BC Ferries staff threatened at meeting
Why SR orcas attack porpoises, BC legislative session begins, winter tires for Malahat
Good morning !
We’ve got plenty of animal vs. animal content for you today—from theories on why Southern Resident orcas harass porpoises to a video of a seal battling an octopus, these complex underwater relationships are playing out in the Salish Sea.
Have you ever seen animals fighting each other on land or sea near the Island?
🌡️ Weather Forecast
Today: ⛅ 14 / 9
Tomorrow: ⛅ 15 / 9
Day after: ☀️ 19 / 9
🌫️ Air quality: Low risk today (2/10). Current smoke forecast.
🚘️ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Abuse, weapons threats to BC Ferries staff put public meetings on hold
BC Ferries abruptly cancelled all public community meetings and shifted local ferry committee meetings online Wednesday to protect employees citing a spike in aggression that includes gun threats and acts of vandalism.
Public notice about moving the Cortes Island and Quadra Island ferry advisory committee (FAC) meeting online, and the outright cancellation of a subsequent community town hall session happened within hours of the two events scheduled for mid-day and at 3:30pm respectively.
It’s not entirely clear if it was a single incident or a compilation of incidents at different events that caused the cancellations, said Diana Mumford, chair of the Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee.
However, a member of the public uttered threats involving the use of a gun at their FAC meeting in Gibsons on Sept. 20, she said.
Read more about the tense meeting where the threat was made.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Water main flushing commences today: Low pressure and discoloured water may occur in Colwood and Langford. The CRD advises that the water is safe.
BC fall legislative session begins today.
Winter tires now required on many major intercity routes on Island and in BC. [Details]
NEWS
Why Southern Resident orcas harass porpoises without eating them
Southern Resident orcas are known for their strict diet—the killer whales only eat chinook salmon and, despite the dwindling salmon population, refuse to branch out to other food sources like seals or porpoises.
But that doesn’t stop this small population of orcas from harassing these animals, behaviour that has long confused scientists. Since the early ’60s there have been instances of orcas from all three pods (J, K, L) attacking and sometimes killing porpoises without eating them. This behaviour first appeared with the L pod and was passed to the other two pods over generations.
A new study, compiling 60 years of interactions between Southern Resident orcas and porpoises in the Salish Sea, has found three possible explanations for this behaviour:
- Engaging in social play, to bond with other orcas in their pods.
- Hunting practise to hone skills needed to hunt salmon, since young porpoises are often the size of chinook salmon.
- Mismothering—these orcas may be picking out porpoises they believe to be weak or ill in an attempt to care for them. Scientists believe this could be tied to the high rate of pregnancy loss among Southern Resident orcas dealing with malnutrition.
By Robyn Bell
⭐️ Capital Picks
🏞️ 10 best spots to explore near Nanaimo this fall.
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Levidrome
Which two words spell each other backwards and are described by this clue: streetcar to the Kwik-E
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🗞️ In Other News
Quadriplegic man finishes cross-Canada bike ride in Victoria
Kevin Mills arrived Saturday after four months of hand cycling alongside his best friend, beginning in Cape Spear, Nfld. His journey helped raise funds to buy adaptive sports equipment for those in need, as well as raise awareness of accessibility on Canadian roads and trails. [CHEK]
Green leader Elizabeth May a candidate for speaker of House of Commons
Peninsula MP May’s name remains on the ballot for the recently vacated role despite her recent mild stroke, which put her on doctor’s orders not to fly to Ottawa. She will give her speech on the role virtually but will not be able to take part in the vote remotely. [Times Colonist]
Island tourism industry losing women each year
A new report shows that women in Victoria’s hospitality industry dropped 22% between 2019 and 2022, with 25% of women tourism employees saying they aren’t confident they will remain in the industry in the next 1-2 years. [Victoria News]
Major downtown rental development near Chinatown begins
One of the largest Victoria rental projects begins site preparation on Government, between Herald and Chatham. The two-building “Spencer Block” will house 280 units; the newly released BC housing targets expect Victoria to add nearly 5,000 new units in five years. [Citified]
🗓️ Things to do
🎹 Minsoo Sohn plays Rachmaninoff: See the renowned musician perform at Phillip T. Young Hall tonight at 7:30pm.
🩰 Dance Victoria presents New York’s world-class Gibney Company in a virtuosic mixed evening on November 17 & 18 at the Royal Theatre. Tickets at dancevictoria.com*
🎙️ Our friends at Van Tech Journal are hosting another big name entrepreneur! Join them on November 3 as they bring Sahil Bloom to town. Get on the waitlist for tickets.
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👀 In Case You Missed It
Seal vs. octopus: An Oak Bay seal shows off an impressive catch that is almost as big as it is. [Video]
Monday’s headlines: BC’s new COVID plan, for-profit LTC homes in BC investing less in patient care. [Oct. 2]
Victoria’s best burgers: The top 3 burger joints that readers like you voted on for Tasting Victoria’s 2023 awards.
Whale vs. whale: Humpbacks and orcas bickered near Nanaimo in a chase caught partly on video. [Times Colonist]