785 replies to this topic

[LJ]

By Tedwards definition every retailer is greedy, they want to sell their goods at a profit. That profit allows them to hire Tedwards kids and provide them with a source of income. It's called capitalism. Were not changing to socialism anytime soon despite some peoples wishes. 

[G-Man]

Or everyone that takes home a paycheque is greedy...

[IPH]

"Were not changing to socialism anytime soon despite some peoples wishes."

@@#% lets hope not or we will all have to spend our time lining up for a loaf of bread. Unfortunately some on council sure seem to be pointing us in that direction!

[Nparker]

...lets hope not or we will all have to spend our time lining up for a loaf of bread...

Unless you're an artist in which case your bread will be delivered to your (taxpayer subsidized) door, free of charge, by a member of council (just not Geoff Young).

[spanky123]

At the council meeting yesterday, council approved sending this project to public hearing to get insights from both sides of the debate. Ben asked about whether BC Housing was purchasing the land and what price they were paying and Mayor Helps just happened to have a letter from BC Housing that hadn't yet been put into the public record stating that they were purchasing the land at a discount to fair market value. The letter didn't seem to indicate how much below FMW or what price was being paid so the Mayor, after prompting from Ben, said that she would ask those questions. 

 

Laurel will be back on council by the time this goes to public hearing so it should be an interesting vote.

Edited by spanky123, 11 October 2019 - 03:49 PM.

[Mike K.]

BC Housing doesn’t have any reason to provide this information and likely won’t.

[Nparker]

...Laurel will be back on council by the time this goes to public hearing so it should be an interesting vote.

You know this for certain?

[spanky123]

BC Housing doesn’t have any reason to provide this information and likely won’t.

They are a public entity, they would need to disclose any expenditure over $25k. Now they could drag their heels and take a year to do it but I think that Ben and company would view that as a sign they were lying and would use that as an excuse to turn down the rezoning.

[Victoria Watcher]

true they have indeed disclosed their purchase prices for their low barrier housing purchases in every case upon closing.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 October 2019 - 02:28 AM.

[shoeflack]

Public hearing is set for October 24.

[spanky123]

true they have indeed disclosed their purchase prices for their low barrier housing purchases in every case upon closing.

If this were a great deal for taxpayers then I am sure BC Housing would be gloating. If they try to hide disclosure then you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that it is because they know it is not.

[Victoria Watcher]

who says they are hiding anything?

[spanky123]

who says they are hiding anything?

 

That is why I said "if they try to hide disclosure".

 

At the council meeting Mayor Helps stated that she would ask BC Housing to provide details of the sale. BC Housing either will or they will not and the Mayor will report back with such I presume.

[Mike K.]

But even if they don’t, that doesn’t imply anything nefarious. The deal could be tied to an NDA.

The City is getting a fire hall on budget. 130 very low to moderate income affordable homes, and a major uplift in taxation revenue from that one building alone. It’s a win on so many fronts.

[spanky123]

But even if they don’t, that doesn’t imply anything nefarious. The deal could be tied to an NDA.

The City is getting a fire hall on budget. 130 very low to moderate income affordable homes, and a major uplift in taxation revenue from that one building alone. It’s a win on so many fronts.

They may have very well signed an NDA but then they shouldn't have said that they are paying below market pricing. You can't selectively disclose confidential information if that is the case. 

 

The City is paying the top end of what it would cost to build a firehall. If BC Housing is also paying a premium then a fair argument is what is the developer actually giving up in return for not having to contribute any amenities or CAC's. Doesn't matter what I think on the matter, Ben and the TV crew seemed pretty adamant that the developer contribution is a key component of their decision process. I am simply expressing my opinion that if BC Housing decides to stonewall after having opened the gates with their letter to the Mayor then they risk approval of the project on the proposed terms.

 

I hope that development in the area significantly increases the tax base as it also significantly increases the costs of servicing and supporting the increased population!! 

[Mike K.]

Sidney just built a $10 million fire hall for $14.5 million.

Saanich is budgeting $27 million for a fire hall on land it already owns.

Victoria budgeted $33.7 million for its fire hall on Johnson Street two years ago, and the developer is sticking to the commitment.

North Vancouver is spending $34 million on a new fire hall.

All of that being said, $33.7 million for the largest and most complex fire hall on Vancouver Island sounds about right.

[Victoria Watcher]

why do we need a new “large and complex” fire hall when fires are down by 50% over the last 20 years?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 October 2019 - 06:30 PM.

[baconnbits]

Fire departments do a lot more than put out fires these days.
While fire fighting is their primary training they are also first responders of all kinds and serve a broader public safety function. They respond to accidents, medical emergencies, drug overdoses etc. we get fire fighting and paramedics in one. Why wouldn’t we want them in a new and modern facility that will withstand disaster and last longer?

[Victoria Watcher]

because we’ve never been mandated to be paramedics and ambulance backups. that’s a provincial responsibility that our firefighters decided themselves to take on because they were simply not busy with fire duties. but they cost more than twice as much as an ambulance worker. and it’s billed to the wrong taxpayer.

we should be looking at streamlining the fire department not expanding their facility count.

we set up the three fire hall system nearly a half century ago when communications were a phone line between them and dispatch.

today we could even have 2,main fire halls and 2 other truck garages. we are keeping it the same for no other reason than “it’s the way we have done it” and that’s not progressive thinking by anyone.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 October 2019 - 01:49 AM.

[Rob Randall]

Statement from the Downtown Residents Association:

 

The new city Fire Hall is going to Council on Thursday but it is just a small part of a massive ½ city block development that is 24% higher in density than the maximums set by the Official Community Plan (OCP). This will be 30% denser than the Hudson District and inappropriately placed at the edge of Harris Green on the Fernwood Border. The contract with the developer to build the Fire Hall was obtained through an FOI by the DRA and shows Council must approve the entire development at these nonnegotiable densities even though the Fire Hall is just a tiny part of the overall scheme. Council is now a conflicted partner in this OCP busting development, not an impartial adjudicator.