Electrified rail service would be a great idea
Could View Royal Mayor Sid Tobias be on to something? Or is it asking too much for Greater Victoria municipalities and the provincial government to get behind a light rail service?
Just think, an electrified rail service for Metro Victoria servicing a southern terminus of a revitalized Vancouver Island rail corridor.
Tell me this isn’t a dream that I am about to wake from.
Chris Herbert
Qualicum Beach
Stadacona’s neighbours need relief as well
Regarding Victoria council’s vote to end sheltering in three additional city parks, some people might be confused that I voted against this motion.
I am 100 per cent in favour of adding Topaz, Hollywood and Regatta Point parks to our list of no sheltering as soon as possible, with the agreed date to be no later than Sept. 1.
However my objection was that Stadacona Park was not added to this list until November. Therefore I put forward an amendment to move up the date for Stadacona to be the same: Sept. 1.
For various reasons, the majority of my colleagues didn’t agree with me on this, but I am grateful they all agree that, with proper alternatives, Victoria parks are not the place to house people.
I voted against the final motion strictly to let the residents near Stadacona Park know that I heard them when they told us about increased break-ins, violence and threats of violence, loud disturbances at all hours of the night, huge added expense for repairs and added security and other dangers.
At the same meeting, I made a notice of motion where I’ll be asking the city to pay for better security in and around any encampments, when warranted.
Stephen Hammond
City councillor
Victoria
Bell puts profits before community service
Having a licence to use the radio/television frequency spectrum is a public trust that demands service to the public for the privilege of commercial use and financial return. Bell Canada’s request to drop local news coverage prioritizes the use the broadcast airways for purely commercial return without regard for the universal public ownership of the frequency spectrum.
The requirement to provide local content goes back to 1962 when the then Canadian Board of Broadcast Governors authorized the first “full transmitter power” commercial repeater, CFVR Radio in Abbotsford as a satellite of CHWK Radio in Chilliwack.
A condition of licence was that CFVR broadcast a minimum amount of local content every day. Other commercial broadcasters followed that precedent such as CKOK Radio in Penticton establishing similar full power transmitters in Osoyoos, Grand Forks, and Summerland all with local program conditions.
Over the years the facilities have either matured to full-service stations, or those conditions have been waived with the subsequent loss of a community communications resource that has not been and apparently cannot be duplicated through the internet.
The recent staff reductions at CTV Vancouver Island quickly resulted in the local news now being produced in the Vancouver studios. It is only a matter of time when CTV Vancouver Island is a clone of CTV Vancouver without any contribution to Vancouver Island in return for the privilege of using the Victoria allocated television frequency.
There is cause for the Capital Regional District and area municipalities and citizenry to oppose this application to change the condition of licence that has already resulted in service reduction.
Gerald W. Pash
Victoria
Beware those fools and their convictions
There is an old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. We certainly are doing that.
However, we should be mindful of the old adage most of the world’s major tragedies were the result of a few fools having the courage of their convictions.
Jim Glass
Victoria
Other cities have learned to respect the past
I just returned from six weeks of travelling in New Zealand and Australia, visiting friends and enjoying the beautiful scenery and sights those countries offer.
In the major cities I visited I was impressed by how each preserved outstanding heritage architecture from various eras while still building (and sometimes incorporating) spectacular and innovative modern structures.
There were also frequent references to the countries’ Aboriginal peoples, often with stunning and large pieces of public art.
I came home to learn that Victoria council wants to dismantle the Centennial Square fountain, both a gift from neighbouring municipalities and an example of mid-century public art (referenced as “Landmark Public Art” on the Capital Regional District website).
I understand the city’s desire to spruce up Centennial Square but can’t they accomplish this while retaining a significant piece of Victoria’s history?
Other world cities have learned how to incorporate the past into dynamic structures and public spaces that respond to changing times and needs.
I hope Victoria will ultimately do the same.
Patty Pitts
Victoria
If we tear down city hall, we can keep the fountain
I have a great idea!
Let’s bulldoze the atrociously painted city hall. We can put a ridiculous splash park there so we can keep our beautiful fountain.
What are you people thinking?
Mairi Brens
Esquimalt
Square’s unifying symbol must be respected
The Centennial Square fountain is one of the few remaining examples of mid-century modern architecture in Victoria and an integral part of the overall concept of the redevelopment of this part of Victoria in the early 1960s.
Before proceeding any further with their “vision” for this important square and specifically the fountain, I strongly encourage every city councillor to Google “Centennial Square Statement of Significance Report.”
It is an important document written in 2018 by John O’Reilly (heritage planner, City of Victoria) outlining every aspect of the creation of Centennial Square.
It puts into perspective just how significant each part of the square is in the evolution of our city, including the fountain.
Numerous people were responsible for the redevelopment of what we now know as Centennial Square, but since we’re talking about the fountain, I think it’s important to acknowledge the two individuals most responsible for its creation.
Most notably, Jack Wilkinson, artist and member of the Limners, designed the three monoliths and the mosaics on each of them, and Rod Clack, Victoria’s first architect/city planner designed the white tiara or crown surrounding the pond and monoliths.
Ironically, the fountain and all the symbolism it embodies, was intended by its creators to be “the unifying symbol of the square.” I hope council members will acknowledge this when making their decisions.
Steve Murphy
Oak Bay
A full measure of reason needed on proposed law
Maybe it’s just me but is anyone else just a tad concerned about current efforts to establish a hate speech law to be applied to anyone basically questioning just about anything to do with residential schools?
It appears that the proponents of such a law want the public obediently and mutely to accept any and all claims, sometimes unsubstantiated, about residential schools and accompanying grave sites where rest innocent victims of church and colonial bureaucracy.
If, as reported, our own attorney general seems to favour such a “residential school denialist” law, it’s well past time the Canadian public, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, took notice.
Canada’s residential school history cannot be denied. Whether referred to as genocide, cultural genocide, or something else, it is an unforgivable past, regrettably one that cannot be changed.
The pursuit of accountability for victims must continue. But advocating as hate speech to stifle genuinely legitimate questions about residential schools, and unmarked graves, seems like an additional egregious injustice, nothing more.
Half-truths will not provide justice for residential school victims, nor survivors.
It is my hope that a full measure of reason, oft missing from emotionally-charged topics, will be applied to a full discussion of this potential “denialist” law. Sooner the better.
Gordon Zawaski
Parksville
New Fort bike lane is causing more idling
Newly implemented bike lanes at the corner of Fort and Foul Bay surely did not take much thought.
Before establishing this one there were three lanes on Fort in the eastbound direction. One was a dedicated left turn lane onto Foul Bay and the other two straight ahead, with a right turn onto Foul Bay available on one.
Now that right lane has been replaced with a bike lane, leaving just one lane for straight through and the right turn.
Many students from Oak Bay High cross at the intersection, especially around noon, to go into the Save-On complex.
Traffic wishing to turn right must wait for an opening and traffic hoping to go straight have to wait as well. Where is the logic in this?
Bike lanes have their purpose but restricting vehicle traffic for that purpose is wrong.
Like most bike lane ideas this will have more vehicles stopped at traffic lights, more idling and more air pollution.
William Jesse
Victoria
Potholes are the least of our worries
Re: “Victoria finally commits to fix its ailing roads,” commentary, June 24.
The commentary on Victoria’s rotten roads by Stan Bartlett of the Grumpy Taxpayer$ brought me to tears. In a city where many residents cannot get medical treatment, need to use the food bank to feed their families, and have no hope of finding affordable housing, the terrible tragedy of the plethora of potholes is beyond sad.
I assume Bartlett has a decent place to live and enough money to buy bread, butter and beer. The fact that he is fixated on the state of Victoria’s roads implies that he has a vehicle and that the horrible price of gasoline doesn’t faze him.
Hopefully, he isn’t permanently grumpy. Instead of counting potholes perhaps he could count his blessings. Others are not so lucky.
Potholes can damage vehicles for sure, but why not look at the bright side? They help keep auto repair shops and tire stores in business. They provide employment for city workers. And, when filled with water after a rain, little birds can take a nice bath!
If Bartlett could see the state of the roads in Ukraine, and many other places on this planet, he would realize ours aren’t so bad. Meanwhile, perhaps he would enjoy volunteering at the soup kitchen in his spare time … if his car doesn’t get stuck in a pothole en route!
Cheera J. Crow
Brentwood Bay
Centennial Square plan violates human rights
Victoria’s beautification strategy for Centennial Square is a campaign of human rights violations in disguise, meant to inexorably encroach upon the vital space of the city’s unsheltered population.
Council should reverse its stance and invest in desperately needed homeless shelters instead.
Council has recently announced a plethora of vanity projects nobody needs under the pretence of making the city more attractive.
Its most recent proposals include the allocation of no less than $750,000 in consulting fees alone to design a revamp of Centennial Square featuring a splash park, and displacing campers in Stadacona Park to make room for an in‑ground trampoline at the cost of $600,000.
In contrast, council has been ratcheting up sheltering bylaw enforcement since the day it took office, and failed to open emergency weather response shelters last winter even with funding from B.C. Housing.
These figures prove that the city has the means to shelter its unhoused population, and callously declines to do so.
It prefers an ironic beautification strategy of spreading unsafe, unsightly, and unsanctioned encampments all across downtown.
Martin Girard
Victoria
Revitalized railway is part of the solution
Re: “The latest rail argument is not a likely choice,” letter, June 22.
In the context of Highway 4 closure, the writer implies that advocates for modernizing Vancouver Island’s transportation system believe rail is the silver bullet.
This is apparently because folks pointed out there would be an alternative right now for travel to Port Alberni and the west coast if the train was running.
His argument against this claim is pointing to the obvious fact that rail can be blocked too.
This is a classic straw man. No one credible is claiming rail is “the” solution to all our transportation woes or that these emergencies are the reason to activate rail.
As has been presented in the Island Corridor Foundation business case and elsewhere, rail has many benefits of significant value to Vancouver Islanders. Providing a safe and reliable alternate transportation option at times like these is just one of them, and frankly, far down the list.
Rail service fits into that “necessary but not sufficient” category for a modern integrated transportation system that improves our quality of life on Vancouver Island.
Most other elements are already in place. Some may need realignment or other changes to fully realize the optimum system with rail in place.
But no single element is the complete solution.
Bill MacGougan
Nanaimo
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