COMMUNITY EVENTS | 🐦 Bird Walk with Friends of Uplands Park on Saturday, July 27 at 9am. Meet at the main parking lot at Cattle Point where the group typically finds between 50-70 local species of birds. | 🎹 Outdoor pop-up piano concert to be held at Turkey Head on Friday, July 26 from 6 to 7:30pm with Brooke Maxwell. Meet the visual artists who created Summerscape the newest addition to the Arts Alive Painted Pianos, Cameron Neufeld and Asha Shakya. | 🛍 Garagellenium XXI Oak Bay will take place Saturday, July 27 from 9am to 1pm. Engel & Volkers will be offering free coffee, lemonade and cookies from 9am to 1pm outside 2249 Oak Bay Ave. on the sale day. Come grab a drink and cookie while out shopping at the garage sales. | 🌿 Bowker Creek Brush up and art sale will be held Sunday, August 11 at Bowker Creek Park from 11am to 4:30pm. Learn more here. | 🌚 Oak Bay Night Market is on Wednesday, August 14 from 4-8pm. Markets will continue on every second Wednesday of the month through September, where Oak Bay Village transforms into a European-style street market with fresh and local produce, food and artisanal goods. More info here. | 🧘🏻♀️ Summer Yoga in Abkhazi Garden will take place on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30pm for $15 per class. Email Kaitlyn at omoutsideyoga@gmail.com to reserve your spot! |
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| | COMMUNITY NEWS | ⚖️ Driver who killed Oak Bay municipal worker last year will not face charges. Municipal worker Steven Seekins was struck and killed inside a marked construction zone by a 66-year-old driver who jumped a curb at high speeds on May 17, 2023 in the 1700-block of Monterey Avenue. Police said the driver will not face charges because there is evidence she was suffering from a “medical episode” at the time of the crash. The release said that the Seekins family, the District of Oak Bay staff, first responders, police officers, and community members have been deeply impacted by this tragic event. [Oak Bay Police] | 💩 Oak Bay Police say someone defecated in hate-motivated incident at UVic’s Multifaith Centre. The report said someone either defecated multiple times or deposited feces in several locations around the UVic Multifaith Centre in an incident police said appears to be hate-motivated against Iran, Palestine and the Muslim community. The report detailed how the incident occurred between 6am and 12:30pm and are seeking witnesses to help solve this crime. [Oak Bay Police] | ☕️ Oak Bay cafe owners say $2,000 fee to keep patio felt “like an unfair money grab”. Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch said the patio in front of Hide and Seek Coffee fell into a category that extended beyond the cafe’s frontage, which was the reason for the additional $1,500 beyond the regular $500 fee. The cafe’s owner had to go before council where some councillors argued that the patio’s design didn’t suit the community. [Global News] | 🌊 Video from local “orca nerd” shows several orcas up close. Others reported seeing orcas up close in several areas off the coast throughout the summer so far. [Oak Bay Local] | | 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 | | Oak Bay appreciates local firefighters assisting with wildfires | An Oak Bay local posted an appreciation post in order to acknowledge the hard work that local firefighters are doing in order to combat wildfires in the province and Alberta and beyond, amid a difficult season. The original post showed planes in action around Shawnigan, and noted how amazing they are when seen in action. | |
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| | Debating community space | An Oak Bay local reached out to the group after receiving a notice that a section on Leighton Street would be turned into community space. Some said the existing park at Leighton, which shares a border to Oak Bay, could use improvements, but many were wondering what was being planned for this street, with some community members wondering whether it will eventually include an expansion of the bike lane network. | While this suggestion triggered a debate on whether or not this was a good idea, most argued that the area could use a refresh, and several commenters acknowledged that traffic calming efforts and bike lanes have led to quieter residential areas, that can be enjoyed by everyone. While the project is reportedly on hold until September, locals are keen to know what the plan is for this space, which borders the community of Oak Bay. | | What community spaces are missing in Oak Bay? | | |
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| IN OTHER NEWS | | Greater Victoria Green Team is seeking volunteers | Join the team at Anderson Hill Park, Oak Bay to enjoy ocean views, make friends, and help remove invasive ivy and gorse on Saturday, August 10 from 9:45am to 1pm 🌼 | Sign up to help to restore important garry oak ecosystems by emailing program manager Kaitlin at kaitlin@greenteamscanada.ca | No experience needed! Instructions, gloves, tools, and tasty fresh snacks will be provided. | |
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| | | PHOTO OF THE WEEK |  | Photo credit: Margret Orme |
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