| 🕺Groove Kitchen | Funk & Soul for Dancing on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30pm at the Sports View Lounge - Oak Bay Recreation Centre, 1975 Bee St. | 🧸 Gonzales Preschool Open House on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 1:30pm to 4:30pm at 2928 Eastdowne Road. The event is open to families who would like to learn about their programs. | ✨ First Willows Beach clean of 2025 is set for Sunday, Jan. 12 from 11am to 1pm. There will be Discovery coffee, and cookies provided for those looking to help. Meet up near 2740 Dalhousie St. to join Surfrider Foundation South Vancouver Island and other volunteers in the cleanup effort. |
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| IN THE NEWS | ⚠️ Cougar warning issued after sighting near Oak Bay Yacht Club. The sighting was reported on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at approximately 7:15pm near the ocean. Police urged caution in this area, particularly around the Cadboro-Gyro Park area. [Oak Bay Police] | 🚗 Stolen Oak Bay car found in Nanaimo. Oak Bay Police dealt with several stolen vehicles over the holidays and recovered one of them in Nanaimo five days after it was reported stolen on Dec. 30 from the 2800 block of Heron St. One of the stolen vehicles is still missing. [CHEK] | 🎓 UVic dean discusses impact of Trudeau’s resignation for Islanders. Michael Prince, acting dean at UVic’s Faculty of Human & Social Development believes that most locals likely feel a sense of relief about his decision to step down as the Prime Minister of Canada for a variety of reasons. Regardless of whether locals disliked him, felt let down, or just thought it was time for him to go after nearly a decade in power, Prince said the lack of cabinet presence on the Island means that many are not in mourning. Prince went on the discuss Trudeau’s successes, failures, and unfulfilled promises with Capital Daily. [Capital Daily] | 🚨 Police warn people to be cautious about buying online, amid e-transfer scams. The fraudulent acts are typically initiated when someone shows interest in purchasing an item and sends a link to the seller that appears to be payment via e-transfer. [Times Colonist] | | P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here. | | PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT | To join the conversation, become a member of the Oak Bay Local Facebook Group | | Locals targeted by latest e-transfer fraud scheme | An Oak Bay local shared that they had recently become the target of a fraud scheme, which local police are also warning the public about. The scheme involved a seller who listed an item on Facebook Marketplace valued at $5. The local said they were contacted by a “buyer” who said that they had reached their maximum limit for Interac, and provided the seller a link to receive the funds. Rather than depositing the funds, the link installed malware on the user’s phone, which could lead to several potential problems, like identity theft. Police urge locals to: | Always verify the identity of the sender of a link Only use secure payment platforms, and avoid sharing banking information Avoid clicking unfamiliar links Use official banking apps to manage transactions Set up two-factor authentication Consider setting up auto-deposit (which doesn’t require links to be clicked) Watch out for other red flags such as the urgency of payment, and other demands for action
| | | Have you been targeted by a fraud scheme? | | |
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| | | Visions of Oak Bay | One local commented this week about their post-holiday book recommendation, urging other locals to pick up Tweed Magazine and to read the Christmas Wishes for Oak Bay by Christopher Causton. Chris's vision of how OB should be—or “as it used to be”—before the rents went up, realtors, & vape shops moved in. The original poster loved the projection/perspective and urged locals to bring back Oak Bay and open it up to include Oak Gate, Estevan Centre, and Dean Heights. | Other suggestions in the thread had locals calling for a theatre and recommended that other communities open up the noted Oak Bay spaces like mini-malls, villages, and walkable, shoppable spaces. Some suggested that Christopher Causton should even run for mayor. Copies of Tweed Magazine are available for pickup outside the Monterey Centre. | | |
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| IN OTHER NEWS |  | Image credit: Pamela Woodland |
| Save the date — Sunday, Jan. 12 @ 2pm & 5pm | Enjoy this cult classic while supporting CCPA’s student programs! Free admission; donations appreciated. | “Blow-Up demands and succeeds by immersing us truly into an ambiance where nothing is what it seems, including our own ability to comprehend, define, and explain.”
— Nicholas Bell, Ion Cinema | “A prize ’60s artifact, Michelangelo Antonioni's what-is-truth? meditation on Swinging London is a movie to appreciate—if not ponder.”
— J. Hoberman, Village Voice | “Despite its thriller hook, Blow-Up is less a mystery than a portrait of swinging alienation.”
— Kim Newman, Empire Magazine | |
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| | | | | What did you think of today's edition? | | | |
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