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Hilary Groos | Victoria | Councillor

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#1 Mike K.

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Posted 24 September 2014 - 09:32 PM

Hillary Groos is running for Victoria council in the 2014 municipal election.

 

Website: http://www.hilarygroos.ca


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#2 Mike K.

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Posted 24 September 2014 - 09:34 PM

Her slate has my attention. Although the no tax increase requires more meat. It's easy to say that but what will be cut to achieve this?

 

- NO INCREASES IN PROPERTY TAXES over the next Council period. In the last six years, property taxes have risen over 34%.

 

- ENSURING THE PLAN FOR PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION LIMITATIONS for non-profits will not force many in this the sector to close their doors.

 

- REVIEWING MUNICIPAL FEES to identify streamlining opportunities that accurately reflect the current situation.
SLOWING THE EXPANSION of the City Hall budget – why does the Communication Team’s budget continue to expand +15% in last year alone?

 

- REVITALIZING & CLEANING UP our downtown. The near 10% vacancy rate is a sure indication that change needs to happen. Boarded-up storefronts are unacceptable.

 

- DEVELOPING A YEAR-ROUND TOURISM STRATEGY in cooperation with downtown businesses & the Greater Victoria tourism industry.

 

- COMPLETION OF VICTORIA’S INNER HARBOUR as our showpiece for both residents and visitors.

 

- ENSURING that the City’s approach towards caring for the disadvantaged is a socially-responsible one.

 

- TACKLING the “A” word – amalgamation – and respond to the results of the referendum on election day intelligently. Increased integration between the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities is a logical and efficient way to provide services to our residents.

 

- The City of Victoria’s expected growth requires planning. Surrounded by water on three sides limits our ability to expand and building outwards is not an option. We want more people and businesses in the City to provide diversity and create a fairer tax base.

 

- Real transparency in City Council and less retreating into the cloaked-in-secrecy in camera meetings.

 

- The Johnson St Bridge replacement where the budget started at $63m and currently stands at around $93m with no end in sight. Jonathan Huggett, the veteran engineer-consultant now hired by the City to review the project, points the finger at City mismanagement, lack of coordination and a lack of leadership. Change needs to happen now.

 

- “Merde” as our francophone Canadians would say, and the City of Victoria is deep into this with the stalled sewage treatment project. Again, leadership is needed to find an overall solution. Whether we like it or not, the region has to treat its sewage.

 


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#3 lanforod

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 07:15 AM

"- The City of Victoria’s expected growth requires planning. Surrounded by water on three sides limits our ability to expand and building outwards is not an option. We want more people and businesses in the City to provide diversity and create a fairer tax base"

 

Says everything except the word density.


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#4 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 07:33 AM

Complaining about the communications budget is kind of a waste of effort.  The Mayor's answers to that is too easy, "we have lots going on in the city, and citizens want to be kept informed, and they want input.  Everything from streaming live council meetings, to meeting citizens at community consultation sessions in their area.  That takes a bit of money, but it's well-spent if it means a more open and accountable government."

 

Who's going to complain about that statement?


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<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#5 Jill

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 07:51 AM

Could the title of this thread be fixed so that her first name is spelled with one "l"?



#6 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 07:54 AM

Could the title of this thread be fixed so that her first name is spelled with one "l"?

 

Sure.


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#7 Mike K.

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 08:34 AM

Is that really why the budget went up? Seeing what the City does as far as public engagement is concerned is pretty minimalist. Even that tanker thing, it's just an online survey (skewed as it is).

The budget was ratcheted up when the bridge fiasco began. And since then it's kept growing with no end I'm sight. I also remember from years back we compared the PR departments of other cities and, unsurprisingly, Victoria outpaced much larger centres.

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#8 John M.

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Posted 02 October 2014 - 05:02 PM

I had the chance to meet Hilary Groos the other day. She seemed very  knowledgeable about what needs to happen on Victoria Council to get things back on track, even if you don't think her website reflects that. I also understand she has worked for the UN, NATO, the EU and other international agencies. Overall, a pretty impressive resume. (Plus her father was Victoria's MP in the 60's)


Edited by John M., 02 October 2014 - 05:31 PM.


#9 Bernard

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Posted 09 November 2014 - 04:29 PM

Here is Hilary's Shaw video



 



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