Pacific Opera Victoria: The Flight of the Hummingbird, March 2020 - An opera for the whole family.

In this enchanting new opera, the animals of the forest are inspired to come together by Dukdukdiya, the Hummingbird, to save their beautiful home from a raging fire.

The Flight of the Hummingbird is based on an indigenous parable from the Quechuan people of South America. The story of the brave hummingbird traveled through pre-contact trade routes to become well known within Haida culture. This opera is influenced by the graphic novel written by acclaimed Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and will include elements of his dramatic Haida-manga illustrations.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES
in Victoria at the Baumann Centre, 925 Balmoral Rd, Victoria, BC
Thursday, March 19, 2020, 2 pm
Friday, March 20, 2 pm
Saturday, March 21, 4 pm
You can purchase your tickets here:
https://www.rmts.bc.ca/events/flight-of-the-hummingbird-2020-baumann-centre?fbclid=IwAR0LlJolq9tXh8BCsYHBLxNXdYgukpoU2gCoxGgPH40wQkA3NXAMYNcxix0

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Did you know Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest in Canada?

It’s the perfect place to celebrate Chinese New Year’s - Year of the Rat - with performances and festivities. On January 26th from noon to 3 pm, be at the Gate of Harmonious Interest to watch the Lion dance parade will accept the offerings businesses have hung up for the lions to bring them good luck and prosperity.

Performers are volunteers and the proceeds from the collected offerings are used to fund teaching of the traditional Lion dance & Kung Fu in Victoria.

It's a lot of fun, but we suggest some ear plugs for you and the kids as it can get boisterous and loud.

Greater Victoria Neighbourhoods - Gonzales

Gonzales Beach is located off Crescent Road, near the South end of Foul Bay Road. The neighbourhood is named for Spanish explorer Gonzalo Lopez de Haro who helped chart the waters around Vancouver Island in 1790. Joseph Despard Pemberton, the first colonial land surveyor, named his home Gonzales. The home stood at St. Charles and Rockland for almost 100 years before being demolished in 1952. And Gonzales Rd, created in the 1920s, derived its name from the house.

Over time, this area has undergone many changes, one of the greatest, as a result of the worst storm in memory, which battered the Victoria shoreline in 1969. Due to the efforts of the beach residents, no homes were lost, but in order to prevent further erosion or loss of property, the City built a retaining wall around most of the bay the following summer, giving the bay a new look.

Gonzales is a beautiful neighbourhood with some lovely amenities such as the Fairfield Shopping Centre, Oak Bay Village, the hospital, clinics and quality schools such as Margaret Jenkins Elementary. It is only minutes to Oak Bay central or to Victoria downtown. Gonzales Beach allows dogs off-leash on the beach from September 1 to May 31.

Canadian Households Struggle with Rising Debts

According to the latest MNP Consumer Debt Index (MNP is one of the largest full-service chartered accountancy and business advisory firms in Canada) released Monday, 3 in 10 Canadians say that they are already insolvent, and half say that they are $200 or less away from being insolvent at the end of the month.

Almost half of respondents said they aren’t confident they will be able to cover their family and living expenses without going further into debt this year, up 2 points since the end of the third quarter of 2019.

Only 27% of respondents were confident that they would be able to cope with an unexpected expense without increasing their debt load.

It’s difficult to think about saving a down payment to buy a home or an investment property in the face of financial difficulty, but if it is your priority, it can be done. It takes a plan, perhaps sitting down with a licensed professional to review finances and set up a budget.

Greater Victoria Neighbourhoods: Downtown Inner Harbour

Victoria's Inner Harbour is among the most beautiful and busy harbours in the world and is situated in the traditional territory of the Lkwungen (Lekwungen) peoples.

Whale watching and ecotourism businesses, float planes, an International Ferry Terminal with connections to Port Angeles, Bellingham and Seattle, and a water taxi service all operate out of this busy harbor, and the causeways feature a wealth of festivals, shows and music; especially during the summer months. The Royal BC Museum, Empress Hotel, Parliament buildings, shopping centers and multi-culturally inspired restaurants flank the shoreline adding to the early Victorian architecture so iconic in Victoria.

Since 1990, the Victoria Harbour Ferries have been serving tourists and residents with a delightful way to experience the inner harbour with tours on their little “pickle boats” captained by friendly water taxi pilots who will happily share their knowledge of the local environment.
https://victoriaharbourferry.com

From April through October, you can hop aboard to see the harbour or explore the inlet with a scenic cruise through the Gorge Waterway. Online reviewers have expressed their delight with the tours with words like “romantic and therapeutic”, “stunning and refreshing” and “pleasant and peaceful”.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) owns and operates the deepwater, marina and upland holdings throughout Victoria’s harbour. The non-profit’s Board of Directors includes representatives all stakeholders to help ensure all people and enterprises flourish in the economy of the Victoria Harbour.

Recreational vessels and small cruise ships can moor throughout the year at Causeway, Ship Point and Wharf Street. Reservations are only available online through GVHA’s website https://gvha.ca.

Greater Victoria Neighbourhoods – Rockland

The name of this historic neighbourhood is apt as buildings and walls almost seem hewn from their craggy surrounding. Located southeast of downtown and northeast of Beacon Hill Park, this urban area roughly flanks Rockland Avenue and is the northern portion of the official city neighbourhood of Fairfield. In the 1860s, Cary Castle was built on the highest point and used as residence by the Governor of Vancouver Island, and then the Lieutenant Governors after BC entered Confederation in 1871. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1903.

Today, Rockland features beautiful Arts and Crafts style heritage houses, stone walls, the iconic Craigdarroch Castle and the Government House, home to the Lieutenant Governor of BC – currently the Honourable Janet Austin.

Built by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, Craigdarroch Castle is a National Historic Site in Canada; fully restored to provide a window into the world of 1890s privilege.  https://thecastle.ca. The castle’s four floors of intricate woodwork, stained glass windows, and opulent Victorian-era furnishings are well worth exploring.

The Government House, located on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, is the ceremonial home of all British Columbians. The beautiful, ornate gardens are accessible to all via a wheelchair-accessible path. During their tenure, many Governors have left their indelible mark on the garden’s developing grandeur.

Rockland is largely residential with some commercial zoning along the northern boundary. Many of the mansions have been converted to suites to provide a mix of apartments, townhouses, single-family homes, and care facilities. Throughout its recent developments, the neighbourhood successfully retained its Victorian elegance.

Interesting Notes on B.C. Assessments Around Vancouver Island

The west coast of the Island had the largest increase, with Tofino seeing a 15 per cent increase in the assessment of a typical single-family home to $883,500 and Ucluelet seeing an 11 per cent increase to $445,000.

Typical assessments for strata units in Nanaimo increased by two per cent, in Courtenay an increase of eight per cent, and in Campbell River 10 per cent.

The most valuable single-family home is 3160 Humber Rd. in Oak Bay, assessed at $15.2 million, versus $16.16 million a year earlier.

The most highly assessed property in the region was once again James Island, at $56.47 million as of July 1, 2019. In the previous assessment, the island was valued at $56.76 million.

The Island roll increased in value to $255 billion from $246.9 billion in 2019. About $4.14 billion of the Island’s assessments reflect new construction, subdivisions and rezoning of properties.

Did the Speculation Tax Have an Impact on Real Estate Activity?

Not really, according to David Langlois, incoming president of the Victoria Real Estate Board. He opined the greatest impact on real estate activity came from the lending rules.

“People’s buying power got reduced substantially in some cases,” he said, noting buyers who may have been considering the $1-million range were being forced to look at homes below $800,000. “It compressed activity into a particular price point.”

That means there were several categories of buyers looking at a limited supply of houses which creates a seller’s market and higher prices at the lower end of the spectrum, while sales slow and values decrease for homes in the million + range.

The Canadian market hasn’t seen such a shortage of listings since 2007.

With strong job prospects, low mortgage rates and population growth, real estate inventory is flying off the shelves and not enough new inventory is being built to replenish supply. More cities, including Vancouver and Victoria are likely heading towards, or already are in, a seller’s market once again.

“Essentially, after a couple of challenging years for housing, the market has picked itself up, brushed itself off, and is now looking at steady gains ahead,” wrote Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter in late December 2019.

With home sales momentum showing no signs of fading in 2020, all eyes will be on the supply side of the market. Can developers and builders catch up and keep up?

Revoked Occupancy

It’s always a problem when a building is not completed to code. On December 20th, most residents, unfortunately, had to move out of the brand new, 86-unit building in Langford at 2766 Claude Road in Langford due to gravity system concerns. (“Gravity system” simply means the vertical loading support structure for a building).

The Engineering and Geosciences organization governed by B.C. legislation has not disclosed what they deem to be confidential information regarding the situation at Danbrook One, but their investigation and discipline processes will determine if a professional engineer or geoscientist has failed to meet the professional standards or ethical obligations of the professions.

Meanwhile, the city of Langford, the public and several developers have pitched in to help displaced residents of the building with funds to alleviate some of their expenses.

Property Assessments Arriving in Your Mailbox

If you read the Times Colonist on Friday, January 3rd, you saw the front-page review of tax assessments now hitting property owner’s mailboxes across the Capital Regional District. If you haven’t received your property tax assessment yet, you can access it through bcassessment.ca.

This year’s assessment roll showed little change to slight drops in Greater Victoria single-family home values. Homes in Oak Bay saw the greatest drop of six percent. Homes in Highlands and Central Saanich saw no change. Langford, Sooke and View Royal saw increases in the typical assessment, with the greatest increase of three per cent in Sooke.

The condo market saw values rise across nearly every municipality in Greater Victoria; from two per cent in Saanich, Oak Bay and Esquimalt to four per cent in Langford and Colwood.

Keep in mind, these assessments are an estimate of a property’s market value as of July 1, 2019. If you find yourself in disagreement with your property assessment, you have the right to submit a notice of complaint by January 31st to ask for an independent review. The property assessment review panel members are appointed annually by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and they meet between Feb. 1 and March 15 to hear complaints.