B.C. travellers coming to Vancouver Island as wildfires sweep mainland
As of Wednesday morning, there are nearly 300 wildfires burning throughout B.C. That caused Ilyas Sahib to rethink his family's summer travel plans and come to Victoria.
“We were looking at the Okanagan, we were looking at the Central Interior, and with the fires, unfortunately, and the availability of the rooms, we kind of started looking elsewhere,” said Sahib.
Others who were already on the island have decided to extend their stay.
“So far by a couple of days, but if the fires continue and the smoke is bad we’ll extend as long as we can,” said Jenn Barge.
The Barge family is here from Calgary, AB, which is currently under a thick blanket of smoke.
“(We're staying) as long as possible to enjoy the fresh air and avoid being stuck inside, basically,” said Mike Barge. “The smoke in Alberta hasn’t been fun.”
With the interior of B.C. expecting a continued stretch of warm, dry weather, and with night winds ahead, B.C.’s premier is asking all travellers to do their research.
“For those people who have reservations, check with your accommodations and see what the people on the ground are telling you and then make your decisions,” said Premier John Horgan.
“I expect people may have to change their plans and find other places in the province to stay and hopefully Victoria is one of those,” said Bill Lewis, chair of the Hotel Association of Greater Victoria. “We certainly feel for our colleagues in the Okanagan.”
Currently, overall hotel occupancy in Victoria is sitting at around 50 per cent.
“Victoria is open for business and there’s lots of rooms here in Victoria,” said Lewis.
The always-popular Tofino is a different story.
“We are essentially more or less 100 per cent full for the months of certainly July and August, and I would say most of September as well,” said Charles McDiarmid, managing director with the Wickaninnish Inn.
Tofino's popularity gives other destinations on Vancouver Island an opportunity of getting some of that much-needed tourism business.
“We’re just soaking in the sights and sounds of our capital and, you know, just enjoying some family time,” said Ilyas. “It’s not so bad.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.