One man is in custody following an alleged sexual assault on the Galloping Goose trail Monday night.

The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. near Harbour Road and Tyee Road.

According to scanner reports, the suspect fled the area and was later captured by a VicPD canine, while he was hiding underneath a vehicle at a car dealership on Burnside Road East.

Following the arrest, the suspect was reportedly transported to hospital with dog bite wounds.

Victoria Police confirmed they are investigating the report of a sexual assault and one person has been arrested.

The area where the assault occurred is currently contained as VicPD investigate, and police ask people to avoid the area.

More to come.

A Nanaimo man is $100,000 richer after scoring big on a Scratch & Win ticket he purchased at a Mac’s Convenience Store.

Cory Anderson won the money playing “Tripling Red 7s” and called the payout “amazing.”

He purchased his ticket at the Mac’s on Depature Bay Road in Nanaimo and scanned it using the BCLC Lotto! app during a break in the park.

The Nanaimo resident says he celebrated the unexpected payday with his girlfriend over a steak dinner, and plans to invest the remainder of his win with the goal of buying a new home in the future — but not before he gets “all the fluids changed on my truck.”

It’s the second time in a week that BCLC announced a Scratch & Win winner in Nanaimo. Last week another resident won big at Scratch & Win with a $675,000 prize.

*Note: Victoria Buzz is not affiliated with BC Lottery Corporation and does not advocate gambling or taking part in lotteries. If you choose to participate, remember to play responsibly.

A new fund announced by the provincial government on Monday will provide $2 million in support made-in-B.C. film content.

The Domestic Motion Picture Fund is part of BC’s COVID-19 Action Plan relief funding and is intended to support the motion picture industry as it restarts.

“The past few months have shown us how quickly the motion picture industry can change,” said Premier John Horgan in a statement.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture says that B.C. production companies can apply for funding to support both development and production costs, including script work, crew hiring and paying for rental equipment.

“We want to see more made-in-B.C. content on our screens,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The fund will be administered by Creative BC through Reel Focus BC, which currently provides just under $1.5 million in other film industry support funds.

Creative BC says that they will be distributing the new $2 million fund after a consultation and design process to determine programming streams that companies can apply to.

According to the Creative BC website there will be a six-week consultation process, followed by an additional six weeks to design programs.

Applications for the first funding program will likely open in November 2020.

Canada Post has announced a suspension of deliveries on Monday for parts of British Columbia due to risks posed by persistent wildfire smoke.

The affected regions include:

• Metro Vancouver area,
• Southern Vancouver Island (Duncan, Sidney and Victoria),
• North Vancouver Island (Campbell River and Powell River),
• West Vancouver Island (Courtenay, Nanaimo, Port Alberni),
• Okanagan Valley and Similkameen regions (Kelowna and Penticton),
• Kootenay regions (Cranbrook, Castlegar, Nelson and Trail)
• Thompson, Nicola and Fraser regions (Vernon and Kamloops)

The announcement was made at around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, after the Crown corporation expressed that wildfire smoke has made conditions unsafe for delivery agents.

As of 2 p.m. PST, Vancouver had the worst air quality rating in the world, surpassing cities in the United States that have ongoing wildfires and infamously polluted cities like Delhi, India.

The Greater Victoria area has also consistently been rated 10+ or “very high risk” on the Air Quality Health Index since Friday.

These conditions are expected to persist until precipitation events occur later this week.

A botched attempt at parallel parking caused a four vehicle collision in Oak Bay on Sunday.

In a statement released September 14, Oak Bay Police say they responded to an incident where the driver of a Subaru attempted to parallel park in the 2200 block of Oak Bay Ave accelerated and crashed into the rear end of a parked vehicle.

They then reversed at high speed and crashed into the front of another parked car behind them.

After this second collision, the offending vehicle slid off the bumper and, while still in reverse, did a perpendicular turn and crossed Oak Bay Ave.

It then crashed into the rear driver side of an F-150 pick up truck parked facing westbound on the side of the street.

This collision pushed the truck onto the sidewalk causing the rear passenger side tire to break at the axle.

Fortunately no pedestrians were nearby when the collisions took place and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

Oak Bay Police are in the process of investigating, and charges against the driver are being considered.

First-term MLA Sonia Furstenau was elected leader of the BC Green Party on Monday after emerging the victor on a second round ballot.

The leadership race saw an 85 per cent turnout of the party’s 5,478 members, who cast their votes using a ranked ballot system from September 5 to 13.

Three candidates were vying to replace outgoing leader Andrew Weaver, who left the party in January to sit as an independent, citing private health and family concerns.

In order to secure the leadership, a single candidate needed to receive 2,318 votes.

On the first ballot, Furstenau received 2,197 votes, while lawyer and adjunct professor Cam Brewer came in second with 1,916 votes.

Party Vice-Chair and former President of the Sechelt Chamber of Commerce Kim Darwin received 521 votes and was subsequently removed from the second round.

The second ballot saw Furstenau decisively win with 2,428 votes to Brewer’s 2,217.

In her acceptance speech on Monday, Furstenau thanked her campaign team and supporters for their work, as well her opponents.

“To Cam and Kim and their teams, I extend my congratulations on running solid campaigns until the very end,” she said.

The newly victorious Green leader had harsher words for BC’s Premier, accusing John Horgan of playing politics while the province is in the midst of two health emergencies.

“A completely unnecessary, irresponsible early election in the middle of a pandemic is being contemplated simply because it might benefit one party’s political fortunes,” said Furstenau.

“To John Horgan I say: you have a responsibility to govern, not play politics.”

Earlier on Monday, the Premier deflected questions about an early election while also saying he wished the then-unannounced leader of the Green Party all the best.

“This is challenging work, and I know that whoever becomes the leader of the Green Party will have a task ahead of them,” said Horgan.

“There’s much more to British Columbia than the political machinations that we’re talking about here.”

BC announced on Monday that it will be developing an advanced lung cancer screening program that is the first of its kind in Canada.

The program is intended to provide early detection in patients by screening adults aged 55 to 75 who smoke or have a heavy smoking history.

The government says they anticipate that participants will begin receiving scans by spring 2022.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Canada and worldwide. The province says that six British Columbians die of lung cancer each day.

“Right now, 70 per cent of all lung cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages,” said Premier John Horgan at a press conference on Monday.

“Once it’s up and running, clinics will see up to 20,000 patients a year.”

Dr. Kim Chi, vice-president and chief medical officer for BC Cancer, said that early detection of cancer is key to lowering mortality rates.

“By introducing lung cancer screening in British Columbia and linking these efforts with prevention by smoking cessation programs, we can decrease mortality, increase the chance of cure, and improve survival from lung cancer.”

With wildfire smoke plunging air quality in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island into prolonged high risk levels, Dr. Chi also confirmed on Monday that we could see increased rates of cancer from extreme weather.

“Air quality, air pollution have been related to cancers including lung cancers as well as other pulmonary ailments,” said Dr. Chi.

“As global warming and global climate changes occur, these will be problems for the future.”

A large group of post secondary students’ attempts to throw a back-to-school party over the weekend were thwarted by the pandemic and police presence.

On Friday, September 11, Saanich Police were assisting Campus Security in patrolling the University of Victoria campus—a practice maintained at the start of every fall semester—when they were alerted to a large gathering on campus.

Reports to police suggest that between 50 to 80 young people, believed to be first year students, had gathered in front of McPherson Library at around 9 p.m., allegedly to drink and party.

“When police approached, they disbanded and broke up into smaller pockets of groups,” said Cst. Markus Anastasiades in a phone interview with Victoria Buzz.

“From there the group dispersed down Sinclair Road towards Frank Hobbs Elementary on Haro Road. This culminated in later call about youth gathering at the school and at Gyro park.”

In each of those circumstances, the group either dispersed or were no longer on scene when police arrived and no fines were issued under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act.

However a few hours later, at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning, an 18-year-old man was arrested on campus at UVic for public intoxication and then transported to hospital via ambulance.

“The primary focus is on the safety and well being of the individual to make sure they get the medical attention they need. After the fact, charges could be recommended, but I don’t believe this individual was charged,” said Anastasiades.

He adds that members of the public are always encouraged to report any large gatherings, especially those held in contravention to provincial health orders, as police now have the means to enforce those rules, but that does not always mean issuing violation tickets.

“It’s something that we have at our disposal to use should we feel that is the best course of action,” he added.

The University of Victoria reopened campus services last week and all students living on residence are required to keep gatherings to less than 50 people, maintain physical distancing, and recommended to wear masks in social settings.

Victoria Buzz has reached out to UVic for more information.

Vancouver Island remains under drought conditions Monday morning with the promise of rain by the end of the week, according to Environment Canada and the Province of BC.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development issued a notice on September 10 that Eastern Vancouver Island was experiencing a Level 3 Drought, representing “Very Dry” conditions.

The province’s drought map showed on Monday that the advisory remains in effect, while Western Vancouver Island has been rated at a Level 2, for “Dry” conditions.

The Ministry said on Thursday that residential, agricultural and industrial water users should observe restrictions and advice from local governments.

“Maximum water conservation is being urged for all areas where low flows are approaching a critical environmental flow threshold for ecosystems and fish,” they stated.

“Water conservation is everyone’s responsibility.”

Some general water conservation tips the province provided include:

• Limit outdoor watering.
• Do not water during the heat of the day or when it is windy.
• Consider planting drought-tolerant vegetation.
• Take shorter showers.
• Do not leave taps running.
• Install water-efficient showerheads, taps and toilets.

A break in the drought could be on the way, though, with rain in the forecast for the east Island by week’s end.

Environment Canada is predicting a 60 per cent chance of showers on Friday for Nanaimo, Victoria, Campbell River and the Cowichan Valley.

There is also a possibility the east Island could see rain on Tuesday, with most areas seeing a chance of precipitation around 30 or 40 per cent.

As children returned to school on Monday with the new normal of COVID-19 restrictions, the Victoria’s school districts issued new notices in the wake of wildfire smoke blanketing the city.

Air quality in the area remained among the worst in the world as of Monday morning, with forecasts on Environment Canada predicting lasting conditions into Tuesday.

On Sunday, Greater Victoria School District 61 (SD61) issued an advisory to families that they would be restricting outdoor classes and monitoring breaks due to the smoke.

SD61 said they will be practicing strategies similar to a “Hold and Secure,” which is normally issued in response to situations like nearby wildlife or criminal activity.

These strategies include keeping exterior windows and doors closed, and keeping students in during recess or lunch breaks if they cannot tolerate the air quality.

On Sunday afternoon the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) took to Twitter to ask the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the Provincial Health Officer for guidance.

“The combination of COVID19 pandemic and extremely poor wildfire air quality is deeply concerning for #bced,” the BCTF wrote.

“Teachers and students should not be in crowded classes with no ventilation or fresh air.”

Saanich School District 63 said on their website Monday morning that they would “continue to monitor the situation and restrict outdoor activities as indicated by the advisories.”

In Sooke, School District 62 (SD62) included a notice about the wildfire smoke in an email to parents and guardians on Sunday. They said that if air quality ratings remained at “high risk” or “very high risk” they would be asking students to stay inside.

“We are planning for the possibility of a continued air quality advisory into next week,” said SD62.

“If this were to occur, we will be asking students to stay inside our schools rather than being outside during instructional and non-instructional time.”

In a Facebook post Monday morning, the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association (GVTA) demanded a closure of all schools until air quality had returned to safe levels.

“Today students will be in full sized classrooms with no physical distancing requirements, no outdoor learning, no open windows to compensate for HVAC systems with low rated MERV filters, and no mask policies,” said the GVTA.

“This is a recipe for Covid transmission, and students and staff will not be safe.”

The Township of Esquimalt is seeking feedback from residents on a new project aimed at changing how local waste is processed.

Esquimalt Council is eyeing a new Integrated Resource Management (IRM) process with the intention of maximizing resource recovery from waste.

The proposal suggests processing solid waste, kitchen scraps and yard waste using gasification rather than incinerating or sending materials to landfills.

With gasification, materials are not burned and are instead subjected to high heat in a closed environment. By-products from the process are energy and biochar, a carbon-rich organic substance.

“It’s important that we hear feedback from our residents and businesses on this potential project,” said Mayor Barbara Desjardins.

“What we are discussing here is a remarkable opportunity.”

The Township’s report on IRM processing says that the project would eliminate 4,500 tons of Greenhouse Gas emissions from Esquimalt every year, the equivalent of taking 970 cars off the road each year.

This would exceed the Township’s 2030 corporate target for lowered emissions, and cover approximately a third of the community target.

The report also says that moving the Township to a gasification process would require construction of a new facility, which could be housed in Esquimalt’s public works yard.

Construction of the new plant would cost an estimated $21 million.

Various cost/benefit projections are also examined in the report based on different scenarios, such as the facility processing Esquimalt’s waste exclusively, or taking in additional sources of waste from commercial operations or larger multi-family complexes.

A live webinar will be made available to the public on September 22 where residents can ask questions and learn about the project.

Residents can also offer feedback through an online survey until October 9.

Results from the public engagement will be presented to Council at a meeting later this fall.

Information about the project, including a link to the online survey, is available online at esquimalt.ca/IRM.

Victoria is in for three straight days of the worst air quality possible, according to Environment Canada.

Throughout Friday September 11, B.C.’s capital has been shrouded in smoke causing headaches and itchy throats for many in the region.

The Air Quality Health Index for Victoria and Saanich on Friday has been at a consistent 10+ rating, which is the highest (or worst) rate possible.

But Environment Canada regional meteorologist for Vancouver Island, Armel Castellan, says these conditions could persist all through the weekend and into Monday.

“On Monday and into Tuesday, we’ll see a trough of low pressure offshore, with clouds and seasonal—and maybe even below seasonal—temperatures. Once that happens we’re going to see conditions get quite a lot better,” said Castellan in a phone interview with Victoria Buzz.

Intermittent bouts of rainfall in the southern Vancouver Island region on Monday and Tuesday is also expected to help clear up the particulate matter hanging in the air.

The Air Quality Health Index in B.C. is calculated by using an average base measure of 25 particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller, or 25 µg/m³.

Between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on September 11, data collected at the Victoria Topaz station showed 145 µg/m³ in the air for that area. Such high concentrations of smoke particles result in associated health risks, and lead to AQHI risk ratings of 7-10+.

The forecast for all of Friday evening says the rating will stay at 10+, and will only drop to 10 on Saturday.

“When we get to that very high category, 10 or above, the at risk population is encouraged to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and the general population should reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activity,” added Castellan.

“It’s a simplified scale to allow for everybody to understand where they fit and how they can change their behaviour for a day or two or three in order to maximize their own health benefits as a result of the air quality event itself.”

At risk populations include people with existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, young children, seniors, and pregnant women.

Many people in the region may be experiencing itchy throats, coughs, and/or headaches due to the smoke.

Castellan adds that one factor that comes into play with smoke events is that because they are particles in suspension within the fluid dynamics of an air shed, there may be several spots in the capital region that are clearer than others at different points from Friday to Sunday.

This means the air quality index rating may not remain at 10+ for the entire three days all across the Greater Victoria area, but a large part of southern B.C.—and even as far as Calgary and Lethbridge in Alberta—can expect a shroud of smoke until weather patterns start to change next week.

The combination of wildfire smoke and a global pandemic is also not desirable.

“Coronavirus is related to the respiratory tract and this is not helping the exposure and onset of [symptoms in] folks contracting COVID-19. It’s pretty wide reaching,” adds Castellan.

The main source of the smoke is dozens of wildfires blazing along the west coast of the United States, particularly in Oregon, California, and western parts of Washington state.

However Castellan says any wildfires, big or small, including ones in B.C. contribute to smoke particles in the air.

“Air quality knows no boundaries,” he adds.

“It is really incumbent that we all change our behaviour as much as we can to mitigate the risk that it poses.”

The BC SPCA is asking the public for help supporting two kittens who fell from two different high-rise buildings and were seriously injured.

Three-month-old Jersey fell from a fourth-floor balcony and was brought to a veterinarian who discovered he could not stand on his front legs.

The family made the decision to surrender Jersey to the Victoria BC SPCA since they could not afford the cost for the emergency surgery.

The kitten needed emergency hospitalization and pain management as he awaited a $2,000 surgery for his fractured elbow.

Jersey’s front right leg was amputated and he was bandage wrapped. He will be neutered once he is fully healed from the operation.

Staff at the Victoria branch say Jersey is a “such a trooper and so affectionate.” The SPCA say he loves to watch hockey in his foster family’s home.

Another kitten who fell from a high-rise, four-month-old Toast, was recently surrendered to the Vancouver Branch of the SPCA.

He required a femoral head and neck excision after falling five storeys from the window of his owner’s home.

The procedure will relieve Toast’s pain and help restore some function in his limb, at a cost of over $3,000.

Staff at the Vancouver Branch say that Toast “would still try and walk and cuddle up with a human” despite being in incredible pain.

His foster mom says he has a “great personality” and “purrs non-stop.”

The SPCA says that once Toast is fully recovered, he will be ready for adoption to his fur-ever home.

Anyone who wishes to contribute funds to help Jersey and Toast and other animals in need at the BC SPCA can visit spca.bc.ca/

The provincial government announced it will be spending over $30 million to improve Bamfield Road, a Vancouver Island access and logging route that has been the site of multiple fatal incidents.

The province is providing $25.7 million for the project, and the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, located at the end of Bamfield Road, is providing an additional $5 million.

Huu-ay-aht will manage the project with technical support from the consulting firm Urban Systems. The government says the Nation will also be providing in-kind resources including gravel from gravel pits on their treaty lands.

In September 2019, two UVic students were killed when a bus carrying a field trip to Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre rolled over on the logging road.

Eight members of the Huu-ay-aht Nation, which is only accessible by land via the road, have also died since Bamfield Road opened for public use.

“Most recently, we had one of our workers involved in an accident because there was too much dust,” Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor Robert J. Dennis Sr. said in a press conference on Friday.

“He hit the back of a logging truck. We’re glad that safety is going to be addressed.”

Improvements to the 76-kilometre stretch of road will include safety upgrades and hard surfacing the road with a seal coat.

Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Scott Fraser said that the project will provide key infrastructure in the region and credited Huu-ay-aht members for their role in bringing the issue to light.

“Huu-ay-aht First Nations have been advocating for these road improvements for many years,” said Fraser.

“Their partnership is central to this important project, which will support reconciliation goals, our treaty relationship and, most importantly, safer travel for Huu-ay-aht members to and from their community.”

The project is expected to take between two to three years to complete, however a start date for construction has not yet been announced.

Fraser said on Friday that the Bamfield Road improvements are part of the province’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan and will therefore begin in the near future.

When asked if telecommunication improvements will also be implemented in the area due to safety concerns with cell service, Fraser said the government is still examining the possibility.

Victoria Council voted to re-allow campers back into Centennial Square and limit the number of unhoused campers allowed at municipal parks on Thursday.

A motion put forward by Mayor Lisa Helps called for Centennial Square to be added to a list of areas prohibited to camping and was seconded by Councillor Thornton-Joe.

In debate on the motion, Helps said that she is opposed to homeless encampments in all public parks, but is especially opposed to camping in the downtown area due to their proximity to businesses.

“While there’s no good place for camping in any park in any city, there are some places that are worse than others,” said Helps.

“Our downtown businesses are struggling… things are only going to get worse for them, not better.”

Helps added she does not think homelessness and business are incompatible, but the central business district is not a good place to have people camping outside.

Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe seconded Helps’ motion and added that businesses with outlets in other municipalities are seeing people avoid Victoria’s downtown in favour of other locations.

“One of our businesses that has been downtown for many many years actually has a sign saying ‘we’re closing, we’re moving,’” said Thornton-Joe.

“We need to send the message that downtown is open for business, is helping with recovery.”

Helps’ motion was voted down by all other members of Council aside from Thornton-Joe.

Camping at municipal parks

Council voted to allocate an additional $94,528 to VicPD for a special duty patrol of parks. That motion passed with a minor amendment to receive monthly reports on the deployment and its success.

Council rejected a motion exploring the possibility of allowing encampments back to Royal Athletic Park and Central Park.

If and when campers return to Centennial Square, they will be subject to new COVID-19 guidelines from the City outlining mandatory distancing. Tents will be limited to an area of three square metres, with a minimum four metres of distance between each.

Council also passed restrictions that call for a larger buffer zone between tents and playgrounds, with a 50 metre buffer between schools and sheltering areas.

Daytime camping will also automatically expire 30 days after the Provincial State of Emergency ends.

These orders will take effect on Monday, September 14, 2020.

A man in his 60’s was airlifted to hospital for treatment after he was struck by a school bus in Duncan Friday morning.

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said in a statement that the collision occurred just before 8 a.m. on September 11 at the intersection of Beverly Street and the Trans-Canada Highway.

The man sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital, then airlifted to a neighbouring hospital for further treatment.

“Our thoughts are certainly with the pedestrian involved in this accident,” said Robyn Gray, Superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District.

“As you can imagine, this is extremely traumatic for our driver and staff as well and we’re working to support them while cooperating fully with the RCMP investigation. We are thankful that there were no students on the bus at the time of the incident.”

Police remained on scene with collision analysts and commercial vehicle safety officers to investigate the incident.

The North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP are asking that anyone who witnessed the incident contact them at 250-748-5522.

Those who wish to report information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers at cowichancrimestoppers.com to leave a tip online or call 1-800-222-8477.

On the first day that K-12 students returned to classrooms in B.C., a drunk driver was caught speeding in a school zone in Saanich.

In a statement released Friday morning, Saanich Police said a traffic cop was working at the school zone at Campus View Elementary in the 3900 block of Gordon Head Road at around 2:15 p.m. on September 10 when he encountered a black pickup truck speeding towards his zone.

The driver was recorded going 76 km/h in a posted 30 km/h school zone.

When the officer stopped the driver, he noted the smell of liquor on his breath and administered two roadside breath tests, both of which the driver failed.

The driver was issued a $368 ticket for excessive speeding, a 90-day immediate roadside driving prohibition, and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

“The decisions of this driver were careless and could have resulted in consequences far beyond fines, points or impounds,” said Cst. Markus Anastasiades in a statement.

“During a week where the emphasis is to welcome students back to school and promote the safety of everyone walking, cycling or driving to school, this certainly was a shocking [and] disappointing discovery.”

The District of Saanich is asking residents for feedback as it moves forward with its 2020 Climate Plan with a new Electric Mobility Strategy.

The public are invited to provide their thoughts through an online survey that outlines the draft of the strategy, including questions on Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, e-bikes and supports for businesses to adopt EV technology.

Responses will be used to finalize the Electric Mobility Strategy when it is presented to Saanich Council later in 2020.

The District of Saanich has set a goal of becoming a 100 per cent renewable energy community and cutting emissions in half by 2030, and to net zero by 2050—a goal shared by the federal government.

“As our residents may know, Saanich has made great progress on electric mobility and this ambitious strategy will see us well into the future,” said Mayor Fred Haynes.

“By following these proposed actions, we can be bold, ambitious and courageous, leading by example and driving closer to our net zero goal for 2050.”

The District says that transportation accounts for the majority of emissions in Saanich.

The Strategy calls for an expansion of the District’s public EV charging network, adding 20 new Level 2 charging stations at six municipal facilities and four Saanich parks in 2021.

New stations would be built with funding support from the Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

In 2019 Saanich replaced 10 hybrid cars and one pickup truck in its municipal fleet with fully electric vehicles. The District says that this transition saves them 8,700 litres of gasoline a year.

Lower maintenance costs on the vehicles also save between $10,000 to $15,000 over their lifespan.

Residents interested in offering their feedback on the Electric Mobility Strategy can find the survey and draft plan online at saanich.ca/climateplan.

The survey is open until September 27, 2020.

Smoky skies are back in Victoria Friday morning, along with an air quality index at its absolute worst for the second time this week.

As of 8 a.m. September 11—and ongoing—Victoria and Saanich have been shrouded in wildfire smoke and the Air Quality Health Index is up to 10+ which indicates “very high risk”.

This means those who are considered at risk — people with existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, young children, seniors, and pregnant women — are advised to avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

The general population is also asked to reduce or reschedule similar outdoor activities, especially if you experience symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation.

An AQHI rating of 7 or higher means there are high concentrations of smoke particles in the community.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement for Greater Victoria at around 11 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, warning that the region will be impacted by wildfire smoke for 24 to 48 hours.

The smoke has been wafting over from dozens of wildfires currently blazing all along the west coast of the United States. According to the most recent update, at least nine people have lost their lives to the fires.

These fires and ensuing smoke have also resulted in a series of dystopic images out of states like California and Oregon.

As for Victoria, the Air Quality Index is expected to stay at around an eight, which means ‘high risk’ for during the day on Friday, go down to a seven at night, and remain at seven—still a ‘high risk’ rating—on Saturday.

A second update from Environment Canada is expected to be released Friday.

VicPD arrested a man Thursday morning who broke two windows at a downtown apartment building and threatened occupants inside with a hammer.

Officers were called to the 700-block of Herald Street shortly before 7 a.m. to check on the well-being of a man.

A woman reported that the man was acting in a paranoid manner on the street and indicating that people were trying to harm him.

His behaviour escalated and the woman moved to a safe location in the lobby of a nearby multi-unit residential building.

Staff at the building locked the two glass doors at the entrance out of concern for their safety. The man then brandished a hammer and smashed the doors to gain entry.

He then chased after three women who ran from the lobby.

Officers responded immediately and arrested the man. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the glass and was taken to hospital for treatment and mental health assessment under section 28 of the Mental Health Act.

He remains in hospital.

The victims were not physically injured.

Police say the file remains under investigation and they are considering charges of mischief over $5,000 and assault with a weapon.

Three different fires on Vancouver Island forced road closures on and around Highway 1 Thursday afternoon.

According to Drive BC, a structure fire on Cedar Rd. in Nanaimo closed one Northbound lane as crews responded to the blaze around 1 p.m.

Further south on the Island, Emcon Services Inc. reported that two forest fires burning in the South Shawnigan area had forced a road closure, leaving Shawnigan Road completely inaccessible off of Highway 1.

In a tweet just before 2 p.m., Emcon added that crews from Malahat Volunteer Fire Department were working to contain the brush fires.

They did not yet have an estimate on when the road would reopen, and advised drivers to use alternate routes to access the area.