UPDATE: Sheltering, in public places and in publicly funded private places …
“We are in a homelessness crisis … Therefore, it is recommended that … the City immediately amend its zoning regulations to permit social service centre use throughout Victoria …” These were the opening words of Mayor Alto’s radical proposal in mid-June to insert shelters or “social service centres” throughout Victoria neighbourhoods without input from neighbouring […]
Irving Park Update
August 8, 2024 Dear James Bay neighbours, It saddens me to write to you today. You’ll be aware that as of August 1, the bylaw which lists parks where sheltering is prohibited includes Irving Park. My understanding was that those who had been sheltering there as of mid-April, when the motion was placed to put […]
Mayor’s radical proposal will spread disorder throughout Victoria
July 23, 2024 “We are in a homelessness crisis … Therefore, it is recommended that … the City immediately amend its zoning regulations to permit social service centre use throughout Victoria …” So begins a radical proposal to insert shelters or “social service centres” throughout Victoria neighbourhoods. This proposal, forwarded by Mayor Alto, will do more […]
2024 Property Tax
CHEK news report (25th April 2024)https://youtu.be/TQXEdOCm9rI My speaking notes for the public hearing. Check the City’s video recording (at 54:18) for the words as spoken Thank you to staff for the work done over the past many months to bring this Financial Plan forward this evening. And thank you to those who came tonight to speak […]
Winners & Losers
Remuneration Updates
6th April While the Council motion of March 14th caught a few Councillors and the public by surprise, my March 20 Comment in the Times Colonist, followed by submissions from other Councillors, clarified for the public where the 8 members of Council who voted on the March 14 motion stood. Lines were drawn. The change […]
OCP Review
In early February I sent an e-mail to subscribers of my e-Newsletter. It provided background to the City’s recommended approach to the update of Victoria’s Official Community Plan with “Bold” and “Bolder” approaches. (E-links to several relevant documents are provided below.) On February 8, the majority of Council approved the staff approach – after making significant changes. These […]
Our Most Vulnerable
Over the past four years I have developed my own definition of “our most vulnerable”. As people were accosted on the streets walking a block to their local grocer, their experiences were often discounted as “concerns”. As I read letters from people who had been accosted or hurt at Council meetings, I did not feel […]
Sheltering in Neighbourhood Parks: “Winners and Losers”
The sheltering in neighbourhood parks has been altered by Council decisions made last year, from June through November. While some neighbourhoods feel relief, others feel the effects of more concentrated sheltering. I and other Councillors had received several pleas from elderly residents who lived near Irving Park, informing us of incidents involving assaults, harassment and […]
Marg’s Rumble Room interview
The Rumble Room hosts Robin Adair and John Juricic speak to “embattled Victoria Councillor Marg Gardiner” about her minority position at city hall. The interview starts at 5:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODYu2yVycOg