Good morning!

The community is gearing up for the spookiest holiday of the year with a variety of fun-filled activities. There are a number of options from all over the Westshore, make sure to check out all that and more in today’s newsletter.

— Emma  

NEWS

Child abuse prevention centre unveils its new family friendly spaces this week

The Victoria Child Abuse Prevention and Counselling Centre (VCAPCC) has completed renovations and upgrades to its downtown location and is showcasing how it has transformed what was once a warehouse and club space into safe, inclusive and comfortable spaces for children, youth and their families who have been impacted by abuse.

The centre has a satellite Child and Youth Advocacy Centre located in the Westshore that is equipped with an interview room, a monitoring room and a meeting room. “It’s centrally located,” said executive director Laura Vye, “so that Westshore communities like Sooke and other surrounding Indigenous communities can access those services.”

Vye says she’s excited about what the new spaces mean to individual children but also to the Greater Victoria community. “The impacts of childhood abuse are devastating, to not only the child but also their families, their siblings, anybody connected to them. And that impacts our society. We need to start putting our efforts and our resources and our money into helping children and youth that are in crisis because they're our future.”

VCAPCC has formed strong professional relationships with partner agencies in the Westshore so children and their caregivers do not have to travel a great distance for services and support.

“We have numerous different police departments and child protection officers and agencies throughout Greater Victoria,” said Vye, “and we have formed really good working relationships and partnerships with all of those police departments, RCMP, the Child Protection offices.”

Read the full story to learn about the services the VCAPCC offers and why they’re important.

SPONSORED BY INTERTIDAL WELLNESS

Pursue change with a clinical counsellor

Making change is hard. You might think that it’s enough to set an intention, that strong motivation will carry you through. Yet you’re stuck at the goal-setting stage, feeling discouraged, believing you don’t have what it takes. At Intertidal Counselling & Wellness, we know that motivation is only the beginning, that creating lasting change requires more.

COMMUNITY

Spooktacular Halloween events in the Westshore

Halloween is just around the corner, and there are plenty of events to take part in leading up to the 31st. From games, to parties, to pumpkin picking, there’s a variety of spooky things to do in the Westshore:

Halloween Spooktacular: Decorate your home with spooks galore, and enter View Royal’s Halloween Spooktacular decorating contest. The deadline to nominate and decorate is today.

Halloween at Bilston Creek Farm: Open Oct. 27, 28, and 29 from 11am to 5pm, families can take part in pumpkin decorating, a “Golden Pumpkin” treasure hunt, photo opportunities, games, and so much more.

Halloween skate: Get your scary faces on, and dress up in costume for Halloween Skate night at the Archie Browning Sports Centre on Oct. 29 from 1-2pm.

The Rising Circus Haunted House: On Oct. 29, kids will have games and activities to enjoy from 2-4:30pm; the adults-only event will begin at 7pm, and offer chilling character interactions, a walk through the haunted house, and more.

Halloween Bonfire at Colwood Fire Hall: The Colwood Fire Hall is excited to host their annual Halloween bonfire on Oct. 31 from 6-8pm. Offering hotdogs, juice boxes, treats, and plenty of fun, the bonfire is a great way to warm up while trick or treating the night away.

Halloween Night at Camp Barnard: This annual bonfire is a much-loved staple of Halloween for the community of Sooke. Starting the bonfire at 6:30pm on Oct. 31, families can enjoy hot dogs and hot chocolate, candy bags for kids, and a fireworks display over the lake starting at 7:30pm.

Head to the Westshore for our full list with 10 more Halloween events to check out. 

Around the 'Shore

⚠️ Sooke Road blocked off after driver hits a power pole: Traffic was backed up Tuesday evening, after Westshore RCMP responded to an incident on Sooke Road near Royal Roads University. Both fire and policing units responded, and reassured the community that they will notify drivers when the road is reopened.

⚡ ️ BC Hydro works to fix power outage after wind storm: More than 13,000 BC Hydro customers in Southern Vancouver Island had no power the morning of Oct. 25 after strong winds damaged power lines. Working to fix the issue and restore power, BC Hydro reminds people to stay safe and keep updated on power outages in the area.

🩰 Dance Victoria presents New York’s world-class Gibney Company in a virtuosic mixed evening on November 17 and 18 at the Royal Theatre. Tickets and more info here.*

⚽ ️ Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair set to play a final game in Langford before retirement: Looking to send off Christine Sinclair with a bang, Soccer Canada announced her second last international pro game against Australia in Langford on Dec 1. Sinclair’s impact on soccer has been a long and rewarding journey as the all-time leading international goal scorer, scoring more than players on both the men’s and women’s side with 190 goals throughout her career. Sinclair’s accolades have made their mark on soccer history, and she will go down as one of the best soccer players of all time.

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

🏈 Westshore Rebels BCFC finals: Make sure to grab tickets to watch the undefeated Westshore Rebels take on the Okanagan Sun on Oct. 28 at Starlight Stadium for the BCFC Cullen Cup Final. Starting at 3pm, the final will determine the host team for the Canadian Bowl on Nov. 11.

🎭 PoSH Improv: On Oct. 31, the Players of Sooke Harbour are taking to the stage and performing at the Sooke Legion from 7-9pm. With workshops and shows scheduled throughout the year, the team always brings a variety of performances for the community to enjoy.

🎨 Royal Bay art exhibit: To celebrate the opening of The Commons, Royal Bay has transformed the corner space of Latoria Boulevard and Ryder Hesjedal Way into an art exhibition. With a variety of opening times each day, The Sum of Our Parts will showcase Samantha Dickie, Laura Dutton and Roberta Pyx Sutherland’s artworks that reflect on the idea of many different parts coming together to make something greater, so make sure to check the exhibit out before Nov. 4.

What’s Offshore?

🚢 The Dietrich Oldendorff is a bulk carrier built in 2020 and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. It is sailing from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 ➡ Vancouver 🇨🇦 and was scheduled to arrive Oct. 11.

⛴ The Pan Hope is a bulk carrier built in 2011 and is sailing under the flag of Panama. It is sailing from Port Edward 🇨🇦 ➡ Roberts Bank 🇨🇦 and was scheduled to arrive Oct. 23.

Westshore Snaps

Blue heron in the backyard. —Janice Padgett, Colwood 

That’s it!

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