1722 replies to this topic

[jonny]

Unfortunately, the Elsner stuff is more or less par for the course political scandal/mismanagement. People have come to expect that some shady things will go on, and politicians will make missteps.

 

The car sleeping thing is just so clearly a terrible idea and a non-solution. You don't need to be politically engaged at all to understand the problems there.

[VicHockeyFan]

The car sleeping thing is just so clearly a terrible idea and a non-solution. You don't need to be politically engaged at all to understand the problems there.

 

Like a lot of people have said online, we thought allowing a "few tents" would be OK.  Surely we have learned, no?

[Hotel Mike]

And why such a broad stroke as completely changing the bylaw? If Chris Coleman is concerned that there are people who have a job but can't find a place to stay, there are more subtle ways of helping them. Bring in your pay stub, and we'll wipe the ticket. Instead this is some sort of social statement, that is ill-thought out and indicative of the lack of leadership on Council.  

[A Girl is No one]

Remember, they gave an award to the tent city squatters. I think that they are happy with tent city, and are trying to go for round 2. Nice way to extort more money from taxpayers. The end justifies the meañs. No problem if some innocent bystanders get killed, assaulted, robbed, threathened, intimidated, etc along the way. It's for "the cause", i.e. marxist social re-engineering.

[rmpeers]

I suspect the car-sleeping publicity grab was desinged as either a trial balloon to gauge public reaction or just an attempt to distract the media from the Elsner stuff.

As far as Isitt's use of the familiar blame-the-feds-and-province ... well anyone who had given the issue any amount of thought would know that's not the answer because the real problem is that each year our city has an increasingly disproportionately high ratio of homeless people because of our well publicized reputation as the Homeless Mecca.

And that puts an increasing burden on our housed citizens, many of whom may struggle to pay their ever increasing taxes; which pushes them ever closer to poverty.

Just a thought.

Edited by rmpeers, 07 April 2017 - 08:06 AM.

[Mike K.]

And ever increasing rents.

 

The City of Victoria and the rest of the region, save for portions of the Westshore, are directly responsible for the housing shortage we're facing today.

[rmpeers]

And ever increasing rents.

The City of Victoria and the rest of the region, save for portions of the Westshore, are directly responsible for the housing shortage we're facing today.

Has the city ever thought that lowering property taxes could help to offset increasingly high rents?

I get that it might cause a reduction in musical parkade stairs, painted sidewalks, artists in residence, poet laureates, China junkets for the mayor and so on, but it might be worth looking at.

[LJ]

An interview with the anti Isitt, Loveday, Helps neo-marxist post modern creep.....

 

https://www.facebook...29651670934946/

[rjag]

An interview with the anti Isitt, Loveday, Helps neo-marxist post modern creep.....

 

https://www.facebook...29651670934946/

 

I have seen some of his stuff before, I 100% agree with him. This whole SJW thing is totally out of proportion. Someone should send it to Isitt and pretty well every local politician as well as Rob Fleming who is a Chavista

[AllseeingEye]

I like Dr. Peterson primarily because (a) he is absolutely right: doctrinaire Soviet (and) Chinese-style Marxism in particular was brutal, thuggish and an utter failure as a vehicle for promoting or bringing about equality and a social order based upon the notion of a "collective good" (what rubbish), not to mention it was an utterly morally and ethically bankrupt ideology that ultimately depended on state repression on an unprecedented scale backed up by a vast secret police network to give it any kind of legitimacy among its enslaved populace; and (b) he quite obviously doesn't give a damn about being - and I despise both this term and the concept with every fibre of my being - 'politically correct', for which I applaud him in spades. As someone wiser than I once said "PC" is nothing more than Fascism disguised as good manners.....

[EngineeringKid]

15 minutes of investigation about the Lisa Helps Airbnb issue gave me this....

[spanky123]

^ The renos look professionally done. I wonder how the owner was able to get a permit for 4 kitchens? Wouldn't someone at planning ask what was going on?

[rjag]

^ The renos look professionally done. I wonder how the owner was able to get a permit for 4 kitchens? Wouldn't someone at planning ask what was going on?

 

You assume permits were pulled? 

[Mike K.]

The zoning permits only one additional suite or garden suite. It also allows up to four boarders to live within the dwelling.

 

There appear to be four suites inside the home.

[VicHockeyFan]

I think by saying there are 4 suites, we are giving way too much credibility to what the Mayor says.  I see 2 suites for nightly rental.  I assume the owner also has a kitchen and bathroom.  Beyond that, I do not know what else the house has.  

 

The Mayor has also repeatedly said the house is a duplex, and on some maps it appears to have two civic addresses.   It's an old house, so there could well be legal non-conforming uses.

 

Let's examine closely what the Mayor has said...

 

“I live alone in the upstairs of a duplex...."

 

http://vancouverisla...false-1.3459969

 

"I live alone in the upstairs of a duplex...."

 

An Airbnb operates in a suite under the same roof but not in her portion of the house, she said. 

 

Helps conceded that a suite being operated as an Airbnb in a residential area is contrary to zoning. “That would be taken up on a complaint-driven basis with the owner of the house,” she said. “I’m not the owner of the house. I’m not the owner of the Airbnb suite. I’m not the renter of the Airbnb suite. I have nothing to do with the Airbnb suite. I rent the upper portion of the duplex, and I live by myself.” 

 

http://www.timescolo...plex-1.20598219

 

“I live alone, in the upper portion of a duplex, which I rent. I do not have an Airbnb suite,” she said.

 

Helps says there is a suite in the house she rents but she has nothing to do with it.

 

http://www.cheknews....ons-one-337719/

 

 

So I do not see that she has ever said she lives in a suite.   And while it may appear she is conveniently leaving out the second Air BnB unit, she was responding to the allegation of one unit and so she's within her rights to only speak of one.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 16 June 2017 - 07:47 AM.

[Mike K.]

The mayor says she lives in her own unit on the top floor. We have no reason not to take what the mayor says as the truth, so that implies that if two AirBnB's are operating out of the basement, and the owner of the home lives on the main floor with Helps residing in a separate unit above, that there are four suites.

 

If Helps is not being honest about her living quarters, then there are three suites (one more than permitted, and two of which are in contravention of local bylaw(s)).

[spanky123]

It appears that at some point in time over the past few years there was a homeopathic doctor running her business from the top floor of that address. On that basis it makes sense that the Mayor may in fact now be in the top floor unit as the two Airbnb suites show ground floor access. 

Edited by spanky123, 16 June 2017 - 07:47 AM.

[spanky123]

You assume permits were pulled? 

 

Well looking at the electrical wiring on the side of the building I wonder. I thought that exterior electrical wiring had to be in a metal casing but then again I don't know when the work was done or what the exact rules were at the time.

[Sparky]

Welcome to vibrantvictoria EngineeringKid.

 

I always enjoy seeing a post by a first timer which includes a gift. 

 

The information that you have provided appears factual and pertinent. 

 

Well done. 

[Mike K.]

15 minutes of investigation about the Lisa Helps Airbnb issue gave me this....

 

Oh, thanks for pulling those documents up.