'Just astounding': Orca swims through Victoria Inner Harbour
'Just astounding': Orca swims through Victoria Inner Harbour
An exciting visit from an orca delighted onlookers near Victoria's Inner Harbour on Monday.
For Steve Sinclair, it was an experience he’ll never forget and it could be a sign that the harbour is healthier than it has been in a century.
"There he is there," said Sinclair, who is the director of operations at the Victoria International Marina.
"I’m pretty sure that was a seal right in front of him," he said while watching security footage of the transient orca feeding on a harbour seal.
"He had an appetizer on the way into the harbour."
He was in his office on Monday afternoon when he heard there was an orca in the Inner Harbour, so he headed down to the dock.
"Then all of a sudden, boom, a killer whale came around the corner of our dock," said Sinclair.
That orca was on the hunt for a second course. Sinclair pulled out his phone to capture the moment.
"It was pretty exciting," said the island resident.
Over the past few years, it's become more frequent to see orcas making their way into Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Locals say that's a good sign.
"This was a boom yard for a number of wood-based operations, including a barrel company," said Craig Norris, CEO of the Victoria International Marina.
Victoria International Marina is shown. Dec. 7, 2022 (CTV News)The seabed where the marina is now located was covered in around two to three metres of bark mulch, preventing any life from thriving in the area.
"We did have to remove all of that to get back to native marine clays," said Norris.
That’s when the marina installed four artificial reef balls on the ocean floor, providing habitat for sea creatures.
An artificial reef ball is shown being placed on the seabed of the Victoria International Marina. May 17, 2018. It appears, that work has paid off.
"We saw things come back so quickly in the marina in general," said Norris.
It began with crabs, then fish arrived along with more birds. Seals began showing up in droves to feed on the fish, and now those on the top of the food chain are coming in to feed on those seals.
"We had the blessing of T49A1," said Brett Soberg, co-owner of Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours. "A large adult male in his prime, at 21 years young."
When Soberg saw the videos of the orca in the harbour, he recognized him right away.
He says sightings like this shows efforts to clean up the harbour are working.
"So what’s nice to see, when you see the big predators coming in, is it speaks to a level of comfort but also a return to perhaps a slightly healthier ecosystem," said Soberg.
On Dec. 14, a First Nation welcome pole will be installed at the marina. At the base of the pole will be an orca.
"We just brought the pole in at the beginning of this week and the first time I have ever seen such a thing, an orca shows up at our docks," said Norris.
"Just a day after. So I thought that was just astounding and really neat," he said.
It's a coincidence that many onlookers won't forget soon.
The First Nation welcome pole that will be erected on the site of the Victoria International Marina on Dec. 14, 2022, is shown. (CTV News)
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
In Washington progress on police brutality appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago.
A gay man issues a court challenge over Canada's policy restricting sperm bank donations, a Quebec woman is surprised to find her stolen car had been used in brazen Ontario robbery, and actor Ryan Reynolds drops by a Toronto college and surprises students. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Longueuil police (SPAL) arrested Gilles Croteau, 57, in the Saint-Hubert borough on Jan. 24 after an investigation that led to 31 arrests across Quebec for various sex offences, including child pornography possession and production.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Wiarton Willie is set to make his spring prediction Thursday at 8:07 a.m. If the groundhog sees his shadow it will mean another six weeks of winter, but if he doesn’t, we could get an early spring.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Victoria International Marina is shown. Dec. 7, 2022 (CTV News)The seabed where the marina is now located was covered in around two to three metres of bark mulch, preventing any life from thriving in the area.
An artificial reef ball is shown being placed on the seabed of the Victoria International Marina. May 17, 2018. It appears, that work has paid off.
The First Nation welcome pole that will be erected on the site of the Victoria International Marina on Dec. 14, 2022, is shown. (CTV News)
