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Re: “Petulant behaviour from Victoria council,” letter, Sept. 14.
The letter’s last sentence — “We can only hope against hope that Victoria voters will have the wisdom to vote in a mature, intelligent and caring group of councillors” — raises an important point.
Do voters have access to essential information about candidates?
Is that information checked for authenticity?
The candidates’ education and employment histories, and the district and length of time of their residence in the Capital Regional District should be required as essential information.
Criminal record checks should be mandatory.
If the self-written information that candidates provide, which can be self-aggrandizing, misleading, or even false, is all that voters have to go by in the decision-making process about whom to vote for, then “hope against hope” is indeed the only option for voters to attempt to replace an incompetent, destructive, and dictatorial council which wastes millions of taxpayers’ dollars on unnecessary and obstructive projects.
C.J. Paterson
Victoria
Were we to blame for COVID deaths?
Re: “No, the messenger is not to blame for the housing crisis,” column, Sept. 14.
Thanks to Victoria Coun. Jeremy Caradonna’s social media posts revealing who bears significant blame for the housing shortage in Victoria, I now know who played a major role in the COVID deaths in Victoria: The Times Colonist.
In reporting on community opposition to new housing projects, Caradonna claims the TC “played a major role in fomenting opposition to housing…”.
Following this logic, just as the TC periodically reported on the anti-vaccine mandates Freedom Convoy, it therefore played a major role in fomenting opposition to the vaccine.
Think of all the housing that would have been built by now and COVID deaths averted if only the TC had not done what it is obliged to do as the free press.
John Farquharson
Victoria
Conflicts of interest in development votes
Victoria council has reduced the time for citizen comments but has not addressed the influence of out-of-town developers who make campaign contributions to sway rezoning decisions.
These developers can gain millions if council approves rezonings that bypass the Official Community Plan and city planners’ recommendations.
To ensure fair governance, councillors should recuse themselves from voting on rezonings involving developers with whom they have personal ties or who have contributed to their campaigns.
Developers should not be allowed to use donations to influence decisions directly or through proxies.
Just as foreign entities cannot donate to Canadian campaigns, why should out-of-town developers use money to shape our city’s future?
It’s time for our councillors to prevent such conflicts of interest.
Kirk Buhne
Victoria
Why people are fed up with government, elites
While NIMBYism is to be deplored, and people must realize that adaptation to changing times is required, they do have a right to be heard about legitimate complaints.
A new book, The Revolt of the Public, goes a long way to explaining just why people are fed up with government and elites.
We, the public, no longer see — particularly in politicians — the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, the ability to stick to fundamentals, nor to plan, efficiently and effectively manage, and execute.
Add in a perceived reluctance to pay European-level taxes for desired European-level services and “untutored” populism rears its ugly head.
Roger Love
Saanich
Victoria must get more housing
One understated aspect of the housing crisis is that it is a major contributor to rising costs. Less housing means higher purchase prices and rental rates.
In turn, employers must pay higher wages to find employees. To make up for those additional costs, they raise their prices.
For industries like health care and education, it means less labour will be available, which can only be solved by raising our taxes or increasing the deficit.
As all governments are hesitant to raise taxes, what we are seeing instead is a shortage of teachers, nurses, and doctors, as well as a skyrocketing deficit.
While homeowners may understandably enjoy their increasing home values and quiet neighbourhoods, maintaining the character of our city means accepting steadily increasing prices.
If we could reduce demand to live in Victoria, then we could maintain our current housing supply and keep costs down.
But the secret is out – this is an amazing place to live, despite its problems. Even reduced immigration won’t change the fact that many retired people want to move here, and many students who come here for school from other parts of Canada want to stay.
As demand will only increase, the only way to control prices is to increase supply. As a local who was born and raised here, that makes me sad in many ways.
But it is better than the alternative of increased prices and reduced access to essential services.
Riley Trottier
Victoria
Cook Street Village is actually a great place
Re: “What is being done for downtown streets?” letter, Sept. 14.
Cook Street Village was mentioned in the letter as to “what used to be …”
I wonder how she gets that impression just because of her son’s observations, something that can be experienced throughout the city.
As to high rents, that can be found everywhere in the region.
Having lived since 2015 in the Village and become friends with many residents, that judgement does not fit. A popular coffee shop (one of three) has as its motto “Community and Coffee.”
I’m not being compensated in advocating for our Village, yet we have almost every amenity one requires — pharmacy, excellent health centre and quality seniors centre, grocery store, butcher shop, pet store, dentists, top world 100 pizza place, a busy pub, lawyers, food courts, a nosherie and a friendly street atmosphere!
Come on down on a warm sunny day and experience the ambiance of our Village. Full of gratitude that I live here.
John Vanden Heuvel
Cook Street Village
Will we reduce our use of fossil fuels?
Re: “Seniors demand action on climate change,” column, Sept. 15 .
On Oct. 1, at the legislature, seniors along with others that care will be given an opportunity to demonstrate their concerns about humanity’s future on our overheated planet.
While their concerns are no doubt laudable, it remains to be seen whether the attendees will follow through.
On Oct. 2, will they carry on living the fossil-fueled lifestyles they’ve become accustomed to, because by attending the rally they can say they’ve done their part? Or will they seriously walk the talk and opt for using far less fossil fuel, knowing it will impact their future comfort level and enjoyment?
If the past is a reliable indication of the future, we already know the answers to these questions.
Unfortunately, Trevor Hancock and others voicing their climate-change concerns fail to consider a limiting factor that is baked into our behaviour: most people, not just seniors, won’t willingly sacrifice their comfortable fossil-fueled lifestyle for one that is less comfortable.
Ken Dwernychuk
Esquimalt
Let the whales live in peace
Well now the DFO folks have that excess noise is disturbing the orcas while looking for food. When will people investigate which boats are most prolific in the orcas’ feeding grounds?
Consider how many whale-watching boats are out searching for the whales every day. What do you think the whales are doing when the whale watchers arrive?
As well there are many private boats whale-watching. It is high time that we had a severe limitation on how many boats are designated for whale watching.
A lot of people would love to see whales but there has to be a consideration for the whales so they can live in peace.
Lawrence Schmid
Victoria
Shortage of housing is not a simple issue
The NDP say they are working in our best interests with their new housing bills. However, the people who are most overjoyed with these bills are developers, not residents whose neighbourhoods are being targeted. We must ask ourselves, “Who is meant to benefit from these housing bills?” If it is to create “affordable housing” to benefit indigent or low- to middle-income persons, or new home buyers, the proposals being put forward by developers do not do that.
Yet, they are being forced onto municipalities in a top-down, autocratic fashion without due discussion, and with no thought to the impact on traffic, safety, infrastructure, nearby services or the destruction of green space and quiet zones.
In 2010, Daniel Parole coined the term “the missing middle” with respect to available housing in the United States and Canada. It is a misleading term that makes one think it refers to middle-income individuals.
It does not; It merely refers to size: housing that is a neither a single-family dwelling or a high rise. In other words the missing middle may be a four-plex, townhouse or small apartment.
This is the type of housing the NDP are directing municipalities to build; and they are mandating zoning changes so that any lot previously denoted as “single family” now allow “missing middle” multiple family dwellings to be built without notice, public hearings or consultation.
Housing is a real issue, but it is a complex issue that the NDP is treating as though it were simple.
Multiple family units are a good idea, but they should be thoughtfully placed with due consideration to who they are meant to house and with consideration to infrastructure, nearby services and all other impacts.
Look carefully at how these housing bills will affect their communities.
Norma Freeman
Victoria
You are choosing to pay the carbon tax
You don’t have to pay much consumer carbon tax if you don’t want to.
We have a plug-in hybrid car that has a range of 45 kilometres so 95% of our driving is electric. We sold our other car and replaced it with an e-bike. We got rid of all our gas-powered outdoor tools and bought battery tools to replace them.
We have a heat pump which is our main heating source in our home.
The only carbon we consume that is subject to tax is when we take a longer trip up-Island in the car and the gas engine kicks in when the battery is depleted.
I shake my head at the massive size of the vehicles on the road these days and wonder why their owners are so willing to ignore the costs to their pocketbook and the planet, and then have the gall to complain about carbon taxes.
I don’t pay much carbon tax but am quite happy to collect the rebate.
Jamie Alley
Saanich
Axe the carbon tax? Other taxes will rise
The carbon tax is expected to bring in $2.6 billion in 2024.
Premier David Eby is overseeing a $9 billion budget deficit. Rather than return $1 billion to the taxpayers, common sense dictates that the full tax collected ought to be applied towards decreasing our deficit.
As it stands, the tax is making gargantuan strides in delineating the position of all parties although there are immeasurable other far more important matters for the governments at all levels to tackle.
The Times Colonist states that the tax was imposed by former premier Gordon Campbell and by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, once a supporter of the tax under his agreement to support a minority government, is tinkering with a new possible altered rendition of the tax.
Change the name to the Climate Action Plan, CAP for short!
Ultimately, the people of B.C. are not well served by our political masters. Other than our prime minister, who supports the tax, all parties vow to amend or tank the tax. Reality tells us other taxes would increase or a new version of the existing tax would appear.
For that is the income governments need to sustain paying for their programs. Do not be fooled, nothing is free!
Eric J. Ronse
Shawnigan Lake
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