828 replies to this topic

[Midnightly]

it needs to be returned to how it was pre-pandemic.. allowing access to the parking lot by the park, this also opens up driving access to the washrooms, while also allowing for a nice view of the park and being able to see the lakes, it is also flat paved area for someone who has limited walking can get close enough to the lake to sit on one of the many benches provided... it seems rather silly to me to have a parking lot that vehicles cannot access or use

 

i don't think we need to fully open up vehicle access going over the bridge (that was already closed well before the pandemic)

[Victoria Watcher]

The Friends of Beacon Hill Park Society is accusing the City of Victoria of trying to prevent it from adequately arguing its case in court that sheltering in the park should not be allowed.

 

Roy Fletcher, president of the society, said the group has tried to add an affidavit from a retired professor of landscape architecture in Montreal to court proceedings scheduled for ­September to determine whether the park can be used for ­temporary sheltering by people who are homeless.

 

https://www.timescol...case-1.24349327

[David Bratzer]

 

The Friends of Beacon Hill Park Society is accusing the City of Victoria of trying to prevent it from adequately arguing its case in court that sheltering in the park should not be allowed.

 

 

Roy Fletcher, president of the society, said the group has tried to add an affidavit from a retired professor of landscape architecture in Montreal to court proceedings scheduled for ­September to determine whether the park can be used for ­temporary sheltering by people who are homeless.

 

https://www.timescol...case-1.24349327

 

 

I read the affidavit, it was was quite interesting.  The author is a member of the Order of Canada. He's been studying parks in cities for almost 50 years.  Here's an excerpt from his conclusion:

 

"It should be remembered that the great urban parks, including Beacon Hill, already play an essential social role. These parks were established as a respite from the general ugliness of urban dwelling and development and to provide space for public recreation and enjoyment in a green and natural environment. These unique institutions should be permitted to play their essential role, as defined (in the case of Beacon Hill Park) by the Trust document of 1882 and subsequent court decisions."

[Rob Randall]

Fine, but the park is actually a complement to a vibrant city, not an antidote to "ugliness"

[Jackerbie]

If the park is supposed to be a respite from the "ugliness of urban dwelling" then why are we arguing to reopen a road through it? Seems pretty urban to have cars driving around in the park.

[On the Level]

If the park is supposed to be a respite from the "ugliness of urban dwelling" then why are we arguing to reopen a road through it? Seems pretty urban to have cars driving around in the park.

 

The roadways in the park are an essential element of a great urban park and often add to the parks overall appeal.  Cars can't simply drive anywhere within the park as they are (or were) limited to a very small sliver of the park which was most likely the same with the horse and buggy when the park was first envisioned.  The vast majority of the park is reserved for walking. 

 

What we are seeing with this council is a combination of activism (anti-majority) and elitism (triple A).  It isn't enough to limit vehicle access, there was a strong effort to "have it all" both with Clover Point and Beacon Hill.  It isn't enough to have 90% of everything, this segment is not satisfied unless it is 100% for them leaving 0% for others.  It is the height of selfishness.

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria city staff are proposing an initial investment of $535,000 to remediate areas in four city parks — including Beacon Hill Park — that were affected by months of people camping.

In a report going to councillors Thursday, staff say they have identified 144 sites in 10 parks with visible impacts, such as soil compaction and contamination, stress or death of ­vegetation, introduction of invasive species and degradation of habitat for insect, bird and animal species.

https://www.timescol...-000-1.24355846

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 September 2021 - 05:28 AM.

[kitty surprise]

Victoria city staff are proposing an initial investment of $535,000 to remediate areas in four city parks — including Beacon Hill Park — that were affected by months of people camping.

In a report going to councillors Thursday, staff say they have identified 144 sites in 10 parks with visible impacts, such as soil compaction and contamination, stress or death of ­vegetation, introduction of invasive species and degradation of habitat for insect, bird and animal species.

https://www.timescol...-000-1.24355846

 

Approving this is an admission that camping in parks is harmful and problematic. Let's hope this one passes.

[aastra]

The courthouse lawn remediation had already clarified that issue beyond a shadow of a doubt. When the tents and chop shops really started to flourish in BHP, we all knew where it was ultimately leading.

 

Check out the following from August, 2020:

 

[rmpeers]

The courthouse lawn remediation had already clarified that issue beyond a shadow of a doubt. When the tents and chop shops really started to flourish in BHP, we all knew where it was ultimately leading.

Check out the following from August, 2020:

VV-Post-Aug2020-BHP.jpg

Exactly. And they knew there would be assaults, sexual and otherwise. But Helps led the charge and enough councillors voted for it, knowingly exactly what would happen. And not giving a damn.

[On the Level]

Victoria city staff are proposing an initial investment of $535,000 to remediate areas in four city parks — including Beacon Hill Park — that were affected by months of people camping.

In a report going to councillors Thursday, staff say they have identified 144 sites in 10 parks with visible impacts, such as soil compaction and contamination, stress or death of ­vegetation, introduction of invasive species and degradation of habitat for insect, bird and animal species.

https://www.timescol...-000-1.24355846

 

 

 

Goodbye roses. Hello kinnikinnick.

 

Victoria, the City of Gardens, which for years has boasted of its blossoms while the rest of the country shivers, could soon be ripping out its marigolds and geraniums and instead planting sword ferns.

 

We don’t have limitless staff to be driving trucks around the city watering annuals,” Mayor Lisa Helps said of the initiative.

 

The move, part of climate leadership and environmental stewardship objectives, would exempt hanging baskets and Beacon Hill Park.

 

Bold action is needed amid warnings about climate change, she said.

 

We'll see if she keeps her word about Beacon Hill Park.  I am worried though.  As soon as you see the "Bold Action" statement, it often means they are about to do something based on ideology.

 

https://www.timescol...dens-1.23548874

[Nparker]

...We don’t have limitless staff to be driving trucks around the city watering annuals...

Presumably we'll be seeing staff layoffs then once the new plants are in place.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yes. Exactly.

[kitty surprise]

Curious. Removing the flowers, what's next - no longer a park? If it's something other than a park then they can do many creative malicious things with it. Weren't they proposing joint governance with FN last year? Can't stop me from camping in Meegan if it's no longer legally a park! Tin foil hat at the ready!

[rmpeers]

We'll see if she keeps her word about Beacon Hill Park. I am worried though. As soon as you see the "Bold Action" statement, it often means they are about to do something based on ideology.

https://www.timescol...dens-1.23548874

“Our job as leaders of the city, as governors of the city, isn’t to maintain the status quo. We were elected to prepare for the future,” Helps said.

Well, she definitely hasn't maintained the status quo. Although I shudder at what apocalyptic future she is imagining amd preparing us for...

[Midnightly]

We'll see if she keeps her word about Beacon Hill Park.  I am worried though.  As soon as you see the "Bold Action" statement, it often means they are about to do something based on ideology.

 

https://www.timescol...dens-1.23548874

 

doesn't beacon hill flower beds have sprinklers in them to do self watering?  same with a number of the bigger flower beds throughout town

 

and also complaining about staff going around watering is laughable when she continues to keep highering new staff and inflating the amount of people working within city hall.. maybe we could cut a few PR people, cut down her justice league crew, i'm sure we could find more then enough in the inflated bouncy castle of city hall to cover the cost of some city maintenance crew keeping their jobs

[aastra]

 

We don’t have limitless staff to be driving trucks around the city...

 

The city of Victoria today is physically the same size that it ever was, except it has more city employees now, bigger budgets, more resources, and much more modern infrastructure. What relevance hath the word "limitless"?

 

Everything in politics and the news is just a test to see if people are awake and thinking and still holding on to their humanity.

[mbjj]

You can always tell when you pass from Victoria into another municipality. Our plantings are already pathetic. Other municipalities have beautiful flower beds. We're ugly. Bold action my ass. She hates flowers. Even the flowers in the once beautiful herbaceous borders are more in keeping with California. The raised stone planters on the pathway across from the gravel parking lot, likewise. They used to be really lovely. Now they're skimpy and also ugly. I don't think Victoria's climate has changed all that much. 

[spanky123]

“Our job as leaders of the city, as governors of the city, isn’t to maintain the status quo. We were elected to prepare for the future,” Helps said.

Well, she definitely hasn't maintained the status quo. Although I shudder at what apocalyptic future she is imagining amd preparing us for...

 

Asked if the city is planning to rename Beacon Hill Park, Helps said: “Not necessarily.”

 

“But if we are exploring co-governance of that area we might want to talk about what the Lekwungen name for it is,” she said.

 

 

In other words we will be renaming the park. Have to do it quickly, term ends in just over a year. I wonder if 'co-governance' means co-paying?!

Edited by spanky123, 07 September 2021 - 08:06 AM.

[A Girl is No one]

She already refers to it as Meegan park… she is such a liar