A Hidden Architectural Treasure in Victoria

Tucked past the standard guided tour route of the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, the legislative library houses more than 500,000 physical items and 200,000 digital entries spread across six floors. The facility features architectural elements blending the style of Versailles and historic Oxford reading rooms, including Carrara marble imported from Italy, Honduran mahogany, and scagliola columns.

Today, the library employs about 20 staff members and serves as the province’s primary repository for government publications. Its daily operations still utilize original furnishings, including tables, chairs, and what library director Peter Gourlay believes to be the oldest operating elevator in Victoria, an original Otis birdcage model.

Rare Artifacts and a $500,000 Shakespeare Folio

Secured inside a rare book vault within the director’s office are roughly 1,500 specialized volumes. The collection includes a 1612 Geneva Bible, an inscribed volume by Queen Victoria, and a 1632 Shakespeare Second Folio. According to coverage from the Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News, Kelowna Capital News, Vernon Morning Star, and Penticton Western News, the 1632 Shakespeare Second Folio is valued at $500,000.

The Shakespeare volume is one of approximately 250 remaining worldwide and one of only three known copies in Canada, alongside holdings at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto. Gourlay noted that the 400-year-old book has no missing pages or major damage. Many of the vault’s Elizabethan-era items were acquired in a single 1930 purchase from an English aristocrat who relocated to B.C. and corresponded with author Rudyard Kipling.

Evolution from Colonial Beginnings to Specialized Research

The library’s origin dates back to 1863, prior to B.C. joining Confederation, when colonial grants funded a single room of unattended books. The collection expanded to 3,000 items under its first appointed librarian, E. Gosnell, and reached 18,000 under successor E.O.S. Scholefield. In 1911, architect Francis Rattenbury designed a dedicated expansion wing. Construction began in 1912, and the $1.2-million extension officially opened on Sept. 15, 1915.

For nearly a century after launching a travelling library program in 1898, the institution shipped book collections to remote communities, lighthouses, and lumber camps across the province. In the 1970s, after provincial archives moved to Belleville Street and public libraries expanded statewide, the institution shifted its mandate specifically to legislative assembly members and staff.

“The big difference is our clientele and what we do,” said Gourlay. “We do more in-depth research than at a public library. We can spend time to really dig into a topic if that’s what our clients are interested in.”

Gourlay emphasized the importance of maintaining B.C.’s governmental records as the institution continues its mandate more than a century after construction finished.

An Enduring Mystery from Pedder Bay

Thirteen wild killer whales roaming the coast today owe their existence to an act of secret sabotage carried out in 1970. Now, author Grant Lawrence is attempting to solve the mystery of who cut the net pens in Metchosin’s Pedder Bay to free two captive orcas more than five decades ago.

The story began when five killer whales, later designated as the Pedder Bay Five, were captured by Sealand of the Pacific owner Bob Wright. While two whales were sent to the Oak Bay oceanarium and one died of starvation, a male named Charlie and his mother Flo were held in a net pen awaiting shipment to an aquarium in Texas. After nearly eight months, someone secretly freed the pair, allowing them to swim back into the wild.

Following Clues to a Mystery Liberator

Lawrence, who is writing an upcoming book titled Whale Tale, was given a set of clues by an anonymous interviewee who claims to know the identity of the person responsible. The source revealed that the liberator was a highly respected scientist who passed away prematurely, leaving behind a wife and daughter. The scientist, who reportedly lacked a big ego and believed freeing the animals was simply the right thing to do, is also suspected of liberating another captive whale in Pender Harbour in 1968.

Although marine biologist Michael Bigg was initially considered as a potential suspect because of his balanced stance during the capture era, that lead proved to be a dead end. Lawrence’s source has promised to confirm the name if the author can successfully deduce it.

A Lasting Impact on B.C. Orcas

The secret liberation had a profound ecological effect. Flo went on to give birth to a daughter named Tasu, who became the matriarch of the T002C pod. Lawrence notes that at least 13 wild calves have been born as a direct result of the escape.

The descendants of those freed whales now form part of a thriving population of 400 to 500 transient Bigg’s killer whales along the coast. Lawrence, who frequently spots the T002C pod near his family cabin in Desolation Sound, hopes to identify the unsung liberator before completing his book. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact Lawrence at grantlawrence12@gmail.com.

Changing Climate Alters Regional Water Cycle

Depleted water levels in the Okanagan are threatening aquatic ecosystems and putting additional stress on local salmon populations. Warmer temperatures and changing climate patterns are leading to smaller amounts of snow and rain, earlier snowmelts, and longer, drier summers across the region. Local water systems face severe drought and potential desertification if withdrawals exceed what nature naturally replenishes each year.

Human Activity and Extreme Weather Patterns

Greenhouse gases—including nitrous oxide from synthetic fertilizers, methane from livestock and decomposing garbage, and emissions from burning fossil fuels—continue to trap atmospheric heat. As air molecules warm up, they move faster and more erratically, creating conditions that drive longer, more severe, and more frequent extreme weather events. While heavy downpours cause flooding in certain regions, escalating heat and prolonged dry spells spark massive wildfires locally.

Reframing Waste and Personal Responsibility

Deteriorating natural environments, wetland destruction, deforestation, and pollution further reduce the capacity of long-established ecosystems to adapt to rapid warming. Addressing these challenges requires shifts in societal attitudes regarding affluence, consumption, and waste. Developing nations and wealthier societies often generate the most pollution and trash, whereas other cultures prioritize reusing materials. Local residents are encouraged to reconsider everyday habits, consume less, and spend time outdoors to better connect with nature.

Local Initiatives Offer Educational Resources

Community members seeking practical ways to reduce their environmental footprint can access regional tools. Resources such as Vernon’s Climate Action Plan at Vernon.ca/climate-action outline municipal initiatives and offer guidance for residents. Additionally, okanaganclimate.ca provides detailed information on how global warming directly affects the Okanagan region.