DRA & DV2020 Election Questions
for a Better Downtown Victoria
Submitted by Barry Hobbis
www.electbarryhobbis.org• Please list specific initiatives and proposals you will put forward to improve the livability of Downtown for its residents.
1. Community Court
2. Police Bicycle/Foot Patrols
3. Expanded DVBA Clean & Safe Teams• Please state your opinion about, and a corresponding action you would propose that the City of Victoria adopt, on the following issues:
• Park planning/green space
Lock in existing green space and parks
• Late night downtown issues
1. Provide better monitoring of liquor control infractions by bars etc.
2. Pull the business license of offenders
3. Allow for later openings to keep large crowds from being forced the streets
4. Improve transportation options to move late night ‘pedestrians' out of the downtown area
5. Provide more ‘bylaw' enforcement weekends and after hours• Policing and safety
Support more foot and bicycle patrols
Support the DVBA lighting program
• Continuing residential development
Encourage a new and working OCP that addresses residential development with a strategic approach to increased density
• Additional cultural/social amenities
I'm not prepared to enter into a process that involves time and money being spent on the planning of a new library or art gallery until we deal with the need for clean and safe streets that would enable people to access the facilities.
• Commercial prosperity
Tough question, we arguably have a negative business growth in our downtown area right now. There are likely more business owners plotting their exit strategy that those writing a business plan for a downtown location. Prosperity can be defined as success. Commercial prosperity is the operation of a successful business. Unless City Council acts immediately to address the issues causing businesses to vacate from the City, we will see a continued downturn in business successes in the City.
• Please explain your plan to ensure that an effective Good Neighbour Agreement with respect to social service providers is put in place to avoid negative effects in the surrounding area.
Good Neighbour Agreements are currently in place in Kelowna, Kamloops, Ottawa, Whistler, Vancouver and New Westminster. The goals of these agreements address issues related to licensed establishments and other groups/organizations in those cities. In most cases the agreement ties the issuing of a Business License to the terms and conditions of the agreement. It would take me about five minutes at the first Council meeting to move the Good Neighbour Agreement to reality. Enough is enough and City Hall has the power, with strong leadership at the Council table to hold a business accountable for its actions and impact on the community.
• The Social Health of Downtown
There are 214 Non Profits funded by the United Way in Victoria. Funding Analysis shows that their volunteer base and number of funders is declining. Many of these Non Profits are charged with providing essential services for the social health of Victoria. Now that the economic climate is weakening these services are more important than ever. How would you work to support Non Profits in the community, and what role do you see the City playing in helping keep this sector strong?
We have a Coalition to end Homelessness, we have a plan, but we don't have all of the organizations working together yet. The new mayor and council will be charged in ensuring that this is resolved or the Coalition will not be successful and the problems will only get worse. How do you propose getting all 214 non-profits to come to the table and work together under the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness to provide a more seamless provision of services to those in need and stop providing a duplication of services and therefore a waste of valuable funding?
This is almost laughable in the context that we lack the leadership at Council to bring some sense of unified, single minded purpose to the extent that egos and agendas are set aside and agreement is reached acknowledging one and only one cook in the kitchen. Get in and use the political leverage of City Council to bring all parties to the table and find agreement on having the Coalition to End Homelessnes as the ‘command post' on the fight to end homelessness. I would challenge any agency or organization to ignore the request to come to the table and find a unified effort and a common goal. Diplomacy is not always the best answer.
• Making Plans become Realities
The City planning department, in cooperation with community associations and other stakeholder groups has created some excellent plans to ensure the success and vitality of downtown. Unfortunately some of these plans have been "in the works" for many years without much tangible progress on the ground. In particular we are concerned about the following four plans:
• The Downtown Plan – The City needs not just to adopt this plan but also to consider how to activate it, fund it, and make sure things come to pass.
• The Harbourfront Walkway Plan , which would connect the harbour from Ogden Point all the way up to the Selkirk trestle. Two key areas are the Belleville Terminal and the Blue Bridge.
• An excellent plan adopted in 1992 entitled the Downtown Beautification Strategy which seems to have fallen into disuse.
• The Greenways Plan which will make our city a more sustainable, walkable and liveable place.
Are you aware of all these initiatives? How will you move these ideas out of the "plans and incentives stage" and towards action and results?The most likely answer for the lack of action is that we need to ‘find the money'. I am confident that many of these projects are eligible for Provincial and/or Federal funding. Raising property taxes to achieve completion on these initiatives is not the answer. Working on the best of the principles involved in PPP is a start toward finding the money for some of the projects and for others it's a matter of acknowledging the reality of partisan politics... an NDP Council is not likely going to find open doors at a Liberal or Conservative government front door.
6. Monitoring the Well-being of Downtown
Much of the progress downtown Victoria has made over the last few years has been the result of a very strong economic climate. There are signs that this climate is weakening, and the question on our minds is, “Have we made enough progress to sustain ourselves over the coming times?”
How would you provide diligence in monitoring the health of downtown retail and services?
Turn to those who already have the measuring devices and listen to them... the Chamber and the DVBA. Open the Council door to more input from those who have the skill sets and resources to provide the needed information.
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