Features

The Tree to Sea loop is a 1,000 km bikepacking route around the north end of Vancouver Island. Photo courtesy Miles Arbor

1,000 km route opens northern Vancouver Island to bikepackers

Bikepacking combines ultralight backpacking and bicycle touring

 

Island Health chief medical officer Dr. Richard Stanwick receives a first dose of Pfizer vaccine, Dec. 22, 2020. (B.C. government)

COVID-19: Vancouver Island in a January spike while B.C. cases decrease

Island’s top doc Dr. Stanwick breaks down the Island’s rising numbers

 

Black Press reporter Nina Grossman (left) watches as and Sky Mundell with the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind shows her how he uses speech technology to access websites. (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff) [Alt text: A young woman dressed in yellow sits next to a man in grey. They are at a desk using a laptop computer.]

Access: Technology lags for people with vision, hearing impairments

Accessibility barriers addressed at the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind

 

Black Press reporter Nina Grossman (left) watches as and Sky Mundell with the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind shows her how he uses speech technology to access websites. (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff) [Alt text: A young woman dressed in yellow sits next to a man in grey. They are at a desk using a laptop computer.]

Access: Technology lags for people with vision impairments

Accessibility barriers addressed at the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind

Black Press reporter Nina Grossman (left) watches as and Sky Mundell with the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind shows her how he uses speech technology to access websites. (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff) [Alt text: A young woman dressed in yellow sits next to a man in grey. They are at a desk using a laptop computer.]
Rabbi Lynn Greenhough will be installed as the new Rabbi for Saanich’s Kolot Mayim on Sept. 6 (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff)

Saanich congregation welcomes first Canadian rabbi in Greater Victoria

Rabbi Lynn Greenhough will be installed at Kolot Mayim Reform Temple on Sept. 6

Rabbi Lynn Greenhough will be installed as the new Rabbi for Saanich’s Kolot Mayim on Sept. 6 (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff)
Don Marshall can often be found wading through waters scanning for lost precious items, such as rings. (File contributed/Don Marshall)

Victoria man makes a hobby of reuniting owners with lost rings

Don Marshall is part of the international metal detector hobbyist group, The Ring Finders

Don Marshall can often be found wading through waters scanning for lost precious items, such as rings. (File contributed/Don Marshall)
A person sleeps at vacant commercial property in downtown Victoria. In 2018, Jay W. struggled with homelessness but found the abundant resources to be instrumental in getting him back to his feet. (Black Press file photo)

‘Best in the country’: Formerly homeless man praises Victoria’s outreach services

Jay W. was living on the streets of downtown Victoria in 2018

A person sleeps at vacant commercial property in downtown Victoria. In 2018, Jay W. struggled with homelessness but found the abundant resources to be instrumental in getting him back to his feet. (Black Press file photo)
Christiane Gray-Schleihauf (left), Tamara Barnett, Karen Lundgren and Anne Drost are all nurses at Cool Aid’s Community Health Centre (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff)

Downtown Victoria nursing model making a difference

Staff at the Cool Aid Community Health Centre are presenting their work internationally

Christiane Gray-Schleihauf (left), Tamara Barnett, Karen Lundgren and Anne Drost are all nurses at Cool Aid’s Community Health Centre (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff)
Coun. Sharmarke Dubow only recently gained Canadian citizenship, and in the recent municipal election he both cast his first vote, and was elected to City Council (File contributed/Together Victoria)

Former Somali refugee casts first-ever ballot and wins a Victoria city council seat in same election

Sharmarke Dubow, who came to Canada in 2012, says he’s honoured and excited to get to work

Coun. Sharmarke Dubow only recently gained Canadian citizenship, and in the recent municipal election he both cast his first vote, and was elected to City Council (File contributed/Together Victoria)
Reverend Andrea Brennan opens up about being a queer, female Anglican minister and how she came to be in the position at a pivotal time in the church’s history. Phil McLachlan/The Free Press

Openly queer, female priest of B.C. church defying norms

Andrea Brennan serves Fernie at pivotal time in church’s history

Reverend Andrea Brennan opens up about being a queer, female Anglican minister and how she came to be in the position at a pivotal time in the church’s history. Phil McLachlan/The Free Press