🌅 JazzFest sings the blues
Orange looks good on you today.
Good morning !
I sure hope the music fans of this city have more money to donate.
They saved Hermann’s last spring. Now another jazz institution needs help.
That’s our second story.
Our first is a solemn subject. Tomorrow is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
And there’s plenty to do.
A quick scheduling note: We are off tomorrow for the national holiday.
We’ll see you in your inbox Thursday morning.
— Mark
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Greater Victoria honours residential school survivors today and tomorrow
You’ll be seeing lots of orange today and tomorrow as the community honours those who made it home from Canada’s residential schools and those who didn’t.
An estimated 150K children were forced to attend 139 federally run residential schools from the time they first opened in 1831 until the last one—in Nunavut—closed in 1997. Officially, 4,117 children are confirmed to have died in residential schools, although due to incomplete or destroyed records, it’s widely believed that the number is much higher.
Tomorrow is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday to allow Canadians a moment to honour the strength, dignity and advocacy of survivors—and intergenerational survivors—of Canada’s colonialist past.
The 5th annual South Island Powwow anchors and highlights tomorrow’s event listings. Thousands will flock to Royal Athletic Park for the free, all-day celebration of resiliency. The gates open at 10am, with Grand Entries at noon.
Orange Shirt Day events today include campus-wide happenings at UVic, Royal Roads and Camosun. All three schools will be closed tomorrow for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation statutory holiday. Flags will be lowered to half-mast in honour of the many who suffered and continue to suffer.
For a listing of Truth and Reconciliation events in the area, please see this story.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Witnesses sought for alleged assault in Beacon Hill Park on Sunday. [VicPD]
Wanted man, Joel Reed, 36. Do not approach. [VicPD]
What’s closed tomorrow for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Federal, provincial and municipal government offices; schools, universities and libraries; and banks. Recreation centres on holiday schedules.
Free parking on city streets and in city parkades tomorrow. No garbage or organics pickup tomorrow. [City of Victoria]
Winter tires are required to drive Malahat and Highways 4, 14, and 28 as of Oct. 1.
Driving today? Check current traffic conditions on Google.
On the water today? Check the tide times for Victoria.
NEWS
TD Bank ends JazzFest sponsorship: Victoria Jazz Society launches $250K funding drive
After 23 years of sponsorship—including the last 16 as the title sponsor—TD Bank is making a big withdrawal.
The Victoria Jazz Society says without a replacement at this time, it “can’t guarantee that JazzFest International Victoria or our year-round concerts will continue.”
The Society is turning to music fans to pull a Hermann’s by raising $250K by the end of October.
“This one-time campaign will allow the Society to continue operations while we seek new sponsors and sources of funding and give the Society a solid foundation on which to continue presenting excellent live music in Victoria,” Darryl Mar, executive and artistic director of the Victoria Jazz Society, told Capital Daily.
Mar said the festival would continue with a 43rd edition next June if enough pledges are received, although the Society may have to reevaluate its format and size.
If the drive is not successful, the Society may have to close its doors and discontinue operations, “potentially permanently,” he said, which would result “in a significant blow to the city’s cultural and economic vitality.”
Mar pegged the festival’s economic impact to the area at more than $5 million.
“Most importantly, losing the Victoria Jazz Society and JazzFest International Victoria would mean the loss of a fundamental and diverse element of Victoria’s live music scene,” he said.
The Victoria Jazz Society first made the news public on Saturday at its presentation of Chris Botti at the Royal Theatre. Yesterday, it began sending emails to Society members to explain the situation and urge them to help “keep the music playing.”
The Victoria Jazz Society is a federally registered charity, so pledges of $10 and more are tax-deductible, it said.
As of last night, the funding drive had raised more than $33K toward its $250K goal.
Since 2022, TD has ended its long-running sponsorship of jazz festivals across Canada, starting with events in Vancouver and Ottawa. In 2024, it pulled its funding of festivals in Toronto and Calgary, and this year, it ended ties with events in Halifax and Winnipeg.
⭐️ Capital Picks
☑️ Oak Bay All-Candidates Meeting: Today, 7pm at Canadian College of Performing Arts.
🫎 "So well-acted. Absolutely hilarious." Women of the Fur Trade closes this Sunday—some performances are sold out. Get tickets here.*
💲The Price is Right Live on Stage tomorrow, 7pm, at the Royal Theatre.
🚀 Go—this is your moment. Advance on your own terms and build relevant skills with Continuing Studies at UVic.*
☑️ Voting information for municipal elections on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.
☑️ Voting information for provincial elections on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
📋 An injury, illness, or a hospital stay. The people helping ask, "Which pharmacy? Who has a spare key? Pet care?” This fill-in organizer keeps households running.*
*Sponsored Listing
🗞️ In Other News
Three quakes hit off the northern part of the Island in 7 hours
The first two struck just before 8pm and 10pm on Sunday, and the third rattled in just after 2am Monday. Each measured in the 5-magnitude range, at a depth of 10 kilometres, and roughly 200 km west-southwest of Port McNeill. There was no threat of a tsunami. Earthquakes Canada says shakers measured between magnitudes 3.5 and 5.4 are often felt, but they rarely leave any discernible damage. [CHEK]
Sooke wildfire is now at 337 ha and being held
The wet and cooler weather has helped firefighters battle the blaze burning just four kilometres west of the Sooke River near South Jack. The wildfire, discovered Sept. 20, covered 276 ha on Friday, had grown to 337 ha as of late yesterday, but crews are now reporting mostly smouldering ground fire with no open flames. The change in size is due to more detailed mapping of the perimeter and expected fire movement toward areas of containment. BC Wildfire said there is no current threat to homes or infrastructure. [CTV]
HMCS Max Bernays returns to CFB Esquimalt, reuniting families
The Arctic offshore patrol vessel—named after a chief petty officer and Second World War hero—is back in its home port after three months in the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The ship and crew completed a deployment in which it teamed with the US navy and coast guard. Sailor First Class Kieran Gardiner said the company of 98 “got to do a lot of really cool things, go to places that people can’t really go to.” But he said, “Nothing beats the feeling of coming home and getting back to my family.” [Times Colonist]
🗓️ Things To Do
🤱 The MotherFlock Mom Group: Helping moms build community, navigate shifting identities, and thrive during motherhood. Little Fenwood Gallery. Today. 10-11am. [Info]
🤙 Hip Hop Freestyle: Groove, Bounce & Rocking—4-Week Program. Open to all experience levels. No previous dance experience is required. Archer’s Community Hub. Today. 7-9pm. [Info]
🏢 Victoria Tenants Union Online Meeting: Welcoming newcomers who are interested in learning more about this tenant-led democratic movement. Online. Today. 7-9pm. [Info]
🥾 Bucket List #37: Cattle Point Scenic Loop Hike. The morning hike includes a trip to support the South Island Powwow. Cattle Point. Tomorrow. 8:30am. [Info]
📜🚲️ Poetry and Hip Hop by the Shore: Free bicycle-powered performances in Reeson Park by spoken-word poet Shauntelle Dick-Charleson and Hip Hop emcee Nikky E. Thursday. 5:30pm-6:30pm. [Info]
🎶🇮🇹 Concerto di Margherita: Italy. The Early Music Society of the Islands presents its season-opening concert featuring five multi-talented Italian musician-singers. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Thursday. 7:30pm. [Info]
🎼 Lunchtime Organ Music: With Assistant Music Director Mark McDonald and Calgary-based trumpeter Adam Zinatelli. Admission by donation. Christ Church Cathedral. Friday. 12:30-1:30pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Sunday’s headlines: Police march in BC Law Enforcement Memorial Parade; Weekly roundup; 22-storey tower approved for Douglas near Mayfair. [Sept 27]
Saanich double murder in 2022: Man found guilty in slayings of Stephanie Jade Elk and William Bradshaw. [Times Colonist]
25 years later, the disappearance of Sooke teen Jesokah Adkens remains a mystery. [CHEK]
Broadmead Hearing is offering some free services after the closure of Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centres in June. [CTV]
Victoria City Council calls for reinstatement of 2 rent supplement programs. [Black Press]