No good deed goes unpunished, or at least without a warning.

Central Saanich farmer Marko Kardum became a viral sensation during the “Snowmageddon” last night after being pulled over by the police for driving his Zamboni down the street.

Kardum said his intentions were to help clear the road so his Aunt could get her car out the next morning.

“It’s not like I was taking it for a joyride or anything like that,” 32-year-old Kardum told Victoria Buzz.

A concerned citizen phoned the police after seeing Kardum on his Zamboni.

“They (police) were coming because they thought I was making an ice rink,” Kardum said.

But after explaining to the Central Saanich Police that he was merely trying to help his Aunt, the police gave him a friendly warning and escorted him back to his property.

“The driver was very co-operative and had nothing but good intentions in helping clear the snow on the road. There was no damage. He was given a friendly warning and asked to return home, which was close by,” wrote Cpl. Dan Cottingham of the Central Saanich Police Service in an e-mail to Victoria Buzz.

Kardum bought the Zamboni for $300 in an auction. He said that he was only clearing the road 100 feet from his house.

When asked if he’d take the Zamboni for a ride again, Kardum seemed hesitant, “Not sure. Don’t get me wrong; I would love too… [but] the last thing I want to do is upset the police force.”

It’s going to turn into an extended long weekend for many students across Vancouver Island today as a host of schools have announced that they will be closed for the day due to snow.

A winter storm watch remains in effect. According to Environment Canada, the last Pacific storm this week is expected to arrive late Wednesday in the form of a strong warm front.

The front will move in from the south and spread warmer, moist air into the region Wednesday night.

With arctic air in place, there will be heavy snow initially Wednesday night along with a good chance of freezing rain. This will be followed by significant rainfall on Thursday.

• Saanich School District 63 is closed today.
• Pacific Christian School is closed today.
• The Lau-wel-new Tribal School in Brentwood Bay is closed.
• Sooke School District 62: are open but buses may be delayed. The bus going from Port Renfrew to Sooke is not running today.
• Both Camosun College campuses are open.
• Schools on Salt Spring Island are closed today.
• Schools in Victoria School District 61 are open.
• Schools in the Cowichan School district are closed today.
• Schools in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District 68 are open, but buses are not operating.

Currently being updated

Victoria Police are asking for your help in locating wanted man who was the subject of the search yesterday on Shelbourne Street that involved the Emergency Response Team.

Jason Krause, 32, has been charged with two offences, including assault and theft under $5000 and he is currently wanted.

He also has outstanding warrants in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Krause was the subject of the large police presence last night in the 2600-block of Shelbourne Street. Witnesses tell Victoria Buzz police are back at the home today.

“Out of an abundance of caution,  the Greater Victoria Emergency Response team was activated in an attempt to take Krause into custody safely. It was determined that Krause was not at the location and is currently outstanding,” police said in a media release.

Jason Krause is described as a 32-year-old white male, standing 5′ 11″ tall and weighing 170 pounds. He has blonde hair, blue eyes and a “sleeve” tattoo on his right arm.

If you see Jason Krause, do no approach police warn and call 911

The Dining Room at The Butchart Gardens has made it into the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2017!

The Dining Room is a perfect spot for romance with award-winning food, ambience and service. Lovers can dine in the original Butchart family residence while enjoying spectacular views of the Private Garden, or the Italian Garden and Tod Inlet.

The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2017 is based on an analysis of 480,000+ reviews of more than 1,900 restaurants across the country submitted by verified OpenTable diners. The Butchart Gardens restaurant was the only local establishment to make the cut.

The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) has filed a report to Crown Counsel for consideration of charges in connection with a fatal motor vehicle incident in Langford, according to a press release issued today.

On Tuesday April 5, 2016, Cst. Sarah Beckett was killed when her cruiser was hit by another vehicle at the intersection of Peatt Road and Goldstream Ave. The driver, Kenneth Jacob Fenton, faces five charges that include impaired driving causing death.

Prior to the collision, another RCMP officer (who is the subject of this investigation) attempted to pull over Fenton’s vehicle. Fenton did not stop and collided at the intersection resulting in the death of Cst. Beckett.

The focus of the IIO investigation relates to the actions of the RCMP officer who attempted to stop and pull over the civilian’s vehicle. The IIO’s investigation includes the circumstances surrounding the collision and the subsequent information provided by the subject officer to the RCMP.

The Chief Civilian Director of the IIO has completed his review of the investigative file and, pursuant to Section 38.11 of The Police Act, has forwarded a report to Crown for consideration of charges. This is required when the CCD considers that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment.

It should be noted that the threshold for referral to Crown is lower for the IIO than for other law enforcement agencies in the province.

The release states that the IIO does not make a recommendation on whether charges should be approved. The Criminal Justice Branch has jurisdiction over the charge assessment and charge approval process.

“In approving charges, the Criminal Justice Branch must be satisfied not only that an offence may have been committed, but that the commission of an offence can be proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt. Criminal Justice Branch policy provides that in making this assessment Crown Counsel will apply a two-part test:

1. There must be a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the investigating agency.
2. A prosecution must be required in the public interest.

Under these circumstances, no public report will be issued by the IIO and no further information will be provided.”

Three people were seriously injured in a head-on crash in Langford Wednesday.

The accident between a logging truck and car happened at around 3:10 p.m. in the 2800-block of Sooke Road, near the Luxton Fairgrounds.

West Shore RCMP said three individuals in the car, including a child, were taken to hospital with serious injuries but are non-life threatening.

The driver of the logging truck wasn’t injured.

Sooke Rd was closed to traffic in both directions until 10 p.m. while an RCMP Traffic Analyst attended and investigated the crash.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to contact West Shore RCMP or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Spencer Hunt, 20, is recovering in hospital after spending two nights lost in the wilderness near Ammonite Falls in Nanaimo.

The Victoria man who was not prepared to spend the night in the woods, survived by drinking creek water, hunkering down in a cave and walking.

Hunt was spotted by a search helicopter just before noon Monday after the pilot saw him waving his arms.

Hunt hiked away from the rest of the group he was with, and before he realized he was lost, it was too difficult to retrace his steps.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

The plan to give Colwood Corners a facelift looks to be moving ahead after the city received updated development plans just before Christmas. The project will add almost 500 residential rental units as well as 14,200 square meters of “commercial floor area.”

Onni Group, a Vancouver-based company that specializes in residential development, purchased the property in 2014. Preliminary plans were submitted to Colwood Council, by Onni Group, in October of 2015.

The project’s first phase will include the construction of eight buildings, which will provide 276 rental apartments and 14,200 square feet of commercial space. The second phase will see two more residential buildings constructed with 201 units, which may be a combination of condominiums and rentals.

A bicycle lane will also be added to Sooke Road near the development, the architecture and look will be updated, and London Drugs will be updated to look more modern.

There will also be improvements made to the outdoors area, including additional benches, lighting and the addition of a children’s play area.

The development permit still needs to finalized, and Colwood Council still needs to approve the final steps officially. It’s expected that Council will resume the discussion sometime in “February or March at the latest.”

A 72-year-old cyclist remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries after a collision involving a car Sunday evening in Victoria.

The accident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Hillside Avenue at Cook Street. The man was riding an electric bicycle.

Police say the cause of the crash has yet to be determined and it’s too early to determine if charges will be laid. The driver is cooperating with police.

Witnesses who saw the accident tell Victoria Buzz the cyclist ran the red light and collided with the vehicle.  

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call Victoria Police’s non-emergency line at 250-995-7654

Puget Sound Radio is reporting that award-winning Steve Duffy and C-FAX have parted ways.

Duffy, a 44-year radio veteran in Victoria, was on-air this morning for his last shift, according to a Puget Sound Radio source. It is unclear if Duffy was advised his service was no longer needed before or after his final shift.

Duffy has been with Bell Media’s C-FAX AM1070 for the past decade and previously worked for OK Radio’s CKXM and 100.3 the Q.

Duffy wrote a daily sports comment on the C-FAX website; his last one was posted today where he talked about the old format of the NHL all-star game. He also covered the sports and the headlines twice an hour next to Al Ferraby.

Duffy’s termination is part of another wave of Bell downsizing across the province.

“Other recent changes at C-FAX News, include the full-time hiring of radio news veteran Kim Emerson to do the morning news. The appointment of former morning anchor Ryan Price to the News Director’s position, and the addition of Kamloops radio veteran Sandy Bell to the newsroom staff,” Puget Sound Radio wrote in their article.

The Calgary Police Service is seeking public assistance in locating a woman wanted on outstanding warrants.

Kassidy Taylor Batchelor, 21, is currently wanted on outstanding warrants for firearms-related offences and for breaching a recognizance.

Police says she has ties to Victoria and may be in the area.

Batchelor is Caucasian, 5’4” tall, 130 pounds, with blond hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

A 37-year-old Esquimalt man is likely regretting his decision in a Saanich parking lot on Thursday night after accidentally stabbing himself.

The man who was parked at Pearkes Arena returned to his vehicle to find that another car had parked extremely close to his.

Out of frustration he allegedly retrieved a knife and punctured a tire of the “offending” vehicle.

“Clearly the man was unfamiliar with the physics behind his actions, as not only did he puncture the tire, but he ended up stabbing himself too,” A/Sgt. Jereme W Leslie said in a release.

According to police, the man realizing how severe the stab wound was, started to drive himself to the hospital before stopping to call an ambulance due to heavy bleeding and loss of blood.

His self-inflicted stab wound required immediate surgery after he severed an artery in his leg.

Saanich Police is asking for any witnesses to call the Saanich Police at 250-475-4321.

A cyclist has been taken to Victoria General Hospital with serious head injuries after colliding with a minivan in North Saanich around noon today.

The cyclist was travelling down a hill on East Saanich Road near Lowe Road when a white van travelling the opposite direction turned left in front of the cyclist.

The 68-year-old cyclist crashed through the passenger side window, shattering the vehicle’s window and the cyclist’s helmet. Police say he was unconscious but breathing when they arrived. He was rushed to Victoria General Hospital in critical condition.

The 17-year-old driver of the vehicle is co-operating with investigators. Police have ruled out alcohol, drugs and cellphone use as a factor in the accident.

East Saanich Road was closed for several hours while RCMP collision analyst investigated, but it has since reopened.

A 20-year-old man sustained life-threatening injuries after being struck by an out of control vehicle in Saanich Wednesday evening.

Saanich Police believes the driver of a 1999 Black Chevrolet Tracker travelling east on Cedar Hill X Rd suffered a medical event, when it crossed into oncoming traffic, jumped the sidewalk and hit a pedestrian.

The vehicle came to rest in a yard after crashing through a fence at the corner of Cedar Hill X Road and Marjean Place.

The pedestrian was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle remained on scene until police arrived and was also taken to the hospital.

The area was closed to traffic for several hours while a crash analyst team investigated the scene.

Police ask anyone that witnessed the accident to call Saanich Police at 250-475-4321.

More than five million international tourists arrived in British Columbia between January and November of last year, according to Stats Canada numbers released Wednesday.

That’s a 12.2% increase over the same time frame in 2015.

November 2016 alone saw a 13.1% increase in international visitors arrivals compared to the same period in 2015 –  a total of 31,675 more visitors.

“Tourism is a key economic driver in B.C., and the latest numbers show that more than five million international visitors selected British Columbia as their destination of choice last year,” said Shirley Bond, BC’s Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. “This data shows the impact that our tourism industry has on our economy, creating jobs and
helping to keep B.C. diverse, strong and growing.”

Notable increases in tourist traffic in November 2016

• Australia – up 59.5%
• Mexico – up 34.8%
• France – up 19.7%
• Japan – up 13%
• United States – up 12.1%
• India – up 8.1%
• China – up 3.9%

Statistics also show a growing number of visitors from China have been coming to BC.

Year-to-date figures for 2016 show an increase of 18.5% (46,170 in total) visited BC during the first 11 months of 2016.

In December, a new flight from Beijing Capital Airlines began service between Vancouver and Hangzhou, via Qingdao.

China Eastern’s non-stop service to Nanjing, China also was announced in December. This year-round service will operate three times weekly to Nanjing Lukou International Airport.

Travel from India grew by 8.4% from January to November 2016. This increase is due in part to Air Canada’s direct flight from Vancouver to Delhi.

B.C.’s tourism industry employed over 127,700 people in 2015, in 19,000
tourism businesses throughout the province, the province said.

2016 was a record-breaking year for Victoria International Airport. Recent numbers released showed the airport served 1,856,421 passengers – that’s up by 8.5 per cent from the previous record set in 2015.

Tenants living at 2626 Cook St. received eviction notices after being notified that the property owners intend to renovate the entire building.

The eviction notices give residents 60 days to move-out and find alternative housing, but this may be a challenge given Victoria’s low vacancy rate.

“With a less than 1 percent rental rate, it is unlikely that anyone will find a place in the two months time that the residency Act allows for… The money that will be required for movers and other costs will make it almost impossible for some of the tenants to meet these deadlines,” said Richard Gillett, a current resident of 2626 Cook St.

Headwater Projects, the Vancouver-based company that owns the building, told the TimeColonist that the building will be completely renovated, and will therefore need to be completely empty for 6-months.

“In terms of major renovations being the only option, I think you need to appreciate that it is a rare exception that all this old stock has been maintained and repaired over the 40-60+ years of its life and now it has reached the point where either complete teardown of major renovations (to the studs) is necessary. There’s asbestos, mold and other health and safety issues,” said David Hutniak, CEO of LandlordBC.

Although these notices are legal, many still suggest that these “renovictions” are cause for greater concern.

“In the context of Victoria’s housing crisis, the ‘renovictions’ at 2626 Cook Street are particularly devastating. The potential displacement of 32 families exemplify the need for stronger protection of tenant’s rights,” said Emily Rogers, a Legal Advocate for the Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS).

Previously the NDP has, unsuccessfully, tried to pass a private members’ bill increasing the protection of tenants.

Three people were arrested and later released after Victoria police raided a marijuana dispensary on Fisgard Street.

Police say the search warrant is part of an investigation that began after 30 pounds of marijuana was discovered on a commercial flight earlier this month.

The investigation into the unlicensed marijuana storefront continues and investigators have noted that Health Canada has not licensed this storefront for sales.

“We are unable to comment further on any items seized, as our investigation is ongoing,” police said in a statement. “This search warrant does not represent a change in our approach to marijuana storefronts.”

More details to come.

Victoria Police is asking for public assistance to help locate a missing woman.

Ashley Ludwig, 27, was last seen in the 1900-block of Bay Street. Ludwig has a medical condition which requires immediate treatment.

“Officers need to locate her soon,” said Bowen Osoko, the head of community engagement for Victoria Police.

Ludwig is described as 5’4″ with long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a jean jacket, black tank top, and black tights.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact police at  (250) 995-7654.

The year 2016 was a record-breaking year for the Victoria International Airport.

YYJ served 1,856,421 passengers at the airport last year. That’s up by 8.5 per cent from the previous record of 1,710,825 in 2015.

Geoff Dickson, president and chief executive officer of the Victoria Airport Authority, credits the growth increase because of  “consistently strong growth among our domestic air carriers because of consistently high growth among their domestic air carriers.”

New Delta Air Lines service to Seattle boosted the trans-border passenger numbers, and higher capacity in charters heading to sunny climates during winter increased international traffic.

“The challenge now is to continue to facilitate and enable continued growth through prudent and timely infrastructure investments,” Dickson said.

The airport plans to double the size of the lower departures area to provide more seating and provide better options for food and retail.

Also scheduled for 2017 are improvements to the airport’s secondary runway, identified as 14-32, which includes approach lighting for aircraft and can handle operations of smaller turboprops and jets.

The runway will be resurfaced and grooved, a practice that improves operations during wet weather, and lighting replaced with modern LED variants.

Victoria International Airport is the 10th busiest airport in Canada with more than 100 daily flights throughout North America.

If you thought Victoria’s housing prices were unaffordable – you were right. An annual international survey has rated Victoria the least affordable smaller housing market in the country.

The Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey measures affordability of housing markets by comparing *median house prices to median household incomes, using the Median Multiple. This is obtained by dividing median house prices by median household income.

This Median Multiple has historically hovered around a value of 3 and markets are deemed unaffordable above that rating. The report notes, “For metropolitan areas to rate as ‘affordable’ and ensure that housing bubbles are not triggered, housing prices should not exceed three times gross annual household earnings.”

With a median annual household income of $67,300 and median house price of $542,400, Victoria was rated 8.1, or “severely unaffordable”. Meaning prices are 8 times higher than Victoria household incomes.

As in all of the previous surveys, Vancouver is rated as having the worst housing affordability in Canada. With a rating of 11.8, the city is “severely unaffordable.”

Vancouver also has the dubious honour of being the third least affordable major housing market in the world. The report notes that Vancouver’s house prices rose the equivalent of a full year’s household income in only a year. It follows Hong Kong in first place with a Median Multiple of 18.1, and Sydney at second, with 12.2.

Among major markets, Canada is “seriously unaffordable” with a score of 4.7, with no affordable major markets in the country.

Moncton, New Brunswick, has a Median Multiple of 2.1 making it the most affordable city for housing in Canada.

As the report notes, high housing prices have serious consequences for residents, “The higher house prices reduce discretionary incomes, which reduces potential standards of living and raises relative poverty rates.” Resulting in house poor citizens spending disproportionate amounts of income on home ownership instead of in their communities.

*Note: The median is the middle point of a number set, in which half the numbers are above the median and half are below.

Victoria police are searching for the driver of a white mid-size SUV, possibly a Subaru, involved in a hit-and-run Friday evening that sent one person to hospital.

Police say the accident occurred around  5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Bay Street and Cedar Hill Road.

The driver of the vehicle fled the scene, leaving the cyclist with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police believe the vehicle will have minor front-end damage.

Anyone with information is asked to call the VicPD non-emergency line at (250) 995-7654.

When one door closes, another one opens.

Lush Cosmetics may have packed up its shop at 1003 Government Street but is getting ready to re-open in June 2017, just a short walking distance away from its original location of ten years.

Now located at 1020 Government Street, Lush Cosmetics tells Victoria Buzz the new concept shop will be bigger and better at 1,300 square feet, more than two times the average Lush store!

“We are very excited about our new large format location in Victoria,” said Elisa Torres, Lush’s Director of Retail. “Bigger shops, thoughtfully designed with the customer experience in mind, provide more space to demonstrate our ethics, playfully interact with our customers, and present our new and ever growing product range.”

Taking inspiration from Lush’s 10,000 square foot store on Oxford Street in London, the retail design gives new meaning to the vintage charm.

The store is filled with one-of-a-kind, salvaged and reclaimed furniture that has been sourced from all over North America. They will be keeping as much of the shops’ historic charm in tact as possible, including the towering archways, hanging pendant lights, and original, open-face, brick walls from when the shop space was a bank in the 1800’s.

This unique design concept of working from reclaimed materials reduces waste, ultimately cutting back on Lush’s environmental footprint, a value important to the brand.

Plus, the neutral tones of the interior contrast perfectly with the rainbow bright colours of Lush’s product range, including its signature bath bombs, a Victorian favourite.