Conditions are expected to last the next 24 to 48 hours Saturday. Winds to be gusting up to 70 km an hour out of the Southwest.
Smoke
This fellow was looking to see the surrounding hills in recent days on Garcia St North end…
Category: -Photography
Viewing wild orcas in British Columbia is a world-class experience. The coastal waters surrounding Vancouver Island and the BC mainland provide some of the richest marine habitats on Earth, attracting two primary distinct populations (ecotypes) of orcas.
### **1. Key Orca Ecotypes in BC**
* **Bigg’s (Transient) Orcas:** These are mammal-eating orcas that hunt seals, sea lions, and porpoises. Their populations are thriving along the BC coast, and they move continuously throughout the Salish Sea and outer coastal inlets, making year-round sightings frequent.
* **Resident Orcas (Northern & Southern):** These orcas feed almost exclusively on fish, especially Chinook salmon.
* **Northern Residents:** Frequently sighted in the waters around Northern Vancouver Island (Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago) during summer and early fall.
* **Southern Residents:** Found around southern Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Salish Sea. Due to conservation efforts, strict distance regulations apply when viewing them to protect their population.
### **2. Top Locations for Orca Viewing**
#### **Telegraph Cove & Johnstone Strait (Northeast Vancouver Island)**
* **Highlights:** Widely recognized as one of the best locations in the world for orca watching. Home to the **Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve**, a protected sanctuary famous for its “rubbing beaches,” where Northern Resident orcas come to rub against smooth gravel on the ocean floor.
* **How to Experience:** Boat tours, multi-day sea kayaking expeditions, or zodiac excursions based out of Telegraph Cove, Port McNeill, or Alert Bay.
#### **Victoria & Sooke (Southern Vancouver Island)**
* **Highlights:** Prime entry point to the Salish Sea and Strait of Juan de Fuca. Excellent for spotting Bigg’s orcas and humpback whales.
* **How to Experience:** Daily Zodiac and covered cruiser tours depart directly from Victoria’s Inner Harbour or Sooke.
#### **Vancouver & Steveston (Lower Mainland)**
* **Highlights:** Convenient access for travelers staying on the mainland. Tours navigate the Strait of Georgia, the Gulf Islands, and Howe Sound to follow active pods.
* **How to Experience:** Day-trip operators depart out of Granville Island, Coal Harbour, and Steveston Village (Richmond).
#### **Campbell River & Cowichan Bay / Parksville (Central Salish Sea)**
* **Highlights:** Sheltered waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland, offering high success rates for spotting transient pods navigating channel passes.
#### **Prince Rupert & The North Coast**
* **Highlights:** For a remote, off-the-beaten-path experience, northern BC waters offer encounters with migrating orcas following salmon runs alongside humpbacks and grizzly bear viewing.
### **3. Prime Season**
* **Best Months:** **May through October**
* **July to September** is peak season, offering calm sea conditions, long daylight hours, and high concentrations of both resident and transient orcas following migrating salmon or hunting marine mammals.
* **Year-Round Potential:** Because Bigg’s (transient) orcas travel constantly in search of seals and sea lions, they can be spotted in BC waters in winter and spring as well.
### **4. Ways to Tour**
* **Covered Motor Vessels / Cruisers:** Ideal for family comfort, shelter from wind and spray, photography with stable platforms, and onboard naturalists.
* **Zodiacs:** Open-air, high-speed boats that offer an adventurous, closer-to-the-water feel.
* **Guided Kayaking Trips:** Multi-day basecamp or expedition tours (especially in Johnstone Strait / Hanson Island) allow quiet, immersive encounters with wildlife.
### **5. Responsible Viewing Guidelines**
* **Distance Laws:** Marine mammal regulations in Canada require vessels to maintain a minimum distance (typically **400 metres** for all killer whales in BC coastal waters, or **200 metres** in specific designated areas for non-resident populations) to prevent boat noise from interfering with their echolocation and feeding.
* **Eco-Certified Operators:** Choose operators accredited by the *Pacific Whale Watching Association (PWWA)* or local eco-tourism boards that follow strict wildlife viewing protocols and contribute to marine conservation research.
Pacific Wale Watching Assocation
This is an international association members are linked below. We suggest to be safe to engage the people that have the cumulative experience to ensure your safety.
From the Editor:
While some interactions can naturally happen closely, there are strict guidelines in place today to ensure the animals are protected and not disturbed.
Well NASA bless them, as all their photos are public domain.
PP
British Columbia Sites worthy. 10 sites worth your time…
British Columbia offers a vast canvas for landscape and outdoor photography, ranging from rugged coastal rainforests to dry interior canyons and dramatic alpine peaks.
Here are **10 of the most visually spectacular sites in BC**, selected for their distinct geological character, compelling natural light, and immense creative potential:
### **1. Mount Robson Provincial Park (Berg Lake & Kinney Lake)**
* **The Draw:** Home to the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The sheer vertical scale of Mount Robson rising above glacier-fed water provides incredible depth and dramatic contrast.
* **Photographic Focus:** Capturing early morning light hit the face of Mt. Robson, or framing the vivid turquoise waters of Kinney Lake against surrounding alpine slopes.
### **2. Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park**
* **The Draw:** Often dubbed the “Matterhorn of the Rockies,” this remote park is a dream for wide-angle landscape photography featuring jagged peaks, larch forests, and crystal-clear reflection lakes.
* **Photographic Focus:** Sunrises over Sunburst Lake with Mt. Assiniboine perfectly mirrored on a calm morning.
### **3. Yoho National Park (Emerald Lake & Lake O’Hara)**
* **The Draw:** Tucked along the continental divide, Yoho features intense glacial silts, towering waterfalls (like Takakkaw Falls), and rugged granite amphitheaters.
* **Photographic Focus:** Reflections of surrounding peaks on the still surface of Emerald Lake or framing dramatic, cascading water against deep canyon walls.
### **4. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Tofino & Ucluelet)**
* **The Draw:** Wild, moody Pacific Northwest coastline. Mist-shrouded old-growth rainforests meet rocky headlands and expansive, ocean-swept beaches.
* **Photographic Focus:** Long-exposure seascape photography along Chesterman Beach or the Wild Pacific Trail during stormy weather, capturing churning waves and sea stacks.
### **5. Joffre Lakes Provincial Park**
* **The Draw:** Three cascading alpine lakes famous for their striking, radiant turquoise color caused by glacial flour suspended in the water.
* **Photographic Focus:** Framing the Matier Glacier hovering over Middle and Upper Joffre Lakes using shoreline logs or pine branches for strong foreground leading lines.
### **6. Seton Lake & The Fraser Canyon (Lillooet Region)**
* **The Draw:** A unique contrast to coastal rainforests, this dry interior landscape features sharp canyon walls, winding rivers, and brilliant golden hour light.
* **Photographic Focus:** The dramatic horseshoe bend of the lake framed by arid, rugged mountains during sunset, highlighting texture and warm earth tones.
### **7. Great Bear Rainforest & Bella Coola Valley**
* **The Draw:** One of the most pristine coastal temperate rainforests left on Earth, where deep fjords meet steep, glacier-capped mountains and ancient granite walls.
* **Photographic Focus:** Atmospheric, moody forest framing, ocean mist hanging over narrow inlets, and dynamic wildlife photography along river valleys.
### **8. Wells Gray Provincial Park**
* **The Draw:** Known as Canada’s “waterfall park,” shaped by ancient volcanic activity and glacial carving. It features massive drops like Helmcken Falls plunging into deep canyons.
* **Photographic Focus:** Experimenting with shutter speeds to capture the sheer power and movement of Helmcken, Dawson, or Moul Falls framed by volcanic rock walls.
### **9. Kootenay Lake & West Kootenay Passes**
* **The Draw:** Deep, fjord-like lake basins surrounded by the Selkirk and Purcell Mountain ranges. The area mixes quiet historic charm with dramatic valley elevation shifts.
* **Photographic Focus:** Composition opportunities using ferry crossings, shoreline reflections, and mountain passes catching low-angle alpine light during golden hour or twilight.
### **10. Johnstone Strait & Telegraph Cove (Northern Vancouver Island)**
* **The Draw:** Misty marine channels, lush coastal islands, and rich ocean ecosystems.
* **Photographic Focus:** Telephoto compositions capturing marine life against mist-laden forest backdrops, or framing colorful boardwalk settlements tucked into coastal bays.
From the Editor:
Under the government’s Canada strong initiative:. Admission in national parks is free till September 7th 2026. Some provincial parks are also sharing in this initiative or their own.
Provincial is being dropped in the name for a reconciliation value to FN soon…
Junior A Hockey, Merritt
Tonight the Merritt Centennials ended 51 consecutive years of play, positive presence posed…
Itelca Gillispie, Merritt Centennials.
at the Granite and Voght office.
File photo KDG
Good luck Merritt Centennials hockey players and your move to the KHL league.
The end of 51 years,they remain a force in Merritt.
Looking ahead
2026/2027 Season Seeking Billets
CBC Gem offers many services including sports broadcasting. Get the free app and link your phone…
Happy sports viewing…
Disclaimer: This is not an ad; it is posting news and soliciting comment interaction and viewpoints.
Available on Apple TV
This film is critically acclaimed and is a Canadian small budget production(5 million dollars .
Set in a British Columbia town. Originally the story came from the Texas location but was adapted for BC. 40 school. Children are drowned in a school box accident. It’s driven into a lake.
A lawyer comes to town looking for deep pockets and soliciting clients, an interesting dynamic arises.
Henry Acers profile at hiring July 2026
(twenty years Experience)
British Columbia hockey conference, 22 teams launched.
Sanctioned Junior A team
Recent history
The game opener for the new season in the new league for the Merritt experience was on September 27th 2024, Friday night in the Nicola Valley memorial arena off Garcia Street in the recreational mall
There’s nothing you can say about a loss except next time, the new Merritt team took on Kamloops and presented a good game that resulted in an overtime win to the Kamloops Team.
Now a privately owned team in the the Kooteny Junior League. The Merritt centennials have verbal commitments and fan support as they start this new experience
The 51 years of BCJHL hockey is going into the dust + din of the past and the nostalgia will not carry for long new fans. New players and new owners need to be kept presenting their best as a new pride of place opportunity also presents.
Reconstituted league
That’s a major development! The British Columbia Hockey Conference has been approved by BC Hockey to become a fully sanctioned Junior A league. The Merritt Centennials are among the 22 teams that will be competing in this new conference for the upcoming season, marking a big step up in their competitive status.
Researched July 18th 2026, KDG
as of: no schedule has been released yet. However the 22 teams most probably will have their first game in the middle of September.
Two Warnings
Heat : Yellow
Air Quality: yellow
3:43 pm 22/07/26
Stay safe…
Note: handkerchiefs carried can quickly be soaked in water and utilized over the mouth and nose…
PP
Look up
Canada
Beaver Moon, November 23 and 24 2026
O Canada, frost moon beaver moon strong and free…
Our partner in the solar orbit…
Good sky watching
Tarriff Tantrum.
The statement “all oppression is local” is a complex one with varying interpretations. Here’s a breakdown:
* Arguments for “All Oppression is Local”
* Focus on Individual Action: This perspective emphasizes that oppression often manifests in everyday interactions, systemic biases within local institutions, and the actions of individuals within a community.
* Importance of Local Resistance: It highlights the crucial role of local organizing, community building, and grassroots movements in challenging and dismantling oppressive systems.
* Acknowledging Context: This view recognizes that the specific forms and manifestations of oppression vary significantly across different locations and contexts.
* Arguments Against “All Oppression is Local”
* Oversimplification: Critics argue that this statement can downplay the interconnectedness of global systems of oppression, such as colonialism, imperialism, and global capitalism.
* Neglecting Systemic Issues: Focusing solely on the local level can overlook the role of powerful global actors, transnational corporations, and international institutions in perpetuating and exacerbating oppression.
* Ignoring Interdependence: Oppression often has both local and global dimensions. Ignoring the global context can limit our understanding of how local struggles are connected to broader power dynamics.
Dealing with Repression
Successfully dealing with repression requires a multifaceted approach:
* Understanding the Roots of Repression: Identify the underlying causes of repression, whether they are political, economic, social, or cultural.
* Building Solidarity: Connect with others who are experiencing similar forms of repression and build a strong network of support.
* Non-violent Resistance: Use non-violent strategies such protests, civil disobedience, and boycotts to challenge repressive regimes.
* Advocacy and Education:Raise
awareness about the issue, advocate for policy changes, and educate the public about the human rights of those affected by repression.
* Seeking International Support: Engage with international human rights organizations and seek international pressure on repressive regimes.
* Self-care:
Prioritize self-care practices to maintain mental and emotional well-being in the face of adversity.
It’s important to remember that dealing with repression is a long-term struggle that requires perseverance, resilience, and a commitment to justice and human rights.
Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and discussion purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.
Anthony Baxter says
A good dose of contentment and forbearance is a prescription that may work, but how? ” Make the best of every opportunity to do good. And collectively all classes will merge into a more just society.
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
