Halloween weekend is here

• Yes, of course!
• I don't really want to but I'll do something simple
• Never, not a costume person
• Forgot to buy/make one!

Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes

With Halloween not taking place until Tuesday, we get to enjoy an extended run of the spooky holiday starting this weekend. From dance parties and costume contests to candy giveaways and bonfires, there’s something for everyone—and everywhere—in the CRD.

Be sure to check out family-friendly activities like the haunted house at View Royal’s Fire dept, the firework show in Sooke and an afternoon of Halloween magic at Mayfair Mall.

For the adults looking to have a scary good time dancing, there will be a Barbie-themed costume party at Darcy’s in Langford, DJ sets in Victoria at The Hallway and Capital Ballroom, and more.

For more ideas to keep the Halloween spirit alive this week, check out the full lists—we have your roundup of all things wicked in the Westshore, including events in Colwood, Langford, Sooke, Esquimalt, Metchosin, and View Royal.

We’ve also updated our Halloween guide on Capital Daily.

Storms are likelier to bring down trees that endured this extremely dry summer, BC’s electricity provider said in a Friday release.

BC Hydro wrote that it has replaced 1,400 power poles and almost 90km of power lines since May, and expects that dead and damaged trees and branches will soon cause even more damage to lines. Some drought-affected trees also kept their leaves later, making it easier for branches to weigh down and break.

Trees and adverse weather cause more than half of outages in BC, the provider said.

BC Hydro also said that the drought put its hydroelectric generators’ reservoirs at below-normal levels, which has been resolved for the smaller south coast generators but not the northern and southeast ones. It says it is importing extra power in order to make up for this low-water year.

Of the 34 education professionals to receive the 2023 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education, these ones work in south and central Island schools.

Island recipients include:

• Heather Coey, teacher at Reynolds Secondary in Victoria, awarded for community engagement
• Angela McLeish, vice principal at St. Patrick’s Elementary in Victoria, awarded for school leadership
• Tanya Leech, head secretary at Q’shintul/Mill Bay Nature School in Cowichan Valley, awarded for outstanding support-school community
• Jolene Parsons, district inclusion assistant at David Cameron Elementary in Sooke, for best outstanding support teacher assistant
• Scott Stinson, superintendent of SD62 (Sooke School District), for district leadership
• Vanessa White, district principal of SD62 (Safe and Healthy Schools) for community engagement

Award recipients were selected after nominations were received in the spring from both the public and those in the education sector.

Each category had three recipients across BC, with every honouree receiving a $2K personal bursary and a $1K contribution to their school for professional learning—they also took home a commemorative trophy.