This is Vancouver Island

Less than two years after the last provincial election, there's speculation we're heading to the polls again. Former Green Party MLA and Tsartlip First Nation member Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull join CBC host Gregor Craigie.

Can Kerry-Lynne Finlay keep the remaining BC Conservatives inside her cabinet? And did BC's premier strike the right tone with new border signs that tell American drivers we'll never be the 51st state? Former Green Party MLA and Tsartlip First Nation member Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull weigh in on the week's top political stories with CBC host Gregor Craigie.

After months of looking into the case surrounding Canada's most prolific voyeur, our reporter Emily Fagan shares what she's learned about the toll this has taken on victims.

Have you ever found out your sailing has been cancelled due to bad weather, despite it not seeming that bad where you are? There’s more science behind it than you think. In this repeat episode, CBC meteorologist and science reporter Johanna Wagstaffe tells us about her visit to the B.C. Ferries ‘command room’, where she met the people who make those calls and found out how they’re made.

B.C.'s political landscape is shifting as at least a half dozen MLAs have quit the B.C. Conservative caucus, with two saying they'll form a new party. We ask Camosun College political scientist Daniel Reeve how significant the change is - and how many parties might be on our ballots in the next election.

Tariff news has been hitting the island like a tsunami, and it's still not clear exactly which goods will cost more when they cross the border - in either direction. So we check in with Island Timber Frame, a specalized timber company based in Cumberland, and Luna Collective, a store in Victoria, to hear how they're digesting the news and handling the uncertainty.

We've reconvened our political panel to discuss Peter Milobar deciding to sit as an independent, David Eby's initial response to news of a trade deal between Canada and the United States, and concerns over the province taking down its online staff directory . Our political panel is former Green Party MLA and Tsartlip First Nation member Adam Olsen, former BC Liberal and BC United staffer Andrew Reeve, and former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull.

For more than 40 years, there has been a ban on farming potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant in Central Saanich - but not anymore. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it has finally eradicated the golden nematode, a parasite so pesky they had to ban some crops to get rid of it. This week, we learn more about the nematode, why it was so hard to eradicate, and why potatoes are making a comeback.

We're down to two contenders for best roadside attraction on Vancouver Island: the goats on the roof at Old Country Market in Coombs, or Cathedral Grove. The winner will stay alive in CBC British Columbia's search for the best roadside attraction in B.C. We talk to CBC reporter Justin McElroy, who is running the competition, about what makes a good roadside attraction, why he thinks summer competitions like this are silly fun but also an interesting way to interpret our province, and why places along highway 4 seem to get a lot of votes in CBC's annual summer bracket competitions. Learn more about the competition, and how to vote, here .

A plan to redevelop the Capital Irons lands, at the north end of downtown Victoria, got an important vote of confidence from city council. It means that hundreds of units of housing will likely be built, as well as a new home for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and a place where a local fish company can dock its boats, and process and sell its stock. We get the details. This episode originally aired January 15, 2026.

But is it enough to address drought concerns? We hear from Environment Canada, a watershed watcher, and a farmer about how we’re getting more rain than meteorologists had predicted, whether it’s helping low-running streams where salmon live, and what it means for some crops.

It’s not just Greater Victoria’s big municipalities that are building new kinds of housing - some of the mid-sized ones, like Esquimalt, are too. On this week’s episode hear mayor Barb Desjardins talk about the range of housing styles; how the Department of National Defence is adding housing; and about a planned co-housing project where residents would share some common rooms with their neighbours.

Local officials are trying to get a safe, secondary road connecting the west coast to the rest of the island, after wildfires blocked the main routes in 2023 and 2025. But which route is best? And what will it take to make it happen? We hear from John Jack with Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Bob Beckett from the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, and Judi Thomas of the Ditidaht First Nation about the work they’re doing - and how it will support communities like Bamfield, Tofino/Ucluelet, and Port Alberni. Check out this article to see a map of the possible routes, and listen to this previous episode to hear why wildfires can wreak such havoc on roads.

It's been a busy July so far in B.C. politics. This week, the attorney general said the province is preparing to sue OpenAI over the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. And last week, B.C. and Ottawa signed a deal that will send billions of dollars of infrastructure funding westward, and also paved the way for a new pipeline to the south coast. Plus, Independent (and former B.C. Conservative) MLA Amelia Boutlbee joined the NDP caucus. So we pulled our political panel back from summer hiatus to get their takes on it all. Elizabeth Cull is a former NDP cabinet minister, Andrew Reeve is a former BC Liberal Deputy Director of Communications and Senior Consultant at Earnscliffe, and Adam Olsen is a former Green Party MLA and member of the Tsartlip Nation.

Are you an ocean, lake, or river swimmer? This week we share one of our favourite summer episodes, where we took a break from the news to celebrate some of the many outdoor swimming spots on the Island - in all types of water. Alex McKeen, co-author of “Swimming Holes and Beaches of Southwestern British Columbia,” shares her love of swimming as a way to explore a new place and talks about some of the 50+ island spots listed in her book. They include the Koksilah River Holes, Cameron Lake, Inland Lake, and Banfield Park. This episide originally aired July 10, 2025.

We're taking a short break as we shift into summer, but we'll be back soon. Make sure you're following us in the podcast app of your choice, so our next new episode automatically shows up in your feed.

An amalgamation question will go to people in both municipalities in the upcoming fall elections. But the question will be non-binding after a decision from the province that more work needs to be done. In this week’s episode Gregor Craigie hears from politicians in both communities, Premier David Eby and a bit about what people on the street had to say about the issue.

How you get on and off the ferry can make a big difference in your experience. This week, we'll hear from a BC Ferries terminal attendant on what goes into guiding your car onto each vessel, as well as what Swartz Bay foot passengers think could make the walk-on experience better.

It’s getting more and more common for families to live in multi-unit housing - think apartment or condo buildings, or townhouse complexes. It doesn’t just mean adjustments to their lifestyle, it also means cities and even school districts are making changes. This week we hear from a family living in a one-bedroom apartment in Victoria’s James Bay neighbourhood, a councillor in Langford where they’re changing their parks strategy to benefit multi-unit housing, and the superintendent of the Sooke school district where they’re had to change how they calculate student enrollment, and how they design schools, because more and more kids are coming from multi-unit housing.

The BC Conservatives finally have their new leader, so our political panel discusses what they expect from Kerry-Lynne Findlay. They also talk about what MLAs will be up to this summer (hint: it likely involves BBQs), and just how much money the World Cup will end up costing the province. Our political panel is former NDP cabinet minister Elizabeth Cull, former Green Party MLA and a member of the Tsartlip Nation Adam Olsen and former BC Liberal Deputy Director of Communications and Senior Consultant at Earnscliffe Andrew Reeve. Note: the political panel will be on hiatus for the summer, but will return in September (or earlier if there are big political stories to discuss). This is Vancouver Island will still be here on Thursdays.