101 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Note: this poll is now closed. The poll was opened to all users, registered and un-registered.

Names are displayed as printed on the City's declaration of candidates document.

[Barrett r Blackwood]

Thank you very much 4 an updated pole.
How long until you close the pole?
Will you pole us again in the days to come?

[Mike K.]

We're less than a week away from the election so we might as well keep this poll open until the election itself as it can take several days to amass a few dozen responses.

[martini]

I'll say again...Only incumbent I'm voting for is Geoff Young...and Open Victoria candidates.

[Barrett r Blackwood]

please consider Robin Kimpton as one of your 8 picks for city council and put some well rounded balance to city business.

[Christine Selig]

I voted for Robin Kimpton because when I needed help Robin and his staff were there with a home and a new job.
They helped me over come adversity and I will never forget that.
I am one more non-voter that has changed her ways.
Thanks Robin and good luck.

[Phil McAvity]

I really don't think these results are anything like what we will see on voting day.

[bluefox]

I really don't think these results are anything like what we will see on voting day.

No kidding; the only mayoral candidate I'd ever expect to see above 80% on election day is Hurricane Hazel McCallion in Mississauga, and she's the incumbent mayor out there in the centre of the universe.

Paul Brown is not the incumbent. I expect he'll come a decent second to Dean.

[martini]

I really don't think these results are anything like what we will see on voting day.

Irregardless...if I was a candidate...I'd be paying attention.

This poll is all over facebook and twitter as of last night.

It will be interesting to see any changes up until voting day.

[Bingo]

I really don't think these results are anything like what we will see on voting day.

Twenty-two votes for the mayoralty candidate isn't exactly a landslide. Many of those votes are from the regular posters on VV and include people that don't even vote in the city.

[Mike K.]

Twenty-two votes for the mayoralty candidate isn't exactly a landslide. Many of those votes are from the regular posters on VV and include people that don't even vote in the city.

How do you know who voted in this poll and whether or not they are eligible voters?

[Reunited]

It's small but the results are consistent with at least two phone polls conducted recently by one of the candidates involved.

[Hotel Mike]

I think people are drinking their own bath water. VV represents a small group of people in the region, who tend to share certain opinions. Many were against the JSB, and so would vote for anyone but Dean and company. And how many are actual Victoria voters?
This poll would likely have an accuracy of + or - 85%, about 0 times out of 20.

[Baro]

Dean is absolutely going to win, the NDP machine and tacky union "recommendations" is the only surefire way to win anything in this town. Anyone actually interested and educated on the city over the last 3 years has a far higher chance of not voting for him, but most people just absorb a few sound-bites the days before the election and make up their minds that way. "Dean says he's getting stuff done and my workplace and political party told me to vote for him, that's easy!"

[Reunited]

I think people are drinking their own bath water. VV represents a small group of people in the region, who tend to share certain opinions. Many were against the JSB, and so would vote for anyone but Dean and company. And how many are actual Victoria voters?
This poll would likely have an accuracy of + or - 85%, about 0 times out of 20.

Maybe. But it shows the Dean Team is in a horse race, which NOBODY, including his majesty himself, would have predicted as little as 10 days ago.

[Bob Fugger]

Maybe. But it shows the Dean Team is in a horse race, which NOBODY, including his majesty himself, would have predicted as little as 10 days ago.

Agreed. We need to remember that he only won by 600 or so votes last time. His track record at City Hall should make him beatable this time around.

[Nparker]

Dean is absolutely going to win...my workplace and political party told me to vote for him...

It doesn't really matter who the candidate is, if either my employer or my union says I should support him/her, I pretty vote for anyone else.

BTW who are the delusional folks who think Pam Madoff and Charlayne Thornton-Joe deserve another term on council? Are there really that many masochists in this city?

[Barrett r Blackwood]

I agree and LOL at last comment.

[RobinKimpton]

Robin Kimpton

Further, on
The City’s purchase of two Travellers properties,
or
What is council smoking?

Last time I wrote to you about the economics or the City’s purchase of the two Travellers properties and the insanity thereof.

This time I am writing to you about a proposal I have put to the City Manager, Charlayne Thorton Joe and Mayor Fortin at City Hall. I have hesitated to tell this story because it can be seen as self-serving. Hopefully, you will see the wisdom in the proposal for the City. I think the ideas contained herein are sound especially relative to the City’s proposal to renovate 710 Queens Avenue.

Besides the proposal, the story, I am about to tell illustrates the stubborn nature of the Mayor and current Council, its lack of vision and overriding closed nature of the City. An open Victoria is a major issue in this campaign. I hesitate to tell the story because I was warned by several parties prior to filing my nomination papers that this is a small city and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. On the notion, that this Mayor and some Councilors may be on the way out, I summon the courage to tell it.

As set out last time, the City is proposing to renovate 710 Queens from its current configuration of a 35-unit motel / hotel to again I believe a 35-unit apartment. In recent neighbourhood meetings, I have been told that construction is imminent; however, when I asked if plans were available for viewing I was told they were not. I was not clear if they were not available for viewing because the City is simply not making them available or they were not completed.

Behind the scenes to this, the businesses of the neighbourhood have been meeting opposing the conversion of 710 to social housing. The businesses complain that since 710 was bought by the City and those on Pandora moved to this location the neighbourhood has seen a downward spiral. Budget Sales complains of broken aerials, people sleeping under their trucks at night, people urinating between vehicles in broad daylight. They say that someone is going to be killed if a truck is started and driven away without checking. Dairy Queen complains of an assault on its bathrooms and of theft. Timmis Motors complains of having to clean the lot daily including the City’s boulevard. Timmis complains that its front door has been shot up with a slingshot. Alexandria Rugs complains of people entering their premises while dealing with a customer and being verbally assaulted with demands for money. The businesses strenuously object to the conversion of 710 to social housing. I wrote a letter on behalf of the businesses to the Mayor and asking for a meeting. The businesses complained that the neighbourhood has taken more than its fair share of the social housing or agencies for the City. The neighbourhood has the mobile needle exchange, the Mustard Seed and the bottle depot both do admiral jobs but unfortunately bring activities like those listed above to the neighbourhood. The letter also presented an alternative to the City’s proposal for social housing at 710. It is this proposal, which I am going to discuss with you in a moment. The Mayor wrote back that the City was now (since September. 2011) holding neighbourhood meetings on how to calm the neighbourhood and suggesting that new garbage cans had been installed. No response was given to the requested meeting.

I commenced neighbourhood meetings in January of 2011 to discuss calming the 700 block of Queens. I was told this was the first time the private sector had undertaken this. I contacted Suzanne Cole, Executive Director of the Burnside Gorge, she stated that 710 and 760 Queens and their clients had been talked about at the Board level and within the community association. Having identified the need, I called the meetings. These were monthly meetings attended by the City, the Burnside Gorge, the Police, the Fire Department, a representative of the CRD, Rev Al Tysick, Our Place, etc.

During the course of these meetings and as an offshoot of these meetings, I made the proposal as mentioned above to Charlayne Thorton Joe and to the City Manager.

You may or may not be aware that I purchased three Travellers properties immediately adjacent to the City’s 710 Queens property.

The proposal was and is that the City and I should consider this assembly of properties, which span the 700 block of Queens and Field for a comprehensive development. The principle proposed was that of Woodwards, that is a mixed use development of social and market housing together with retail and commercial. The development would provide the City with the social housing it was seeking and more.

Here are a few of the key points with respect to the proposed renovation of 710:

- To renovate 710 will simply result in an old car with a new fender
- There appears to be significant structural problems with the decks at 710
- It costs significantly more to renovate than to build new
- Concentrating social housing on Douglas a key portal in and out of the City for tourists is questionable. How many of you have seen the building and the flailing, which has gone on around the building over the last 12 months or so?

Here are some of the key points for the comprehensive development proposal:

- 710 could be run as it exists until the comprehensive development plan could be developed
- Alternately, I have a couple of properties at the corner of Cook and Empress, which could be swapped for 710.

The City could swap; it would get the approximate 35 to 40 units it is proposing at 710. The units would be built new and cost effectively relative to a renovation. The new construction would be purpose built for the type of clients the City intends on housing. The visual impact of this social housing would be removed from Douglas and Blanshard key portals to and from the City. There would be a significant lift for this block as well as providing the basis for uplifting this Mid Town area from there to downtown. The City would get additional social housing in the comprehensive development.

As stated above, this can be seen as self-serving and to the extent that the property I own would be uplifted. However, the City itself would receive a significant benefit. You never know it might even make some money on its purchase of 710. It would get the 35 to 40 units of social housing it currently proposes for 710 and more.

I expect the City’s renovation is cemented in stone. However, I just could not understand the recalcitrant position of the City to the proposal, which makes so much sense / cents to me.

The only other thing I can think is Dean campaigned last time on the Homeless issue and he sees this as his answer. It sure is his answer at your expense.

As previously stated, what is Council smoking?

[Bingo]

VV represents a small group of people in the region, who tend to share certain opinions. Many were against the JSB, and so would vote for anyone but Dean and company.

There has been more recent talk on the need for almalgamation, which should it ever happen, would help share the costs of the numerous infrastructure projects being tossed about.

The fate of the present Johnson Street Bridge you mention, was decided by only 10,020 votes. This defeat also meant the loss of the rail span over the harbour, as the new bridge has no provision for rail. This demise of the bridge was promoted by most of the incumbent council. Perhaps an almalgamated region would have voted differently one year ago during the bridge referendum.