| COMMUNITY EVENTS | 🌸 Mother’s Day Brunch at Penny Farthing: Celebrate with a warm and welcoming brunch made to say thank you. Available this Sunday from 8am to 1pm. | 🎤 Edie DaPonte: A World of Song: Join Vancouver Island’s jazz darling on an evening of classics and international ballads at the upstairs lounge of the Oak Bay Rec Centre. Tonight at 7:30pm. | 🏃♀️ Oak Bay Half Marathon is on Sunday, May 25. | 🎡 Oak Bay Tea Party will return to Willows Park, June 6-8. Check out the details of the annual summer fair, including the parade schedule, food, kids’ craft centre, and the floating tea cup challenge. | 🎪 Cirque du Soleil: Crystal: A breakthrough ice experience, where world-class ice skating and unexpected acrobatics fuse to create the first on-ice experience from Cirque du Soleil. Live at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. May 8-18. |
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| | IN THE NEWS | 🗳 Oak Bay council brings young people into the political tent
The same day Canadians went to the polls to elect a new government, the council voted to create a forum where young people can learn how the process works and ask questions about issues of interest. The council decided against appointing a high school student to participate in regular discussions. [Oak Bay News] | 💥 Cool it on the heat pump noise, Oak Bay council tells residents
First, it was noisy leaf blowers, now it’s the machines that move heat into and out of our buildings. Oak Bay’s council has passed a bylaw amendment that limits how loud heat pumps can be. Mayor Dean Murdoch says, particularly at night, it’s noticeable how noisy outdoor heat pumps can be, and that sound, he told CBC’s All Points West, can “cause people hardship in sleeping.” [CBC] | 📚 7K turn out to turn pages at the TC book sale
The Victoria Curling Club was packed on Saturday and Sunday as book lovers turned out in droves for the annual weekend fundraiser. They got to sift through 500K donated books and take home tomes for bargain prices. On Monday, schools, charities, and non-profit groups got to pick out what they liked for free. Since it started in 1996, the TC book sale has raised $7 million for literacy projects and school libraries. [Times Colonist] | 🏠 Oak Bay declines resident’s request to subdivide Henderson property
Michael Parker wanted to split his 0.35-acre lot into two to build as many as four units, which he figured would help the district push toward its provincial housing targets. While the proposal adheres to the district’s current official community plan (OCP), the council turned it down because it felt it may not align with the new OCP, which is expected to be ready in the fall. [Oak Bay News]
🏍 Motorcyclist gets 90-day suspension after crash on King George Terrace
Moments after losing control on a bend, sliding onto the sidewalk and then into a bush near Prince Andrew Place on Saturday around 11pm, the driver failed a breathalyzer test. A witness said they found the rider “lying on the ground with beer cans nearby,” according to a release from the Oak Bay Police Department. The 37-year-old driver suffered some minor injuries and refused medical attention. [OBPD] | 💰 Oak Bay police recover stolen $16K dinghy in one day
A day after it was reported stolen on May 1, the Oak Bay Police Department (OBPD)—with some help from the RCMP, who towed it away—tracked down a Highfield dinghy in McNeill Bay. [OBPD] | | P.S. Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here. |
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| | PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT | To join the conversation, become a member of the Oak Bay Local Facebook Group | Locals talk about the Carrick trail | Locals took to Facebook to debate whether the quaint Carrick trail—between Kings and Carrick—should be reconfigured into a bi-directional bikeway. | The district is considering a design proposal that would see the path paved and its width doubled to 10-15 feet. Bedrock near Kings would be removed, and a stop sign would be put in place. | Some call this a waste of money, while others lament the idea of moving rocks that toddlers have been climbing for generations.
One cyclist called the pathway an “oasis of nature, rocks, and gorgeous greenery.” | Another pointed out there are bike lanes on Foul Bay and Dean, and says it’s “totally unnecessary” to retrofit the path.
One participant in the conversation said they agreed with removing the maze gates, which they said were ugly and may make passage challenging to those with a stroller or walker. | |
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| | | Woman’s dog suffers medical incident, dies on Oliver | During a morning walk this week, an Oak Bay resident’s dog, which had heart issues, suffered a heart attack near Oliver and Central and succumbed right there.
The heartbroken dog owner said many passersby tried to help, but there wasn’t anything that could be done. | The woman described Juno as a “beautiful rescue dog who loved humans above all else and greeted everyone she met.”
The eight-year-old dog suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy and was recently given six months to live. | The heartbroken woman said she, her husband, and their two young boys already miss Juno.
Many empathetic readers kindly chimed in to express their sympathy and care for the family’s loss. | |
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| | IN OTHER NEWS | | Mother’s Day Tea Fundraiser Event | Treat the special people in your life to a joyful, cozy, and family-friendly Mother’s Day experience: an elegant afternoon tea in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters Victoria’s youth mentoring programs. The event includes a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. Saturday, May 10 at 3pm. | |
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| | SPONSORED BY PURE DAY SPA | | The perfect Mother’s Day gift idea | Celebrate Mom with sparkling bubbles, sweet macarons, and pure serenity in a private courtyard-view room at Pure Day Spa, Victoria’s 5-time award-winner. With the Mom’s Sweetest Escape package, she’ll glow with a custom facial and Renewal Mani or Pedi. Every detail whispers love. Free parking, top-tier products, and gift cards make it the ultimate Mother’s Day experience. |
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| | PHOTO OF THE WEEK |  | Image credit: Mary McArthur |
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