11779 replies to this topic

[A Girl is No one]

Just a little OT observation. Somebody, no doubt one Victoria’s woke ignorati, has been going around James Bay sticking “F*ck Zionists” posters on signs and poles. (He doesn’t use the asterisk.) We’ve torn down several. While doing this we encountered a man painting over graffiti on one of those big Telus boxes. He has taken it upon himself to clean up the neighbourhood as much as he can. And yesterday we saw a news report about a citizen group of volunteers who are sweeping BHP for needles on Saturday mornings. It is genuinely heartwarming to learn that there are still some regular, civic minded people around here who are taking action.

Thanks for this JimV. ❤️

[Love the rock]

wouldn't they likely be getting $600-1000 child support per month too?  from the other biological parent?  most would.  

Often this doesn’t happen. Job loss ,abandoning responsibilities, working under the table addiction lots of reasons why this doesn’t  play out .Enforcement can only go so far . 
 

[Victoria Watcher]

oh I know some don’t pay. but most do.

[spanky123]

Some entrepreneur may be on to a solid business idea.

 

https://www.facebook...60080758623232/

[mbjj]

I had to call my husband to see that, hahahaha! 

[Mike K.]

Canada’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.4%, from 2.2% in March, Statistics Canada said. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the annual rate to rise to 3.2% in April.

And it begins.

https://apple.news/A...nRL-ll1Obu6Nv_w

[spanky123]

And it begins.

https://apple.news/A...nRL-ll1Obu6Nv_w

 

Along with the BS about this just being an anomaly and not representative of the true CPI. It won't be until the interest rate goes up that they actually start admitting the truth.

[Mike K.]

Always with the CPI. I swear it’s the index that just keeps on giving.

The CRD just released their 2020 annual report. Their budget inflation was 1.1% (I assume that what they meant). The national average 0.7%. Keep in mind that was during COVID when budgets largely froze.

[JimV]

Along with the BS about this just being an anomaly and not representative of the true CPI. It won't be until the interest rate goes up that they actually start admitting the truth.

The low interest rates are driving some of the recent price increases, especially housing.  Lots of government funny money in circulation chasing a limited supply of goods, e.g. commodities, cars, homes and all the other stuff now scarce because of supply chain problems.

 

The pressure on rates is increasing.  Not much of a market for government bonds at <1% when the inflation rate is >3%.  BOC can’t keep buying government debt forever.  I think a perfect storm is on the horizon.

[JimV]

In other news I tried the beloved Cook/Southgate roundabout this morning.  I was driving east on Southgate.  I moved to the bottom of the roundabout, waiting for north bound traffic on Cook to clear.  Meanwhile, another driver behind me pulled into the southbound lane of Cook, blocking southbound traffic.  This will likely happen often since there is so little room to maneuver around the thing.  I suppose that after a few crashes people will figure it out.

[sebberry]

In other news I tried the beloved Cook/Southgate roundabout this morning.  I was driving east on Southgate.  I moved to the bottom of the roundabout, waiting for north bound traffic on Cook to clear.  

 

Shouldn't you just move into the roundabout?  Traffic in the circle has the right of way.  After you enter it, northbound traffic must yield to you.

[JimV]

Shouldn't you just move into the roundabout?  Traffic in the circle has the right of way.  After you enter it, northbound traffic must yield to you.

I did move into the roundabout.  I had to stop at the southern edge of it because the cars travelling northbound on Cook clearly had no intention of yielding.  Trying to squeeze into the narrow lane would have resulted in a collision.  

[spanky123]

In other news I tried the beloved Cook/Southgate roundabout this morning.  I was driving east on Southgate.  I moved to the bottom of the roundabout, waiting for north bound traffic on Cook to clear.  Meanwhile, another driver behind me pulled into the southbound lane of Cook, blocking southbound traffic.  This will likely happen often since there is so little room to maneuver around the thing.  I suppose that after a few crashes people will figure it out.

 

I would agree but no Government is being punished for printing money at the moment so most seem quite happy to keep buying votes with paper and ink. As Government stimulus starts to wind down a little though we are seeing the impact in a lot of the speculative assets.

[Awaiting Juno]

You know what has really inflated? The city of Victoria budget -- it's grown from less than 100 pages in 2014 to more than 900 now. Really. A city of 90,000 should not need a 900 plus page budget.

 

2014 https://www.victoria...ancial Plan.pdf

 

2020 https://www.victoria...ialPlan_WEB.pdf

[Tom Braybrook]

You know what has really inflated? The city of Victoria budget -- it's grown from less than 100 pages in 2014 to more than 900 now. Really. A city of 90,000 should not need a 900 plus page budget.

 

2014 https://www.victoria...ancial Plan.pdf

 

2020 https://www.victoria...ialPlan_WEB.pdf

 

is it double-spaced?!  ;-)

[Midnightly]

You know what has really inflated? The city of Victoria budget -- it's grown from less than 100 pages in 2014 to more than 900 now. Really. A city of 90,000 should not need a 900 plus page budget.

 

2014 https://www.victoria...ancial Plan.pdf

 

2020 https://www.victoria...ialPlan_WEB.pdf

 

 

that's insane!!

 

to be honest it makes me wonder what they are trying to hide with that many pages

[Rex Waverly]

that's insane!!

 

to be honest it makes me wonder what they are trying to hide with that many pages

 

Wouldn't more pages be providing even more openness and transparency?  Have you compared the differences in the two budgets, to see why it's such a large difference? 

 

I didn't read the whole thing (obviously) but just comparing a couple of sections between the two budgets..... for example, in the 2014 budget, the section on 'Police' is two pages long; there is one budget line for expenditures ('Operations') and two budget lines for Revenues ('CIty of Victoria' and 'Recovery from Esquimalt').  That's it.  

 

In the 2020 budget, the police section is 100+ pages, with a budget for each of dozens of Business Units and includes 15+ line items for each unit including police salary, inside salary, overtime, all the way down to food and beverage, office supplies, etc.  And, at least at first glance, each of the other sections (like 'Council', 'Engineering', 'Parks, Recreation, and Facilities') are similarily broken down in such detail.  It's only 900 pages, which really isn't that hard to search through now that a Table of Contents is included (not to mention Ctrl+F).   

[VIResident]

You know what has really inflated? The city of Victoria budget -- it's grown from less than 100 pages in 2014 to more than 900 now. Really. A city of 90,000 should not need a 900 plus page budget.

 

2014 https://www.victoria...ancial Plan.pdf

 

2020 https://www.victoria...ialPlan_WEB.pdf

 

A few titles, 900-page novels (for a chuckle)

• Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon,
• The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss,
• Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon,
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

[spanky123]

that's insane!!

 

to be honest it makes me wonder what they are trying to hide with that many pages

 

Despite being 900 pages it is laid out in such a way that you can get to the info you want quickly. It is still opaque enough however (ie multiple expenses lumped under one heading) that if the City wants to hide detail they can.

 

My concern is that the 2021 financial plan won't be available until July or more than half way through the year! I hope that it is not the 900 pages that is slowing that up.

[Mike K.]

The electorate did ask for more transparency and there it is.

Do we know yet what the average taxation rate is for 2021?