DRA & DV2020 Election Questions
for a Better Downtown Victoria
Submitted by Saul Anderson
http://saulgood.ca/

•  Please list specific initiatives and proposals you will put forward to improve the livability of Downtown for its residents.

Better transit, more effective policing, a safe-consumption site/needle exchange, improved green space/walkway initiatives, make downtown more festival-friendly (ie.dedicate ship's point to the purpose), encourage resident involvement in decision-making, reduce business taxes.

•  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

We need more of both

•  Late night downtown issues –

2a.m. bus from downtown to UVic, better sound-proofing/white noise buffers around residential developments, a more relaxed approach to pushing people out of the bars and into the street.

•  Policing and safety –

harm reduction makes our streets safer. Meanwhile, we need more police ‘walking the beat' and maintaining a presence in key areas to help reduce noise/nuisance issues.

•  Continuing residential development –

more realistic sound-proofing of new developments, requirement of affordable and/or non-market housing quotas.

•  Additional cultural/social amenities –

bring back the Folk Fest! Reduce the bureaucratic entanglements faced by things like artisan craft markets. Revitalization of Centennial Square, including a health co-op and greater cycle-commuter amenities.

•  Commercial prosperity –

reduce business taxes and over-zealous parking ticketers.

•  Transportation planning –

better scheduling/route planning of busses. Commuter rail from the Western Communities, if not over the Malahat as well. Two lanes on Cook St. Safer bike routes.

•  Infrastructure improvements –

revenue-generating sewage treatment options. Investigation of closed schools for use as community outreach/emergency preparedness/neighbourhood farming centers.

•  Budget priorities –

secure consistent funding for homeless/street community support services from senior levels of government. Increase efficiency/improve results with regard to the money we are already spending.

•  Property taxes –

try to keep them, and business taxes, as low as possible.

•  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.

No decisions should be made without input from the affected community/neighbourhood. Such input would need to be implemented in the form of Good Neighbour Agreements when necessary.

•  The Social Health of Downtown

1. 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?

The City can help to publicize and promote the importance (and necessity, even) of non-profit and co-op enterprises. Encouraging the establishment of more of these would be one of my priorities as mayor.

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?

We need to convene a round table of some sort to determine how best to move forward with a plan. Obviously this would be rather difficult with 214-plus seats at the table, but we can't let that deter us. We need to work together, and all voices need to be heard. I feel that I have useful experience in collective structures and group facilitation.

•  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?

Yes, I am aware of these initiatives. I pledge to take action on all of them.

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?

Regular meetings with both business owners/service providers and residents to ‘take the pulse' of downtown services.

Are you willing to take a stand in supporting more residential density downtown as part of ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability in our region?

I do support higher density. In principle, I believe that this improves safety and livability.

Are you prepared to take leadership in ensuring that downtown provides the cultural and educational resources appropriate to it's role as the hub of the provincial capital?

Yes.

What kind of priority will you give issues such as building a new and up-to-date Central Library, encouraging institutions such as the Art Gallery, or University to come downtown?

All of these are excellent ideas; moreover, they are the hallmarks of a diverse and vibrant city.

Thanks for the opportunity to address these issues.

Sincerely,

Saul Andersen

 

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