This week’s events: 20 standout Vancouver activities from October 5 to 11, a driver arrested after crashing into a nursing home, and the British Columbia election campaign debate over a millionaires’ tax and the doctor shortage.
20 Standout Vancouver Events from October 5 to 11
Autumn in Vancouver is entering its busiest stretch. The Thanksgiving long weekend is ahead, and the city’s events calendar is responding with a packed lineup—from Halloween afternoon teas and a cranberry festival to world-class classical music and concerts by legendary performers. Daily Hive’s editorial team has compiled two dozen reasons to get out of the house between October 5 and 11. The list includes family activities, thrills for those seeking something spooky, and sports and music premieres. Here is an overview of the week’s highlights, along with context explaining why these events matter to the city right now.
It is worth beginning with a culinary event that sets the tone for the season. Notch8 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is launching its Haunted Cellar Afternoon Tea—a darkly themed tea service featuring traditional scones and tartlets enhanced with “supernatural” touches and handmade seasonal sweets. Families can choose a separate children’s menu with sandwiches and simpler treats. The event runs under different arrangements on various dates through November 1, with tickets priced at $75 for adults and $40 for children. Interestingly, the Daily Hive announcement lists dates extending into 2026—likely an error in the original material or plans covering several seasons. Hotels hosting events like these often prepare their calendars a year in advance.
At the same time, the city is entering its “strange” season. The Oddities and Curiosities Expo, dedicated to all things unusual and eerie, returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre on October 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hundreds of vendors and artists working in the “oddities” genre will offer visitors not only merchandise but also workshops, performances and photo opportunities. Tickets cost $20 plus fees. In a similar vein, the theatrical Lost Souls of Gastown Tour is entering its fifteenth season. It leads visitors through the historic Gastown district, recounting stories of the Great Fire, famous gold-rush “ladies” and an unsolved murder. Tours run daily through November 29, departing near the intersection of Water and Cordova streets, beside Monaco Café. Adult tickets cost $35, while students and seniors pay $32. Organizers add extra departures on weekends and during Halloween week.
One of the largest events on the calendar is the 31st annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival, taking place Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the village of Fort Langley. Around 35,000 visitors attend each year, and organizers have prepared 125 vendors and more than 15 food trucks this year. Admission is free. It is a classic example of a local agricultural celebration becoming a regional event. For the Fraser Valley, where cranberries have historically been grown, festivals like this remain a way to support local producers while attracting tourists.
The week’s music program is equally ambitious. The Vancouver International Music Competition, organized by the Canada International Arts & Music Society, is holding its final round, gala concert and awards ceremony. In 2026, the competition includes four categories: piano, strings, voice and woodwinds, with woodwinds added as a new category. The final round will take place on October 9 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the VSO School of Music, where young musicians from around the world will perform before an international jury. Masterclasses will be held at Tom Lee Music on October 10, followed by a gala concert at the Orpheum Theatre on October 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. The concert will feature the competition’s prizewinners, as well as Canadian pianist Ian Parker and violinist Domagoj Ivanović, both members of this year’s jury. For Vancouver, the event has twofold significance: it strengthens the city’s reputation as a centre for classical music and gives young performers a rare opportunity to share a stage with established artists.
Independent film represents another important strand of the week’s program. OFF-VIFF, co-founded by Vancouver filmmaker Arran Shearing, is expanding this year into a multiday festival at three venues: Cineworks, The Rio Theatre and Little Free Cinema. From October 7 to 12, audiences will see short films, premieres and other works that rarely reach mainstream distribution. Ticket prices vary, and sales are online. The emergence of a festival alongside the main VIFF signals that Vancouver is developing a lasting infrastructure for underground and experimental cinema.
The sports calendar is also packed. The B.C. Lions continue their Canadian Football League season at BC Place, hosting the Ottawa Redblacks on October 9 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on October 23. Both games begin at 7 p.m. The Vancouver Giants, playing in the Western Hockey League’s new season, take the ice at Langley Events Centre on October 10 against the Seattle Thunderbirds and on October 30 against the Victoria Royals. For families looking for outdoor entertainment, Canyon Frights is running at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. From October 9 to November 1, the grounds will feature pumpkins and spooky decorations, along with photo areas, live performances and children’s activities. The park is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., extending to 9 p.m. toward the end of October. Rounding out the food-and-farm offerings is the Haney Farmers’ Market in downtown Maple Ridge. Every Saturday through October 31, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors can buy fresh produce and locally made crafts at Memorial Peace Park.
Why does all this matter right now? Thanksgiving traditionally marks the beginning of Canada’s autumn holiday season, and Vancouver’s entertainment industry is simultaneously shifting toward Halloween themes. That explains the abundance of spooky afternoon teas, tours and expos. At the same time, the cultural program shows that Vancouver continues to balance large family events with niche projects such as OFF-VIFF and the classical music competition. The practical takeaway for readers is straightforward: the long weekend offers a rare opportunity to attend several events, but tickets should be purchased in advance where online sales are available. Festivals such as the Fort Langley Cranberry Festival and the Orpheum gala concert can draw full crowds. The complete list of 20 events, including dates, addresses and prices, is available in the Daily Hive article. The publication’s newsletter subscribers also receive updates about Metro Vancouver and British Columbia.
Several points may not be immediately obvious. Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday of October—earlier than in the United States—and is considered less a religious holiday than a family and harvest celebration, which explains its connection to the cranberry festival. The CFL, or Canadian Football League, is a professional league whose game differs from American football through its wider field and several distinctive rules. The WHL, or Western Hockey League, is one of North America’s three largest junior hockey leagues and a pathway for future NHL players. Afternoon tea is not simply tea, but a full ceremony accompanied by a selection of savoury and sweet foods; in Canada, it has long been a popular seasonal attraction at hotels. Finally, OFF-VIFF is a companion to the main Vancouver International Film Festival, or VIFF, focusing on independent and underground films that do not make the main program.
Driver Arrested After Pickup Crashes into Vancouver Nursing Home and Catches Fire
A nighttime incident in a Vancouver residential neighbourhood that nearly became a mass-casualty tragedy is raising renewed questions about road safety and how fragile the line can be between an ordinary drive and a disaster. The Vancouver Police Department says a driver was arrested after his pickup truck crashed into a nursing home, split in half and caught fire.
According to police, the crash occurred Friday at approximately 1:30 a.m. at Renfrew Street and East 22nd Avenue, Fraser Valley Today reports. Police said a witness reported that their vehicle had been struck by a grey GMC Sierra pickup travelling southbound. After the collision, the pickup left the roadway and crashed into the nursing-home building. Officers arriving at the scene found the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. The driver and passenger were taken to hospital for treatment.
A key detail is that the vehicle was literally torn in half, suggesting an extremely high speed and powerful impact at the time of the collision. The fire that broke out afterward created serious risks both for the people inside the vehicle and for anyone nearby. It has not yet been reported how many residents of the nursing home were affected or whether anyone suffered injuries. It is also unclear whether the driver has been charged or what specific offences police suspect.
For context, a nursing home is a facility where older adults live around the clock. Many residents have limited mobility and are particularly vulnerable to external threats. That is why a crash involving such a building receives heightened attention from law enforcement: the consequences could have been far worse if the impact had struck the residential portion of the facility.
The fact that the incident occurred late at night, while a witness described a collision between two vehicles before the pickup left the road, points to a chain of events rather than a single isolated driving error. Police have not provided details about the condition of the driver or passenger, or the reasons the vehicle lost control. The investigation is ongoing, and its findings will determine what charges may be brought against the arrested driver.
The incident is a reminder that crashes in densely built-up urban areas rarely affect only the people directly involved. At least four groups were affected here: the pickup’s driver and passenger, the driver of the vehicle that was struck, and the residents of the nursing home that lay in the path of the uncontrolled vehicle. The combination of speed, fire, nighttime conditions and vulnerable people inside the building makes the incident particularly serious and deserving of a thorough investigation.
Millionaires’ Tax and the Fight for Doctors: Another Day on the B.C. Campaign Trail
British Columbia’s election campaign, with voting scheduled for October 24, has entered a phase in which promises are beginning to be measured not only by political impact but also by concrete figures in the budget. New Democratic Party Leader David Eby, whose party currently forms the government, announced a new tax bracket for people earning $1 million or more, along with higher rates for the two existing top brackets. The proposal’s authors say the revenue would fund health care—a subject that has long ceased to be abstract in the province and has become a daily problem for thousands of families unable to find a family doctor. As CityNews Vancouver reports, Eby put it simply while speaking Sunday in Comox on Vancouver Island: successful people are welcome in the province, and everyone wants them to prosper, but when residents need strong public services, it is fair to ask those earning somewhat more to contribute their share.
According to documents distributed by the party, the changes would take effect in the 2027 tax year. Income above $1 million would be taxed at 24.5 per cent on the portion exceeding that threshold. Income between $265,545 and $1 million would be taxed at 22.5 per cent, while earnings between $190,405 and $265,545 would be taxed at 18.8 per cent. The NDP is emphasizing one key detail: the higher rates would apply only to the portion of income falling within the relevant bracket, not to a person’s entire income. The party estimates that the change would affect fewer than four per cent of taxpayers and generate $225 million in the 2026–27 fiscal year, $925 million the following year and approximately $1 billion the year after that. To put the figures in perspective, $1 billion is roughly the cost of building a large regional hospital or employing several thousand health-care workers for a year—precisely why the money is being directed to the health-care system.
The response from the Conservative Party of B.C. was predictable and forceful. In a statement, the party called the NDP plan a tax on doctors and professionals whom virtually every community in the province is currently trying to attract, warning that the policy would drive medical workers away. “There is no problem the NDP won’t try to solve by raising your taxes,” the statement said. The Conservatives are campaigning on a promise never to raise taxes, making the tax issue perhaps the sharpest dividing line in the race. The economic context is important: British Columbia already has a progressive tax system in which the rate rises with income. The dispute is not over that principle itself, but over where to draw the line and how steep the final top bracket should be. Opponents argue that wealthy people and highly paid professionals are highly mobile and that, with the combined federal and provincial burden approaching half of income, some could move to neighbouring Alberta or leave the country altogether. Supporters counter that the wealthiest four per cent can absorb the additional burden in support of a system on which everyone—including affluent residents—depends.
The tax proposal is not Eby’s first economic promise of the campaign. He previously announced so-called price guarantees on selected groceries, gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as a temporary reduction of the provincial fuel tax by 10 cents per litre. He has also promised a new tax on vacant condominiums and the elimination of the speculation and vacancy tax. Asked whether new taxes and regulations could make businesses feel unwelcome in the province, Eby said his party was not fighting entrepreneurs but protecting British Columbians. He added that the business community depends more than anyone on a functioning province where trucks can deliver goods, people can find housing and employees can access medical care.
While the tax debate continued, Green Party Leader Emily Lowan unveiled the forestry portion of her platform. The Greens are promising to end the export of raw logs and close loopholes that allow minimally processed or roughly sawn timber to leave the province without being fully processed. Another plank calls for permanent protection of old-growth forests with large trees and extensive stands of second-growth forest, along with funding for conservation projects led by Indigenous communities. In a province where forestry has been an economic backbone for decades, and where disputes over old-growth logging have repeatedly led to mass protests and blockades, these promises are aimed at a specific and highly motivated segment of the electorate.
Sunday was also the day the final candidate list was confirmed. According to Elections BC, the Conservatives were the only party to nominate candidates in all 93 ridings. Party president Mauro Francis said momentum was on the Conservatives’ side and that enthusiasm across the province had enabled local members and volunteers to find strong candidates. Eby’s NDP fell one candidate short. In Peace River North, voters will choose between Independent Jordan Kealy and Conservative Curtis Whitford, as the party was unable to nominate anyone. Kealy won the riding in 2024 as a Conservative but left the party in March 2025. In June of this year, he was charged with sexual assault, an allegation he denies. Eby said it was unfortunate that bureaucratic formalities had prevented the party from nominating a candidate in the final riding, but stressed that he had 92 strong candidates ready to face any Conservative.
The distribution of candidates reflects a broader fragmentation of the right wing that has emerged in the province in recent months. The Greens nominated 73 candidates, including Lowan, former provincial chief coroner Lisa Lapointe and Jeremy Valeriote. Former Green leader Andrew Weaver is running for CentreBC, which has 35 candidates led by Ellenor Sturko. Sturko, a former Conservative, will contest her home riding of Surrey South against Conservative Megan Knight, NDP candidate Parik Talan, Green candidate Bill McConnell and Independent Deni R. Urtubise. OneBC, another party that split from the Conservatives, is running candidates in 33 ridings, but its list does not include former Conservative Brent Chapman, who represented Surrey South when the legislature was dissolved. OneBC had previously announced Chapman as its candidate in the riding, but his name does not appear on the official list. Chapman is the husband of former Conservative MLA Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who resigned last month amid defections and ideological divisions just before the snap election. Former OneBC legislator Tara Armstrong is also not running. She said on social media that she did not want to split the anti-NDP vote; she had previously unsuccessfully sought to repeal the British Columbia Human Rights Code. OneBC acting leader Dallas Brodie is running again in Vancouver-Quilchena, one of nine ridings where candidates from all four major parties will face one another.
Stepping back from the details, the broader picture shows that the campaign is built around two competing visions of the state’s role. The NDP is proposing a model in which the tax system becomes a tool for redistribution to preserve universal access to health care, housing and affordable food, and it is prepared to increase the burden on the wealthiest. The Conservatives respond that this logic drives out precisely the specialists without whom the system cannot function.
