VillageNow

The Jayhawks - Feb 11 at Club9one9 #yyjmusic @the_jayhawks @CLUB9ONE9 @LylesPlace

2012-01-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Jayhawks

with opening guests... Abigail Washburn

Club 9ONE9

Saturday, February 11, 2012

919 Douglas St. Victoria BC (Below Strathcona Hotel)

Doors 6:00pm - Show 7:00pm - EARLIER SHOW

Tickets: $35.00 advance / $40 Door

Available at: http://www.hightideconcerts.net/, Lyle's Place 770 Yates St. and Ditch Records 784 Fort St. and Mcpherson Box Office 250-386-6121

The Jayhawks website: http://www.jayhawksofficial.com/

Abigail Washburn website: http://www.abigailwashburn.com/

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

#Camosun Chargers take on No. 1 Mariners in push for #PACWEST playoffs @CamosunChargers

2012-01-31T14:58:00.000-08:00

Chargers basketball teams take on No. 1 Mariners in push for PACWEST playoffs

With only three weeks of league competition remaining before the PACWEST Provincial Championships, the Camosun College Chargers basketball teams are buckling down to secure their respective places in the playoffs.

For the Chargers women basketball team who is currently 6-6 and No. 5 in the standings, the next three weeks will be crucial as the squad prepares to take on the conference’s top teams.

"We need to get one more win in the next three weeks to guarantee us a spot in the playoffs, but where we are going to get that win is the tough question we need to answer,” said Chargers Head Coach Brett Westcott. “We have four league games left to play against the top four teams in the conference. We have been competitive with all of them, but in the end we have always managed to mess up at the end of games to lose. If we hope to make the playoffs we need to put together four quarters of quality basketball. Hopefully that goal gets achieved at some point during the next three weeks, but we have only ourselves to blame for being in this uncomfortable position."

The Chargers women could not have a tougher schedule heading into the playoffs and it all begins this Saturday as the team faces off against the No. 1 VIU Mariners in Nanaimo. But while Camosun may look like the underdog in the battle against the 11-1 conference leaders, the competition is not taking any chances.

“Camosun is always tough,” said Mariners Head Coach Bill McWhinnie in an interview with the Nanaimo Daily News. “The standings don’t matter, these games are close. They are very well coached and they play hard.”

Following their match up with VIU, the Chargers women are scheduled to face UNBC (#2), followed by Quest (#4) and Capilano (#3).

On the men’s side, the 9-3 Chargers are making steady progress and climbed up one spot in the PACWEST standings to No. 2 this week. And though the team does not have the pressure of taking on the league’s Top 4 in their final games approaching the playoffs, there is still a lot work to be done according to Chargers Head Coach Craig Price.

“Record-wise, we are doing very well,” commented Coach Price. “But there are a number of things we need to do to improve and continue to be successful against the best teams. In general, we need to stop bad habits and show more discipline both offensively and defensively. We also need to be tougher mentally and learn how to put opponents away when the opportunity arises.”

Like their female counterparts, the Chargers men will be taking on the PACWEST’s No. 1 team as they face off against the Mariners in Nanaimo this Saturday. With an 11-1 record and a fourth-place CCAA National ranking, the VIU men will not go down easily. But as the league has seen this year, anything can happen as it did earlier this season when the Douglas College Royals (currently ranked sixth) handed VIU their first and only loss of the season in a contest that went 84-68.

“I think playing at VIU will be very tough for us,” said Coach Price. “Many of the things I have mentioned are going to be put to the test this coming weekend!”

Catch the PACWEST basketball action on SportsCanadaTV this Saturday as Camosun takes on the No. 1 VIU Mariners! Women at 6pm; men at 8pm.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Free #Acupuncture Day & Documentary Screening Feb 5th #yyj @AIDSVanIsle

2012-01-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY Feb. 5th

9:00am-1:00pm – FREE Community Acupuncture treatments (last appt 12:20pm)

BOOK ONLINE to reserve your spot (Select “Feb 5 FREE Acu” from the drop down menu & scroll to Feb. 5). Walk-ins are welcome!

2:00-3:00pm – Screening of “Community Acupuncture: the calmest revolution ever staged”, a film by Brian Lindstrom (Portland, OR), followed by Q&A.

4:00-5:00pm – Hatha/Flow yoga with Carly Lauder, by donation.

Space limited, please arrive early to avoid disappointment. A great opportunity to try out Heart & Hands yoga!

For all events, donations will be graciously accepted in support of our community partners, AIDS Vancouver Island (AVI) and Victoria Youth Homelessness Summit. Donations for cold weather items will also be accepted for AVI’s Street Outreach, read here for a detailed list of items.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Lane Closure westbound on Mckenzie between Gordon Head Rd & Fleet St Feb 6-27 #yyjtraffic

2012-01-31T14:05:00.000-08:00

Lane Closure

Starting on Monday, February 6, 2012 through to Monday, February 27, 2012 there will be a westbound curb lane closure on McKenzie Avenue between Gordon Head Road and Fleet Street. The westbound curb lane will remain closed for the duration.

Please obey the direction of the signs. All vehicles will have access.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Driving 5kmh leads to a driver being arrested for impaired #yyj @Saanichpolice

2012-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

At about 8pm on Friday evening, January 24th, the driving behaviour of a white Pontiac Grand Am, attracted the attention of witnesses who contacted the Victoria Police. Unable to locate the vehicle, the plate was shared with departments regionally.

Then just after 10pm, a 911 caller reported concerning driving behaviour to Saanich Police. Apparently the same car was honking and all over the road almost striking the curb.

When a Traffic Safety Unit officer caught up to the vehicle, it was found driving 5km per hour in the 4000 block of Quadra street.

The driver appeared intoxicated to officers, especially when her head appeared to fall forward like she was falling asleep. The driver provided breath samples which revealed almost 2 ½ times the legal limit!

The driver is a 27 year old Saanich resident. Suggested charges include

• Impaired Operation of a Vehicle, and

• Operation of a vehicle with Over 80mg of Alcohol.

Apparently she may have been the designated driver for some friends earlier in the evening…..

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Victoria Pride presents "WHAT!" benefit, variety show & auction Mar 25 #yyjevents @VictoriaPride

2012-01-31T14:01:00.000-08:00

"WHAT!"

A Benefit, Variety Show, & Auction

March 25

530pm-10ish

In support of South Island Pride Center; Victoria Pride is pleased to present an evening bursting with entertainment (such as the fabulous Miss Rosie Bitts), delish food (From The Reef!) and just enough sassy class to make for one heck of a night out.

For the itty-bitty cost of a $50 ticket you will not only make change and provide much needed support to our LGBTQ youth here in Victoria; you will do so dressed in your finest duds all while schmoozing with other like minded fantastic folk who want to do the same!

For more information and to purchase your tickets (They are limited!) please visit http://www.southislandpride.com/

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Renata Young Next Live Show in #yyj Feb 3 #yyjmusic

2012-01-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

Renata Young & Heartfelt Folk

James Bay Coffee and Books

Friday, February 3rd.

Friday, February 3rd, 8pm @ JAMES BAY COFFEE AND BOOKS (143 MENZIES ST)

Saturday, February 11th @ THE 3RD ANNUAL SONGWRITER'S SHOWCASE

(Knox Presbyterian Church, 2964 Richmond Road)

For more information, please visit http://www.renatayoung.ca/

& www.jamesbaycoffeeandbooks.com/heartfelt-folk.html

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Scam Artist Returned to Victoria to Stand Trial #yyj @Vicpdcanada

2012-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

File # 11-30307
Date: Tuesday January 31, 2012

Victoria BC – Richard William Patterson, the man accused of bilking a 90-year-old Victoria senior out of hundreds of thousands of dollars will appear in court again today after being on the run from police earlier this year.

Patterson was the subject of a Canada Wide Warrant after he breached his court ordered conditions and left Vancouver Island in an attempt to avoid facing his charges in court.

Patterson was located on Monday, January 23rd in Norway House Manitoba, almost 950 Km North of Winnipeg, by the Manitoba Integrated Warrant Apprehension Unit after receiving information from VicPD. He was arrested later that week by the Norway House RCMP and transported back to Winnipeg to be escorted back to Victoria by the BC Sheriffs Fugitive Escort Team.

“A great deal of thanks goes to the efforts of the Winnipeg Police Service and the Manitoba Integrated Warrant Apprehension Unit for their cooperation and assistance in locating the suspect in less than 5 days from the time assistance was requested by us,” said Cst. Rick Anthony of VicPD, lead investigator, “Especially seeing that Patterson had tried to hide in such a remote town in Northern Manitoba.”

Patterson will appear in court today to answer to his new charges of breaching his court order.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Vancouver's Prairie Dance Club in #yyj Feb10 for Anti-Valentine's Triple Bill #yyjmusic

2012-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Prairie Dance Club, James Kasper & The Sound, Colin Craveiro.

Friday February 10, 2012. 8pm Doors.

Felicita's, University of Victoria Student Union Building.

Tickets: $7 at the door.

Info: Kasper Creative Media, Ph: 250-885-5988.

On Friday, February 10, on-the-rise roots rockers Prairie Dance Club will be in Victoria for a triple bill with two other roots-rock units from Victoria, James Kasper & The Sound and Colin Craveiro (who fronts 7-piece band Man Made Lake when he's not a solo act). The concert will take place at Felicita's Pub on the University of Victoria campus, and "Anti-Valentine's" will be the theme of the evening - a fun and light-hearted musical protest to the over-commercialism of Valentine's Day.

Prairie Dance Club is an alternative folk rock quartet which formed in the fall of 2007. Since that time they have completed a full length album as well as a 5-song EP which was released in the fall of 2010. In their short history, they have shared the stage with established and up-and-coming Canadian artists such as Tom Wilson, Lee Harvey Osmond, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, Arkells, Flash Lightnin and Armchair Cynics. The band has had their music in TV shows such as America's Next Top Model and MTV'S 16 and Pregnant. Their song "Spring" was also featured in the PBS series Road Trip Nation. They were also a top ten finalist in The Shore 104.3's Song Search competition for 2011.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Cook Street Playground Open House Tomorrow #yyjevents @Cityofvictoria

2012-01-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

VICTORIA, BC — Tomorrow, children and their parents are invited to drop by an open house to learn more and “show and tell” City Parks planners the type of play equipment they would like to see included in the Cook Street Playground in Beacon Hill Park. The open house was rescheduled to February 1 due to snow earlier this month.

Close to one hectare in size, the playground is located between Cook Street and Nursery Road, across from the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club. This year, the City of Victoria will upgrade the aging playground equipment to meet national safety standards and to better meet the needs of the community.

RESCHEDULED OPEN HOUSE – Help Us Improve Cook Street Playground in Beacon Hill Park

Wednesday, February 1, 2012, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Victoria Lawn Bowling Club (located off Nursery Road in Beacon Hill Park)

Registration is not required. Refreshments will be served.

Parents and children will have the opportunity to view displays and place stickers next to their favourite play equipment; draw their vision for the play area; meet Parks planners and ask questions; suggest park improvements for the enjoyment of the community, and complete a short survey.

To view the information panels and participate in a survey online, visit: http://www.victoria.ca/ and click on What’s New? The survey will be open until Monday, February 13, 2012.

Public input will help inform an illustrated concept that will be presented to the community for feedback at an open house on March 7. The playground improvements are expected to be underway this fall and will help celebrate Victoria's 150th anniversary.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Traffic Advisory: Lane Obstructions in front of 4634 West Saanich Rd Jan 30-Feb 1 #yyjtraffic

2012-01-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

Traffic Advisory

Starting on Monday, January 30, 2012 through to Wednesday, February 1, 2012 there will be lane obstructions in front of 4634 West Saanich Road.

Work is scheduled to start at approximately 9:00 am and is expected to continue until 4:30 pm. All vehicles will have access.

There will be traffic control people on site to assist with traffic control. Please obey their directions and all traffic signs.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Anti-Bullying Charity Now Accepting Applications for National Scholarship @BullyingCanada

2012-01-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

Kitchener, Ont- BullyingCanada, Canada's National Anti-Bullying Charity is now accepting applications for the organizations Scholarship Program.

The scholarship is open to students in their final year of high school who have worked to end bullying in their schools and communities to aid them with their post secondary education. The first round has 3 $100.00 scholarships, with more to follow in the months to come.

The deadline for applications is March 1st. For more information, please speak to your school, or contact BullyingCanada. Applications can be downloaded online at: http://www.bullyingcanada.ca/ or can be requested by telephone at: 1-877-352-4497

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Victoria Cougars host Saanich Braves this Thursday #yyjsports #hockey @CougarsJuniorB

2012-01-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

VICTORIA COUGARS HOST THE SAANICH BRAVES

THIS THURSDAY

The Victoria Cougars face the Saanich Braves for the eighth and final time this Thursday.

Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Road, is 7:15 p.m.

Victoria leads the season series 5-2-0-0 after knocking off the Braves 6-1 on Dec. 22.

Thursday’s game will showcase the top two scorers in the VIJHL – Brody Coulter of the Cougars and Ty Jones of Saanich.

Coulter leads all scorers with 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points. Jones, whose Braves tangle with the Peninsula Panthers on Wednesday, currently sits three points back with 30 goals and 33 assists.
Having recorded at least a point in 34 of his 37 contests, Coulter enters the game on a five game point streak. The Victoria captain has accumulated nine points during that span.

As of Monday, Jones has been left off the score sheet seven times this season which includes being held to without a point in his last two games. The Saanich captain has had five five-point games, two four-point games, four three-point games, seven two-point games, and four one-point games.

Both players have almost an identical scoring line. In seven games against the Braves, Coulter has five goals and five assists. Jones, who has also played seven games against the Cougars, has five goals and four assists.

Posing a threat to the scoring title is Victoria’s Steve Axford who sits six points back of Coulter and three points back of Jones.

The Cougars (31-5-0-1) shoot for their 12th straight victory on Thursday.

Mark Van Helvoirt and his troops made it 11 in a row last Friday following its 10-1 win over the Campbell River Storm.

Chris Bannister and Sam Rice led the way with two goals while Connor Stephens, Jacob Nixon, Colin Minardi, Robert Zadra, Wade Johnson, and Axford each added singles.

Making the start in net was Evan Roch who stopped 27-of-28 shots for his 12th win of the season.

Saanich (17-14-0-4) has been inconsistent as of late.

Since Jan. 6, the Braves roller coaster ride includes a 6-2 win over the Kerry Park Islanders, a 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders, a 6-2 win over Campbell River, a 5-4 loss to the Storm, a 6-3 win over Peninsula, a 4-3 loss to the Comox Valley Glacier Kings, and most recently a 3-1 win over Kerry Park last Saturday.

Barring a victory Wednesday, the last time Saanich strung two wins together was from Nov. 18-25.

Tanner McGaw has been a workhorse for the Braves. The former Victoria Grizzlies goaltender has played a league leading 1,713 minutes.

STANDINGS: Victoria – 1st place, 63 points, South Island Division. Saanich – 2nd place, 38 points, South Island Division

TEAM LEADERS: Victoria – Brody Coulter, 27 goals; Brody Coulter, 39 assists; Robert Zadra, 129 penalty minutes. Saanich – Ty Jones, 30 goals; Ty Jones, 33 assists; Nickolas Vanstone, 88 penalty minutes

GOALTENDERS: Victoria – Bryce Halverson (2.00 goals against average, .917 save percentage); Evan Roch (2.68 goals against average, .891 save percentage). Saanich – Tanner McGaw (3.57 goals against average, .900 save percentage); Bowman Rutledge (3.81 goals against average, .884 save percentage)

SEASON SERIES: Cougars lead, 5-2-0-0

PAST RESULTS/FUTURE MEETINGS:

September 29, 2011. Saanich Braves 2 @ Victoria Cougars 8
October 14, 2011. Victoria Cougars 3 @ Saanich Braves 2
October 27, 2011. Saanich Braves 2 @ Victoria Cougars 5
October 28, 2011. Victoria Cougars 3 @ Saanich Braves 5
November 25, 2011. Victoria Cougars 2 @ Saanich Braves 4
December 16, 2011. Victoria Cougars 8 @ Saanich Braves 3
December 22, 2011. Saanich Braves 1 @ Victoria Cougars 6

HOME/AWAY RECORDS: Victoria – Home, 16-1-0-1. Saanich – Away, 7-9-0-1

STREAKS: Victoria, 11-0-0-0. Saanich, 1-0-0-0
LAST TEN: Victoria, 10-0-0-0. Saanich, 4-5-0-1

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

CRD Announces Appointment of Senior Manager, Salt Spring Island

2012-01-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

January 30, 2012

Victoria, BC – At its inaugural meeting on January 11, 2012, the Capital Regional District’s Board approved a Senior Manager and other staffing changes for Salt Spring Island. The senior position will oversee and support existing CRD services and functions on the island, including water and wastewater, transportation, economic development and parks and recreation. Other functions could be included in the longer term, subject to efficiencies and community needs.

“I am pleased to announce the staffing changes”, said Salt Spring CRD Director, Wayne McIntyre. “The new position and supporting staff will improve the coordination and support of services on the island, providing Salt Spring residents with an enhanced level of service and the CRD with a stronger local presence. This is an investment in our community that is expected to realize dividends.”

In the Salt Spring Electoral Area there are a number of CRD services including sewage, water, transportation, community parks and recreation that have become increasingly more demanding, particularly on off-island CRD resources. As well as more local support, the staffing changes will address this demand by providing additional coordination between CRD functions on the island. All commissions that currently oversee functions will remain as advisory to the CRD Director and the Senior Manager.

Kees Ruurs, presently Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation Manager, will be assuming the Senior Management position on April 2, 2012 and will report to Kelly Daniels, the CRD Chief Administration Officer. A Senior Civil Engineer will be hired on a full time basis and will be responsible for local services utility and transportation initiatives on the island, as well as project management and other technical support services. Much of this work is presently provided by staff travelling to the island. In addition, a Parks and Recreation Manager will be hired to handle operational matters.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

#Camosun Chargers on the Road February 3-4 #yyjsports @Camosunchargers

2012-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

While the Camosun College Chargers volleyball teams took a bye from PACWEST action this past weekend, their basketball counterparts worked the boards hard at home on Friday and Saturday against the visiting Douglas College Royals and the Columbia Bible Bearcats.

Sweeping the weekend with four solid wins (Fri: Women 60-48; Men 84-76 and Sat: Women 93-40; Men 116-102), the Chargers remain in the conference’s Top 6 teams as the push for the PACWEST playoffs begins. With only three weeks of competition remaining in the season, the women are now 6-6 and in fifth place while the men move up a notch in the standings to No. 2 with 9 wins and 3 losses.

Find complete scores and team leaders on The Chargers Post.

Upcoming Action – Chargers on the Road February 3-4 2012

The Chargers volleyball squads face off against the Douglas College Royals in New Westminster this weekend while the Camosun basketball teams hit the hardwood in Nanaimo with Island rivals, the VIU Mariners, on Saturday.

Volleyball

Fri, Feb. 3 Women 6pm Camosun (#5) vs Douglas (#6)
Men 7:45pm Camosun (#5) vs Douglas (#2)

Sat, Feb. 4 Women 1pm Camosun vs Douglas
Men 2:45pm Camosun vs Douglas

Basketball

Sat, Feb. 4 Women 6pm Camosun (#5) vs VIU (#1)
Men 8pm Camosun (#2) vs VIU (#1)

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Great New #Video from @mowbrayandmills #yyjmusic

2012-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

A great new video for Mowbray & Mills "After the Last Great War"

Thanks to Tracy & Paul for the links!

Follow them on Twitter: @mowbrayandmills

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Forestry veteran recruited to help #BurnsLake recovery

2012-01-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

Jan. 27, 2012
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

BURNS LAKE - Forest industry veteran Bob Clark, vice-president of forestry consultants J B Clark and Co., has been recruited to lead the provincial government's on-the-ground Burns Lake economic response efforts, announced Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell.

Clark's appointment was announced after Bell, accompanied by Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, met with municipal, First Nations and union leaders in Burns Lake. Bell travelled to the village to hear from the community about ways the Province can help the region's short- and long-term economic recovery efforts after the destruction of the Babine Forest Products mill.

The Province will also consult with and listen to local companies, industry representatives, and business associations about their thoughts on the economic recovery efforts.

Clark, who accompanied Bell and Rustad, will work out of Burns Lake and starts his role immediately. He will be the main point of contact for the Province and will help with the development of short- and long-term economic development strategies between the community and the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Innovation.

Clark has served as the district forest manager for the Vanderhoof Forest District, headed the Province's mountain pine beetle response, and chaired the Nechako-Kitimat Development Fund.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Young B.C. authors published for #FamilyLiteracyDay

2012-01-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Jan. 27, 2012

Ministry of Education
Ministry of Advanced Education

Young B.C. authors published for Family Literacy Day

CRANBROOK - Thirty children and their families are marking Family Literacy Day in British Columbia today by celebrating their success as published authors in a book being distributed to public and school libraries throughout the province.

While many B.C. children spent their summer playing with their friends, attending summer camps or travelling on a family vacation, more than 150 kids spent time writing their entries for a contest co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the British Columbia Library Association called Express Yourself: The B.C. Kids Writing Contest.

Thirty winning entries, ranging from poems and short stories to graphic novel submissions, were selected and have now been published in the book, Express Yourself! Each young writer and their school will receive a copy of the book, and all public libraries in B.C. will receive a copy for their community.

To celebrate Family Literacy Day, Minister of Education George Abbott and Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett spent their lunch-hour at Gordon Terrace Elementary school in Cranbrook, reading stories from Express Yourself! to a group of young students and their parents during a tour of the Southeast Kootenay school district.

* To learn more about the contest itself, you can visit: http://expressyourself.bclibraries.ca/

* For tips on how to incorporate family literacy into your life, visit: http://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy

* For information on literacy initiatives in the province, visit Decoda Literacy Solutions: http://decoda.ca/

* To read about the Community Adult Literacy Program, visit: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/literacy/calp.htm

* To find a public library near you, visit: http://www.bclibraries.ca/home/bc-libraries

* To learn about BC's Education Plan, visit: http://www.bcedplan.ca/

* For a visit with the class at the Central Gateway Family Literacy Program in Chilliwack: http://youtu.be/WcII93dKRYU

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

#GottaCon2012 Welcomes Beginners & Families Feb 3-5 #yyjevents @GottaCon @VCON

2012-01-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

GOTTACON GAME CONVENTION

WELCOMES BEGINNERS AND FAMILIES

The GottaCon Game Convention to be held at the G R Pearkes Centre (by Tillicum Mall in Victoria) will provide games of all kinds for all ages and all skill levels. Starting at 5PM February 3 until 7PM February 5, skilled players, beginners and families can enjoy their favourite games and learn new games, all in the convention's fun atmosphere.

A board game library is available for groups to borrow and play; video game open play is available on local area networks of personal computers, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, subject to tournament use of equipment; and for younger children, the Lego children's area is available as well as face painting by Danger by Design. Michael Poplawski will present German-made games—German language not necessary—throughout the weekend. The Vancouver Convention of Science Fiction and Fantasy (VCON) will be opening their fun board games for all comers.

Board games being demonstrated for beginners include Dominion, Aagricola, Settlers of Catan, Battlestar Galatica, Arkham Horror, Small World, Ticket to Ride and many more. Steve Jackson Games will conduct the open board games Munchkin, Zombie Dice, and Revolution. Miniatures game demos will take place in Malifaux, Flames of War, Warmachine, Warhammer 40K and Fantasy. Role-play game demonstrations include Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition, Otherworlds: The Ul-Zaorith-Airship Run, New World Order as well as others. In addition, the convention is offering an introduction to Dungeons & Dragons for ages 10 to 12, using the Third Edition.

Video game hosts will demonstrate Kinect on Xbox 360. Wii players will be able to challenge others at Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Fans of the trading card game series Magic: the Gathering and World of Warcraft can take part in demonstrations, beginners events as well as the largest competitive events on the island.

Between games and tournaments, the family can pick up snacks and drinks at the refreshment booth, browse the exhibitor booths, or talk to gamers about joining a community like Vader’s Fist 501st Legion (Star Wars).

Many of the demonstrations will take place two or three times throughout the weekend. There are daily and weekend passes available, as well as rates for families please refer to the web site http://www.gottacon.com/ for details and full schedule of games.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Drug store robber photo #yyj @Saanichpolice

2012-01-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

The Shoppers Drug Store on Burnside Road West was robbed late Tuesday afternoon January 24th by a masked man who ran away on foot.

At 5:45 p.m. a lone man entered the store wearing a toque and a bandana covering his head and face. He did not produce a weapon during the robbery.

The man demanded and received an undisclosed quantity of narcotics from one of the store employees. The employee was not injured.

The suspect was last seen on foot running west towards the area of Tillicum Mall.

A K9 team tracked into the surrounding neighbourhood but the trail ended suddenly. It is speculated that there may have been some form of transportation located nearby.

The suspect is described as follows:

- a white male in his early 20's to early 30's
- approximately 6' in height and quite heavy-set
- wearing a blue toque on his head and a blue and white bandana on his face
- navy blue pea style coat and blue jeans with black ski boots

Police are seeking the public's assistance to identify this robbery suspect. Please forward any information to Saanich Police at 475-4321 or to CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

McGregor Socks Generously Donates 10,000 Pairs to Homeless @yyj @Viccoolaid @Vicfoundation

2012-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

In its most generous gift yet to the Capital Region, McGregor Socks has donated 10,000 pairs of new socks to start 2012, that will be given away to people who are homeless and at risk by dozens of local social service agencies (list enclosed). In total, the company has given over 40,000 pairs of socks to the community since 2005, thanks to a partnership begun by Avodah, the social action group of Congregation Emanu-El.

The first socks of this shipment will be shared at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, 231 Regina Avenue in Saanich, at 8:45 am on Monday, January 30. In attendance will be Bruce Parisian (Friendship Centre), Councillor Susan Brice (Saanich), Michael Bloomfield (Avodah, representing the donor), Rabbi Harry Brechner (Congregation Emanu-El), Mayor Dean Fortin (Victoria) and Don McTavish (Cool Aid).

Shipping of this gift was sponsored by Richard Hughes (VP, RBC Dominion Securities) and an anonymous donor acting through the Victoria Foundation.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Province seeks pine-beetle #reforestation partners #bcpoli

2012-01-27T09:56:00.000-08:00

Jan. 27, 2012
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

VICTORIA - Private investors are being offered a chance to create forestry jobs, fight global warming and reduce their carbon footprint under an innovative silviculture partnership sponsored by the B.C. government, Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson announced today.

The ministry has issued a request for proposals from parties interested in replanting Crown land damaged by wildfires, pine beetle and other factors not related to commercial timber harvesting. The request for proposals is available at: http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/. Interested parties haveuntil Thursday, March 8, 2012 to submit their proposals.

Program partners - for example, banks, carbon finance companies, silviculture firms and First Nations - can generate significant carbon credits, which they will be able to sell on the open market as the carbon storage value of these replanted areas increases over time.

For the 2012 planting season, the ministry is targeting between 500 and 2,000 hectares of Crown land, with plans to increases that to as much as 10,000 hectares annually by 2015. Investors will be responsible for the long-term maintenance and monitoring of their projects.

It's estimated that a 1,000-hectare forest carbon restoration project would cost $1 million to $1.5 million and store an additional 160,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from enhanced tree growth over its 70-year life-span, creating 12 silviculture jobs in the near term and up to 100 forestry jobs in the long term.

As an incentive to investors, the Pacific Carbon Trust, a Crown corporation, has allocated space in its offset portfolio to purchase up to 100,000 tonnes of carbon credits generated from this request for proposals.

Forest companies are required by law to replant areas where logging has occurred, including beetle-damaged areas where trees have been commercially harvested. However, B.C. has approximately 600,000 to 800,000 hectares of wildfire burns and pine beetle-damaged timberlands that cannot be commercially harvested and have been deemed eligible for forest carbon restoration projects.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

B.C. Privacy Commissioner launches video #surveillance education project #bcpoli #privacy

2012-01-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

Jan. 27, 2012
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia

VICTORIA - British Columbia's Information and Privacy Commissioner has launched a public education initiative about video surveillance in the private sector.

"January 28 is Data Privacy Day, an international celebration to show that privacy matters in today's digital world," said Commissioner Elizabeth Denham. "To mark the occasion, we are educating British Columbians about a simple and widely used technology with significant implications for privacy."

The use of video surveillance by the private sector has exploded in recent years. Widely believed to be a security and crime prevention tool, advances in the technology provide opportunities for businesses to monitor consumer behaviour and identify people through facial recognition software.

"We're focusing on the private sector - and the retail sector in particular - because we believe many such businesses are unaware of the obligations created by their use of video surveillance, including their obligation to notify customers about surveillance and its purpose, and to minimize the impact on personal privacy."

"Just because the technology is available doesn't mean it's right for every business. Under the Personal Information Protection Act, companies must have a defined problem that the surveillance is designed to address, and customers must be notified before they are captured on camera," said Denham.

The first step of the OIPC's education initiative is a survey of B.C.-based retailers to uncover how many companies are aware of their obligations to protect personal information under provincial law. The survey results will inform future education, outreach and enforcement work in the sector.

"There is no question that technology has changed the face of our world. But it has not displaced the value of privacy. Citizens expect their personal information to be protected and their privacy rights respected. I will continue to raise public awareness about the right to privacy in the digital age, and provide organizations with practical tools to fulfill their obligation to protect privacy," said Denham.

For more information about Data Privacy Day, visit:

www.staysafeonline.org/dpd

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Esquimalt Adopts New False Alarm Bylaw #yyj #Esquimalt

2012-01-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Township of Esquimalt has adopted a new false fire alarm bylaw that will assist the Esquimalt Fire Department in reducing its number of false alarm responses. The bylaw was adopted by Council on January 23rd, 2012.

The purpose of the new bylaw is to reduce the number of false alarm responses by the Esquimalt Fire Department. “These false alarms create unnecessary risks to responding crews and the general public and can potentially result in longer response times to actual emergencies,” said Chief Fire Prevention Officer George McGregor.

After three false fire alarms from the same property within a twelve month period, a letter will be sent to the owner or building manager soliciting their help in eliminating any further false alarms and notifying them that any additional false alarms would result in a fine being levied.

If in any 12 month period the Fire Department responds to four or more false alarms originating from the same property, a $200 fine will be levied on the owner of the property for the fourth and each subsequent false alarm.

The new bylaw also provides the Township with the ability to recover costs associated with crews and resources that are tied up at an incident for longer than 30 minutes while waiting for a property owner to appear on-site.

Alarm activation through testing and/or scheduled maintenance will not be considered a false alarm providing prior contact has been made with the department by the owner/manager or alarm company.

Read the full bylaw here.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Strange twist in the #UVIC break-in case #yyj @SaanichPolice

2012-01-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

On January 18th, items believed to be from the break-in at UVIC earlier this month, were found dumped in a letter box by a Canada Post employee. These were turned in to the Westshore RCMP and were provided to Saanich Police Detectives.

The items included laptops and flash drives, all of which had been rendered inoperable. A full forensic analysis was conducted, and there was no data recoverable from any of the devices.

A note was included in the materials, apparently from the person or persons responsible. The note had some altruistic statements and refers to ‘…criminals being human before they were criminals…’

The motive behind the note and the return of the items is not clear to investigators. Whether it is simply altruism or regret on the part of the suspects or whether it is something more sinister, is unclear to investigators.

Included in the items returned was a media storage device thought to contain the data taken from UVIC. It appears that it may have been a mock-up of the original and was clearly not the one that was stolen from UVIC.

The level of effort required to render the drives inoperable and the possibly sinister intentions of the thieves, has increased concerns for investigators. If you are an employee or past employee and have not done so already, you are encouraged to speak with your bank to avoid future frauds or identity related issues.

If anybody knows anything about this incident, or recognizes any of the phrases used in the note, call the Saanich Police at 250-475-4321. If you wish to remain anonymous you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Study shows Northwest B.C. to experience economic boom #bcpoli

2012-01-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

Jan. 26, 2012

Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
BC Hydro

Study shows Northwest B.C. to experience economic boom

due to construction of new transmission line, other projects

Human resources strategy released

to address skilled labour shortage

TERRACE - Labour market research released today shows BC Hydro's Northwest Transmission Line will be an economic catalyst for the region - electrifying an area of the province currently not part of the grid and enabling the development of mines, power projects and other resource projects that will help fuel B.C.'s economy.

The Northwest Transmission Line alone will create up to an estimated 280 direct jobs per year of construction.

In total, projects in Northwest B.C. could create about 5,700 jobs between 2011 and 2021, according to labour market research conducted through the Northwest Transmission Line Labour Market Partnership Program. The program is funded by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, and BC Hydro is a partner, providing services in kind.

Also released today was an action-oriented human resources strategy to ensure that Northwest communities and industries will be ready to attract the thousands of workers required for the projects. The strategy was produced by a steering committee made up of representatives from education, training, industry, community, government and First Nations.

The steering committee studied the gap between the existing labour force and the anticipated labour force requirements over the next 10 years, and recommended human resources strategies to ensure the Northwest is ready to take advantage of the employment opportunities that will become available, with many of its recommendations to be acted on this year.

To read the Labour Market Partnership Program's labour market analysis and HR strategy, please visit:

www.bchydro.com/energy_in_bc/projects/ntl.html

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Special intake for community gaming grants now open #bcpoli

2012-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Jan. 26, 2012
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development

VICTORIA - Groups focusing on adult arts and sports, animal welfare and the environment are encouraged to take advantage of a special community gaming grant application intake, Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, announced today.

Earlier this month, Premier Christy Clark announced the Province was increasing its annual community gaming grant base budget to $135 million - $15 million more than originally budgeted for 2011-12. As a result, the Province is holding a special intake between Jan. 16 and Feb. 13 so that previously ineligible groups can apply for grants this fiscal year.

These groups include non-profit and charitable organizations that deliver services related to adult arts and culture, adult sports, the environment and animal welfare. Animal shelters, fish and wildlife associations, lake and stream stewardship societies, district arts councils, museum societies, theatres and other similar groups are now eligible to apply online.

To apply online for this special intake of community gaming grants, go to:

http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming/grants/docs/info-special-intake-grants-2011-12.pdf

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

KISS in the CITY is back in Downtown Victoria! #yyj @myDVBA

2012-01-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release: January 26, 2012

KISS in the CITY returns to downtown Victoria this month with more prizes, more ways to enter and panel of expert judges to decide it all.

The popular Valentine's contest was first introduced by the Downtown Victoria Business Association in 2010. The contest asks Victoria's young and young at heart to photograph themselves, lips locked, somewhere in downtown Victoria and post the photo or video on the DVBA Facebook page to be judged by an expert panel.

Top prize for the winning kiss is a romantic night in the city featuring a one night stay at the Fairmont Empress, dinner for two at the Bengal Lounge and a 60-minute spa treatment for two. The package also includes a beautiful gold and pearl locket donated by Violette Boutique, flowers from Poppies Floral Art, movie tickets to the Cineplex Odeon topped off with delectable goodies from Roger's Chocolates. Two runners up will also receive dinner in downtown Victoria, chocolates and movie passes.

"The contest has proven so popular over the last two years that others have introduced it in their own cities," says Ken Kelly, DVBA General Manager. "Our counterparts in Moncton and Vernon are running their own version of the contest and we are excited to see their results."

Contest participants in downtown Victoria may have an easier time of it. The historical average high in February for Moncton hovers around -2 degrees centigrade and Vernon sits at 3 degrees. Victoria enjoys a comparatively balmy 7.2 degrees, much nicer for outdoor photography.

"Kiss in the City begins right at the time when everybody is about ready to break out of their winter hibernation," says Kelly. "It's the perfect time to get out there and explore our beautiful city again."

Kiss photos and videos (an added feature this year) must showcase downtown Victoria as the backdrop. With the beautiful Inner Harbour, countless examples of historical architecture and numerous unique businesses that support a fun-loving and vibrant population, Victoria is ripe for romance and ideal for unique and memorable photographs. Submissions will be judged by a panel of "romance experts" including Martin Leclerc (Fairmont Empress GM), Mary-Jane Posno (Poppies Floral Art), Erin Weir (Violette Boutique), Derek Ford (Derek Ford Photography) and Robin and Brian from the KOOL FM morning show. The judging panel will determine the winner based on location, creativity and, or course, romance.

Entering is easy. Simply upload your photo or short video (must be taken in 2012) to the DVBA Facebook page. Submissions will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, February 12 and the winners will be announced on Valentine's Day morning. For full details and complete contest rules visit www.downtownvictoria.ca/kissinthecity.

Pucker up Victoria!

The Mission of the Downtown Victoria Business Association is to help make Downtown Victoria the destination of choice for Greater Victoria residents and visitors - for shopping, dining, entertainment, and other services; and to act as catalyst for vibrancy and prosperity in the downtown core through advocacy, marketing, events, improvements, and co-operative measures.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

CST Calls Upon Medical Experts in BC to Protect Their Patients #smartmeters

2012-01-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Citizens for Safe Technology Society (CST) has launched a Human Rights action against BC Hydro requesting accommodation of individuals refusing a wireless "smart meter" for health reasons. These are persons with a variety of health concerns ranging from cancer to heart problems, from seizures to electrosensitivity, and who have medical letters from their doctors requesting BC Hydro accommodate their health conditions by allowing an analogue meter to remain.

On January 19, 2012, The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) officially stated its opposition and request for an immediate moratorium on the installation of wireless "smart meters" based on a scientific assessment of the current medical literature. Their letter states "Chronic exposure to wireless radiofrequency radiation is a preventable environmental hazard that is sufficiently well documented to warrant immediate preventative public health action." The AAEM confirms that public health standards are inadequate and obsolete and cannot be used to protect the public from chronic, low intensity radiation exposures that raise credible questions about genetic and cellular effects, male fertility, blood/brain barrier damage and increase in certain types of cancers. The AAEM warn that children are at heightened risk for "altered brain development, and impaired learning and behaviour" from such wireless exposure.

Read the American Academy of Environmental Medicine letter HERE

CST agrees with the AAEM that physicians and medical experts have an obligation to urge precaution when sufficient scientific and medical evidence suggests health risks which may negatively impact the health of vulnerable individuals and groups, and can potentially affect large populations, as is the case with BC Hydro's wireless "Smart Meter Program".

CST calls upon physicians and medical experts in B.C. to support public health and the Human Rights action by recommending an immediate moratorium on wireless "smart meter" installation until these serious public health issues are resolved. We ask that they support patients seeking relief from involuntary and forced exposure to wireless "smart meter" emissions within their homes by requesting that BC Hydro accommodate them with an analogue meter, without additional cost or penalty.

Doctor's Information Package for Medical Professionals HERE

The emissions given off by wireless "smart meters" have been classified by the World Health Organization, International Research on Cancer (WHO/IARC) as a Possible Human Carcinogen.

Watch the Trailer for the Smart Meter Movie HERE

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Lane Obstructions: 976 Mckenzie Ave Jan 25-27 #yyjtraffic

2012-01-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

UPDATED: Lane Obstructions

On Wednesday, January 25, 2012 through to Friday, January 27, 2012 there will be lane obstructions in front of 976 Mckenzie Avenue. Work is scheduled to start at approximately 8:00 am and is expected to continue until 4:00 pm. All vehicles will have access.

There will be traffic control people on site to assist with traffic control. Please obey their directions and all traffic signs.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Every Step Counts: #TC10K Running Team Info @VicFoundation @VicCoolAid #yyj

2012-01-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great team to join for the TC 10K? Think about running to support Every Step Counts.

Every Step Counts is an innovative running program based at Cool Aid, which is designed for people experiencing barriers and challenges with housing, mental health, addiction and other issues.

Join the team at www.CoolAid.org/TC10K or call 250-882-5261. Prizes are available for those collecting pledges.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Deadline for at-the-curb large branch chipping Monday Feb 13 #yyj @CityofVictoria

2012-01-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Place Large Tree Branches at the Curb for Chipping

by 7 a.m. Monday, February 13

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

VICTORIA, BC — Monday, February 13, 2012 at 7a.m. is the deadline for Victoria residents to have large tree branches at the curb for chipping. The City of Victoria's Residential Branch Chipping program provides residents with an opportunity to remove large tree branches from their yard.

New this year – tree branches must be 5 centimetres (2 inches) or more in diameter and longer than 1.2 metres (4 feet) in length to be fed into the City’s chipping machines. In previous years, branches were to be smaller than 5 centimetres in diameter.

Small branches, shrubs, leaves and plants are not accepted as they jam the chipping machines, posing a safety concern for City crews and resulting in poor quality wood chips. The wood chips produced will be used on City park trails and mixed with leaf mulch at the Beacon Hill Park Maintenance Yard for use as a fertilizer and to suppress weeds in City garden beds. Invasive plants such as ivy clippings and blackberry canes make the wood chips unusable.

Below are tips to placing large tree branches at the curb for chipping:

· Only large tree branches please -- with a diameter of 5 centimetres (2 inches) or more and longer than1.2 metres (4 feet) in length.

· Loosely stack large branches into one pile with their cut ends together.

· Limit the branch pile to 1.2 metres x 1.2 metres x 1.8 metres (4 feet x 4 feet x 6 feet).

· Do not place branches in bags or boxes, or tie with string or wire.

· Have branches at the curb by 7 a.m. on Monday, February 13, 2012. City chipping vehicles make onlyone pass down a street. If a return trip is required, a $40 fee will be charged per household's request.

Material that cannot be chipped at the curb will be left behind for residents to remove as it cannot betransported by the chipping vehicles. Victoria residents can drop off their leaf and garden waste for free,year-round at the City of Victoria Public Works Yard at 417 Garbally Road on Saturdays, from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Residents must show proof of residency in the form of a valid BC driver’s licence. For more information, visit: www.victoria.ca/branchchipping

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Cedar Hill Golf Course Deficit Reduction Public Meeting Jan 30 #yyj #Saanich

2012-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2012

District of Saanich Parks and Recreation staff are holding a public meeting on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cedar Hill Golf Course Banquet Room to discuss ways the Municipality can reduce the projected 2012 golf course operations deficit.

Like all Saanich Departments, Parks and Recreation Services have held the line or reduced operating budgets for the past four years to maintain services and minimize tax increases.

Earlier this month, the Municipality announced the restructuring of golf course food and beverage services from a full service restaurant to licensed light food and beverage operation to address a projected $521,000 food services deficit in 2012. This restructuring resulted in the loss of six regular full time and part time jobs and a loss of work for another 14 auxiliary employees.

For the past four years, Saanich Departments have been directed to hold the line or reduce their operating budgets to maintain service levels while avoiding large tax increases.

The Golf Course operation alone has a projected $300,000 deficit for 2012. Municipal staff have discussed a number of golf course operation deficit reduction options with stakeholders including cost reduction, different management models, fee restructuring, fee increases, and continued tax subsidies. They will review these options at the public meeting and invite feedback.

Staff are tasked with bringing forward a recommendation for Council consideration at the February 7, 2012 Financial Plan meeting.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Shoppers Drug Store on Burnside Rd West Robbed late Tuesday #yyj @Saanichpolice

2012-01-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

Drug Store Robbed

January 25, 2012

File No. 12-1550

The Shoppers Drug Store on Burnside Road West was robbed late Tuesday afternoon January 24th by a masked man who ran away on foot.

At 5:45 p.m. a lone man entered the store wearing a toque and a bandana covering his head and face. He did not produce a weapon during the robbery.

The man demanded and received an undisclosed quantity of narcotics from one of the store employees. The employee was not injured.

The suspect was last seen on foot running west towards the area of Tillicum Mall.

A K9 team tracked into the surrounding neighbourhood but the trail ended suddenly. It is speculated that there may have been some form of transportation located nearby.

The suspect is described as follows:

- a white male in his early 20's to early 30's
- approximately 6' in height and quite heavy-set
- wearing a blue toque on his head and a blue and white bandana on his face
- navy blue raincoat and blue jeans with black ski boots

Police are seeking the public's assistance to identify this robbery suspect. Please forward any information to Saanich Police at 475-4321 or to CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Staff Sergeant Scott Treble - Saanich Police

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Pacific Opera Victoria presents OPERA EXPRESS: Free Concert Feb 17 #yyjmusic @PacificOperaVic

2012-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

February 17, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney FREE ADMISSION but reserved seating is required.

For free tickets call the Mary Winspear Box Office: 250-656-0275

For more info: http://www.pov.bc.ca/

The five Canadian artists selected to participate in Pacific Opera Victoria's 2012 Resident Artist Program perform a number of operatic favourites, including selections from Bizet's Carmen.

The performers, Dominique Côté, Riccardo Iannello, Miriam Khalil, Andrew Love and Sylvia Szadovszki, have roles in POV's mainstage production of Carmen.

Principal Coach Robert Holliston accompanies on piano and introduces the musical selections.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Province to focus on #BurnsLake economic recovery #bcpoli

2012-01-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

Jan. 24, 2012
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

BURNS LAKE - Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, will be leading the Province's efforts to help the community of Burns Lake recover economically from the devastating fire that destroyed the Babine Forest Products mill.

As an initial step, Bell will be in Burns Lake on Friday with Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad to meet with local community leaders and organizations.

The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation will work closely with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources and other ministries on short- and long-term economic development planning.

A rapid response team from the Province has been formed to work on economic recovery efforts, and the ministry will announce shortly who will lead it.

The team will work with the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, the Village of Burns Lake, the Burns Lake Native Development Corp. and others to provide economic development and community transition expertise as part of the local response effort.

On Friday, Jan. 20, an explosion and fire at Babine Forest Products levelled the mill, killing two Burns Lake residents and injuring 18 others. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is co-ordinating emergency services for the community. WorkSafeBC is at the site - providing critical incident support for those affected - and investigating the incident.

Babine Forest Products is a joint venture between the Burns Lake Native Development Corp. and Oregon-based Hampton Lumber Mills. The mill employed about 250 people, making it the community's largest employer.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Call for VEMA Volunteers – Recruitment Session Jan 24 #yyjvolunteer @Cityofvictoria

2012-01-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

VICTORIA, BC — Are you calm under pressure? Want to assist your community in an emergency? Volunteer with the Victoria Emergency Management Agency (VEMA), the City of Victoria's resource for helping our community to be “emergency prepared.”

We're looking for members to join these four teams: Evacuee Assistance, Auxiliary Communications, Urban Search and Rescue, and Emergency Operations Centre. Free training is provided. Volunteers must be 19 years of age or older and undergo an annual criminal record check.

Our dedicated volunteers are caring and calm, well-organized problem solvers, willing to assist day or night, and can work independently and as a team.

Learn more at our Volunteer Recruitment Session on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the Oaklands Community Centre, 2827 Belmont Avenue. Register by email at vema@victoria.ca or call 250.920.3373.

For more information, visit: http://www.preparevictoria.ca/

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Wilderness Committee: #KinderMorgan oil spill in #Abbottsford

2012-01-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

Kinder Morgan oil spill in Abbottsford:

Timely reminder of pipeline expansion dangers

January 24, 2012

VANCOUVER – Kinder Morgan has confirmed there was an oil spill this morning at the Sumas Terminal and tank farm in Abbottsford, after nearby residents phoned 911 and reported headaches and nausea from a heavy smell of gas in the air.

“Here we are in the middle of high profile public hearings about the proposed Enbridge pipeline in northern BC, and yet Kinder Morgan has been allowed to move ahead with expansion plans without public consultation,” said West. On the first day of the Enbridge public hearings, earlier this month, a leak was reported on an Enbridge gas pipeline on the Gulf of Mexico.

“We have warned time and again that with oil pipelines there will be oil spills,” said Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, which is one of a number of groups opposed to Kinder Morgan’s plans to expand the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline in order to increase exports of crude oil to Asia and other markets.

The Abbottsford terminal is part of the Kinder Morgan pipeline system which brings tar sands crude from Alberta via the Trans Mountain pipeline ending at terminals in Burnaby and Washington State. There was a spectacular oil spill in a Burnaby residential neighbourhood near the terminal back in 2007.

Today’s spill prompted nearby Auguston Traditional Elementary School to keep its students indoors all morning. Back in 2005, a spill at the same tank farm forced some local residents to relocate temporarily. “With expanded capacity will come expanded risk of spills,” said West.

“Residents from Burnaby to Abbottsford – and everywhere along the Kinder Morgan pipeline – deserve to have full public consultation about the risks to their health and the environment.”

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Update: #Saanich Commonwealth Place Open and Fully Operational #yyj

2012-01-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

UPDATE
For Immediate Release January 24, 2012

Commonwealth Place is open and fully operational! Regular hours are in effect 5:30 am to 10 pm. All drop-in's, programs and classes are operating too.

We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding during the power failure and facility closure.

(previous)

Saanich Commonwealth Place is temporarily shutdown due to an electrical malfunction. We anticipate that the facility will re-open later today.

An update will be sent out once the facility re-opens.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

$700K research investment to boost B.C.'s bio-economy #bcpoli

2012-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Jan. 24, 2012
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

VANCOUVER - A $700,000 investment to help forest companies create jobs by turning their waste wood into high-value bio-products will address many of the recommendations from government's Bio-Economy Committee, Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, said today.

The Bio-Economy Committee, chaired by John Yap, Parliamentary Secretary for Clean Technology, was formed in July to identify ways to expand B.C.'s bio-economy. Its report highlights the need for government to take a leading role in developing the bio-economy:

www.gov.bc.ca/jti/down/bio_economy_report.pdf

As part of that role, the Province has provided $700,000 to FPInnovations, the world's largest private, non-profit forest research institute, to gauge the extent of B.C.'s bio-economy today, and help industry identify cost-effective fibre available for new projects, including areas affected by the mountain pine beetle. This will help international investors identify opportunities in B.C., as well as give government the data it needs to develop programs and policies to help the province's bio-economy expand.

FPInnovations will also assess mills in the B.C. Interior for opportunities to add innovative bio-product streams to their current operations. These products could be a combination of energy, green chemicals and other bio-materials, which can reduce waste, create jobs and improve the mills' bottom lines.

Products being made from wood fibre today include renewable fuels, textiles, light-weight plastics, food additives, pharmaceuticals and oil. On the drawing board are things like bio-active paper products, including facial masks that deactivate viruses; composites for airplane structures; jet fuel additives; and a substitute for petroleum products used to manufacture rubber for tires.

FPInnovations will also examine how trucks used in the forest industry can reduce emissions and save energy, which may include using bio-fuels produced in B.C.

MLAs Yap (Richmond-Steveston), Bob Simpson (Cariboo North), Eric Foster (Vernon-Monashee), John Rustad (Nechako Lakes) and Ron Cantelon (Parksville-Qualicum) sat on the Bio-Economy Committee, which made five key recommendations in its report:

* Establish a clear, long-term bio-economy vision.
* Improve access to fibre and feedstock.
* Establish a technology development strategy.
* Develop markets for B.C. bioproducts and aggressively market B.C.'s advantages.
* Integrate the bio-economy's infrastructure needs into provincial initiatives.

The Province's investment, funded within its existing fiscal plan, adds to the $600,000 FPInnovations has received from the federal government under the Transformative Technologies Research Program of Natural Resources Canada. With that funding, FPInnovations has been undertaking a series of research projects aimed at developing emerging and breakthrough technologies.

Bio-economy Committee report: www.gov.bc.ca/jti/down/bio_economy_report_final.pdf

FPInnovations: http://www.fpinnovations.ca/

BC Bioenergy Network: http://www.bcbioenergy.com/

ICE Fund: www.em.gov.bc.ca/EAED/ICEFund/Pages/About.aspx

LifeSciences BC: www.lifesciencesbc.ca/Sub-Sectors/BioProducts/

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Major Route Consultation Missing from Ferry Commissioner’s Report @ChamberVictoria

2012-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2012 – Victoria, BC – The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce is encouraged by the recommendations contained in the Ferry Commissioner’s report on BC Ferries, but is concerned about the lack of recommendations to implement major route consultation.

“The Ferry Commissioner spent months meeting with community groups and gathering feedback but had no scheduled meetings with communities served by the major routes,” said Bruce Carter, CEO at the Greater Victoria Chamber. “We were able to secure a meeting but as it was added after the completion of the planned meeting schedule. BC Ferries’ has thirteen advisory committees none of which relate to the major routes.”

The Chamber is concerned that while small communities have ferry advisory committees to help them maximize the value of service to their community, Victoria and Nanaimo do not. The recommendations contained in the Commissioner’s report do not include the formation of such advisory committees.

Click here for the most recent issue of Business Matters magazine which contains an article discussing the meeting between the Chamber and the Ferry Commissioner.

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has close to 1,500 members and is the voice of business for the Greater Victoria region. The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has received Accreditation with Distinction from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Facebook posting leads to confession about #ICBC claim @icbc

2012-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2012

A Williams Lake man has been fined $2,000 and ordered to pay over $18,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to fraud and obstruction of justice in connection with an ICBC claim.

Corbin Joseph’s troubles began when he rolled his vehicle on a rural road near Springhouse, a small community west of Williams Lake.

At the time, he was prohibited from driving so in order to collect insurance on the vehicle, which was a total loss, he convinced a friend to tell ICBC that she was the driver. At the time of the crash, three other people were in the vehicle and fortunately, no one suffered serious injuries.

The story came apart after ICBC’s special investigation unit (SIU) became aware that Joseph was bragging on his Facebook page that he had rolled his truck after drinking at a New Year’s Eve party and subsequently got a big payout from ICBC.

When SIU officers interviewed his friends, they admitted that Joseph drove to and from the party, and had in fact put the vehicle in the ditch twice that night.

When Joseph learned that SIU officers were interviewing the woman who initially claimed she was driving, he sent her phone texts and Facebook messages offering her considerable sums of money and legal assistance if she stuck to the original lie. She refused and instead cooperated with the investigators by providing copies of those messages.

Joseph subsequently admitted to everything he’d lied about, and that he had been motivated by the $18,350 insurance payout for his truck. In addition to the fine and the restitution order, the Williams Lake Provincial Court judge handed down a three-month conditional sentence and put Joseph on probation for six months.

“Insurance fraud is a serious crime that steals hard-earned money from the overwhelming majority of our honest customers,” said Steve Tripp, manager of ICBC’s special investigation unit. “We will not sit back and simply pass the cost of fraud on to our customers.”

The public can help combat fraud. Anyone with information regarding a suspicious, exaggerated or fraudulent claim is encouraged to call ICBC’s fraud tips line at 604-661-6844 or 1-800-661-6844 toll free from anywhere in the province. Callers can remain anonymous

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Report issues broad recommendations for ferry system #bcferries

2012-01-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

Jan. 24, 2012

Ministry of Attorney General
British Columbia Ferry Commissioner

VICTORIA - BC Ferry Commissioner Gordon Macatee delivered his review of the Coastal Ferry Act to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Blair Lekstrom today.

The report contains 24 major recommendations for government, BC Ferries, ferry users and other stakeholders, all intended to better balance the interests of ferry users with the long-term financial sustainability of BC Ferries and the broader interests of B.C. taxpayers.

BC Ferries is one the largest ferry corporations in the world and, while it has made significant improvements recently, it needs to continue with efforts to minimize costs and generate more revenue. The report identifies that the ferry system is currently facing challenges, which are only expected to get larger in the years ahead.

Declining ridership and financial losses in the current year, coupled with substantial capital investment requirements for fleet renewal and terminal upgrades, is putting strain on the financial sustainability of BC Ferries. Ferry users consider further large fare increases to be unaffordable and are concerned that the operator is not sufficiently accountable. The Coastal Ferry Act, and its guiding principles, is not perceived to be giving consideration to the interests of ferry users.

The review clearly indicates that all of the principle stakeholders will need to be part of the solution in order to achieve a ferry system which is both affordable and financially sustainable.

Specifically, ferry users will need to be receptive to changes in how services and levels of service are delivered; BC Ferries needs to accept additional oversight and accountability measures, and will have to focus even more on cost control and new sources of revenue; and the Province needs to define a vision for the future of ferry services and should consider additional financial support to ensure the system's sustainability.

To address this new direction for coastal ferry services, the review makes a number of key recommendations, including:

- Future price cap increases should be held to the rate of inflation.

- Capacity utilization of the ferry fleet should be improved.

- The commissioner should have more explicit authority to hold the operator accountable, and a new authority to conduct performance audits.

- There should be more oversight on capital plans and acquisitions.

- The Province should consider an increase in financial support for the ferry system and should further consider cushioning at least a portion of fuel price volatility, as is presently done on the northern routes.

- Municipal and regional governments should have the ability to play a role in keeping fares affordable and increasing ridership.

- BC Ferries should place a high priority on upgrading its reservation and point-of-sale systems.

- The commissioner should have additional tools when setting price caps to better consider the interests of ferry users and taxpayers.

In undertaking this review, Macatee and deputy commissioner Sheldon Stoilen conducted a comprehensive public consultation process, including 40 meetings in 27 communities, involving approximately 2,000 people. The public was also invited to comment on nine topics on the BC Ferry Commission's website, and meetings were held with BC Ferries, First Nations, municipal councils, chambers of commerce, tourism organizations, regional districts and other stakeholders.

As part of the larger review, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP researched relevant price cap regulation systems in other parts of the world and other ferry systems in order to compare operating and governance models and the efficiency of BC Ferries. This research found some unique differences in the BC model, and also indicated that BC Ferries appears to be relatively efficient and well run.

The commissioner's role includes regulating core ferry services provided by BC Ferries that are defined in a Coastal Ferry Services Contract between the ferry operator and the Province, establishing price caps for each performance term and monitoring compliance with price caps.

Macatee was appointed commissioner effective May 1, 2011. He is an independent officer of the legislature.

Learn More:

To view the report and its recommendations in their entirety, visit: www.bcferrycommission.com/reports-press/whats-new/

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Victoria Film Festival's SpringBoard industry event lineup announced #yyjfilm @VicFilmFestival

2012-01-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Got that project you need to get off the ground? at The Victoria Film Festival's SpringBoard industry event, you’ll hear the current creative thinking that will leave you inspired and motivated to tackle your next project. Rub elbows with producers, directors, and creative talent from across the continent during 3 days of workshops, inspiring talks, a master class with the Documentary Doctor Fernanda Rossi, and industry parties.

Passes are available at https://boxoffice.victoriafilmfestival.com/passes.php

The Springboard Talks lineup has been announced:

To Succeed in New Media, Know Your Aristotle

Ross LaManna, writer Rush Hour; Titanic (TV)

iHistory : The Future of Pop Culture and Documentary Filmmaking in the Digital Age

Stuart Samuels, director RasTa: A Soul’s Journey, Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography

Filming in a Spectacular City

Laura Luchetti, director Hayfever, Climbing ‘Cold Mountain’

First In, Last Out – An Indie Filmmaker’s Journey

Casey Walker, director A Little Bit Zombie, creator of My Million Dollar Movie website

Ideas on Narrative and Aesthetic Sensibility

Katherine Walkiewicz, director A Brief Memory

Casting Canadian Comedy Films

Mike Peterson, director Lloyd the Conqueror; Eddies: The Documentary

To Right a Wrong

Judy Chaikin, The Girls in the Band; Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist

Master Class:

"Trailer Mechanics: Making Fundraising Demos" with the Documentary Doctor, Fernanda Rossi.

"Can you show me something?" usually means "can you show me a fundraising trailer?" Today, a short work-in-progress or demo is the essential tool every filmmaker needs to raise the funds needed to make a documentary, whether from grants, crowdfunding or private investors. Stop guessing what works and what doesn't work - and why - in this one-day, hands-on workshop for producers, directors, writers and editors. If you have already read or are about to read the book by the same name this workshop is a chance to see all that theory in action with real life examples. You will:

• learn the foundational story structures for fundraising trailers
• learn the most common mistakes filmmakers make
• analyze trailers before and after Fernanda's doctoring.
• analyze successful fundraising trailers.
• analyze demos from the audience.

Internationally renowned speaker and story consultant Fernanda Rossi has doctored over 300 films, including two nominated for the Academy Award®; as well as hundreds of trailers, many of which received funding from ITVS and NFB. She has given seminars at major world conferences such as HotDocs in Canada, Sheffield Doc/Fest in the UK and SilverDOCS in the US, among others. Her columns and articles have been published in trade publications like The Independent in the US and DOX in Europe. She is the author of the book that, according to industry professionals, is the bible on fundraising demos: Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making your Documentary Fundraising Demo.

There are limited seats available for Master Classes, so get your passes for SpringBoard now. Passes are available online at boxoffice.victoriafilmfestival.com/passes.php, in person at the Victoria Film Festival office, 1215 Blanshard St. (M-F 10am-4pm), or by calling (250)389-0444. SpringBoard passes are only available until January 16th.

The SpringBoard schedule can be found here: http://victoriafilmfestival.com/industry/springboard.html

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

BCCLA: Fed Government & RCMP complaints body must take off-duty police misconduct seriously

2012-01-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

British Columbia Civil Liberties Association

January 24, 2012

Federal Government and RCMP complaints body must take off-duty police misconduct seriously

The BCCLA is calling for a shake-up at the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP after the second shocking revelation about the oversight agency in the last two months. The latest development comes via notice that the CPC refuses to accept so-called “off duty” complaints involving RCMP officers. Off-duty conduct is supposed to be regulated by the RCMP Code of Conduct and overseen by the CPC. Several RCMP officers have been in the spotlight in B.C. in relation to drunk driving, sexual harassment, and spousal assault incidents occurring while off duty.

“A short time ago, we learned that complaint investigation files were sitting for inordinate periods of time with the RCMP, holding up the work of the CPC without the CPC taking any action to demand their return so they could get on with their investigation,” noted Robert Holmes, Q.C. “Now we have discovered, coincidentally, that the CPC has adopted a policy of refusing to forward to the RCMP complaints about RCMP officer conduct that the CPC deems to be ‘off duty.’”

The BCCLA is calling for the replacement of part-time lawyer Ian McPhail, Q.C., who has been the “acting” head of the CPC since January 10, 2010. Mr. McPhail maintains a wills, estates and real estate law practice in Toronto in addition to leading the CPC. The BCCLA says that the CPC needs a full-time leader committed to police accountability and aggressive defence of its police accountability mandate.

“The CPC has developed a chronic problem of failing to do its job. It indulges delays. It avoids reaching conclusions. And now we learn that it fails to take off-duty conduct complaints notwithstanding that the RCMP Code of Conduct clearly addresses that. The CPC is in place so as to preserve public confidence in the police by investigating matters that would otherwise erode confidence. When it fails, it lets down complainants, the public and the police community,” noted Holmes.

Click here to read the correspondence where the CPC refuses “off duty” complaints >>

Click here to read the BCCLA letter to the federal Public Safety Minister >>

Click here to read the December release about RCMP delay in returning files to the CPC >>

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Victoria Cougars host Peninsula Panthers This Thursday #yyjsports #hockey @CougarsJuniorB @PPanthersBC

2012-01-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

VICTORIA COUGARS HOST

PENINSULA PANTHERS THIS THURSDAY

While the Victoria Cougars have first place locked up, the Peninsula Panthers are trying to move up in the standings.

After clinching a first round playoff bye two weeks ago, Victoria goes for a season high tenth straight win when it hosts Peninsula this Thursday.

Game time at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, located at 1151 Esquimalt Rd., is 7:15 p.m.

The Cougars had a nine game winning streak earlier in the season which spanned from Sep. 8 to Oct. 6.

Last Saturday, Victoria (29-5-0-1) made it nine in a row following a 5-2 victory over the North Island Division leading Comox Valley Glacier Kings.

Connor Stephens scored twice for the Cougars while Graham Zagrodney, Chris Bannister, and Brody Coulter each added singles. Colin Minardi, who was playing alongside Bannister and Coulter, chipped in with three assists.

With a goal and an assist, Coulter’s two points moved him into a first place tie with Saanich’s Ty Jones for the VIJHL scoring lead. Both players have 63 points apiece.

Getting the start in net Saturday was Bryce Halverson who made 27 saves to improve to 7-0-0-0 on the season. Halverson currently leads all goaltenders with a 2.14 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

Victoria has won all six meetings with the Panthers this season.

The two squads previously met on Jan. 12 with the Cougars eking out a 3-1 victory.

Peninsula (14-15-0-3) has one win in its last six games.

Last Friday, the Panthers dropped a 6-3 decision to the Saanich Braves. Scoring for Peninsula was Joe Densmore, Trevor Yee, and Josh Bloomenthal. The two teams were deadlocked at 3-3 before the Braves scored three unanswered third period goals.

Making his first start between the pipes was Mike Hallett who stopped 20-of-26 shots.

The Panthers currently sit eight points back of Comox Valley, five points back of Saanich, and three points back of the Oceanside Generals. However, Peninsula has three games in hand on the Glacier Kings, two games in hand on the Generals, and one game in hand on the Braves.

If the season was to end today, the No. 5 seed Panthers would be playing Oceanside in the first round of the playoffs.

Densmore sits 11th in league scoring with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points.

STANDINGS: Victoria – 1st place, 59 points, South Island Division. Peninsula – 3rd place, 31 points, South Island Division

TEAM LEADERS: Victoria – Brody Coulter, 27 goals; Brody Coulter, 36 assists; Robert Zadra, 123 penalty minutes. Peninsula – Joe Densmore, 17 goals; Jake Bryan, 25 assists; Kayle Ramsay, 88 penalty minutes

GOALTENDERS: Victoria – Bryce Halverson (2.14 goals against average, .911 save percentage); Evan Roch (2.81 goals against average, .884 save percentage). Peninsula – Kylar Stern (3.28 goals against average, .916 save percentage); Zach Wear (4.68 goals against average, .884 save percentage)

SEASON SERIES: Cougars lead series, 6-0-0-0

PAST RESULTS/FUTURE MEETINGS:

September 22, 2011. Peninsula Panthers 3 @ Victoria Cougars 4
September 30, 2011. Victoria Cougars 6 @ Peninsula Panthers 1
November 27, 2011. Peninsula Panthers 2 @ Victoria Cougars 4
December 10, 2011. Victoria Cougars 7 @ Peninsula Panthers 4
January 6, 2012. Victoria Cougars 4 @ Peninsula Panthers 3 (SO)
January 12, 2012. Peninsula Panthers 1 @ Victoria Cougars 3
February 10, 2012. Victoria Cougars @ Peninsula Panthers

HOME/AWAY RECORDS: Victoria – Home, 15-1-0-1. Peninsula – Away, 5-9-0-2
STREAKS: Victoria, 9-0-0-0. Peninsula, 0-1-0-0
LAST TEN: Victoria, 9-1-0-0. Peninsula, 3-5-0-2

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

VicPD Nabs Robbery Suspect #yyj @Vicpdcanada

2012-01-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

VicPD Nabs Robbery Suspect (12-2393)

Victoria BC – Early Saturday evening, VicPD arrested a man and a woman after a robbery of two other women in Centennial Square.

The 34-year-old Victoria man and a 34-year-old Victoria woman approached the two women and demanded their money as they were walking through the square. The women turned over a small amount of cash and then the couple walked away.

The two women did not initially call police, but met up with two other men. The four of them located the suspects and confronted them at a restaurant in the 1300-block of Douglas Street. It was there that they demanded the suspects return the cash the two women. The two suspects instead told them to leave and showed a can of bear spray that they had in their possession.

Now having second thoughts, the four left the restaurant and called VicPD. Officers arrived and found the two suspects still in the restaurant and still in possession of the bear spray.

Both were arrested without incident and brought back to VicPD where the 34-year-old man will be appearing in court today and our officers have recommended a charge of robbery against him. His 34-year-old female accomplice was released from custody on a Promise to Appear. She will be returning to court on March 1st, 2012.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Learn What Lies Beneath With New Lecture Series @MaritimeMusBC #yyj

2012-01-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

Explore our ocean with the Maritime Museum of BC through our What Lies Beneath Lecture Series. Every fourth Wednesday from 7-9pm, we will host a presentation on various topics that currently affect this underwater environment. These presentations will feature key-note speakers who are active every day in understanding, studying and monitoring our ocean.

We begin this journey on Wednesday, January 25th exploring our ocean frontier with Verena Tunnicliffe, Director of the VENUS Coastal Observing Network. Tunnicliffe will reveal unknown wonders and imagery from expeditions to hot vents, and subsea volcanoes. According to Tunnicliffe, lack of visual connectivity beneath the surface of the ocean usually means “out of sight, out of mind”. And, because the ocean is a key to our survival, it is very important that we learn all we can about what lies beneath.

The next presentation to follow will be on February 22nd. Howie Robins, President of the Artificial Reef Society of BC, will discuss the need for artificial reefs and whether they are an underwater paradise to the organisms that rely on reefs, or just plain old pollution.

For a full list of all the upcoming lectures, please visit our website at mmbc.bc.ca and search under Featured Exhibits, or call 250-385-4222. Children under 12 are now free at the Museum!

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Shoplifting Spree Halted by #VicPD #yyj @Vicpdcanada

2012-01-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

(12-1994)

Victoria BC – VicPD officers arrested a 35-year-old woman after what is being described as a one-woman shoplifting spree after reports poured in last week from various locations around town.

Officers were called to the Bay Centre on Tuesday by security personnel who reported a rash of thefts within the centre. The suspect was seen throughout the week in various stores acting suspiciously. When staff at the stores went to investigate, they noticed that the suspect was cutting security tags off the clothing and stealing them.

The suspect was located in the 700-block of Blanshard Street and was arrested without incident.

As the officers continued to investigate, they quickly realized that the suspect had stolen a large amount of clothing and other items from around the city. A search warrant was granted for a storage cabinet in the 800-block of Burdett and officers recovered thousands of items.

“This apprehension and search clearly shows that there are a few individuals that are problematic to retailers in Victoria,” stated Ken Kelly, Manager of the Downtown Victoria Business Association. “We greatly appreciate the work done by both Police and Loss Prevention Officers working together through RetailCOP to combat retail theft.”

Officers are now busy cataloguing all the items and trying to return them to their rightful owners.

VicPD is recommending charges of Mischief and Possession of Stolen property under $5000 for the 35-year-old suspect.

Shoplifting Facts:

According to a 2007 survey from Retail Council of Canada, retailers in Canada lose approximately $3.6 billion in revenue to shoplifting every year.

Both the VicPD and Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) are active in the prevention of retail theft with the RetailCOP program. Any business can join RetailCOP and it is a great way to learn prevention tips and talk to other loss prevention professionals.

The program is free and anyone can register at http://www.retailcop.ca/

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

CRD Invites Input on 2012-2014 Strategic Plan #yyj

2012-01-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2012

Victoria, BC – The Capital Regional District (CRD) is inviting input on its 2012-2014 Strategic Plan. The newly elected CRD Board, which represents the regional interests of Greater Victoria, the Peninsula, the West Shore and the three Electoral Districts of Salt Spring Island, Southern Gulf Islands and Juan de Fuca, will be working on drafting its new Strategic Plan over the next few months.

To help inform this process, the CRD is conducting an online questionnaire which will provide residents, business owners and stakeholders with an opportunity to express their opinions on what really matters as they go about their daily lives and business in the region. This input will help shape regional initiatives considered critical to our environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Available through the CRD website at: http://www.crd.bc.ca/, the questionnaire aims to identify stakeholder needs and expectations as well as more specific preferences regarding new programs and services, investment in modernized infrastructure, improvements to the way regional government operates, and improved relationships. The questionnaire adds to input being collected from partner agencies and stakeholder organizations throughout the region, as well as regional directors and municipalities. The goal of this information collection strategy is to derive a more balanced understanding of needs, expectations and desired outcomes for the region.

Input will be accepted for a three week period beginning January 23 and concluding on February 10, 2012, and will ultimately help inform the Strategic Plan and priorities over the next three years.

The CRD Strategic Plan aims to address the needs of the region while fostering a sustainable future. Setting new plans and priorities for the region will benefit from surveying what stakeholders think about what matters and how things are currently done.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

#Camosun College Chargers Weekend Re-Cap & Jan 27-28 Action #yyjsports @Camosunchargers

2012-01-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

Camosun College Chargers Action for January 27-28

Weekend Re-Cap (Jan. 20 & 21)

The Chargers volleyball teams concluded their two game weekend series against the Columbia Bible College Bearcats this past weekend with mixed results as the women collected a pair of losses and the men spilt, earning an exciting, barn-burning, five-set victory against the defending National Champions on Friday and then falling to the Cats in four on Saturday (find scores and team leaders on The Chargers Post). At 7-10, the Chargers women dropped down one spot to No. 5 in the PACWEST standings while the men advanced to No. 4 with 6 wins and 12 losses. Camosun volleyball takes a bye from PACWEST action this weekend and the teams return on February 3-4 to begin their last three weekends of league play before the PACWEST playoffs on February 23-25.

On the road, the Chargers basketball teams each suffered a heartbreaking loss on Friday night to the Langara College Falcons with the women losing by one point (52-51) in overtime and the men going down by a mere two, 68-66. It was a different story for the Chargers on Saturday with the teams chalking up a pair of convincing wins against the Kwantlen University Eagles; the women won 68-52 and the men took it 77-66. The Chargers men maintain their third place PACWEST standings with a 7-3 record while the women move up a spot to No. 5 at 4-6.

Upcoming Action - Chargers at Home (Jan. 27 & 28)

This weekend, the Chargers basketball teams play host to the Douglas College Royals (New Westminster) and the Columbia Bible Bearcats (Abbotsford). Catch the action at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence or watch the matches LIVE on Sports Canada TV!

Fri, Jan. 27 Women 6pm Camosun (#5) vs. Douglas (#8)
Men 8pm Camosun (#3) vs. Douglas (#5)

Sat, Jan. 28 Women 1pm Camosun vs. CBC (#9)
Men 3pm Camosun vs. CBC (#8)

Find official results, standings, leaders and more on the PACWEST website.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

BC Coroners Service confirms one death in mill fire #burnslake

2012-01-23T12:30:00.001-08:00

Jan. 23, 2012

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
BC Coroners Service

BURNS LAKE - The BC Coroners Service has confirmed that one person has been found deceased in the debris of the Babine Forest Products sawmill, levelled by an explosion and fire on the evening of Jan. 20.

A specialized team of investigators from the BC Coroners Service Identification and Disaster Response Unit travelled to the scene on Jan. 22 to work alongside RCMP investigators in attempting to locate and identify the two individuals missing since the explosion and fire.

Although much of the scene remains unsafe to enter, one individual has been discovered deceased near the periphery of the scene.

The identity of this individual has not yet been confirmed. Because of the devastating nature of the fire and explosion, further testing will be required to confirm identification.

Two workers from the mill remain unaccounted for since the blast. The BC Coroners Service and RCMP have met with families of those two workers and notified them of their findings to date.

The BC Coroners Service and RCMP will continue to work with fire investigators, WorkSafeBC investigators and structural engineers in an effort to locate and recover the other missing individual, now presumed deceased. However, the devastation on site will make this a lengthy and difficult task.

The BC Coroners Service expresses condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the missing and injured, and to the entire community of Burns Lake.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Province’s Super 15 Female Senior’s Class inductee commits to #Camosun #yyjsports @Camosunchargers

2012-01-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2012

Standing at 6’1”and possessing an array of skills both on offense and defense, outside hitter Erika Morris is one of the most sought after recruits in BC. Recently, the 17 year old Prince George native announced that she will attend Camosun and play volleyball for the Chargers following her graduation from PG Secondary this spring.

Having been named to The Province’s Super 15 Female Senior’s Class of 2012, as voted on by the head coaches of BC’s CIS volleyball programs, Erika received offers from several institutions but chose Camosun for its academic programming and the opportunity to play for Chargers Head Coach Chris Dahl who she has worked with in the past (initially at a camp in Prince George several years ago and most recently with Team BC and the NTCC program this past summer).

“He’s from Prince George and I worked with him last summer,” said Morris in an interview with the Prince George Citizen. “He’s just a really honest good guy and really organized and a really good coach. I agree with lots of his techniques and philosophies.”

Last summer, Erika served double duty with both the 17U Western Canada Summer Games team winning Gold in Kamloops and the 18U National Team Challenge Cup program winning Gold in Winnipeg with current Camosun Chargers student-athletes Kelsey Clarke and Olivia Redden who both hail from Delta.

"Erika's commitment to the Chargers is another significant step in the growth of our program,” said Chargers Head Coach Chris Dahl. “I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work with Erika over the years … she is a wonderful person and a determined athlete. We look forward to advancing her game with the Camosun program."

The Chargers volleyball teams have a bye this weekend and return to PACWEST action on February 3-4 as they face off against Douglas College in New Westminster.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

B.C. celebrates soaring exploration expenditures #bcpoli #mining

2012-01-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

Jan. 23, 2012
Ministry of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Housing

VANCOUVER - Minister of Energy and Mines Rich Coleman today announced B.C. experienced its second consecutive year of rising mineral exploration expenditures in 2011, as the mineral exploration and mining industry continued a dramatic upward trend.

The preliminary regional estimates for exploration expenditures are $463 million in 2011, up 35 per cent from $341 million in 2010. It also represents a 1,500 per cent increase over the 2001 figure of $29 million.

Mining exploration expenditures set the stage for higher production volumes, continued capital investment and greater employment. In 2011, the total value of mineral sales in the province is estimated to have risen to $8.6 billion from $7.1 billion in 2010, an increase of more than 20 per cent.

B.C.'s mining industry also invested more than $2.1 billion to upgrade capital equipment, expand existing operations and develop new mines last year.

Today, two major mines are under construction in the province - Mt. Milligan copper gold mine between Fort St. James and Mackenzie and New Afton copper gold mine near Kamloops. The Province also recently permitted Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd.'s Bonanza Ledge property in December 2011, with construction expected to start this year.

The mining industry and related minerals sectors employed over 29,000 people in 2011. The 'Canada Starts Here: BC's Job Plan' commitment to expand nine mines and open eight additional mines by 2015, is expected to generate an increase of mine-operation revenue estimated at $1.6 billion per year once these projects are fully operational and create about 1,800 new and sustain more than 5,000 jobs because of longer mine lives.

The province proclaimed Jan. 22 to 28, 2012, Mineral Exploration week.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Deep Green Resistance and Dismantling Empire Jan 26th at #UVic #yyjevents

2012-01-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

Q & A with award-winning deep green author Derrick Jensen, live via Skype on Thursday January 26. Doors 6:30, 7 pm start, at David Lam Auditorium, UVic and at W2 Media Café, 111 West Hastings, Vancouver.

Admission is by donation. Proceeds benefit SalmonAreSacred.org and WildCoast.ca. Info: WildCoast.ca

Victoria: David Lam Auditorium, MacLaurin Hall, UVic

Vancouver: W2 Media Centre, 111 West Hastings By donation - benefit for wild salmon action

Award-winning deep green author Derrick Jensen answers your questions about radical environmentalism, live via Skype in Vancouver and Victoria on Thursday January 26. Doors 6:30, 7 pm start.

Jensen is celebrated as the philosopher-poet of the radical environmental movement. He is the author of Language Older Than Words, Endgame, and the collaboration Deep Green Resistance. The last, published in 2011, launched a growing grassroots movement with dozens of local organizations committed to a decisive end to the destruction of the planet. Deep Green Resistance:

http://deepgreenresistance.org/

http://derrickjensen.org/

The event is a benefit for Alexandra Morton's group Salmon Are Sacred and the Wild Coast Action Team, which helped save Juan de Fuca Park from development last year. Please give what you can.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

#UVic Launches Privacy & Information Security Review #yyj @uvicnews

2012-01-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

Jan. 20, 2011

UVIC LAUNCHES PRIVACY AND INFORMATION SECURITY REVIEW

Former BC Information and Privacy Commissioner David Flaherty, an internationally recognized expert in privacy issues, will lead the external review examining the security of sensitive personal information at the University of Victoria. The university announced Flaherty’s appointment and released the terms of reference for the review today.

UVic President David Turpin announced last week that he was commissioning the review in the wake of a break-in at the university in which a storage device containing personal information of nearly 12,000 current and former employees was stolen.

“The review will address the events leading up to the privacy breach and the university’s response. It will also examine the university’s plans and measures to protect sensitive personal information and make appropriate recommendations,” says Turpin. “We’re extremely pleased to secure the services of one of the country’s foremost privacy experts to take an in-depth look at what UVic can do to ensure we are meeting the highest standards in protecting sensitive personal information and to prevent that information from being compromised in the future.”

Flaherty’s review is expected to be completed within four months and will result in a report to the president and the university’s board of governors. The report will be made public, although some associated material may remain confidential for reasons of security, personal privacy, or on other grounds under BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

At Flaherty’s recommendation, the university is conducting an internal assessment as part of the process. The internal assessment will operate under Flaherty’s guidance and be led and coordinated by Prof. Jamie Cassels, QC, of UVic’s Faculty of Law, and a former vice-president academic and dean at the university. Cassels will seek and receive input from members of the university community and will be able to call upon individuals who have specific knowledge of existing policies, procedures, and practices related to privacy and security matters.

As part of his report to the president and board, Flaherty will examine the findings and recommendations from the internal assessment and the university administration’s response to them.

The university will share the review findings with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC (OIPC) and is cooperating fully with the OIPC’s investigation of the privacy breach at UVic.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

VicPD Warns of Fake $50 U.S. Bills #yyj @Vicpdcanada

2012-01-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

File # 12-1899 / 12-1905 / 12-1997

Date: January 20, 2012

Victoria BC – VicPD is issuing a warning to local businesses after a rash of fake $50 U.S. bills have been found in the past week.

Three separate incidents have been reported to VicPD within the last week. The first incident occurred on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 when one of these fake bills was used to pay for merchandise at a store in the 700-block of Fort St.

Officers were called back to the 700-Block of Fort St. the next day on another report of a fake bill being passed.

The third report came to VicPD from the Island Savings Credit Union at Mayfair mall. The credit union reported that this last bill had been passed to a business in the mall sometime in the last week.

A partial suspect description was given to VicPD for the first two offences. The suspect is described as a white man between 20-years old and 30-years old, standing 5-foot-9 and he had short brown hair.

VicPD Financial Crime Detective Greg Shaw discusses counterfeit U.S. currency identification and protection here: http://youtu.be/KUvJoI7lz-0

Additionally, here are several characteristics to look for on counterfeit U.S. currency (courtesy of the United States Secret Service):

1. 1. PAPER

Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. Often counterfeiters try to simulate these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper. Close inspection reveals, however, that on the counterfeit note the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper.

2. 2. PORTRAIT

The genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out distinctly from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. Details merge into the background which is often too dark or mottled.

3. 3. FEDERAL RESERVE AND TREASURY SEALS

On a genuine bill, the saw-tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct, and sharp. The counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt, or broken saw-tooth points.

4. 4. SERIAL NUMBERS

Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced. The serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury Seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned.

5. 5. BORDER

The fine lines in the border of a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On the counterfeit, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Jeneece Place Opens for Public Tours Jan 22 #yyj @JeneecePlace @QAFoundation

2012-01-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

JENEECE PLACE OPENS FOR PUBLIC TOURS ON

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 FROM NOON – 4 PM

Victoria, BC – The Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children and Jeneece Edroff are delighted to announce public tours of the Jeneece Place, a home away from home for families traveling to Victoria for medical care.

The free tours will be held on Sunday, January 22 from noon – 4 pm. The facility is located on the grounds of the Victoria General Hospital ‐ #1 Hospital Way. Free parking is available during these set tour times in the VIHA staff parking lot at the Emergency Entrance off Watkiss Way.

Jeneece Place will open for families the week of January 23, 2012 and is expected to serve 600 families each year. During times of crisis, challenge, confusion, desperation and sadness, Jeneece Place will be there to offer solace and comfort.

A project of the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children, Jeneece Place was completed on schedule and under budget. It is a 10,500 sq. ft. home containing ten bedrooms, a large communal kitchen, dining room, games, media, activity and laundry rooms as well as outdoor play and recreation areas.

This facility would not have been possible without the incredible support of donors up and down Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands and even further afar. In addition to $1.1 million of in‐kind donations from the construction industry and other suppliers, the Queen Alexandra Foundation received over 2,200 gifts ranging from small change to two, $1 million leadership gifts from TELUS and the Norgaard Foundation.

Jeneece Place is the dream of 17‐year‐old Jeneece Edroff, who knows firsthand the benefits of these types of facilities. Jeneece was diagnosed at age three with neurofibromatosis, a disease that has caused tumours to grow off every nerve ending in her spine. She has undergone thirteen surgeries and numerous chemotherapy sessions in Vancouver. From this experience, she knows how important it is for families to have a warm and supportive place to stay close to the hospital.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Special Sunday screening of Victoria Maxwell’s THAT’S JUST CRAZY TALK #yyjfilm #moviemonday

2012-01-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

There has been such a great response to pre-registration for the Saturday performance, “sold out” in fact, that we’ll roll a facsimile the following evening:

We’ve added a special Sunday 7pm screening of the DVD version of Victoria Maxwell’s THAT’S JUST CRAZY TALK play.

This is an early look at a professional, multi-camera shoot of a previous performance of the play. It’ll be followed by a discussion opportunity.

This is part of CREST’s project to research, disseminate information, and reduce stigma about Bipolar Disorder.

http://www.crestbd.ca/research-projects/

See http://www.moviemonday.ca/ for details and links to articles and CREST.BD

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Road Closure: San Juan Ave between Majestic & Shelbourne Jan 18-20 #yyjtraffic

2012-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

Road Closure

Starting on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, through to Friday, January 20, 2012, there will be a full road closure on San Juan Avenue between Majestic Drive and Shelbourne Street. Work is scheduled to start at approximately 8:00 am and is expected to continue until 4:00 pm.

Only emergency vehicles will be accommodated. Please obey the signs.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

BCCLA: Advocacy Groups Call For Review of Centralization of Girls’ Imprisonment

2012-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2012

Vancouver, BC

Advocacy Groups Call on BC Representative for
Children and Youth To Review
Centralization of Girls’ Imprisonment

Three prominent rights organizations in B.C. have joined to ask the Representative for Children and Youth to review the B.C. Government’s proposal to transport all girl prisoners across the province to the Burnaby youth prison. The government announced on Wednesday the centralization of the detention of girls, and the imposition of a new “sheriff escort” system that will transport girls from all over the province to the Burnaby youth prison.

“The Ministry of Children and Families will subject girls to hours of transportation in shackles, and further isolation and displacement from their families and communities. Some of these girls will be enduring 11 or more hours of transportation in shackles, and many before they have been found guilty of a crime. Not only is this an outrageous violation of children’s human rights, it also amounts to cruel and unusual punishment and will surely be constitutionally challenged” said Annabel Webb, Director of Justice for Girls. “The consequences of this kind of displacement on girls can be dire. Two Aboriginal girls committed suicide in 2010 while incarcerated in Manitoba; both girls had been displaced many kilometres from their home communities,” adds Webb.

“Beyond the simple fact that it is discriminatory and illegal that boys get to stay in regional centres, and girls have to ride with a sheriff on shackle tours for hundreds of kilometres away from their families, we can’t understand how the government reconciles goals of re-integrating these children with their home communities and proposals of ‘video conferencing’ with families,” said David Eby, Executive Director of the BCCLA.

“Passage of Bill C-10, with its increased reliance on detention for youth, is sure to increase youth incarceration rates,” says Laura Track, Legal Director at West Coast LEAF. “Aboriginal girls are vastly over-represented in BC facilities, representing over half of girls in youth prisons, and these cuts will harm them and their families most of all. Separating girls from their families and communities is bad policy and will be especially damaging to girls from isolated and remote parts of the province.”

The organizations’ letter to the Representative for Children and Youth asks the Representative to investigate the government proposal and to intervene, alleging that the conditions of girls’ imprisonment are inherently degrading and dehumanizing and that proposed centralization by the Ministry of Children and Family Development will exacerbate human rights abuses against girls in BC youth prisons.

Click here to read the letter from the organizations to the Representative >>

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Nominations accepted for 2012 OBC honour #bcpoli #orderofbc

2012-01-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

Jan. 20, 2012

Order of British Columbia
Honours and Awards Secretariat
Province of British Columbia

Nominations accepted for 2012 OBC honour

VICTORIA - Nominations for the province's highest recognition of excellence and lifetime achievement - the Order of British Columbia for 2012 - are now being accepted.

"The Order of British Columbia is the province's most prestigious accolade and is an official part of the Canadian Honours system. It avails us the opportunity to publicly recognize the good works of those in our communities who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to make all our lives better," said Steven Point, Lieutenant Governor and Chancellor of the Order of British Columbia. "Please take the time, as grateful citizens, to identify and nominate those special people worthy of being honoured in this significant way."

To submit a candidate's name and biographical information, nominators are asked to complete the OBC nomination form. These can be obtained by:

* Downloading the form from the website: http://www.orderofbc.gov.bc.ca/

* Requesting the form from any government agent office, or from the Honours and Awards Secretariat office at 250 387-1616.

Nominations for the Order of British Columbia will be accepted at the Secretariat's office (1st floor, 548 Michigan St., Victoria V8V 1S2) until 5 p.m., March 10, 2012.

A dinner and special ceremony of recognition will be hosted later this year by Lt.-Gov. Point at Government House for recipients and invited guests.

The Order of British Columbia was established in 1989. Since its inception, 317 British Columbians have been honoured.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Meet Victoria’s Third Poet Laureate: Janet Marie Rogers #yyj

2012-01-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Date: Friday, January 20, 2012 For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC — At last night’s City Council meeting, Janet Marie Rogers read her poem Change-Makers and was announced as the Capital City’s third Poet Laureate. Selected by nomination, the Poet Laureate serves as Victoria’s literary and cultural ambassador for a three-year term.

A Mohawk writer from the Six Nations band in southern Ontario, Janet Rogers was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and has resided in Victoria since 1994. A published and award-winning poet, she has worked and studied in the genres of poetry, short fiction, spoken word performance poetry, video poetry and recorded poems with music and scriptwriting.

“We are pleased to welcome Janet Rogers as Victoria’s third Poet Laureate,” said Mayor Dean Fortin. “The Poet Laureate plays an important role in raising the profile of poetry and showcasing the talent of local poets in our community.”

Victoria’s Poet Laureate is required to produce a minimum of three new original works each year that reflect or represent ideas and issues of importance to the people of Victoria. The Poet Laureate also recites poems at City events, City Council meetings and official functions including the annual Victoria Book Prize Awards Gala. In addition, the Poet Laureate hosts a number of poetry events in the community each year.

“Over the next three years, I look forward to creating opportunities where the community can come together in celebration of our poetic voices on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people,” said Janet Rogers. Janet Rogers hosts Native Waves Radio on CFUV 101.9fm and Tribal Clefs every Tuesday on CBC Radio One.

Her video poem What Did You Do Boy, created in support of a spoken word track from her CD Firewater, earned nominations at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards 2009 and the Native American Music Awards 2010.

Rogers’ radio documentary Bring Your Drum (50 Years of Indigenous Protest Music), aired last July on CBC’s Inside the Music and won the Best Radio award at the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Festival 2011. Her newest poetry collection is titled Unearthed.

The Poet Laureate, also known as “the people’s poet,” is an honorary position that was established by Victoria City Council in June 2006 to honour and celebrate the contribution of literature and poetry in Victoria.

For more information, visit: http://www.victoria.ca/ and click on What’s New?

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Only 2 days left to enter the Victoria Film Festival Summer in February Contest #yyjfilm @VicFilmFestival

2012-01-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

Stop by the Victoria Film Festival Kiosk on the bottom floor of the Bay Centre for a chance to win a huge VFF prize package worth over $1500. Get there soon because the contest ends at 6:00pm Saturday Jan 21st.

The VFF and it's partners have put together a grand prize package to enjoy the Victoria Film Festival in style with:

- Two nights at the Fairmont Empress, February 3 & 4
- Dinner for two at Bon Rouge on Friday, February 3
- 2 Tickets to the Opening Gala
- 2 Film Passes (admits holder to all regular VFF screenings)
- Limo to the opening Gala courtesy of LA Limousines
- $500 Bay Centre Card

How To Enter:

Between January 7th and 21st, stop by the Victoria Film Festival kiosk located on the Government St. level of the Bay Centre. There is a scene from a 1950's beach movie that you can place yourself in. Take a picture of yourself at the kiosk. Be creative with it. Click “Like” and post it to the VFF Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/VictoriaFilmFestival. Tag yourself and the person you’ll be sharing the prize with and you’ll be entered in the draw.

Winner will be notified on Jan 23rd. Must be 18+ to enter.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

M.V. COHO Takes Annual Maintenance Break Jan 23-Feb 7 #yyj @MVCoho

2012-01-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Port Angeles, Wash./ Victoria, B.C.

Black Ball Ferry Line’s M.V. Coho takes its annual maintenance break from January 23 through February 7, 2012. The ferry, which runs between Victoria, B.C. and Port Angeles, Wash., will be out of service during this time to complete refurbishments and maintenance.

Regular service will resume on February 8, 2011 when the M.V. Coho departs Port Angeles at 8:20 a.m.

About Black Ball Ferry Line

Black Ball Ferry Line’s M.V. COHO offers year-round passenger and vehicle service between Port Angeles, Wash. and downtown Victoria, British Columbia. During the scenic 90-minute crossing passengers can enjoy the many onboard amenities including a cafeteria, gift shop, duty free shopping and solarium viewing area on the top passenger deck. During its more than half century of service, the M.V. COHO has transported more than 21 million passengers and five million vehicles.

Visit CohoFerry.com for schedules, special offers on travel packages and complete trip planning information.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Blue Box Pickup Delays & Disruptions in #Saanich & #Highlands today #yyj

2012-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2012

Victoria, BC –- Inclement weather in the Capital Region has forced the delay and disruption of Blue Box recycling pickup today, Friday, January 20th. Today is Green Friday and collection regularly takes place in parts of Saanich and the Highlands. Trucks are on the road collecting, but due to poor road conditions in areas some roads will not be serviced.

If recyclables have not been collected by the end of day residents are advised to hold on to their recyclables until their next collection day. There is no limit to the amount of recyclables that can be left at the curb.

For information updates and to determine your next collection day or other collection options please visit our website at www.crd.bc.ca/recycle or call our Recycling Hotline at 250.360.3030.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

BC Artists Show us What it Means to ‘Throw Down’ at the AGGV #yyjart

2012-01-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

(Victoria, BC) - Five British Columbia artists have taken up the challenge to Throw Down at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria for a new exhibition running Jan. 27 – May 6, 2012.

“To Throw Down can mean many things: to celebrate in a big way, to fight for something meaningful, or to contribute resources to make something happen,” explains Nicole Stanbridge AGGV Associate Curator, Contemporary Art.

In Throw Down artists Sonny Assu, Gregory Ball, Megan Dickie, Tyler Hodgins and Alison MacTaggart contributed work for the exhibition that speaks specifically to issues and ideals that are personally relevant.

“The artists use sculpture, video, photography, drawing and public intervention to address socio-political issues, economic struggles, to invoke a call to action or an invitation to play,” continued Stanbridge. “Through humour, satire, and critique, the act of throwing down extends into issues of identity, value, preservation, social injustice, and consumption.”

The impetus for the exhibition and its exploration of the act throwing down is Megan Dickie’s new sculptural work Submission, and the related video work Step into the Ring. Her adult-scale bop-bag (the toy that, after you’ve punched it, pops back up to meet you for another round) in the shape of the Canada Council logo speaks dynamically to the shared challenges faced by artists, institutions, and funding agencies to keep art thriving. These works simultaneously invite play, physicality and contemplation.

Alison MacTaggart’s The Egg Throwing Apparatus appears to be a self-explanatory functional gadget for the act of egg throwing. With this work she uses innovative design and humour to disarm the metaphorical egg throwing that could occur as a result of intolerance and discrimination when individuals identify themselves to their community as queer. They are called out and named publicly, which makes them visible, but can also put them at risk.

You Suck, a video installation and a series of drawings by Gregory Ball, speaks of natural landscape, industrial practices, and consumer culture. The new installation component of this work, an oil drum etched and beaten with images from the video, was inspired by a recent act of solidarity with his colleagues. During the 2011 strike at Vancouver Island University, a convening area formed around an oil drum in which wood was burned to keep the striking employees warm. What evolved at this meeting place was the sharing of collective stories and opportunities for meaningful dialogue.

Victoria artist Tyler Hodgins has created Sleeping Bag, a series of temporal sculptural interventions that will take place throughout the city of Victoria during the run of Throw Down. The sculptures are cast forms of figures in a sleeping bag, made of coloured ice to be placed in various locations throughout the city centre, visit aggv.ca for updates on dates and locations.

Over time the forms will melt, leaving only a trace of colour from the ice, which will eventually wash away with exposure to the elements. Their ephemeral nature speaks to the lack of visibility of the homeless and directs our focus to the prevalent issue of homelessness in our city.

Sonny Assu’s contribution to the exhibition includes a new body of work that is a departure from his already diverse practice. Earlier works referenced and challenged popular consumer culture and traditional aboriginal forms through painting, sculpture, and installation, this new series, is the first time he has worked with found objects. He has taken cuts of cedar from a log home development on the We Wai Kai Nation reserve in Campbell River, BC, where his family lives and with no alterations made to them, these objects, which had been discarded as refuse, take on new meaning and purpose as masks. These objects were also used as interventions in the photo series, Artifacts of Authenticity, a collaboration with artist Eric Deis, where they were placed in the context of a museum (artifact), commercial gallery (fine art), and gift shop (souvenir).

Throw Down is accompanied by an illustrated exhibition catalogue featuring an introduction by Stanbridge and an essay entitled, Does the World Need Another Art School by Wendy Welch. The catalogue will be available for sale in the Gallery Gift Shop.

For more information, visit http://www.aggv.ca/ or call 250-384-4171

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Prepare for Snow and Rain #yyj @Cityofvictoria

2012-01-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012 For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC — Victoria’s weather is about to change “for the wet.” With snow and rain forecast for tomorrow, City crews are continuing their snow clearing efforts and have begun clearing ice and snow from storm grates to prevent the flooding of streets and property.

Residents and businesses are asked to assist City crews by locating and clearing any storm grates in front of their property so that melting snow and rain can drain away easily. The City would like to thank Victoria residents and businesses for helping keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice. Crews are focusing on clearing residential roads, on-street parking spaces and transit stops downtown.

Motorists are asked to move their vehicles off residential streets where possible to assist City crews with snow clearing.

On-street parking rates are in effect today. On-street parking tickets issued downtown yesterday were cancelled. For more information, contact City of Victoria Parking Services at 250.361.0260.

There will be no garbage pick-up today in Victoria. Friday’s pick-up will be determined by the weather.

Next week, crews will collect two cans per household to make up for missed days.

For more information on how the City of Victoria prioritizes its snow and ice response, tips to shovelling snow, and the role and responsibilities of Victoria citizens, please visit: www.victoria.ca/snowclearing

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre Set to Reopen Jan 20 #yyj @Cityofvictoria

2012-01-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012 For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC — The Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre will reopen Friday, January 20, at 5:30 a.m. after an unplanned four day closure following a scheduled six week maintenance closure.

Repairs have now been completed on a faulty computer panel that controls the ventilation and temperature controls for the facility including the pool temperatures, heating, and humidity.

All programs that were scheduled to start this week have been postponed by one week. Start dates for programs beginning on Saturday, January 21, and Sunday, January 22 are unaffected.

For information on new start dates for programs affected by this unplanned closure, please call the registration desk at the Crystal Pool and Fitness Centre at 250.361.0732.

Regular hours of operation will be in effect as of Friday, January 20, 2012. Visit www.victoria.ca/crystalpool for schedule and fee information.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Who Is Spinning Whom? Public Forum on Media & Justice POSTONED #yyjevents

2012-01-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

UPDATE January 19
The Forum has been postponed due to weather
and will be rescheduled for February.

Details to follow...

An interesting and informing evening

for those who are interested in justice issues.

Our panelists for the evening are:

• Dennis Finlay- former Corrections Canada spokesperson
• Ian Haysom - News Director Global News
• Les Leyne – Times-Colonist columnist
• Dr. Lynne van Luven- Assistant Dean of Fine Arts, University of Victoria
• Dr. Nick Russell – author, retired journalism professor

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

#Camosun Community Association Annual AGM Jan 19th #yyj @Camosun @CamosunCA

2012-01-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

Camosun Community Association

Annual AGM

Thursday January 19
Camosun College (Young Building)
3100 Foul Bay Road
Room Y 325 (Third floor - there is an elevator for seniors and people with difficulties)

Key points:

1. Presentation of Bowker Creek Blueprint: (rehab of the creek) by Natalie Bandringa (Bowker Creek Initiative Coordinator)

2. Outline of 2011 activities and plans for 2012 and following years:

• focus as usual on local issues ( land use (meetings between developers and neighbours), urban development (Shelbourne Corridor and Douglas Street Corridor) environment (Bowker Creek, Mount Tolmie) UVic expansion, etc. )

• emphasis on a strategy of improvement of participation of the public of our area in local affairs in cooperation with two other community associations (Mount Tolmie and Quadra Cedar Hill) and of the Camosun College Student Society, organization and holding of a very well attended All Candidates Meeting (Nov 3) as a means to increase voter turnout and public participation in local affairs under the thrust of the CCA, continuation in 2012 etc, of that cooperation among community associations and college students for the purpose of further widening public interest, involvement in community affairs and inputs to municipal governments with municipal council (possible issues to be addressed:: public transit, local food production and access at affordable costs, cost-effective sewage treatment and waste management, reality of climate change and what to do about that)

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

#Camosun volleyball teams keen to capitalize on home court advantage #yyjsports @CamosunChargers

2012-01-19T14:03:00.000-08:00

January 19, 2012

Following their fall-out against the Capilano University Blues in North Vancouver last weekend, the Chargers men’s and women’s volleyball teams are hoping that the home court advantage this weekend will help them score some wins as they play host to the Columbia Bible College Bearcats.

While the Christmas break was good for the Camosun men, allowing the athletes to rest and recover from a hard semester of training, last week’s matches against Capilano proved difficult for the team who could not find their form.

“Unlike CAP, who played a difficult match the previous weekend, we started the second half with a bye and the road trip to North Vancouver was our first taste of action,” commented Chargers Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Charles Parkinson. “The set scores in each of the matches were very close, but helped by a hometown crowd, they were able to break through when they needed to. Having made a few changes to their roster, Capilano is now a team to be reckoned with and the battle for the play-offs has become infinitely more interesting.”

Camosun captain Garrett Marcellus (fourth-year leftside from Oak Bay) continued his steady play last week and the team (now with 5 wins and 11 losses) will be counting on him to lead the charge against the Bearcats who are the defending CCAA National Champions. Marcellus’ blocking, passing and transition offense has anchored the team this season and provided spark in times of need.

Against CBC's high-flying wing spiker Will Quiring, who leads the league in offensive stats, the Chargers will be relying on second-year rightside Jon Joerstad (International student from Oslo, Norway) and fourth-year rightside Andy Inglis (Red Deer) to slow down the point giant with their size and aggressiveness. Also important for the Chargers this weekend will be Alex Sadowski (Belmont), the team’s 6'7" middle who leads the league in blocking. A first year player, Alex is gradually learning the subtleties of the middle position and his offense is rapidly improving. This will be essential to counteract the 6"9" Danny Grant from CBC.

“We have the ability to match up well with CBC but in order to be successful this weekend we will need to contain Quiring, execute our game play and capitalize on home court advantage,” said Coach Parkinson.?

The Chargers women also had a rusty return last weekend against Capilano but anticipate a good pair of matches against the fifth-place Bearcats on home ground.

“Against Capilano, we had opportunity to alter the shape and flow of the match on both days but we dropped a set 26-28 on Friday and another 23-25 on Saturday,” reported Camosun Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Chris Dahl. “One can only suspect that winning those sets significantly alters the match as your opposition now feels inclined to adjust and change something they do. We need to capitalize on some of those opportunities and pressure our opponents more.”

Despite the losses, which give the Chargers women a record of 7-8 (Camosun remains in fourth place), the team managed to incorporate a few new tactical approaches to their game and according to Coach Dahl, it is all just part of the process.

“Some of these [approaches] are specific to our athletes and their execution and decision making abilities while others are more team oriented and systems based,” said Coach Dahl. “It's a work in progress, but there is no better place for the refinement of these skills and methods than under the microscope of competition. A lot about our game is consistency or lack thereof. We have some incredible athletes in our program and we trust that they are working through the game so that things are repeatable in a way that we seek. Clearly it takes time and commitment.”

Catch the Chargers this weekend at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence as they face off against the CBC Bearcats. Or watch the action LIVE on SportsCanadaTV

Fri, Jan. 20
Women at 6pm Camosun (#4) vs. CBC (#5)
Men at 7:45pm Camosun (#5) vs. CBC (#3)

Sat, Jan. 21
Women at 1pm Camosun vs. CBC
Men at 2:45pm Camosun vs. CBC

“It’s a match up that I expect to provide some very entertaining volleyball on our home court at PISE and we’re looking forward to playing this weekend in front of our fans,” commented Coach Dahl.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Tax protester convicted of counseling others to commit tax evasion

2012-01-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Vancouver, British Columbia, January 19, 2012... Chilliwack businessman, Russell Porisky, was found guilty yesterday in British Columbia Supreme Court on one count of counseling others to evade taxes. In addition, Porisky was convicted on two counts of tax evasion. For the counseling conviction, Porisky faces a maximum penalty of 7 years in prison.

Porisky created the Paradigm Education Group (Paradigm), a business which counselled people to commit fraud by evading tax. Paradigm sold books and DVD’s, and taught fee-based seminars which taught people how to structure their affairs in a way to illegally avoid taxes. Claims such as those made by Porisky are categorized by the CRA as tax myths. Individuals who plan to use the tactics of tax protesters should know that this could have significant personal and financial consequences, including fines, imprisonment, or seizure of goods. For information regarding tax myths and their consequences, visit the CRA website at cra.gc.ca/nwsrm/myths.

The preceding information was obtained from the court records.

When individuals are convicted of income tax fraud, they must still repay the full amount of taxes owing, plus interest and any civil penalties that may be assessed by the CRA. In addition, the court may fine them up to 200% of the taxes evaded and impose a jail term of up to five years.

Individuals who have not filed returns for previous years, or who have not reported all of their income, can still voluntarily correct their tax affairs. They will not be penalized or prosecuted if they make a valid disclosure before they become aware of any compliance action being initiated by the CRA against them. These individuals may only have to pay the taxes owing, plus interest. More information on the Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP) can be found on the CRA's website at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

Further information on convictions can also be found in the Media room on the CRA website at www.cra.gc.ca/convictions.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Awkward bulge leads to drugs #yyj @SaanichPolice

2012-01-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last evening, officers spotted a car whose owner was known to have curfew conditions.

Early this morning, at about 12:30 am, three Saanich patrol officers were parked at the Mac’s store at Craigflower and Admirals. One of the officers spotted a car that he recognized when it pulled into the store lot. The officer knew that the owner of the car was bound by curfew conditions and should not be out.

Officers contacted the driver and requested his driver license. At that time, an officer spotted a drug pipe protruding from his pants. Police database queries showed the driver was not to be in possession of any non-prescription drugs.

The driver, a 21 year old Langford male, was arrested for violations of his release conditions. A search of the vehicle, resulted in officers finding scales and some empty baggies, thought to have previously contained drugs.

The driver was returned to cells where he was searched more thoroughly. The officer conducting the search found an unusual ‘bulge’ in the boxer shorts of the suspect.

Hidden in the boxers, was a plastic prescription bottle (in the name of the suspect) which contained ten different packages of drugs believed to be cocaine and meth.

Charges of possession of a substance for the purpose of trafficking are being prepared. The suspect was released with a court date and even more conditions.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Inclement Weather Forces Blue Box Pickup Delays and Disruptions #yyj

2012-01-19T13:18:00.001-08:00

January 19, 2012

Victoria, BC - Inclement weather in the Capital Region has forced the delay and disruption of Blue Box recycling pickup today, Thursday, January 19th. Today is Green Thursday and collection regularly takes place in parts of Saanich and Victoria.

Trucks are on the road collecting, but due to poor road conditions in some areas some roads will not be serviced. If recyclables have not been collected by the end of day residents are advised to hold on to their recyclables until their next collection day. There is no limit to the amount of recyclables that can be left at the curb.

For information updates and to determine your next collection day or other collection options please visit our website at www.crd.bc.ca/recycle or call our Recycling Hotline at 250.360.3030.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Pushing the Limits of Sustainable Business #yyj @Cityofvictoria

2012-01-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

Sponsorships Remain to Help Businesses Achieve

Maximum Efficiency

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2012 For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC — Next week, the first 10 of 50 innovative businesses funded by the City of Victoria, Saanich and the CRD will start the New Year learning how to cut costs through shrinking their carbon footprint.

A hardware store (Bay West Hardware), an organic produce deliverer (Share Organics), a boutique hotel (the Hotel Rialto), and a planning, design and landscape consultancy (LANDECA) will all join MacNutt Soils and Mulches, and Synergy Building Maintenance in the first cohort of the Climate Smart program – alongside green solutions providers, Emterra Environmental and City Green Solutions. As a group, they will draw upon both the experience of the Climate Smart team, as well as each other, in the pursuit of becoming the most efficient businesses in their industries.

$1,000 subsidies from Victoria, Saanich and the CRD towards the Climate Smart program for small and medium-sized businesses are still available. For more information: www.climatesmartbusiness.com/crd.

The Climate Smart program teaches businesses how to measure their carbon footprint, identify ways to reduce their carbon emissions, as well as how to reduce energy and operational costs. Learning how to best engage employees, and reduce turnover is also a critical cost-saving aspect of the program. Marketing strategies focused on business’ carbon-reducing actions are also emphasized, and participants gain access to an online tool to calculate and manage their carbon footprint. In addition, Climate Smart Businesses receive one-on-one advising from experts, and membership in a diverse network of businesses pursuing the most innovative and environmentally friendly business models achievable.

“Just because we’re a recycler doesn’t naturally mean that we are the best for the environment. We, every day, want to be the best,” said Climate Smart alumnus Gary Ellice, General Manager of Victoria’s Ellice Recycling.

While more series of training sessions will launch throughout the spring, the first group is set to begin on January 25. To qualify for the $1,000 in subsidies, businesses must base their operations in the City of Victoria or the District of Saanich, or be a supplier to the CRD, the City of Victoria or the District of Saanich.

Interested businesses can visit: www.climatesmartbusiness.com/crd or www.victoria.ca/climateaction.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

BCCLA: Legal protections needed to catch-up with genetic technology

2012-01-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
January 19, 2012

Report: legal protections needed to catch-up with genetic technology

The BCCLA is issuing a report today that calls for legal protections to catch-up with advances in genetic technology. Genetic technologies have inherent risks because they provide highly sensitive information which can, or one day could, limit opportunities in employment, schooling and insurance matters. In order to realize the promise of genetic medicine, the report calls for urgent attention to genetic privacy and discrimination laws.

“Canadians keep being told that they should be excited by the revolution in genetic medicine that promises to put their genome on their iPhone,” said Micheal Vonn, Policy Director of the BCCLA. “But studies show that Canadians are worried about genetic privacy and discrimination. Our medical privacy is already under threat because of electronic health records and Canadian privacy laws have a lot of loopholes. The special sensitivity of genetic information shines a spotlight on our urgent need to strengthen privacy protections.”

The report also looks at the important role of DNA in criminal investigations and compares Canada’s more balanced approach on the use of forensic DNA with jurisdictions like the UK, which has been criticized internationally for illegally collecting DNA samples from adults and children who are innocent of any crime or involved in only minor infractions.

Vonn: “DNA is a powerful tool for criminal investigation and exonerating the innocent. But calls to keep expanding the DNA database are misguided. Putting over a million innocent people on the DNA database in the UK didn’t help solve crime, it stigmatized ordinary citizens and undermined public trust in policing. Canada needs to pay attention to these “lessons learned” in other countries when shaping our own laws and policies.”

The Genetic Privacy and Discrimination Report was written by Eugene Oscapella and made possible by a research grant from the Law Foundation of British Columbia.

“Genetic Privacy and Discrimination: An Overview of Selected Major Issues” >>

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Vancouver Drug Court celebrates 10 years of success #bcpoli

2012-01-19T09:09:00.001-08:00

Jan. 18, 2012
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

VANCOUVER - As the Drug Treatment Court of Vancouver (DTCV) marks a decade since it embarked on an innovative approach to dealing with drug-addicted offenders, a recent study shows the drug court is having significant success in reducing reoffending.

Simon Fraser University conducted an independent evaluation of the drug court's alternative process for individuals who commit offences because they have a drug addiction. The study determined the DTCV reduced drug-related recidivism by 56 per cent over a two-year tracking period. It also determined that DTCV involvement decreases criminal offending of all kinds by 35 per cent.

In the 10 years since the court opened in December 2001, 196 offenders who had substance use disorders and were before the courts were redirected from the regular criminal justice system into treatment programs to address their addictions.

The DTCV is designed for individuals charged with offences motivated by drug addiction. People charged under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or the Criminal Code of Canada, and whose offences were motivated by addiction when they committed their crimes, are potentially eligible for DTCV.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Statement on Tuesday's RCMP helicopter fatality #bcpoli

2012-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

Office of the Premier
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

VICTORIA - Premier Christy Clark and Shirley Bond, Minister of Public Safety, Solicitor General and Attorney General, issued the following statement following yesterday's RCMP helicopter crash near Cultus Lake:

"I was deeply saddened to learn of this tragic loss and my thoughts are with the family, friends and co-workers of pilot Dave Brolin, who was a civilian member of the RCMP," said Premier Clark. "This serves as a reminder to all of us of the bravery and dedication of emergency responders who work to further public safety and aid British Columbians in times of great need."

"On behalf of all British Columbians, we want to thank the emergency response team members who had been practising in the area with Mr. Brolin, and who applied their skills quickly to aid their downed colleague," said Bond. "In police work, the safety of first responders is always the paramount consideration. We know this loss will particularly touch RCMP members, and indeed all of those who work each and every day to further public safety in our communities."

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Public Works Update #yyj #yyjsnow

2012-01-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Public Works Update

The “snowfall warning” for Greater Victoria issued by Environment Canada is still in effect. There is white out conditions and limited visibility.

Motorists can expect winter driving conditions and are encouraged to avoid driving if possible. Municipal crews have been working through the night and priority snow routes have been treated (majors/collectors) but are snow covered with underlying icy patches. Most local roads will be icy due to yesterdays thaw and freeze.

Priority bus stops as pre-determined by BC Transit, over/underpasses, as well as sidewalk abutting Municipal properties will be cleared as resources permit. We remind citizens, that sidewalk clearing is the responsibility of the property owner or business owner as regulated by Municipal bylaw.

Municipal garbage crews are working today. Extra crews and equipment are working to assist in scheduled garbage collection where safe to do so. Residents are asked to ensure a clear safe access for your collector to your garbage cans. Where possible please place garbage cans curbside to assist collectors during these snowy conditions.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding during these conditions.

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Camosun College campuses Closed 9:20am #yyj @Camosun

2012-01-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Camosun College campuses

Closed Today

as of 9:20 am

Details at: http://camosun.ca/

Please Note:

Village 900 CKMO Student Radio Shifts Cancelled Today

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Village 900 CKMO Student Radio Shifts Cancelled Today #yyjsnow #ACP #Camosun

2012-01-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

A note to our Applied Communication Students with radio shifts today - All student shifts are cancelled for January 18th.

Staff are at the station keeping things covered.

Have a great day!

- Village 900

Listen to Village 900 Streaming

Drunk customer assaults store clerk #yyj @Saanichpolice

2012-01-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

A Mac’s store employee called Saanich Police Friday evening about a customer who was threatening him.

Friday night just past midnight, a Shelbourne street Mac’s store employee called the Saanich Police about a threatening customer. The customer had entered and made threatening comments to the clerk and then said he would ‘…wait outside,’ for him.

Several patrol officers were dispatched into the area, and the suspect was located a short distance away by arriving officers.

The investigation at the scene revealed that the male arrested had been involved in two other incidents in the store.

Dec. 7th- the male suspect did not have enough money for his purchases, became irate and began throwing items around the store and at the clerk.

Dec. 10th, the same male threatened the clerk and used racial comments directed at him.

On Friday evening, the same unhappy customer entered made similar racial and threatening comments and then fled.

The suspect, a 28 year old local area resident, was found to have been highly intoxicated. He was held in cells overnight and was released the next morning at 6am.

The suspect was issued a court date and an undertaking with conditions, including not to go back to the store.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Bus driver assault suspect tracked #yyj @Vicpdcanada

2012-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

Friday night a bus driver was spat on and grabbed by a youth at the rear of Tillicum mall.

At about 11:30pm, a call for assistance came from BC Transit to the Saanich Police Communications Centre. The call was of an assault of a driver ‘in progress’ on a bus at the depot behind Tillicum mall.

Several patrol officers and a canine responded into the area. The two young males fled the area but were followed by a Transit Supervisor. They were followed across Burnside road and into the Burnside Gardens complex.

Patrol officers secured the area and an officer spotted one male suspect in the complex and detained him.

Police Service Dog ‘Taz’ and his handler Cst. Justin Whittacker, deployed at the mall. Taz tracked directly across Burnside into the complex and up to the patrol car where the youth had been detained. This confirmed him as one of the suspects.

The 16 year old male Saanich resident was arrested and released into the custody of a parent. Charges of assault are being considered.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

No insurance stop leads to marihuana #yyj @SaanichPolice

2012-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Friday night, a canine officer stopped a vehicle for no insurance and the driver was found to have been smoking marihuana.

Just after 6pm on Knockan Drive near Helmcken, a Saanich Police canine handler and his partner were on routine patrol. The officer spotted a vehicle that had expired insurance. The 1990 Toyota Cressida was stopped and it was confirmed against ICBC records that the insurance was inactive.

The 19 year old Saanich driver was contacted by the officer. When the officer was speaking to the driver, he noticed an odour of marihuana. When confronted, the driver confirmed that he had recently smoked marihuana.

The driver was arrested and searched and it was found that he had 20 grams of marihuana on his person. A violation ticket was issued for no insurance with a fine of $598.00. He was also issued a 24 hour roadside suspension and had his vehicle towed.

Charges under the CDSA are being considered.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Owls, Owls, Owls! Jan 29 at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary #yyj

2012-01-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

All events are to be held at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary

3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria

For more information call: 250.479.0211

Or visit: www.swanlake.bc.ca

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

#Camosun Chargers men defeat No. 2 nationally ranked #basketball squad #yyjsports @Camosunchargers

2012-01-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2012

The Camosun College Chargers men’s basketball team opened the second half of the PACWEST season with a huge double digit win over the No. 2 nationally ranked Capilano University Blues in Victoria on Friday night.

Led by first-year forward student-athletes Trevor Scheurmann (Winnipeg) and James Blandford (Stelly’s), the Chargers dominated Capilano in all four frames and collected a convincing 91-63 victory against the Blues who were positioned at the top of the PACWEST standings and ranked second in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.

“We executed our game plan, attacked them inside and played good perimeter defense,” commented Camosun Head Coach Craig Price. “We were able to control their running game and still attack them back in transition. I think that CAP is trying to find their identity after the break. They did not play their best basketball and will be tough to beat in the future. Jordan Yu does a tremendous job with that team.”

Despite the walloping that Camosun imposed on their higher ranked opponents on Friday, the team’s follow up match on Saturday against the league’s winless Quest University Kermodes was a tight one as the Chargers struggled to get into the game.

“Against Quest, the zone protected the inside better and it took us the entire first half to start attacking,” said Coach Price. “When we became more confident and played with conviction we were considerably better.”

After being down 32-26 at the half, the Chargers made a strong comeback in the final two quarters to capture their second win of the weekend 68-58.

“Welcome to your inexperienced teams and their ups and downs,” noted Coach Price. ”We will definitely have to better this weekend and in the weeks following to stay in contention for playoffs.”

With a 6-2 record, the Chargers move up one spot in the conference standings to No. 3, right behind the Vancouver Island University Mariners (who took the top spot by defeating Capilano on Saturday in Nanaimo) and the No. 2 University of Northern BC Timberwolves. Together, VIU and UNBC have handed the Camosun squad’s only two losses of the season to date.

The Chargers women fell in both games this weekend (76-62 to Capilano and 68-57 to Quest) and remain in sixth spot with 3 wins and 5 losses. The team will undoubtedly be working towards making improvements over the next five weeks as playoffs draw near.

“We had our chances in both games this past weekend, but we have not been able to sustain anything offensively or defensively for any extended time period,” commented Chargers Head Coach Brett Westcott. “Just when we need to get a couple of stops to keep from falling away, we give up a couple of three-point shots or offensive put-backs which just kill our momentum and leave us scrambling again. We are seeing the same story play over repeatedly from game to game and at some point in time the players have to make some adjustments or they are just going to get the same results which will mean we have a short season. “

This weekend, the Chargers basketball teams travel to the Mainland where they face off against the Langara College Falcons (Vancouver) and the Kwantlen Polytechnic Eagles (Surrey).

Catch the Chargers on the road LIVE on SportsCanadaTV.

Fri, Jan. 20 Women 6pm Camosun (#6) at Langara (#7)
Men 8pm Camosun (#3) at Langara (#6)

Sat, Jan. 21 Women 1pm Camosun at Kwantlen (#5)
Men 3pm Camosun at Kwantlen (#7)

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Cold, snowy weather means high power needs across B.C. @bchydro @PowerSmartBC

2012-01-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

BC Hydro Information Bulletin
January 17, 2012

BC Hydro’s tips to help lighten the load and stay warm and safe…

Vancouver, B.C. – Cold and snowy is the forecast for B.C. this week, and that means two things from a power perspective: 1) If there’s a power outage, have a plan and an emergency kit ready so you’re not shivering in the cold; and 2) you can help conserve energy and stay warm, especially when the power demand peaks at suppertime.

BC Hydro recommends everyone be prepared for an outage, especially during cold weather. Outages happen more frequently when heavy snow accumulates causing tree branch breakage – more common here in B.C. because there is three times the number of trees per kilometre of power line compared to any other utility in North America. Some helpful tips:

• Have an emergency kit on hand with flashlights, a battery operated radio, warm clothing and blankets, and a corded telephone.

• To report an outage call 1-888-POWERON or *HYDRO on your mobile phone.

Once fully in place across the province, smart meters will report power outages instantly allowing BC Hydro to restore power faster.

Last night, the hourly peak demand across B.C.– 9,526 megawatts – was recorded between 5 and 6pm, representing an increase of more than 1,059 megawatts over the peak a week earlier.

BC Hydro has systems in place to meet this unusually high electricity demand, but with a few simple measures, everyone can contribute to lessening the pressure on the electrical grid while still staying warm and safe:

• Timing is everything: Use energy-intensive household appliances – such as clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers and portable space heaters – outside of the peak hours of 4 to 8 p.m. If you must use them, try to only use one at a time.

• Portable space heaters and safety: Portable space heaters can be effective to take the chill out of a small room or to heat a small area but are not efficient to heat large spaces or multiple rooms. Use your space heater safely: place it on a hard surface like concrete or ceramic tile floor; keep the heater away from bedding, drapes, furniture, books, and newspapers; don’t leave the house with the space heater on or go to sleep with the space heater left on.

• Keep the cold out and the heat in: Keep windows covered with closed blinds and drapes for an extra layer of window insulation. Window coverings can be a quick and cost-effective way to cut heat loss and block cold drafts. Easy-to-install window film provides an additional pane to keep heat in.

• Put your lights on timers: Put all outdoor lighting on a timer, or install a motion sensor for security lighting.

• Install a programmable thermostat: Set the thermostat to automatically adjust temperatures at different times based on your family's activities, ensuring electricity is not wasted when no one is home and the temperature is turned down when everyone is sleeping.

• Draftproof your home: One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to reduce heat loss is to prevent heat from leaking out and cold air from coming in. Use caulking and weather stripping to seal gaps and cracks around doors, windows and outlets.

• Switch it up; do things differently: Changing behavior saves energy, including: washing clothes in cold water; turning off the dishwasher's heated-dry option; taking shorter showers and turning off lights and unplugging small appliances and electronics when they are not in use.

• Choose inexpensive, energy smart lighting: Use energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or Light-Emitting Diode bulbs (LEDs) – they consume 75 per cent less electricity than incandescent bulbs.

Seem like small measures? Individually, they are, but multiply each one by 1.8 million BC Hydro customers, and the electricity savings add up quickly, especially when a cold snap hits. What's more, the overall pressure on the grid, particularly in cold weather – and the amount on a monthly electricity bill – can also go down significantly.

For more information, visit www.bchydro.com/powersmart

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

New CD on the way from @caretakersmusic #flowersforpeace #newmusic

2012-01-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

The Caretakers announce new album for early 2012

One of our absolute favorite bands is putting the finishing touches on the followup to their debut CD "Unfinished Thoughts."

Flowers for Peace is the single that's available now, and here's a sneak peek:

Please send me flowers, send them to me
Send me flowers for peace
Send me some flowers please send them C.O.D.
Send me some flowers for peace

Why can't it be Christmas every day?
Why can't the sun shine our way?
Tell me how you feel so afraid?
Why does it have to be this way, I say

Chorus

Where will the children learn to play?
When do old wounds heal and fade away?
Tell me why you give them any time of day?
Why still live yesterday today, anyway

Please send me flowers, send them to me
Send me flowers for peace
Send me some flowers please send them C.O.D.
Send me some flowers for peace
Send me some flowers for peace

Words and Music by Jeffrey C. Martin

© 2010 Jeffrey C. Martin (SOCAN)
Arranged and Produced by Mike Trebilcock
Recorded at Threshold Recording Studio
Hamilton, Ontario
Engineering and Mixing by Michael Keire
Mastering by Brian Lucey, Magic Garden Mastering
Columbus Ohio
Artwork/Design by Amber Edgar, Citizen A

for more details, see:

New album in the can for release in early 2012

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Japanese play puts a human face to nuclear disaster #yyjtheatre #fukushima @IntrepidTheatre

2012-01-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Bunkaza Theatre Company presents:

ONE THOUSAND CRANES

Written by Colin Thomas - Translated by Toyoshi Yoshihara

BC TOUR

Feb. 10 & 11, 7:30 pm & Feb. 11, 2 pm Matinee @ Frederic Wood Theatre, UBC Vancouver

February 13, 7pm + Feb 14, 2pm ArtSpring, Salt Spring Island

February 16 + 17, 8pm @ the Metro Studio, Victoria (presented by Intrepid Theatre). Tickets: $18/$23/$31 (student + senior, adult, arts karma).

VICTORIA, BC - A year after the Fukushima disaster in Japan, One Thousand Cranes, a beautifully crafted show from Tokyo puts a human face to nuclear fallout. A young Japanese girl is diagnosed with leukemia nine years after Hiroshima. Determined to live, she folds origami cranes, which are a symbol of hope. Across the Pacific in Canada, a young boy believes that there’s nothing he can do to stop an inevitable nuclear war.

This heartwarming show is based on the true story of Sasaki Sadako, a young girl who discovered that she had radiation-induced leukemia nine years after the bombing of Hiroshima. According to ancient Japanese legend, anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the Gods. Sasaki died in 1955 and there is now a statue dedicated to her at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

This performance by Japanese theatre company Bunkaza, weaves together these twin stories looking at the implications and fallout of nuclear war. Following the recent nuclear disaster in Japan, this performance that connects two disparate nations, couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

The original English language version of this award-winning play is written by UBC Theatre alumnus Colin Thomas and is translated into Japanese by Toyoshi Yoshihara. It is performed in Japanese with English surtitles and suitable for children aged 12 and up.

One Thousand Cranes will be touring to Vancouver, Victoria and Salt Spring Island in February 2012 and coincides with the UBC Museum of Anthropology’s exhibition on Hiroshima, which runs October 13 to February 12.

The Victoria show is presented by Intrepid Theatre at the Metro Studio on Feb 16+17, 8pm. Tickets: $18/$23/$31 are available from ticketrocket.org or by calling 250 590 6291.

Established in 1942, Bunkaza is one of the oldest contemporary theatre companies in Japan with 45 full-time company members. Most of their repertoire deals with oppressed grass-roots people who strive for the betterment of their lives. They have a special interest in Canadian theatre and have produced numerous Canadian plays including The Tomorrow Box by Anne Chislett, Blood Relations by Sharon Pollock and Odd Jobs by Frank Moher, all with translations by Toyoshi Yoshihara. The Bunkaza version of One Thousand Cranes premiered in 1985 in Tokyo. The company has since toured Japan, giving more than 200 performances of the play.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

$2M awarded to mental health and substance use groups

2012-01-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

Jan. 17, 2012
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Community Action Initiative

VANCOUVER - The Community Action Initiative (CAI), a provincewide program that supports mental health and substance use projects and innovation in B.C., is awarding almost $2 million to 10 grassroots mental health and substance use groups throughout the province.

The CAI funds strategies that promote mental health; prevent harmful use of substances and improve services and supports that enhance the recovery process for children, youth, adults and families affected by mental health problems and/or problematic substance use.

The initiative brings together pre-existing local groups that work to improve the mental health and well-being of people in their communities - from the Downtown Eastside to Ladysmith to Fort St. John.

The CAI is a key complement to the Province's comprehensive 10-year plan to address mental health and substance use across the lifespan in B.C. -- Healthy Minds, Healthy People, which seeks to promote good mental health and prevent potential mental health and substance use problems for all children and youth, and facilitate earlier diagnosis and intervention for children and youth vulnerable to or struggling with mental health and substance use challenges.

Community Action Initiative: http://www.communityactioninitiative.ca/

Grant recipients: http://www.communityactioninitiative.ca/funding-opportunities/successful-applicants/

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

ICBC’s top tips for smart winter driving @icbc

2012-01-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

ICBC survey shows drivers feel less safe

and frustrated at this time of year

With heavy winter conditions predicted to continue on B.C. roads this week, including continued snowfall in the Lower Mainland, ICBC is reminding drivers to prepare for winter driving conditions and be extra cautious.

According to an ICBC survey conducted in December, seven out of 10 drivers admit to feeling less safe or more frustrated on the roads when winter conditions hit and this is reflected in a spike in crashes at this time of the year. Over the past five years, there have been on average more than 24,000 crashes during the month of January making it one of the highest months for crashes on B.C. roads.

On a positive note, ICBC’s winter driving survey showed that drivers are doing what they can to prepare their vehicles for the challenging road conditions. Eight in 10 drivers topped up their water fluid to help to avoid freezing, while seven in 10 drivers checked their tire pressure – tires deflate more quickly in cold weather. A majority of the drivers said they install winter tires on their vehicle or keep an emergency kit in the car.

When thinking about vehicle maintenance at this time of year, drivers should also turn off their cruise control, use low-beam lights and keep their gas tank at least half-full.

Of course, adapting our behaviour behind the wheel is just as important. Nearly all drivers surveyed said they follow the two key rules of driving in winter conditions – increasing their following distance and driving slower. The latter is vital – speed limits are set for ideal conditions and conditions right now are far from ideal.

Slowing down gives you more time to see the road ahead and to anticipate potential hazards. As the snow begins to melt during warmer daytime hours, black ice becomes a potential hazard. It’s virtually impossible to see ahead of time, and that’s why it’s so important to slow down and keep your distance – so you can see how the vehicles around you are moving on the road.

While it can be a natural reaction to slam on the brakes, the best thing you can do if you do encounter black ice is to try to slow your vehicle down to regain traction by easing off the accelerator and shifting into a lower gear if possible. If you need to use the brake, be aware of the differences between using standard and anti-lock brakes (ABS). For standard brakes, pump them gently; for ABS, apply steady pressure and you’ll feel the brakes pulse (this is normal).

The majority of B.C. drivers we surveyed choose to wait until the morning before planning their commute. Four out of 10 B.C. drivers still choose to drive to work as they normally would. A smarter decision is to leave a little later than planned to allow crews to clear the roads or to consider working from home, if these are viable options. Other options to consider are taking public transport – let the experts handle the commute – or carpool with someone who is experienced at driving in the snow and has a vehicle prepared for the conditions.

Whatever decision you make, the best thing you can do is to learn as much as you can about the road conditions you may encounter on your drive. Drivebc.ca is a great resource for checking real-time road conditions across the province and will also have up-to-the-minute alerts on any possible road closures.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Light Rail Transit Task Force Invites Input on Local Funding Options #yyj

2012-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2012

Victoria, BC – The Capital Regional District (CRD) and BC Transit task force investigating local funding options for Light Rail Transit (LRT) is inviting input on potential options for funding the local share of LRT. The task force will conduct an online survey and sponsor three focus groups to obtain ideas and feedback from community members. Focus groups are scheduled for February 14-16. Anyone interested in applying to participate in a focus group should complete the survey by February 5 to be considered a candidate.

Rapid transit aims to help our region address the needs of a growing population while fostering a sustainable future. The Victoria Regional Rapid Transit Project identifies the LRT route from downtown to Uptown and out to West Shore as the first rapid transit link in the proposed Rapid Transit Network as set out in the Transit future Plan.

The Task Force was formed to identify potential local funding options that can be used to implement projects identified in the Transit Future Plan. More information is available at http://www.lrtlocalfunding.ca/. “We need to hear about the preferences and concerns of the public and stakeholders on local funding options being considered and to identify new options we may not have come across”, says Bob Lapham, CRD Planning and Protective Services General Manager and Task Force Chair.

The survey and focus groups aim to identify the preferences and concerns of residents in order to evaluate the options objectively and in accordance with the real needs of communities. Input will help inform the funding recommendations package for consideration by the CRD Board and Victoria Regional Transit Commission later this spring.

Candidates selected to participate in the focus groups will be notified by February 9. Each meeting will last 1.5 hours, include approximately 12 participants and be facilitated by Quay Communications. A meal will be provided. The survey will remain open for submission after February 5. For additional information see the Task Force website at http://www.lrtlocalfunding.ca/. To access the survey, visit www.lrtlocalfunding.ca/index.php/survey. Comments may be submitted to the dedicated email lrtlocalfunding@crd.bc.ca.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

#Camosun College campuses OPEN #yyj

2012-01-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Updated: 17-Jan-2012 06:31:04 AM

Camosun College's Lansdowne and Interurban campuses and classes are OPEN today, January 17.

The college will continue to provide updates as the weather changes. Please check this website or your local radio and television stations for updated information. Also follow Camosun College on Twitter: @Camosun.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

2012 National Wheelchair #Basketball Teams Named

2012-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2012

(Las Vegas, NV) Wheelchair Basketball Canada is pleased to announce the pool of 26 athletes selected to represent Canada in 2012 as the Senior Men’s and Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Teams prepare for the London Paralympic Games.

For the first time in program history the Canadian women’s team will fully centralize in Winnipeg, MB beginning June 4th, 2012. Fourteen women have been named to the preliminary roster, which will be cutdown to 12 athletes in time for the London 2012 Games.

The 12 men and 14 women were selected from a pool of 37 athletes who attended a weeklong selection camp January 9-13, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We want to reestablish Canada as the world leader in wheelchair basketball, and we are confident in the talented teams our coaches have assembled. With the ongoing support of our key partners Own the Podium and the Canadian Paralympic Committee we are poised for success in 2012 and beyond,” said Wheelchair Basketball Canada high performance director Paul Zachau.

The senior men’s team is the defending Paralympic silver medalists, and is looking for their third gold medal and fourth consecutive podium finish in London.

The 2012 men’s roster includes 11 returning players, 9 of whom have Paralympic experience.

“Our goal is to win the gold in London and to do that we’ve got competitions lined up against the best teams in the world - definitely all top 5 teams. And we plan on pushing our athletes a lot harder over the nexteight months in terms of fitness and tactical preparation,” said men’s head coach Jerry Tonello.

The senior women’s team last medalled at the Paralympics in 2004 where they took home bronze (their fourth consecutive Paralympic podium finish which included an unprecedented three consecutive gold finishes in 1992, 1996, and 2000).

The 2012 women’s roster includes 11 returning players, six of who have Paralympic experience.

“We have a good mix of experienced players and less experienced players that are really hungry to win,” said women’s head coach Bill Johnson.

“We are looking forward to kicking off the next phase of our training toward London. We are really confident we are on the right path and we are going to bring home the gold medal,” said Johnson.

The 12 men and 14 women named to Team Canada are: (athletes with Paralympic Games experience are indicated with a *)

Men:

Abdi Dini (Scarborough, ON) *
Adam Lancia (Toronto, ON) *
Brandon Wagner (Burlington, ON)
Chad Jassman (Calgary, AB)
Dave Durepos (Fredericton, NB) *
David Eng (Montreal, QC) *
Joey Johnson (Lorette, MB) *
Patrick Anderson (Fergus, ON) *
Richard Peter (Vancouver, BC) *
Robert Hedges (Wonowon, BC) *
Tyler Miller (Kitchener, ON)
Yvon Rouillard (Montreal, QC) *

Head Coach: Jerry Tonello (Toronto, ON) Alarissa Haak (Edmonton, AB)

Women:

Ashley Baerg (Dalmeny, SK)
Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC) *
Elaine Allard (St. Eustache, QC)
Elisha Williams (Burnaby, BC)
Katie Harnock (Elmira, ON) *
Jamey Jewells (Donkin, NS)
Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) *
Jessica Vliegenthart (Kamloops, BC)
Kendra Ohama (Calgary, AB) *
Maude Jacques (Ste-Catherine, QC)
Tamara Steeves (Mississauga, ON)
Tara Feser (St. Albert, AB) *
Tracey Ferguson (Richmond Hill, ON) *

Head Coach: Bill Johnson (Winnipeg, MB)

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Acting commissioner for teacher discipline appointed #education #bcpoli

2012-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

VICTORIA - Dianne Flood has been appointed acting commissioner for teacher regulation until such time as a commissioner can be appointed by the Minister of Education.

The commissioner's role is to receive any new reports about teacher conduct or competence and make a determination on whether to order an investigation.

The appointment of an acting commissioner ensures that these functions can continue on an interim basis until a commissioner can be appointed to the new Teacher Regulation Branch.

Flood brings a wealth of experience in administrative law. This includes service in B.C. as an executive director in the Ministry of Attorney General and as former chair of the Property Assessment Appeal Board. She also has served as an assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba government, and as vice chair of Manitoba's Municipal Board, hearing and deciding disputes with significant public interest in outcomes.

The Teacher Regulation Branch is responsible for regulating the competence and conduct of the approximately 67,000 certificate-holders in British Columbia teaching in the public, independent and First Nations systems.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

VicPD Basketball Tournament Recap #yyjsports

2012-01-16T15:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday night the 33rd Annual VicPD High School Basketball Tournament concluded. Lambrick Park girls and Oak Bay boys were crowned tournament champions.

For Lambrick Park, it was their second straight championship and Chelsea Strandlund was named MVP. The Oak Bay boys defeated host St. Michael’s in a thrilling final game and Kaz Kobyashi was named MVP.

The tournament is put on by the VicPD Athletic Association that supports amateur sports events and fosters positive relationship between police and youth.

VicPD would like to extend thanks to the officers who serve on the organizing committee. Also extend thanks to St. Michael’s University, in particular Lindsay Brookes and Ian Hyde-Lay, for hosting and organizing the tournament.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

VicPD remind motorists to exercise caution #yyjtraffic @Vicpdcanada

2012-01-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Winter Driving Conditions (12-1844)

With the first snowfall of the year, VicPD want to issue a reminder to motorists to exercise caution on the roadways. As the cold spell continues, more snow is expected in the coming days.

The past two mornings Victoria and Esquimalt residents have woken up to snow covered roads, and reports of slippery road conditions. Opposed to our counterparts in Saanich and West Shore, we did not see a rash of weather-related collisions.

There was a collision this morning in Esquimalt between a van and cyclist. A cyclist was struck travelling down Lampson Street by a van turning east onto Devonshire Road. The cyclist was taken to hospital and the CRASH Team was on-scene to investigate. The driver was issued a ticket for failure to yield.

The extent of the role weather played in this collision is left to speculation. However, important reminder to slow down, maintain a safe following distance, and accelerate and brake slowly.

To stay informed on driving conditions and road closures, follow @vicpdcanada on Twitter.

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

Prepare for Snow and Ice #yyj @CityofVictoria

2012-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Date: Monday, January 16, 2012 For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC — Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning, forecasting up to 5 centimetres of snow for Victoria starting late this afternoon with more snow on the way.

City of Victoria Public Works staff are monitoring weather forecast and tracking sites as well as pavement temperature sensors. The City’s anti-icing truck is applying “brine” (salt and water) to major Victoria roads, emergency and bus routes, hills and bridges.

When the snow starts falling, City trucks will begin de-icing and ploughing. Crews will also start to clear “first priority” sidewalks, which include downtown transit stops and wheelchair ramps, and sidewalks fronting City properties downtown. Roads will need to be clear for crews to plough. In the event of snow, motorists whose vehicles are parked on-street are asked to move them to use off-street facilities and to take public transit.

Residents and businesses are reminded that under the Streets and Traffic Bylaw, they are required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks in front of their property by 10 a.m. each day. Victoria citizens are encouraged to make arrangements with neighbours in advance to clear each other’s sidewalks in the event they are away from home or work when it snows. Please remember the elderly or disabled, who will appreciate the assistance with snow removal.

Those who do not comply with the Bylaw may face a fine of $150 per ticketed offence (per day) and a ticket can be issued up to six months after an offence has occurred. With over 450 kilometres of sidewalks in Victoria, it would be too costly for City taxpayers to take on the entire task of removing ice and snow.

Snow clearing tools for Victoria businesses and households should include shovels and sand. Using environmentally sensitive ice melt products is highly recommended as rock salt is harmful to concrete sidewalks, pets’ paws and the environment.

Now is also the time to refresh an emergency kit with a working flashlight, radio, new batteries, and candles and matches, and to have plenty of food, essential medicine and extra blankets on hand. The City’s Recipes for Disaster list the supplies residents and businesses need to cope for a minimum of three days in the event of a heavy snowfall or power outage. To view the recipes online, visit: www.PrepareVictoria.ca

Snow clearing fact sheets available on the City of Victoria website and at City Hall, explain the roles and responsibilities of residents and businesses when it snows, how the City prepares for snow and prioritizes snow clearing, its “green” ice removal practices, and helpful snow shovelling and safe driving tips. For more information, visit: www.victoria.ca/snowclearing

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream

The Breakmen are coming to #yyj Feb 5th #yyjmusic @TheBreakmen

2012-01-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

The Breakmen break through to new audiences

with their plugged-in live shows

The Breakmen on tour:

January 28 – Harrison Festival Society, Harrison, BC
February 3 – The Chapel, Bowen Island, BC
February 4 - McKinney's Pub, Powell River, BC
February 5 – Hermann’s Victoria, BC
February 8 – Joe’s Garage, Courtney, BC
February 9 – The Waverly Tavern, Cumberland, BC
February 10 – Hornby Island Community Hall, Hornby Island, BC
February 11 – St. James Hall, Vancouver, BC
February 12 - House Concert, North Vancouver, BC
February 13 - Carlin Hall, Salmon Arm, BC
February 14 - Central Cariboo Arts Centre - Williams Lake, BC
February 15 – The Minstrel Café, Kelowna, BC
February 16 – Revelstoke Arts Council, Revelstoke, BC
February 17 – Miner’s Hall, Rossland, BC
February 18 – The Royal, Nelson, BC
February 19 – Wild Bill’s, Banff, AB
February 22 – The Rockwater Grill and Bar, Golden, BC
February 23 – The Royal Canadian Legion, Jasper, AB
February 24 – Full Moon Folk Club, Edmonton, AB
February 25 – Nickelodeon Folk Club, Calgary, AB

Take a few musicians with bluegrass roots, grow them up in Canadian soil, nourish them with influences like the Band, Blue Rodeo and Neil Young, and cultivate their talents in the tree-planting camps of Northern British Columbia -- and you’ll get the Breakmen, an award-winning West Coast indie-folk outfit and worthy heirs of the Canadiana tradition.

Having already won the Vox Pop Award for Americana Album of the Year at the Independent Music Awards, and having earned two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for their previous album, When You Leave Town, the band is now embarking on Round Three of its tour to support its latest release, Heartwood.

With Heartwood, the band paid tribute to its Canadian roots-rock idols and sought to bring its impeccably-crafted songs and tight tight harmonies to a wider audience – with bigger drum sounds and lots of vintage electric guitar. Since taking the album on tour, the band has gradually evolved the rest of its repertoire to match, making for a show that grabs listeners from well beyond the folk and bluegrass milieu.

Heartwood has been praised by the Georgia Straight for the "meticulous craftsmanship of the songwriting, the strength of the lead vocals, and the tightness of the harmonies,” which it says “distinguish the quartet from other Canadian outfits mining a similar vein." The San Francisco Guardian wrote they “bleed pure Americana,” while Germany’s Folkworld Magazine said the new album placed the band “on top of the Americana scene.”

The Breakmen formed in 2005, not long after chief songwriters Archie Pateman and Lee Watson and bassist Matthew Lawson returned from a rare tree-planting contract that saw them all living – and jamming – in the same camp. To round out the band, Pateman approached Ben Rogalsky, with whom he’d written music for an indie theatre production.

Rogalsky is from a musical family – his brother, Luke, played in the 90s rock band Mystery Machine, and his brother, Matt, is a member of the up-and-coming Kingston band the Gertrudes – and he has a degree in music from Simon Fraser University. He also has a background in music for theatre and is a former member of the Flying Folk Army. Watson and Lawson were childhood friends from Ontario, who had first played together during summer camp. Pateman too is from a musical family and, like Watson and Lawson, had been studying bluegrass as a way of improving his skills on his instruments.

Together, the band-members became regulars at Rime, a now-defunct live music joint on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive. They also started playing gigs around B.C. and across Canada, releasing three albums in the process.

Though their sound has evolved since the early days, their devotion to song-craft hasn’t. Pateman and Watson are forever studying great songs from all genres and evaluating their appeal …in an effort to write original work with the same kind of resonance.

Now, with their plugged-in new arrangements, they’ll be bringing those songs to an even bigger audience.

http://www.thebreakmen.com/

www.facebook.com/thebreakmen

Listen To The NEW Village 900 Stream