First pest control. Then remediation — estimated at $350,000 — will get underway on the Victoria courthouse lawn recently vacated by tent city residents.
Mayor Lisa Helps has already come out in favour of the province putting a playground on the site.
“We’re seeing lots of young families living downtown, and we don’t have a playground downtown,” she said. “The downtown population is growing and people are having kids, and they’re not able to afford a single-family dwelling in Fairfield.”
Helps said she has watched B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman suggest on TV newscasts that a playground is an option and calls it a “brilliant” idea.
“Put a playground there and everybody will be happy.”
One of the benefits would be putting to rest the possibility of camping allowed on the provincially owned land.
“If there’s a playground, there is no camping overnight,” Helps said. “That is what our bylaw says.”
The city would be interested in having some kind of maintenance arrangement to ensure such a playground would be kept in good repair, she added.
Coleman told an Aug. 12 news conference that whatever goes on the site will be “a credit to the local community, rather than some passive space,” but made only an passing allusion to a playground at that time.
Issues related to remediation or future plans for the site will be handled by the B.C. Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services.
“While cleanup was occurring, it was determined that pest control is required before any remediation should begin,” said a statement from the ministry Thursday. “Beginning next week, the ministry will proceed with controlling the pests, before undertaking remediation work.”
The ministry will consider the best design and future use for the site “in discussion with the City of Victoria and area neighbours” as part of the remediation process.
“That process will unfold in the coming weeks. Once a site plan is determined, remediation, which will include soil removal and testing, will get underway,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the parking lot adjacent to the lawn has been cleaned and stall lines will be repainted.
Fencing will continue to surround the site and be staffed by security around the clock.
