DRA & DV2020 Election Questions
for a Better Downtown Victoria
Submitted by John TurnerWorking with the Province
I am actually on top of MOST of these issues already, and my running for city council is a step towards generating the avenue towards provincial and federal funding for inter-community and inter-municipal development objectives to build/rebuild our socio-economic foundation here in Victoria and The CRD. And some of the answers are found in my comprehensive Community Development Platform at www.victoriasnextmayor.ca .
It would take me several pages and many hours to explain what I have been doing towards engaging the province, the federal governemt, and facilitating a Community Investment Strategy towards Harbor Ferry, Light Rail and community development that will secure community members' and corporate investors' investments in investing towards the future prosperity of Victoria locally.
In fact, my 1,800 page doctorate paper for social and economic development (yet unfinished)contains numerous strategies addressing how we will rebuild the overall social and economic development of Victoria. MOST OF THESE ARE READY TO WORK TOWARDS AS WE IMPLEMENT THE ESQUIMALT HARBOR COMMUTER FERRY AND OTHER FUNDING AVENUES within an estimated 3-6 months of securing municipal leadership (or at least key municipal support).
In this tragic time of concern about our social situation in Victoria, as well as the fear of the uncertainty of our economic future we MUST look towards building a cutting edge social and economic infrastructure locally that will build Victoria towards certain future prosperity and worldwide renown to rebuild our tourism and international trades industry.
With a five-year term of initiation we expect that we will be able to build at least 600 and up to 1,200 community employment jobs for which we will provide community volunteerism, community provisions, municipal tax deductions, provincial and federal tax incentives and "quality of life/cost of living equalization strategies".
1) Community housing solutions including a multi-step housing strategy of:
a) A temporary and designated "Tent City" with full services on one of the vacant lots in the downtown core where the required community services are.
b) Dorm-style living accommodations for those whom either have barriers to employment (such as addictions) or whom are seeking to work through our social rehabilitation strategies towards Community Education, Community Employment or advanced education.
c) Temporary Hotel Rentals to offer a hand up to people whom are actively advancing their own lives and benefiting the community.
d) Condo and house rentals for our "Jabez Project" (social rehabilitation) graduates that become full fledged Community Employees or Interns.
2 Municipal Tax Decrements , Provincial Tax Subsidies and Federal Tax Receipting to help all our community members that volunteer , support or donate to our social and economic development strategies .
This will effectively reduce the cost of living, while improving the quality of life.
3 All our community development objectives will be funded through the virtually immediate initiation of TheEsquimalt Harbor Commuter Ferry , public participation and sponsorship, provincial and federal grants and private foundations designed for the specifics of our overall agenda.
4 In seeking to FULLY build our communities, revitalize Victoria's socio-economic foundation, and redevelop our city's tourism and international trades industry, through the incremental development of a Light Rail Commuter and Cargo Service in The Capital Region and on Vancouver Island we plan to build an Environmental Technologies Center , a sewage treatment strategy and other cutting edge social and economic developments over the next 5-10 years.
5 As the above organizations have been doing for the last 8 years, we will be seeking to initiate a "Community Hall" from which to administrate all social, economic and environmental development strategies, provide social functions, and build a Community College , in part, to inform and engage the entire community in affairs that affect all of us.
In conclusion, I KNOW from ground-level experience, insight and pro-active work on the streets that my strategy that is designed as a street councillor and a community servant, WILL resolve our homeless and social poverty crisis within 5-7 years of implementation, gaining us many lost resources in time, manpower and finances as people become fully contributive to the communities.