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I was at Walmart today, just as I was getting out of the car a guy in his late 20's comes up to me and starts in with a story about how he lost his job and needs some cash to put gas in his car. As I'm semi listening to him I see the sign at Walmart saying "now hiring all positions, full time, part time"

 

I point him toward the sign and he says "I'm not working at Walmart"

 

I denied his request for aid.

The Oak Bay Police Department isn't holding back.

 

The force posted a New Year's resolution message on Twitter, to which Chrissy Brett replied.

 

OBPD: Any #newyearsresolutions this year?  May we kindly suggest 'stopping completely at stop signs'? The #oakbay Police have some resolutions this year...and you set them for us! You identified our priorities for the next 5 yrs and we're looking forward to delivering.

 

Chrissy Brett: My new yrs resolution is a round 2 of municipalities we've already been too....afternwe have cycled through Central Saanich & Sidney to add to our list of PDs who work with us not mud sling.  Only part of Duncan RCMP and Westshore RCMP & oak bay pd make it personal not policing

 

OBPD: We have an invoice for you. It was initially going to be mailed to your home...but I felt we should just hold it for you for if you came back.  Its for the damaged bench $1500 & 3 Hazmat call-outs ($500 each). I'll hold it here & if you return to camp, it will be served on you.

You know, it's honestly so sad really to see the constant anti-bike sentiment here. Such a North American way of thinking to need an instant return on investment with these bike lanes. What ever happened to planting a tree under whose shade you don't expect to sit.

 

I can walk by any number of modern buildings in Victoria, something we always champion as being a positive for the City, that have empty ground floor commercial space. Does that make those buildings a failure? Sure, it wasn't public dollars spent, but it's the same principle.

 

What about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Was he a fool for creating the Interstate Highway System? Building massive road infrastructure that he would never see reach it's full potential in his lifetime? But something that no one can now argue was a failure.

 

It takes time for projects to reach their full potential. This is called pro-active planning. We bemoan the Mackenzie Interchange as being reactive planning, yet we now bemoan this pro-active planning as well? Complaining for the sake of complaining if I've ever seen it.

Oh look, it's the latest VV uber-right wing thread. Hold on, let me get my popcorn.

We have to stabilize people, and there are major doubts, in my opinion, when it comes to services for treatment and addictions care. You don’t have to look far to see there are not many services.

 

So here lies the problem that Victoria is facing. Is there a lack of services..... or is there too many users who come here because of the enhanced hobo lifestyle that politics has provided for them?

 

When we fail to uphold the law, anarchy appears. (slap a "goog" on that and refresh your memory on what anarchy means)

 

When anarchy appears, law abiding citizens get nervous and ask their law enforcement people to perform their duties.

 

When law enforcement suggests that the root cause of the problem is political and seek to divert our attention towards politics instead of performing their duties.....then there can be a perception of law enforcement being infected by politics.

 

A law without a penalty is only a suggestion.

 

Unless we enforce the laws that our society has placed upon us all .......standby for some more anarchy.

HOMELESS DEPOT

CLOSING FOREVER

EVERYTHING MUST GO

FINAL DAY AUG 8 2016

ALL ITEMS FINAL SALE

BIKE PARTS

TENTS

BIKE PARTS
ROTTEN CLOTHES

BIKE PARTS

HUMAN FECAL MATTER

BIKE PARTS

DRUG PARAPHENILIA

LIVE RATS

SHOPPING CARTS

WEAPONS

STOLEN PROPERTY

DO NOT MISS THIS EPIC EVENT

 

Mayor Helps and her crew are off on another junket trip to China and Japan. She continues to promote U-bicycle, the company with the recent SFU grad CEO and Victoria investment backing, as her example of Chinese investment in Victoria and justification for another trip.

 

https://www.vicnews....to-china-japan/

 

The following letter to the editor was published in the Times-Colonist newspaper on September 18, 2012:

 

I have lost my patience with the DT population who make their substance-induced psychosis everyone else's problem. Too many confrontations. Thursday evening we were waiting for a bus and my kid and I were asked for a quarter by a very animated and aggressive guy with a bike. My kid and I both said, no sorry we don't have any change and my daughter even gave him a smile. We turned back around to look at the window display we had been interrupted discussing only to have this guy come right up to our backsides and point his finger into my head like a gun, saying yeah f--- you you don't DONATE **** I know your type blah blah. My daughter freaked (she's 9) and I turned around and got between them, was super angry and asked him, "What did you just say?" He backed off and then as soon as we turned around again he came at us swinging his bike. A man passing by stepped in. I'm so done with this BS. I've started carrying two types of protection because I feel vulnerable without it. Little does this guy know we donate food, toiletries and clothing through the year to Our Place. We care about the homeless population. However, I am DONE taking this **** from the aggressive active addicts in our city core.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps and her council are challenging residents to take part in a community-wide fast on May 25 to mark Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.

 

I'm sorry, but When TF did it become appropriate for City Council to recommend to residents to adopt religious practices?

 

“I think it’s really important for council to be able to be here standing alongside the Muslim community. We do this with the Jewish community at Hanukkah. We do it with the Christian Community at Christmas,” she said.

Yeah, but do they, though?  Do they "challenge" residents to accept Christ at Christmas?  I've never heard of Lisa asking us to give something up for Lent.  Or to keep Sabbath for a month (imagine all of the freed up parking!)?  I get that they want to make the Muslim community feel at home in Victoria.  But to challenge residents to starve themselves in a year in which even most Muslims find it difficult to fast (Ramadan is always toughest in spring/summer, with the increasing hours of daylight)?  This smacks of writing letters to Vladimir Putin, wagging its collective finger at their curbing of gay rights.  Church and state are separate here for a reason.  Seriously Lisa and Co., stay in your lane.  

 

http://www.timescolo...fast-1.23305250

Wife and I have just returned from downtown. We were approached by a pan handler asking for food money, we politely declined. He responded by saying he hopes we effing choke on our next meal. 

 

We'll be eating dinner around 7 pm this evening.

 

This may be my last post.

So last night I'm walking along Douglas St., maybe 8pm.  A "homeless couple" have made themselves quite at home in the Dolce Vita doorway.

 

They were not just seeking shelter from rain or cold, they have made the entire place up like their own living room.  I did not sit right with me, I know how hard-working the Dolce owners are.

 

So I politely informed them that they did not have a right to occupy that doorway.  The male ar first suggested he did, and he knew the owner.  I asked him what the owner's name was, he failed that simple test.

 

Then he said if I did not stop "harassing" them, he'd call the cops, he showed me his phone.  I politely suggested maybe he should make that call and then we can sort things out. He declined that offer.

 

Anyway, so a few more times he got right into my face and yelled at me to stop "hating on the homeless" or something.  He had no weapon in his hand and I was, let me tell you, ready to strike him back it he tried to bare-hand hit me, and it was not going to go well for him.

 

Anyway, I left them be, and turned up Yates while calling the VicPD non-emergency number, that I have in my head.

 

When I got near my next stop, I stopped on the sidewalk to finish the call.  Then another younger guy, that may or may not have seen me on Douglas approaches and he's screaming at me, while I'm on the line to the dispatcher.  He's upset that I'm reporting the squatter, and has some choice words for me.

 

Anyway, he went away, I'm not sure if and when the cops showed up to deal with Douglas St.

 

But this is the attitude on the streets now.    No respect for private property and people camping at any time, day and night.   And it's all because we allow it, we think it's the new normal.  It's a crappy thing for this city.  And it's all illegal activity that nobody bothers to police, so it propagates. 

Thank you to those of you who have communicated with me in private. Your input and feedback is important and has been taken into consideration. The moderating team feels it is best to lock this thread for a period of time, and below are our reasons why.

 

VibrantVictoria is an open format discussion platform for the public to share and discuss matters related to our community and beyond; anyone is able to create an account and post to this forum. We, as moderators, take no more responsibility for information posted to this forum than a platform like Twitter, Reddit or Facebook takes for comments posted there.

 

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Gently fellas. Great topic. Tone is everything. I tend to lean towards Cassidy's line of thinking. The courthouse lawn camp was a setup in my opinion. 

 

The original little old lady that was the first to plant a tent was a shill. She apparently went on record as much on some newscast where she stated that she had an arrangement with the local sheriff. (by that I mean the sheriff that runs the security at the law courts) She was told by him in the very early days that if anyone should come along and ask her to leave (by that I mean police or bylaw officers) that she would direct that discussion towards the sheriff. 

 

Now even if that were the case and the fix was in, the behaviour portrayed by the subsequent free love crowd was appalling, and in my mind any self respecting peace officer would have pulled out a few goodies out of his bag of tricks (read other statutes instead of the law that says it is your god given right to have a nice night's sleep at every one else's expense) and grabbed these lawn warriors every time they so much as layed down a piece of litter. 

 

Then after a serious scrubbing of their prior activities down at the station hall, a decision could could have been made wether or not to drop them off back at the court house...... only this time at the porte cochere in order to receive a nudge from the judge. 

 

In simple terms if the desire was there to control that thing....the tools were readily available. In this case I think what we saw was that the authorities having jurisdiction simply let go of the reigns.....in order to fulfill a personal agenda.....just like they did with the pot shops.

I didn't settle here. I was born here. This topic should have been discussed with my ancestors when they were alive and had the opportunity to discuss this in person.

I can't speak to their actions, and I certainly haven't budgeted for paying for them. We are all citizens of the world and we all should be able to live our lives without being subject to racism.

Who owns what and how they came to claim ownership has varied over time. In the distant past it could have been whoever was stronger made the decision. Today we use a judicial system. In the future we may revert to a system that was similar to our past. Until then .........get away from me.

Quiet, you non-voter status Saanichianite.

 

j/k

 

It's not just Topaz, nagel. It's also tent city, it's the way businesses have been treated regarding Biketoria, the comment that criminals are desperate not dangerous, it's the Elsner situation, it's the swearing-in ceremony and the unnecessary drama that stemmed from it, it's the gross mishandling of the marijuana dispensaries, it's the lack of foresight into our downtown parking situation, it's the criminal activity on our streets, and its the general sense that if you don't subscribe to the mayor's point of view, you're not afforded a point of view.

 

That's what has individuals upset with the mayor, not just Topaz.

Well, figured I should weigh in on this rather than be an observer.

First, and I know this sounds like a political answer that I would have been all over if anyone who said this to me on my old show, at this time I have no intention of running for mayor in 2018 as of this moment. You heard it here first!

As for Council, today I can say I have no idea. It's a fluid situation. Some days I see stuff coming from the council chamber that truly worries me and I have this urge to weigh in and say my bit. Other days I shake my head in sadness and wonder if there's any hope for reason. Depending on the day I have different thoughts of what the future may bring for me and if I could add a significant contribution.

I learned a lot from the 2014 campaign...

It's not easy to run (I've never done anything that's easy), it's costly, and it takes an emotional toll. As a journalist I did not fully comprehend how tough it can be on the candidate and their family. It's a decision that the individual cannot make alone.

I knocked on hundreds of doors and it was the most exciting and interesting part of the campaign. The conversations at the door were enlightening and provided more insight to the needs and concerns in our city than I discovered on air. Partly that was a time factor and partly because nothing is a substitute for in person dialogue. That experience would certainly assist any potential run.

But, there's also the political climate.

Dan Miller told me during the campaign I have no chance. "It's all about party politics " he proffered as we were standing in line for coffee. I told him what I honestly believe; partisan politics has no place in municipal government. Sadly, the reality is that is not the case. To run you need party support. I do not have party affiliation.

It's strange, even puzzling, to hear people determine my politics for me. I've been called "right wing", "a green supporter" and even "a lefty". I hope I never have to make that decision and any possible future run would have include a cleaner communication in that area.

As to the current field? If the slate become unmanageable, it will favour the incumbent. Dean Fortin lost 2014 in the last week of the campaign. A smaller field secures it for the incumbent if she decides to run again.

I know Marianne Alto is interested in the Mayor's seat. Like Margaret Lucas and Charleyne Thornton-Joe, Alto doesn't live in Victoria. From what I understand she moved from one Saanich location to another. It's one thing to own property,
It's another to live in the municipality. Is there any other council in the region that has three non residents? Having said that, I'm not sure voters care.

I doubt Geoff Young will run for mayor - he's been down that road.

Ben Isitt traveled it too. He did far better than anyone could have imagined, but at the time there was no significant other left of centre candidate.

And finally, anyone who runs is at a disadvantage as they have to work or forgo income during the run. Incumbents have luxury of not having to worry about the impact on their pocketbooks.

Perhaps my thoughts don't make guessing any easier other than I will not be running for mayor.

I'll put it out there again:

 

I was runner-up in the 2008 election. If you want inside tips on how you too can also be a runner-up, I would be pleased to pass along some helpful guidance.

Large scale, low-barrier housing without adequate buffers/regulations is a massive policy fail.  Tent cities and slums do not solve the problem and are worse than "warehousing" or soft-incarceration as there are no protections for those nearby.  Compassion that leads to enablement is harmful.  Sacrificing one city so all others don't have to do their share to solve the problem is a betrayal of those who elected the mayor and council to office.  More rehab beds would've bed a much better investment.  More resources for those who complete rehab to address recidivism would have been better.  More legal aid.  More emergency funds for those at risk of homelessness.  Instead, we've just spent a bunch of money, on a group that is unlikely to even appreciate it, much less actually turn their lives around.  And exactly how are we measuring the success of Mt. Edwards and CCH - or are we measuring it at all?

 

And why exactly do we need to place these facilities in the heart of what should be high-value areas where business and tourism should dominate?

I'm afraid the homeless problem is such that adding 300 campers into housing just means there's space for 300 more in our parks.  I can't see the total going down.  It'll take a concentrated and holistic approach not only in the city but across the country.  Otherwise we'll still be the magnet. 

 

So is there any appetite to reduce the magnet conditions we have here?  Is there any desire to make this place less attractive to the homeless, while at the same time supporting the homeless?  The higher barriers to services that I've advocated for here over and over again.  

 

The carrot/stick solutions.

 

A reduction in the cost of caring for the homeless, by increasing volunteerism and work by the homeless to take care of themselves and their community.  A move to empower them to take care of themselves, instead of just handing them all kinds of benefits with no means test, or payback.

 

And a way out of the drug cycle.  I'm pretty sure 147 living together in low-barrier housing on Johnson does not support a move away from addictions.

BCFP Mill