11794 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

Admin edit: 2014-2018 thread can be found here.

 

Are they streaming this anywhere?

[Jackerbie]

Are they streaming this anywhere?

 

If there's an official stream, it will likely be posted here: https://www.victoria...e-meetings.html

 

The agenda says the meeting starts at 10:00 AM. 

[sebberry]

Yup, they're late.  Off to a great start!

[sebberry]

Live now

[Mike K.]

Mayor Helps has just been sworn in.

 

[Bob Fugger]

The idiots are now officially in charge of the village.

[Mike K.]

Councillors Young and Thornton-Joe have sworn their allegiance to the Queen. I don't recall if any of the other councillors did?

[Mike K.]

And there we have it!

 

Mayor and council have been sworn in. Hopefully in time for the next swearing-in ceremony City Hall will replace its collection of VHS cameras used for its livestreams.

 

[Mike K.]

Mayor Helps' speech:

 

Housing on all fronts

- buying land for housing

- larger garden suites

- creative partnerships

- inclusive zoning

- doing more with land already have

- coops, land trusts

 

Affordability

- affordable child care for workers and families

- making transportation affordable

 

Taxes

- ensure taxes and fees are affordable

 

Climate change

- 12 years as a human society to maintain the temperature from not rising more than 1.5 degrees

- cities have a key role to play in climate change, contributing 70% of greenhouse gas emissions

- Victoira must lead

- 50% of greenhouse gasses come from buildings, 40% from transportation and 10% from waste

- 1% of emissions come from the City of Victoria's operations, 99% come from the community

- climate ambassador program, where individuals select a child, a youth, and an elder where they become a climate ambassador for their community (odd, will these individuals walk around identifying how you're not doing your part, or not acting in the best interest of anti-climate change measures?)

 

Prosperity, inclusion and wellbeing

- lucky to have a strong business community

- nothing divides business from community in Victoria

- build on current economic strength and ensure there is room in the economy for everyone

- the City will create a leadership role for economic inclusion for marginalized people

- long-term jobs plan

- participation in Prosperity Project

- only 2% increase in jobs according to recent report, Helps hopes to create 10,000 household sustaining jobs by 2041

[Rob Randall]

For comparison, here is a promise list from 2009 so you can personally judge the successes and failures of the last near-decade:

 

M e d i a R e l e a s e

City Council Adopts Seven Immediate Strategic Priorities

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 For Immediate Release

VICTORIA, BC — City Council has identified seven priorities for the coming months representing the issues
Council wants to see immediate action on.

The seven priorities focus on homelessness; affordable housing; council decision making; public communication;
harm reduction; infrastructure; and downtown late night issues.

“Council has worked as a team to analyze a number of pressing community issues with the goal of identifying
real, sustainable solutions,” said Mayor Dean Fortin. “It’s critical that the community understand what Council is
focusing on so they know what to expect as we move forward.”

Mayor Fortin added, “We’ve hit the ground running in these first months. Already we’ve introduced a number of
programs that will help us advance the priorities we’ve set, including the secondary suite grant incentive
program, relaxed zoning for secondary suites, and tax exemptions for affordable housing developments.”

In two weeks, Council will hold a full day planning session to finalize the long-term strategic plan for the three
year term of Council. This plan will be shared broadly with the community and will contain short and long term
performance measures that will guide City operations for the coming years.

-30-

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY:
Mayor Fortin is available for comment until noon.

Backgrounder

Council has adopted seven key priorities for the next three-six months:

1. Homelessness

Council’s top priority. Everyone who needs a home and support should have one.
*Continue working with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and community partners on
identifying opportunities and service gaps
*Explore funding opportunities with other levels of government
*Continue to facilitate current projects underway – Humboldt Valley, Ellice Street

2. Affordable Housing

Victoria will be a community of mixed-use, mixed income neighbourhoods with a vacancy rate higher than 4%.
*Launch secondary suite grant incentive program and adapted zoning regulations
*Pursue tax incentives for strategic affordable housing initiatives
*Expedite municipal approvals for affordable/social housing projects

3. Enhance Council Decision Making - Governance

Enhance decision-making process and governance model to achieve meaningful input on community issues.
*Introduce new governance model

4. Enhanced Communications

Enhance communications with the residents and businesses in the City and Region to make information easier
to access and understand, and provide more opportunities for citizens to provide input and participate in City
initiatives.
*Develop a public engagement strategy - a toolkit for effective public engagement on a variety of issues and
initiatives
*Produce newsletter three times per year for all Victoria residents
*Redevelop City’s website
*Pursue options for web streaming Council meetings

5. Harm Reduction

Improve the overall health and safety of community. Advance substantial progress – not displace problems.
*Pursue distributed needle exchange model to address immediate health risks
*Consider findings of VIHA-led committees on locations for fixed sites
*Advocate for increased detox and treatment services in the Region

6. Quality Core Service Delivery –Infrastructure

Prioritize opportunities, funding and urgency of projects. Provide quality services now and for future generations
*Determine immediate infrastructure priorities in 20 year capital plan
*Create Department of Sustainability and Finalize Sustainability Framework
*Submit project request to federal and provincial government

7. Downtown Late Night Nuisances

Work with key stakeholders to identify strategies to support a robust and vibrant economy and ensure people
are safe downtown
*Strike Downtown Late Night Task Force
*Determine design and technical feasibility for public urinals

-30- 

[Sparky]

^ Swing and a miss.

[Rob Randall]

Note that the Sustainability Department only lasted three years.

[rmpeers]

Note that the Sustainability Department only lasted three years.

Sure, but aren't we going to get a Housing Ambassador now? I mean, that doesn't sound like something we'll be looking back at and laughing about a few years from now.

[Mike K.]

Did anyone catch Helps' plan to introduce children as neighbourhood climate change ambassadors who will patrol their neighbourhoods for climate-harming infractions?

[Baro]

We will be getting a Child, Youth, Adult, and Senior from each neighbourhood to tell people to stop creating so many greenhouse gasses.

[rmpeers]

Did anyone catch Helps' plan to introduce children as neighbourhood climate change ambassadors who will patrol their neighbourhoods for climate-harming infractions?

Okay, now you're just making stuff up. Right?

[Baro]

The diverse set of ages will act as sort of ghost of climate past, present, and future to spook you into buying better insulation for your home.

[Mike K.]

^lol, yeah!

 

Good ole' communism. Entice neighbours (innocent little kids, more like it) to spy on each other to ensure everyone is acting accordingly.

[Rob Randall]

Good Lord. Not to invoke Godwin's Law or anything but I can't help but be reminded of Hitler Youth kids that would tattle on their neighbours for not tuning in to Hitler's latest speech on the radio or cheating their ration cards.

[Rob Randall]

If a kid wanted to turn me in for a smoky chimney I'd whisper to him that Santa's sleigh crashed in my back yard and I'm burning the evidence.