678 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

And I’m referring to the local boom, not the Canadian boom. Immigrants may eventually move to Victoria but it’s not a landing destination like Edmonton or Calgary. They grow at about Vancouver’s rate but have half the populations. Calgary is going bananas, and has 1.5 million people. It could surpass Vancouver by 2040.

[Victoria Watcher]

It’s not immigration that is booming in Victoria, it’s in-migration from other parts of Canada, mostly.

 

That's right.  I should have also added that.  Nearly 85% of immigrants go to Vancouver, Toronto (GTA) and Montreal currently.

 

https://www150.statc...5/t001b-eng.htm

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 October 2022 - 06:15 AM.

[Mike K.]

That’s odd about Halifax. I saw way more people there speaking a variety of languages than I do here. And it has half the immigrant population of Victoria? That’s wild.

[Victoria Watcher]

Oct. 15 civic election: Unusually large number of candidates on ballot in Sooke

Chamber of Commerce president says concerns about growth and traffic are driving interest in running for council

 

https://www.timescol...n-sooke-5911048

[Victoria Watcher]

A View Royal couple, who had planned a meet-and-greet event for mayoral candidate Sid Tobias at their home over the weekend, say they were left shaken after an uncomfortable encounter with Mayor David Screech on their property.

 

Doug Wilson and Claire McDougald told the Times ­Colonist they had a tense confrontation with Screech at their front door Sunday morning about an hour before the meet-and-greet for his rival was to start. According to the couple, the conversation was adversarial from the start and escalated to the point Screech got into a loud, heated discussion with others at the event.

 

“A mayor will have challenges right, left and centre, but you don’t go yell at people on their doorstep on a Sunday morning no matter what,” said McDougald. “You can’t act like that. I have great concerns when a mayor behaves that way going to one of his taxpayer’s house.”

 

“Everybody’s welcome to their own opinion, but people are not free to behave in an unruly manner like that, and especially an elected official who has a duty to adhere to community standards,” added Wilson.

 

The heated conversation was the result of Screech asking to speak to those gathered at the meet-and-greet to address a flyer that had been circulating in the neighbourhood.

 

 

_______________________

 

View Royal Coun. Ron Mattson, who had the confrontation with Screech, said the mayor’s behaviour was “atrocious.”

 

“He can’t treat members of the public like that,” he said. “He yelled. He yelled at me for being disloyal but you know, I went there with a couple of people and my loyalty is with the people who elected me not the mayor.”

 

“It was completely shocking and totally inappropriate and, you know, certainly not befitting the mayor of View Royal. It was just awful.”

 

 

https://www.timescol...nt-door-5917307

[Mike K.]

Mayor Screech doesn’t hold back on social media and is often engaged in heated debates. Maybe he’s like that in real life, too.

[Nparker]

I would expect nothing less from someone named screech.

[Victoria Watcher]

The municipal election race in Langford is shaping up to be different from previous years, where the outcome was so certain some candidates didn’t do any campaigning.

 

In the 2018 election, Langford Mayor Stew Young filed with Elections BC that he had done zero campaign activity on his disclosure statement.

 

This means that he attested that he did not receive any deposits or income, had no expenses including reusing signs from previous campaigns, did not have a campaign account, did not change financial agents and did not receive free election advertising.

 

And yet, despite that, he won 82 per cent of the vote against the other candidate for mayor, Robert Fraser.

 

This time around, the Langford race is a different story.

 

Travelling through Langford shows Young has many signs posted around the municipality, and that he is running as part of a slate, Community First Langford.

 

Another change is that incumbent councillor Denise Blackwell is also not running aligned with Young, for the first time in 30 years.

 

“I do think we need change this time to shake things up a bit,” Blackwell told CHEK News. “This is my last kick at the can, so I would like to be there to be a mentor to some of those younger people.”

 

 

 

https://www.cheknews...-seats-1101361/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 October 2022 - 11:57 AM.

[todd]

^^“...“He can’t treat members of the public like that,” he said. “He yelled..”

You can’t, what is it still 2005

[todd]

“.. In a clear audio recording provided to the Times Colonist, Screech and the couple can be heard tensely discussing the situation with Screech demanding he be allowed to speak for five minutes to address the information in the flye…”: https://www.timescol...nt-door-5917307



What is the legality of this?:

“..In the Criminal Code of the Canadian law, Section 184 states that recording private conversation is illegal unless one of the participants consents to the interception. However, if anyone is getting involved in intercepting individual interactions without the consent of the other person, they can face imprisonment for up to five years. Let’s delve in to know more about the implications of recording a private conversation in Canada…”: https://www.prowsech...rsations-canada

[Victoria Watcher]

In the Criminal Code of the Canadian law, Section 184 states that recording private conversation is illegal unless one of the participants consents to the interception

 

 

 

 

One party can be the one recording it, as is the case here.

 

You and I can have a private coversation, I can covertly record it without your permission.

 

You and I cannot have a private coversation while another party records us, unbeknownst to both of us.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 October 2022 - 12:50 PM.

[todd]

I was hoping for Barrrister

[Mike K.]

Grey poupon doesn’t record conversations, I’m afraid.

[dasmo]

I would like to hear the recording!

[Victoria Watcher]

Winds of change are blowing in Langford civic election

 

 

 

Young’s Community First Langford slate includes long-time councillors Lanny Seaton, Matt Sahlstrom and Roger Wade, along with incumbent Norma Stewart, running for a second term, and two new faces, Shirley Ackland, former mayor and councillor of Port McNeill, and Shannon Russell Willing, who runs Langford’s support for Ukrainian refugees.

 

Langford Now, meanwhile, which includes Cobly Harder, Keith Yacucha, Kimberley Guiry, Mark Morley and Mary Wagner, is calling for a “sweeping change” in everything from transportation and recreation to affordability, sustainable development, environmental protections and transparent government.

 

Langford Now says development permits issued by council in the past 10 years had increased by 400%, to 1,670 units in 2021 from 336 in 2012 — significantly more than the 140% increase across the capital region.

 

The value of the building permits issued in Langford increased 680%, to $530 million in 2021, compared to just under a 200% increase across the capital region.

 

There’s no question that Langford is booming. It’s considered the fastest-growing community in the province — and third in Canada — as its population jumped 31.8% to 46,584 from 2016 to to 2021, according to national census data.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...lection-5932144

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 October 2022 - 03:14 AM.

[Mike K.]

Colby, not Cobly!

[Victoria Watcher]

A Langford challenger offered freezies at an event. Then she received a letter from the election officer warning of vote-buying

Unclear communication had ‘a chilling effect’ on campaign activities, the Langford Now slate says

 

 

 

https://www.capitald...cer-vote-buying

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 October 2022 - 07:33 AM.

[spanky123]

^ Sounds like Langford staff have made a decision on who they want to support for council! How can someone be accused of vote buying when they haven't even registered to run?! 

[Victoria Watcher]

Civic election: Colwood debates ways to cope with rapid growth

 

With large new developments like Royal Bay and Royal Beach, planning on housing types, services, parkland and transportation are key issues in Saturday’s civic election

 

https://www.timescol...-growth-5953512

[Mike K.]

Yes. This is very much a ballot on development exhaustion in most municipalities.