WITH ADAM SAWATSKY
Travis Stock is grateful to have grown up from a shy boy to a fearless man — who was inspired by his big sister to overcome adversity through giving back — by finding a creative way to spread joy and positivity.
Laurann Brown was walking down the street with a her friend, in a deep discussion about the direction her life was going, when she noticed a sign attached to a suitcase saying, "Pick a topic. Get a poem."
When her son started showing an interest in basketball this year, after a lifetime of suffering from serious medical issues and being on the autism spectrum, Betty Wade was overjoyed.
Rather than searching for satisfaction by climbing up a ladder, a Victoria senior says if you take the time to notice the rainbows, you just might find something far more rewarding than gold.
When a Victoria senior is not making scones from scratch, and delivering them to neighbours up and down their building’s 21 floors, “just because” — she’s leaving thoughtful cards and gifts to surprise people on their doorsteps.
Bruce Campana never imagined he would grow up to solicit smooches from a llama named Fabio.
An 11-year-old Vancouver Island athlete came home from the World Dwarf Games in Germany with seven medals. He humbly says there's nothing stopping any of us from achieving our goals, if we can just get out there and do it.
To appreciate why Betty John is walking towards a skydiving plane in a wedding dress, we need to go back to when the almost 80-year-old couldn’t walk at all.
"There's something very powerful when you feel seen." Adam finds out how a typewriting poet from Sooke is making creative connections with strangers.
Got a story idea for a Swatsky Sign-Off? Contact Adam at signoff@bellmedia.ca.
At least three people were arrested Wednesday as protesters and counter-protesters gathered in Nanaimo and Victoria to argue about the way schools teach sexuality and gender identity, and how teachers refer to transgender students.
A former Vancouver Island gym teacher has permanently lost his teaching certificate after he started an intimate relationship with a vulnerable 15-year-old student and began dating the student shortly after graduation.
The opening of a supportive housing facility for 50 young people in Victoria has been delayed despite construction being complete, and outreach advocates say an extension may be needed to avoid displacing a dozen of the anticipated tenants.
A 65-year-old Vancouver Island man who was reported missing to police over the weekend has been found dead.
The Campbell River RCMP say a highway crash that sent a car into a power pole over the weekend was likely caused by another driver falling asleep at the wheel.
Protests and counter-protests for and against Canada's trans and LGBTQ community are being planned across Canada on Wednesday. British Columbia's Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, called the anti-LGBTQ marches "hate-fuelled" and said while peaceful demonstration protects democracy and generates debate, the human rights of the trans and LGBTQ community "is not up for debate."
A man is dead after he drowned while trying to swim to his drifting boat in the Saanich Inlet on Monday evening. Two RCMP officers and several bystanders entered the water and swam out to the man in an attempt to rescue him.
A team of researchers has crunched the numbers and estimates that British Columbia’s renters are paying roughly 20 per cent more than they otherwise would have due to the impact of short-term rentals.
Travis Stock is grateful to have grown up from a shy boy to a fearless man — who was inspired by his big sister to overcome adversity through giving back — by finding a creative way to spread joy and positivity.
On Tuesday, the Mustard Seed Street Church and Food Bank in Victoria was showing off the results of its rebuild after a devastating fire damaged the premises in March.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar is being remembered by family and supporters as a giving community activist. But in India, he was a wanted man, after authorities labelled him a terrorist in 2020.
Royal Roads University in Colwood is warning the public after a bear and a cougar were spotted on campus Tuesday. The school says it has closed the campus gardens and a conservation officer has been called to the school grounds.
Two men have been arrested after allegedly breaking into vehicles in Victoria's James Bay neighbourhood. Police responded to a complaint of a break and enter at a secure parkade in the 100-block of Kingston Street around 5:30 a.m. Saturday
British Columbia MLA Adam Walker says he hopes to clear his name after what he called an “abrupt” decision by Premier David Eby to remove him from the NDP caucus over a human resources complaint.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be visiting Canada later this week and will deliver an address to Parliament, CTV News has learned. Zelenskyy is expected to arrive late Thursday.
On the first day of an annual gathering of provincial representatives and municipal leaders, representatives from the ministries of health, addictions, and public safety defended their support for decriminalization of hard drugs.
Premier David Eby has announced MLA Adam Walker has been ousted from the BC New Democratic party.
The Indian government is warning nationals, students to be cautious over what it calls growing 'anti-India activities' in Canada.
