additional information.

Graham Stark is warming up the bus.

A virtual bus, that is.

Stark is a co-founder of Loading Ready Run (LRR), a Victoria-based sketch and internet comedy troupe that created and hosts an annual fundraiser called Desert Bus for Hope.

“This is something that everyone needs right now,” Stark said in an interview with Victoria Buzz, as he prepares to kick off another donor marathon playing one of the worst video games of all time.

Desert Bus for Hope features Stark and other members of LRR playing Desert Bus, a renowned video game that places gamers behind the wheel of an empty bus as it travels — in real-time — from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada.

In each of the past five years, Desert Bus for Hope has raised over $650,000 US for the Child’s Play charity, which provides toys and games to children undergoing treatment in hospitals, and also supports domestic violence shelters and programs.

Last year saw a record-breaking $865,015 US donated over 162 hours, bringing the cumulative total for the Desert Bus crew to $6,066,158.18.

While the game itself is tedious, the Desert Bus for Hope crew broadcast the gameplay live to an audience of thousands, and liven up the multi-day proceedings with dancing, jokes, singing and more.

A documentary on the 2016 fundraiser shows a behind-the-scenes look at the madcap antics, intense planning, and large gathering of volunteers that goes into Desert Bus for Hope.

That’s what usually happens.

Taking the bus online

This year, because of concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, Desert Bus for Hope is embracing its technological roots and going for a fully virtual experience.

“We talked a lot about different ways that it could be done, up to and including getting everyone into the same city, doing it like the NBA bubble where everybody quarantines, and doing a show like normal,” Stark said.

“Where we’ve ended up is fully online, and we’re very happy with how things are going with the technology that we’ve put together and developed so this doesn’t look like a Zoom call.”

Viewers checking in to desertbus.org starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. PST will be greeted with a slick video chat overlay showing the crew safely playing the game and interacting in real-time from their homes.

Donations of any amount are accepted all throughout the fundraiser, and the more money the crew raises, the longer they drive the Desert Bus.

Stark says the team isn’t expecting any specific donation milestone this year, with COVID-19 creating economic uncertainties.

“It’s a pandemic, there’s lots of people who don’t have the money they would have had in another year,” he said.

“But then, there are different people who may have more. It is totally impossible to predict and I can’t wait to see what happens. I think we’ll be okay.”

Building Community

On top of the money raised, however, Stark and the Desert Bus team see their fundraiser as a boon for mental health in their communities, both online and offline.

“This is something that we love to do because it’s just putting good out into the world,” said Stark.

“We know that there’s people for whom this show is a great solace.”

Stark says those mental health benefits aren’t just for the viewers, but for him and the crew as well.

Like many businesses, LRR has had to adjust their outlook for 2020, shelving some planned projects and limiting in-person contacts.

“It is really difficult right now, especially as the case numbers and stuff seem to be getting worse, even locally,” said Stark.

“We’ve now sort of moved past even entertaining the notion of a timeline for when things might ‘return to normal.’”

That makes Desert Bus for Hope even more important, he says.

“To some it is a relief, to some it’s an escape bunker, where they can go and just hole up with these people doing these strange things on the internet. I think that’s a really important aspect of what we do.”

Desert Bus for Hope’s virtual approach will look different for 2020, but Stark wants to assure people that it will still have the same energy, positivity, and fun of any other year.

“It still feels like Desert Bus,” said Stark.

“Ultimately, what I am looking forward to the most is no different than any year: putting on a show, interacting with the chat, hanging out with my friends and making people laugh.”

Desert Bus for Hope 2020 kicks off online at desertbus.org on November 13 at 10 a.m. PST and runs as long as donation amounts dictate.

Victoria Police have arrested one man after a random, unprovoked attack on another person in downtown Victoria.

At around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, police attended the 400-block of Swift Street for a report that one man had hit another man repeatedly with a wooden stick.

When officers arrived, they learned that the two men were not known to each other and the attack was unprovoked.

The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to hospital by paramedics.

Although the suspect left the area before police arrived, officers were able to locate and arrest him after witnesses provided an accurate description and told police which way he had gone.

He was taken into custody and transported to cells to be held for court.

The suspect is facing recommended charges of assault with a weapon, two counts of breach of probation, and one count of breach of a release order.

If you’re not the type to go on a shopping spree this upcoming Black Friday, why not get rid of some old furniture instead? Starting Tuesday, November 27, IKEA Canada is willing to buy back your old furniture.

The company is putting forth an initiative on Black Friday weekend in a bid to more environmentally friendly in which they will buy back any old furniture for store credit.

A press release sent out last month details the initiative.

“In lieu of door crasher deals, IKEA will invite Canadians nationwide to sell-back their gently-used IKEA products, offering up to double the sell-back value* via in-store credit during the campaign period,” the company said.

“On one of the biggest shopping days of the year, we want to change the conversation from one of mass consumption to mass circularity, and show how sustainable living can be easy and affordable for everyone,” said Melissa Barbosa, the Head of Sustainability at IKEA Canada.

“This Black Friday, we will redefine savings by inspiring and enabling Canadians to save not only money, but also water, energy, waste, and resources,” she continues.

To sell your product, all you have to do is take a photo of it and upload it using their soft launch tool. Head to their website, login or create a free profile, click on the sell-back tab, and follow the instructions. Once you’ve done that, an IKEA employee should get back to you shortly with a buy-back offer.

Items such as dressers, cabinets, drawers, sideboards, desks, chairs and more can all be sold back to IKEA.

The sold-back furniture can be browsed through and bought on the As-Is section of the online IKEA store, if you’re looking to purchase some lightly used, second hand pieces.

There may not be an IKEA location onVancouver Island, but there are two pick up points: one in Saanichton (#10-6776 Oldfield Road) and the other in Nanaimo (Unit 10b, 4386 Boban Dr).

The IKEA Canada Black Friday campaign will run from mid-November through the end of the month.

A new provincial award launched on Thursday is seeking to honour those who lead the cause of Indigenous reconciliation in British Columbia.

The British Columbia Reconciliation Award is a joint effort between the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the BC Achievement Foundation.

It recognizes individuals, groups, and organizations who demonstrate exceptional leadership, integrity, respect and commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

“I am deeply honoured for this opportunity to recognize the exemplary individuals and organizations who advance reconciliation in our province,” Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin said in a statement.

“Reconciliation must take root in our hearts, within families, between generations and throughout our communities.”

Nominations for the award are now open online through the BC Achievement Foundation’s website.

Two signed testimonials are required for the nomination form, which also asks for specific information on what work the nominee has done to advance reconciliation and to positively impact the lives of Indigenous youth or elders.

The British Columbia Reconciliation Award was partly inspired by the artistic work of Steven Point, the first Indigenous Lieutenant Governor of B.C.

Point donated his hand-carved and hand-painted red cedar canoe, Shxwtitostel, to the B.C. Parliament Buildings as a symbol of reconciliation.

According to Point, Shxwtitostel shows how British Columbians “are all in the same canoe” and must “paddle together” to move forward.

“It is a very proud moment for me to witness the launch of the British Columbia Reconciliation Award,” said Point.

“Our world and its issues are not apart from us, but rather are a part of who we are. We must not stand by and observe the world, but rather take steps to bring positive change.”

Committee members for selection of the British Columbia Reconciliation Award will include Indigenous Elders, B.C. First Nations leadership and government partners.

The nomination period will be open until Jan. 15, 2021.

Over a thousand people were without power after a large truck collided with some power lines in Sooke Thursday morning.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck ripped a BC Hydro pole out of the ground near Gillespie Road.

BC Hydro says 1,141 customers were without power just before 6 a.m. as a result of the accident. Crews were estimated to arrive on scene by 9:45 a.m.

School District 62 tweeted at 7:47 a.m. that their buses were having difficulty passing the scene of the collision to reach East Sooke students.

The District said that RCMP had informed them the road closure could last between two to three hours.

For over 20 years, a group of Victoria-based pilots has taken to the skies each Remembrance Day to support veterans and members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The group, which flies under the call sign YAK FLIGHT, performed a flyby over Greater Victoria Wednesday, from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.

A spokesperson for YAK FLIGHT says their efforts are meant to bring attention to Canada’s military service, and talked with Victoria Buzz on condition of anonymity.

“It’s just a matter of local pilots who are interested in formation flying,” the spokesperson said. “One way of showing our respect for Remembrance Day.”

The group includes pilots from various walks of life — some fly with commercial airlines, others are private professionals — but the spokesperson says they were brought together by a common goal of improving their skills through close formation flying.

YAK FLIGHT’s members have studied for their skillful flybys with instructors including current and former Canadian Forces Snowbirds pilots. They fly a group of five Nanchang CJ-6A trainer aircrafts, and a Yakolev YAK18T from the former USSR.

When they take to the skies in support of veterans, YAK FLIGHT coordinates their plans with local Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons and other government agencies.

“It is coordinated with all the appropriate agencies in terms of air traffic control,” the spokesperson said.

“The air force generally has a helicopter or two in the air, and we’re very careful coordinating with them.”

With COVID-19 restricting Remembrance Day events to the public and older veterans at a higher health risk, YAK FLIGHT debated whether or not they should proceed with their annual flyby.

“As a group, we discussed whether it was appropriate to do the flyby this year,” the spokesperson said.

“We collectively decided it was more important than ever with the pandemic.”

For the members of YAK FLIGHT, demonstrating respect for those who serve in Canada’s military is a top priority.

The spokesperson said most of the pilots have personally lost people serving Canada in the military.

“Whether it is those people or those who served in WW1, WW2, the Korean War or any of the conflicts that Canada has been involved in, Remembrance Day and the flyby is significant to us to be able to remember people, regardless of when or how they passed in the service of Canada.”

Health Canada has issued a recall of nearly 9,000 Ring Video Doorbells after finding out they may pose fire and burn hazards.

The recall, issued November 10, applies to the second generation of the smart video doorbells, sold in Canada from June to October 2020.

According to Health Canada, the doorbells come with both security and wood screws for installation.

“If the wood screws are used in place of the security screws during installation, the battery can be damaged and may overheat, posing a potential fire or burn hazard,” reads the alert.

“If the doorbell is installed correctly, there is no risk to consumers or potential hazard present.”

The doorbells being recalled have the model number 5UM5E5. Consumers can determine if their doorbell is included in this recall by entering the doorbell’s serial number at http://support.ring.com/ring-2nd-gen-recall.

Only Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation) models with certain serial numbers are included in the recall.

As of November 5, the company received one reported incident of the product overheating in Canada and no reports of injury.

In the U.S., there have been 85 reported incidents, 23 reports of property damage, and eight reports of minor burns.

350,000 units of the doorbell were sold in the U.S.

A local animal rescue sanctuary got a helping hand this week from none other than Pamela Anderson, who took up a sledgehammer to help out.

Rescue And Sanctuary for Threatened Animals (RASTA), has been operating since 2001 as a no-kill rescue society in Chemainus that houses abandoned or abused animals. They had been trying to raise funds to replace an old barn for their animals since 2018.

The organization described the barn as “rotting into the ground” and said it was becoming a safety concern for their animals. They also said it was of inadequate size for the number of animals they were trying to house.

Over two years later, with the barn still not replaced, RASTA received a special visit from Anderson.

The Ladysmith-born actor visited RASTA near the end of October and learned of the sanctuary’s struggles with construction costs and COVID-19.

“She surprised us by returning a few hours later that same day with her partner Dan Hayhurst, a local builder, to have a closer look at our dilapidated old barn and to discuss our plans for replacing it,” RASTA wrote on their Facebook page on November 3.

“After hearing about the many challenges we’ve faced with the recent mill strikes, covid, and most recently some massively inflated construction prices which have made building the barn out of our financial reach, Ms. Anderson and her partner then expressed their interest in wanting to help make our dream come true!”

On Tuesday November 10, Anderson returned to the sanctuary and personally struck the first blow in the demolition of the old barn, in a live video posted to RASTA’s Facebook page.

Lucie Cerny, the founder of RASTA, called Anderson’s support and donation a “dream come true.”

“A lot of times, I get emotional, because it is such a huge, huge, thing, such a tremendous gift, an absolutely life-changing experience for the sanctuary that’s going to help so many animals,” Cerny said in the live video of the demolition.

“There aren’t enough words in my vocabulary to express the complete, utter gratitude that we have for this amazing, amazing gift.”